For this trip to Germany, Chen Jianping and Ding Ru only stayed for five days. Chen Jianping's work at the hospital was a bit busy, and he couldn't request too long a vacation. Ding Ru also had to go back to keep an eye on her beauty parlor business; she didn't feel comfortable leaving the shop entirely to her employees.
If Jin Hayes hadn't spent the money to book the tickets in advance, they wouldn't have been willing to come abroad for a vacation. They wouldn't let Jin Hayes book a hotel either. The two stayed directly in Jin Hayes's guest room, while Jin Hayes himself set up a folding bed in the attic to make do for a few days.
During their short holiday, Jin Hayes took them to Dortmund's Phoenix Lake and the Duisburg Inner Harbor. He even took them to his home stadium, Westfalen. When they saw their child's No. 10 jersey hanging in the most prominent spot in the fan shop, with adults and children all around picking out Jin Hayes's No. 10, Chen Jianping and Ding Ru were simply bursting with pride, wishing they could take a megaphone and broadcast to the tourists around them: "This is my son!"
Due to Borussia Dortmund's magical performance in the Champions League and Jin Hayes's popularity breaking through to mainstream growth, more and more foreign tourists liked to visit Dortmund and buy Jin Hayes's fan gear.
Most of them were international students or local residents who had come to support the team. To avoid causing a commotion, Jin Hayes didn't dare linger there for too long. He only signed autographs and took photos with the few fans who recognized him. But just as he finished signing for two excited fans, even more people noticed and recognized the Dortmund No. 10 star.
"Wow!! Look, is that Jin Hayes!"
"Holy crap, it really is Lord Jin!"
"Ahhhh!! Am I seeing this right? Is that Lord Jin himself?"
Seeing the situation was turning bad, Jin Hayes quickly pulled his parents away. Ding Ru looked back to see a dense crowd of people preparing to surge forward. Fortunately, they could enter from inside the Westfalen stadium and slip away through another exit. Otherwise, they really would have been blocked in.
"Oh my goodness, so many people! These young girls are too crazy."
"Your son is a big sports star now, much more impressive than those stars in the entertainment industry." Jin Hayes's current popularity gave the couple a surreal feeling.
On the other side, Jin Hayes was chatting with the security guard on duty. "Thanks, Thomas."
"No problem, we're all on the same team. By the way, Mr. Watzke said you want to use the stadium on the night of the 31st?"
"Yes, is it convenient to manage?"
"Of course. I'm on duty that night anyway; I'll leave the door open for you."
"Thanks for the hard work."
During the last two days, he took his parents to tour the surrounding areas, visiting the Cologne Cathedral, the Bismarck Statue in Düsseldorf, and the Goethe Museum to take commemorative photos. The couple then flew back home from Düsseldorf, ending their brief trip to Germany.
"Come to China during the summer break, and Auntie will take you on a proper tour."
"Okay." Before parting, Ding Ru warmly embraced Anna, reluctant to leave. The more she looked at this girl, the more she liked her.
Chen Jianping also couldn't help but nag Jin Hayes with instructions: "The second half of the season is the real test. You must take care of your body. It doesn't matter what the team's results are; don't let it affect your mindset. Train moderately, don't overdo it."
"I know, how are you even more talkative than my mom?"
"You brat! Call home whenever you have a chance."
...
Watching his parents go through airport security, Jin Hayes and Anna silently walked back to the parking lot side by side.
"I'm a bit sad to see your parents go. It would have been nice if they could have stayed longer." Anna suddenly spoke, breaking the silence.
"If you're willing, they can be your parents too, and spend every Christmas with you."
"Eh?"
"Emmm…"
Jin Hayes had blurted it out without thinking, and only then realized what he was saying. Anna, in the passenger seat, lowered her head with a red face, and Jin Hayes was also stuck in an awkward silence.
"What on earth am I saying!"
"What exactly is he saying? Is it what I think it is—"
Damn it! If he hadn't lost his rizz, he would definitely be able to say something witty right now, tease Anna a bit more, and make the girl blush while resolving the awkwardness. Now, Jin Hayes could only start the car and focus on driving.
Just as the car got onto the highway, Anna looked at Jin Hayes again.
"What's wrong?"
The road conditions were quite complex, so Jin Hayes couldn't afford to look at the expression in Anna's eyes.
"Forget it, it's nothing. Just drive carefully. Do you want a mint?"
"Sure."
Anna was already very practiced; she took the mints out of the armrest box, poured out two, put one in her mouth, and pressed the other to Jin Hayes's lips. Jin Hayes suddenly felt that the intense, cool mint actually tasted a bit sweet upon entering his mouth.
He was going to implement his plan tomorrow, and it was inevitable to feel a bit nervous.
...
December 31, 2008.
Whether it was New York's Times Square, Shanghai's Bund, or other famous landmarks, New Year's Eve events were being held all over the world, waiting for the countdown to pass the last day of 2008. For the quiet little city of Dortmund, New Year's Eve wasn't quite as lively. It seemed that on the streets of the city center, some people would set off fireworks for fun, making it slightly more festive.
Young people like Marco Reus and Nuri Şahin loved going to those kinds of places to party.
"Jin, want to get together at a bar for New Year's Eve?" Şahin was still sending text messages to invite Jin Hayes.
"Forget it, I have other plans. You guys have fun."
"You brat, on a date?"
"Go have your fun. Happy New Year."
"Happy New Year."
In the Brackel district near the Dortmund training base, this day was not much different from any other. In the dead of night, after the residents had basically finished dinner with their families, they were mostly sitting in front of the TV watching programs or had gone to bed early.
During the days of the Bundesliga winter break when there were no matches, Uncle Hans was so bored it was painful, so he simply went to a bar to party with his brothers from "Yellow Black Prussia."
After settling old man Fritz, the couple hurriedly set off. As for Frank, he had long since gone off somewhere to date girls.
Only Anna was left at home. The young girl was as usual, curled up on the sofa, lazily reading a book. Fashion magazines, mystery novels, German essay collections, exam preparation materials—she read basically everything.
On her days off, she could sit for a whole day, and when she got tired of sitting, she would stretch and move around. She was practically the blonde kitten raised by the Heinrich family.
Only today, she couldn't get into any of her books. Jin Hayes had gone off to do who‑knows‑what, disappearing right after dinner.
Could it be…?
Whatever, he can do what he wants!
The girl pouted, wanting to take out her phone to call him, then putting it down again, feeling restless.
Just then, the keys rattled, and the door was pushed open. Jin Hayes burst in suddenly. Anna quickly resumed her appearance of quietly reading.
"Anna."
"What's up?" The girl's pretty face appeared from behind the book, looking at Jin Hayes with a serene smile.
"Let's go out for a walk."
"Now?"
It was already 23:18, almost time for bed. Anna didn't have a habit of celebrating New Year's Eve before; she was planning to take a bath and lie comfortably in bed. Jin Hayes was suddenly asking her out?
If it were anyone else, no matter who they were or what important matter it was, it would be impossible for her to go out. But since Jin Hayes initiated it, Anna nodded subconsciously.
"Okay, I'll go up and change first, wait a moment."
"Yeah, no rush." Jin Hayes just sat quietly to the side, watching Anna, in her plush slippers, go stomping upstairs.
"She didn't even ask where we're going?"
He had originally prepared a whole bunch of excuses, in case Anna was unwilling to go out, to find a way to get her to leave. In the end, the girl agreed so readily. And she got ready very quickly, coming downstairs beautifully dressed, making Jin Hayes unable to help but stare blankly for a moment.
"Let's go."
"Okay."
Jin Hayes switched back to his Lamborghini. With one step on the gas, the car accelerated abruptly, and the feeling of being pushed back into the seat was a bit too strong.
"Ah! You're driving so fast!" Anna's heart was thumping.
"Sorry, I accidentally stepped a bit too hard." Jin Hayes felt embarrassed, quickly letting off the gas to slow down, while silently cursing Mats Hummels. When he had handed the car over to him, he had repeatedly cautioned him: "Whatever you do, don't mess around. Just drive it in normal mode."
Hummels had nodded his agreement like a chicken pecking at grain.
This Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 had three driving modes: Strada (Street), Sport, and Corsa (Track). Usually, Jin Hayes basically used Strada mode, which already provided plenty of power. Hummels had actually adjusted it to Corsa track mode.
That bastard.
Once training camp started after the winter break, Jin Hayes would definitely give him a kick.
The bull‑like engine let out an explosive roar as the black Lamborghini wove through Dortmund's city area. In an instant, they had arrived at the Westfalenstadion.
"Is it here?" Anna had guessed many locations, but she never expected Jin Hayes to bring her here. The familiar stadium had quite a sense of pressure in the night, the massive building looming before them, making Anna unable to help but grab Jin Hayes's sleeve.
Even though she had a belly full of doubts, she didn't say much. Jin Hayes must have his reasons for bringing her here. Based on unconditional trust, Anna just quietly followed by his side.
The door to the staff passage had been left slightly ajar, just enough for Jin Hayes to pull Anna in with him. From the spot where the bus usually parked, they walked through the entrance used before home matches, passed the Dortmund home dressing room, through the player tunnel, and into the Westfalenstadion.
Compared to the brightly lit Champions League match days with the clamor of over 80,000 people in the stands, the stadium today was incredibly silent; looking up, one could even see the stars in the sky. This was the first time Anna had experienced the home stadium at night; it turned out the stadium had another side to her.
Why was it inexplicably charming?
"Do you know, Jin? The first time I watched you play here, I was nervous to death."
"Nervous about what?"
Anna lifted her chin, recalling that day.
At that time, Jin Hayes was still a tenant living in her house, a loan player hanging around the training base. Among the fan groups, they only knew there was a kid on loan from Arsenal; no one really knew him.
Back then, Hans and Maria had talked about Jin Hayes, saying he trained very hard and was very talented, but they didn't know how he would be on the pitch. The fans were full of doubts about this young player.
At that time, Anna didn't know Jin Hayes well enough either. When he made his first substitute appearance, the opponent was their arch‑rivals Schalke 04. Anna's first reaction was that those players from Schalke would definitely eat this kid alive.
She never used to feel nervous for the team. That was the first time her heart had raced while watching a game, making her incredibly nervous.
Subsequent facts proved that her nervousness was for nothing. Jin Hayes had descended like a divine warrior, becoming famous with one goal. The high‑spirited smile of the young player on the pitch was something Anna would probably never forget in her life.
"I was nervous that you were too bad and would definitely cause the team to lose." Anna teased him intentionally.
"Oh, so you had that little faith in me?" Jin Hayes couldn't take it and reached out to tickle her. The girl was very sensitive and especially ticklish.
"I was wrong, okay, I was just teasing you!" Anna repeatedly begged for mercy, and only then did Jin Hayes satisfy himself and let go. The two young people were huddled together, breathing heavily, and suddenly realizing things were a bit off, they pulled apart simultaneously as if struck by lightning.
"Ahem—so, did you want to spend New Year's Eve with me here?" The stadium scoreboard was somehow lit up. The time on it was constantly ticking, and it had already reached 23:55.
Even if Anna were stupid, she could guess. Jin Hayes hadn't taken her to the lively city center but instead came to Westfalen, with the two of them having the entire stadium to themselves; it definitely had to be for New Year's Eve.
"Yeah, you usually don't seem to care much about football, but you're actually at every home game. I thought that compared to the city center, you'd prefer to spend the final moments of 2008 here."
"Yeah, I like it very much—thank you, Jin, I'll remember this night."
"Don't be in a rush yet, let's sit for a while, there are still a few minutes left."
"Okay."
The turf at Westfalen was meticulously maintained every day. There was no melted snow right now, and it felt very dry to the touch. The two sat quietly side by side on the grass, looking up at the starry sky and the time flowing on the large screen on‑site. No words were needed; they just simply enjoyed this moment.
Seeing the time jump to 23:59, about to cross the end of the year, the large screen suddenly turned into a giant countdown.
10, 9, 8...
"Anna."
"Hmm?" The girl tilted her head to look at Jin Hayes beside her, her blue eyes sparkling like sapphires in the night.
"I like you. Can we be together?"
6, 5, 4...—
Jin Hayes didn't care anymore. Ever since he had asked himself those questions on Christmas Eve, he realized that he couldn't accept those hypothetical situations. Over the past year or so, his feelings for Anna had gradually clarified from a blur. At that moment, it had become a firm conviction. Since that was the case, sacrificing his usual charm—whatever—it wasn't important anymore.
Indeed, in the normal process of pursuing a girl, confession was usually the final step. Everything in the early stages would fall into place, confirming the other person's heart through testing or observation, and then naturally confessing and getting together.
Otherwise, for many people without relationship experience, treating a confession as a bugle call for a charge usually resulted in a rather pathetic success rate. The probability of becoming a clown was quite high.
Jin Hayes could have used more subtle ways to slowly win Anna over. But now, he didn't have that ability and could only bite the bullet and go for it.
Who cares!
Even if it was a charge bugle, he just wanted to speak his true inner feelings.
His heart was beating violently, very much like the moments when he would dribble the ball through the entire defense to the front of the goal and bypass the goalkeeper. Now all that was left was the final finishing touch—whether the ball would go in, or—
3, 2, 1...—
00:00!
On the large screen, at the moment the time jumped to 0:00 in 2009, fireworks suddenly rose from all around, flying into the air and exploding, illuminating the sky above Westfalen with incredible brilliance.
Jin Hayes was still waiting for Anna's reply, but the girl's blue eyes were already filled with a layer of mist, and she suddenly leaned in and put her arms around Jin Hayes's neck—
"Mmph!"
At this moment, Jin Hayes's brain let out a buzz. Time, space, the stadium, the fireworks—none of it existed anymore. All that existed was Anna in his arms, and the soft touch of her lips.
"Oh! Kleiner Narr (Little fool), of course I'm willing!"