บท 196: Liverpool Trip (Transition Chapter)
After finishing the Champions League group match, Manchester City quickly turned to their seventh Premier League match.
Playing at home, despite making many rotations, they still easily defeated Everton 3-1.
Lin came on as a substitute in the 65th minute of the second half and scored a goal.
For Everton, Chelsea's young forward Romelu Lukaku scored the goal.
Since being loaned out by Chelsea, it seemed like Lukaku had suddenly found his form.
Since joining Everton, he had only played three matches.
In those three matches, Lukaku scored in each one, including a brace.
Before he arrived, Everton, like Chelsea, struggled with scoring, netting only three goals in the first four matches.
But after his arrival, Everton averaged three goals per match, tripling their firepower!
Thanks to his outstanding performance, Lukaku quickly gained Everton's favor.
Rumor has it that the Toffees intend to buy out Lukaku's contract during the winter break to keep their top scorer.
After all, Chelsea's front line is so crowded that Lukaku wouldn't get playing time if he returned. Better to sell him to us!
Lukaku's excellent form has led to increased criticism of Chelsea and especially Mourinho:
Why can't Lukaku score at Chelsea but becomes a top scorer as soon as he leaves?
This criticism is echoed by fans of T9, who believe Torres' transfer to Chelsea was a mistake.
When Torres was at Liverpool, he was a prolific scorer.
But at Chelsea, he struggled to find the net, his scoring efficiency dropped significantly, and he even lost his starting position in the national team.
Fans naturally blamed Chelsea's tactical style for this.
After all, Torres wasn't the only forward who struggled at Chelsea.
Mourinho wasn't the only one under fire; Barcelona's coach Martino and Bayern's coach Guardiola also faced media criticism after this round of Champions League group matches.
...
The outside noise didn't concern Lin. After the seventh round of the league, it was time for FIFA match days.
Since Spain had already qualified two rounds early, Del Bosque didn't call up Lin and the main players, instead selecting a group of young players from the youth team and the league.
Thanks to this, Lin unexpectedly got a two-week break.
Although it was a break, he couldn't just rest. He still had some sponsor advertisements to shoot.
Fortunately, Perea was excellent at his job, scheduling all these ads together.
This way, all the work could be finished in two days.
"Alright, there's just one more commercial event left, but that's on October 12th."
"What event?"
"A major Hollywood movie is about to be released, and they want to invite some celebrities to the premiere!"
"Hmm, let's see when the time comes. If I'm free, I'll go; if not, cancel it for me."
Lin said casually. He had attended such events before, mainly to appear before the media and use his influence to promote the movie.
The process was simple but time-consuming.
"Then I won't bother you anymore. Have a great holiday!"
Perea then bid farewell, leaving all the time to Lin.
Lin took out the fishing rod he had prepared earlier, planning to fish in the Irwell River.
He had wanted to fish in the Weser River back in Werder Bremen but didn't have a fishing license.
In Germany, fishing without a license is illegal, which was a blow to his fishing enthusiasm.
But fishing enthusiasts don't give up easily. After arriving in Manchester, Lin had Perea handle all the necessary paperwork, and now he could legally fish.
However, either due to rusty skills or difficult British fish, he spent two days fishing without any catch.
Darn it!
Must be incompatible fish!
Forget it, no more fishing. I'll go for a drive instead!
Manchester used to be an industrial city, but since Thatcher's reforms, British industry had declined. The factories here either closed or relocated.
Driving on the road, he could see many abandoned factories.
Without industrial pollution, the air quality in Manchester, located in a basin, had improved significantly.
However, the downside was many people lost their jobs due to factory closures, leading to a declining population in Manchester as more people moved to London for work.
As an outsider, Lin didn't feel this deeply. Driving along the coastal road, he soon arrived in another seaside city—Liverpool.
The UK is very small; Liverpool is only about a few dozen kilometers from Manchester, less than an hour's drive.
Although the two cities are close, Lin had never been to Liverpool before.
Liverpool is a famous tourist city with many attractions.
After a quick tour of several sites, Lin arrived at William Brown Street.
This is Liverpool's cultural district, home to many historic buildings worth seeing.
At the William Brown Library and Walker Art Gallery, he twice encountered a girl who looked remarkably like Audrey Hepburn.
She noticed him too, smiling politely the second time they met.
Initially just a resemblance, her smile made the likeness even stronger.
But why did she look so familiar?
It felt like he had seen her somewhere before.
Lin thought for a while but couldn't remember, so he nodded in acknowledgment but didn't strike up a conversation.
Meeting a stranger suddenly might be seen as harassment.
However, fate sometimes works in mysterious ways.
They met again in the Picton Reading Room.
"Are you here for tourism?" she asked curiously.
"What makes you say that?"
"Only tourists from out of town would be so interested in visiting so many places at once!"
"That makes sense, but by your logic, you're not a local either?"
The girl nodded, "I'm from Surrey."
Lin wasn't familiar with British administrative divisions and didn't know where Surrey was.
Noticing his confusion, she patiently explained:
"Surrey is south of London, along the Thames River."
Though still unsure of the exact location, he had a general idea now.
"You're not British?"
The girl asked curiously.
"No."
Lin answered truthfully, then asked:
"Where do you think I'm from?"
She looked him over carefully, thinking seriously.
"Honestly, I don't know. Judging by your appearance, you're from one of the East Asian countries, right?"
"Congratulations, you're wrong. You have one more chance, want to try again?"
"I can't guess, but I think you're from the European continent?"
"Correct!"
"Then it must be Spain!"
"Huh, how did you know?"
Lin was surprised. There are so many countries in Europe. How did she guess Spain?
Did she recognize me?
"Because…"
She covered her mouth, laughing, "Because your complexion fits my impression of people from tropical countries!"
"Alright, Spain does have strong sunlight. A day of sun here is worth several days elsewhere!"
Professional players often train under the sun, so getting tanned is normal.
His words amused the girl, "When working outdoors, applying sunscreen can effectively protect your skin."
Seeing Lin seemed unaware of such things, she gave some advice.
"Thanks for the tip. As a thank you, may I treat you to a meal, Miss?"
She blinked, "I'm very picky about food. Aren't you afraid I'll eat you out of house and home?"
"No worries, I can afford a meal!"
"Hehe, didn't expect you to be a hidden rich man. In that case, I won't be polite!"
She accepted Lin's invitation generously, without any pretense.
"There's a Michelin restaurant nearby with good reviews. Shall we go there?"
"Let's go!"
They left the reading room and headed to Lin's car.
Seeing his car, she began to believe he might indeed be wealthy.
"Thanks to you, this is my first time in such a high-end sports car!"
Though she said this, her reaction showed she wasn't surprised. After getting in, she didn't look around curiously, indicating she was used to such things.
"Coincidentally, it's my first time too!"
This wasn't a lie. This Ferrari model was new this year, only released in September.
Mansour specially ordered one as a gift for Lin.
Lin got the keys last week, and this was his first time driving it.
Starting the car, the powerful engine provided a noticeable sense of acceleration.
Having only recently gotten his license, Lin drove cautiously.
Collins was initially nervous but gradually relaxed, seeing how smoothly he drove.
She was at ease, but other drivers were annoyed.
"Darn it, driving a LaFerrari so slowly, why not ride a bike?"
Though they complained, they didn't dare get too close.
This car was extremely expensive. If they accidentally hit it, they couldn't afford the repairs.
Moreover, those who could afford such a limited-edition supercar were either rich or powerful, not to be messed with by ordinary people.
After dinner, seeing it was still early, they visited a few more attractions they hadn't seen before.
Finally, they watched the sunset together from the iconic Liverpool Cathedral.
"It's getting late; I need to go back."
"I'll take you."
"Alright!"
Lin drove her back to her hotel.
Outside the hotel, Lily Collins extended her hand and said to Lin:
"Let's formally introduce ourselves. I'm Lily Collins. Nice to meet you!"
"I'm Lin Quan. Miss Collins, thank you for a wonderful day. I hope we meet again!"
Collins thought he'd recognize her name, but he didn't react at all.
Meanwhile, Lin wondered why she didn't react to his name.
Am I not famous enough?
Both had the same thought.
"Mr. Lin, a movie is coming out in a few days. I'd like to invite you to see it as a return for today's meal. Are you available?"
"It would be my pleasure."
Who could refuse a beautiful woman's invitation to a movie?
They exchanged contact information and set the time and place:
"October 12th, Electric Cinema in London. See you there!"
"Alright, see you then!"
...
Two days later, Lin received the movie tickets Lily Collins sent him. The movie was called "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones."
He looked it up online and found that the lead actress was Lily Collins.
No wonder she looked familiar; she's a Hollywood star.
She invited me to her movie's premiere. Should I return the favor with a football ticket and invite her to a match at Etihad Stadium?
Just then, Perea brought Lin the invitation for the commercial event.
Seeing the movie's name on the invitation, Lin laughed.
Isn't this the same movie Lily Collins invited me to?
Haha, interesting!
I wonder if she'll be surprised to see me as a guest at the premiere.
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