Chapter 99: Chapter 99: Isn't This Just Embarrassing the Chinese Abroad?

Shinji Okazaki's ball was dodged by Ye Chen, but Ye Chen's return shot wasn't as easy to avoid.

The distance was short, and the power was strong.

Most importantly, Okazaki never expected Ye Chen to retaliate like that.

After all, most people believed that the Chinese tended to endure silently.

Especially in situations like this, they would try to appear magnanimous.

"Bang!"

The soccer ball shot forward like a bullet, hitting Okazaki straight in the stomach!

Okazaki felt a sharp pain in his gut. The next moment, his legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground.

Many fans witnessed the scene, and some even recorded it.

Gasps echoed across the stands as fans shifted their focus to the two players.

As Okazaki hit the ground, several Stuttgart players rushed over.

"Why did you kick him?"

"Yeah, don't think you can do whatever you want just because you're famous now!"

"Is this what Chinese players are like?"

The Stuttgart players surrounded Ye Chen. Leading the charge was Serbia's international midfielder, Kuzmanović, wearing the No. 8 jersey.

As Okazaki's closest friend on the team, Kuzmanović wasn't about to let this slide.

But Dortmund wasn't backing down either. Captain Kehl ran over, shouting.

"What the hell are you guys trying to do?"

"You think you can bully my teammate? Not happening!"

"You dare mess with Ye? You must be tired of living!"

Götze, Gündoğan, and Perišić were the first to shield Ye Chen, ready to defend him at all costs.

Both sides started shoving, but no punches were thrown—everyone knew the consequences of that as professional athletes.

The players immediately separated Okazaki and Ye Chen.

"Everyone, stop!"

Stuttgart's head coach, Bruno Labbadia, appeared on the sidelines.

"What's going on here?"

"Coach, I saw Ye kick Okazaki in the stomach!" Kaká shouted.

Kuzmanović added fiercely, "Ye kicked me first. I saw it clearly!"

Kehl turned to Ye Chen, "Ye, what happened?"

Ye Chen pointed to the soccer ball nearby, calmly replying, "I was warming up. Okazaki kicked the ball at me first, but I dodged it."

Kehl's eyes narrowed as he glared at Okazaki. "Okazaki, did you provoke him first?"

Okazaki smirked, feeling smug surrounded by his teammates.

This was Mercedes-Benz Arena, not Signal Iduna Park.

On our turf, even dragons have to lay low.

But Kehl's words drew everyone's attention to Okazaki.

Okazaki hesitated before explaining, "I accidentally kicked too hard, and the ball flew toward Ye. If I really wanted to hit him, do you think I'd miss?"

His explanation seemed plausible—after all, hitting a player unnoticed was easy for professionals.

"Oh, really?" Ye Chen sneered. What a shameless guy.

Kehl's face darkened. "Intentional or not, the ball went toward Ye. You started this. Don't think you can act tough just because this is your home field. We're Dortmund, and we won't be pushed around!"

This was why Kehl earned the highest salary on the team—he always stood up when it mattered.

Labbadia sighed, realizing the situation. "Disperse! The fans are watching. Don't embarrass yourselves."

"But coach, Ye kicked Okazaki. He has to apologize!" Kuzmanović insisted.

"Yeah, Okazaki was knocked to the ground!" Kaká shouted.

This was classic gaslighting.

It was like seeing someone harass a girl during a late-night snack run, Ye stepping in to help, and the harasser retaliating but losing—then demanding Ye apologize.

Total nonsense.

"Idiots," Ye muttered in Chinese, unable to hold back his frustration.

"Enough, let it go!" Labbadia barked.

"Wait!"

Dortmund's head coach, Jürgen Klopp, strode onto the field.

"I heard someone's messing with Ye?"

Ye was Klopp's treasure.

Touch a dragon's reverse scale, and you'll pay the price.

"Jürgen, just a misunderstanding. I've already handled it," Labbadia said with a forced smile.

But Klopp's face was grim. "Bruno, this is how you treat guests? We come to your stadium, and you bully our players?"

Next to Klopp was Shinji Kagawa, who had witnessed everything.

As Okazaki's national teammate and Ye's friend, Kagawa stayed neutral but quietly pulled Klopp out of the locker room.

Some situations required the head coach's presence.

Ye noticed Kagawa and smirked, realizing the guy had gone to get help—classic Journey to the West tactics.

When in trouble, call for divine intervention.

"Jürgen, I asked Okazaki, and he didn't mean to. Let's drop it," Labbadia said.

"Drop it? Okazaki needs to apologize, or this isn't over!" Klopp shot back.

Okazaki paled. "We Japanese never apologize to Chinese!"

Klopp's teeth clenched. "See, Bruno? This is your player's attitude!"

Labbadia looked troubled but knew backing down wasn't an option. "Fine, we'll settle this on the field!"

With that, he turned and left, followed by Stuttgart's players.

The match hadn't even started, but the tension was palpable.

Klopp patted Ye on the shoulder. "You okay, Ye?"

"I'm fine, boss."

"Good. Let's head back to the locker room."

This was an away game, with a Champions League match coming up. Avoiding injuries was key.

But now things had changed.

"Crush them!" Klopp growled in the locker room. "Show them what happens when they mess with Ye!"