"You really dyed your hair brown?" Ling asked curiously.
"I never really liked the blonde, to be honest, and my natural hair color is brown," Maria replied with a smile.
Ling studied her under the bright moonlight and nodded seriously.
"You're right, brown suits you better! By the way, let me show you my new place. I brought some gifts for you all."
Hearing this, Maria's lips curved into a fresh natural smile.
...
Half an hour later, in front of Guardiola's house.
Seeing the piles of gifts Ling had brought, Pep Guardiola reluctantly had to let him in.
"These panda plushies are for the kids, this blue-and-white porcelain tea set and tea are for your mom, and also…"
Ling vividly recounted numerous stories about the gifts, leaving the two youngsters (Marius and Valentina) utterly captivated.
Then Marius and Valentina pestered Ling for details about the Champions League final.
Marius wished he could grow up instantly, to rescue the team in critical moments like Ling does!
As for Valentina, her eyes sparkled with excitement.
Having one love-struck person at home was enough, Guardiola didn't need any more corrupting his family!
Maria nodded seriously—Ling really ought to spruce up his appearance and not always go out wearing training gear.
As they parted, Christina said with a smile, "Maria majored in fashion design in university. Let her help you with your style when she has time—young people should be more fashionable."
Christina's smile grew even more satisfied, as she had once been a fashion designer herself and even ran a clothing store in Barcelona.
She warmly entertained him and even invited Ling to a family dinner the next day, but Ling politely declined, citing the need to stay in the city for training.
Ling took the advice in stride.
Then Christina shot a glare at Guardiola, thinking, 'Look how well-spoken he is.'
Ever since they met at 18, Guardiola had never spoken a romantic word—it was always football, football, and more football.
He might as well marry the sport.
Beside him, Guardiola took a sip of coffee, feeling nothing but bitterness, both physically and emotionally.
Guardiola scratched his head in confusion—why was he suffering collateral damage again?
Guardiola once again rubbed his gleaming bald head, then gritted his teeth with a grinding sound.
Every time he encountered that wretched kid, trouble was sure to follow!
After Ling left the villa, Guardiola opened the gift Ling had specifically handed him and found a box of red goji berries.
Goji berries had recently become trendy on Instagram, and Guardiola had read about their benefits.
It seemed to be capable of curing insomnia, hair loss, and poor skin.
...
The next day.
If one were to summarize the first round of the Premier League, it would be a transitional adjustment period post-World Cup, with every team needing more coordination and growth.
The first round of the 2018-19 season concluded with Man United's 3-1 victory over Leicester City counting as a big win.
The official MVP award went to Man United's Ling, largely because his two goals were particularly spectacular.
However, given that Man United had spent over 200 million euros on transfers and still displayed so many issues in the match, many commentators began to doubt their title-contending capabilities this season.
When the time came, Mourinho would need to deploy different center-back pairings, significantly increasing the demand for mobility from the defensive midfield.
Neither Nemanja Matic nor Paul Pogba could meet this requirement, and Scott McTominay's worst attribute was his mobility.
Only Ander Herrera from Spain barely qualified.
From the match footage of United's opener, Guardiola was visibly furious but analytical.
Especially regarding the defensive midfield pairing—Maguire and Bailly haven't encountered issues yet, but Bailly's fragility is common knowledge across Europe.
It's likely he'll get injured soon.
Elsewhere in the league, Liverpool also steamrolled their opponents, with Sadio Mane scoring twice and Salah and Sturridge each adding a goal, leaving West Ham United utterly helpless.
Next, it's worth mentioning Chelsea's managerial change.
Antonio Conte, who lost to Mourinho twice last season, is now out of a job and staying at home.
The newly appointed Italian coach Maurizio Sarri emphasized high pressing and midfield possession, while also prioritizing attacking from the wings, demanding that full-backs push forward boldly and join the offense.
Truth be told, his defensive style was indeed overly reckless.
Against weaker teams, they demonstrated dominant pressure, decisively beating Huddersfield 3-0.
This restored confidence among many Chelsea fans, who firmly believed their team would reclaim their glory this season and show Mourinho the might of the Blues.
As for Tottenham, since Spurs are emulating Arsenal's stadium construction, Pochettino didn't have much transfer budget for the summer window.
Their first match was downright metaphysical
If not for Newcastle United hitting the post and crossbar repeatedly, Tottenham would likely have suffered their first defeat of the new season.
Thus, the title favoritism shifted back to Man City, who defeated Arsenal 2-0 in their opening league match, maintaining decisive dominance throughout and making Unai Emery's football look anything but beautiful.
Fans from various clubs took to social media to share their comments.
"This season's Premier League title race is even more challenging than last!"
"Liverpool, Man City, and Man United are all very strong. The eventual winner will likely be decided among them!"
"Guys, since Ling switched to playing center forward, his goal-scoring rate has clearly improved!"
"Obviously, the striker is closest to the goal, and Mourinho has allocated more tactical resources to Ling, with both wings essentially creating decoys for him."
"It's a pity Manchester United's midfield isn't strong enough yet. If they could bring in De Bruyne and Kante, it would be absolutely perfect."
"Don't dream that big."
"Hopefully Manchester United will continue their good luck at the end-of-month Champions League Draw and Awards Ceremony and get a favorable draw!"
....
Meanwhile, at Carrington Training Base.
Man United was holding an intra-squad scrimmage, with Ling dribbling on the wing against Aaron Wan-Bissaka, whose dark forehead was drenched in sweat as he struggled to suppress the urge to make a sliding tackle.
Mourinho intentionally used this method to correct Wan-Bissaka's bad habits, as diving in recklessly could easily lead to fatal errors during matches.
With consecutive feints and dribbles, Ling discreetly passed centrally before explosively cutting inside, combining with Rashford in a quick one-two.
Unfortunately, the final shot was too central and saved by De Gea.
"Ling, your interchange with Rashford is too rigid! It should happen during counter-attacks, not static positional swaps!" Rui Faria shouted.
Ling acknowledged and mentally noted the feedback.
After the training match, Ling stayed behind instead of leaving with teammates, seeking out Sergio Romero to practice long-range shooting.
As for why not De Gea? The guy had already bolted!
Faria set up high-speed cameras to analyze Ling's shooting mechanics through software, enabling scientifically optimized adjustments.
These are privileges past stars never enjoyed, making modern players' development more efficient.
But it also risks producing players who seem manufactured from the same assembly line.
Wan-Bissaka, Maguire, and Mahrez, who had been packing up to leave, stopped in their tracks.
They exchanged glances before turning to McTominay.
The latter shrugged helplessly: "Ling's nickname among us is 'Training Demon.' Don't even think about competing with him. Just complete the training assigned by the coach."
Then he changed his shoes and stepped onto the track, jogging lightly to cool down after training.
His mobility wasn't particularly strong, which was precisely why he had to compensate with extra effort—if others took one step, he would take two!
McTominay deeply agreed with one of Ling's sayings.
"When you unleash all your talent through self-discipline, football will give you everything beyond your dreams!"
Maguire took a long look at McTominay's retreating figure, silently put down his already packed gear, and joined the extra training group on the pitch.
This, however, made the assistant coaches extremely weary.
Not everyone possessed Ling's terrifying physical body.
It was easy to copy the form but achieve the opposite effect.
They could only monitor the players' data closely, guarding against defenders training with excessive intensity.
Mourinho, who had just finished reviewing the match, stood by the sidelines.
Rubbing his sore temples, he revealed a satisfied smile.
Manchester United once had role models like Neville, Scholes, and Vidic to lead by example and mentor others, but now the team lacked so many outstanding players.
The only one, Ibrahimović, had already left.
Fortunately, Ling was following in the footsteps of his predecessors, passing on self-discipline and Soul Power to the next generation.
Data analyst Giovanni Cerra approached. "Boss, before the next round, Valencia, Matic, and Lukaku still won't be fit. Should we consider changing the formation? The 4-3-3 does place high demands on the defensive midfielders. Are we facing Spurs in the third round?"
Mourinho nodded. "Yes."
Giovanni had long memorized the fixture schedule.
Manchester United had a favorable schedule in September, with no matches against Premier League top-six teams, though there would be one Champions League group stage match, with the opponent yet to be determined by the draw.
After that, United would face Chelsea, Man City, Arsenal, and Liverpool in quick succession.
"Let's switch to a 4-2-3-1," Mourinho pondered for a long time. "Keep Ling as the center forward, with Herrera and McTominay as the defensive midfielders."
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