"Barnett, I still think you should be a bit braver."
"She's your ex-wife after all. You know each other well. I don't know what mistake you made back then, but you should try to win her back."
Early the next morning, Barnett showed up at Leo Lin's house to mooch breakfast.
Leo Lin was still talking about what happened the night before, but Barnett pretended not to hear him, quietly focusing on his grilled sausages.
Just then, Firmino knocked on the door. He walked in, casually grabbed a grilled sausage, picked up an egg, and headed out with Leo Lin toward the training base.
Since Leo Lin didn't have a driver's license, he usually rode to the training base with Firmino.
"Lin, what were you and Barnett talking about when I came in? Who's Barnett interested in?"
Leo Lin shrugged.
"He's got his eye on Mané's grandma. That's probably why his grandpa and grandma almost broke up last week."
"Screech—!"
Firmino's car suddenly swerved violently.
In that instant, the Brazilian striker felt like his whole world had collapsed.
...
The two arrived at the training ground on time and began their session.
Klopp continued to emphasize two tactical pillars: dynamic transitions and rapid counterattacks. These would be Liverpool's foundation in their push for trophies this season.
The atmosphere at first was very relaxed.
Most players had their own close friends in the squad. They formed small groups to practice passing before moving into six-on-six scrimmages.
Leo Lin and Firmino were on the same side, playing against a team made up mostly of academy youngsters. The mood on the pitch was lively and cheerful.
Krawietz acted as the referee and occasionally made deliberate "mistakes," which had the players bursting into laughter.
But suddenly, a furious shout rang out from the training pitch nearby—Emre Can's voice.
"You did that on purpose!"
"Cut the bullshit! I just bumped into you by accident!"
The reply came from Wijnaldum, followed immediately by Klopp's angry roar.
Henderson rushed between them to separate the two—Emre Can was actually about to throw punches at Wijnaldum.
"Enough!"
Leo Lin immediately sprinted over, with Firmino, Mané, and several others right behind him. Liverpool's first-team players forced the two apart.
Both men's faces were filled with anger.
Emre Can in particular looked like a wild beast on the verge of losing control.
Leo Lin wrapped his arms around him tightly to stop him from doing anything reckless. If his fist had landed on Wijnaldum's face just now, the situation would have become far harder to deal with.
Klopp and Krawietz quickly took the two of them back to the manager's office.
This incident had to be handled seriously.
The team atmosphere had been excellent, and the results on the pitch had been outstanding. If internal conflict broke out at a moment like this, it could easily affect Liverpool's performances in the matches ahead.
The players waited in the cafeteria, by the pool, or in the gym for the final decision.
Two hours later, Emre Can and Wijnaldum each drove home, leaving the club early.
Shortly afterward, Liverpool's general manager Mike posted an announcement in the team group chat:
"After investigation, it has been confirmed that Emre Can and Georginio Wijnaldum were involved in a conflict over playing time and match opportunities. Emre Can bears primary responsibility and will receive a two-match suspension and a fine equivalent to one week's wages.
Georginio Wijnaldum bears secondary responsibility and receives a formal warning.
Liverpool FC will fully support all work carried out by head coach Jürgen Klopp and assistant coach Peter Krawietz.
All first-team players must strictly abide by the relevant rules and regulations.
Effective immediately, any player who arrives late to training, deliberately provokes conflict with teammates, damages the locker-room atmosphere due to personal behavior, acts irrationally, fails to properly control body weight, or is photographed by the media entering nightclubs, staying out all night, excessive drinking, and similar conduct will be punished strictly according to club regulations. This notice is hereby issued."
Below the announcement, Mike posted an updated set of disciplinary clauses he had just drafted, significantly tightening the club's original standards.
Players immediately responded in the chat to confirm they had received the message.
Leo Lin understood that matters like this had to be crushed in the cradle.
Klopp and Mike did everything they could to keep the incident from leaking out.
But very quickly, The Sun still published it as a front-page headline.
They had secretly photographed Emre Can and Wijnaldum leaving the club early by car. There was even a blurry image—clearly taken secretly—showing the confrontation that had erupted on Liverpool's training ground.
No one knew how The Sun had managed to obtain it.
Yet the photo suddenly appeared all over social media's trending lists.
In an instant, the entire internet exploded.