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Due to the conflict between the French Cup and the league, the 36th round of the league, which was supposed to be played on April 30, was postponed to May 3, so after the French Cup semi-final against Rennes on April 19, the team had a 10-day rest, and on the 29th they will play in the French Cup final at the Stade de France. Pen % fun % Pavilion www.biquge.info

Prior to this, in order to ensure his form, Fernandes arranged a warm-up match for Metz, against a German third-division team. The team will travel to the away stadium for this warm-up match.

Before going to Germany again, Chu Zhongtian has one more thing to do.

April 22 was Mathilde's twenty-second birthday, and Chu Zhongtian wanted to give her a gift.

It was planned that day would be the time for Mathilde to come to his house to give him German lessons, but as soon as Mathilde entered Chu Zhongtian's house, she was startled - it was pitch black, and she thought there was a power outage.

And the door was hidden, no one came to open it for her, and it opened with a slight push.

"Is anyone there? Clear? Mathilde looked into the dark room, hesitated, and did not dare to enter. She stood in the doorway and shouted softly.

"Are you there?"

At this time, Chu Zhongtian walked out holding a birthday cake lit with candles and singing a happy birthday song. Then he turned on the light and said to Mathilde, who was a little surprised and a little delighted, "Happy birthday, Matty." ”

Mathilde was pleasantly surprised and asked, "How do you know it's my birthday?" ”

"It says on your resume, when you applied for my French teacher." Chu Zhongtian smiled and invited Mathilde in.

"Please come in, we don't have classes today, I'll give you a birthday!"

Mathilde was pressed to the table by Chu Zhongtian, and there was the birthday cake and a bottle of red wine on the table.

"Thank you, Chu ......" Mathilde was moved, her eyes glistening with tears in the candlelight.

Chu Zhongtian smiled at her: "Don't say thank you between friends. Make a wish, Marty. ”

Mathilde obediently closed her eyes and put her hands together in front of her mouth.

After a while, she opened her eyes again and found that Chu Zhongtian had been staring at her, she was a little embarrassed, and her face turned red, but fortunately, the light was dim, and Chu Zhongtian didn't see it.

"What do you wish, Marty?" Chu Zhongtian asked.

Mathilde felt that Chu Zhongtian's question was very funny: "If you say it, it won't work if you make a wish." ”

Chu Zhongtian also felt that his question was very abrupt, and he was just curious for a while. To hide the embarrassment, he handed over the knife in his hand: "Cut the cake, Marty." ”

"I haven't blown out the candles yet." Mathilde glanced at Chu Zhongtian, which made Chu Zhongtian even more embarrassed...... He wanted to blow out the candle, but just lowered his head and remembered that the person who had a birthday to blow the candle himself, so he made a "please" gesture: "Then blow out the candle......"

Mathilde leaned over and blew out the two digital pictogram candles, took the knife, cut a piece from the cake first, and gave it to Chu Zhongtian.

Chu Zhongtian didn't shirk, took the cream cake, and took a bite. Seeing that his lips were covered with cream, Mathilde laughed as well.

Symbolically eating the cake, Chu Zhongtian took out the gift that had been prepared a long time ago.

"What is this?"

Mathilde couldn't guess when she looked at the package.

"See for yourself."

She unpacked it and found that it was a beautifully packed box, and opened the lid. Emily. Stan smiles at Mathilde's eyes - it's an Emily. Stan's picture, with his signature on it!

Mathilde looked in amazement at the signed photos, posters, and a pink lace-trimmed T-shirt, and when she saw the T-shirt, she exclaimed, "This is the one Emily wore in 'Christmas Boy'!" ”

Somewhat excited, she pulled the T-shirt out of the box and brought out a greeting card.

Put the t-shirt aside, pick it up and open it to see.

"Best wishes to dear Delphin. Happy birthday Mathilde, and I wish you always good health and happiness! Your friend Emily. Stan. ”

Mathilde didn't know what to say when she saw the greeting card, she was stunned for a moment before she raised her head and asked Chu Zhongtian: "How did you do it, Chu?" ”

Chu Zhongtian shrugged: "I told Emily that I have a friend who likes her very much, and she is going to have a birthday recently, and I hope she will give her a gift." ”

"What did you tell Emily? You and Emily ...... Acquaintance? ”

Chu Zhongtian nodded, there is nothing to hide about this matter, anyway, Mathilde is not a reporter, and it is not a big deal for her to know.

Seeing Chu Zhongtian nodding, Mathilde was a little excited, and she asked, "Do you really know?" How did you meet? ”

"Didn't I tell you I used to play at Wimbledon? You like Emily so much, you should know she's a Wimbledon girl, right? ”

Mathilde understood, it turned out that they met at that time, that is to say, before she met Chu Zhongtian...... She thought for a moment and said to Chu Zhongtian: "I'm very interested in the story between you, can you tell me more, Chu?" ”

"If you like it, no problem." Next, Chu Zhongtian told the story between himself and Emily to Mathilde, from the time the two of them met, Emily came to the Dons Bar to find him, hoping that he would go to the team's trial, until Emily graduated and went to the United States to develop, and he was loaned to Metz, France.

Of course, he hid some of the more ambiguous scenes, such as himself and Emily kissing in the crowd after the team's early promotion was over, and snuggling up to each other on the rooftop. He felt that it was not good for everyone to talk about these very private things.

"Then some time ago, we got back in touch. That's it......" Chu Zhongtian finished speaking.

Mathilde fell silent for a while. She seemed to be listening attentively, and it took a while for her to come to her senses.

"Sounds like a beautiful story...... she sighed. It's amazing how she fell in love with your talent at a moment's notice. ”

Chu Zhongtian laughed, and he didn't know how to answer. But this recounting reminded him of his carefree days at Wimbledon, where amateur football and professional football were two completely different worlds. When Emily was in the bar, she asked if she wanted to play professional football, and she always took every opportunity to persuade herself to play professional football, and she didn't appreciate it at the time. Now it seems that Emily is right again, and compared to herself, she is always right...... Mathilde looked at Chu Zhongtian, who was caught in his memories. She noticed that the man in front of her was speaking softer than usual when he mentioned the name "Emily". Perhaps he himself was not aware of this change in tone, which shows that this is a completely visceral feeling.

It was the first time she had seen such a change in Chu Zhongtian.

Mathilde put away the birthday gift Emily gave and smiled at Chu Zhongtian, "Thank you, Chu." This is the best birthday present I have ever received, thank you! ”

"If you like it." Chu Zhongtian was also very happy.

"Thank you also for letting me know about a real Emily. Stan. She looked down at her watch. I think it's time for me to go, Chu. ”

Chu Zhongtian got up and sent Mathilde to the door, telling her to be careful on the road.

The two were about to say goodbye, and Mathilde and Chu Zhongtian kissed each other. It wasn't the first time they had done this kind of thing, and Chu Zhongtian wouldn't be overwhelmed by the fact that he and Mathilde kissed each other.

But this time, when Mathilde's mouth was withdrawn along Chu Zhongtian's cheek, it touched the corner of his mouth.

Chu Zhongtian's mouth felt a little soft and fleeting, and when he reacted to Mathilde's kiss on his lips just now, the feeling was gone.

After Mathilde kissed Chu Zhongtian on the cheek, she smiled and waved at him: "Goodbye, Chu." ”

Chu Zhongtian replied a little sneeringly: "Goodbye, Martie ......"

Watching Mathilde leave, Chu Zhongtian reached out and touched the corner of his mouth.

Chu Zhongtian, who turned to go back, put away the uneaten birthday cake on the table and put it in the refrigerator. I washed my hands and went upstairs into the study.

He sat in front of his computer and looked at the photos of Emily's new posts on his blog.

Pull out her phone and text Emily: "The gift was sent out, she loved it, thank you, Emily." ”

After a while, he received a reply from Emily: "If you like it, it's fine." ”

Because he had just told Mathilde the story of himself and Emily for a night, Chu Zhongtian suddenly missed Emily very much, especially the days when they were not yet famous and were unrestrained at Wimbledon.

On impulse, he sent Emily a text message like this: "Emily, I'm missing you a little......"

As a result, he regretted it after sending it...... But how? How do you take back the text messages you send and the water you spill? Could it be that he posted another one to say that it was all a joke, but in fact he didn't miss her? Isn't that even more stupid? What is called three hundred taels of silver here, and what is called wanting to cover it?

When Chu Zhongtian was holding his mobile phone and didn't know what to do, his mobile phone rang. He knew who the text message was, but he didn't dare to read it, he didn't know how Emily would answer him, and whether the outcome that awaited him was something he vaguely hoped for or something he vaguely didn't want.

After hesitating for a while, Chu Zhongcai opened the text message.

Sure enough, it was Emily's reply, just a simple word:

A sucker.

※※※ Emily put her phone away after texting, then turned her head to look at the scenery outside the car window, and she hummed softly.

“…… Look at everything we create, look at the path of life we have walked hand in hand. It may be a detour, but we firmly believe that we will eventually embark on the other side of happiness......" (song from Canadian country singer Shania. Donne's shania_twain "you_are_still_the_one") Mom, who was driving in front, heard her daughter's singing and thought it was strange: "Are you in a good mood right now, Emily?" Just half an hour ago, my daughter lost her temper as a mother because she arranged a few shows for her that she didn't like to be on, and she didn't say a word after getting in the car.

"Now...... Not bad, isn't it? Emily replied with a shrug and continued humming.

“…… You are still my only goal, my only destination, you are still the only one in my life, you are still the only person I love, the only one I have ever dreamed of, you are the only angel I kiss and say goodnight......"

"Whose song are you singing?" Miranda didn't know why her baby daughter was suddenly in a better mood again, but she knew it was an opportunity to ease their relationship, so she took the initiative to talk.

"Shania. Donn's. I've been obsessed with her songs lately...... I'm so glad we succeeded, look at the life path we have walked hand in hand, Bao - Bei ......"

※※※ Mathilde's birthday, Chu Zhongtian went to Germany with the team, and they had to go there to play a warm-up game.

Although Metz is right next to the German border, the place they are going to this time is actually quite difficult to find...... "Hoffenheim? What is that place? Ribery searched and searched on the trip with a newly bought map of Germany, but could not find their destination.

In fact, not only him, but not only the rest of the team knew where in Germany the "Hoffenheim" where they were warming up this time.

"Maybe you need a magnifying glass, Frank!" Someone quipped.

"Give me a microscope, I can't find it!" Ribery tossed the map aside and avoided looking at the dense crowd of place names and roads and rivers.

"Why do we have to go so far to play a warm-up game? Why not just find a team in the Lorraine area? Even if you look for Nancy, I have no problem. He complained.

Many teammates also thought the same way - it was really enough to go so far to find a Bundesliga team to play a warm-up game.

But let's. Fernandes has a high prestige in the team, and except for Ribery, an unruly guy who dares to complain, everyone else can only slander in their hearts.

Metz's itinerary goes like this: first to Paris for an international flight, then to Frankfurt (Germany), then to Mannheim by train, then to Sinsheim by train to Sinsheim, and then to Sinsheim to a small village called Hoffenheim. Their opponents are there, waiting to fight them.

Chu Zhongtian picked up the map that Ribery threw away and found it. He followed the team's route and soon found Eintracht Frankfurt, then Mannheim south of Frankfurt, and then Sinsheim was hard to find, because he didn't know the direction, he turned around and finally found the city of Sinsheim in the southeast of Mannheim. But after that, the legendary "Hoffenheim" was never found again. This is because there is no standard name of the administrative unit on this map. Hoffenheim, which is lower than Sinsheim, naturally does not appear on this map.

Chu Zhongtian's search also failed, so he folded the map and returned it to Ribery.

"Don't look for it, look for something." Ribery told him, "We'll know where it is anyway." ”

Yes, we'll know where it is.

"I still don't know where this is......" As the Metz players got off the train, they stood on the humble platform, looking at the blue sky, the green trees, and the railroad that stretched deep into the forest, all confused.

"Okay, don't care where this is, we'll go back after the game anyway." After a long journey, Ribery was also a little dizzy.

"From such a humble platform, you can tell what a remote place we have reached...... Why didn't they come to Metz to play a warm-up game with us? "Some players have asked questions.

"I heard it on the road, and it was said that it was because the other party's boss gave us an appearance fee......"

"Molinari, that Grande! Tricking us into such a remote place for such a penalty! ”

"Alright, folks." Captain Bobicon slapped his teammates and reminded their teammates not to be heard by the coaches. "Think of it as a tour. Or if you're here to play an away league, I think the air here is quite fresh and the scenery is good. ”

The teammates laughed.

But the captain is right to say one thing. "It's like playing an away league", it's really like playing away.

'If we get to the UEFA Cup next season, there will be a lot of away chances like that. Chu Zhongtian agreed with the captain's statement. "It's time to warm up early."

※※※The team arrived at the club by a bus provided by the opposing club, and they stayed in a hotel arranged by the club, considering that Hoffenheim is the most remote suburb of Sinsheim, so they were not allowed to live in the city of Sinsheim.

After settling in, many of the players took to the streets in groups, full of curiosity about this small place. Chu Zhongtian and Ribery, Ibisevic, Menez and others also traveled together.

"It's such a small place...... I thought Metz was a small place, but compared to here, Metz is a cosmopolitan city! Walking down the narrow streets, Ribery lamented.

"I think the environment here is pretty good...... Ibyshevic looked left and right, although the narrow but clean streets, the green tree environment, the blue sky and white clouds, and the gentle breeze blowing on the face are refreshing.

"What's so good about that?" Ribery shrugged, "There are no big supermarkets, no cinemas, no nightclubs, no bustling shopping streets, no brand-name stores...... It's a pain to live here with nothing...... "Ribery complained. "Thankfully, we just came here to play a game and left. I don't like it here. ”

"You like the Met?" Chu Zhongtian asked.

Ribery nodded: "The bigger, the better!" If I live here and my wife can't even find a place to go out on the street, that's definitely not going to work. ”

Hoffenheim is indeed a very small place, and it took a little over an hour to walk through the entire street of the city while a few people chatting and walking.

"It's like a village......" Ribery expressed his direct view of the place after the visit.

They had already walked to the vicinity of Hoffenheim Football Club, Chu Zhongtian noticed a sign standing on the side of the road, with a slogan in German, fortunately he had learned German with Mathilde, and he could barely recognize what it was written on: "If the dog rushes out, please lie on the ground and wait for rescue." If no one comes, then you can only wish you good luck! ”

He laughed. Sure enough, he heard a dog barking from the yard.

"Let's go, since there's nothing to shop, why don't you go back and rest, there will be a game tomorrow."

Tomorrow's game will be followed by a return to Metz for the French Cup final against Paris Saint-Germain.

Chu Zhongtian, who returned to the hotel, found that the other teammates who had gone out for a walk had also returned, complaining that there were no entertainment facilities in this small place.

"It has to be a haven for the most dedicated professionals." Ribery interjected. "The training ground is the only entertainment facility, except for football, sleeping, what a regular life! I now know why Mr. Fernandez chose to warm up here, we don't have to do anything but play, and we don't have to worry about us venting our excess energy elsewhere......"

His words drew laughter from everyone.

And the teammates who didn't go out were showing off how they had expected this to happen and how right they were to rest in their rooms.

The group chatted together for a while, and then went back to their rooms to rest.

There's a warm-up game tomorrow, but that's not something the players care about. They just want to end their trip to Germany and return to France before heading to the Stade de France to fight the arrogant Parisians!

(To be continued)