Ground football: Ronaldo thought I was going to assist him

fourth!

In fact, if none of their last five opponents were the three teams ranked ahead of them, they would theoretically have a chance to advance.

"I don't quite understand this part. Wouldn't it be better if your qualifying opponents were still playing against you?" Hathaway's voice came from the other end of the phone. "Winning against them would be a six-point victory... is that what you're saying?"

Deng Kai laughed: "Looks like you've been watching a lot of football news lately, that's very professional. But you have to know, the teams ranked ahead of us are all very strong, and the probability of losing to them is much higher."

"Oh, I see." Hathaway's voice was somewhat low, as if she was mourning Deng Kai's performance this season in advance. "But it's okay, you've performed well enough this year. Very few players can succeed at your age when they enter the professional arena."

"And you'll have at least one assist title this season! By the way, tell that Ronaldo guy to score more of the balls you pass, and stop him from dribbling, in case it doesn't count as an assist. His dribbling really isn't anything special; my conclusion is that he's not as good as Maradona!"

Deng Kai covered the phone and turned to look at Cristiano Ronaldo: "I told you not to listen, but you insisted. How about that, are you feeling better now?"

"Is this how you usually talk about me?" Cristiano Ronaldo was furious.

"Sorry, we never talk about you normally. We talk about romance, poetry, and literature..." Deng Kai pushed Ronaldo away, leaving the beast to lick his wounds alone.

The truth is always so cruel.

Hathaway's idea was naive; a six-point game isn't so easy to win.

Moreover, Moreirense has three such six-pointers.

Anyone knows how difficult this is.

But actually, Deng Kai and Hathaway share the same opinion.

They really still have a chance.

All they need to do is... defeat Vizera, Gil Vicente, and Rio Ave, who are ranked ahead of them!

"Oh! There's one more thing." Hathaway became a little excited as she said this, "The Lord of the Rings production team contacted me! Peter Jackson called me personally!"

"Really?" Deng Kai also got excited. Hathaway had mentioned this to him before, but it wasn't finalized, so she didn't go into details.

The Lord of the Rings film crew actually started filming last October and will continue filming until this December, almost two years.

The three films were shot together and released at different times.

This is a mega-production, with a total production cost of $281 million for the three parts.

Last year, it would have been difficult for someone of Hathaway's caliber to even get a role, let alone a small part. She would have had a hard time getting a single line or even just a brief appearance with no lines or more than ten seconds of screen time.

But things are different now.

Jackson invited Hathaway to play a role that was considered to be in the second tier of the main characters—Arwin, the elven princess and the official love interest of Aragorn, the king of men!

The specific reasons are not convenient to disclose, but in general, the actress playing the role, Liv Tyler, had a conflict with the production team for various reasons.

These include, but are not limited to, differing opinions on the interpretation of performances, screen time and appearances, as well as damage to props that delayed filming.

Both parties are considering breaking up.

Jackson could afford to reshoot the relevant scenes, but only if a better replacement could be found.

Hathaway's popularity was a key focus for Jackson.

At the same time, Hathaway's pure and innocent appearance is a natural fit for the elven race.

Hathaway's agent suggested that at this stage, Hathaway should only accept leading roles, preferably in romantic films that continue the "chick flick" style, which would guarantee box office success.

If he were to rashly attempt to act in other genres, moviegoers might not necessarily accept it.

"Even if you do act in a romance movie, moviegoers might not be interested," Deng Kai analyzed. "Most of the campus romance movies that are coming to you right now are low-budget productions, hoping to make a big impact with a small investment."

"It's hard for a production team like this to come up with a good script, let alone assemble a strong cast. You shouldn't be trying to make easy money at this stage."

"A production like Lord of the Rings is destined to go down in film history, so of course I couldn't pass up the opportunity to be a part of it. And as far as I know, Arwen already has the most screen time among the female characters, right?"

"Cate Blanchett's screen time isn't even a third of yours!"

"Furthermore... if The Lord of the Rings series is successful, there will be many spin-offs. You know very well the influence of the Star Wars series; perhaps The Lord of the Rings will become the next hugely successful series?"

"Of course, this is just my suggestion. Whatever your final decision is, I will support you."

Hathaway smiled as if she'd eaten honey: "Okay, I know what to do. Hopefully, I can handle the role!"

Two days later, news broke that the cast of "The Lord of the Rings" had been changed.

Hathaway made headlines, but received mixed reviews.

Some people say she took advantage of her newly crowned Best Actress title to snatch roles, even though filming had already been going on for a while.

Some people say she doesn't know how to respect herself, and that she's willing to play such a small role just to squeeze into a big production, making it difficult for her to become a leading actress in the future.

Some people even asked, "Is this what contemporary North American women are supposed to do?"

Numerous questions have sparked a new storm.

But Hathaway, upon joining the film crew, found a moment of peace.

Aside from filming, she spends her days chatting with Deng Kai, and her mental state is incredibly healthy.

Similarly, Deng Kai spends most of his time training every day, and during his breaks he chats with Hathaway, so he is not easily disturbed by outside opinions.

In the team, only Cristiano Ronaldo can be as single-minded as him; the others are more or less influenced by the outside media.

Moreirense defeated Beira-Mar 2-0 in the 26th round of the league, bringing their points total to 40.

Among the top three teams, Gil Vicente and Vizela faced off and tied. Vizela maintained their lead with 45 points, followed closely by Gil Vicente with 44 points, and Rio Ave in third place with 42 points.

Moreirense is no more than five points behind them.

Five rounds, seven points; four rounds, five points—isn't this a chance given by God?

Is Moreirense on the verge of promotion? Don't be naive, these three teams are different from other Portuguese second-division teams!

1-11! Moreirense scored one goal against the top three teams in the first half, but conceded eleven – the gap in goals was too obvious!

Vizela: The three-pointer against Moreirense is crucial; we can't afford to miss it!

Gil Vicente: The next two rounds are our final preparations before the big battle. We see no difference between bottom-placed Fatima and fourth-placed Moreirense!

Rio Ave: The next match against Vizela is a do-or-die game for us, and the final round match against Moreirense could very well determine whether we succeed in gaining promotion this season!

I like playing football on the ground: Ronaldo thought I was going to assist him.