Chapter 628 Distant City
There were no lights in the room, only the skylight from outside came through the gauze in front of the window.
The room was quiet until the alarm clock on the phone rang, and the silence was broken.
A hand reached out from the quilt on the bed and touched the mobile phone on the bedside table. He picked it up and looked at it, turned off the alarm clock, and put it back on the bedside table.
Everything became quiet again.
However, this kind of silence only lasted for about ten seconds, and was completely ended by the friction sound made by the quilt.
A figure sat up from the bed, and most of his body was plunged into darkness. At the height of his head, there was a faint starlight, which was the dim light outside the room reflected in his pupils.
Then he turned to look at the sky behind the thin gauze curtain. The light outside illuminated half of his face, with a look of confusion on his face that he had not yet woken up, as if to say, "Where is this?"
Just then a voice came from outside the camera: "OK."
Then the lights in the room turned bright.
The director of the CCTV crew gave a thumbs up to the person on the bed: "Okay, Hu Lai. The way you picked up your phone to turn off the alarm clock and then put it down to continue sleeping is so detailed. I thought you were going to get up directly."
Hu Lai scratched his head, his hair that had been slept in was even more messy: "Doesn't that look fake? Who can wake up with just one alarm clock?"
The director laughed: "Oh, I think you could be an actor if you didn't play football. With your acting skills and understanding... there's nothing to say!"
Hu Lai shook his head: "I really didn't expect that documentaries would also be filmed..."
"Some are scene re-enactments. After all, we can't set up a machine next to your bed to film you all night, right? If we want to film you getting up, we can only reshoot after you actually get up." The director explained.
Just ten minutes ago, when Hu Lai got up and washed up, he sent Yong Jun a WeChat message to inform him.
Soon the film crew rushed into his room carrying machines and asked him to lie back on the bed to film this scene. Hu Lai woke up from bed in the early morning in Leeds City for the first time.
"Then let's film me washing next?" Hu Lai asked proactively.
"Okay. Get ready to start!"
At the director's order, the lights in the room were turned off again, and the room returned to its previous dim state.
Hu Lai opened the quilt and jumped out of bed.
The camera focused on his feet, only filming the part below the calf, and followed his feet from the window to the bathroom of the hotel room.
The sound of water sounded.
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The alarm clock on the mobile phone suddenly rang in the room, and a hand reached out from the bed to grab it. After turning off the alarm clock, he jumped out of the bed like a carp.
He jumped out of bed and rushed to the door, opened the door, and then knocked on the doors of the other two rooms one by one:
"Get up! Get up!"
"Brothers, wake up!!"
Then he rushed back to his room to get dressed.
Before he could put on his clothes, the doors of the other two rooms were opened one after another, revealing two sleepy heads. They said in a very resentful tone to the room where the door was opened: "Wang Haoxi, why are you crazy..."
"That's right, what time is it?"
Wang Haoxi put on a sweatshirt on himself and walked outside: "Did I say you were all sleepy? Have you forgotten what we are going to do today? Hu Lai! Hu Lai's joining ceremony!"
His two roommates said helplessly: "Does Hu Lai's joining ceremony need to start at seven o'clock in the morning?"
"We have to go early so that we can get a good seat!" Wang Haoxi jumped up excitedly.
The two roommates looked at each other, retracted their heads helplessly, and closed the door again.
When they all changed clothes and came out, Wang Haoxi was stepping on the armrest of the sofa and taking down the Chinese flag hanging on the wall.
"Why do you have to stand in the front row? In addition to making it easier to ask Hu Lai for an autograph, you also have to let him see this!"
Wang Haoxi shook the flag he took off, spread it flat on the wooden floor, folded it and put it in his backpack.
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Hu Lai and Yong Jun, who had already had breakfast at the hotel, walked towards the black Mercedes-Benz business car parked outside. There was a half circle of photographers surrounding them, using different equipment to shoot. There were also people who stretched the microphone above Hu Lai's head. , for radio reception.
Yong Jun said to Hu Lai as he walked: "The results of yesterday's physical examination report came out, there is no problem at all. The last obstacle to signing the contract is gone."
Hu Lai is still a little regretful: "I was not said to be 'as strong as an ox'? Doesn't every player receive such an evaluation during his physical examination?"
Yong Jun was speechless: "What are you thinking? Your figure has nothing to do with a cow..."
While talking, the two people walked out of the hotel door and were greeted by Matt Dawn, who was standing next to the business car: "Good morning, Hu. Did you sleep well last night?"
Hu Lai shook hands with him: "It's good, I don't choose the bed."
Matt smiled: "I will write an email to Sports Rangers and suggest that they increase your adaptability to more than fifteen in the data update in March. In my previous save, you also suffered from homesickness... ”
Hu Lai laughed, and then thought of his parents in China, and the shared villa that was always bustling with activity.
No matter how hard or tiring the training is every day, as long as I go back to the house with my friends, it seems to be a happy time, bickering with Brother Huan and the others, bullying Morikawa, who is in the second grade, and playing games to decide who is in charge. Housework, who is responsible for paying the water and electricity bills this month...
Now all this is gone. There are only him and Uncle Yong in a distant strange country and strange city. But Uncle Yong obviously can't play with him, or even stay here with him all the time.
So in the end you have to face it alone.
His smile disappeared from his face.
I do feel a little homesick...
Matt saw the change in Hu Lai's expression and wondered if his joke had the opposite effect. He quickly asked: "Are you okay, Hu?"
After coming back to his senses, Hu Lai managed the expression on his face again, smiled and said to Matt: "No problem, Matt. I do feel a little homesick, because I have my parents and many friends in my hometown."
"My parents can't help it." Matt spread his hands, "But I think you will have friends here soon. Let's get in the car."
Hu Lai smiled at Matt and got into the car with Yong Jun.
Then a photographer from the film crew followed up with a lightweight SLR camera and sat in the car to continue shooting.
Matt opened the passenger door, got in and closed the door: "Then let's go to Flanders Stadium!"
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Hu Lai, who turned to look out the car window, appeared on the camera's surveillance screen. He was looking intently at the street scene outside.
Although it wasn't raining, the sky was still gloomy, very characteristic of British winter.
But to be honest, as the day when Chinese football returns to the sea, this weather may not give the audience a good impression.
It will make people feel depressed involuntarily and think of some bad things.
But there is no way, the British winter is like this most of the time, and it is not easy to wait for a sunny day in the British winter.
The black Buick commercial vehicle was driving on the road. They had entered Leeds city, but they still didn't see too many high-rise buildings.
Matt Dawn, who was sitting in the co-pilot, served as Hu Lai’s guide in Leeds and introduced: “Although Leeds is the third largest city in the UK, it is still very different from the scale of Jincheng.”
Hu Lai nodded, not really caring about this issue.
Whether a city is big or not, what does it mean to the players?
The club owner may consider the relationship between the size of a city and the size of the football market, and thus the relationship with income, but he is a player and only needs to train and play football.
No matter how big the city is, the scope of his activities is only so wide.
Jincheng’s self-media promotes various propaganda, saying that Jincheng is the vanguard of China’s new first-tier cities, how prosperous the city is, where a new park is opened today, and a big international brand will settle in Jincheng’s high-end shopping mall tomorrow... These things are related to Hu Lai has nothing to do with it.
He played football in Jincheng for two and a half years, and spent most of his time in Liucheng District, where the team's training base is located. He has only been to the city center a few times, and he didn't know which way the park door opened. He has never been to any of the high-end international brands... He has never been to any of the charming new landmarks mentioned in the press release.
Hu Lai, who was still curiously looking at the street scene outside the car, suddenly saw a gray two-story building.
Hu Lai has seen a lot of small buildings of this style during this trip, and they are residential houses that can be seen everywhere in Leeds.
But what makes this small building different from other small buildings around it is that there is a huge human head painted on the wall facing the street corner.
It was an old man who looked energetic. Although his hair was gray, he was watching the people and cars on the street with sharp eyes.
"Who is that?" Hu Lai asked curiously.
"Ah..." Matt Dawn was a little embarrassed, but he still introduced this person to Hu Lai. "Lauren Galli, he used to be the head coach of Leeds City. He has coached Leeds City for 13 years and is Leeds City's longest-serving head coach. He led Leeds City to successfully promote to the Premier League in the 2022-2023 season. It was the first time Leeds City participated in the Premier League and helped the team successfully avoid relegation in the first season of promotion..."
"No wonder he was painted on the wall." Hu Lai nodded and understood.
"Yes, he has a high status in the hearts of Leeds City fans." Matt also said. This is nothing to admit. As an employee of the Premier League team, he must also thank this old man for leading Leeds City to the Premier League successfully two seasons ago...
After saying that, he added: "Hu, I believe that one day, you will also be painted on the exterior wall of their house by Leeds City fans..."
"Thank you Matt, that's too far away, it's only my first day here..."
"No, it's not far away. In the future, we will definitely be able to write our names in the history books of this city." Matt Dawn said with his fists clenched, not knowing that he was trying to impress Hu Lai. Still encouraging myself. After all, his good friend Tony Clark's current situation with the team is far from optimistic.
"Yeah." Hu Lai hesitated and continued to observe this strange city.
He cares more about the present than the future - what will the city where he is about to live and work look like?
On the exterior walls of the houses facing the street, he can often see various graffiti, many of which contain elements of Leeds City Football Club, such as the abbreviation of Leeds City Football Club "LCFC", and the Leeds City team emblem - in yellow In the middle of the V-shaped coat of arms is an abstract fist, as if it is beating on the heart. It also looks a bit like the White Rose, a symbol of West Yorkshire where Leeds is located. Above the coat of arms is the name of Leeds City Club: "LEEDSCITY". The ribbon below the coat of arms is the club's sports project: "FOOTBALLCLUB". The bottom is the time when the club was founded, "1928"
There are traces of football everywhere in this city, and there are traces of Leeds City Football Club everywhere.
He also saw some teenagers wearing Leeds City yellow jerseys playing football on the street.
There was a child holding a football on the roadside and curiously looking at the commercial vehicle passing in front of him. He wondered if he saw Hu Lai in the car window.
This is the cultural atmosphere in Britain, the birthplace of modern football.
Although Leeds City is not a traditional giant with a brilliant record, nor is it a down-and-out powerhouse that has left a strong mark on the history of English football.
Founded in 1928, they don't have a long history in the history of English football. After the establishment of the national league system in England, it has only won the third-level league championship once, and there is no championship of sufficient weight. The history of participation in England's top league is only two seasons - the last two seasons.
In the history of England's top league, Leeds City are truly unknown, and no one cares about them except their own fans.
They don't have a huge number of overseas fans, nor do they have much glorious past to talk about, but people here still love and support this team. Because this is their hometown team, carrying the emotions and memories of generations of people in this city and this region.
These emotions have nothing to do with memories or the team's results. Just every afternoon whether it rains or not, they come to the stadium stands with their family and friends to cheer for their hometown team and cheer non-stop for ninety minutes.
Enjoy the joy of victory with your team, or chew the bitterness of defeat. The carnival of promotion, the sadness of relegation, cheering for victory, crying for defeat, these emotions have appeared repeatedly in the team's nearly 100 years of existence, and are closely related to and integrated with the lives of everyone in this city.
Mentioning a certain time, they will say: "Ah... I remember that the team was relegated that year, and they played really badly, with only a few good games. And my girlfriend and I also broke up at that time. , what the hell..."
"When I was 30 years old, I had my first child and the team was successfully promoted. We finally won. I still remember George. His goal in the key game for promotion was really the best I have ever seen in my life. Beautiful!”
……
And many, many memories like this.
Football is not a window-dressing project to decorate political achievements, nor is it a tool for businessmen to rack their brains to make money. Instead, it is like air, permeating every corner of the city, and like blood, in every corner of the city. flowing in the human body.
Man cannot live without air, nor without flowing blood.
So there can't be no football here.
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PS, two updates have been restored! (End of chapter)