It's Suicidal!

"Sure enough, as soon as the Ballon d'Or shortlist was announced, the performances of the star players completely changed!"

"Exactly, Lin scored four goals, and in the same match, Benzema, Ronaldo, and Bale each scored twice. They all went crazy!"

In another match at the same time in La Liga, Real Madrid, playing at home, crushed Sevilla 7-2. Sevilla isn't a weak team, as they often participate in European competitions, but they were no match for a powerful Real Madrid.

In this match, Real Madrid's BBC trio was in top form, showing the world just how terrifying they could be when fully in sync.

"Ronaldo's goal tally in the league has reached 10, hasn't it? Almost a goal per game. CR7's performance this year seems even better than last year!"

"Yeah, and the key is he's been strong both in the league and in the Champions League. At this rate, he might just upset the odds and win the Ballon d'Or!"

"Impossible, absolutely impossible. Ribéry at least has a Champions League title, while Ronaldo has no such honor. How can he compete with Ribéry?"

"Can someone explain why the Ballon d'Or is so attractive? Why do players care so much about it?"

"The Ballon d'Or is currently the highest individual honor a player can receive in football, aside from the title of Football King. Becoming a Football King is very difficult, while winning the Ballon d'Or is relatively easier. It reflects a player's overall performance in a season, so nearly all top players want it!"

"Exactly, and it's now combined with the FIFA World Player of the Year award, making it even more prestigious. Winning one trophy is like winning two, so everyone competes fiercely for it!"

"Haha, this period is tough for mid and lower-tier teams in the top five leagues!"

"Norwich got thrashed 7-0, Real Madrid beat Sevilla 7-2 at home, Barcelona won 3-0 against Celta Vigo away, and PSG defeated Lorient 4-0 at home. Not a single game had fewer than three goals!"

"Good thing it's not relegation time, or these small teams would be in trouble!"

"They're already in trouble! Losing so many goals at once, how will they ever make up the goal difference?"

For the fans, this was a good thing. Top stars, in their quest for the Ballon d'Or, gave their all in matches, frequently scoring spectacular goals, providing fans with even more exciting games. However, for the fans of a specific player, the closer it got to the Ballon d'Or ceremony, the more anxious they felt.

Before the final announcement, no one knew who would win the Ballon d'Or this year. However, one player, Lin, remained very calm about it.

After the match, he declined interviews from on-site reporters, quickly showered and changed in the locker room, and hurriedly left.

"What's up with Lin today? Why did he leave in such a hurry?"

Aguero had just come in and hadn't even started showering when Lin left.

"It seems Lin's girlfriend came to see him. He's probably going to meet her!"

Negredo, who was closer to Lin, knew some inside information.

"No wonder he played so well today; it turns out his girlfriend is here!"

Aguero teased, though he was a bit envious. He was already an older man who had been divorced once, and love seemed to be getting farther from him. After games, he liked to stay home and stream games on Twitch. For a homebody, gaming was the true love!

...

Lily's outfit today had a youthful vibe, with a beige cartoon T-shirt and soft brown wavy curls. Her bright eyes seemed to speak, and just standing there, she drew all eyes. Passersby couldn't help but take a glance, though no one approached her. They clearly knew who she was waiting for!

A few minutes later, Lin appeared in her sight.

"Here!"

Lily's eyes lit up as she stood on her tiptoes, waving her arms to catch his attention.

Lin quickly spotted her in the crowd; her looks made her stand out. 

"Have you been waiting long?"

"Not really. You showered faster than I expected!"

Lily giggled, covering her mouth. She thought she'd have to wait half an hour, but Lin came out in less than twenty minutes.

"Shall we go eat? I know a good restaurant!"

With so many fans leaving the stadium, Lin didn't want to stay there chatting with Lily.

"Sure!"

Lily nodded obediently, letting Lin take charge. After a game, Lin was quite hungry. When the waiter brought the food, he started eating voraciously. In contrast, Lily ate gracefully but just as efficiently, quickly finishing her meal.

Lin couldn't help but think of a character in a novel he had read, a certain Ruan who was also a foodie. Their backgrounds were quite similar.

"So, what's the surprise? Is it this meal?"

After finishing their meal, Lily blinked curiously, waiting for Lin to reveal the answer. She'd been wondering about it for a while and would have asked earlier if not for the meal.

"Have you ever done an ad?"

Lin asked.

Lily nodded; she had done a few. But why was Lin asking? Was he looking for her to do an ad?

"Can you play the piano?"

"Yes, I can play the piano, violin, cello, and guitar. Why do you ask?"

Lily said nonchalantly, surprising Lin with her talent. She truly was a talented young woman; it was a shame she wasn't pursuing music. But it wasn't surprising, given her father was a famous musician and she had received music training since childhood. Her father had planned for her to follow in his footsteps, but she was more interested in acting and resisted her parents' plans.

If she decided to pursue music, her father would surely be happy. Since she could play the piano, there was no problem. Lin then explained that Huawei wanted to do a music ad and that he had a creative idea for it.

"Did you compose this song?"

After hearing the sheet music and sample Lin gave her, Lily looked at him in disbelief, as if seeing him for the first time.

"I wrote the sheet music and lyrics. The sample was produced by a music studio."

"That's amazing!"

Lily clasped her hands under her chin and applauded softly.

"So, do you like the song?"

"Yes, I do!"

"Dreams Come True" was not only a beautiful song but also had touching lyrics and a story about a young girl's musical journey, which Lin had described. Lily couldn't help but think of herself. Could it be that he wrote this song specifically for her?

This thought took root in her mind, growing as she reflected on how the girl's struggles mirrored her own. She had finally landed a lead role, but the movie's box office performance was disappointing. Her career seemed to be stumbling before it had even taken off.

During this time, Lily had been unsure whether to continue down this path. But now, hearing the song Lin had written for her, her resolve was renewed.

"Thank you, I love this gift!"

"I'm glad you like it. Although it's just an ad, I have a feeling it will be very popular!"

"Then I'll take your word for it. If it does become popular, I'll treat you to a meal!"

"Great! But this time, I want you to cook it yourself!"

"Hehe, I'm not very good at cooking, so be prepared for some not-so-great food!"

...

Shortly after the end of the tenth round of the Premier League, the Champions League group stage resumed. In the fourth round, Manchester City hosted CSKA Moscow.

Before this match, Manchester City had won all three games, topping the group with 9 points. CSKA Moscow, with one win and two losses, trailed Bayern by 3 points. Given that Bayern's opponent was the weakest team in the group, Viktoria Plzeň, it was assumed they'd easily secure three points.

This meant CSKA Moscow was at least six points behind second place. With only three group stage matches remaining, closing this gap would be challenging. Thus, this match was a do-or-die situation for CSKA Moscow. If they lost, their chances of advancing would be nearly theoretical.

"We and our team are here to win. We won't sit and wait for death; we'll take control of our destiny!"

At the pre-match press conference, CSKA Moscow's coach Slutsky spoke firmly, declaring they would fight Manchester City to the end at the Etihad Stadium.

However, his bold words were not taken seriously by the British reporters, except for the Russian journalists who applauded him. The British journalists were indifferent, knowing that City's home record this season was formidable, with a perfect winning streak at home.

In this context, a Russian team claiming they'd conquer the Etihad was met with skepticism. If it were that easy, Bayern Munich, the defending champions, wouldn't have left empty-handed.

Compared to the CSKA Moscow vs. Manchester City game, reporters were more interested in whether the Premier League's new power, Manchester City, could finish first in their group. Finishing first or second in the group leads to very different knockout stage opponents. With City's lack of Champions League experience, they had never reached the knockout stages before. To avoid an early exit, they needed to secure the top spot to avoid most of the top teams.

Though there are no weak teams in the Champions League, second-place group finishers are generally easier to face. If City could perform well at home, they might advance to the quarter-finals.

However, the first place in the

 group was still up for grabs. City led the group but only by three points. Even if they won against CSKA Moscow, they couldn't secure the top spot yet. In the last group stage match, they had to face their biggest group rival, Bayern Munich, away. If City could conquer the Allianz Arena, they'd secure first place. But if they lost, the standings would depend on goal difference.

Thus, for City to secure first place, they needed to not only beat CSKA Moscow but also score as many goals as possible. Even if they lost at the Allianz Arena, they could still secure the top spot on goal difference.

In the first three group matches, City won 3-0, 3-2, and 4-1, giving them a goal difference of 7. This was quite good, with only PSG and Real Madrid having a better goal difference in the group stages.

However, City's main rival was Bayern. Although Bayern lost to City, they had beaten Plzeň 5-0 in the third round. So both teams had the same goal difference!

In this match, Bayern would again face Plzeň and likely score heavily. Three, four, or even five goals were possible. This meant City needed to score at least four goals against CSKA Moscow to keep pace with Bayern.

Given the worst-case scenario, if they lost to Bayern at the Allianz Arena, they'd still need at least a two-goal difference to stay ahead of Bayern!

Against this backdrop, CSKA Moscow's coach's tough talk seemed almost laughable. If they played defensively at the Etihad, they might not lose as badly. But if they dared to play offensively, they clearly didn't know the meaning of "suicide"!

Pellegrini initially thought CSKA Moscow was trying to throw them off with pre-match comments, planning to change tactics quietly. But once the game started, seeing the attacking formation, Pellegrini couldn't help but admire:

"Impressive, they really dare to go head-to-head with us at the Etihad!"

Slutsky, I respect your bravery. But sorry, this is the Etihad!