Football: Starting from the 05 World Youth Championship

At Beijing Capital International Airport, a large number of fans were already waiting when the plane carrying the Chinese national football team landed.

"I'm coming!"

"Lin Feng and the others are back!"

Someone shouted something, and suddenly the entire arrival hall became lively.

A large number of fans, holding various banners and posters and chanting the names of national football players, swarmed around and completely blocked the passenger passage.

"Why are there so many people here?"

"There must be tens of thousands of people here, right?"

"Could it be that there's some big celebrity on our plane? Surely these people aren't all here for us?"

When has the Chinese national football team ever enjoyed this kind of treatment?!

In the past, fans would occasionally come to greet them at the airport, but those fans came specifically to curse them, not to welcome them.

So when the national team players saw this scene, they were all startled and a little insecure, feeling that these people were coming for someone else.

But as they got closer, they realized something seemed off:

"It seems like they really came for us. Look at the banners they're holding!"

"I saw Brother Lin's poster!"

"I saw it too, Brother Lin has so many female fans!"

"envious!"

"envy!"

Gao Lin looked up at the sky with a sorrowful expression and sighed deeply:

"Why don't I have so many female fans? I'm so outstanding and handsome!"

Upon hearing this, the people around him made vomiting gestures and mocked him:
"Old Gao, why don't you take a piss and look in the mirror? You're so ugly you could scare a child to tears. How can you be considered good-looking?"

"That makes sense. The reason why Brother Lin has so many female fans is because he's good-looking, strong, and young and rich!"

Everyone knew more or less about Lin Feng's family background, knowing that his family did business in Europe and were not short of money; playing football was really just his personal hobby.

Moreover, even without family support, Lin Feng's current annual salary and income from commercial endorsements mean he can earn at least 100 million RMB every year. It's not an exaggeration to say he's young and rich.

While their teammates were chatting, they had already passed through the arrival gate and entered the arrival hall.

As the Chinese national football team players approached, the fans in the stadium became even more excited, and their shouts suddenly increased.

Upon seeing this, the Chinese national football team players reached out to greet the fans in the stadium.

Their response further excited the fans in the stadium, and many began to instinctively try to push forward, hoping to get closer to their favorite players and perhaps get an autograph or a photo.

Among them, the number of fans on Lin Feng's side, especially female fans, far exceeds that of the other players.

"Ahhh, he's so handsome!"

"Lin Feng, I love you!"

"Lin Feng, we will always support you!"

"Lin Feng, I want to have your babies!"

Everyone was filled with envy, jealousy, and resentment. Why were our supporters all a bunch of burly, rough men, while Lin Feng's supporters were a group of young and beautiful female fans?

That's not fair! This is too fair!
"Seriously, Brother Lin is so handsome! He could easily debut as a star!"

"Who doesn't seem to be? It's one thing to be so good-looking on top of being a great soccer player, but it's just too unfair!"

……

"Make way, everyone, make way!"

The security personnel at the scene were on high alert; they hadn't expected the Chinese national football team to be so popular.

If I had known this would happen, I would have arranged for more security personnel to maintain order.

Fortunately, the airport's dispatch center quickly arranged for a team of security personnel to come and provide backup.

In addition, national team players such as Lin Feng stepped forward to urge fans to remain calm and not to push or crowd to avoid a stampede. This gradually calmed the fans' agitated emotions and prevented a major disaster.

After nearly an hour of fussing at the airport, the Chinese national football team finally left the airport and boarded the team bus under the escort of security personnel.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief once they boarded the bus.

Thinking back to what happened at the airport just now, it still gives me the chills!

It's a good thing to have so many fans, but fans who are too crazy can also be a burden.

If we keep going through this kind of ordeal every time, I feel like they'll be the first to give up.

However, what upset the national team players was not only the crazy fans, but also the long and tedious series of commendation and award activities and meetings after winning the championship.

The national football team could have disbanded after the match; there was no need for them to make a special trip to Beijing.

However, since the Chinese national football team won its first Asian Cup title, which is of great significance to Chinese football, they were received and offered their regards by leaders from the Football Association, the General Administration of Sport, and even higher levels.

It is said that the authorities also intend to have the national football team members give speeches across the country to promote the spirit of the national football team and call on other organizations and individuals to fully learn from and carry forward the spirit of the national football team.

This proposal was flatly rejected by Zhu Guanghu, the head coach of the Chinese national football team!
Are you kidding me? This whole series of nationwide speaking tours will take several months, won't it?
Have the players been training or playing football for the past few months?
Keep in mind that the Chinese Super League is not over yet. The Chinese Football Association has specially adjusted the Chinese Super League schedule for this Asian Cup.

However, with the conclusion of the Asian Cup, many players in the Chinese national football team will soon return to the team to participate in the league.

As for overseas players like Lin Feng, Zheng Zhi, and Chen Tao, they will soon return to Europe for pre-season training and will not stay in China for long.

So the entire national team simply doesn't have time to attend these speeches.

Besides, the national team players generally have low levels of education and are not very well-educated.

They might be okay with playing football, but asking them to write articles, give reports, or give speeches is simply putting them in a difficult position.

It was thanks to Zhu Guanghu's good performance during his tenure that his prestige in the football world increased significantly, giving him a certain degree of influence and sparing the national team from a lot of trouble.

……

On August 1, after receiving commendations and awards, the Chinese national football team was officially disbanded.

The team members went back to their respective homes and found their mothers.

As agreed, Lin Feng arrived at the Cultural Activities Department of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games to record the promotional song for the Beijing Olympics that had been agreed upon beforehand.

However, to Lin Feng's surprise, upon arriving at the scene, he encountered an unexpected person.

"Why are you here?"

Lin Feng was very surprised when he saw Liu Yifei for the first time.

Didn't they say they were going back to Wuhan?

Why would someone appear in Beijing at this time?

"I'm here to record a song? You're here too? What a coincidence!"

Liu Yifei looked at Lin Feng with a smile, a hint of smugness in her eyes, as if to say:
Surprise, not unexpected?
Her smile made everything around her pale in comparison, as if she were the only bright spot in the entire world. Lin Feng was indeed surprised; he clearly remembered that Liu Yifei's name wasn't among the singers who performed "Beijing Welcomes You" in his previous life.

But then I thought, if someone like him who plays football can get an invitation, isn't it normal for the other party, who is an actor, to get an invitation as well?
After all, didn't Lin Chih-ling, Jaycee Chan, and others also receive invitations?

None of them are professional singers, which shows that the organizing committee valued their influence rather than their singing ability.

"I never knew you could sing!"

"Me too!"

Lin Feng replied, and the two looked at each other and couldn't help but laugh.

Liu Yifei had actually received an invitation from the Olympic Organizing Committee long ago, but she hadn't planned to accept it until she heard that Lin Feng had also received an invitation, at which point she decided to come and see.

Upon hearing that Lin Feng had arrived, Director Wang Jiuping personally came out to greet them.

"We've been waiting for this moment for ages, and finally our superstar has arrived!"

"If you don't come soon, our Organizing Committee will have to call the General Administration of Sport to ask for your return!"

Lin Feng asked, puzzled:
"Wasn't this song supposed to be prepared for the 100-day countdown to next year's Olympics? Is there no need to rush it?"

It's only early August, and there's still a full year until the opening of the Olympics.

They have at least 200 days to record the song, so there's no need to rush.

"You may not know this, but the publicity department of the Olympic Organizing Committee heard that we invited you and wanted to use your and Brother Chen Long's international influence to launch a preview version and release it on foreign websites before the one-year countdown, to warm up for the Olympics in advance!"

Today is August 1st, and there are only a year and a few days left until the opening of the Olympic Games.

No wonder they were in such a rush, time was really running out!

Upon learning the details, Lin Feng didn't delay and immediately got into the zone, starting to record the song under the guidance of a professional recording engineer.

Because Lin Feng is not a professional singer, nor even an actor.

Therefore, most people, including Wang Jiuping, didn't have high expectations for his singing skills.

When arranging his part of the lyrics, Xiao Ke, the composer of "Beijing Welcomes You," specifically selected a few lines that were relatively easy and suitable for an amateur like him.

"Will this work? If not, can we get the sound engineer to fix it?"

Even with these arrangements, Xiao Ke was still not entirely at ease with Lin Feng.

What songs can the opposing team, a soccer player, sing?

Isn't this nonsense?
The organizing committee invited performers to sing, and he reluctantly accepted it.

Many actors occasionally sing during their gigs and commercial performances. Although they may not be as good as professional singers, at least they are listenable.

But athletes...

Artists look down on athletes because they think the latter are rude, uncultured, and have nothing to do with art.

"It's alright, let him sing first, and we'll deal with it if it doesn't work out!"

Lin Feng, unaware of what was happening outside the recording studio, gave the recording engineer an OK sign after he was ready and began to sing:
"Beijing welcomes you, and will open up a new world for you!"

"The charm of its flow is full of vitality!"

……

Outside the recording studio, Xiao Ke and Wang Jiuping, who were listening intently with their headphones on, were stunned when they heard Lin Feng sing the first line.

Her breath control is very stable and her singing skills are solid. Although she is still far from the top level, she has definitely reached the professional level!
The two looked at each other, as if both were asking:
Is this really sung by Lin Feng?

The two were so engrossed in listening that they forgot to call a stop until Lin Feng finished recording the entire song.

Wang Jiuping's eyes lit up: "Great, excellent!"

"Lin Feng, you've really been hiding your talent! I never knew you were not only good at soccer, but also such a good singer!"

Composer Xiao Ke also changed his previous skeptical attitude and enthusiastically introduced himself to Lin Feng:

"Hello Lin Feng, I'm Ke Zhaolei. You have a very good voice. Would you be interested in debuting as a singer?"

Wang Jiuping glanced at the other person with disdain: Ha, arrogant at first and obsequious at second, it's laughable!

Lin Feng declined Xiao Ke's invitation, saying that he was just singing for fun and that his main job was football. He didn't want to be distracted by other things and neglect his main job.

Xiao Ke felt very sorry for his refusal. His voice was already so good without any special training. If he had received some training, the Chinese music scene would have another powerful singer!
Because the first recording went very well, two more takes were done before Lin Feng's recording was complete.

Because Lin Feng's recording process went exceptionally smoothly, others had the illusion that recording songs was very simple and that the requirements of the Organizing Committee were not high.

But when it was Liu Yifei's turn, everyone realized that she was not simple at all!
Liu Yifei recorded the star-studded version for the 100-day countdown, so she was given only two lines of lyrics.

But she spent the whole morning recording just those two lines of lyrics.

"The breathy voice is too obvious. Don't make any obvious embellishments or affectations. Be more natural!"

"Sing your best when hitting high notes, but don't strain your voice!"

"The pitch is off!"

Xiao Ke is really strict. He recorded just a few lines of lyrics dozens of times before finally getting it right.

Even the fairy-like beauty was almost brought to tears by the scolding...

Although Liu Yifei's main profession is acting, she released three albums last year and believes that her singing skills are quite good.

I never expected to encounter such a huge setback here!

Lin Feng only recorded the entire song three times, while she recorded just a few lines of lyrics dozens of times.

The difference is so obvious!

She began to doubt whether she could actually sing...

After the studio recording was finished, Lin Feng still needed to record the outdoor parts.

Lin Feng chose the Forbidden City from among many scenic spots and historical sites such as the Temple of Heaven, the Forbidden City, and the Badaling Great Wall for the on-site recording.

He chose this place because it's relatively close, and he didn't want to go back and forth again.

Secondly, it's a good opportunity to appreciate the beauty of the Forbidden City.

Although I had visited the Forbidden City in my previous life, it was always on open days when it was packed with people. Not only could I not see anything, but I was also pushed around by the crowds, and I had no chance to calm down and appreciate the beauty of the Forbidden City.

Live recording doesn't require singing live; you just need to lip-sync and strike a pose.

However, this is Lin Feng's weak point. He can sing well, but his acting skills are really lacking!
His movements were either unnatural or somewhat stiff.

This resulted in Lin Feng's on-site recording taking almost two or three hours to complete, while Liu Yifei's segment was completed much faster, with only a few shots.

Seeing that she had regained some ground, Liu Yifei's smile returned.

"I have some experience in acting. If you call me 'sister,' I'll teach you how to act, how about it?"

After speaking, she raised her chin and looked at Lin Feng expectantly. (End of Chapter)