Chapter Twenty-Five: So What

Page (1/3)

[Latest Broadcast] Tomorrow is 5/15, the anniversary celebration at Qidian, the day with the most benefits. Watermark advertisement test. Besides gift packs and backpacks, the “515 Red Envelope Frenzy” is definitely worth watching—how could one not snatch red envelopes? Set your alarms!

Thirty-fourth round of the Bundesliga 2, May 5, 2002: Hannover 96 versus Greuther Fürth. Hannover 96 plays away at the Playmobil Stadium.

If nothing unexpected happens, this will be Mo Mo’s last match for Hannover 96.

Mo Mo cherishes it deeply—even though he may soon leave Hannover 96, he still wants to play this match well.

Peter Neururer’s expression is somewhat gloomy. He cannot give Mo Mo a starting position; there are too many factors at play, and it’s impossible to build a formation around him. Doll owns the attacking midfielder role, Freddy Bobic is the main striker—these are their rightful positions.

Mo Mo indeed shows flashes that catch the eye, but in the Bundesliga 2, the value of those moments is not particularly high. As for the Bundesliga, Peter Neururer knows in his heart he won’t risk matches to feed Mo Mo minutes—every game is crucial, and he has no intention of returning to Bundesliga 2.

The Playmobil Stadium can hold 15,000 people, and attendance this time is neither too sparse nor too crowded. To be fair, Fürth’s performance this season has been quite decent; they’re ranked fifth, two spots higher than Frankfurt, who sits seventh.

Fürth’s current league points are 56. Right behind them, Union Berlin and Frankfurt both have 53 points. If Union Berlin wins this match and Fürth loses, Fürth will drop to sixth place. If Frankfurt also wins, Fürth will slip to seventh.

Fürth’s goals scored and goals conceded are nearly equal; their formation is a standard 4-4-2, balanced in attack and defense.

Within Hannover 96’s squad, a few players seem less than enthusiastic—Karl, for example, and the Czech winger Jan Simak, number 17. The team looks somewhat lacking in fighting spirit. Under these circumstances, the Fürth players begin to entertain hopes of victory.

In fact, before this, Fürth would have been content with a draw, especially against Hannover 96, who recently crushed Duisburg 4–1 in the previous round. Facing a Hannover 96 in great form, Fürth’s nerves are certainly on edge.

Fürth’s kit is a blend of green and white stripes, while Hannover 96 is clad in fiery red. Both teams walk into Playmobil Stadium to decide the toss.

In the end, Hannover 96 chooses to kick off.

“Hello to all viewers at home. I’m commentator Chen Nu, and today I’ll be bringing you coverage of the match between Mo Mo’s team and Fürth, as the Chinese youngster plays away.”

Chen Nu’s voice is as steady as ever, seemingly unaffected by transfer rumors. He isn’t a Hannover 96 fan, and truthfully, few—if any—Chinese viewers are. What they care about is the presence of a young Chinese player in Bundesliga 2.

“This year, China has successfully qualified for the World Cup. By May 31st, the final squad will be submitted. Li Jinyu has already been ruled out of the final list. Xie Hui’s club, Yakun, has shown poor form this year, and he too won't make the cut.”

Chen Nu pauses, as if teasing the audience.

“Based on the World Cup qualifiers lineup and recent news, Bora Milutinović is preparing for a generational handover in the Chinese team. Reportedly, when he learned China had a 17-year-old player, he was quite surprised.”

At this moment, Chinese fans watching the broadcast seem to realize something.

“That’s right! The World Cup’s thirty-two-man roster is nearly complete. As of now, Gao Yao from Luneng and Mo Mo from Hannover 96 are hot contenders. Mo Mo’s team is virtually guaranteed promotion to the Bundesliga, and there are reports that 1860 Munich has already made inquiries about him.”

Page (2/3)

Perhaps it doesn’t seem remarkable now, but after the World Cup, Shao Jiayi, who didn’t see much Bundesliga action, could be called the backbone of Chinese football. It shows just how scarce talent was at the time—2002 was the golden generation for Chinese football, but what came after?

“If Mo Mo really participates in the World Cup, at seventeen, he’ll become the youngest player ever to appear in the tournament! As far as I know, no one younger has played in the World Cup.”

Chen Nu grows visibly excited, and so do the Chinese fans watching—breaking records, achieving firsts, always stirs the heart.

“But let’s get back to the match. If Mo Mo performs well today—wait, what’s this? Goal! It’s in! Was it Mo Mo? Yes, it’s Mo Mo!”

In the third minute, the Czech winger Jan Simak, number 17, advances down the flank and crosses. Karl sets up the ball; Mo Mo traps it with his chest and fires a shot into the net. His finishing, now at level 8, no longer sees him waste chances.

“Beautiful! Mo Mo scores in the third minute! But oddly, the attacking players of Hannover 96 don’t seem to celebrate, and the Fürth players look furious.”

In football, the more wildly a player celebrates a goal, the more the match matters to him; the opposite holds true as well. Hannover 96’s players seem indifferent, which the Fürth players find unacceptable.

A lack of celebration can be upsetting, even demoralizing. But to score and remain so detached—what does that mean? Is it contempt?

It’s like a duel in the martial world: someone shouts, “I am Pinggu’s Crimson Dot—please instruct me!” If you don’t react with awe, but treat him like any ordinary Zhang or Li, it feels dismissive.

Truthfully, there’s little to celebrate about this goal. Early and late in matches are the easiest times to score, and with the championship already secured, this game means little to Hannover 96. The goal itself wasn’t particularly spectacular.

It’s already a familiar routine for Simak, Karl, and Mo Mo! But Fürth doesn’t see it that way—they feel Hannover 96’s players are being blatantly disrespectful.

So when play resumes, Fürth’s players are clearly fired up. Their aggression increases, catching Hannover 96 off guard.

“It seems Fürth’s players have been provoked. Hannover 96 is caught flat-footed! There’s a long pass from a Fürth player, aimed at their striker Hasen. Hannover 96’s defense could be in trouble.”

Mo Mo isn’t under much pressure himself; he’s drifting between the defense and midfield, seeking opportunities. Karl, as always, obediently positions himself in Fürth’s half as a pivot, leaving Hannover 96’s defense to suffer.

Especially now that Mo Mo and company have angered Fürth, the defense is first to bear the brunt.

It’s an accurate long pass—whether by luck or skill, who knows. The match is now in the seventeenth minute; the Fürth player hasn’t made any notable passes all game. But that doesn’t matter—it’s the threat of this particular pass.

Fürth’s number 9 striker, Hasen, receives the ball. He’s a strong lad, with nineteen goals this season. If he scores another, he’ll reach twenty.

Hasen’s position isn’t ideal; he’s sandwiched between number 6 defender Linke and number 2 defender Zurlau, constantly harried. His awkward running posture gives the impression he might tumble at any moment.

But Hasen isn’t about to do that—he has another plan: a powerful shot. It sounds promising, and he carries it out.

With a thud, Hasen unleashes a forceful kick. Linke and Zurlau try to block him, but in the end, the three are tangled together. Hasen’s head is held high, eyes fixed intently on the goal.

Page (3/3)

“Hasen shoots—what a powerful strike! Hannover 96’s goalkeeper goes for the save—my heavens, the ball is in! Incredible!”

Chen Nu’s commentary initially sounded perfunctory, as if he didn’t expect much from the play. But the goal was scored.

Hannover 96’s goalkeeper feels aggrieved; he thought Linke and Zurlau would stop the Fürth player before he got through. The striker seemed shaky, about to be blocked, but no one expected him to shoot from outside the box.

Or perhaps they did expect it, but didn’t worry—after all, what’s a goalkeeper for, if not to save low-quality long-range shots? Yet, reality proved surprising. Hasen’s shot wasn’t straight; it swerved slightly.

Maybe Linke and Zurlau’s interference prevented a perfect strike, but that deviation caught Hannover 96’s keeper off guard. He got a hand to the ball, but it still went in.

Hasen celebrates wildly. He would have liked to feign indifference, to answer Hannover 96’s players in kind, but he cannot suppress his emotions.

“Hey, kid! When you score, you should celebrate like me—do you understand?”

Hasen, face flushed, runs to Mo Mo to taunt him. Mo Mo narrows his eyes; unlike other Chinese players who might retort or get physical, he remains calm, as if stating a fact:

“That’s because this might be your only goal of the match.”

Hasen growls, his eyes wide, seemingly trying to intimidate Mo Mo.

“Listen up, kid—this match, I’ll definitely score more than you. Want to bet?”

By now, the referee has noticed the situation. Mo Mo says nothing, turns to walk away, but Hasen persists. Mo Mo stops, looks Hasen up and down:

“There’s no suspense in such matters. I have no interest in betting with you. Bullying the weak isn’t the Chinese way.”

Seeing the referee approach, Hasen suppresses the curse words about to escape his lips. But he resolves to teach Mo Mo a lesson—to show him this is Playmobil Stadium, his home turf.

In truth, Mo Mo has the same idea, though his intentions differ. He wants Hasen to understand, yes, this is Playmobil Stadium, your home ground—but so what?

PS. On 5/15, “Qidian” will rain red envelopes! Starting at noon, every hour brings a round—whether you win is all luck. Go grab them, and use the coins you win to subscribe to my chapters!