It was five in the afternoon.
After the post-match review, the Wolfsburg players were dismissed to go home.
Mark, who had just received a 30,000 euro signing bonus in his bank account, was considering whether to go to a fancy restaurant for a good meal tonight.
It's not easy to transmigrate once; he couldn't treat himself poorly!
However, when he arrived at the parking lot, he saw De Bruyne and Miranda standing by a Volkswagen sedan, looking distressed.
De Bruyne had joined the team less than half a month ago and was very unfamiliar with both the team and his living environment.
Fortunately, he had Miranda, a fellow Belgian, in the team to help each other.
Since De Bruyne didn't have a German driver's license, to facilitate travel, he rode in Miranda's car to and from home and the team's training ground every day.
Seeing the two standing by the car, Mark couldn't help but ask:
"Hey, guys, what's wrong?"
Miranda, whose skin color almost blended with the darkness, raised a hand to scratch the back of his head, revealing a row of big white teeth in a simple smile:
"The car, I don't know what's wrong with it, it won't start..."
"Where are you two headed? I'll give you a ride home."
Miranda and De Bruyne exchanged glances, and the older De Bruyne spoke up:
"Mark, where do you live?"
"Ragberg district."
As soon as he finished speaking, Miranda chimed in: "That's perfect, we're in Rabenberg district!"
Both districts belonged to the central-western area, only a few streets apart.
"Then get in!"
After he led the two to his black Beetle, De Bruyne and Miranda both sat in the back seat.
As the car started, it quickly drove out of the parking lot.
"Oh, by the way, have you two eaten yet?"
"I just signed a professional contract with the club today and received a signing bonus, so I'm planning to go out for a nice meal."
"Do you two want to come along? My treat!"
Hearing this, the Belgian duo exchanged glances, and De Bruyne spoke up:
"That might not be good, bothering you..."
"It's fine, without us, it's just me alone."
Hearing this, De Bruyne and Miranda, sitting in the back seat, exchanged glances again, seemingly realizing something.
"Do you two eat Chinese food? I know a very good Chinese restaurant!"
Mark then took the two to the Sunrise Grand Restaurant in the city center.
This was a very famous Chinese restaurant in Wolfsburg.
When the three arrived, the restaurant was already filled with many customers, waiting for their delicious food to be served.
From the kitchen came the familiar Mandarin that Mark knew all too well.
Finding an empty table and sitting down, Mark picked up the menu and casually asked:
"Kevin, Juninho, is there anything you two don't eat?"
Hearing this, De Bruyne glanced at the menu,
"We're fine with anything."
"Me too."
"In that case, let's just order a few dishes and try the taste..."
"Waiter! We'd like to order!"
Hearing such authentic Mandarin, and seeing Mark's handsome face, the waitress was momentarily stunned:
"Sir, would you like to order?"
"Yes, honey soy spare ribs, tender tofu with preserved egg, Shanghai-style Brandenburg carp..."
After ordering five or six dishes at once, the waitress couldn't help but exclaim: "Sir, your Mandarin is really good."
"My father is Chinese, so..."
"Haha, no wonder then... you're half Chinese!"
Half Chinese?
This incredibly precise description made Mark smile.
A Chinese soul in a foreign body, wasn't that half Chinese?
After the waitress left, Mark saw De Bruyne and Miranda looking at him curiously:
"Mark, you can speak Chinese?"
"Yes, my father is Chinese..."
"Do you come to this restaurant often?"
"No, this is my first time."
Hearing this, the two were also momentarily stunned.
First time here, and he seemed so familiar with it?
However, recalling Mark's impressive and unflustered performance in his Bundesliga debut yesterday, they understood.
Then, steaming hot dishes were brought out one by one.
Even the chefs and the owner from the kitchen came over to greet the three.
As Wolfsburg fans, they naturally recognized De Bruyne, the Bundesliga's most expensive winter transfer.
They also recognized Mark, the young player who had performed outstandingly yesterday.
No other reason than his exceptionally handsome looks and his black hair and blue eyes, which made him very memorable.
Although it seemed like they ordered a lot.
But for De Bruyne and Miranda, who rarely ate Chinese food, each dish was full of novelty and absolutely delicious!
In the end, the three of them completely cleared all the dishes!
After eating, the three also took a photo with the owner, which was hung on the wall.
And the first thing Miranda said when he got back in the car was, while rubbing his bulging stomach:
"I swear, I've never eaten anything this delicious!"
"Thank you for treating us to dinner, Mark."
"You're welcome, we're teammates. Let's hang out again sometime."
"No problem! Next time, it's my treat!"
"Haha, alright."
After dropping De Bruyne and Miranda home, Mark also returned to his empty apartment.
After showering, he first checked the team's schedule and then looked at the standings.
Lying spread-eagled on the bed, staring at the ceiling, Mark couldn't help but ponder:
"I wonder when my Bundesliga starting debut will come..."
...After signing his first professional contract with the club and being promoted to the first team, Wolfsburg fans quickly discovered Mark's headshot appearing on the first-team roster on the club's official website.
And his first-team number was still 45, the same as when he made his debut!
In the football world, the most famous number 45 should be Balotelli.
Of course, while Mark's physical prowess wasn't as explosive as Balotelli's.
However, his footwork and footballing brain could be said to be miles ahead!
With Diego leaving the team and Mark being promoted to the first team, one in, one out, Wolfsburg's winter transfer window thus concluded.
Major teams completed their squad adjustments, and the second half of the Bundesliga season kicked off.
The media also reviewed the first half of the season.
In the past first half of the season, the most eye-catching team in the Bundesliga was not the dominant Bayern, nor the youthful Bayer Leverkusen, but the resurgent Wolfsburg!
According to a special report in Bild titled "Wolfsburg's Revival," it detailed how Wolfsburg transformed from a relegation-battling team in previous seasons to a strong Bundesliga contender today.
First, through a season and a half of transfers, the duo of Hecking and Allofs had slowly built a formidable team!
In addition to an excellent squad capable of competing in Europe, the versatile 4-2-3-1 formation, which could operate both wide and centrally, was also a key method for Hecking's revival of Wolfsburg.
The reason the 4-2-3-1 was so potent was its unpredictability!
When dominating the game, the 4-2-3-1 formation could transform into a 4-3-3, with the two wide midfielders becoming more advanced attacking wingers, who, depending on the game situation and their dominant foot, could cut into the box to deliver crosses or shoot, while the two full-backs frequently pushed up to assist with defense and support;
If faced with an opponent's high press, the five midfielders could use their numerical advantage to drop back and maintain a responsive distance with the defense, sustaining midfield operations and thus controlling the midfield.
The deep defense of the four-man backline made it difficult for opponents to easily play through balls behind the defense using the gaps between center-backs or between center-backs and full-backs, thus breaking through the defensive line in one go.
And Wolfsburg's counter-attacks were even more incisive.
Relying on the speed of wingers or wide midfielders Perisic and Caligiuri to stretch and flatten the opponent's defense, allowing central defensive midfielders Gustavo or Arnold to directly orchestrate counter-attacks.
This was also an important reason why they remained unbeaten in 9 matches before the winter break!
Although the team lost its midfield lynchpin Diego in the winter transfer window, with the addition of Belgian talent De Bruyne and academy youngster Mark, the team's squad was not significantly weakened.
De Bruyne's extensive running and support capabilities were qualities Diego did not possess.
Coupled with academy youngster Mark, whose footwork was visibly improving, Wolfsburg's performance in the second half of the season was highly anticipated.
At the end of the report, Bild suggested that Wolfsburg was very likely to secure a Champions League spot for next season!