After Paris Saint-Germain was removed from the list, I led England to victory!

On the way back to Kearney from Imperial College London, Yan Yuan felt much more relaxed.

The important matter of my studies is finally settled. Professor Chris readily approved my application for online learning, and the most pressing matter of enrollment registration has been completed.

As for the email address hidden in the wallet...

He gently pressed the accelerator, and the black AMG steadily accelerated.

The intense pace of the new season doesn't allow him to be too distracted.

In the days that followed, Yan Yuan spun rapidly between the football field, the gym, and his apartment, like a wound-up top.

Training and competition are always the top priorities.

At the Colney training ground, he remained the same dedicated and focused player.

During training sessions, he was meticulous in everything he did, including lap drills, group competitions, and tactical positioning exercises, and his teamwork with his teammates improved day by day.

The recovery plan devised by the physical trainer was strictly followed, including ice baths, stretching, and massages; no effort was spared.

Because the league opponents this weekend are all very tough.

After Professor Chris sent Yan Yuan a detailed online learning plan framework and the first batch of course materials via email, Yan Yuan officially began his studies at Imperial College London.

His laptop became his closest companion besides football.

His apartment room had been specially renovated by the professor; it had a large desk, a high-definition monitor, and the walls had been soundproofed.

Professor Wenger is very thoughtful; this was specifically to meet Yan Yuan's need for online classes.

Even so, Yan Yuan still needs to participate in live online lectures or group discussions.

He still makes a point of choosing the evening or a time when he is absolutely undisturbed to wear headphones and block out external noise.

On the screen, the professor was explaining complex algorithm derivations or profound computer architecture theories, while Yan Yuan's notebook was already filled with notes.

His mind raced, trying to keep up with the leaping chains of logic.

Most of the time, he is able to understand by relying on his strong self-learning ability and solid foundation.

But computer science is, after all, a top-tier major at top universities, and challenges are everywhere.

Some theoretical concepts are too abstract, or he encounters tricky bugs in certain programming assignments, which can cause him to get stuck.

At this point, his work email became his channel for seeking help.

Professor Chris would present his questions in a very clear manner: which concept in which lesson or chapter he didn't understand, or which piece of code produced an unexpected output under which expected input, along with his thought process and the solutions he had tried, in a respectful and organized manner.

Professor Chris always responded enthusiastically, his answers were often insightful, and he would sometimes provide additional links to further reading.

Sometimes when Professor Chris was busy, Yan Yuan would ask Lin Jianwei for help via email.

Through email exchanges, Yan Yuan gained a clearer understanding of Lin Jianwei.

Indeed, as Professor Chris said, she is very professional.

Lin Jianwei never delays in replying to work emails; his replies are concise and precise, getting straight to the heart of the matter, without a single unnecessary pleasantry.

For example, Yan Yuan once sent an email saying:

[Hello Lin, I am Yan Yuan, a freshman in Computer Science. Regarding the environment configuration of the Lab03 automatic evaluation system for the Programming Paradigms course on the online learning platform ELearningForge... I have confirmed that the JDK PATH and library paths are correct, and I have also restarted the system multiple times.]

Could you please help me check if this is a known issue on the platform? Or could you provide more specific debugging suggestions? Attached are detailed screenshots of my environment configuration and error logs. Thank you! Best wishes for your work.

When Yan Yuan sent such an email, he felt somewhat "embarrassed," partly because he did have a problem, and partly because he did have feelings for Lin Jianwei.

Despite feeling a bit embarrassed, Yan Yuan chose questions that could reasonably lead to assistance from teaching assistants.

Lin Jianwei's reply came quickly, just a few hours later:

[Dear Yan Yuan, Error Code 102 is usually caused by a mismatch in versions of specific dependency libraries, resulting in a problem with the platform's internal container compilation environment. This has been verified. The Lab environment requires… configuration and then rebuilding the container environment on the platform to resolve the issue. Best wishes for your studies, Lin Jianwei]

Precise, efficient, without any unnecessary words, even the period exudes professionalism and a sense of distance.

After several email exchanges, the basic issues regarding platform usage were largely resolved.

Yan Yuan needed to find a more natural way to reach out to private contact methods.

Near the end of an email exchange regarding the submission method for the introductory assignment on the course structure, he had a flash of inspiration and added at the end of the email:

[Also, Lin, thank you so much for your timely guidance on the previous occasions. I'd like to ask a non-technical question: regarding the selection of online collaboration tools for the follow-up seminars of the required core courses (Discrete Mathematics, Algorithm Analysis), email communication is sometimes a bit slow. Would it be convenient for you to leave your contact information (such as WeChat/WhatsApp)?]

In case of urgent matters, we can communicate more quickly and will try our best to minimize disruption to your work hours. This is necessary for academic affairs, and we hope for your understanding. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience caused.

This email, more or less, carried Yan Yuan's "personal motives".

If he only communicates via email, it will be difficult for him to learn more about Lin Jianwei, so he wants to obtain Lin Jianwei's private contact information.

After sending the email, Yan Yuan sat in front of the computer and felt a rare sense of tension.

He didn't know if his reason would pass the review of the "Iceberg Senior".

The reply wasn't as quick this time.

The email notification didn't sound until the afternoon of the following day.

[Dear Yan Yuan, Such matters can usually be resolved by scheduling an appointment with me during my office hours (Tuesday afternoons from 2-4 PM) via email or the platform. If there are urgent academic coordination issues that cannot be handled via email/platform, please contact the following email address (xxxx). This contact method is only for urgent academic coordination. For other issues, please prioritize email or office hours. Lin Jianwei]

The text remained strictly businesslike, but it included a green bubble number.

Yan Yuan breathed a sigh of relief.

He immediately took out his phone, opened WeChat, and searched for that account.

Lin Jianwei's profile picture is a professionally taken silhouette photo of a city skyline.

(Yan Yuan later learned that it was an aerial view of Baoshi Mountain by West Lake in Hangzhou.)

Her nickname is simply the abbreviation of her English name, "JL".

Yan Yuan meticulously wrote in Chinese the following note in the friend request:

"Yan Yuan, a freshman majoring in Computer Science at Imperial College London, is coordinating his academic affairs."

The friend request was accepted quickly.

After adding a private contact method, Yan Yuan did not act rashly.

He waited for two days, during which time he continued to focus on training, competition, and learning.

Until the weekend, Arsenal won their home game against Everton in the third round of the league with a clean sweep (Yan Yuan contributed 1 goal and 1 assist).

He felt more relaxed before carefully sending his first message on WeChat:

[Good evening, Senior Lin. Sorry to bother you. The issue with online learning tools that I mentioned last time has been resolved. Thank you for your guidance. I am of Chinese descent and I visited China when I was a child. I'm curious which city you're from?]

He maintained this relaxed, casual tone while speaking in a student-like manner, trying to appear harmless.

After sending the message, he put his phone aside and continued reviewing the game video.

About an hour later, the phone screen lit up, and Lin Jianwei replied with just two words.

Hangzhou.

Two words, plus a period, answered his question and clearly defined the boundaries once again, ending the private conversation.

Yan Yuan looked at these two simple words and found them rather interesting.

This senior student is truly sparing with her words.

He pressed on, this time using his hometown as a starting point:

I've heard of Hangzhou; it's a great city. My dad visited Hangzhou before, and he mentioned that West Lake and Lingyin Temple were quite nice. I also heard from a professor that you studied at Zhejiang University before coming to Imperial College London, right?

This time, he brought up Professor Chris to indicate that the source of the information was "official channels," thus reducing suspicion of intruding on his privacy.

Still has high emotional intelligence.

This time, Lin Jianwei's reply seemed less resistant, containing a few more words:

Yes, I did my undergraduate studies at Zhejiang University.

It's still concise, but at least the information is confirmed.

[That's really impressive. Imperial College London and Zhejiang University are both top-tier universities. Are you settling in well in the UK? For example, there are quite a few Chinese restaurants in London.]

Yan Yuan continued to proceed cautiously.

"It's alright, I'm not a picky eater." Lin Jianwei's answer was still highly generalized.

Yan Yuan decided to reveal some information about himself:

[Speaking of Chinese food, it's quite a coincidence that my parents have been running a restaurant for a while now, and they're currently preparing to open a new branch in London. It will be opening soon, and I welcome you to come and have a taste when you have time. I don't think you'll be disappointed.]

This time, there was a lot of information, revealing the family background (owning a restaurant), the location (London), and a vague but polite invitation.

Yan Yuan positioned himself in a manner suitable for conversations among students.

Lin Jianwei's reply did not come immediately.

A few minutes later:

Thank you for your kind offer. We can talk about it another time. The new semester has just started, and I'm quite busy with my studies, so I don't have time right now.

The refusal was polite but handled well, without completely blocking any options, using phrases like "I don't have time right now" and "we'll talk about it another time."

Compared to the previous cold and hard "hmm".

The tone seemed to be...

It eased up just a tiny bit?

Yan Yuan did not press the matter further.

[I totally understand, good luck, senior! (Go for it emoji)]

He knows when to stop.

……

In the days that followed, Yan Yuan continued to move steadily forward in his life.

On the training field, he continued to deliver outstanding performances.

His partnership with Ashraf on the right flank is becoming increasingly effective, often becoming the focal point of their attacks.

Their physical fitness and ability to compete also continue to adapt and improve as the pace of the Premier League progresses.

Extra strength training at the gym, swimming to improve endurance, and active post-competition recovery have all become daily routines.

In terms of academics, the challenges never stop.

Yan Yuan's schedule was compressed to almost its limit:

• Morning: Read the electronic textbook and preview the day's lessons.

• Morning: Attend online live classes (sometimes recorded late at night or early morning due to time difference), and take notes.

• Afternoon: The day’s formal training session (including tactics, physical contact, and conditioning) usually takes place at the Kearney training base.

• Evening/Night: After training, go home and spend 1-2 hours completing online assignments, programming exercises, reviewing notes, and reviewing the competition to learn more about the competition.

Occasionally, when he encounters a problem that gets stuck in his studies, he will sort it out and either email Professor Chris for help or "shamelessly" consult Lin Jianwei on Green Bubble.

He would usually choose the latter.

Even though Lin Jianwei's replies were cold and impersonal, and often didn't come back until the next day, they were always able to get to the heart of the matter and solve the problem.

With the schedule packed.

Yan Yuan's social life has almost completely disappeared.

The only time I go out is occasionally to drive to my parents' new restaurant to help with food tasting or to check on the renovation progress.

The teammates' plan to "hitch a ride" was temporarily shelved due to Yan Yuan's tight schedule.

Lin Jianwei's presence on Green Bubble remains very low.

Replies are limited to answering academic questions and should be brief and concise.

Yan Yuan deliberately kept his personal life to a minimum, only mentioning it briefly when he occasionally encountered hometown dishes or particularly missed a certain taste, after completing his academic inquiry.

[Senior, I heard the cafeteria is serving West Lake Vinegar Fish for lunch tomorrow. That dish must be delicious! [smiley face emoji]]

Actually, the West Lake Fish in Vinegar Sauce dish doesn't even exist in Arsenal's canteen.

Yan Yuan said that so that he could have something in common with Lin Jianwei. He searched for Hangzhou delicacies online, and the first dish that came up was indeed West Lake Fish in Vinegar Sauce.

This usually happens when Yan Yuan takes the initiative to make small talk and tries to start a conversation about common topics.

Lin Jianwei's usual reaction to this kind of news from Yan Yuan is:

Zero replies.

Occasionally, I'll reply after half a day or so.

"Hmm" or "[Handshake expression]".

But it was precisely this almost ignored reaction that made Yan Yuan feel a bit "real," without the sense of alienation of being completely blacklisted or scolded.

Perhaps she genuinely felt that this was just pointless rambling and not worth wasting time responding to?

However, just as Yan Yuan was almost immersed in this tense but orderly rhythm, an even larger vortex was about to suck everyone's attention in.

The UEFA Champions League is about to begin.

The atmosphere in the tactical meeting room before the start of a training session became unusually serious.

The newly drawn Champions League group stage draw results were displayed on a giant projection screen:

Group E:

Juventus

Arsenal

Valencia

• Young Bern

In the tactical meeting room, Wenger and his assistants stood in front of the screen.

The professor's expression was unusually solemn.

"Gentlemen," Wenger adjusted his glasses, his voice steady yet carrying an invisible pressure, "the Champions League group stage draw is in. You've all seen our opponents. Valencia is consistently competitive in La Liga, and their away form is tough. Young Boys are the Swiss champions, and their home advantage is obvious. But..."

His gaze swept over every player present, finally settling on the Juventus crest.

"Our group's biggest challenge, without a doubt, is Juventus." He paused, emphasizing his words, "There's only one reason: Cristiano Ronaldo."

The name struck the locker room like a hammer blow.

Everyone held their breath.

The screen switched to a photo of Cristiano Ronaldo wearing a Juventus black and white striped jersey, his eyes sharp as an eagle.

"He left Real Madrid in July and joined Juventus," Wenger continued. "His goal-scoring ability and decisive role are self-evident. At 34, look at his performance in the league; he won't stop scoring. Juventus acquiring him is like adding a super-powerful artillery platform to an already solid rock foundation."

The coaching staff then began playing a compilation of Juventus' league match clips from this season, with the focus, of course, on Cristiano Ronaldo.

His signature headers, his finishing in front of goal, his powerful long-range shots from outside the box, and his relentless sprints and off-the-ball runs...

His images are extremely impactful.

"Our two matches against Juventus," Wenger's voice was unusually serious, "will be crucial in determining whether we can advance from the group, or even top the group. This means we need to build an unprecedentedly tight system, from defensive organization and midfield interception to pressing in the attacking third. Especially the connection between the right flank and the center-backs..."

Wenger's gaze swept over defenders like Bellerin and Ramsey, seemingly casually, "...we need to be extra wary of Ronaldo's cuts inside and his runs into the box at the far post."

He then looked at the midfield and forward players:

"On the offensive end, we need to maximize our speed and technical advantages."

Juventus' defensive system is mature and solid; breaking through it requires more flexible movement and a more precise final pass and shot. Of course,

Wenger's gaze finally settled on Yan Yuan, with a hint of expectation.

"Yan, maintain your goal-scoring instincts and impact. In this level of competition, seizing opportunities is everything."

In the days that followed, the training focus at Kearney quietly shifted.

Analyzing Juventus' match videos has become an essential part of my daily routine.

The coaching staff began adjusting the details of the tactics board: how to lock down Ronaldo in positional defense (or at least limit him as much as possible?), how to compress the passing space of Juventus' midfielders (Pjanic, etc.), and how to quickly advance the ball on the counter-attack by taking advantage of Ronaldo's sometimes low level of involvement in defense...

There is also more targeted position training:

Specific drills for full-backs defending against wingers cutting inside and crossing; drills for center-backs coordinating to defend against high balls and quickly turning to deal with offside traps; intensive training for forwards on receiving and handling the ball under high pressure and finishing in front of goal...

The air was thick with a tension and excitement, as if a great battle was about to begin.

These young teammates chatted during training breaks, and the conversation inevitably revolved around Juventus and Cristiano Ronaldo:

Young Saka exclaimed, "My God, just thinking about having to defend against Ronaldo face-to-face..."

Pepe smiled and said, "Don't overthink it, Bucayo. Just do what we're supposed to do. I know Cristiano, he's great, and we're great too."

Odegaard said, "Yan, how about a few more of those nutmeg passes from the other day?"

……

They were more engaged on the training field, and the competition was more intense.

Yan Yuan was no exception.

Studying the characteristics of Juventus' defense became his new task.

In training, he took the initiative to practice coordinated runs with midfielders such as Ødegaard, Rodri, Ramsey, and James Maddison, striving to create effective connections even under high pressure.

They also intensified their physical training to prepare for facing Juventus' high-intensity challenges later on.

During breaks from online classes, he would even briefly step out of the world of code and quickly watch some Juventus highlights from this season online.

The man on the screen, with his signature celebration and resolute gaze after scoring, is like a towering mountain, blocking the road to the Champions League.

This is the second time; Yan Yuan will face this man for the second time.

(Yan Yuan, Lin Jian Mini Theater)

Later, when Yan Yuan and Lin Jianwei returned to Hangzhou to meet each other's parents, Lin Jianwei took Yan Yuan to West Lake and specially ate West Lake Fish in Vinegar Sauce.

Yan Yuan took a bite, swallowed with difficulty, put down his chopsticks, and said to Lin Jianwei,

"I suddenly realize how stupid that message I sent you back then was."

"Hahahahahahahahahaha..." Lin Jianwei was so amused by Yan Yuan that she laughed until she cried.

One of Lin Jianwei's greatest joys since childhood was watching people from other places eat West Lake Fish in Vinegar Sauce.