Chapter 82

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The next day.

In China, Liu Qi and the photographer, who had just returned from Dortmund, sat in front of the computer as soon as they got home. They were preparing to release a fan interview video they had shot in Dortmund, along with footage of Chen Yufeng's goals and assists.

The video also included reactions from Dortmund fans after Chen Yufeng scored and assisted.

"This one is definitely going viral," the photographer said excitedly as they transferred the footage to the computer.

"Not just viral, I think it'll get over 500,000 likes," Liu Qi grinned as he opened the editing software and prepared to get to work.

"That many?" the photographer asked, looking surprised.

"Isn't this exactly the kind of content that fans love?" Liu Qi's fingers danced over the keyboard and mouse as he added, "And you know how popular Chen Yufeng is in China right now."

"At this rate, he might catch up to Yao Ming."

"Yeah," the photographer agreed.

The two then worked together, editing all the footage they had filmed, compiling it into one comprehensive video. It was a time-consuming process, especially with the level of detail required.

Starting at 10 in the morning, they didn't finish until around 4 or 5 in the afternoon.

"It's finally done," Liu Qi sighed, exhausted from hours of editing.

"Let's post it, grab something to eat, and check back on how it's doing afterward," the photographer suggested, also hungry after working all day.

"Yeah."

Liu Qi nodded in agreement, uploaded the video to several major social media platforms they managed, and hit send.

"Alright, we're good to go," Liu Qi said, feeling relieved as they saw the confirmation messages that the uploads were successful. He headed toward the door, and the photographer followed.

As they had predicted, the video quickly caught the attention of fans as soon as it was released.

The reason? The video was just too entertaining.

It started with a middle-aged German fan, who angrily shouted at the camera, throwing in a few curse words that had to be censored.

"Chinese, it's rare to see anyone playing in the Bundesliga. But I advise you to tell that boy of yours not to be so arrogant!"

"I heard he's aiming to win the Golden Boot this season!"

"Hahahaha, tell him it's impossible! Go home and dream!"

"Our Aubameyang will crush him. Just watch today's game and see how your so-called star will be destroyed by us!"

Right after that, a group of rowdy German football hooligans appeared, making rude gestures at the camera and talking trash about Chen Yufeng. They were confident he wouldn't score at the Westfalenstadion.

Then the video cut to the game itself.

A sea of yellow flags waved proudly at the Westfalenstadion as Dortmund's fans cheered with unwavering confidence, convinced Chen Yufeng wouldn't score.

At this point, the tension in the video built up, reaching a low point.

But then, the tone suddenly shifted.

The camera focused on Chen Yufeng.

Boom!

Chen Yufeng unleashed a stunning long-range shot, sending the ball rocketing into the net with unstoppable force!

Next, an incredible through ball from Yufeng sliced through two lines of defense, setting up a perfect assist for his teammate.

Finally, the video showed close-ups of Dortmund fans at the Westfalenstadion, holding their heads in disbelief and looking up at the sky in frustration. The entire stadium, with more than 60,000 fans, was eerily silent.

It was flawless.

After watching the entire video, fans couldn't help but feel overjoyed and relieved. Many immediately shared the video with friends and in group chats.

Within no time, the video started racking up likes on social media, surpassing 500,000, and the number was still climbing at a rapid pace.

In the comments section, there were already tens of thousands of messages.

"Hahahahaha!! I watched this game live, and it didn't seem like a big deal on the broadcast. I had no idea the Dortmund fans were acting like this before the game, hahaha!!"

"They were so cocky, hahaha. I wonder how they feel now."

"If I were them, I'd be so embarrassed I'd want to crawl into a hole!"

"What about after the game? Did you interview them again? I need to see their reactions now!"

The next day.

In Dragon Kingdom, fans were buzzing once again about Chen Yufeng's latest stellar performance.

"Chen Yufeng is incredibly strong. Every time he faces negative criticism, he responds brilliantly, which really puts us Dragon Kingdom fans at ease."

"Now he's scored five goals in five games this season. In a few more matches, he might break the single-season scoring record for overseas players in the top five leagues!"

"Yeah, and it feels like he's going to score a lot more this season."

"His talk about winning the Golden Boot—people shouldn't take it as a joke anymore. It's serious now."

"It's so annoying when you guys keep bragging about Chen Yufeng, it makes me want to spam the Football Association's official website."

"Yeah, exactly. Why haven't they made a statement yet? Why are they acting like they don't see how well he's performing?"

"Should we all bombard them together again?"

"Let's go, let's go!"

It was almost routine now. Anytime news about Chen Yufeng came out, fans would immediately think of the Football Association. There would always be some sighs of regret from fans who wished Chen Yufeng could represent the national football team.

However, most fans understood the real issue and knew who to blame. But as the fanbase grew, so did the number of naysayers. In the comment sections of videos, there were always some trying to shift the blame to Chen Yufeng. These included overly selfish fans and a significant number of hired trolls.

As soon as these comments appeared, they were immediately shot down by more reasonable netizens. Yet the trolls were relentless, posting every day, seemingly satisfied with irritating others like buzzing flies.

Meanwhile, in the Football Association's office, a group of middle-aged men and a fat old man gathered once again to discuss Chen Yufeng's latest performance.

They had little to do on most days, but each time Chen Yufeng's name went viral, they were forced to confront the criticism. This led to hurried meetings where they would brainstorm ways to handle the situation.

"So, he scored another goal and got another assist?" one of them asked, looking shocked as they checked Chen Yufeng's stats.

"That makes it five goals and three assists in five Bundesliga games this season?" another concluded, his voice trembling.

A collective gasp filled the room.

Five goals and three assists in five games—those were top player statistics. And he was only seventeen...

Even though they hadn't had any direct dealings with Chen Yufeng, the Football Association had once viewed him as a future star. But now, it was clear they had underestimated his potential.

"This player... if he keeps growing like this, he'll never come back..." someone muttered, leaving the rest to fill in the unspoken thought: the better Chen Yufeng performed, the more heat they would receive.

"I say we make an effort to bring him back," one person suggested nervously. "If we try to mend things now, maybe there's still a chance. Once he's back, nothing will really happen. Forget the other methods; they're useless."

"How can we?" someone else shot back. "Are we really going to grovel to a 17-year-old player? That's a joke."

"I'm telling you, this kid is serious. He wouldn't accept an offer after how we treated him last time."

"We can just keep spreading our version of events. Over time, fans will believe us," the man retorted.

"You're being naive," someone else interjected, shaking his head. "Think from an outsider's perspective. Who do the fans support more, us or Chen Yufeng?"

"Chen Yufeng..." someone admitted aloud, stating the obvious.

Chen Yufeng had become an unstoppable force and was now seen as a hero by domestic fans.

"If it's Chen Yufeng, why would the fans believe us over him?"

The man continued, "We need to be sincere and fix this problem, or we'll keep facing the same issue every day. Don't try any more underhanded tricks. We can't afford to wait."

Everyone's eyes then fell on the fat old man, who had remained silent the entire time.

The old man sighed, shaking his head. "Even if Chen Yufeng comes back, the situation won't improve for us."

"If he returns, the fans will only love him more, and the rift between us will be brought up again and again."

"So it's no different from him never coming back."

"Why should we bring back someone who's going to overshadow us?"

The man who had been advocating for sincerity looked bitterly at the old man, realizing that the real reason he opposed bringing Chen Yufeng back was pride. Anything else was just an excuse.

"If we're not going to call him back, then we'll need to increase our PR efforts to keep suppressing this."

The fat old man waved his hand dismissively, ending the discussion. Many of the others closed their eyes in frustration, helplessly envisioning a future where they'd continue being criticized by fans.

It was a losing battle.

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