What are you looking at! Haven't you seen a pretty girl before? So what if you won the game!"
Esther's friend reacted quickly, pulling her behind her and shouting at the burly man.
The burly man was somewhat stunned by the sudden reprimand, his alcohol-addled brain unable to process it immediately.
He shook his head, muttering, "I just thought she looked familiar..."
"Familiar my foot! You're drunk!" Her friend continued to act, pulling Esther's arm and diving into the crowd.
While the burly man was still dazed, the two girls quickly merged into the departing crowd.
Esther's heart was pounding, her wig was a little askew, and her makeup was even more ruined by the excitement and tears.
"Hurry, hurry!" Her friend urged in a low voice.
They almost jogged off the stands, only breathing a sigh of relief when they reached the parking lot.
Esther leaned against the car door, panting heavily, her hands still trembling slightly.
"Oh my god, I was almost recognized just now!" She patted her chest.
In the car, the two girls looked at each other's comical makeup and burst out laughing.
Esther looked at her tear-streaked face in the passenger-side vanity mirror; half of her false eyelashes had fallen off.
"Oh god, this is definitely the most embarrassing and most exciting day of my life."
She haphazardly wiped the smudges from her face with a wet wipe. "What do I look like now? A circus clown?"
"Like a woman crazy in love," her friend joked. "I've never seen you so out of control.
Normally so elegant in front of the camera, Miss Esther Eperost was just jumping around like a madwoman."
"Shut up!" Esther blushed. "That was... that was involuntary."
"Involuntary?" Her friend raised an eyebrow. "Still saying you're not in love?"
Esther didn't retort, just looked at her disheveled but happy face in the mirror. Yes, she was in love, head over heels.
Lu Chuan finished the post-match interviews and celebrations, then secretly slipped out of the stadium. He changed into plain clothes, put on a hat, and left through a side door like an ordinary fan.
In the parking lot, he saw the unassuming Mini Cooper.
Esther had already changed back into her own clothes, but her makeup wasn't completely removed, making her look a little comical.
"My goddess has turned into a clown." Lu Chuan couldn't help but laugh, gently wiping away the remaining makeup from her cheeks.
"Was it worth it?" His voice was soft, his eyes filled with tenderness. "You were almost discovered, how dangerous."
Esther nodded heavily: "For you, anything is worth it."
Her voice was a little choked, whether from the recent scare or the excitement she felt when she saw Lu Chuan's winning goal.
"You don't know, the moment you shot, my heart almost jumped out."
She hugged him tightly. "That feeling... was ten thousand times more exciting than when I first won Best Actress."
Lu Chuan stroked her hair: "Don't take such risks again."
"No!" Esther stubbornly shook her head. "I want to be crazy for you, and cheer for you, just like all the people who love you."
Back at Lu Chuan's apartment, he took off his sweat-soaked jersey.
Esther saw the bruises on his body from being tackled by the opposing defender, and her heart ached so much that tears almost fell.
"Does it hurt?" She gently stroked the purplish marks.
"It doesn't hurt." Lu Chuan smiled. "These are all medals of victory."
Esther brought an ice pack and carefully applied it to his injuries. Her movements were very light, afraid of hurting him.
The glory and pain on the field contrasted sharply with the tenderness of the moment.
"I finally understand now why players' wives worry so much about their husbands' games," Esther murmured softly. "Every game is taking a physical risk."
"You worry about me?" Lu Chuan raised an eyebrow.
"Of course I worry." Esther rolled her eyes at him. "Do you think I have a heart of stone?"
Lu Chuan suddenly remembered something, looking at her with a mischievous smile: "By the way, didn't you say before the game that,
if we made it to the Copa del Rey final, you would agree to one condition of mine? Although we didn't make it to the final, does the 'any condition' wager still count for today's victory?"
Esther's face instantly turned red. She lowered her head and nodded gently.
Lu Chuan reached out a finger and gently tapped her nose: "My condition is... you're not allowed to go to the South Stand anymore, it's too dangerous.
If you want to watch the game, I'll reserve the best seat in the vip box for you."
Esther was stunned for a moment, then a little disappointed: "That's it?"
"That's it." Lu Chuan looked at her seriously. "I can't let the person I love most take any risks."
A warm current surged through Esther's heart. This man always silently protected her and cared for her safety.
The next morning, Lu Chuan was awakened by his phone ringing. Carlos's voice was filled with uncontrollable excitement: "Lu! Have you seen today's newspaper?"
"Not yet." Lu Chuan rubbed his eyes and sat up.
"AS is calling you the 'Savior of Vallecas'! Marca predicts you'll be the strongest contender for this season's segunda división Best Player!"
Carlos's voice grew more and more excited. "All the sports media are singing praises for last night's game!"
Lu Chuan picked up the newspaper from the bedside table; the front-page headline was indeed a large photo from last night's game—the moment he celebrated by taking off his shirt.
"There's even better news." Carlos continued to report, "Huesca coach Míchel said convincingly at the post-match press conference: 'We lost to a phenomenal player. His second goal was a wonder goal, you can't defend against it. Rayo Vallecano deserved this victory.'"
"Recognition from opponents is more valuable than media hype." Lu Chuan nodded.
"Oh, and there's another piece of news." Carlos's tone became even more excited,
"The video of your winning goal last night went viral on the Chinese internet; the number of followers for 'Lu Chuan Super Topic' broke a million overnight! Fans spontaneously organized to leave messages under the official Weibo of the Chinese Football Association, demanding 'justice for Lu Chuan,' and the momentum is huge."
Lu Chuan was silent for a while. The support from domestic fans touched him, but thinking of his break with the Football Association, his feelings were still somewhat complicated.
"Anything else?" he asked.
"Major breakthrough on the business front!" Carlos's voice practically jumped out of the phone,
"After defeating Huesca, several international brands that were previously on the fence have now proactively sent in letters of intent for cooperation! Coca-Cola, Mercedes-Benz, Adidas... all top brands! Your commercial value is skyrocketing at a visible rate!"
"Specific contract terms can be discussed later." Lu Chuan responded rationally, "The most important thing now is to focus on preparing for the game."
After hanging up the phone, Lu Chuan looked at the Madrid sunshine outside the window, his mood complex. Success came too quickly, sometimes giving him an unreal feeling.
In the afternoon, to celebrate last night's victory and to make up for Esther's "adventure," Lu Chuan made a romantic decision.
He booked a small cinema in downtown Madrid, just for their date.
"Are you crazy? Booking the entire cinema?" Esther was both surprised and touched.
"If I don't go crazy once, how can I live up to that winning goal last night?" Lu Chuan led her by the hand into the empty cinema.
They bought popcorn and cola like the most ordinary couple and watched an old-fashioned romance movie.
Esther rested her head on Lu Chuan's shoulder, enjoying this rare moment of tranquility.
"This is more romantic than any fancy restaurant," she whispered in the dark.
"AS long AS you like it." Lu Chuan lightly kissed her hair.
When the movie ended, Esther looked at the empty cinema with reluctance: "When can we be together openly?"
"That day will come." Lu Chuan squeezed her hand. "Once I establish myself in La Liga, and your career reaches new heights, we can go public."
Sweet times are always fleeting. The next day, the team plunged into intense preparations for the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final.
This time, all of Madrid was filled with anticipation for them.
On the training ground, Paco Jémez's expression was more serious than ever: "gentlemen, all of Madrid is watching us.
This is the closest our generation of Rayo Vallecano players has ever been to history."
The players' training intensity significantly increased, and everyone could feel the heavy weight of expectation.
Just at this critical moment of team preparation, unexpected news came from San Sebastián.
"Isak is injured!" The fitness coach excitedly rushed onto the training ground,
"Real Sociedad's main striker, Swedish international Isak, was accidentally injured in the last League match and will miss the second leg against us!"
The entire training ground instantly fell silent, then erupted in a huge cheer.
"This is heaven helping us!" Trejo waved his fists excitedly.
"Without Isak, their attacking power will drop significantly!" Suárez also jumped up excitedly.
Paco, however, remained calm. He clapped his hands: "Quiet! Quiet! Don't celebrate too early!
Real Sociedad is still a strong team; players like Ødegaard and Oyarzabal are still in the squad. We must not let our guard down!"
Training resumed, but everyone could feel a subtle shift in the atmosphere.
The scales of victory seemed to be tipping towards Rayo Vallecano.
Lu Chuan looked at his teammates' excited expressions, but remained vigilant in his heart. He knew that it was precisely at such times that one could least afford to relax.
Anything can happen on a football field.
That night, he lay in bed, unable to sleep for a long time. The temptation of the Copa del Rey final was too great; it would be the most important stage of his professional career to date.
Outside the window, the Madrid night was deep and quiet, AS if holding its breath for the upcoming major battle.