In a villa in Manchester, Gao Nuo, who had been forced to take a leave of absence by Coach Erik ten Hag, had just woken up. He reached out and pulled Wang Qing into his arms. Gao Nuo closed his eyes contentedly, recalling the experiences of the past month in his mind.
Three days earlier, having won the Asian Cup for the first time in history, the China Team's excitement and madness were beyond description. Gao Nuo only remembered being thrown into the air once again. He saw his teammates' tear-filled eyes, heard the heart-wrenching shouts of China Team fans, and saw Coach Jankovic as happy as a child.
When the national anthem played, holding the trophy with his teammates, Gao Nuo realized the sanctity of national honor for the first time. The 20-year-old lad also shed tears of excitement.
In the post-match interview, Gao Nuo thanked his family and friends for their support, his coaches and teammates for their help, and the fans who traveled thousands of miles to cheer them on. He also thanked the System in his heart; without the System, he might never have felt as proud as he did now.
Back in China, at the celebration banquet, various bigwigs praised Gao Nuo. The team lifted the alcohol ban, and except for Gao Nuo, who didn't drink, the veteran National Football Team players were drinking unsteadily. Wu Xi mumbled into a plate of sea cucumbers, "What's wrong with eating sea cucumbers? I ate them. Is anyone still cursing me?"
This made Gao Nuo, sitting next to him, feel a bit speechless and amused. Regardless of whether past events were right or wrong, an Asian Cup championship was enough for this generation of National Football Team players to retire with honor.
A month of continuous matches with the National Football Team had left Gao Nuo mentally exhausted. He gave himself a few days off and temporarily did not enter the System training.
After dealing with some miscellaneous matters and finishing his domestic itinerary, Gao Nuo flew back to Manchester without stopping. During this past month of international competitions, Gao Nuo had fully dedicated himself to them and had no time to concern himself with Manchester United's situation. After a brief understanding that Manchester United was still leading the standings, Gao Nuo was in a very good mood.
Upon reporting back to the club, the coaching staff and teammates congratulated Gao Nuo on his championship title. Casemiro even joked with Gao Nuo, saying his hat-trick in the final was enough to double his value; Neymar directly imitated Gao Nuo in the locker room, skillfully performing a stop-ball version of a nutmeg, then exclaimed that Gao Nuo should use Joga Bonito with him; Bruno Fernandes was more serious. Besides congratulating Gao Nuo, he, as an experienced player, advised Gao Nuo to summarize his experiences well, as national team matches are a very important part of a player's growth.
Gao Nuo hadn't expected his club teammates to be so aware of his situation and was a bit moved.
Little did Gao Nuo know that he had once again exploded in popularity online. Kardashian once again set her sights on Gao Nuo, first posting a video of Gao Nuo sliding four meters in the air, then a video of Gao Nuo leaping high to score a header, with an even more explicit caption: "Want to soar through the clouds with him!" This socialite seemingly didn't care about Gao Nuo's football skills; her focus was entirely on Gao Nuo's strong physique.
These same two videos were separately edited by experts and posted in the basketball section. Gao Nuo's four-meter slide was compared to Michael Jordan's free-throw line dunk, while his powerful header was used to compare with James's rim-level dunk.
Gao Nuo's sudden popularity made it difficult for Manchester United's teammates not to pay attention.
Da Ai Gao Nuo in China was also busy. The 12 girls from the fan club tirelessly made videos of the highlights of the Asian Cup. Da Ai Gao Nuo's personal account now had 20 million followers, firmly establishing itself on TikTok, and Gao Nuo's fame in the football world was unrivaled.
In this past month, Neymar and Rashford were successively injured, and coupled with Gao Nuo's absence, Erik ten Hag made new signings in the winter transfer window.
Dalot left Manchester United, taken to the Emirates Stadium by Arsenal for 40 million euros.
Manchester United used the recovered funds to buy Alexis Saelemaekers from AC Milan for 16.75 million euros, filling the void at right-back.
Then, they spent 35 million euros to bring Ward-Prowse from Southampton back into the squad, adding another strong player to the midfield.
Finally, Edin Dzeko was loaned from Inter Milan. The 38-year-old Bosnian striker temporarily filled Gao Nuo's absence, and Erik ten Hag hoped that Dzeko could use his rich experience to help Gao Nuo's growth.
Personnel changes did not affect Manchester United's performance. During this period, they played a total of 8 matches:
In the English League Cup semi-finals, they easily defeated Bournemouth 4:1 over two legs. Their opponent in the final would be Chelsea.
In the FA Cup third round, they beat Blackburn 3:1, and in the fourth round, they eliminated Portsmouth 6:1.
They played 4 Premier League rounds, with 3 wins and 1 draw, continuing to lead the standings in an unstoppable manner.
Regarding the top scorer list, which Gao Nuo cared about most, Manchester City's Haaland had just returned, playing two matches without scoring, clearly not yet back in form, and remained in first place with 20 goals.
Gao Nuo's 16 goals still ranked second, but the in-form Harry Kane scored in consecutive matches, raising his personal goal tally to 14, closely trailing Gao Nuo and ranking third on the top scorer list.
Wang Qing, who had woken up, pulled Gao Nuo to do some unspeakable things, and then the two of them, refreshed, enjoyed their vacation.
Li Qiang and Wen Na officially got together. The two couples agreed to watch movies, shop, and eat together.
On the second day of their vacation, the four of them camped in the suburbs of Manchester. Li Qiang was fishing with Gao Nuo, while Wen Na and Wang Qing were preparing ingredients for a midday barbecue.
Gao Nuo was a bit bored. "Qiang Ge, how are those kids under Yu Shengwen doing?"
Li Qiang focused on his fishing float and casually replied, "Those kids are quite hardworking. Coach Sun took them, and the youth training camp is running well now, with a high level of training."
Gao Nuo didn't like fishing, so he seized the opportunity to chat with Li Qiang.
"I say, Qiang Ge, you guys should find some immediate combat power. The Asian Cup was too frustrating for me."
"You kid, are you going to badmouth people behind their backs now? What, the National Football Team still can't let you go?"
"No, it's just that the current National Football Team is in a state of transition. The younger ones have strength, but after more than a month together, their psychological quality is too poor."
"Sigh, these young players in the National Football Team are useless when they play from behind. The League's level is low, they're constantly complacent, and only Wu Lei dares to go out."
"Exactly! So, hurry up and find me some helpers. You don't know, being suppressed by the Japanese almost made me die of anger."
"Alright, you talk like you're the captain of the National Football Team. You kid, be more steady. You can't just say these things. Don't worry, Li Hao, Hu Hetao, Ai Feierding, their contracts will be finalized soon."
"Awesome, sign them quickly! What do I need to do?"
"You just focus on fishing. With Coach Sun helping, you're not qualified enough yet. Hey, here it comes!"
After silently hitting Gao Nuo, Li Qiang caught a big fat fish, ending their fishing session.
Gao Nuo was finally liberated and happily trotted off to barbecue with Wang Qing.
After a delicious meal, Gao Nuo had one day left of his vacation.