Football: Starting with the Crescent Moon Slash

The next day.

Jiang Yan, right?

The top trending topic: He Wei: "Real Madrid's complete victory, crushing victory, winning streak, and continuous victory!" They defeated Rome without firing a shot, and Jiang Shen added another goal.

ENSP interviews Roma coach: We didn't lose to Real Madrid, we lost to Jiang Yan.

[Jiang Shen is truly Jiang Shen; he helped me pick up my car. A lifelong football fan!]

I owe Jiang Shen a jersey. Is there anyone who can buy it for me?

[Jiang Shen saved more people in one night than Peking Union Medical College Hospital did!]

[This is a forum, not a gambling forum, guys, so please tone it down!]

[With Jiang Yan playing like this, I think he's going to be in the starting lineup! His current status is even more terrifying than Cristiano Ronaldo's!]

[Stop talking nonsense. Let him show off when he's accumulated enough honors! My Ronaldo's current honors are overwhelmingly ahead!]

[Moderator, please block him! This is Jiang Yan's forum! What strange thing has snuck in here?]

At this moment, Jiang Yan was leisurely lying at home browsing Tieba (a Chinese online forum).

"It seems Qin Wanyu was right; the buzz on this forum is just as strong as on Weibo and Instagram!"

After hearing Qin Wanyu's recommendation, Jiang Yan registered a new account on Tieba.

He even infiltrated Jiang Yan's fan forum and joined a so-called fan group.

Seeing the constant discussions about his performance in the group chat, he couldn't be more pleased with himself.

"Jiang Yan is simply amazing, like a football king reincarnated!"

"Yeah, he's only 18. When we were 18, we were still playing in the mud, and he's already a starter in La Liga!"

"Sigh, comparisons are odious! But I see hope for Chinese football in Jiang Shen!"

"Stop joking. When Jiang Shen joins the national team, he should be called—Little Jiang, Comrade Jiang, that guy... or something like that."

"The national football team recently changed coaches, so the situation is probably different!"

"His arrival is futile! The Chinese national football team can't even break into the top 40 this year!"

"What if..."

"Hmph, just you wait and see!"

"But what type of player is Jiang Yan exactly? I always feel like he can attack and defend, and he can do things he couldn't do in one game in the next. Is he a genius type?"

Seeing the line of text on the screen, Jiang Yan became interested and slowly typed five large characters into the chat box.

"Skilled player".

……

Training day.

After Jiang Yan finished his basic training, Benitez called him aside alone.

"Regarding your starting position, the old man wants to talk to you privately. Go ahead, kid."

"Master, was my performance not good enough?"

Benitez shook his head.

"Everyone knows Florentino Perez's personality. Trading James Rodriguez is unlikely, but you will always be able to keep your starting position."

After listening to Benitez's words, Jiang Yan turned and went to Florentino's office.

"Lucky boy, we meet again... You always give me so many surprises."

"Yes, Mr. Chairman, I think I am ready to face the intensity of La Liga."

"Hahahaha, very good, very good. The things the higher-ups promised you will not be a problem."

"You... are now Real Madrid's first choice for the left midfield and attacking midfield position."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yan's lips curled up noticeably. He had finally completed one of the system's seasonal tasks!

"but……"

Jiang Yan snapped out of his excitement.

"We will not trade James Rodriguez for you. You are still young. Normal clubs will use young players whose bodies are not yet fully developed in a protective way. We do not want to overwork your body."

"Therefore, James Rodriguez is currently the second choice for this position."

"Protective use? You mean...?"

Florentino did not respond to Jiang Yan's question, but then said:

"And we... Real Madrid will help you win this year's Golden Boy award."

It turned out to be an exchange of benefits.

Ultimately, Jiang Yan and Florentino reached an agreement in principle.

Jiang Yan must be the first choice for the starting lineup. James Rodriguez and Jiang Yan will rotate, competing for the starting position based on their own abilities. At the same time, Real Madrid should promote Jiang Yan and help him win the Golden Boy award.

After Jiang Yan left, Florentino made a phone call.

"Don't worry, I won't let an Asian ruin the Galacticos I've built up over the years. If he's obedient, I'll try my best to meet his demands. But if he's disobedient... in the end, he's just a phenomenal player."

……

After training, Benitez drove Jiang Yan home.

"Although I couldn't impeach James Rodriguez, at least I kept your starting position, which is my way of giving you an explanation."

"It's alright, Master. You've already helped me a lot. Actually, I don't have any conflicts with James Rodriguez. It's just that his personality isn't very likable."

"Well, in the end, I didn't do what I promised you... Take a look at this contract."

Jiang Yan accepted the contract from Benitez.

It is a commercial endorsement contract.

"This is an endorsement contract that I got for you through a friend. Considering that you don't have an agent, I've already had my friend negotiate the price for you. It's 60 euros a year. It's not much, but it's a token of my appreciation. Take this opportunity to open up the commercial market."

Jiang Yan was moved and opened the contract.

"Master...you really didn't need to do all this for me..."

As he was speaking, he saw the three big characters for "shampoo" on the contract, and the words of thanks instantly stuck in his throat.

While looking at the contract, his eyes couldn't help but drift towards Benitez's bald head.

"master……"

"Um?"

"You've really gone to a lot of trouble."

"..."

Apartment entrance.

"I'll leave you here; I won't go in. Eat on time and exercise on time!"

"Thank you, Master! I will definitely work hard!"

Benitez nodded and was about to drive away when he saw the scattered cardboard boxes on the ground and frowned slightly.

"This cardboard box..."

Noticing Benitez's unusual behavior, Jiang Yan asked:

"Master, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, the logo on this cardboard box just looks familiar. You should head home soon."

After Benitez drove away, Jiang Yan noticed the pile of cardboard boxes at his feet.

These cardboard boxes stretched from the apartment next to Jiang Yan's all the way to his apartment door.

"Has someone moved in?"

The apartment he now lives in is a detached apartment building that Benitez bought, and all the apartment buildings on this street are exactly the same. The apartment to his left was originally where Emily lived, and Isabella temporarily lived there after Emily left.

The house on the right had been empty until today when someone finally moved in.

Just as Jiang Yan was squatting on the ground tidying up the cardboard boxes, a figure jogged out from the apartment on the other side.

"I'm so sorry, sir... I'm moving today, and I have a lot of stuff, so it's taken up some of your space..."

"That doesn't matter..."

Jiang Yan looked up while glancing at the girl who had spoken.

The girl was very clean-cut, with fair skin and a faint pinkish tint. Her eyes were slightly upturned at the corners, her eyelashes were long and thick, her nose was small and pert, and her lips were a natural light pink. It was clear that she had taken great care of herself.

She was wearing a simple white sweatshirt and jeans, her long hair was loosely tied back, with a few strands sticking to her neck, and her brown eyes were very captivating.

She looked like a young girl who had just stepped out of a school campus—clean, gentle, and with a touch of shy demureness.

"Let's get acquainted. I'm your new neighbor, my name is Lina Steyer... Lina Steyer! You can call me Lina!"

"Ah... my name is Jiang Yan."

He awkwardly reached out, lightly grasped the girl's hand, and then withdrew it after a brief gesture.

After a brief introduction, he prepared to go back to his room. Before entering, Jiang Yan glanced back at Lina, as if he had thought of something, but the words stuck in his throat and he couldn't say them.

Forget it.

Jiang Yan returned home, his mind filled with his conversation with Lina.

"I feel like I've heard this name somewhere before."

Upon seeing Jiang Yan return home, Lina's smile vanished, and two bodyguards in suits appeared behind her.

"Sister Lina, is it really necessary to go this far? The area isn't exactly safe, and what if the master gets angry..."

"Shut up." A powerful aura immediately intimidated the two men behind him. "Don't forget who pays your salaries."

Seeing that the bodyguards behind her had stopped talking, Lina dismissed the two men.

"The best way to win a man's heart is... fate."

That's right, Lina Steider was just a temporary, fabricated name. Her real identity was Lina Steider, the only daughter of the top executive of Audi Spain.

......

Marca: European victories seem to have halted Real Madrid's winning streak; Jiang Yan will be absent from La Liga's 25th round! Ronaldo missed a penalty but then equalized, Real Madrid drew away to Malaga, while Barcelona easily defeated Las Parma, overtaking Real Madrid in the standings!

On the points leaderboard,

Barcelona 55 points.

Real Madrid 54 points.

Atletico Madrid 52 points

With only thirteen rounds remaining in La Liga, the competition for the title has reached a fever pitch.

Thanks to Florentino's "protective use" strategy, Jiang Yan was given a valuable rest.

His next opponent is Real Madrid's arch-rival, Atletico Madrid, managed by the Argentine coach known for his tough style of play.

"Before that, let's open the player skill packs we got from the season missions!"

A golden light flashed before my eyes.

An elegant and aloof player deftly controlled the ball at the edge of the penalty area, his body stretching out like a ballerina as he executed his signature graceful turn. The ball remained firmly under his feet, and with a change of pace, he easily evaded the defender before calmly slotting the ball into the far corner...

He was a master of artistic football, tearing apart any defense with an elegant, picturesque turn.

[Above the Gunners' front line, he was the elegant assassin known as the Ice Prince, his flawless turn and ball control leaving defenders as mere background figures.]

Throughout his time with the national team, he was an artistic display of Dutch attacking prowess, using elegant moves to break through any team's tight defense.

……

[Congratulations on obtaining: Ice Prince - Bergkamp "Elegant Turn" Skill Pack!]

Your ball control has improved! Ball control: 60→70; Dribbling: 74→76

His turns are the epitome of elegant aesthetics in football, with exquisitely controlled rhythm, a perfect blend of elegance and lethality. No matter how tight the defense or how fierce the pressing, he can break free in an instant, rendering the entire defensive line ineffective.

"It's Bergkamp's historic turn!"

It seems Atletico Madrid is in for a rough time...