Ye Chen glanced at the comments and shook his head.
"This generation of netizens really overreacts to everything."
A single photo caused such a stir.
However, Ye Chen didn't buy into the saying, "Rumors stop with the wise," and quickly clarified the situation.
"After every Bundesliga match, players are randomly selected for doping tests, which is pretty common abroad. Because I performed exceptionally, Cologne's head coach Solbakken specifically chose me for the test. It was my first doping test in the Bundesligaâquite memorable... The results are already out, and there's nothing wrong, much to the disappointment of some people who dislike me. But I still want to thank the fans who supported and defended me! I'm doing great. Remember to watch my next match on October 26thâthe second round of the DFB-Pokal at home against Dynamo Dresden!"
Ye Chen also added two photos of himself and Lina watching a game together.
The two of them were truly a match made in heaven.
Attentive fans noticed that Lina was wearing a Bayern Munich jersey.
Honestly, Ye Chen hadn't expected Lina's surprise to be a Bayern jersey.
Who could resist that?
After this uproar online, Ye Chen's popularity surged even more. The news about his three-year suspension by the Football Association was completely overshadowed!
Ye Chen chose not to address the suspension and let it fade into the background.
With Liang Kailai's goal achieved, Ye Chen went to bed early, waking up the next morning for his routine training.
Playing a match takes a heavy toll on a player's stamina, and Ye Chen could still feel some muscle soreness the next day. But he had mostly recovered and could perform basic daily training.
After running 10 kilometers and taking a short break, Ye Chen claimed the rewards from yesterday's match.
First, the reward for completing a random task:
In the final moments of the match, Ye Chen achieved a hat trick, earning 100 system points. Coupled with the win, his total points had reached 265, bringing him closer to his beloved Falcon soccer boots.
Next, the match victory reward: Since Cologne was a relatively weak opponent, the base reward was a bronze chest, but Ye Chen's outstanding performanceâthree goals and one assistâdoubled the reward to a silver chest.
"Open the silver chest for me!"
Ding! Congratulations, host! You have obtained an A-grade skill card: Robben's Cut-In!
Hearing the system notification, Ye Chen froze.
He thought he had misheard. But noâit really was Robben's Cut-In!
"System, are you sure Robben's Cut-In is only an A-grade skill?"
"The host has obtained the A-grade version, but it can be trained into an S-grade or even upgraded to SSS-grade."
Ye Chen nodded in understanding.
So skills could be improved through training! He hadn't realized that before.
But acquiring this skill left Ye Chen trembling with excitement.
Robben's iconic playstyle immediately came to mind:
"Everyone knows he'll cut inside, but no one can stop him."
Some even called him the "King of the Cut-In." Once in his so-called "Robben Corridor," he was unstoppable. It was like a "domain" straight out of a fantasy novel.
Ye Chen's most vivid memory of Robben was the 2012-2013 Champions League final.
Dortmund had sacrificed their domestic league campaign to focus on the Champions League. After overcoming countless obstacles, they made it to the final, where they faced Bayern Munich.
At the 88th minute, the match was tied 1-1, and Dortmund was performing admirably.
But in the 89th minute, Ribéry controlled a long pass with his back to goal and used a clever backheel to deflect it off Piszczek's right foot, landing it perfectly for Robben.
Robben's cut-in was like a dagger piercing Dortmund's heart. Hummels and SubotiÄ's attempts to block him became the backdrop to his iconic moment.
Finally, Robben pushed the ball into the net with his left foot from seven meters out.
That match redeemed Robben after an earlier missed one-on-one opportunity, cementing his reputation. His cut-in became the quintessential "one trick that works everywhere."
Why was Robben's cut-in so unstoppable, even when everyone knew it was coming?
The answer lay in three key attributes: speed, dribbling, and shooting.
Exaggeratedly speaking, by the time a defender registered the image of Robben in their mind, he was already past them, pulling the triggerâboom!
Taking a deep breath, Ye Chen opened his personal stats panel. His speed stat was already maxed out and couldn't be increased further. However, his dribbling had improved by five points!
"System, why are you being so stingy?" Ye Chen grumbled. "No boost to shooting, and speed's already maxed?"
"System skills only adjust to meet minimum requirements. An A-grade skill card's improvement cap is 85 points."
Ye Chen didn't realize just how valuable those five points were.
To put it simply, improving by five points through training would take six months to a year. The higher the attribute, the harder it becomes to improve.
A direct boost of five points was already extraordinary.
As Ye Chen was conversing with the system, his phone suddenly buzzed.
He checked the caller ID.
"Boss? What's up?"
"Where are you?"
"By the lake in my neighborhood, out for a morning run!" Ye Chen replied quickly.
"I'm at your front door. Hurry back. Watzke wants to see you!"
When Ye Chen returned to his villa, he saw Klopp pacing back and forth.
"Boss, what's the rush?"
"You're famous!" Klopp exclaimed, grabbing Ye Chen's arm excitedly.
"I've been pretty famous for a while nowâafter all, I'm the Bundesliga's top scorer!" Ye Chen boasted.
Klopp shook his head.
"Not just in the Bundesligaâin all of Europe! As of this morning, six top clubs, including Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich, have made official bids for you! They all want to sign you in the winter transfer window!"
"That's so sudden!"
"One of them is a team you've always been interested in."
"Manchester United?" Ye Chen blurted out instinctively.
"Correct! And their bid is the highest!" Klopp nodded, a smile spreading across his face.
"How much?"
"Thirty million pounds!"
Ye Chen took a sharp breath.
"You said thirty million pounds? Are you sure? Thirty million?"
"Yes!" Klopp confirmed. "Ferguson, that old fox, says he doesn't need you, but his actions say otherwise!"
Thirty million poundsâwhat did that even mean?
For context, Neuer's transfer fee from Schalke 04 to Bayern was 18.5 million euros, roughly 15.7 million pounds.
In other words, one Ye Chen equals two Neuers.