73: Chapter 73 Reunited with my idol, but tragically betrayed! A revenge battle watched by over 100 million people.

Outside the home team dressing room.

"Whoosh—" The door was pushed open, and a wave of blue surged out.

Drinkwater stretched out his arm, firmly wrapping it around Yu Bai's neck, half-dragging, half-hugging him out with his signature, slightly roguish smile on his face.

Riyad Mahrez walked on their left, his steps light and his eyes sharp.

Jamie Vardy was on the right, his expression the usual hunter-like focus.

NGolo Kanté followed silently and steadily, and further behind were the other Leicester City warriors in blue.

"Hey, Yu!"

Drinkwater tightened his arm, leaned into Yu Bai's ear, his voice carrying inflammatory enthusiasm, as if giving this little brother a final "mental massage": "Listen to your big brother, a club like your former team is born to be a stepping stone for geniuses to build their reputation!"

"Today, step on them and rise! Let all of England see who is the brightest star at the King Power Stadium!"

Mahrez rubbed his hands excitedly, the Algerian's eyes shining: "I have a premonition, brothers, this will definitely be a classic battle that will be written into the history of the Premier League! I can't wait to dance!"

Vardy snorted, his gaze sweeping sharply toward the end of the tunnel, his tone carrying the arrogance of a league leader: "Wake up, we are the leaders now, 9 points ahead of them in the standings. They are the ones who should be nervous and afraid. Yu, play freely, let them see the attacking power of the league leaders!"

Yu Bai, a bit dazed, was dragged by his neck by the "overly enthusiastic" Drinkwater and inexplicably pushed to the very front of the line. Passing through the slightly dim tunnel, the light ahead grew brighter, and the figures of the opponents were already clearly visible.

The Arsenal players were lined up waiting one step ahead.

Blue and red-white formed a distinct and tense confrontation in the tunnel. Countless gazes collided silently in the air, sparks flying.

Yu Bai's gaze, almost instinctively, crossed the crowd and locked onto a gentle yet resolute gaze.

Aaron Ramsey.

The Welsh midfielder also saw him, and a sincere smile, full of encouragement and nostalgia, slowly blossomed on his serious face.

Yu Bai's heart stirred, and he gently patted Drinkwater's arm. Drinkwater understood and let him go.

Under the gaze of the players from both sides, the referees, and countless tunnel staff, Yu Bai broke away from the blue queue, walked a few steps to the front of the Arsenal team, and stopped in front of Aaron Ramsey.

No words were spoken.

The two looked at each other and smiled, then opened their arms and gave each other a firm, powerful hug.

"Yu!"

Aaron Ramsey slapped Yu Bai's back hard, his voice filled with undisguised joy, "Finally, we meet again! On the stage of the Premier League!"

"Idol!"

Yu Bai's voice was a bit muffled, but carried a smile, "Long time no see!"

The hug lasted for several seconds.

The two even tilted their heads slightly, whispering something into each other's ears, their expressions close and their smiles warm.

Although no one heard exactly what they said, the visible, deep friendship that transcended the relationship of opponents eased the tense atmosphere in the tunnel for a moment.

Aaron Ramsey.

When he joined Arsenal in the summer of 2008, Yu Bai was only 10 years old, just realizing there was a genius named Aaron Ramsey in the football world.

In the years that followed, he witnessed Aaron Ramsey's ups and downs at the Gunners—stunning performances, serious injuries, rebirth, becoming the core... Once upon a time, Yu Bai, wearing the Arsenal training kit, had the biggest dream of becoming a player like Aaron Ramsey.

He watched Aaron Ramsey's videos over and over, imitated his positioning and late runs, and at the London Colney Training Centre, he was also fortunate enough to receive personal guidance from this Welsh midfielder.

Aaron Ramsey was a role model in Yu Bai's youth, an unattainable goal, a lighthouse pointing the way.

Now, the lighthouse and the chaser were reunited on the Premier League stage as opponents.

Yu Bai felt a thousand emotions in his heart.

As the hug ended, Aaron Ramsey looked at the young man in front of him who was already much taller than himself, with firm eyes. His smile remained gentle, but his tone took on the sharpness of a warrior:

"Good luck, Yu."

"I look forward to you dribbling past me, tricking me, using your magic in the match."

He paused, his eyes serious.

"But you have to be careful, I will also make tackles without mercy, using every means to stop you."

Yu Bai also smiled, this time with a bit more challenge in his smile.

He didn't speak, just reached out his right hand and gently squeezed Aaron Ramsey's solid arm muscle; everything was understood without words.

Besides Aaron Ramsey, there were actually quite a few "old acquaintances" of Yu Bai in the Arsenal squad—seniors from the youth team he had trained with. But Yu Bai didn't go up to greet them again. He restrained his smile, turned, and walked calmly back to Leicester City's blue queue.

Everyone hoped he would stage a "slaying the old master" show.

He himself also yearned for this proof.

Then there was no need for "courtesy before force."

It was time to fight.

King Power Stadium.

Packed, roaring like a tsunami!

Tickets for this match had long been hyped to sky-high prices, hard to come by.

According to unofficial statistics, this was the time with the most Asian faces, especially Chinese fans, in the history of King Power Stadium!

The camera swept over the stands, and Eastern faces wearing brand-new blue No. 52 jerseys could be seen everywhere—excited international students, tourists who had flown across the ocean to watch the game, they waved national flags and shouted the same name hoarsely.

The live commentator's passionate voice resonated throughout the stadium via the broadcast:

"Away team—Arsenal! Goalkeeper: Čech! Defenders: Nacho Monreal, Laurent Koscielny (Captain), Per Mertesacker, Héctor Bellerín! Midfielders: Santi Cazorla, Mathieu Flamini, Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Özil, Alexis Sánchez! Forward: Theo Walcott!"

"Home team—Leicester City! Goalkeeper: Kasper Schmeichel! Defenders: Ritchie De Laet, Robert Huth, Wes Morgan (Captain), Jeffrey Schlupp! Midfielders: Mahrez, Kante, Danny Drinkwater, Yu Bai, Shinji Okazaki! Forward: Vardy!"

When the name "Yu Bai" was read, the King Power Stadium erupted with the loudest, most uniform, and most sustained shouting and applause since the start of the match! The sound wave almost blew the roof off!

Yu Bai raised his hand to acknowledge the stands, and what responded to him was even more intense cheering.

In less than a month, with a few stunning performances, he had completely conquered this blue stadium and become the darling here.

"Beep—!!!"

Referee Craig Pawson gave a crisp whistle, and the focus battle of the 7th round of the Premier League, with league leaders Leicester City hosting the giants Arsenal, officially began!

Arsenal kicked off.

Yu Bai quickly threw himself into the match, actively pressing forward, and then retreated with the formation.

However, just as he ran back to his own half, highly focused, preparing for the first offense and defense of the match—

"Ding!"

A familiar and shocking prompt sounded in the deepest part of his mind, like a thunderclap!

"Ding—"

[At 32 years old, you have ushered in a real, high-profile peak battle. Over one hundred million viewers worldwide are watching your performance.]

[Triggering the "Fame with One Goal Challenge" (100 million level).]

[Task goal: Score a goal in this match.]

[Task reward: One guaranteed superstar-level skill multiple-choice question.]

"Hiss—"

Yu Bai gasped, his running steps pausing imperceptibly.

100 million viewers!

A guaranteed superstar-level skill!

This number and reward made his heart beat wildly. But he understood instantly—

This was the prime time at 22:00 on Saturday, Beijing time, with countless Chinese fans waiting in front of the TV;

This was a key Premier League battle, with an unparalleled viewing group worldwide;

This was also his "battle of revenge," with full topicality... 100 million viewers was not an exaggeration.

You know, focus battles like the "Northwest Derby" or "Manchester Derby" can reach over 600 million viewers globally...

He slowly exhaled a breath, his eyes becoming incomparably sharp and eager.

Must score!

At all costs, must score!

He knew the power of "Demon of Dribbling" and "Carloss Shooting Power" too well.

A guaranteed superstar-level skill would be a qualitative leap for his strength! He had to fight with all his might.

But—

Would Arsenal let him have his wish?

Would the Gunners' defense open up easily?

In the 4th minute, the answer was delivered to Yu Bai in a cruel and direct way.

Leicester City intercepted the ball in the backcourt. Danny Drinkwater saw Yu Bai start on the left and didn't hesitate, sending a precise long pass over the top, trying to hit behind the Arsenal defense!

Yu Bai was like an arrow off the string, cutting in diagonally from the wing! However, Arsenal left-back Nacho Monreal was experienced and had already blocked the inside line. He retreated while firmly using his body to isolate Yu Bai on the outside.

The pass was slightly long. Yu Bai sprinted with all his might and barely hooked the ball back from the outside just before it was about to go out of the baseline, but Nacho Monreal was still stuck to him, giving him no space to squeeze through and control the ball.

Yu Bai was stuck uncomfortably and tried to use his body to squeeze out some space while reaching out his left foot to get the ball.

Just at this moment—

Nacho Monreal, who had been leaning with his body and swinging his arms seemingly normally, suddenly swung his left arm backward and upward the moment Yu Bai tried to exert force to squeeze in—an extremely hidden and vicious elbowing motion!

"Bang!!!"

A dull, tooth-aching impact sound exploded in the gap between the two bodies!

Nacho Monreal's elbow tip hit Yu Bai's unprepared throat—right in the center of the Adam's apple—firmly and precisely!

"Ugh—!!!"

Yu Bai only felt his vision go black!

An indescribable, explosive, intense pain shot from his throat to the top of his head instantly, and half of his head and body went numb! His throat felt like it was being tightly gripped by iron pliers, completely unable to breathe!

His mouth opened subconsciously, but he couldn't inhale a breath of air, only making a terrifying and short "ho... ho..." sound, like a fish thrown onto the shore.

His body stiffened instantly, all strength seemed to be drained, and then he fell forward like a chopped log, his face hitting the turf heavily!

Suffocation! Severe pain! Dizziness!

The world was spinning, his consciousness was torn into fragments, leaving only the drowning, near-death panic.

Time seemed to freeze. King Power Stadium erupted with huge exclamations and deafening boos!

"Murder!"

"Red card! Animal!"

"Referee! Are you blind?!"

Referee Craig Pawson's whistle... did not sound. He was a bit far away, his view might have been blocked, or he thought it was just a normal physical confrontation?

About three or four seconds later, the breath that had been blocked finally broke through the obstruction and rushed into Yu Bai's lungs.

"Cough! Cough, cough!"

He coughed violently, accompanied by dry retching, every breath carrying burning pain, his throat feeling as if it were stuffed with hot gravel.

He struggled, supporting the ground with his hands, and climbed up with difficulty. His face was pale, his forehead was covered with cold sweat, and one hand was unconsciously covering his neck, his expression twisted by pain and anger.

At this time, Nacho Monreal kicked the ball out of bounds before "lately arriving," with a hypocritical expression between "concern" and "innocence" on his face, reaching out as if to pull Yu Bai up or say something.

Yu Bai's eyes were instantly as cold as a knife.

He didn't even look at Nacho Monreal's extended hand, waved his hand sharply, and with a "slap," hit the other's hand away hard! The action was crisp, decisive, and full of undisguised disgust and anger.

Hypocritical!

That hit was definitely intentional! Aimed at the person!

Elbowing the Adam's apple is one of the most dangerous and vicious actions on the football field!

Since the grudge has been formed in this way, there is no need for any disguise.

It's time to fight!

Nacho Monreal's hand was knocked away, but he wasn't annoyed; instead, he twitched the corner of his mouth, revealing an extremely cunning, mocking, and contemptuous sneer.

He looked at Yu Bai gasping in pain, his eyes showing no apology, only the smugness of a successful calculation.

Kid, you're still too green.

Can't take it already? Mentality already collapsed?

This is just the beginning.

In this match, we will tell you with actions what the heritage of a Premier League giant is, and what a real strangulation is.

Those petty tricks of yours don't work here.

Yu Bai understood the meaning in those eyes.

He gritted his teeth, stared fixedly at Nacho Monreal, and then, slowly, bit by bit, straightened his body.

Over 100 million people watching?

Guaranteed superstar skill?

Malicious elbowing?

Very well.

I accept this battle.