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Chapter 232 Always a Comfort
In the game interface, the original "Golden Princess Lilina" has been equipped with the latest battle skin [Saintess's Glorious Banner]. Her appearance has changed dramatically. Radiant starlight surrounds her, gently swaying like a banner fluttering in the wind.

With the GPU's real-time rendering and all effects enabled, the visuals are incredibly detailed. You can also zoom in to see the lifelike expressions on Lilina's face.

He had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, a resolute gaze, and a faint smile on his lips.

Looking at the character image he had always dreamed of in the game, Fu Xiaofeng should have been very happy and excited to have obtained this limited edition skin.

But even though he'd had the skin for almost a day, he felt no excitement or enthusiasm whatsoever.

It's normal that it's not there now, after all, so much time has passed.

He wasn't excited or thrilled when he first pulled out the skin.

Because his mind was completely focused on the group draw results.

Fu Xiaofeng sighed.

Take a screenshot of your phone screen and send it to Song You.

Song You quickly replied, "Holy crap, you got it?!"

As Fu Xiaofeng's good friend, Song You may not be as into anime as Fu Xiaofeng, but he also plays games and knows about anime—otherwise, how could he be Fu Xiaofeng's friend?
Of course he knew that for the past month or so, Fu Xiaofeng's daily routine consisted of spending money to try and draw this limited edition skin.

Fu Xiaofeng didn't answer, but asked instead, "Is he handsome?"

"Wow, so cool! Holy crap, Lao Fu, you're the coolest guy in the game!"

"I traded it for Brother Wang."

Song You: "???"

Fu Xiaofeng continued typing: "Just as Tyne was drawn into Group F, I drew [The Glorious Banner of the Saintess]."

Song You was taken aback for a moment, then quickly typed: "Hahahaha!"

He recalled what he had said to Fu Xiaofeng back then:

Old Fu, your luck... is absolutely incredible!

He said that because he knew about the feud between Lao Fu and Brother Wang.

Most of the time, Lao Fu was unwilling to have any interaction with Brother Wang.

There's no way around it in the national team; there has to be some interaction.

However, this is limited to competitions and training.

Apart from that, Lao Fu always tried to avoid getting involved with Brother Wang's affairs.

It seems that by avoiding Wang Ge's karma, one can stay away from trouble and immerse oneself in the world of anime and manga.

As a result, Fu Xiaofeng was drawn into the same group as the cause and effect that he desperately wanted to avoid.

Is there a more ridiculous cause-and-effect relationship than this?
Yes, buddy, yes.

Song Youzhen never expected that Fu Xiaofeng would simultaneously pull out the character skin he had been dreaming of...

The comedic effect has been taken to an even higher level, okay?

After laughing, Song You asked, "Are there a hundred of these things yet?"

"No, the drop rate is extremely low. Didn't anyone suspect this was an official scam?" Fu Xiaofeng replied.

"Haha!" Song You sent a "smirk" emoji, then said, "You used to always try to avoid Brother Wang... You're so foolish, Lao Fu! Look, as long as you get involved with Brother Wang, your luck improves, and you can even get the skin you've always wanted... What does that mean? It means Brother Wang is lucky for you!"

"Damn it!" Fu Xiaofeng was speechless at his friend's sarcastic remarks.

Song Youze laughed heartily, "Hahahaha!"

After laughing, Song You typed again: "Seriously, having Brother Wang in your group might actually be a good thing for you!"

"How come you're all better?"

"Look, on paper, Ruhr United should be the strongest team in your group, right? After all, they were the 'Mini-Triple Crown' champions last season. But the head coach of the 'Mini-Triple Crown' champions is that Sven Heldon. You must know about the feud between him and Brother Wang, right?"

Fu Xiaofeng didn't speak, but stared into thought as he looked at the message Song You had typed out.

Song You continued, "Do you think Brother Wang will let Old Deng off easily when he meets him again in the Champions League? What if he manages to sack Old Deng like he did last season? Wouldn't Ruhr Steel Union be leaderless? Even if they change coaches, it will definitely cause internal turmoil and affect the team's performance... Wouldn't that give you an opportunity to take advantage of the situation?"
"To be honest, before Tyne joined the group, it could be considered a 'group of death,' but it was just an ordinary 'group of death.' With Wang Ge and Tyne, it became the 'group of death' within the 'group of death,' the most deadly of all. So if Lille Atlético can seize the opportunity and muddle through, maybe they can actually make it into the round of 16 this season?"

When Song You said it was a good thing, Fu Xiaofeng just thought his friend was joking. But as Song You explained and analyzed, Fu Xiaofeng's expression became more and more serious.

Because he discovered that what Song You said... actually made some sense!
If Brother Wang can really muddy the waters in this group, his chances of advancing to the knockout stage will indeed increase significantly.

And thinking about it carefully, it seems it's not just Ruhr United and Wang Ge who have a grudge; Milan City and Tyne also don't get along—because this summer, their key player Miguel Ribeiro left for Tyne in response to Wang Ge's call, causing a major rift with Milan City. Now they've met in the Champions League group stage, how do you think Milan City will treat Tyne?
When the entire Shanxi-Northwest region is in chaos, why can't Atlético Lille take advantage of the situation? At least in this group, Atlético Lille, which is in the third tier, seems the most harmless.

His little grudge against Brother Wang was utterly insignificant compared to the hatred between the remaining three teams.

Thinking about it this way, Fu Xiaofeng suddenly understood and realized that meeting Brother Wang might not be such a bad thing after all.

Then he turned back to look at Song You and said, "Brother Wang, may you prosper!"

Then I got goosebumps all over—let's just forget about that…

※※※

"FUCK! That Dadomo has been really arrogant these past few days!"

"That son of a bitch, looking so smug, makes me want to slap him twice!"

"And what's with this 'Helden's long-awaited revenge'... It's like Helden is his father! What a fucking jerk!"

"That son of a bitch even said he wanted to come watch our game against Ruhr United... Damn it, he better not let me run into him, or I'll make him regret ever being born!"

……

In the miners' bar, the idle old men gathered together again, chatting about the latest hot topic—the Champions League group stage.

Someone was cursing Lawrence Dadomo while drunk.

This notorious critic of Wang Lie appeared on a football program yesterday, where he made outrageous remarks, implying that it was Wang Lie's high-profile actions that led to this outcome.

Because he announced his intention to win the Champions League at his signing ceremony, Tyne became the target of public criticism. UEFA was simply going with the flow.

He also asserted that Tyne's historic first Champions League season was already a failure when Wang Lie declared he would conquer all of Europe.

He advised Tyne fans to start accepting and processing this reality gradually.

This close-range attack naturally drew angry criticism from Tyne's fans.

From last night until now, everyone has been cursing for exactly twenty-four hours.

They insulted each other online and in bars.

Not only were they cursing Lawrence Dadomo, but Tyne fans were also cursing UEFA; the bar was filled with shouting and cursing all day.

The night before last, a similar group of people crowded into a bar to witness a milestone event in the team's 165-year history.

This should have been a happy thing.

But when the lottery results came out, the atmosphere in the bar instantly cooled down.

Tang Lin also remembered that when he and Mr. Berg left, the bar was noticeably quieter.

As each person left, their voice became much lower as they said goodbye to others, a stark contrast to their cheerful entrance into the bar.

Even Mr. Berg frowned and didn't say much on his way back.

If it were the old Tang Lin, he would definitely have asked why everyone's performance was so different, but now, after months of intensive study on football knowledge, he understands what a "group of death" is.

It's clear why these Tyne fans are so disappointed. After all, the enthusiasm stirred up by Wang Lie's speech before the season started hadn't faded yet, and with the team unbeaten in the first three rounds of the league and ranking first, they were even more excited about the upcoming Champions League.

In the end, this is the group that was drawn...

The group of death.

They ended up in the only "group of death" out of the eight groups.

On the night the group draw results were announced, all sorts of rumors began to circulate online.

The most widely circulated and believed claim is that "UEFA deliberately created this group for the sake of traffic."

After all, it's quite a coincidence that all four teams in this group ended up together.

Ruhr United's head coach Sven Heldon has a well-known personal feud with Wang Lie, and Milan City's key player was poached by Tyne...

Thinking about it carefully, it's all related to Wang Lie.

It's really easy to think that it's "deliberately targeting Wang Lie".

As for Tyne, he was actually implicated by Wang Lie—Ribeiro insisted on leaving Milan to come to Tyne because he was a die-hard fan of Wang Lie and was inspired by him. If Tyne didn't have Wang Lie, Ribeiro would still be a big star in Milan, his starting position unshakeable, and he could continue to be adored by Milan fans…

As for why UEFA is targeting Wang Lie...

That's because it generates traffic and creates buzz!
Most Tyne fans share this view.

This is why Lawrence Dadomor could say that.

However, after observing for more than a day, Tang Lin discovered that while Tyne fans were cursing Dadomo, no one complained online that Wang Lie had made the team the target of public criticism.

It seems everyone is quite sensible.

After all, without Wang Lie, Tyne wouldn't have been qualified to be the "target of public criticism" by UEFA.

The complaints and dissatisfaction stemmed from concerns about the team's prospects in the Champions League.

They are certainly not worried about the team not winning the championship—they are not that arrogant.

They just hope the team can go further in the Champions League, at least to the knockout stage, right?
They ended up in the group of death, and there's a good chance they'll be eliminated after the group stage...

As Tang Lin was quietly observing the Tyne fans, Robbie Dixie called out his name: "Hey, Tang. Do you think we can make it out of the group stage and into the knockout rounds?"

Tang Lin was somewhat surprised: "Why are you asking me? How would I know?"

"Oh, I'm just saying, everyone's just saying whatever comes to mind. Just guess based on your gut feeling..." Dixie explained.

Tang Lin glanced in the direction of the blackboard.

Before he could speak, Dixie, noticing his gaze, quickly waved his hand: "No bet. Just chatting."

Tang Lin frowned, trying to think of the answer to the question, but Dixie stopped him: "Don't think, don't overthink it, rely on your intuition, just blurt it out, will we qualify or not?"

Tang Lin thought to himself, "Of course I want to qualify."

Without hesitation, he replied, "We can qualify."

"it is good!"

The Tyne fans surrounding him erupted in cheers after he finished speaking.

This attracted the attention of fans further away, who were curious about what was happening at that table.

Ryan stood up and loudly explained to these people, "Tang said we can make it to the knockout stage!"

As soon as he said this, the Tyne fans who had been curious before cheered just like before.

Even the owners, Theo Collins and his son Harry Collins, were applauding.

The gloomy atmosphere in the bar vanished instantly.

Tang Lin was startled by everyone's reaction. He quickly waved his hands, "No...didn't you say it was just a casual remark? I was just saying it offhand, don't take it seriously..."

Robbie Dixie laughed heartily and patted him on the shoulder. "Isn't this much better? At least it's better than everyone looking so gloomy! Thanks for the kind words, Don!"

Tang Lin looked at the fans who were excitedly raising their beer glasses again, somewhat bewildered: "I just said it casually, how could it be..."

Dixie laughed, “You’re 'Tyne’s lucky boy,' Don.”

Tang Lin wanted to retort, but Jon Berg suddenly grabbed her hand.

He looked at his landlord in surprise, who smiled at him and shook his head gently.

Tang Lin knew that Mr. Berg was telling him not to argue with Dixie, so he shut his mouth.

After this incident, the atmosphere in the bar was much better than before.

Although some people are still cursing Lawrence Dadomo and UEFA, people seem to be less worried about whether they can advance from the group stage.

After the atmosphere improved, Jon Berg said goodbye to his familiar old friends.

After they left the bar, Tang Lin couldn't wait to ask him, "Mr. Berg, why did you suddenly stop me just now? You even argued with Mr. Dixie when he was teasing you earlier..."

Mr. Berg shook his head: "I just think it would be better to give everyone some hope tonight."

"What happens then? What if Tyne really doesn't make it out of the group stage? Doesn't false hope always have to be shattered eventually?" Tang Lin pressed.

Mr. Berg shrugged: "We'll see. If we're eliminated, we'll accept it. We've been disappointed before, after all."

At this point, he turned to look at Tang Lin: "Tang, do you really think we can advance to the knockout stage?"

Tang Lin did not answer directly, but said: "At the very least, I sincerely hope that Tyne can go further in the Champions League."

Mr. Berg smiled: "That's enough, that's enough..."

Seeing the landlord's reaction, Tang Lin asked curiously, "Mr. Berg, do you also believe that I am some kind of lucky person?"

Mr. Berg shook his head: "I'm not as naive as Robbie and Ryan..."

Tang Lin breathed a sigh of relief.

“...But I do think you’re exceptional, Don. You see, ever since you first stepped into Lize Park and watched Tyne play, Tyne hasn’t lost a game…”

Tang Lin quickly explained, "But before I watched the game, Tyne had already won two consecutive games."

Mr. Berg waved his hand and said, “Oh, that’s normal. Winning two games in a row is not unusual for Tyne. Heringham FC and Bournemouth Athletic are not particularly strong opponents... But a twenty-game unbeaten streak has never happened in Tyne’s 165-year history. And eighteen of those games happened after you went to watch the games in person.”

Faced with this set of data, Tang Lin was somewhat unable to refute it.

After all, the data was right in front of him, and data doesn't lie.

Seeing his silence, Mr. Berg smiled and said to him, "I won't be like those two idiots, Ryan and Robbie, trying to link every favorable situation to you. But that's just how it is. I think maybe your presence really has brought us some good luck. But don't let it weigh you down or put any pressure on you. Just enjoy football. Even if one day you're no longer the 'lucky one,' you should still enjoy football and enjoy life. When that happens, just consider it a beautiful dream... A beautiful dream is better than a nightmare, right?"

Tang Lin nodded slowly. He was convinced by Mr. Berg and stopped worrying about disappointing the fans because he was not actually a "lucky one".

Perhaps they all knew that they weren't actually blessed by any mysterious power from the East; they were just using an excuse for comfort.

So I shouldn't always spoil their fun; I should just be a mascot and a placebo.

As those who study medicine all know:
Occasionally cured;

Often help;

Always comforting.

(End of this chapter)