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

After several rounds of drinks, the atmosphere in the restaurant became increasingly lively.

The seriousness on Lao Lin's face had long been melted away by the excitement brought by alcohol and football, replaced by a feeling of exhilaration at finding a "kindred spirit".

His conversation with Yan Yuan had long since evolved from an initial "inspection" into a pure technical discussion and passionate reminiscence between fans.

"Xiao Yan, that backflip goal you scored against Chelsea... my God!" Old Lin gestured wildly, almost knocking over his wine glass.

"How did you even come up with that trick? In just a fraction of a second! Ouch, I almost smashed my coffee table in front of the TV! Your aunt almost kicked me out!"

Yan Yuan smiled sheepishly and gestured to support Lin's father's wine glass.

"Uncle, it was just a split-second instinctive reaction. I felt I could reach it, so I tried it. It was pure luck."

"Hey! This isn't luck! It's talent! It's hard work!" Lin's father waved his hand and filled Yan Yuan's cup again.

"And your team's Rodri! He's no worse than our Kanté! He covers a lot of ground too! With him on the team, your midfield is really tough!"

"Yes, Uncle, Rhodes is indeed our most reliable shield, and he's a very good person." Yan Yuan nodded in agreement.

"Alright, let's not talk about other people, let's talk about you, let's talk about the Golden Globe Awards!" Lin's father leaned forward and lowered his voice.

"Xiao Yan, are you really in a good position this December? This season, your stats and accolades... you've achieved a grand slam! Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup... and this UEFA Nations League! Your individual stats are even more staggering! I think this momentum means it's definitely yours!"

Yan Yuan remained humble.

"Uncle, it's really hard to say. Voting hasn't even started yet, and the competition is fierce. Ronaldo, Messi... they're all outstanding. Just making it onto the final shortlist is a huge recognition."

"Oh dear, child, why are you being so modest with me!" Lin's father patted Yan Yuan's shoulder forcefully.

"In my opinion, you're this year's Ballon d'Or winner! Come on, Captain Yan, let's have one more round for the Ballon d'Or!"

"Okay, thank you, Uncle!"

The two clinked glasses again.

Lin's father's interest grew higher and higher, and his eyes became brighter and brighter.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, he abruptly put down his wine glass and stared intently at Yan Yuan.

"Oh, right! Xiao Yan! That... that 'Phoenix Tail Spin'! Yes! That dribbling move! I've watched it in highlights at least eighty or a hundred times! Slow motion, freeze frame... how come I just don't understand it? How is the ball like it's glued to your foot, just swish past in a flash? It's like magic!"

He became more and more excited as he spoke, his face flushed, and he actually stood up and grabbed Yan Yuan's arm.

"Come on! To the backyard! My backyard is big! Show me! Just get past me! I'll defend you! Let me experience firsthand the power of this world-class dribbling!"

Just then, Lin's mother poked her head out of the kitchen doorway. She had clearly heard the commotion outside, and her face was filled with worry and helplessness.

"Old Lin! What are you doing! You've had too much to drink! Little Yan just got back a short while ago, she's still jet-lagged, and she's already had so much to drink with you, and now you expect her to put on a show for you? You better shut up!"

Lin Jianwei also quickly came out of the kitchen and grabbed her father's other arm.

"Dad! Stop it! Yan Yuan is tired!"

"It's alright, Auntie, Weiwei, I'm not tired." Yan Yuan smiled as he stood up, gave Lin Jianwei a reassuring look, and then said to Lin's father,

"If Uncle is interested, I'll demonstrate. It's okay, just treat it as entertainment."

Upon hearing this, Lin's father became even more excited and proudly gestured with his chin towards his wife and daughter.

"Look! Look how straightforward Xiao Yan is! You two shouldn't stop him! Come on, Xiao Yan!"

As he spoke, he excitedly took out a soccer ball from the corner of the living room, a ball he sometimes juggled, and pulled Yan Yuan towards the backyard.

Lin's mother glared angrily and quickly spoke to Lin Jianwei.

"Weiwei, go go check on him! Keep an eye on your dad! Don't let him get drunk and hurt Xiaoyan, or he might fall and hurt himself!"

"Oh, okay!" Lin Jianwei quickly followed, feeling both amused and worried.

The Lin family's backyard was indeed spacious and equipped with nightlights, providing ample illumination.

Old Lin was already standing in the center of an open space, adopting what he thought was a very standard defensive stance, although his steps were slightly unsteady due to the alcohol.

"Come on! Xiao Yan! Come at me! Let me taste what it's like to be beaten by a world-class striker!" Lin's father shouted excitedly.

Yan Yuan took the ball, placed it at his feet, and did not start immediately, but instead gave a serious reminder.

"Uncle, be careful, lower your center of gravity and stand firm. This movement involves a quick change of direction, so please don't overdo it or you might fall."

Lin Jianwei watched nervously from the side and couldn't help but shout.

"Dad! Be careful! Yan Yuan, slow down..."

Yan Yuan turned around and smiled at her, giving her a look that said, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Then, he took a deep breath, and his eyes instantly became focused.

Yan Yuan deftly circled his right toe above the ball, his sole seemingly brushing the surface lightly, while his body simultaneously underwent a rapid, small rotation. The entire movement was fluid and graceful.

It's as if the football wasn't kicked away, but rather "stuck" to his foot and carried away in a way that defies physical intuition!

Snapped!

A very faint sound of the ball being touched.

The football seemed to be under a spell; instead of rolling in a straight line, it hugged the grass, drawing an extremely tricky and swift little arc.

It slipped through the tiny gap on the outside of Lin's father's supporting leg's heel with perfect precision!

Almost at the same moment the ball was touched.

Yan Yuan's body moved like a cheetah, darting past the other side of the old forest!

The whole process happened in the blink of an eye.

Smooth, light, deceptive, and elegant!

Lin's father only felt a blur before his eyes, and a shadow slipped away from his feet in a flash, while another shadow flashed past from the other side!

His brain didn't have time to react, and his body instinctively tried to turn around and chase after him, but he stumbled and almost fell to the ground!

"Ouch!"

Yan Yuan had already anticipated this.

After breaking through, he immediately stopped and turned around to firmly grab Lao Lin's arm.

"Uncle, are you alright?" Yan Yuan asked with concern.

Lin's father steadied himself, his face filled with extreme shock and disbelief, and he sobered up considerably.

He stared wide-eyed at the empty space in front of him, then at Yan Yuan beside him, before finally fixing his gaze on the football that was sitting quietly not far away.

"My God..." he muttered to himself.

"That...that's it? I...I didn't even see how the ball went over! How...how am I supposed to defend against that?"

Only after experiencing it firsthand did Lin's father truly understand how terrifying this move is in high-speed combat.

Just now, Yan Yuan's instantaneous change of rhythm, the deception of his center of gravity, and the final burst of power were simply superhuman!

No wonder everyone says the Premier League is fast-paced.

The next second, a surge of excitement and admiration welled up in Lao Lin's heart.

Lin's father grabbed Yan Yuan's arm with his other hand, his eyes shining.

"Xiao Yan! Coach Yan! You have to teach me this move! You absolutely have to teach me! I don't need to master it, just learn the basics so I can get past those old guys on the pickup court!"

Yan Yuan was touched by Lin's father's enthusiasm and said with a smile.

"No problem, Uncle. I'll teach you whenever I have the chance. Not just this, I'll teach you anything else you want to learn."

At this moment, Lin Jianwei also walked over, looking at her father with a mixture of helplessness and amusement.

"Dad, is that enough? You've done the experience, and you've accepted the coach's advice. Mom sent me to call you back for dinner; the food's almost cold!"

"Good, good, good! Let's eat!" Lin's father laughed heartily, satisfied, and put his arm around Yan Yuan's shoulder affectionately.

"Come on, Xiao Yan, we're happy today! Let's have some more drinks."

Lin Jianwei and Yan Yuan, one on each side, helped Lin's father, who was in high spirits but whose steps were slightly unsteady, back to the brightly lit living room.

The restaurant tables were already laden with a dazzling array of dishes, steaming hot and fragrant.

Lin's mother was carrying the last bowl of soup out of the kitchen when she saw the three of them like this, especially her husband's flushed face and the way he was hugging Yan Yuan. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Hurry up and wash your hands and eat! Old Lin, how old are you? Pay attention to your image!" Lin's mother scolded, but seeing her husband and daughter's boyfriend getting along so well, she was still very pleased deep down.

The four people sat down.

Lin's father enthusiastically served food to Yan Yuan.

"Xiao Yan, try your aunt's cooking! This is squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, authentic Hangzhou flavor! This is braised prawns! ...Hey, honey, where's my bottle of Shaoxing wine? Take it out and warm it up, Xiao Yan and I can have some more to chat about later..."

"Still drinking!" Lin's mother glared at him, but still turned around to get it.

The atmosphere at the dinner was warm and harmonious.

Lin's father kept toasting Yan Yuan, chatting about football, the weather in England, and so on.

As they were chatting, Yan Yuan suddenly remembered that he hadn't sent the jersey yet; he had almost forgotten.

"What? You even brought me a jersey? And a Chelsea jersey with autographs? Quick, quick, Xiao Yan, let me see it!"

Yan Yuan took out the two autographed jerseys from his suitcase.

Looking at these two jerseys, they even have "best wishes to Professor Lin" written on them.

Lin's father was so happy that he couldn't even eat.

"Great! One for Drogba, one for Kanté, awesome! Xiao Yan, this is the most thoughtful gift I've ever received in my life. Don't say anything more, Xiao Yan, come on, come on, let's have a couple more drinks."

"Okay, Uncle," Yan Yuan said with a smile.

Lin Jianwei felt a sweet warmth in her heart as she saw her father's approval of her boyfriend.

After tidying up their jerseys, the two returned to the dining table.

As they ate, Lin's mother casually started a conversation.

"Xiao Yan, Weiwei told me you're still in school? Balancing school and work must be a bit stressful, right?"

Yan Yuan put down his chopsticks and answered politely.

"Yes, Auntie. I'm a freshman at Imperial College London, about to be a sophomore. I play for Arsenal and am a professional footballer."

"Imperial College of Technology? That's great, the same school as Weiwei." Lin's mother's eyes lit up, and she put more food on Yan Yuan's plate, continuing, "Little Yan, what's your major?"

"Auntie, I'm currently majoring in computer science, and Weiwei has helped me a lot with my studies," Yan Yuan replied politely.

"That's great, that's great... It must be tough balancing your studies and professional soccer, right?" Lin's mother asked with a smile.

"It does require good time management, but the school and club have also given me a lot of support," Yan Yuan nodded.

"So...you and our Weiwei met in college?" Lin's mother's gaze shifted between her daughter and Yan Yuan.

"Yes, Auntie, Weiwei was our teaching assistant back then." Yan Yuan smiled, looking at Lin Jianwei with gentle eyes.

Lin's mother listened, and at first she was very satisfied with Yan Yuan.

He is a student at a world-class university, a perfect match for his daughter in terms of academic background; he is also tall, handsome, polite, and comes from a wealthy family.

More importantly, her husband liked him, and her daughter was even more enamored with him.

However, when the identity of "professional football player" resurfaced in his mind.

As a traditional intellectual, Lin Ma,

Deep down, she couldn't help but have doubts about Yan Yuan's profession.

Lin's mother doesn't understand football, let alone modern football.

Her understanding of professional football is largely based on outdated impressions: "It's a short-lived career," "People generally have low levels of education," "They are plagued by injuries," and "Retirement life is precarious"...

Although Yan Yuan in front of me looks completely different, the term "professional football player" still holds true.

It always made her feel...

It's still not stable enough, not "respectable" enough.

It seems that it is not quite a "match" with the academic path or respectable career that my daughter plans for in the future.

She couldn't help but let a more worldly thought pop into her head:

"Today, Xiao Yan gave me such an expensive bracelet... He's just a student, even if he earns some money playing soccer, this expense... could it be that he borrowed money or took out a loan to buy it? Just to save face?"

This idea made Lin's mother's heart skip a beat.

Of course, all these complex thoughts only flashed through her mind.

Her face still wore a warm and polite smile, showing no sign of anything amiss.

She simply smiled and nodded, then placed another piece of food on Yan Yuan's plate.

"That's great. It's wonderful that young people have something they love to do. Come on, have some more food; these are all my specialties."

The atmosphere at the dinner table remained lively, with Lin's father continuing to recount anecdotes about football.

She decided to have a serious talk with Lao Lin about this tonight.