Chu Zhongtian and Mathilde strolled along the tree-lined paths along the Moselle River.

Mathilde was a little dizzy, so they walked slowly. Chu Zhongtian wanted to help her, but he thought that he had nothing to do with Mathilde, and Mathilde seemed to be a very conservative girl, would he be considered to be planning to do something to her if he was so rashly supporting?

He had to follow cautiously, and if Mathilde was unsteady on his feet, he would go up and pull him, and then let go of his hand immediately. From time to time, couples walk along the tree-lined avenue by the river, but if you look at the appearance, you will consider Chu Zhongtian and Mathilde as one of them.

But they weren't.

Mathilde just walked slowly, without saying a word. Chu Zhongtian didn't know what to say, so he just walked with him.

After walking for a while, they did not go out of a few hundred meters.

The lights of the buildings on both sides of the river are reflected in the river, and the blue waves ripple brightly, which is very beautiful.

Metz had a plan to highlight the architectural heritage with the help of lights in cooperation with the local power plant. So when night falls, there are 13,000 light bulbs in the whole city of Metz to decorate the ancient buildings with brilliant lights.

In fact, if this project is put in China, it may be reprimanded as "nondescript, laboring people and money", but in Metz, this trick works very well. As a result, Metz also got the nickname "City of Light".

It's almost twelve o'clock in the morning, and the banks of the Moselle, the mother river of Metz, are still brightly lit and bustling.

The rain had stopped, but the wind was blowing. With the wind, the laughter in the distance was heard, and it was festive.

"Thank you......" Mathilde, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke.

"Ha, thank you?" Chu Zhongtian felt that there was nothing to thank for this, he just brought Mathilde to the banquet and did it with a gesture.

"Thank you again." Mathilde stopped, leaning on the railing by the river a little tiredly, and then looked at Chu Zhongtian who was standing in front of her. "I was going to spend the night alone."

"Did you spend Christmas Eve alone?"

"Well......" Mathilde muttered, bowing her head, "I've been alone for years anyway, and I'm used to it." ”

Chu Zhongtian listened to her deep voice, and suddenly thought of the first Christmas he spent in London, which was very similar to Mathilde.

But he couldn't reunite with his family because he was too far away to go back because he had to go to school. But Mathilde, what are you for?

"Why don't you go home, where is your home? Is it far from Metz? ”

"In Nancy, not very far. I just don't really want to go back......" Mathilde was talking more and more. Maybe it's because Chu Zhongtian provoked the conversation, or maybe it's because he drank wine.

"I actually hate drinking, Chu." She looked at Chu Zhongtian and said.

"Huh?"

"My dad was an alcoholic who beat my mom and me when he got drunk...... I was a kid at the time. Now that I'm out, he's beating my sister, she's only 10 years old......"

Chu Zhongtian didn't expect Mathilde to have such family conditions, he was taken aback, and he didn't know what to say for a while. Sympathy? Or to express indignation? Or words of comfort?

"We have three children and I am the oldest. There is also a ten-year-old sister and a sixteen-year-old brother below. Mom is not in good health and can't work, so the family depends on Dad for their livelihood...... But this dad likes to drink heavily...... I finally got into college and moved out of that house. I worked hard to earn money, and I didn't ask for money from my family, just to get out of my father's control......" Mathilde continued. "Since moving out of my home, I've been working hard and I don't have many friends. So you were the first to invite me to Christmas Eve, thank you, Chu. ”

Mathilde folded her arms and leaned against the railing, and the night breeze blew her hair and skirt, and she couldn't help but hug her again and shrink up. Now she was not the stern, calm French teacher, but closer to her real age - just a helpless and pitiful twenty-year-old girl.

Looking at her like this, Chu Zhongtian suddenly felt pity in his heart, and a very strong desire to take care of her swelled.

He stepped forward and suddenly took Mathilde in his arms.

Mathilde struggled for a moment, but soon quieted down, closed his eyes, and leaned against the Chinese boy's broad chest, enjoying the warmth of his body through the fabric of his clothes.

Another gust of wind blew the reflection on the surface of the river and rippled into pieces. Chu Zhongtian felt the girl in his arms shrink, so he used his arm hard and just hugged the other party in his arms.

The two men held this position for a long time. There were similar men and women around them, who either hugged them affectionately, or kissed them passionately, or simply reached in and caressed them as if no one else was around.

Chu Zhongtian looked at the reflection in the river and kept holding Mathilde in his arms.

After an unknown amount of time, Mathilde struggled slightly. He let go.

"Thank you, Chu. I feel much better. Mathilde raised his head to look at Chu Zhongtian and smiled at him.

Through the light by the river, Chu Zhongtian could see tear stains on Mathilde's cheeks.

"I can't do anything...... I can only hug you. He shook his head.

"You're doing a great job, Chu." Mathilde reverted to her teacher's appearance at this moment, praising her pupil as if he had just pronounced a difficult word.

Chu Zhongtian scratched his head and took a step back, restoring the distance between the two people to a "safe distance". Now that I think about it, I was really impulsive and bold at that time. Just took the initiative to hold a girl in his arms, you know, he has never done this before.

After staying abroad for a long time, are people more westernized?

He looked at Mathilde, who was bowing his head and saying nothing.

"I'll take you home, teacher......"

"Call me Delphine, or Marty."

"But the banquet is over......"

"It's okay, now you're 'you', not 'you', Chu." Mathilde smiled at Chu Zhongtian.

The river reflected the lights on the riverside, and her smile seemed to be real in the sparkling waves.

Chu Zhongtian hailed a taxi on the side of the road and took Mathilde back to her apartment. When she got out of the car, Mathilde seemed to have something to say, but in the face of Chu Zhongtian's puzzled gaze, she finally just said, "Goodbye, thank you, Chu." I had a great time tonight. ”

Chu Zhongtian smiled at her: "It's good if you're happy." Say Happy New Year in advance! Mattie. ”

"Happy New Year, Chu!"

Marty waved goodbye and ran upstairs. Chu Zhongtian took a taxi back to his apartment.

When he returned to his apartment, he looked at his suitcase that was quietly placed in the living room, and remembered that he would be on a plane to Paris early tomorrow morning, to London, and back to Wimbledon. Following the keyword "Wimbledon", he thought of the Wimbledon Bar, and wondered what wonderful performances the partners in the bar would have when they suddenly saw him appear?

Boss John, Uncle Bent, Uncle Jackson, and Charles. Philip and Joseph. Kenny, will they go to Newcastle relatives for a holiday to watch the Premier League again? Also, Joe. Schilling, Andy. What happened to Sullivan and Borger? And how are Wimbledon Athletic doing in their new league now?

At last...... That beautiful girl who has gone to the United States, is she okay in Hollywood?

He had almost forgotten her name, and he often thought about it when he first returned to China. I haven't remembered her name for half a year now. Is it true that distance and separation mean that a relationship has faded? What will become of the girl who once watched her shoulder blow on the rooftop in that Vanity Fair?

Although she once said to herself: "No matter where I am, what I am doing, or what my identity is, it has nothing to do with the relationship between you and me." I am who I am, Emily. Stan, you can call me Emily, or you can call me Amy. You are still you, Chu-Zhong-Tian, Chu. ”

But can this really be done?

People will become, especially in an environment that they don't know at all, and there are so many temptations around them. What will become, Chu Zhongtian didn't know at all. When they meet again a few years later, will she still be able to smile kindly and call him "Chu"?

Chu Zhongtian stood alone in the dark for a while. He had managed to make his French teacher feel better, but now his mood suddenly went down.

He didn't know where his depressed mood came from, was it because he wanted to go back to Wimbledon to meet those old acquaintances, and remind him of a lot of the past.

What will happen to him and Emily in the unknown future?

It's like a football game, no one knows what the outcome will be until the game is over. And he doesn't seem to be able to control the game himself.

There are too many uncertainties in the future, and the audience will take it for fun, and those who participate in it will inevitably be uneasy.

Chu Zhongtian shook his head and asked himself not to think about those uncertain things, otherwise it would affect his mood.

He walked into his bedroom, closed the door, and never came out again.

※※※The door of the bedroom is opened for the second time and is the morning of Christmas. Chu Zhongtian was naked, wearing only a pair of underwear underneath, and walked to the bathroom yawning.

Moments after he closed the bathroom door, there was the sound of rushing water inside.

Chu Zhongtian, who was in the bath, was still wearing only underwear, standing in front of the big mirror in the bathroom, hanging his beard very seriously. He didn't use an electric razor, and while it was convenient, it didn't shave clean. I'm going back to my second hometown, so I have to clean up a little bit anyway.

Even taking a shower and brushing his teeth and trimming his face, Chu Zhongtian tossed in the bathroom for nearly an hour before opening the door and coming out.

Then he went back to his bedroom, changed his clothes, and tidied up his room.

When it was all over, he went to the living room, checked his ticket and passport, and saw that there was nothing forgotten, so he picked up the suitcase, closed the door and walked out.

It's still raining in Mace today, and like yesterday, Chu Zhongtian waited for a long time and didn't wait for the car.

With the roar of racing engines, Chu Zhongtian knew who was coming.

"Hi, I said man, looks like you're in some trouble. Need a ride? "Broken mouth," Belmont said, grinning.

"I suspect now that you're going around in circles around me every day."

Belmont laughed: "Get in the car, look at your posture and know that you are going to go far away, and maybe you are in a hurry!" ”

Chu Zhongtian didn't talk nonsense with him anymore, put the luggage in the trunk that had been opened, and then pulled the car door and got in: "I'm not in a hurry, so you drive it for me a little more steadily." ”

"No problem, man!" Belmont gave a military salute. "Fasten your seatbelts, haha!"

※※※ Chu Zhongtian only went to the train station so that Belmont hadn't been addicted yet: "Otherwise, I'll just send you directly to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris!" ”

Chu Zhongtian waved his hand in fear: "Forget it, thank you for your kindness!" ”

Belmont watched Chu Zhongtian pull the box through the Charles de Gaulle Square in front of the train station, then waved at him and shouted, "Have a great holiday, man!" ”

Chu Zhongtian heard his voice, waved his hand at him, and continued to walk forward, and finally disappeared at the gate of the train station.

Belmont smiled and restarted the car, and the black taxi swung its ass and walked away with a loud roar.

※※※Chu Zhongtian arrived in Paris in only one and a half hours by high-speed train, and he had lunch in Paris before taking the bus to Charles de Gaulle Airport to take a flight. In fact, he also had the option of taking the Eurostar train to London via the undersea tunnel. It also takes just over an hour, no more than an hour and a half. But the plane was faster, and the flight time was only twenty minutes.

On the afternoon of the 25th, Chu Zhongtian was already in London. He was still in Metz in the morning, but now he's back at the familiar Heathrow airport.

The airport is crowded with pedestrians and seems to be busy, most of them are British people who take the opportunity to travel. The most important holiday of the year, they don't want to spend it in the rain. Spanish horses, Italy, Portugal, Greece...... These southern European countries are ideal destinations for them to choose a vacation, and of course, those who have the money can go further afield, to Hawaii, to the Maldives, to South Africa, to Australia, New Zealand, to California, to travel around the world. There aren't many people visiting the UK at this time, and no one wants to spend Christmas in a place where it doesn't rain and the sun doesn't shine. When Chu Zhongtian came, the flight he took was not full, and it was sparse, showing that the French were even more reluctant to travel to the UK. However, there are quite a few British people who go on holiday to France.

Following the sparse flow of people out of the station, Chu Zhongtian walked out of the Heathrow Airport terminal with a suitcase, and the drizzle hit his hair, skin and clothes, and he didn't mind.

He breathed the moist air of the island nation. It's raining in Mace, and it's raining in London. However, Chu Zhongtian didn't hate this kind of rain, which made him smell familiar.

London, I'm back!

※※※The doors and windows of the Wimble Bar are closed, and the light box sign directly above the door is dim because there is no electricity.

Chu Zhongtian pulled the box and saw this scene, and then remembered that the bars were closed on the 24th, 25th, and 26th during Christmas every year, and no one would come here to drink, because they had to accompany their families at this time. Even Boss John was the only time in a year that he could be reunited with his children.

"I'm ...... Run for nothing......" Chu Zhongtian regretted it.

So do you want to return to France?

Are you kidding. It's just a matter of waiting two more days and we'll be able to meet again the day after tomorrow.

Chu Zhongtian decided to find a hotel to stay in first. Anyway, although he went to school at Wimble for three years, he hardly visited the nearby city of London. I'm going to have a good look tomorrow, since it's a vacation, I want to have a vacation...... ※※※ When Chu Zhongtian went to the street the next day, he saw that many bars had posted notices, informing fans that there was a live broadcast of the Premier League game that afternoon, and they could watch live TV in the bar for some money.

He leaned in to look at the number of matches posted on the bar and immediately caught his eye on the Chelsea game against Aston Villa. He thought that there was nothing to do in London, but London is a city with the most top league teams in the world, and it is not wrong to say that it is a "football city". Watching a real Premier League game can be regarded as making up for a regret in his three years in the UK.

He looked at the lively bar and decided not to watch the game here.

Since I'm here, I'm going to watch the game live.

As a supernumerary player for Chelsea, of course he has to go to Stamford Bridge to experience his home team's game. By the way, let's see what kind of team the new manager has made Chelsea look like, and see if this team has a future of its own...... Since there is a ball to watch, naturally I don't go shopping. Chu Zhongtian went straight to Stamford Bridge to buy tickets. At this time, there are still people queuing up outside the stadium to buy tickets. It seems that the Christmas battle really attracts fans. Chu Zhongtian queued for half an hour and finally bought a ticket.

With the ticket in my hand, I went to a nearby KFC to have lunch, and after eating, I asked for a hot coffee and sat in the heated KFC, waiting for the start of the afternoon game.

When he entered, he bought a blue Chelsea scarf and squeezed it around his neck, which could not only go but also show his identity.

Watching the game in the stands of Stamford Bridge for the first time made Chu Zhongtian very emotional. This stadium has some very fond memories of him, he scored two goals in this stadium and beat big rivals Chelsea, it was that game that put him on the road to professional football, and everything he has today is thanks to that game.

At the time, I wondered what it was like for Chelsea fans to see their second goal in the stands.

He stood in front of his seat, overlooking the court below.

The enemy of the day has become the companion of today. It's embarrassing.

(To be continued)