Herrera's words echoed in Patrick's mind after he left. He had already understood Nick Flores' intentions before he walked into the box. That's what Tina's phone call from a few days ago was referring to. Flores wanted her to sell him, so he called the United manager.

He shouldn't have been affected by that sentence, but when he heard the United midfielder sinister say "Christine doesn't want you anymore" he still couldn't control his feelings.

She was in control of all his loves, but she didn't know it. Even if she only frowned slightly, his heart would beat half a beat slowly.

Patrick had never felt that he had a corner of his heart that was so weak.

When the game ended in a barrage of boos, he stood in the box on the high place and looked at the thin black figure in the court, and felt the pain in his right ankle again.

The lights were so bright, but he still felt that one place was so dark.

Nathan Neal put his arm around his female companion and the other on the boy's shoulder, and said meaningfully, "From here, she's just an ordinary girl, isn't she?"

"No, she's never been ordinary. Patrick didn't look back, still looking at Tina as she shook hands with the United boss on the sidelines.

As if he had suddenly noticed something, Les exclaimed, "Patrick, your right foot ......"

She made her way to the players' tunnel.

Patrick turned around and smiled, "Minor injury, I'll show the team doctor, don't worry." ”

Tony was also looking at his feet worriedly, about to say something.

The boy turned and walked out, "I need to go back to the locker room." Tina may be waiting to rebuke me for a red card......" he joked.

Nathan Neal turned to Tony and said something in his partner's ear, then followed.

"Mind if I go to the locker room with you?" he asked, catching up with the pretty boy.

Patrick glanced at the tall American, "I don't care. Still, I think my teammates ......" he didn't finish with a slightly amused smile.

Nathan Neal understands that, oh, he's never liked people of the same sex. However, it seems that he is still in love with Patrick.

When they walked out, they ran into David Beckham again. Mr. Heartthrob actually took a small jersey out for Patrick to autograph, Patrick looked at the name of the little princess of the David family on the back, smiled, and signed his name.

They chatted a few more times before Patrick and Nathan Neal walked to the home team's locker room.

Naturally, there are countless eyes along the way.

It's almost time to get to the locker room.

"Tina, she's ......," Patrick didn't finish.

He lowered his eyes.

He looked like he had been shot, right in the left side of the chest.

A hundred times more painful than the right ankle. It hurts so much that it's hard to breathe.

Nathan Neal was a little strange and followed the boy's previous gaze.

****

Lu Ling pushed Nicholas away and roared in a low voice, "...... the hell you" Her afterglow also caught a glimpse of the comer. She understood Nick's actions in an instant. He did it on purpose.

She didn't speak again, just stared at her boyfriend. Nick, he's gone too far.

The corners of the Spaniard's mouth twitched, and then he suddenly turned and walked towards Patrick.

When Patrick looked up again, a fist swung at him with great speed. He didn't dodge, didn't even react knee-jerk, and took the punch solidly.

He was confused.

This is what happened in ten seconds, except for Nathan Neal and Lu Ling, no one who came and went could see what was going on.

Then, Nicholas said to Nathan Neal, "Lawrence, I'm sorry to see this, but this bastard deserves it." ”

Lu Ling rushed over, she didn't expect things to develop like this at all. She was so angry, so angry that she didn't know what she was going to say or do.

But Nicholas didn't seem to understand the expression on her face, he moved his right hand and smiled charmingly at his girlfriend: "Babe, I'll go home and wait for you, don't make me wait too long." As he spoke, he turned around and prepared to walk out.

“ait!” Patrick, who had been keeping his head down, suddenly shouted behind Nicholas.

The Spaniard looked back, still smiling.

Patrick looked at his smile with a feeling of disgust. He clenched his fists tightly, but he glanced at Tina, who looked so nervous, and he struggled to restrain them, eventually letting go of them. She wouldn't want to see this qiē happen.

Nicholas turned his head and walked towards the exit.

Lu Ling looked at Pat's face.

The handsome left side of the boy's face was red and swollen, and the skin was broken and oozing blood.

So glaring.

Nick's punch was not small.

Not knowing what to say, she lowered her eyes.

Then, she saw his equally swollen right foot. She felt that her eyes were a little hot, and for a moment, she put away all her feelings.

"I've got to go to the press conference. She heard her own calm voice.

Patrick nodded.

Nathan Neal tugged at Lu Ling's arm before he left, she shook him off and shouted in a shrill voice, "hat"

There were security guards and passing staff looking over.

The American was stunned for a moment, put away the words that were about to be ridiculed, he originally wanted to say "your love life is more exciting than your coaching", but when he saw her gloomy face, he only said, "You and your team showed extraordinary potential today." ”

"Thank you. Leaving two words, Lu Ling walked towards the media center and never looked back.

****

When Patrick pushed open the locker room door, the locker room was boiling over with his teammates all heckling and applauding. Nathan Neal was behind the boy, but he sensed that this was not the time, so he tapped Patrick on the shoulder and turned away.

Patrick glanced at the American and walked into the locker room.

Yu Zixiang jumped directly on him, knocked him down, and muttered: "I'm going to kiss our hero today! Herrera is such a son of a bitch!"

Patrick smiled silently, trying to push the idiot away, but a few more teammates rushed over him, rubbing his hair or punching him with very small punches.

And they finally noticed that the left side of the boy's face was getting swollen more and more.

"Who the did it, who is Manchester United? I'm going to look for him. Yu Zixiang grunted and got up from Patrick.

“oh*,ait!” Patrick also stood up from the ground.

John and Vargas, along with several other young players, are ready to join Zixiang.

The boy said, "I can't let you be beaten for nothing, who the fuck is it, I'm going to kick that guy's ass hard!"

"It has nothing to do with Manchester United. Patrick lowered his head, "Can you this without making a fuss?" I'm going to take a shower." ”

The team-mates looked at each other, if it wasn't a Manchester United player, then who did it!?

****

When QPR's press officer, Josh Williams, finally saw Christine, he breathed a sigh of relief. Reporters have been waiting for a long time, but not only did Kristen Lu not come for half a day, but Jose Mourinho also did not appear for half a day.

Later, Jose finally arrived, but Christine still didn't show up. Josh didn't bother to rush either, just guessing that the head coach might still be talking in the locker room. He could only wait patiently.

Lu Ling walked over, and Josh pointed to the press conference room, "Jose is inside." ”

She nodded, her gaze turning to the hanging TV screen.

There, Sky Sports is replaying highlights from the full game.

Her face is getting worse and worse, she originally came with a gloomy mood, and now her face can only be described as dark.

She was on the sidelines, only to see Pate being brought down again and again, but she watched the slow motion on TV to realize that the United players had taken so many hard kicks.

Lu Ling felt that his heart had been pinched hard. She closed her eyes, her mind full of Pat's swollen right ankle.

José walked out.

She looked over, not wanting to say hello.

"You look a lot worse than you were just now, Christine. The Portuguese said as he walked over.

"Jose, if one day, Pat becomes your player, will you regret today's tactical arrangement?" Lu Ling asked as he struggled to control his anger.

Jose shrugged, "I don't like answering questions with ifs. ”

With a mocking cold smile, Lu Ling walked past the Manchester United manager.

A minute later, she sat down at the press conference, facing the microphone, and she didn't feel like she wanted to answer any questions at all. But it's her job, and she has to do it.

When asked by reporters about Patrick's assault, she finally couldn't hold back.

"I didn't want to talk about the referee, but I really hope that Mr. Clattenburg will come back and take a good look at the footage of this game. I think United should have been sent off at least two players. But alas, only one of them was punished. I don't want to talk about extra long stoppage time, it's always the prerogative of Manchester United anyway, isn't it?"

After saying this, she knew that the FA might be looking for her trouble. But she couldn't do that much.

And when asked about Patrick's red card, she said:

"Herrera had a stampede on him before, my boy is not a saint. Of course, I'm not saying that his behavior was correct, but I think it's understandable. I'm sorry to see him sent off. His table in this game xiàn, is the top. His two goals, unbelievably beautiful. I'm proud of him, he's a player any coach would want to have. The more Lu Ling spoke, the more excited he became.

"But, it seems that Amber had that elbow because of what Herrera said......"

"Sir, I didn't have a bug on Amber or Herrera, I can't possibly know what they said. Have more questions?"

Pep's Manchester City and Nick's Everton are already level on points, while Manchester United are two points behind both teams after this game. Christine, you won Manchester City, you drew with Manchester United, Everton was the biggest beneficiary......"

"I don't know what you want to ask, and I don't know what it has to do with my game. The feud between the top three teams has nothing to do with me, I just try my best to play every league game. Lu Ling said and stood up.

They always wanted to get the conversation to Nick, and she never liked it, and today wasn't the time.

Enough is enough, really enough.

She walked out.

And when she got back to the dressing room, the players had already gone a lot, and she still hadn't seen Pat.

The captain is still there, he tells her that Pat is gone after taking a shower.

Nedham hesitated, but still said to her, "Boss, Pat seems to have been beaten. I think you should know this. He said he wasn't a Manchester United player, but I couldn't think of anything else. Also, when he went out, it seemed that he was photographed, and tomorrow's news ......"

Lu Ling lowered his head and waited for him to finish.

"I'm a little worried about tomorrow's news. Nedham sighed.

This game is extremely dramatic. They paid a terrible price for that 1 point, as Patrick Amber will miss the next three games because of the straight red.

"Thank you, Nedham, I see. I'll talk to Pat about it, you don't have to worry. Lu Ling patted the captain on the shoulder as he spoke, and then walked out.

She looked at Twitter as she walked out.

There is no need to wait until tomorrow, there are already reporters who have released the photos they have just taken.

The accompanying title is:

[Amber is suspected of clashing with Manchester United players after the game!]

In addition to a photo of Patrick's swollen left side of his face, there was another photo that caught the eye, a photo of Nick smiling happily in the stands at Loftus Road.

[Oh, Christine, draw with Manchester United, Nick couldn't love you more!]

Lu Ling only felt that his brain was unprecedentedly chaotic.

The only thing that is fortunate is that what happened in front of the locker room just now was not photographed, otherwise I don't know what kind of waves it would have caused.

She stopped, leaned against the wall, stared at the phone screen, and didn't move for a long time.

Finally, she dialed the number.

No one answered.

She then left a message:

"Pat, I'm a little worried about you...... Have you seen the team doctor? Forget it, I'll ask them myself. Call me when you heard the message. She paused before continuing, "I'm sorry, as a coach, I didn't protect you. ”

She hung up the phone and called the team doctor. She breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the team doctor's words, and Pat's ankle had been taken care of, and there was no big problem.

Maybe this red card came at the right time, and Pat should have a good rest for two weeks, Lu Ling thought.

****

On the bus back to Manchester United, Patrick's photo caused a stir.

Captain Rooney asked aloud, "Which of you beat up Patrick?"

No one answered.

But soon everyone started talking in a few words. The result of the exchange was that if no one lied, no one had touched the boy at all.

Luke Shaw and Patrick are actually quite familiar with each other, both in the England national team. He looked at another photo that caused a stir and casually joked, "Maybe Patrick slept Christine and the Spaniards beat him." ”

Originally, the Manchester United players were not in a good mood, but Luke's words relaxed the atmosphere, and everyone unscrupulously ridiculed the relationship between the three.

Jose Mourinho looked back, a slight smile on his lips.

He thought of Christine, who had lost her soul before the press conference, and then thought of Nick's strange phone call and Christine's equally strange reaction, and maybe Luke was right. However, the Portuguese had little interest in these things. For him, the most important thing is the upcoming Christmas-New Year schedule. This game has passed, and he has no intention of dwelling on it again.

But later, when the assistant told him what Christine said in the post-game press conference, he couldn't help but say to the assistant:

"This girl is going to be suspended. Speaking of which, it's a bit like me. ”

****

The whole street was full of Christmas lights, but when Lu Ling turned around that block and came to the neighborhood where his house was located, it was much colder. This area is a single villa, and even if the Christmas lights are hung, you can't see it from the outside.

She got out of the car. Glancing at Patter's house, she couldn't possibly see anything. His villa* was better than hers to do, with almost nothing to see from the outside, and she couldn't tell if he was at home or not.

She leaned into the car, looking at the lights in her living room, and she knew what awaited her.

But she didn't know.

She walked over and pulled out the key.

The door opened.

Nick looked at her with a smile, "I thought you weren't going to come in." I waited a long time. ”

His smile was still charming, but she felt a little strange.

She wanted to laugh but couldn't, and as she walked in, she said, "You're the manager too and you know a lot going on after the game. ”

Nicholas didn't speak, he closed the door, grabbed her arm, and pulled her into his arms.

Lu Ling didn't struggle, she hung her hands and let him hold them.

After a while, she said, "Nick, we need to talk." …… Jose sued me. ”

Nicholas let the girl go.

She walked over to the couch and sat down, looking gloomy.

"You can't do that, Nick. She bowed her head and said, "You're interfering in my work." You can't control your desires, your possessiveness...... I don't care, you don't have the right to do that!" she said, looking up at him.

He didn't speak, just loosened his tie and looked a little tired.

She noticed that his hands were also a little red and swollen. She quickly opened her eyes and continued: "Also, what happened in front of the locker room...... Thankfully, no one was photographed. If you get photographed, are you satisfied?"

During the whole process, Lu Ling's tone was very calm, she thought she would yell at him, but when she really saw him, she lost those strengths.

"Satisfied?" he chuckled, not a sneer, as if in a very ordinary tone. But it also makes people panic.

"You may not care, but I don't care either. But that's where I work, after all. Lu Ling stood up, and his voice began to rise a little higher.

"Anything else?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" she frowned.

"I don't want to fight. It's been a tough week for me and I don't want to quarrel with you. Nicholas said calmly.

But his appearance made Lu Ling feel ridiculous. If there is a problem between them, it is not a sentence that they don't want to quarrel can solve them.

"You shouldn't have done that to Pat!"

"I don't want to hear his name from your mouth. Nicholas's face finally had a little expression, it was disgust and impatience, and his voice changed.

'He's my player and my best friend. ”

"Yes. Nicholas nodded and mocked, "That's right. You're right. Then, his voice suddenly became louder, "But, don't forget, he still wants to sleep with you!"

Lu Ling was silent.

It's been a long time, or maybe it's only a little while.

She shouted, "Nick......"

He looked over, and in his dark eyes, there seemed to be a premonition of what was about to happen, and for a moment his eyes flashed like a wounded wild animal.

"You should go back ......"

Before she could finish speaking, he grabbed the car keys on the table and left, without saying a word or looking at her again.

Lu Ling sat on the sofa and watched Nick open the door, walk out, and slam the door.

He didn't even take a coat or scarf, only a shirt, and I didn't know if it would be cold. It's so windy outside, and the temperature is so cold.

What exactly she was thinking, it was really fake.

She was the one who drove him away.

Then, she heard him start the car. She listened carefully as he drove away.

After a while, she thought, he's going to be out of Surrey soon.

She leaned back on the couch and cleared her thoughts.

Tomorrow there will be coaching staff meetings and training sessions during the day, and Christmas parties within the club in the evening.

There are still training sessions the day after tomorrow. But the players will be given a half-day off.

Hit Sunderland on Wednesday night.

The double game of the week is coming.

Thank God, the next step will be very busy, very busy.

Lu Ling received a call from Pat before going to bed. It was twelve o'clock in the evening. She was a little surprised, could it be that he went to a nightclub today? or ......

The boy's voice on the phone was lazy, a bit like he had just woken up.

"Tina...... I just woke up. ”

Really.

"I heard that. Are you okay?"

"It's fine. I slept soundly, I was so tired today. ”

"I looked at the distance you run, 12 kilometers. Thank you for doing a good job for the team. ”

"Oh, that's weird, you seem to have said that in my dream. ”

Lu Ling laughed, trying to lighten his mood, "It seems that I am also very strict and boring in your subconscious. ”

"No, you don't understand. Too much. More than anything you don't want to know. In fact, in my dreams...... You're always tempting me. ”

"Don't talk about that. Remember to go to Harrington tomorrow for a full check-up. She digressed and reminded.

"Got it. ”

“…… What did Herrera say?" she asked.

"It's about you. ”

"Pat, I don't want to criticize you for this, but on the court, you have to learn to control your own feelings, otherwise you will always be taken advantage of. ”

"I know, it's just that if it involves you, I can't guarantee it. ”

Lu Ling's hand holding the phone was a little sore. She wanted to pretend she hadn't heard. Or just kidding to skip the topic. But she was silent.

"Tina......

"What?"

It took a long time for Patrick to finally ask, "Is he next to you?"

She didn't answer him the question, just said, "It's late, it's time for me to go to bed." ”

"Good. I'm ready to get up and order a takeout. ”

"What?"

"Tina, I really want to, would love to eat pizza. "It's rare for a professional player to eat too much of this food in the middle of the season.

Lu Ling laughed out loud, he really likes to eat pizza.

"Eat, I just hope you don't become a fat boy when you come back to train. ”

"I can guarantee that. ”

"Enjoy your pizza. Good night, Pat. ”

"Good night, Tina. ”

Lu Ling hung up the phone and turned off the lights. One last glance at her phone, Nick should have been in Liverpool almost.