"So you are Zhang Xu, no wonder you're so formidable!" After the match, Yang Guang, Zhang Wuyong, and others found Zhang Xu, who was surrounded by players and students, and sincerely praised him.
"Hehe, I wouldn't say I'm that great. I'm just persisting in my dream!" Zhang Xu replied modestly with a smile.
"Persisting in a dream?" Yang Guang and the others murmured to themselves. 'Dream' was once a sacred term, but after the vicissitudes of life, it had quietly slipped away. How many of them are still pursuing the dreams they once had?
Maybe, they should really go back to being the young dreamers they once were!
After the encounter, Yang Guang and others were truly motivated, and eventually, all three of them made it into the main lineup of their teams, shaking off the embarrassing label of 'substitute'. But that's a story for another time. Let's not dwell on it here.
After being surrounded by students for autographs and photos for an hour, Zhang Xu was tired and aching, even more so than after playing a formal match.
Eventually, his childhood friend Li Jinshan couldn't stand to watch any longer. He gathered the team's players and persuaded the students to leave, finally bringing an end to this impromptu Zhang Xu signing session.
"Xuzi, it feels so good to slap someone in the face! You should have seen He Tao's face after the match; it was as black as the bottom of a pot! Haha!" An hour later, Zhang Xu, Nicole, and Li Jinshan sat in an elegant café, chatting over coffee. As soon as they sat down, Li Jinshan burst into laughter recalling He Tao's expression.
Zhang Xu just smiled, not caring much about such matters. He had gained something from the match too. At the start, the system had actually issued a side quest.
After completing it effortlessly, Zhang Xu earned 200 experience points, as well as 1 point in shooting and 1 point in vision.
Gaining experience and attributes in an amateur match was an unexpected delight. Plus, it helped his friend vent, which made Zhang Xu somewhat happy.
"Ding-dong! Ding-dong!"
At that moment, Zhang Xu's phone rang. He looked at the number, a strange one from Xiangzhong City. After a moment's thought, unable to recall any acquaintances from there, he declined the call.
However, the call came again shortly after, prompting Zhang Xu to reluctantly answer.
"Hello, Zhang Xu speaking. This is He Jiong from 'Happy Camp'. May I have a few minutes of your time?"
"He Jiong?" Zhang Xu was surprised. He didn't expect a call from the famous host of Hunan Satellite TV's 'Happy Camp'. "Oh, hello, Teacher He Jiong!"
Hearing it was He Jiong, Li Jinshan was also surprised and curiously eavesdropped.
"Ha, I'm no teacher of yours, everyone knows Zhang Xu is the super scholar." He Jiong laughed over the phone and continued, "I'm calling to discuss something with you, if you don't mind."
"Please go ahead!" Zhang Xu, tired of Li Jinshan hovering, put the call on speaker so everyone could hear.
"We've heard you're back in the country and apparently in Xiangzhong City. We at Hunan Satellite TV are wondering if you'd be interested in recording an episode of 'Happy Camp' with us?"
Record a show? Me? Zhang Xu and Li Jinshan were momentarily stunned.
Turns out, after the news of Zhang Xu's encounter with Yang Zi spread in the media and then the news of him playing football at Hunan Normal University, Hunan Satellite TV saw an opportunity. They believed that inviting the well-known and locally from Hunan province, Zhang Xu, to 'Happy Camp' could significantly boost their ratings.
So, Hunan Satellite TV decided to contact Zhang Xu and arranged for their top host, He Jiong, to personally make the call.
"Wow, 'Happy Camp'! Xuzi, you must agree! I love this show! You must go!" Li Jinshan seemed even more excited than Zhang Xu, shouting for him to participate.
"But it's a comedy show, and I'm not good at being funny!" Zhang Xu was hesitant about appearing on TV and a bit resistant.
"No problem, Zhang Xu," He Jiong reassured over the phone. "We'll handle the comedy; you just need to cooperate with us."
"Exactly, exactly, Teacher He Jiong is a master of comedy and sentiment. What are you worried about? Go on, but remember to take me with you!" Li Jinshan eagerly encouraged.
"Heh, Li Shanzi, you sure you don't have other motives?"
"Truthfully, I just want an autograph from Teacher He Jiong! You go on the show, and I'll be in the audience. Afterwards, I'll get an autograph from Teacher He Jiong. Simple, right?"
"Alright then!" Zhang Xu laughed and then addressed the phone, "Teacher He Jiong, I agree. However, my time back in the country is quite limited. Could we arrange the recording soon?"
"Of course, no problem. If you're available, it's Saturday night. Heck we could record tonight if you're free."
"Tonight?" Zhang Xu was astonished. "That's really soon. I'm available, but are you sure I can do it?"
"Absolutely!"
"Alright then!" Zhang Xu thought, it's just one episode. If he could handle reporters, surely he could manage a variety show.
"So, where are you now? We'll send a car right away!"
Zhang Xu gave his location.
"Great, please wait for about twenty minutes, our car will be there shortly!" With that, He Jiong hung up.
Forty minutes later, Zhang Xu and others were sitting in a meeting room at Hunan Satellite TV.
"Hello, hello, Zhang Xu, welcome to Hunan Satellite TV!" He Jiong and others were already waiting in the meeting room. As Zhang Xu entered, they stood up to greet him.
"Hello, Teacher He Jiong, you look so young! I feel like you're even fresher than me!" Zhang Xu joked.
"Haha, I love hearing that, say it again!" He Jiong, a true variety show host, played along with Zhang Xu's joke, causing everyone to burst into laughter.
"Wow, Teacher Xie Na! Teacher Weijia! Teacher Wu Xin, and Brother Er!" Li Jinshan greeted his idols one by one, yelling excitedly.
When He Jiong and the others saw Nicole, they were instantly intrigued. After Zhang Xu introduced her, He Jiong immediately thought Nicole should also join the program as a guest.
"Er, Teacher He Jiong, could I also go up and play a supporting role? I can act anything, even a dog if needed!" Li Jinshan pleaded pitifully, even mimicking a dog's bark, drawing laughter from everyone present.
After a brief planning session, everyone got busy with the intense preparations for recording.
At 7:50 pm, Zhang Xu and Nicole, all made up, waited backstage at the 'Happy Camp' studio, ready to appear at any moment.
At 8:10 pm, the recording officially began.
It started with a fiery dance and music, then He Jiong and Xie Na, wearing the jerseys of the White Star team and holding a soccer ball, made their entrance from the back.
Amidst screams from the audience, He Jiong struck a soccer pose and spoke into the mic, "Is it really that hard to play soccer? I feel like I'm even more Messi than Messi himself!"
"You're more Messi than Messi? Then am I more Zhang Xu than Zhang Xu?" Xie Na also struck an exaggerated dribbling pose, confidently declaring.
The audience burst into laughter.
"Are you sure you're talking about Zhang Xu, the one who plays in Belgium, and not some counterfeit Zhang Xu?" He Jiong stopped posing and asked quizzically.
"Of course, it's the real one. Who else would it be?"
"I thought," He Jiong paused dramatically, "you meant this Zhang Xu!" He gestured behind him.
Music started, and Zhang Xu and Nicole, both in jerseys, walked hand in hand from backstage, greeting the audience as they went, "Hello everyone, I'm Zhang Xu, and I'm delighted to be here at 'Happy Camp'!"
The studio went wild. When the audience saw He Jiong and Xie Na in jerseys, they were puzzled, but seeing Zhang Xu, they erupted in screams.
"Just now you mentioned Zhang Xu, how come there are two now? Does that mean there are two Zhang Xu's? A male and a female?" Xie Na joked timely.
"Well, I'm not sure about that." He Jiong pretended to ponder, "Why don't you ask?"
"Hello everyone, my name is Nicole, and I'm Zhang Xu's classmate. I'm very happy to be in China!" Nicole introduced herself in broken Chinese.
"Oh, so this beautiful blonde isn't Zhang Xu but Zhang Xu's classmate! You scared me!" Xie Na clutched her chest in a mock frightened pose, drawing continuous laughter from the crowd.
"We heard that when Zhang Xu was playing in Belgium, he had a special move called 'powerful long shot'. Should we ask Zhang Xu to demonstrate it here?" He Jiong suggested, and the audience loudly cheered in agreement.
"Are you sure you want me to demonstrate here?" Zhang Xu asked, playing along.
"Yes, is there a problem?"
"Well, if the ball hits the flowers and plants, will you compensate?"
The audience laughed again.
"I'll compensate for the flora, you compensate for any equipment, and if it hits the audience, Xie Na, you cover it! If it hits the staff, hehe, Nicole, you handle it. We have clear divisions, right?"
"Ha ha ha ha!" He Jiong's serious demeanor had the audience in stitches.
"Alright, you win!" Zhang Xu took the soccer ball from He Jiong's hand and got ready to kick.
"Hey, hey, that's too small, get a bigger one!" He Jiong stopped him.
"Too small? You want a bigger one?" Zhang Xu was confused.
"Yes, look over there, the big 'soccer ball' is coming!" He Jiong pointed to the back.
"Ah, here I come!" With several bizarre yells, Weijia, Brother Er, and Wu Xin, dressed in jerseys, rolled their way to the front.
"Ha ha ha ha..."
This time, not only the audience but even Zhang Xu couldn't help but laugh uncontrollably.