On the morning when Lu Ling sent Zoe to Lucy and Jack's house, it had just rained in West London, and the dark clouds were gradually dissipating, and two rainbows rose in the sky at Wembley Stadium in the distance, echoing the rainbow bridge at Wembley. She wanted to stop and take pictures of the moment, but by the time she could do that, the two rainbows were gone.

Sometimes it's like this, and if you don't have time to do it, you don't have the opportunity to do it. She laughed and said this to the man in the passenger seat. The man with a Spanish accent sneered, "Didn't you have time to do it? Maybe it's just because you don't want it that much." ”

She thought he might be right.

Actually, she had only met Jack and Lucy on the day of the funeral, but there were so many people there that day, and she didn't have time to talk to them more. Mr. and Mrs. Amber once again expressed their condolences and regrets, and Lu Ling also expressed her gratitude. They seemed to have something to say, probably because her boyfriend Nicholas was there, and they didn't say anything.

Lu Ling thought of something again, "If you go to watch Pat's game, what will Zoe do?"

Jack and Lucy looked at each other and smiled, and said in unison, "Anna's boyfriend!"

Oh poor Zoe, if that's the case, it's better to trouble Tim or Alice, Lu Ling thought helplessly.

On the way back, Nicolás said: "If they had thought you would be their daughter-in-law, they wouldn't have been happy to see me, but I'm glad Zoe didn't have to follow us to Madrid." ”

Lu Ling held the steering wheel with both hands and looked back at the Wimbledon sky, which was as clear as new.

"Come on, Nick, didn't you shower Zoe this morning? ”

The Spaniard shrugged his shoulders beside her, "It's true, maybe she'll like me after a long time, after all, I'm still very attractive to girls." By the way, babe, you know you're going to have to see my family this time, right?" he glanced casually at the woman driving, her facial expression somewhat embarrassed. But she didn't refuse.

****

In front of the camera, she touched her nose and showed her usual confident smile, "It's not a very sensitive issue for me, of course, the question itself may be sensitive...... In fact, from the time I got involved in the industry, I had to deal with not only the fact that I was a woman, but a lot of coaches could back it up to me, and they would even question you because you were thinner than him, you were shorter than him, not to mention that they would think countless times 'you've never played professional football, not even SL [English Women's Super League]". There will always be tough times, but I know for sure that this is what I have to face once I choose this career. In any case, you have to make them understand that you have the qualifications and the ability to lead this team to victory, and that's all that matters, and that's no different from any manager's struggles. This past season was unbeatable and the most important year of my life. I can't be sure about my future right now, sorry to say that, I know what that sounds like...... But for now, it's true. She gradually put away her smile and spread her hands, "I'll go on vacation first, think about some things I haven't figured out in the past few years, what I've gained, what I've lost, maybe what can be called philosophy." Speaking of this, she smiled again, probably because of the mention of the word philosophy, she was somewhat ridiculous, and finally, she looked at the camera, "I hope that QPR will have all the best in the new season, whoever becomes their new manager, I will send me my best wishes, I love that club deeply." ”

Steve saw this and turned off the TV. Sky Sports is very efficient, and QPR's Premier League winning documentary premiered last night, and what he just watched was exactly what he recorded last night. He put down the remote control and took out his phone, ready to send a message to the woman on the TV just now.

Steve typed the words and read them again, feeling that he was a little verbose, but he didn't bother to change them, so he sent them out. After sending the message, he put his phone aside. He picked up his fork again and looked at the breakfast on his plate, which he had barely eaten, the bacon was already hard and the eggs and mushrooms were cold. He put down his fork and picked up his toast, and had to eat something, he thought.

He was the only one left at the table, and both Anne and Pitricia had already been driven by his wife to pack their bags. My wife was in the kitchen making a pot of steaming coffee and was bringing it over.

"We're out of milk, Steve. "You can choose not to drink it, and we'll buy you another drink when we get to the airport." ”

Steve stood up, took the coffee pot from his wife's hand, and kissed her cheek, "Thank you dear, I think this will do." Sorry, I just stared at the TV and didn't eat much, I don't want you to feel ......"

"Hey, don't worry, do I look like a vexatious woman? You know me, Steve. The wife said this, suddenly frowning, "The girls were looking forward to watching this documentary with you, oh my god, I didn't expect the QPR players to be so rude...... Thankfully, I was able to blast them upstairs in time. ”

'They are players. Steve grinned.

"But there will be children watching this, and they should pay attention to something. ”

"I'll tell Zixiang and Ian that I don't care about the others. ”

"That Warren ......"

Steve's expression also became helpless for a moment, and he flattened his mouth, "Yes dear, I see what you mean. Sometimes I find it strange that he was born in East London, came from a blue-collar family, and even played at Leiton East, but he is so different from Patrick. When he said this, Steve remembered the young man in white on the golf course, with a good temperament, decent but somewhat arrogant...... The scene suddenly jumps to the scene when they first met, the pretty boy with a crooked mouth and a lot of hairspray all the time pretending to be cool - oh, that wasn't that far back ago. The only thing that hasn't changed is his arrogance. Although many times, Steve felt that he wanted to hide that arrogance.

The wife directly picked up a slice of bacon with her hand and stuffed it into her mouth, licked her fingers again, and looked playfully like a girl. She is always dignified and perfect most of the time, and occasionally there are moments like this. Steve was stunned and smiled, thinking that this was one of the reasons he fell in love with her in the first place.

"I think the girls want to see Patrick Amber more than Christine, and I saw ...... Beatitha once," she said.

"I love you. Steve looked at his wife with a smile, interrupted her, and wiped the corners of her mouth again.

My wife was a little surprised at first, but immediately said, "I love you too, Steve." She said and kissed her husband.

"You're disgusting!" shouted Anne, carrying her little pink suitcase, as she jumped downstairs.

"Oh, let's go to the house!" and Beatitsa, who was about to enter puberty after Anne, said in disgust.

"Hey, girls, pay attention!" Steve let go of his wife and immediately became a serious father. But after he finished speaking, he still looked at his wife and smiled.

It was the most unusual morning, the only thing that was unusual was that they were about to go on holiday, and it was also the day before one of Steve's most important clients, Steve, sent Trick Amber to the Champions League final.

Steve took a sip of black coffee, and suddenly flashed through his mind what Phil said in the interview just now:

"The owner is a great person, she's very kind, I remember when I first came to the club, there was a guy who came out of the shower after a game and didn't get dressed, I have to explain, we do that a lot and she usually turns a blind eye. But that player came out and deliberately didn't get dressed, I thought she was going to be embarrassed, but you know what she said, she said 'if you don't put on your panties the next minute, either you'll go out like this for a while, or I'll ***cut you'......"

I guess that's when his wife blew Anne and Beatitha away, Steve thought. Then, the phone he had on the table vibrated and he picked it up and looked at it, it was Christine who had replied.

There is a lot of sunshine and everything is fine. But, Christine, why do I think there's a but? Steve put down his phone, clapped his palms, and said to his two daughters, "Hey, are you ready? We're going to Madrid." ”

"Madrid is boring. ”

"That's right. ”

"We just wanted to meet Christine!"

"Lie! You just want to see Patrick!"

……

Steve has a bit of a headache, and he hopes that Pitrisha isn't really "in love" with Patrick Amber.

****

On the first day Lu Ling and Nicolas arrived in Madrid, there were still days before the Champions League final, but the whole city was already in the festive mood and the smoke of gunfire. But in the next two days it was gone, because in the villa north of Madrid, everything was all about family. She meets the Flores family and even meets Penny Flores, the grandmother of the Chinese-Western Nick.

This morning, as usual, was opened by a beam of sunlight and was slightly dry. Nicholas was still asleep, and Lu Ling had already gotten up and finished showering. She changed her clothes and went downstairs.

Lola and Grandmother were already up and busy in the kitchen. Lu Ling touched her belly, she was deflated, she felt very hungry, very hungry.

"Hi dear Christine, you woke up so early, we're preparing breakfast......"

"Good morning, Christine, how was your sleep last night?"

Lu Ling didn't know which question to answer first. Penny is old, but the shadow of the beautiful child in her youth is still there, she is very kind, maybe a little fake, which is funny, and Lola is a typical Latin girl, sexy, quirky, seemingly innocent, but in fact has a lot of ideas. She exhaled, thinking that she was glad she had no problem with her Spanish and said with a smile, "Good morning, Penny, good morning, Lola......"

Lu Ling knew very well what she would eat, in fact, she was thinking with her nose right now. Ham, ham, oh, and another steaming loaf of bread, and she could collapse on the table, which of course might not be pretty.

When Lu Ling finished breakfast with Penny and Lola, Nicholas came down from the upstairs unhurriedly, while Nicholas's parents and younger brother were probably still asleep.

Lu Ling took a sip of coffee and looked at the man who was walking towards her with a smile, this feeling was a little weird, there was no moment that made her feel so deeply that he was a Spanish and came from a Spanish family. And that means that even if their names don't appear in the newspapers, they will have to face a clash of cultures if they get married. Of course, for them personally, this has never been a problem.

Nicholas had already walked up to her side, he bent down and kissed her on the lips, "Good morning babe, next time you get up and don't wake me up I'll be angry, you know what happens if I get angry......"

Before he could finish speaking, Lola was already heckling, "Nick, I don't think my grandmother and I should hear this!"

Lu Ling held Nicholas's face and interrupted him with a smile, "Hey, you sleep like a baby, I can't wake up a baby." ”

He rubbed her hair, "Whose fault, huh?" he said as he went to his grandmother's side, bent down and kissed her, "Good morning, beauty, and you, good morning." He glanced at his sister, and then sat down next to Lu Ling.

Lu Ling looked at Penny, this mixed-race woman inherited more Spanish blood in appearance, and in personality, it seemed to be the same. Penny was handing Nicholas a slice of toast when she met her gaze and paused for a moment, still inquiring. These days, Penny is always watching her. But it seems that she is the same, and she is also watching Nick's family.

At this time, Lu Ling's mobile phone rang, she took it out and looked at it, said sorry, got up and walked to the garden.

****

More than a week after the end of the season, it has been so long since Lu Ling announced his departure from QPR, during which time the media has revealed a number of candidates for the next manager of QPR, including the current Porto coach Marco Silva and Italian Claudio Ranieri, who helped Leicester City win the Premier League title. However, with Lu Ling's understanding of Nathan Neil, these two are not like the people he would choose. Marco Silva and Claudio Ranieri are obviously very thoughtful managers, one young and one old, age is never a problem, but neither of them has coaching a big club (when Ranieri was in charge of Chelsea, Chelsea was not a big club), QPR just won the Premier League title, but it is far from being a giant, but it has entered the Champions League for two consecutive years, and there are many world-class players in the team, and the rapid growth of fans around the world has determined that a more halo coach will be a better choice.

Now, Nathan Neal called, and it was this time again, Lu Ling couldn't help but think about it a little more-could it be that the Americans would come to ask her opinion?

And, after she leaves, how will the summer window tasks set by her with football director Monchi and the coaching staff ferment?

She shouldn't have thought about it anymore, it didn't matter to her anymore, but she couldn't stop thinking about it, it was only for a few seconds.

She pressed the answer button, "Good morning, Nate, let me guess, you're in Madrid too?"

"Good morning, Christine. You're right. His hearty laugh rang out, "I hope I didn't bother anything, on this beautiful morning......"

"Okay, okay, we all know what you're going to say, so let's skip it. So, Madrid, right, there must be some other reason besides watching the Champions League final. What's the matter?"

"Tell you a message......

"Listening. ”

'I've pretty much decided on a new manager. ”

"Spaniards?"

"Yes. ”

Lu Ling thought about it, she turned her head when she thought about it, and on the other side of the floor-to-ceiling window, Nick was also looking at her with a coffee cup.

The rainbow bridge at Wembley flashed through her mind, where she won her first title in charge, the FA Cup. At that time, the opponent was Newcastle, and Newcastle's coach was Benitez.

Rafa is also an old friend of Nick's father.

"Rafa Benitez?"

"Exactly. ”

Benitez's contract with Newcastle has expired, and he said in the middle of the season that he would not renew his contract, leaving at the end of the season, without much trouble. He took over at Newcastle three years ago at the height of his crisis, but could not escape relegation, but after only a year in the Championship, Rafa returned to the Premier League with the Magpies. In the past two years in the Premier League, Newcastle have been relegated early, but they have little stamina and have been hovering in the middle. In any case, Benitez was once the darling of the giants, and presumably he also hopes to return to the giants as soon as possible. And QPR is not a giant...... But at least a team that is competitive in the Premier League and can be competitive in the Champions League. Plus, Nathan Neal is rich.

There is no manager who doesn't like a rich boss. That means you can get the most out of your football vision.

"Can I ask two questions?" Lu Ling asked hesitantly.

"I know what you're trying to ask, Christine. The specifics are still being discussed, but we have already made our request to him: Tim Luiz must be retained as an assistant coach, and the medical and strength departments should not be replaced. We've had meetings and I'm willing to take and agree very much with the only advice you gave before you left, keeping Tim and Alice would do a lot of good work in solidifying the dressing room and helping the new manager. Of course, Rafa may object, after all, these two men are not only your old minister, but also have a good personal relationship with you. ”

"I don't think so. ”

"Oh? I thought Benitez had always been stubborn. ”

'He's also smart, Tim is an impeccable assistant, very flexible and can deal with anyone with any personality and any football philosophy, and Alice is also an authority in her area of expertise, can he find a better candidate? Of course, he's definitely going to bring his coaching staff...... I guess George, they're all going to have to leave. Lu Ling said and sighed, she turned around again and found that Nicholas had also come out. She asked with a look in her eyes.

Nicholas pointed to his phone, and he was going to answer the phone as well. So they gave each of them the space, one to the east of the garden, and the other to the west of the garden.

On the phone, Nathaniel continued: "That's his power, if he becomes manager. I won't give you more details. He laughed, "Am I already being honest? I consider you a friend." ”

Lu Ling smiled, "I won't ask, don't worry." But if I know that you give him more annual salary than I ......"

"Really? You care about this? What are you going to do? Oh sweetheart, you have to know that your annual salary isn't very high. ”

"I'll remember that. ”

"I made an appointment with Rafa and his agent, and of course Simon for brunch, so be it. ”

"Okay, thank you for telling me, Nate, have a nice brunch. ”

"Thank you......"

Lu Ling was about to hang, and Nathan Neal said, "Will I see you at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium tomorrow?"

"Of course. ”

"Then I'm sure I can assume that Nick will be with him. Interesting, the former QPR boss and the former Everton boss went to the Champions League final together. Or should I say you go to your ex-boyfriend's game with your current boyfriend, or our queen and the next manager of Real Madrid go to see ......."

Lu Ling interrupted him with a smile, "That's enough, Nate, go to the appointment, don't let Rafa wait for a long time." ”

"Well, see you tomorrow. ”

"See you tomorrow. Lu Ling hung up the phone and looked at the other end, Nick was still calling. She was just about to put away her phone when she saw a message from Steve.

She stared at the screen of her phone, then looked up again, looking at the garden.

Flores's garden is a bit like a corner of Regent's Park, with trellises and roses growing tall.

Nick said that when he was a child, there was only a short, well-groomed grass in the garden, and that was for him to play football, and then when he grew up, it was Julio's field, and then it became Lola's, but Lola didn't play football. When they all grew up, their parents began to grow a variety of plants in the garden.

It's good here, everything is fine, she thought.

Finally, Nicholas ended his extra-long call. He walked over to her and asked gently, "What are you thinking?"

Lu Ling shook his head, "I didn't think about anything, that's a little strange, if I really didn't think about anything, it might mean that I need to think too much." ”

"Sounds reasonable. ”

"By the way, Steve's greetings. ”

"Yes, say hello to him on my behalf. ”

Lu Ling rolled his eyes, "I know." ”

"Yes, you know everything. Nicholas laughed, "He just called?"

"No, it's Nate. ”

"You have a good relationship. Nicholas teased, "I know that too." ”

Lu Ling frowned suspiciously, "What do you know?"

"Rafa called my father last night, and I had a glass of brandy with him before I went to bed, and he told me, but I forgot to tell you, but now you know. After Nicholas finished speaking, his expression gradually softened, and he hugged her, "Don't talk about that, tonight is our last night here, and we will go to Marbella after watching the game tomorrow, just you and me." That's my paradise, and I hope to be yours in the future. ”

Lu Ling closed his eyes in his arms, and the calm blue sea appeared in her mind, but the calm only lasted for half a second, and for some reason, the sea suddenly set off stormy waves, and the overwhelming sense of oppression surged...... She hurriedly opened her eyes, calmed down, and kissed the man, "Can't wait." ”

"Can't wait. Nicholas lowered his eyelids and said in a low voice.

****

Madrid. Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.

The stands with a capacity of 68,000 people are already full. Patrick-Amber looked to his left, the vast undulating sea of red and blue people, belonging to the proud camp of Catalonia, and the white fans with teeth and claws on the opposite side. The game has not yet started, but the fan camps on both sides are like phalanxes on the battlefield of cold weapons, and they have already begun to demonstrate to each other.

Summer in Spain is steaming hot and a little noisy.

Far from nightfall, the gray-blue oval sky hangs directly above, surrounded by a wide silver band of light, which is the wonderful effect of this new course.

Inside the stadium, singer Anrique Iglesias and the dancers who had appeared before the game had withdrawn, and the black and white logo of the Champions League appeared in the middle of the turf and kept shaking. The familiar Champions League theme song vibrated in Patrick's eardrums, and at this time, the Englishman's mind was a little wandering.

Many years ago, when he was a little boy, Jack and Lucy went out, and the dark-haired girl next door came to work as a babysitter. The TV is on, and the Champions League matches are being broadcast. Anna was upstairs on the phone with her girlfriend behind closed doors, and Kristen was sitting on the couch with a notebook and taking notes while watching the game. He watched the game from behind the couch while juggling the ball, sometimes taking two pieces of nacho and stuffing them in his mouth before continuing to kick them, and sometimes asking Christine questions like "why does the commentator always say the second point is important?"

She will answer seriously: "Getting the second point determines that you can continue to besiege the opponent's penalty area, and effectively protect your own penalty area that is empty at the back because of the offensive pressure." ”

He didn't listen very seriously at the time, only the men on TV were real, only the balls on his feet and knees were real.

And at this moment, the pursuit of dreams and glory is the most real and the most wonderful.

Here he stands...... That huge silver trophy was right there, right on the edge of the turf.

He tapped the tattoo on his arm, then stood in the middle circle.

After a whistle, the ball began to roll.

Cheers and shouts, accompanied by thousands of flashing lights, erupted in the sprawling sprawling structure.

****

Patrick wasn't surprised that his opponent had a good performance. What made him a little unhappy was his own performance. Sweat stuck to the jersey in his chest. He wiped a handful on his head, turned back to comfort Ter Stegen, and ran back to the center circle.

Cristiano Ronaldo, on the opposite side, burst out with amazing energy at the start of the game. The 34-year-old Portuguese superstar is rumoured to leave Real Madrid for the MLS in the summer, and the winning super-goalscorer, like Zinedine Zidane, will be hoping to add another Champions League trophy to his final campaign.

And now, the veteran Real Madrid in white has made his trademark celebration with his hands outstretched in the corner flag area.

Ten seconds earlier, he had fired a rocket-like free-kick that cut through the wall and then made a subtle change of direction that left Ter Stegen powerless to save.

In the 21st minute of the first half, Real Madrid led Barcelona 1:0.

It's a really suffocating competition.

Patrick stood in the center circle again, and looked back at the red and blue camps, where there were many Catalan flags fluttering, and even a large St. George cross flag of England fluttering.

He turned around again and glanced at the side stands.

The whistle blows, and he removes the ball. It was passed to Messi on the right.

Then start sprinting forward.

"Leo!" he shouted.

Messi barely paused, quickly stuffing the ball over.

He received the ball in a high-speed sprint, opposite the full defence of Real Madrid......

He chose to shoot directly and vigorously!

No one expected Barcelona to shoot straight on goal after two passes after the restart!

No one expected Patrick Amber to shoot straight at goal from 40 meters away!

…… Equalize!

****

By half-time, the score had become 3:1. Barcelona's Neymar scored a goal to take the lead, before Patrick scored a brace with a powerful right-footed shot.

The game looks like it's losing its suspense.

Lu Ling stuck out his head and saw that Pat was walking into the players' tunnel, chatting with his teammates at the same time, and seemed to be much more relaxed. He was nervous and nervous at the beginning of the game, and she could feel his shoulders and back a little too tight from so far away. After that super long shot, it obviously got him back to normal.

Suddenly, Pat glanced up this way. But he couldn't have seen her.

"Do you think Real Madrid still have a chance?" Nick asked suddenly, beside her.

Lu Ling stood up while thinking, she shook her head, "No, I don't think there is." ”

Nicholas also stood up, with a somewhat complicated expression on his face.

She lowered her head and snickered, he was probably pondering whether it was better for Zidane to win this championship or not to win it, but according to his character, he should have already pondered.

"What are you laughing at?" he put his arm around her waist and walked with her to the rest area.

"Do you want Real Madrid to have a chance?"

Nicholas shrugged his shoulders indifferently, "I don't care. ”

****

In the second half, Barcelona attacked from the stands where their fans were, and the momentum was even greater.

The oval sky at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium is getting darker, the stadium is brightly lit, and the fights on the verdant turf are becoming more and more clear.

In the 61st minute, Patrick Amber got past three people in a row into the penalty area, but was brought down by Real Madrid centre-back Raphael Varane.

Barca's No.7 collapsed in pain in the penalty area, and huge boos spread throughout the pitch from Barca's camp.

Patrick appeared to have sprained his right ankle and was later lifted off the field by the team doctor.

Messi converted the penalty to seal the win.

In the last moments of the game, Real Madrid's talented striker Mbappe scored a consolation goal, and finally Barcelona won 4:2 to win the Champions League this year.

****

Night had already covered the pitch. The frenzied celebrations continued, on the turf, in the stands, everywhere there was red and blue.

Patrick Amber, who scored twice and provided an assist, was undoubtedly the man of the match – he was back on the pitch to celebrate with his team-mates, his right foot bandaged and lifted up by the team doctor. All the spotlight is on him – the top scorer in the Champions League with 13 goals this season and the best performer in world football over the past season.

With La Liga and Champions League titles in hand, Patrick Amber is already the only candidate for the Ballon d'Or in most people's minds.

The disappointed Real Madrid took the silver medal. This is no longer their time – but perhaps, they can expect an era that belongs to Nicolas Flores from now on. Although there has been no official announcement yet, everyone knows who will be the next manager of Real Madrid.

In the center of the stadium, on the podium, Lionel Messi lifted the huge silver trophy -

Brilliant red and blue fragments sprayed into the bodies of the Barcelona players, flying and flashing.

****

"This is Pep Guardiola's third Champions League and he still led Barcelona to victory. In the stands, Lu Ling applauded and said to the people around him.

"I'm already wondering when I'm going to get my first one, maybe you should think about that too. Nicholas applauded casually twice and responded to his girlfriend with a smile.

Lu Ling was still staring straight at the center of the court, a little distracted, and she muttered, "I don't know what it would be like?"

"You know what?"

"What?"

"I think Atletico fans should be happy tonight, it's better for Barcelona to win the trophy here than Real Madrid to win the trophy here. ”

Lu Ling was stunned, and glanced at Nicholas beside him with a smile, his pretended serious expression was a little funny. He just digressed the topic, in fact, he wanted to know. She thought.

"What about you, are you happy?" she asked.

Nicholas turned, his back very erect, his voice low but full of conviction, "Why not, because next is my time." 166 Reading Network