The path to becoming a football legend began with being ousted from Carrington by Manchester United.

According to the FA's rules, players are required to respond within 14 days of receiving an accusation.

For Lin Yi, the outcome of this hearing was basically a foregone conclusion.

Manchester City chairman Mubarak will naturally arrange for professionals to collect the evidence materials needed for the hearing, so Lin Yi only needs to focus on the game.

So Lin Yi, who didn't take the matter to heart at all, continued his good competitive form in the following weekend's league match.

In the 24th round of the league, Lin Yi scored another goal at home against Fulham, helping the team secure 3 points along with Aguero who opened the scoring.

Other news from other competitions has been favorable to Manchester City.

Rio Ferdinand and John Terry, who had been embroiled in a heated dispute in the national team recently, faced off in this round of league matches, with their respective teams, Chelsea and Manchester United, staging a goal-fest at Stamford Bridge.

Despite Chelsea taking the lead twice, a tenacious Manchester United side twice equalized, resulting in a 3-3 draw.

Manchester United's momentum in grabbing points was slowed down by Chelsea, allowing Manchester City to reap the benefits and sit atop the league table with a two-point lead.

In another high-profile match this round, Tottenham Hotspur played to a goalless draw against Liverpool away from home, widening the gap with Manchester City to 5 points.

In the upcoming 25th round of the league, Manchester United will face Liverpool at Old Trafford for the second round of the season in the "North-West Derby".

Manchester City's opponent is Aston Villa, who are ranked 13th in the league and have little relegation pressure, which is another good opportunity to extend their lead.

The only thing that gave Manchester City pause was that the match was scheduled for February 12th, local time in the UK, making it the latest kick-off match of this round of league games.

The Champions League knockout stage will kick off the following week, on the evening of February 15th.

Manchester City, currently second in their group, will face an unfavorable schedule of playing the first leg at home and the second leg away.

Their opponents are the defending champions, the "Dream Team" Barcelona, ​​personally built by Guardiola, who defeated half of the host Manchester United at Wembley Stadium last season.

In order to conserve energy for the powerful Barcelona team, Manchester City submitted a written application to the Premier League a long time ago, hoping that the league would agree to postpone the league match between Manchester City and Aston Villa, but has not yet received a response from the Premier League.

For Lin Yi, this was not something he should worry about. What he needed to do was go to the FA headquarters in London, accompanied by a lawyer hired by Mubarak, to attend a hearing regarding whether he had committed a malicious foul.

As expected, the hearing went very smoothly.

After reviewing the referee's report and match footage, the FA Independent Oversight Committee rejected Everton's appeal, finding referee Howard Webb correct in his decision and declaring no further punishment for Lin Yi.

In its written statement, the committee clearly stated that the incident was a normal physical confrontation in football, and that Phil Neville's overly aggressive defensive action was the direct cause of his injury.

Just as Lin Yi was about to leave, a woman in her late twenties called out to him.

"Mr. Lin, please wait a moment."

People leaving after the hearing kept passing by the two of them. Seemingly feeling uncomfortable, the woman didn't explain much, but instead directly pulled Lin Yi aside.

Lin Yi felt somewhat annoyed by the other party's rudeness and presumption.

Considering the other person's stunning features, the intellectual beauty revealed by a pair of black-rimmed glasses, the curvaceous figure, and the slightly open collar of her shirt constantly reminding Lin Yi that there was nothing wrong with her "cards," coupled with the taut and smooth calves encased in black stockings, Lin Yi reluctantly accepted the other person's recklessness.

If it were any other man, he would probably have already experienced Lin Yi's incredibly powerful over-the-shoulder throw.

Once the crowd had dispersed, the sophisticated woman introduced herself: "Isabel Gray, affiliated with the Football Association Council."

"Thanks! No thanks!"

Gray gave a professional yet aloof smile: "Excuse me, Mr. Lin, you've misunderstood. The reason I'm keeping you here is because my boss, FA CEO and Secretary General Alex Horn, wants to see you. Please come with me."

Despite misunderstanding the other party's intentions, Lin Yi showed no embarrassment. He told the lawyer who had accompanied him to wait in the car, and followed Gray's swaying hips to an inconspicuous office.

A man who looked to be in his early fifties, with short, graying hair, was sitting upright on the sofa.

Judging from his meticulous posture, dark blue suit, white shirt, and dark tie with a Windsor knot, the so-called Alex Horn was most likely a traditional, old-fashioned British gentleman.

As Gray gently closed the door, Horn stood up and extended his right hand to Lin Yi with a broad smile.

"Mr. Lin," Horn said in a low voice, but enunciated each word very clearly, "I am Alex Horn. Thank you for taking the time to meet with me."

As the saying goes, one doesn't hit a smiling face, and out of politeness, Lin Yi responded in kind, "Don't be so polite, what can I do for you?"

"Mr. Lin, I'd like to know if you've considered becoming a British citizen and representing the great England national team in major tournaments in the future."

What the other party said was completely unexpected by Lin Yi. At this moment, he could only tell the truth: "I have never considered it. I can say that I have never had such a thought."

"Why not?" Horn smiled slightly, a few fine lines appearing at the corners of his eyes. "Your talent and ability have been recognized by us, and England, as the birthplace of modern football, can provide you with a stage to showcase yourself to the world. Without a doubt, this will be a win-win decision."

Although the other party spoke with great tact and used very polite language, the arrogance left by the "British Empire" still made Lin Yi feel uncomfortable.

"To be honest, I'm not that interested in this. Besides, I'm Chinese and don't have British blood, so I probably won't be able to play for the England national team."

Horn explained to Lin Yi, "You can rest assured about that. You've lived in the UK for exactly five years, which meets the citizenship requirements. Furthermore, the FA will apply to the Home Office for expedited citizenship under the 'Special Football Talent' designation."

"As for your Chinese identity, this is not an obstacle. We consulted the embassy. Although China does not recognize dual citizenship, your Chinese citizenship will be automatically lost the moment you take the oath to become a British citizen, and no additional procedures are required."

"In fact, you've been playing football in England for many years now, so your Chinese citizenship is useless to you."

"If you don't object, we will immediately arrange for Ms. Gray, who just brought you in, to handle your citizenship matters. You just need to focus on playing football, and the beautiful Ms. Gray will take care of all the trivial matters."

"Stop! Halt!" Lin Yi rudely interrupted Horn, who was talking non-stop. "Stop with this nonsense, I object, I strongly object!"

Horn looked puzzled, unable to understand Lin Yi's thoughts.

"Your national team has never called you up, and as far as I know, due to some non-football factors, they don't plan to call you up in the future. I sympathize with that, but what I want to say is that the British Empire is the best place for you."

"Lin, do you know how valuable British citizenship is? It's not something that can be easily obtained. Young people shouldn't miss such an opportunity."

"Difficult to handle? I think we should just give up!" Lin Yi uttered the classic line from Crow of East Star, but unfortunately there was nothing in front of him, not a table for him to flip, so the atmosphere was inevitably not very lively.

The smile on Horn's face vanished at a speed visible to the naked eye.