Reverse.

Chapter 132 I don't even dare to mention his name

"Do I have complicated feelings about Sofia? No, not at all. I will still support Sofia - but not in this game. Sofia is my enemy in this game, and I have to treat my enemies the right way..."

"Am I worried that after defeating Sofia, Sofia fans will hate me? The question you asked is... to sow discord. I'm not worried, because I know Sofia fans always support me, they are the best. I know Sofia fans still sing my songs during the game, I'm grateful that they still remember me... but it won't affect my performance in the game."

"Stanley Harris said he's going to give it his all to beat you in this game, what do you think of that?"

In the video, a reporter stood up and asked a question.

The camera then turned to Wang Lie, who smiled slightly: "I'm very happy that he has this kind of awareness. To be honest... I was worried that he would think too much during the game."

There was a burst of laughter.

After the laughter died down, Wang Lie's expression became serious: "This is great. We are rivals. No matter what our relationship was before, we are rivals now. Since we are rivals, then going all out to defeat the other party is the greatest respect. So I will go all out to defeat him, and I also hope that he can go all out to defeat me."

Stanley Harris looked at the picture on the mobile phone screen and heard what Wang Lie said through the headphones.

But the expression on his face at this moment was... a smile.

Ever since he made those remarks at the regular press conference in the middle of the week, there has been some controversy about him both on the Internet and in the media.

Especially those "Wang Lie haters" who made a big fuss about his answer and misinterpreted his meaning.

When he said he would go all out to defeat Wang Lie, these people interpreted it as:

"Harris is unhappy with Wang Lie and blasted his former idol at a press conference!"

"Even his former fanboy wants to defeat him, which shows how bad the king's popularity is!"

"Stop pretending, let's get real. Harris bluntly said he would crush the king's dream..."

……

There are so many such comments online that even Harris is worried:
Could it be that the king was really angry because of what he said?

It was not until now, after seeing Wang Lie's answer at the press conference, that he breathed a sigh of relief and a smile appeared on his face again:
Sure enough, how could a person like Wang who pursues victory think that my wanting to defeat him was an offense to him?

※※※

The protagonist of Tyne's pre-match press conference was Wang Lie, and the protagonist of Sofia United's press conference was naturally head coach Sven Heldon.

The pre-match press conference began before the team's training session to acclimate to the pitch.

The press hall at Leeds Park was smaller than that at Northumberland Football City, but was also packed.

As usual, Helden first explained the team's current preparations to the reporters. When the reporters were free to ask questions, almost all of the questions were about his feud with Wang Lie:

"Excuse me, Mr. Helden, did the king's outstanding performance in Tyne exceed your expectations?"

"Do you regret letting the king go?"

"Do you think Wang leading Tyne to compete for the Champions League qualification is revenge against you?"

"Mr. Heldon, if Sofia United lose to Tyne in this game and lose the Champions League qualification, will you resign voluntarily?"

……

These questions were very impolite, and the media's previous tolerance and respect for Heldon became a thing of the past.

Because Helden's team's performance has declined, he naturally won't get those preferential treatments.

Football, after all, is a sport where results are king.

Faced with these explosive questions, Helden was very tough:
"Sorry, I'm the head coach of Sofia United and I don't think it's my job to judge other teams' players."

"I never answer hypothetical questions. The game hasn't started yet, and none of us knows the outcome. Why do you think we are doomed to lose?"

"I think the evaluation of a head coach's work should not only focus on a few short games, but should be judged from the perspective of the entire season or even a longer period of time... It is normal for the team to have ups and downs in a few games, but from a longer perspective, I think Sofia is on the right track and has a promising future..."

At the end of the press conference, Liu Zhong, who had raised all his arms, was finally called up to ask questions.

He stood up, took out his phone, looked at the number he had just recorded, and said in English: "Hello, China Cloud News Network. I just counted that the number of times Wang Lie's name was mentioned in reporters' questions was a total of 15 times, and Mr. Helden mentioned it zero times. As the opponent's most threatening player, Mr. Helden turned a blind eye to it and never mentioned it. Is he deliberately avoiding it? Then can we understand that you are afraid of Wang Lie and don't even have a tactical arrangement on how to deal with Wang Lie? As the head coach of the team, is it normal to be so afraid of an opponent's player? I hope Mr. Helden can give a positive answer and don't change the subject, because this is a question that is strongly related to tomorrow's game. Thank you."

After finishing his questioning, Liu Zhong sat down. The Chinese reporters at the press conference spontaneously applauded Liu Zhong for his tough fight with Helden.

This is a good question, without any beating around the bush, just get to the point, so encouraging!

Amid the applause, Helden's face looked very ugly. He stared at Liu Zhong who was asking the question, as if he wanted to pierce him through ten thousand transparent holes with his eyes - this was an away game, and the on-site press officer was Tyne's man. It was impossible for him to turn a blind eye to this Chinese reporter who was already on his blacklist like he did at home.

Then he answered the question while biting his back teeth: "Of course we have tactics to deal with Tyne's key players, but I'm sorry I won't reveal it before the game. I don't think any head coach would do that. If you want to understand this as 'guilty', that's your freedom. I think you'll know when the game comes."

Faced with this answer, Liu Zhong smiled with a crooked mouth.

※※※

"This coward still doesn't dare to mention the king's name! It seems that he is really afraid of the king!"

In the Shakhtar Bar, some people booed the pre-match press conference on the TV screen.

This is to express their dissatisfaction with Helden.

Ryan pulled a jersey out of his pocket: "Look guys!"

Everyone shifted their attention from the TV to the jersey in his hand, and then they were all stunned: "Sofo United jersey?"

"Yes, I went to Manchester specifically to buy it because it was not available for sale in Newcastle!" Ryan said proudly.

"Are you crazy, Ryan? Going to buy this?"

"Of course it has a magical effect!"

Faced with everyone's confusion and doubts, Ryan simply turned the jersey in his hand over and showed everyone the back:

"I even specially printed the number!"

As he put it, the jersey had Sven Heldon's last name printed on it:

HEROES
The number is printed below:

5
Everyone came up to look at the name and number on the jersey and asked in confusion: "Number 5? Why is it number 5?"

Ryan said proudly: "This is my idea! Heldon, fifth in the league! As long as they lose to us tomorrow, they will be fifth!"

After realizing it, there was a burst of laughter in the bar.

Amid the laughter, someone asked, “How could the clerk at the Sofolian jersey store agree to print your number if you mocked Sofolian like that?”

Ryan shook his head: "I took it back to Newcastle to print it."

"Ah?" Everyone was surprised. "You took it back and printed it? Ryan, are you saying you took it to the peripheral store in Tyne to print it?"

"of course!"

"This... Which store would serve someone who holds a Sofia United jersey and asks for a number to be printed on it?"

Ryan chuckled: "Because I told the other party the meaning of this name and number, she helped me print the number!"

Laughter broke out in the bar again, this time accompanied by excited applause and whistles.

Robbie Dixie laughed and gave him a thumbs-up: "You're awesome, Ryan!"

Amid the lively atmosphere, Tang Lin and Jon Berg pushed the door open.

Then Berg laughed and said, "Old fellows, why is it so lively today?"

Ryan showed him his jersey and explained the meaning of the name and number on the jersey. Finally, he said, "I will wear this jersey to watch the game tomorrow!"

Berg was amused by his creativity and laughed along: "You really thought of it!" Ryan was very proud and said: "It would be even better if the camera could capture me at that time, haha!"

While Berg and Ryan were chatting, Robbie Dixie approached Donlin: "Hey, Lucky Star, are you going to watch the game tomorrow?"

Tang Lin smiled and nodded to Dixie: "Yes, I will go to watch the game. This is Wang Lie's revenge battle, of course I won't miss it."

Dixie clapped her hands happily: "That's great! You are our lucky angel!"

Tang Lin didn't dare to accept it, and waved his hands quickly: "I didn't go to watch the game again, but Tyne kept winning, so it has nothing to do with me..."

Dixie shook his head and explained seriously, "Oh no! That was an ordinary game, but tomorrow's game is completely different from an ordinary game! Let me tell you, the last time you went to watch Wang's game, Wang scored a hat trick. After that, you stopped watching, and Wang never scored a hat trick again. So you must go to the scene to watch the game tomorrow, so that Wang can use a hat trick to hit Sofia hard in the face!"

The landlord, Mr. Berg, had finished talking to Ryan. When he heard what Dixie said, he turned to Tang Lin and said, "Robbie is right. I also think that if you go to the scene to watch the game, Wang will play better, haha!"

Tang Lin didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "This is just a pure coincidence!"

Unexpectedly, everyone in the bar suddenly nodded seriously: "No, this is not a coincidence!"

Dixie continued to explain his theory: "You and Wang are both Chinese. I think there must be some kind of mysterious connection between you two that only you Chinese have."

Tang Lin felt that their words were getting more and more mysterious, so he retorted: "But there will definitely be a lot of Chinese fans watching tomorrow's game. Why do you think I am the special one?"

Dixie continued to be logical: "It's not just tomorrow's game. Now there are many Chinese people watching every game of Tyne. So why didn't the champion of other games perform a hat trick except the one you watched?"

Tang Lin opened his mouth to refute, but he was speechless and didn't know how to answer this question.

Seeing him like this, Dixie laughed and patted his shoulder vigorously: "So don't be modest, Tang! I know you Chinese are more modest, but this is really your credit, you are the king's 'lucky star'!"

Everyone followed suit and said, "Lucky star! Lucky star! Lucky star!"

Amid the noise of jeers, Tang Lin did not refute - the yellow robe was already on him, what else could he say? He could do nothing if they thought so...

Looking at the noisy crowd, Theo Collins turned to look at his son Harry Collins, and said, "You stay and watch the store tomorrow."

But at the same time, his son also said: "You stay and look after the store tomorrow..."

The two of them were stunned at the same time, but the father was the quickest to react: "What are you talking about? You are the manager of this store! As a manager, how can you leave your post without permission!"

The son curled his lips: "As the founder of the bar, it seems that you have no right to say this, Dad?"

"I am your father after all. Shouldn't you respect the elderly?"

"I didn't see it when the king performed a hat trick last time. Shouldn't you satisfy your lovely son this time?"

The two people refused to give in to each other and remained in a stalemate.

Theo Collins turned his head to look at his jubilant old friends, and suddenly slapped the bar. After successfully attracting everyone's attention, he raised his hands and said loudly: "Guys! I have an announcement! Tomorrow afternoon, this place will be closed! Let's go to the scene to watch the game together! After the game is over, we will come back here to have a good drink!!!"

"Oooo!"

Everyone cheered like crazy:
"Drink to your heart's content!!"

Tang Lin looked around the crowd, watching these crazy and howling Tyne fans, and suddenly realized a problem - these people didn't seem to have considered what would happen if Tyne didn't win the game tomorrow? They seemed to have assumed that Tyne would definitely win, and were happy as if Tyne had already won...

※※※

"Brothers! I'm here!"

Zhao Zhou stood outside the gate of Northumberland Football City holding a mobile phone, broadcasting live to everyone using the rear camera.

At the same time, he answered questions in the comments and interacted with fans watching his live broadcast:
"…I didn't even go to the hotel. I came here directly. Look, my suitcase is still here."

He shook his phone and took a picture of a huge suitcase next to him.

"Brother Wang won't come out today? Nonsense, of course I know he won't come out. The game is tomorrow, and those players selected for the game have to stay overnight in the Football City... Then why should I come? I just want to take a look at this modern training base. I'm not here to see Brother Wang. Brother Wang will see it tomorrow, so why rush? Besides..."

He turned the camera and saw a lot of people gathered at the gate of Northumberland Football City.

Looking around, there are many Chinese fans like him.

"And many people actually share the same idea as me. I feel like everyone is here for a pilgrimage - when you come to Newcastle, how can you not come to check in at the place where Brother Wang trains? Now that the training is over, imagine that Brother Wang is in that building right now, eating and having fun with everyone, and then waiting for the start of tomorrow's game... I hope Brother Wang can have a good sleep! Tomorrow, he will be full of energy to play against Sofia United!"

※※※

In the restaurant, Wang Lie walked up to Sonny Dean and said to him, "I'll give you a chance to beat me."

"Ah?" Dean looked up at Wang Lie.

"In the evening, table tennis, continue." Wang Lie said a few key words.

Dean couldn't hold it in: "No... the competition is tomorrow, you still have the mind to play table tennis with me?"

Wang Lie smiled: "Why not?"

Dean looked around. Everyone had already gathered around them, attracted by their conversation.

After all, when we think about how crucial tomorrow's game is, it's inevitable that everyone will feel a little nervous.

The closer the game gets, the more nervous I feel.

As the backbone of the team, Wang Lie proposed to play table tennis with Dean at this time, which makes people curious - is Wang Lie really not worried about tomorrow's game at all?
In front of everyone, Dean said to Wang Lie: "If I beat you, will you blame me if you don't perform well tomorrow?"

Wang Lie laughed: "You should beat me first, don't just talk nonsense here. How about it? Do you want to compete?"

Dean sneered, "Compete! Why not? I tell you, don't make excuses if you lose!"

※※※

"This……"

Sonny Dean stared at Wang Lie across the stage with wide eyes.

Not only him, but the Tyne players who were watching the excitement were also watching the scene in front of them. They did not cheer and rush up to hug Wang Lie to celebrate his victory over Dean again as they did in the past. Even Vitini was stunned where he was.

The referee of this game, Katic, did not immediately announce that Wang Lie won the game.

They were all shocked by Wang Lie's performance in the game just now.

From the beginning of the game, Wang Lie showed a very strong offensiveness, forcing Dean to only defend himself and not be able to fight back.

There were several balls that Wang Lie even hit directly on Dean, causing him pain...

Dean didn't expect Wang Lie to be so ferocious. He was completely shocked by Wang Lie and his performance was seriously inconsistent with his usual behavior.

In this way, Wang Lie lost in three straight sets, 0:3.

In this last round, he was even beaten by Wang Lie 0:11...

Dean came back to his senses and yelled at Wang Lie: "No... after you beat me up like this, aren't you worried about my condition for tomorrow's game?!"

Wang Lie suddenly realized it, raised his racket and said, "Oh, sorry. I should have let you score a point... How about we play another game?"

"..." Dean was so angry that he put the racket on the table, "I'm going to sleep!"

In the past, whenever he was defeated in a confrontation with Wang Lie, it would cause others to burst into laughter, and the room would be filled with a happy atmosphere.

But today, the teammates who were watching separated and just watched him leave silently.

Then they turned and looked at Wang Lie.

Although they had been together day and night for four months, they felt that Wang Lie was a little strange at this moment.

(End of this chapter)