"For men's fragrance, choose Hermès London!"
"For men's fragrance, choose Hermès London!"
"Men's—"
"Click." The female assistant finally switched off the commercial that had been replayed who knew how many times. A steaming cup of Kopi Luwak coffee was set down in front of Cameron, who sat stiffly in his tailored suit.
"Stop watching. No matter what we do now, we can't change the situation. The only thing we can do is focus on ourselves."
Cameron's face was dark. He had never expected Hermès to strike back so hard at such a critical moment.
Chanel had recently poured both money and resources into suppressing Rigen, convinced they could smoothly seize the North London market.
Who would have thought that Hermès, teaming up with Miranda and Leo Lin, would suddenly drop a massive bomb?
After the endorsement video went live, it broke 200,000 views in just one hour. Twenty-four hours later, the view count was already closing in on ten million.
The name, clearly aimed at the London market, combined with Leo Lin's fully dialed-up masculine appeal and Miranda's overwhelming charm, instantly captured the English market and sent sales soaring.
Cameron urgently convened a Chanel board meeting and made a decision: once the annual endorsement contract between Hermès and Leo Lin expired, Chanel would offer an even higher price to snatch up this prime asset.
Without anyone really noticing, Leo Lin's commercial value was being steadily unearthed. More and more companies were watching closely, ready to jump in at the right moment and fight for a piece of him.
As the endorsement exploded in popularity, The Sun somehow obtained footage of Leo Lin and Miranda laughing and joking together at the event and uploaded it online.
Leo Lin knew full well that nothing could ever happen between him and Miranda—the age gap was simply too big.
It wasn't that Leo Lin hadn't paid attention to the beauties of European football. If he had to name someone closer to his own aesthetic, he actually admired Pep Guardiola's eldest daughter, Maria, more.
As Guardiola's daughter, Maria had grown up surrounded by wealth and privilege. Her skin was impeccably maintained, her facial features striking, and her figure tall and elegant. She was already one of Europe's most closely watched rising star models.
The endorsement video featuring Leo Lin and Miranda spread across the internet like a virus, carrying the same kind of explosive momentum as the massively popular commercials Leo Lin had grown up watching in his childhood.
September 5th, Liverpool's training ground.
Leo Lin strolled into the locker room with his boots in hand when a familiar scent suddenly drifted toward him.
"This…" Leo Lin turned his head.
Firmino was holding a bottle of London perfume, spraying it into the air and deliberately putting on an expression of pure enjoyment.
"Real men wear London perfume!"
"Lin, if I drop your name, do I get a discount?"
Leo Lin shot him an annoyed look.
"Firmino, if you've got that much extra energy, go run a few more laps."
Firmino burst out laughing. After the past few matches, Leo Lin had completely integrated into the Liverpool squad, and many first-team players had grown genuinely fond of him.
Of course, with one exception—Wijnaldum.
Wijnaldum had once been an undisputed starter, but ever since Leo Lin's sudden rise, his chances of starting had become rare, with most of his appearances coming off the bench.
Being pushed into a backup role behind an 18-year-old was something Wijnaldum simply couldn't accept.
September 8th, Premier League Round 5.
Liverpool were determined to defend their position at the top of the table.
More importantly, they were aiming for five straight wins to start the season—a feat that was rare even in Premier League history.
This kind of run was often called a "dream start," a perfect opening that seemed possible only in dreams or fantasy. Liverpool were just one step away from achieving it.
Liverpool fans were eagerly anticipating this dream start, hoping it would lay a solid foundation for the season ahead.
With the League Cup about to begin and the Champions League group stage on the horizon, Liverpool were about to enter a demanding period of fighting on three fronts.
Building up points in the league early would be crucial for the long road ahead.
September 8th, Turf Moor.
Jon Champion's passionate voice jolted every fan who had stayed up late to watch the match wide awake.
"Through ball!"
"What a pass—no, a brilliant one!"
"Splitting the defense!"
"Salah takes it and bursts into the box!"
"One-on-one!!!"
"The chip!!!"
"Beautiful!!!"
"It's in! It's in! It's in again!!!"
"Goal! Goal! Goal!"
"Leo Lin with the assist, Salah with the finish—Liverpool lead 2–0!"
It was the 42nd minute of the first half.
"This free-flowing attacking football is an absolute treat for Liverpool fans!"
"Liverpool struck early with their opening tactic—Arnold's cross from the flank found the late-arriving Leo Lin, who headed it home."
"And in the 42nd minute, it's Leo Lin again, setting up the Egyptian Pharaoh on the wing to make it 2–0!"
"Liverpool's attacking football is tearing through the Premier League—it's unstoppable!"
"They're just 45 minutes away from a dream start and five straight league wins!"
The remainder of the first half passed, and both teams headed back to the locker rooms.
Klopp had little to emphasize—he was very satisfied with how the match was unfolding.
On the other side, Burnley's manager continued to stress defense, even though his team were the ones trailing.
"You're being pulled apart too easily. Tighten your shape, stay compact, keep your zonal positions, and don't let Liverpool's passing drag you out of place!"
Jim Beglin also weighed in on Liverpool's attacking approach.
"What surprises me is how much Liverpool's play resembles flying a kite."
"They keep sending the ball through the air, back and forth. It looks wasteful, but those long-range switches gradually wear down the opponent's concentration."
"After the back line is forced to shift repeatedly, gaps naturally appear—and Liverpool are sharp enough to exploit them immediately."
After the break, Burnley continued to defend while Liverpool kept attacking, turning the match into almost constant one-way traffic.
64th minute.
"Liverpool once again build from the back. Arnold carries it down the flank, pushing higher and higher."
"Played inside—Henderson switches it again!"
"Robertson on the left, still looking to combine centrally!"
"Robertson lays it back to Leo Lin, Mané making the run on the left!"
"Clipped through ball—brilliant!"
"Mané controls it on the left side of the box! Cutback!"
"Firmino in the middle!"
"He shoots!!!"
"And it's in again! Another goal!!!"
"Three–nil! That's the match settled!"
"Burnley have no response at all!"
Liverpool completely took control as the away side, with Turf Moor filled only by the sound of Liverpool supporters celebrating.
In the remaining minutes, Liverpool eased off, avoiding turning the game into a reckless slugfest.
Pushing Burnley too far might only invite dangerous tackles, which wouldn't be worth the risk.
The final whistle blew.
Jon Champion sounded delighted.
"Congratulations to Liverpool on securing a dream start—five straight Premier League wins!"
"A tremendous achievement!"
"But there are still plenty of strong opponents waiting for them."
"They'll soon face Pep Guardiola's fully unleashed Manchester City, as well as Tottenham and Chelsea, both in excellent form this season."
"The real storm is still waiting for Liverpool to step into it!"
...
(60 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser