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"Chloe, what in the world have you been giggling about these past two days?"
"What?"
In the library, the girl tilted her head, looking at Laila with a confused expression.
"You've been acting weird since New Year's Eve. Spill it, did you secretly go on a date?"
"No, I didn't."
The girl's long eyelashes blinked and blinked.
"I don't believe you! No wonder you wouldn't come to the party no matter how much I called you. So you had a date with someone else... Come on, tell me, who is he? Is he handsome!"
Laila had no interest in studying and leant over gossiping.
Chloe pushed her away in disgust:
"Handsome, absolutely handsome."
"Wow! So something is going on! I knew it, you're so cute, there's no way you'd be single! Did you kiss? Or maybe something more happened..."
"No, no, no, we didn't!"
Chloe waved her hands, her face flushed.
How could it be that fast!
It was too late that day, and there was nothing in Munich city centre except nightclubs.
Chloe just walked along the Isar River with him for a whilst.
Whilst strolling and chatting by the river, the girl's heart pounded, and she occasionally glanced at his handsome profile.
Why are East Asian men so good-looking?
What if he suddenly confessed, how should I respond? What should I say?
But what if he doesn't like me and only sees me as a friend?
Flying to Munich immediately after a match just to celebrate New Year's, then flying back to Madrid early the next morning... What kind of friend is worth such a rush?
Chloe was nervous, flustered, and expectant, but Lance didn't say anything, escorting her all the way to her hall building before returning to his hotel to rest.
The two exchanged goodnights via video call as usual.
Early on the first day of the New Year, Lance had already flown back to Madrid.
Chloe wasn't sure what stage their relationship was at.
Several times she almost wanted to be direct, but Chloe knew she was a bit too timid and couldn't bring herself to say it.
Falling into his arms that one time had exhausted all her courage.
He was a superstar, high above, and she was just an ordinary student.
His privileged family background had nothing to do with her.
What could he possibly see in her?
Laila propped her chin, carefully observing the Barbie doll in front of her.
Her eyes sparkled, and her shy expression shifted back and forth, looking completely smitten.
"Don't overthink it, if you like him, just go for it!"
"As our great French writer Hugo said—"
"Aimer, c'est agir! (To love is to act!)"
Chloe just smiled faintly:
"Okay, I'll try next time we meet."
"Be honest, is he as handsome as the senior?"
"Much more handsome. And he's a different type, giving a different feeling."
Chloe twirled the pen in her hand, picturing Lance in her mind.
Laila caught her underlying meaning.
"Oh? Is he a foreigner, an Asian? You like Chinese culture so much, it's normal to fall in love with an Asian..."
"By the way, is he as handsome as Lance?"
The only handsome Asian Laila could think of was her idol, Lance.
"More or less," the girl replied casually.
"You're lying, I don't believe it!"
Laila shook her head.
Aside from some Asian film stars she didn't know, Lance was probably the most attractive Asian in terms of looks and physique that Laila had ever seen.
Especially the scenes of him dominating on the pitch and celebrating passionately by taking off his shirt, they were so captivating.
No one could reach that level.
Chloe was probably idealising him.
"You absolutely have to let me meet him sometime, please."
"Uh... okay, okay."
Chloe sighed softly.
In January, Lance had to play in both the Copa del Rey and La Liga, and in February, there were the Champions League knockout stages, followed by an even more intense schedule of three competitions.
He probably wouldn't have much time to visit.
She would have to wait until after exam month, during the February break, to go to Madrid to find him...
"Lance, did you go on a date?"
"How did you know?"
"From the pictures you posted on Twitter, oh, oh, oh, playing with fireworks on New Year's Eve."
Saúl's expression was ambiguous as he teased in the changing room.
"No wonder you didn't come to the nightclub with us, you secretly went on a date with a model."
In the minds of Atlético Madrid teammates, except for childhood sweethearts from their youth, the opposite sex players were most likely to encounter were models in nightclubs.
The 'footballer x model' pairing, like 'American football quarterback x cheerleader,' was full of stereotypes, but it was often true.
"You guys get back to your training, I'm heading to the gym."
Lance couldn't be bothered with these guys.
To be honest, he had planned to confess on New Year's Eve.
As for whether he liked Chloe, of course he did.
If he wasn't a footballer, just an ordinary worker, he probably wouldn't be able to win over a foreign beauty like Chloe.
In his dreams about the future, she would later become incredibly popular on Instagram, a phenomenal internet celebrity model.
In the past two years, as a part-time model in secondary school for print ads, Chloe had already gained some fame in Bayer Leverkusen and Cologne, and occasionally her fashion posters could be seen on the streets of Cologne.
If the trajectory hadn't changed, she should have continued modelling and embarked on the influencer path.
The strange thing was that Chloe had actually voluntarily paused her part-time modelling, and chosen a completely unrelated major: Sports Management and Sports Health.
The only thing he remembered was a remark Chloe made unintentionally when he injured his ankle last time:
"When I finish my studies, I'll be able to help you with massage therapy."
Did she choose these majors, working hard in secondary school to improve her GPA, because of him?
It shouldn't be that far-fetched, should it?
Putting those thoughts aside, two years of getting to know each other had gradually made someone special in Lance's heart.
When he was tired from training, the image of the girl cheering him on would still appear in his mind.
Those delicate, luscious lips, kissing them would surely be...
Anyway, walking by the river, they were so close, several times he almost leant down to kiss her.
However, this surprise was a bit of a letdown, and the atmosphere wasn't great.
Lance thought about it and still didn't take the final step.
"Next time, it's best to plan ahead and make it more romantic and atmospheric."
"Then it'll be a sure thing..."
Lance fantasised whilst lifting weights.
Griezmann walked by and couldn't help but quip:
"Lance, what are you thinking? You're smiling a bit dirty."
"You're the pervert!"
...
"...La Liga is back in action, and Atlético Madrid remains at the top of the league table. Barcelona and Real Madrid are close behind, making the La Liga title race full of suspense. In La Liga Matchday 18, Valencia narrowly lost 2-3 to Real Madrid."
"Casemiro and Benzema created a 2-0 lead, but Valencia resisted fiercely, scoring two goals to equalise. In injury time, Cristiano Ronaldo scored a header to complete the comeback, maintaining a 2-point difference with Atlético Madrid."
"On another pitch, Catalonia welcomed a derby! Espanyol hosted Barcelona! After a tough 90-minute battle, Barcelona's powerful tiki-taka style prevailed, with MSN firing on all cylinders, Suárez and Messi each scoring a goal to end the match."
"The pressure is once again on Atlético Madrid, who will host bottom-of-the-table Levante in this round! Led by the new king Lance, can they hold onto their top spot? Please continue to tune into Moviestar+ channel, where we will bring you live commentary of the match..."