Inside the Vallecas Stadium locker room,
Lu Chuan sat in front of his locker, his jersey soaked with sweat.
Today's match was exceptionally significant for him; it was not only a crucial battle for promotion but also the first time Esther would attend as a "regular fan."
"Nervous?" Trejo walked over and patted Lu Chuan's shoulder.
"A little," Lu Chuan admitted, not hiding anything. Huesca's strength was undeniable.
Shinji Okazaki's off-ball movement and Mikel Rico's organizational skills in midfield were both top-tier.
Paco Jémez pushed the door open, carrying a tablet. Instead of immediately analyzing tactics, he turned the screen towards all the players.
"Look at this."
The screen showed a video—last summer, after Rayo Vallecano was relegated from La Liga, fans refused to leave in the pouring rain. They held up scarves, singing the team anthem at the top of their lungs.
Rain streamed down their faces, indistinguishable from tears, yet the expression in everyone's eyes was the same: unwillingness to accept defeat, a refusal to give up.
Paco turned off the video, and the locker room fell into an eerie silence, broken only by the dripping sound of melting ice packs and the players' suppressed breathing.
"gentlemen," Paco said, turning off the video and looking at each face. "Look at them! This is why we fight!"
His voice was not loud, but it resonated like a war drum, igniting the blood of everyone present.
"Next match, on our home ground, for them, we must win!"
Álvaro García slammed his fist against a locker, growling, "F*** it!"
"Huesca is strong, I don't deny it," Paco walked to the tactics board and picked up a marker. "Their attacking core is Shinji Okazaki and Mikel Rico."
He drew two red circles on the tactics board, marking the positions of the opponent's key players.
"Mario, Santi," he looked at the two defensive midfielders.
"Your task is to mark Mikel Rico closely, cutting off their midfield supply. Without Rico's passes, Shinji Okazaki is like water without a source."
Suárez and Comesaña exchanged glances and nodded heavily.
Meanwhile, in an apartment in downtown Madrid, Esther sat in front of a dressing table, letting her makeup artist friend "paint" her face.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Lucía, the makeup artist, paused her brush in mid-air, her expression worried. "What if you get discovered?"
"I won't," Esther looked at her gradually "ordinary" reflection in the mirror, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"I just want to experience cheering for him like a regular fan."
Lucía shook her head and continued her work. She drew freckles on Esther's face, covered her iconic golden long hair with a wig, and even put temporary braces on her teeth.
"Now even your mother wouldn't recognize you," Lucía stepped back, scrutinizing her "masterpiece."
The Esther in the mirror was completely transformed, from a radiant movie star to an ordinary-looking girl.
"Perfect," Esther nodded in satisfaction, pulling an old Rayo Vallecano jersey from the wardrobe. "Now, I am Lu Chuan's most loyal fan."
On the other side of the stadium, Lu Chuan was making his final preparations. He checked his shin guards, adjusted his socks, but his mind was on Esther's crazy plan.
"This is too crazy!" He vehemently opposed it on the phone last night. "
The stands are full of the most radical fans, singing and jumping. What if there's a collision? It's too dangerous!"
"I just want to experience the feeling of cheering wildly for you," Esther's attitude was unusually firm, with a hint of willfulness in her voice.
"I don't want to always hide in the vip box. I want to stand in the stands, like everyone who loves you, and feel your every breath and heartbeat. Don't worry, I'll protect myself."
Her words warmed Lu Chuan's heart and also put immense pressure on him.
Seeing the longing and determination in Esther's eyes, he finally compromised. He knew this was her way of expressing love, and he could not and had no right to deprive her of it.
"You promise me, you must be careful," Lu Chuan repeatedly urged.
"I promise you," Esther's voice was soft and firm.
An hour before the match, Carlos found Lu Chuan. His expression was somewhat excited, and he held a stack of documents.
"Lu, I have good news," Carlos lowered his voice. "
Aula Virtual's stock price has risen another 30%, and your return on investment now exceeds 300%."
Lu Chuan's heart stirred. The success of this investment laid a solid foundation for his future business empire.
"And another proposal," Carlos opened the documents. "I've discovered a mobile game studio that's developing a social competitive party mobile game.
Although it's still in its infancy, I think it has great potential."
Lu Chuan took the documents and quickly scanned their contents.
The studio's core concept immediately caught his eye—a casual, social, and highly competitive party mobile game, which perfectly aligned with the market trends he remembered from his previous life.
"Invest," Lu Chuan made the decision without hesitation.
"Lu, you're not like a player at all; you're more like an investor from the future," Carlos was utterly impressed.
"Your strategies might make you a Forbes list figure in ten years."
Lu Chuan smiled, saying nothing more. The system's existence was not only his golden touch on the field but also a "catalyst" for his business ventures.
He used future information to accurately plant seeds, waiting for them to grow into towering trees later on.
In the player tunnel, Lu Chuan and his teammates lined up, ready to enter the field. His heartbeat echoed in his chest, and his palms were slightly sweaty.
"Ready?" Trejo whispered beside him.
"Ready," Lu Chuan took a deep breath, Esther's made-up appearance flashing in his mind.
Last night, she described the "ugly makeup" she was about to put on over the phone, making him laugh heartily.
This pre-battle calm and sweetness greatly relaxed his tense nerves.
"Remember, today we're not just fighting for ourselves," Trejo clenched his fist. "We're fighting for everyone who supports us."
Lu Chuan nodded, recalling the video in the rain and the fans' unwavering persistence.
The roar of the stadium reached them, the shouts of thirty thousand fans forming a tsunami of sound.
Lu Chuan followed his teammates out of the player tunnel, and the heat of Vallecas Stadium instantly enveloped him.
A red and white ocean surged in the stands, scarves, flags, and banners interwoven into a spectacular picture. Lu Chuan habitually looked towards the vip box, which was empty.
His gaze shifted to the South Stand, the gathering place for the Bukaneros ultras.
In that most fervent red ocean, was there a special figure cheering for him?
Lu Chuan took a deep breath, feeling the immense energy from the stands. Against Huesca, for promotion, and for that special she in the stands, this battle, he must win!
Huesca's players also emerged from the player tunnel, their expressions serious and focused.
Shinji Okazaki stood out in the lineup, his eyes sharp, exuding the aura of an experienced veteran.
The players from both teams lined up in the center circle, preparing for the pre-match ceremony. Lu Chuan looked at the opposing lineup, silently analyzing the characteristics of each opponent.
Huesca's head coach, Míchel, stood on the sidelines, his tactical notebook densely filled with notes on Rayo Vallecano's technical and tactical characteristics.
This experienced coach had clearly prepared thoroughly for this match.
"Lu Chuan's running habits, shooting angles, passing routes, we've studied them all," Míchel told his players during training yesterday.
The referee checked his watch, ready to blow the whistle to start the match. Lu Chuan adjusted his shin guards, feeling the elasticity of the grass under his feet.
The fans in the stands had already begun to sing the team anthem, their voices echoing through the sky.
In a corner of the South Stand, a "regular fan" wearing a wig and freckles nervously clutched her friend's arm, her heart pounding as if it would burst from her chest.
Esther had never been so close to such a fervent atmosphere; the stands beneath her vibrated with the fans' jumping, and the immense sound made her eardrums hum.
"First time watching a game?" A middle-aged man beside her noticed her nervousness.
"Yes," Esther tried to make her voice sound normal, her heart racing. "I'm a fan of Lu Chuan."
"That kid's good!" The man gave a thumbs-up. "Hope he scores today!"
The referee raised his whistle, ready to signal the start of the match.
Lu Chuan took one last look in the direction of the South Stand, then focused all his attention on the upcoming match.
For promotion, for the fans, and for that special she hidden in the crowd, he had to give his all in this battle.