"Hey, stop right there."
Xu Qinglang pushed open the door of the bookstore and shouted at the tattooed man who had just finished coughing.
The tattooed man was stunned for a moment. He turned around, still holding the cigarette in his mouth. He looked at Xu Qinglang with a lecherous look in his eyes and said,
"Bro, I wanted to say just now. You're really good-looking. Did you get it from Thailand?"
"..." Xu Qinglang.
"Bro, what's the matter?
You're not here to get back that 100 yuan, are you? Let me tell you, your boss personally said that the bill is free, so don't even think about taking it from me. When you open a shop and do business, you have to pay attention to integrity the most, right? "
The tattooed man had a sense of "I'm very awesome."
"It's nothing. I just came out to say good night to you."
Xu Qinglang naturally shook his head, turned around, and returned to the study room, not taking a single cloud with him.
Good night?
The tattooed man was stunned for a moment. He was still muttering in his heart, "Could it be that this man has taken a fancy to me?"
He was a very upright man,
But this man was so beautiful,
It seemed reasonable to bend occasionally, right?
Wasn't a man supposed to be able to bend and stand tall?
The tattooed man kept adding drama to himself, but he did not know that it was because of his cheap mouth that he had lost a life-saving straw.
Zhou Ze saw that Xu Qinglang had returned very quickly after leaving and asked in surprise,
"What's Wrong?"
"Nothing." Xu Qinglang walked behind the bar counter and made himself a cocktail. "I can't be bothered to save him."
"Oh."
Zhou Ze responded and did not say anything.
They were not related to each other, so he helped you because he saw that you were pleasing to the eye. This was a simple matter.
It was understandable for him to turn a blind eye to you because he saw that you were not pleasing to the eye.
Actually, in the beginning, Old Xu was still a very positive person. Back then, he had persuaded Zhou Ze to help someone. At that time, Zhou Ze was still very annoyed with him.
Now, not only had Xu Qinglang's lifestyle been brought to a salted fish state by Zhou Ze, but he had also become much more indifferent in this aspect.
Perhaps it was because he had seen too many of the tragic stories of the dead and their souls that he had become numb to it.
In the first half of the game, the Tongcheng Zhiyun team was behind by two goals. This caused the number of spectators to decrease by more than half. Most people were actually just there to watch the show and instinctively supported their hometown team. However, when they saw that they were behind by two goals in the first half and it was a low-level league team against a Chinese Super League team, everyone felt that there was no hope and did not want to watch anymore.
However, the two middle-aged men sitting next to Zhou Ze were watching with great interest. One of them was wearing a red shirt. He sat there and watched without saying a word.
Leaning against the side of the bar was a man on crutches with a briefcase in his hand.
The two of them were actually not very old. They looked to be in their forties.
"There's no hope, there's no hope."
The middle-aged man sighed regretfully.
The two young men next to him glared at him in annoyance. Obviously, they felt that he could not watch at this time, but it would be very annoying for him to say bad things here.
The middle-aged man was not angry and continued to drink the cocktail in his hand. This was a cocktail for 98 yuan. After the middle-aged man came in, he specially asked about the price. He felt that if he could not drink ice water, it would be worth the minimum cost. It was not a loss.
In fact, he was a person who lived a frugal life. It was really surprising that such a person would be willing to walk into a black shop with a minimum cost of 100 yuan.
He did not know why he passed by here when he was running his business. He happened to see the game playing inside, so he walked in and sat down.
"It's only two goals behind. It shouldn't be that bad, right?" Zhou Ze said.
Boss Zhou was not a fan, but he watched the first half of the game. The two teams actually played back and forth. However, the Tongcheng team was unlucky and was scored twice by the Chinese Super League team. In fact, the chances were equal.
"It's not the same, it's not the same."
The middle-aged man took a sip of wine and explained like a commentator, "Actually, it's inevitable that the Chinese Super League team will be a little uncomfortable at the beginning when they play against the Chinese Super League team.
Because according to the rules of the Football Association, the Chinese Super League cannot have foreign aid. They are all Chinese players. However, the Chinese Super League has foreign aid. Moreover, in recent years, more and more capital tycoons have entered the Chinese Super League, and the foreign aid they have bought is getting stronger and stronger. They can even buy big-name star players in their prime.
Therefore, the Chinese Super League teams rely heavily on foreign aid in both competitions and training. They are not used to playing without foreign aid. Because the Chinese Super League teams don't have foreign aid, they can play as they usually do now. Instead, they can cooperate better.
Therefore, the first half is the key to the upset. After the first half, the Chinese Super League teams can also adapt to the rhythm of not having foreign aid. In addition, the Chinese Super League teams are much stronger than the Chinese Super League teams. They will often play better in the second half than in the first half.
"Now the problem is, the best chance is in the first half. This Chinese Super League team is actually two goals behind. They have no chance in the second half. Moreover, this Chinese Super League team is the defending champion of the last Chinese Football Association Cup. They won't let their guard down."
The middle-aged man's analysis only received Zhou Ze's silent nod. He suddenly felt a little unsatisfied and continued, "Boss, believe me, this game can't be turned around. Look at this bunch of young people, they're just making a fuss."
Zhou Ze did not comment. Coincidentally, Xu Qinglang had just mixed a glass of wine for himself. Zhou Ze pushed the boat with the current and pushed it to the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man accepted it with a smile and did not stand on ceremony.
The middle-aged man seemed to have drunk a little too much. From time to time, he would hit his lame leg with his hand.
"Were you an athlete in the past?" Zhou Ze asked.
"Ah, yes."
The middle-aged man revealed a look of reminiscence. "In the past, I also played football, but I was not as famous as General Fan, Hao Dapao, and the others. I was just a small substitute, and the team I was in was not big. Now, that team is gone."
"What a pity."
"There's nothing to pity about. It's just bad luck."
The middle-aged man pointed at the wine glass and said, "Boss, if you waive this bill for me, I'll tell you a secret in the football circle."
"I'll pass."
"Straightforward."
The middle-aged man sighed and said, "It's because I didn't come at the right time. Back then, in the 2000s, the football circle was chaotic and shady. It wasn't like now. Now, you know, these big bosses are all involved in football. They're rich and they're treated well. They can easily earn millions or even tens of millions."
Zhou Ze nodded, indicating that he was listening.
At this moment, the second half of the game had begun. The few spectators in the bookstore were still watching. Most of them had already paid their bills and left during halftime.
"We couldn't do it at that time. It's not a matter of whether you want to or not, but it's the same from top to bottom. Not to mention the big shots above, even the club manager and the head coach played like this. As a small player, what else could you do?
"Back then, my level was actually not good enough to play A-League, but the general manager kept me and paid me. Actually, I know why."
"Is your leg crippled like this?" Zhou Ze asked.
The middle-aged man nodded. "Haha, boss, don't misunderstand. It's not that I refused to be crippled by someone for fixing a match. I was also f * cking depressed.
I remember that game, we played against a middle-to-lower tier team. In fact, this kind of game was the easiest to set up, because everyone was in the middle-to-lower tier. It was normal to play any result, and the outside world would not be surprised. It was not like those who were fighting for the championship and the qualification for the AFC Champions League.
In that game, the banker sent me a notice and asked me to guarantee a loss.
Let me tell you, the banker will usually not bribe too many players in the team. It might be one here and one there, or at most two. Especially when it comes to the rear defensive line, everything is easy. It's too easy to miss a ball or let a ball in.
It was impossible for everyone to be from the banker. First, the cost was high, and second, it was easy for the news to leak and cause problems.
Coincidentally, in that game, our team's foreign aid played too well. It was like they were on steroids. They scored two goals in the first ten minutes of the game.
Normally, the banker would not dare to bribe the foreign aid. The foreign aid could be changed at any time. What would they do if they revealed it to the media when they returned to the country?
Unlike us, our roots and circle were all in the country. It was easy for the banker to control them, and they did not have to worry about anything happening to us.
In that game, I kept missing people and even gave away a penalty. Finally, in the eightieth minute, I allowed the opponent to score three goals and let them overtake us. It was really exhausting.
Before the end of the game, I, the defensive midfielder, ran to the front. I did not want to defend anymore.
Who knew, coincidentally, there was a big kick in our backfield. It went through the opponent's rear defensive line and landed in front of me.
I was stunned at the time, but the ball was already in front of you. You couldn't just not kick it. It would be too fake. Then, I gave it a symbolic kick and purposely missed it. The speed of the ball was very slow. It was the kind of shot that the goalkeeper could stop with his foot.
But damn, the opponent's goalkeeper seemed to be too nervous and fell. Then, my shot that even my grandmother could save actually went in.
When I saw the ball slowly roll into the goal line, I was in despair.
After the game, the banker's people found me and crippled my leg. Heh, I'm not a star player. Of course, at that time, star players also played match-ups. Didn't a few of them go in? But if I had some fame, they wouldn't have dared to treat me like this. Who told me to be a small substitute in a small team at that time? This leg was the price. Because of my goal, the banker lost tens of millions. At that time, tens of millions were very valuable. "
At this moment, a cheer came from the young people in front.
Zhou Ze looked at the screen. It was the Tongcheng team who had scored a goal. They were now trailing 1-2.
"Yo, you can score one more?" The middle-aged man was a little surprised.
In less than three minutes,
There was another cheer,
It was even!
The score was even!
The middle-aged man stood up abruptly, his face full of disbelief.
"Is it a fake?" Zhou Ze asked.
"No, it shouldn't be, and it can't be. That Chinese Super League team can't possibly want to lose. It has a big corporation behind it, and it doesn't care about the money from gambling."
At this moment, a few young people in the bookstore kept shouting, cheering, one more goal, and so on.
Then..,
Before the end of the game..,
The Tongcheng team actually scored another goal, reversed the score, and finally eliminated this Chinese Super League team that was two levels higher than them, creating a miracle and a big upset.
The middle-aged man pursed his lips and smiled at Zhou Ze. Then, he limped out of the bookstore with his walking stick.
Zhou Ze waived his bill, so he did not pay.
The game was over, and the others in the bookstore had left. However, the man in the red shirt had been sitting there the whole time. He did not cheer or speak during the whole game. He just sat there and watched seriously.
"Hey, it's time to go."
Zhou Ze reached out and patted the man's shoulder. "Before you went to the underworld, I showed you a game to pass the time. It's not bad for you, right?"
The man in the red shirt was stunned for a moment. He nodded and then looked at Zhou Ze. His lips moved a few times and he said, "The goalkeeper that the cripple mentioned earlier is me."
Zhou Ze was a little surprised when he heard this.
"That year, I was the counter-banker with another small banker. I gave the other party's foreign aid two goals in the beginning. Who knew that guy was even better at giving than me? He gave it to me and overtook me.
"Hehe..,
"In the end, his shot was too slow and soft. I had no choice but to pretend to fall and let the ball in."
"Are you guys playing a game or playing Infernal Affairs?" Zhou Ze was a little speechless. Then, he asked, "How did you die?"
"I died in a car accident."
The man in the red shirt shook his head helplessly. "I've been retired for more than ten years. A while ago, when I was driving, there was a primary school student playing football at the vase by the roadside. A ball flew to my side and hit my car window, giving me a fright. I turned the steering wheel wrong and went into the wrong lane.
"Then, there was a car accident.
"Actually, it was a small car accident. The minibus was driving very slowly. It was really very slow. It wasn't fast at all.
"I only hit my head and was sent to the hospital. At first, I was fine.
"Then, the day before I was about to be discharged, I died in the hospital for no reason. He died of some concussion.
"You tell me..,