Li Feifei never expected that her meticulously organized class reunion would end up with Huang Hao becoming the center of attention.
Even her boyfriend was respectful towards him, almost to the point of flattery.
The reunion ended hastily in a somewhat awkward atmosphere.
On the way back to the hotel, Lin Kexin was clearly in a very good mood, holding Huang Hao's arm the whole way, chattering and telling him all sorts of interesting stories from their university days.
"Coach, you're too mean, I saw that Li Feifei barely ate anything."
"I originally wanted to interact with her as an ordinary person, but who knew this woman would make things so difficult for you? There was nothing I could do, so I just laid my cards on the table."
Huang Hao shrugged, a helpless expression on his face, as if he were the one who had been wronged.
His actions made Lin Kexin giggle even more, and she held Huang Hao's arm even tighter.
The two were very close, and a refreshing, delicate fragrance slowly wafted over—not like roses, not like daisies—yet it made Huang Hao feel incredibly comfortable and relaxed, making his heart yearn.
"Oh, right, you still haven't told me why you came back this time."
"Hehe, then you can accompany me to another dinner tomorrow, and then I'll tell you!"
Huang Hao put a hand to his forehead and teased,
"Oh, so I'm back for a vacation? I'm back to be a workhorse!"
"Tell me, who are we facing tomorrow? Should I disguise myself first, or just lay my cards on the table?"
Huang Hao's words made Lin Kexin think of Li Feifei's strange expression from earlier, and she started laughing again.
After a good while, Lin Kexin, holding her stomach, finally stopped laughing and said, a little out of breath, "You don't need to lay your cards on the table tomorrow; tomorrow is to deal with my brother, otherwise he'll annoy me to death."
"Ah! My brother-in-law, no problem!"
"Who agreed to marry you?!"
Lin Kexin playfully punched Huang Hao's chest, pretending to pull her arm away, but Huang Hao held it tightly, making it impossible for her to move.
"It's only a matter of time."
Looking at Huang Hao's affectionate gaze, Lin Kexin's cheeks couldn't help but flush a faint red.
"Oh, right, Li Jianqin told me that the hotel we booked was too popular, so we only got one room." After saying that, Huang Hao immediately pretended nothing was wrong, looking around nervously, avoiding Lin Kexin's gaze with a guilty conscience.
Lin Kexin didn't say anything, just lowered her head and continued walking forward.
But Huang Hao clearly felt her arm, which was linked with his, tighten even more.
The next day at noon, the even more intimate couple arrived at the restaurant on time.
Unlike the gathering last night, this was a restaurant with a modern design, but in terms of decor, it was no less impressive and very grand.
Outside the large floor-to-ceiling windows, the beautiful scenery of the Yangtze River was unobstructed.
The golden, giant crystal chandeliers gave people an immediate sense of the restaurant's luxury upon entering.
And the wooden ceilings and screens gave the place a touch of ancient charm without any sense of incongruity.
"My brother-in-law has good taste!"
Huang Hao said to Lin Kexin while looking around.
"Hehe, he probably wants to leave a good impression on you, let's go!"
Lin Kexin had been here before, so she knew her way around and quickly led Huang Hao to their reserved private room.
The moment she pushed open the door, she froze.
What met her eyes was not just her brother.
Sitting before them were also her parents, her highly respected grandparents, and maternal grandparents.
Clearly, this was not part of Lin Kexin's plan.
Lin Kexin furrowed her delicate brows, looking at her older brother with a hint of playful blame.
Huang Hao was even more shocked. Goodness! This was a family meeting! Huang Hao had met Lin’s family once before when they collaborated on medical projects, but subsequent contact had been through Li Jianqin, so he wasn't very familiar with them. However, having gone through many trials and tribulations, he quickly composed himself and immediately stepped forward respectfully,
"Grandpa, Uncle and Aunt, hello. I am Huang Hao."
Mr. Lin rose slightly, extending his right hand very politely to shake Huang Hao's, then gestured for them to sit down.
Lin Kexin, meanwhile, ran to her grandfather's side and began to act spoiled.
"Mr. Huang, I hope you don't mind. Yesterday, that boy Lin Junjie said his sister was back, so we all came together for a casual meal."
Lin Kexin's mother had a warm smile that made people feel very comfortable, which also allowed Huang Hao to relax a little.
"No, no, it's just that I wasn't prepared at all, and I came empty-handed, which is quite embarrassing. I had originally planned to visit you and Uncle at home with Lin Kexin after I finished my work these two days."
"It's fine, our family doesn't fuss over these rules. It just so happens that my wife and I are also back in the country to handle some matters, so we came directly."
Mr. Lin waved his hand, explaining casually.
"Coach, this is my dearest Grandpa. All of my acupuncture skills were taught by Grandpa!" Lin Kexin's Grandpa, though his temples were already gray, was full of vigor. He always had a smiling demeanor, which made him seem very approachable.
"Hello, Grandpa, I'm Huang Hao, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Huang Hao stood up again and bowed slightly to Grandpa.
Grandpa Lin kindly looked Huang Hao over, then smiled and waved his hand, motioning for him to sit down.
At this moment, Lin Junjie, who was beside them, became anxious and quickly ran to Huang Hao's side, grinning:
"Hello, brother-in-law, I'm Lin Junjie!" After saying that, Lin Junjie even winked at Huang Hao, as if asking for credit.
"Are you the Lin Junjie who sings 'Jiangnan'?" Huang Hao winked back, teasing.
"Ah!" Lin Junjie was a little exasperated, and could only shake his hand vigorously.
Fortunately, Lin Kexin's family was very friendly and didn't put too much pressure on Huang Hao. The family chatted and laughed, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.
"This girl Lin Kexin grew up with us and never suffered much."
"She doesn't have many friends abroad, and her father and I are busy with business, so sometimes we can't always look after her. Mr. Huang, you'll have to trouble yourself with her often."
Mrs. Lin spoke slowly and very gently, so it seemed Lin Kexin must have perfectly inherited her mother's virtues.
"You're too kind, Auntie. Lin Kexin is exceptionally talented. Last year, one of the team's main players was injured, and thanks to Lin Kexin, who used our acupuncture techniques, he recovered quickly and then helped me win the game."
"Excellent. Lin Kexin has a benevolent heart as a healer. You must use your opportunity abroad to properly promote and develop the medical skills our ancestors left us."
Grandpa Lin was very pleased to hear how outstanding his granddaughter was.
"Grandpa, don't worry. Lin Kexin has already trained many apprentices abroad. If it weren't for her working at the hospital, I would have wanted to poach her to work for the team."
Grandpa Lin smiled even more contentedly upon hearing this; his granddaughter had clearly become his pride.
"Oh, right, Grandpa and Grandma, maternal grandparents, and Mom and Dad, I have something else to tell you all this time I'm back!"
Lin Kexin's words made everyone focus their attention on her.
"Hehe, I've already submitted an application to the hospital for a visiting scholar's advanced study, and I plan to stay at St. Mark's Hospital for another three years."
The room was like a sudden silence button had been pressed, falling into quiet.
Clearly, no one knew about this, except for herself, including Huang Hao.
Presumably, the matter Lin Kexin mentioned she had to handle upon returning was this. After all, there were only a little over two months left of her exchange study, but no one had brought it up before.
"Lin Kexin, you've grown up. As long as you've thought things through, you can make your own decisions."
After a long period of contemplation, Mr. Lin still accepted his daughter's decision. Huang Hao seemed like a very trustworthy man, and Mr. Lin didn't want to create too many obstacles for the two young people.
"Thank you, Dad!"
Lin Kexin, seeing her father agree to her request, happily ran over and hugged her father's neck.
"Grandpa and Grandma, Uncle and Aunt, to be honest, I just found out about this myself."
Huang Hao said with an innocent expression.
"But please rest assured, I will take good care of Lin Kexin. And you are welcome to visit Lin Kexin in England anytime. The club will arrange your visas."
"That's great, brother-in-law! Can I go watch Premier League matches now?!"
Lin Junjie had completely defected at this point, becoming Huang Hao's fanboy. "I'll do my best to get the team promoted to the Premier League as soon as possible, so you won't have to pay to watch matches."
"You absolutely can!"
Lin Junjie gave Huang Hao a big thumbs-up.
The meeting with Lin Kexin's family, though a bit sudden, thankfully had a good atmosphere, and Lin Kexin also resolved her biggest concern for this trip, putting her in a great mood.
Just as they were about to part ways, Lin Junjie suddenly pulled out a piece of paper with more than a dozen player names written on it in tiny script. Huang Hao's eyes instantly widened, his face full of disbelief.
"Hehehe, I say, brother-in-law, I see the team often has chances to play against those rich clubs. Look, could you possibly help me get some autographs?"
Huang Hao's face darkened; he could already imagine himself suddenly running up to opposing players after a match to ask for autographs—that would be completely outrageous!
It was rare for Lin Kexin to be back, so naturally, she wanted to reunite with her family. Besides, her generous parents had agreed to her request to stay in England long-term. Still, leaving Huang Hao alone made her a bit reluctant. She pouted, looking at Huang Hao,
"Coach, where are you planning to go?"
Huang Hao looked at the somewhat wronged Lin Kexin and dotingly patted her head,
"Go spend some quality time with Grandpa, Uncle, and Aunt. I'm planning to go to Dalian to visit someone. After I came back, I just happened to see news about him, so I have some ideas."
"Is it a man or a woman?"
Lin Kexin asked, feigning ignorance.
"Hahaha, a genuine old man! A Manchester City legend."
Dalian Xigang District Sports School. After parting ways with Lin Kexin, Huang Hao rushed here, covered in dust.
A group of children, around 10 years old, were undergoing group training. Although young, they were meticulous and quite professional, clearly having received good training.
On one side of the training ground stood a man, about 183cm tall, intently watching the children play, occasionally shouting out a few words.
Huang Hao slowly walked up to the man and respectfully called out, "Director Sun."
Sun Jihai heard him, turned around, saw Huang Hao, and smiled as he extended his hand,
"Mr. Huang, hello."
Sun Jihai was a key fullback during the Dalian Wanda era. In 2002, he transferred to Manchester City, which was then in League One, now known as the EFL Championship. From then on, he began his six-year professional career with Manchester City.
He has countless honors to his name. He was the first Chinese player to score in the Premier League. He was the first Chinese player to score in two major European cup competitions.
He is also the only Chinese player inducted into the England Football Hall of Fame.