Don't even mention Lewandowski—Messi and Ronaldo would have to be his substitutes!
Ferguson's words spread across Europe like wildfire.
At this moment, Ye Chen was still clueless about what was happening!
Of course, Dortmund's match started at 9:30 PM, while Manchester United's match kicked off at 10 PM.
This mere 30-minute gap made the story even more dramatic.
Ye Chen was completely caught off guard… No, he was just sitting in his hotel room, and trouble came knocking out of nowhere.
No need to say more—blame Benzema!
After dinner, Ye Chen and Lina took a walk. Since Ye Chen was wearing a mask, no one recognized him.
Once they got tired, they booked a room together.
But this time, it wasn't a business room—it was a suite.
Simply put, the room was bigger, but there was only one bed.
Learning from his previous mistake, Ye Chen turned on the TV while Lina was taking a shower, hoping to catch the latest sports news.
However, instead of seeing praises about himself, he saw Ferguson's words.
How to describe it…
It was like a stone thrown into a lake, causing massive ripples.
Ye Chen was once again at the center of a storm.
Seeing this news, Ye Chen's first reaction was speechlessness.
He was the one who got terminated, the one who was abandoned—so why did it suddenly seem like he was in the wrong?
Of course, he didn't take it to heart.
It's just like relationships—if you're not compatible, you break up. How many first loves actually last a lifetime?
Rather than dwelling on the past, it's better to find a new partner and… well, you know…
The football world is all about survival of the fittest. As long as he was strong enough, Ferguson would eventually take back his words.
Besides, both Dortmund and Manchester United were top-four teams in their respective leagues. Sooner or later, they would meet in the Champions League—after all, UEFA loves a good storyline!
Many people claimed that Champions League draws were completely fair, but before Ye Chen's time travel, Manchester United drew PSG in the Round of 16—clearly a ploy to hype up the "Messi vs. Ronaldo" showdown!
Luckily, the draw was redone… Of course, back then, Manchester United was in a terrible state, unable to beat anyone. The management's excessive interference left the team struggling.
Even with Ronaldo's return, they could only accept a sixth-place finish in the league.
Who would've thought that the "King of the Champions League," Ronaldo, would end up without a Champions League spot?
Of course, all of that was in the future. Ye Chen had no idea what would happen in this world—he could only wait and see!
Click…
As Ye Chen was lost in thought, the bathroom door opened.
Lina stepped out, wrapped in a bath towel.
Looking at her fresh-out-of-the-shower appearance, Ye Chen's mind was no longer on football—his eyes and heart were now completely focused on Lina.
This time, he would give it his all!
…
Early the next morning, Ye Chen sent Lina off on her flight and returned to the team.
Most players with national team duties had already left, and since the team had won, they were given a day off. The training ground felt unusually quiet.
But as soon as Ye Chen arrived, Klopp called him into his office.
Ye Chen was puzzled and looked at Klopp curiously. "Boss, what's up?"
Klopp gave him a strange look. "The girl you were dating—is she Leo's daughter?"
Ye Chen was stunned. "How do you know that?"
"I think there's no one in the football world who doesn't know by now!" Klopp tossed a few newspapers onto the desk.
Not one, but several!
And all of them had front-page headlines!
"Genius Striker Ye's Stunning Girlfriend!""Dortmund's Star Striker Ye, Dating at Just 17!""The Leisurely Life of Dortmund's Prodigy: Winning on the Pitch and in Love!""Will Ye's Romance Lead to His Downfall?""Shocking! The Truth About Dortmund's Rising Star Ye's Girlfriend!""Breaking: Solskjaer Comments on Ye's Relationship—'I Had No Idea!'"
…
There were seven or eight newspapers, all filled with news about Ye Chen and Lina.
From the moment Ye Chen met Lina in the parking lot after the match, to their shopping trip, to checking into a hotel together—everything had been caught by paparazzi.
Now he finally understood why Jay Chou hated paparazzi so much. Having your private life exposed like this felt disgusting!
It was all because of his recent success—two games, six goals.
He was a rising star in Germany!
Naturally, his private life became valuable news.
Originally, this was just a minor tabloid scoop.
But Ferguson's unexpected statement had blown Ye Chen's popularity through the roof. And given that he was Chinese…
China was rapidly developing, and the Chinese Super League was thriving!
Ye Chen's fame skyrocketed.
And to top it off, his girlfriend was Solskjaer's daughter…
It instantly became a hot topic!
That's why Klopp had called him in as soon as he arrived at the training ground.
"Boss, this…" Ye Chen was a bit embarrassed. "I didn't want this to go public either!"
Klopp nodded. "We don't interfere with relationships, but there's one thing you must remember—you're a professional footballer! No matter what happens, you cannot let it affect your training and match performance. Understand?"
Ye Chen nodded. "Don't worry! I know what I'm doing!"
"I heard from Buvac that you're looking for a house? Planning to move out of the dorms?"
"Yeah, now that I have a girlfriend, living at the training ground is inconvenient." Ye Chen nodded.
It really was inconvenient.
Klopp paused for a moment before saying, "Well, I happen to have a house for rent. It's very close to the training ground—only a 10-minute walk. If you're interested, I can show you."
"Really?" Ye Chen's eyes lit up. Then he hesitated. "Wait, did you say a house?"
"Yeah, I only buy villas." Klopp nodded.
"Whoa, rich guy…" Ye Chen gasped. "The rent isn't too high, right?"
"Don't worry, it's within your budget! Come on, let's check out your new home!"
Just as Ye Chen was about to start training, he left again.
Of course, he didn't know that Klopp had been waiting for him at the training ground. As a head coach, besides monitoring players' on-field performance, he also cared about their personal lives. A stable personal life meant better performances on the pitch!
Earlier, Klopp had also checked the match schedule. So far, Dortmund had played two Champions League games, earning only one point, ranking third in the group—just slightly better than Olympiacos, who had lost both matches.
If they focused on the Champions League, their league performance might suffer!
After eight rounds, thanks to Ye Chen's two hat-tricks, Dortmund had climbed to sixth place, six points behind Bayern at the top. The real question was—could Dortmund handle competing on three fronts like Bayern?
Klopp was torn.
At the beginning of the season, the board had set the Champions League goal—qualify for the knockout stage.
Besides that, they had to balance the league and the German Cup!
The good news? Their next German Cup opponent was weak—Dresden Dynamo, a second-division team.
In Klopp's plan, Ye Chen would start in the German Cup.
But first, he needed to see Ye Chen's performance in the upcoming matches.
Before the German Cup, Dortmund would face Werder Bremen and Cologne in the league, plus an important Champions League match against Olympiacos.
If Ye Chen continued his miraculous form, then forget Lewandowski—even Messi and Ronaldo would have to be his backups!
After all, even Messi and Ronaldo couldn't score a hat-trick every game…
PS: Brothers, don't forget to give me a five-star rating~~