Chapter 1543 1542

In everyone's eyes, the Yun City Team had just gone through a disaster, with their most important head coach and striker missing the match, so this game was definitely a loss.

The situation in the first forty minutes of the first half seemed to confirm everyone's thoughts, but in the fortieth minute, the Yun City Team used a counterattack that nobody saw coming to tell everyone that they hadn't been knocked down.

The match suddenly became full of suspense.

This also drew more and more viewers to this game, the ratings skyrocketed, and by the start of the second half they had hit a peak. This was unprecedented popularity; for a Huaxia Super League match, it was practically a myth.

And all of this was brought by one man.

Lin Fan.

This man behind the Yun City Team was the key figure stirring up the storms.

Not many people realized this yet, but one day everyone would know that Huaxia football owed Lin Fan thanks.

At this moment, the one under the spotlight was the teenager Wu Lei; this genius player playing his first official match had become the focus.

Wu Lei's heart was still relatively calm. He was very clear that the reason he could stand on the pitch and have this chance was because Lin Fan had given it to him. Otherwise, he would never have had such an opportunity in his entire life; it would have remained a dream forever out of reach.

So he had only one thought: to give everything to perform, to win this game for Mr. Lin. He wanted to help the team win, and at the same time prove to Mr. Lin that Mr. Lin had not been wrong in choosing him.

In this match, he fought for himself, and he fought for Lin Fan.

According to the strategy laid out by Lin Fan, as soon as the second half started, the Yun City Team immediately went on the attack, a stark contrast to the conservative play of the first half.

The Hang City Team's momentum was just as fierce.

During halftime, Jin Jiufu personally went to fire up the players. Jin Jiufu demanded that in the second half they had to crush the Yun City Team no matter what, never give them any chance to counterattack, hit them to death.

So as soon as the second half kicked off, the battle between the two sides became extremely intense.

Fans of both teams were watching nervously, all clenching their fists, some even so tense they were having trouble breathing.

People watching the online livestream, and countless viewers sitting in front of their TVs, were just as tense; they had been completely drawn into this game.

This feeling was practically the same as watching the World Cup.

"We can see both sides' players are really full of fight. In my opinion, it's been a long time since we've seen such an exciting Huaxia Super League match. Right now both teams are going back and forth, locked in a stalemate. Looking at the stats, the Hang City Team has a slight edge in all aspects and is in the ascendant, but the Yun City Team is not far behind either. It's really hard to tell the winner at this point. Teacher Lu, what do you think?" the host asked.

Lu Dong said, "You can tell the Hang City Team has adjusted its tactics, and that makes me feel very relieved, because they've patched their only weakness—the slightly loose back line. As I said before, in the first half the Hang City Team's momentum was too strong, they pressed the Yun City Team so hard they had no room to fight back. With that lack of worries at the back, it was inevitable they'd get careless and let the Yun City Team rely on luck to score on a counter. Now the Hang City Team has adjusted and plugged the hole in its defense. They're attacking fiercely while still taking care of the back line. They're practically flawless now!" Lu Dong lavishly praised the Hang City Team, as if he wished he could blow them up into the sky.

It wasn't that Lu Dong particularly loved the Hang City Team; he was just using them as a tool to disparage the Yun City Team.

He didn't like the Hang City Team; he just disliked the Yun City Team.

The host said, "Then what does Teacher Lu think of the Yun City Team? That beautiful counterattack in the first half had the fans cheering. How does Teacher Lu see it?"

Lu Dong snorted and said, "I won't say much more about that goal; I already commented on it before. As for the Yun City Team right now, they may look full of fighting spirit, but in my view they're just a bunch of rash brutes. Look at how loose their organization is; they only know how to throw themselves forward. A team like this is impossible to win with!"

The host said, "So it seems Teacher Lu thinks the Yun City Team will lose."

Lu Dong said, "If Wu Da were here, the Yun City Team might still have some hope. Wu Da was, after all, once a genius player. It's a pity he couldn't come, and the Yun City Team has thrown itself into chaos. Not like the Hang City Team—Hang City has always been very stable. And I can see the Hang City Team's boss, Jin Jiufu, is also in the stands. Mr. Jin himself was an excellent player; he's an owner who understands football. I believe that during halftime Mr. Jin definitely personally instructed the Hang City Team. That's the Hang City Team's advantage."

At the stadium, in the stands.

Jin Jiufu had already returned to his seat. Watching his team attacking bravely, he showed a satisfied smile.

Lin Fan certainly didn't know what he had done during halftime.

He had personally boosted the players and promised that if they won this game, he would take out 5 million in cash to reward the team.

Heavy rewards call forth brave men; Jin Jiufu understood this very well. Money can make the devil grind the mill—nothing motivates more fiercely than cash.

Jin Jiufu glanced proudly at Lin Fan and said, "Mr. Lin, looks like my players are still a cut above. I let your boys have a chance to counterattack in the first half, but this time, I'm afraid your players won't get that kind of opportunity again."

Lin Fan said, "Mr. Jin, it's a bit early to say that. Besides, chances are never 'given' by others; they're seized by oneself. I'm not going to just pull some random guy off the street to play. I only give opportunities to people who are prepared."

Jin Jiufu said, "What are you trying to say, Mr. Lin?"

What Lin Fan wanted to express was a very simple principle: you have to be hard yourself to forge iron. Opportunities don't just fall on you for no reason. Even if a chance really does drop into your lap, if you don't have enough ability, you won't be able to catch it. So you first have to strengthen yourself, and then when opportunity arrives, you can ride the wind up.

Applied to football, Lin Fan wasn't casually handing out chances to play; it was about discovering good seedlings. So first you have to be a good seedling before Lin Fan will select you.

Recently Lin Fan had seen an example online: a young man from a village who dreamed of becoming a model. But given his background, it was almost impossible for him to get that chance. So this young man started shooting short videos, designing his own clothes; the village paths and countryside became his stage.

He became popular and attracted attention from modeling platforms, which all extended olive branches to him. He finally realized his dream.

This story seems like a motivational tale, telling everyone that as long as you stick to your dream, you'll succeed.

But what Lin Fan saw went beyond that. This village youth was indeed very hard‑working, and his success was inseparable from his effort and struggle.

Yet the real reason he could succeed also included one more thing: his appearance. A model needs very superior conditions in height and looks.

If that young man had only been one meter fifty tall and looked utterly ordinary, then at most he would just be a click‑bait internet celebrity; he would never truly step onto the catwalk.

The real message of this story is that you have to do what you're good at, and only by working hard in the right direction do you have a chance to succeed. If you're putting your effort into the wrong direction, you cannot succeed.

Lin Fan smiled faintly and said, "What I want to tell you is that I have my reasons for putting Wu Lei on the pitch. This match is the battle I'm gifting him to make his name."