Chapter 216: Lin Quan Chasing De Bruyne Under the Moonlight, The Twin Stars Reunite!
Seeing the familiar name on the caller ID, De Bruyne hesitated, unsure whether to answer the phone.
Thinking about leaving the Premier League soon, running back to the Bundesliga like a deserter, De Bruyne bit his lip and refused Lin Quan's call.
He didn't know how to face him at this moment.
They both came to the Premier League at the same time, one as the Bundesliga top scorer, the other as the assist king.
Yet, in different teams, their fates diverged drastically.
Lin Quan became the core of Manchester City, leading them to their most glorious achievements in history, gaining recognition as one of the most promising superstars in football.
His journey in the Premier League was undoubtedly a success.
But what about himself?
When he first came to the Premier League, he was full of confidence. Now, he was dejected and depressed, having to leave the Premier League in disgrace.
De Bruyne was a very proud person and also somewhat introverted and sensitive.
If his relationship with Lin Quan were just ordinary, he might have taken the call.
But his bond with Lin Quan was too strong. At this moment, he didn't know how to face his close friend, especially when he would inevitably ask about his situation. He didn't know how to respond.
Should he directly tell him that he couldn't adapt to the Premier League, couldn't get playing time at Chelsea, and had to break their promise and leave like a deserter?
Forget it!
His pride wouldn't allow it!
…
"This guy hung up on me?"
On the other end of the phone, seeing his call refused, Lin Quan was slightly surprised.
Something must be going on with De Bruyne.
Thinking of De Bruyne's personality, Lin Quan became even more certain of his judgment.
So, he called Kompany.
Kompany was surprised to get a call from Lin Quan so late:
"What's up, Lin? Do you need something this late?"
"Sorry to bother you, Captain. I want to ask if you know De Bruyne's address in London?"
Kompany and De Bruyne were national teammates, so Lin Quan thought he might know something.
"I'm not sure, but I can ask Courtois. He's close with De Bruyne."
Lin Quan: "…"
Sharing a girlfriend, they must be quite close indeed!
Half an hour later, Kompany gave Lin Quan an address.
Lin Quan thought about it. Although he could go tomorrow, next week was FIFA international match week, and De Bruyne, being a mainstay in Belgium's midfield, might return to Belgium early.
Since De Bruyne had refused his call, knowing him, he might leave early to avoid being found.
With this in mind, Lin Quan didn't hesitate. He grabbed his car keys and drove straight to London.
Manchester is about 300 kilometers from London. Driving fast, it would take around three hours.
Finally, around 1 AM, Lin Quan arrived outside De Bruyne's place.
Bang, bang, bang!
After checking the house number, Lin Quan knocked heavily on De Bruyne's door.
At this hour, De Bruyne was probably already asleep. If he didn't knock hard, De Bruyne might not hear it.
However, to his surprise, the lights in De Bruyne's house turned on after just one knock.
Was this guy not asleep yet?
"Who's there?"
De Bruyne's cautious voice came from behind the door.
London's security isn't great. Anyone would be nervous being knocked on like this in the middle of the night.
"It's me, Lin Quan!"
After hearing Lin Quan's name, the house fell silent. De Bruyne didn't make a sound.
He probably didn't expect Lin Quan to come from Manchester so quickly.
"Don't play dead, I know you're in there. Open the door, or I'll drive my car through it. You know how decisive I am!"
With a creak, De Bruyne finally opened the door under Lin Quan's pressure.
"Got anything to eat? I'm hungry after driving for hours!"
Entering the house, Lin Quan glanced at De Bruyne, but didn't ask directly what was going on.
De Bruyne was caught off guard. He had been ready to face his friend's questioning, but Lin Quan didn't follow the script.
"There's half a pizza in the fridge, but it's cold."
"Is there a microwave? Just heat it up. I'm not picky."
From the look of things, De Bruyne didn't seem like someone who cooked. That pizza was probably leftover takeout.
Lin Quan could cook, but he had just played a match and then driven over three hours from Manchester to London. He was exhausted and barely keeping his eyes open, having no energy to cook.
De Bruyne naturally had a microwave. A few minutes later, the reheated half pizza was on the table.
Lin Quan didn't mind. He ate while glancing around De Bruyne's place.
It was his first time at De Bruyne's home. Previously, when visiting Chelsea, he wanted to drop by.
But before that, Manchester City had played three away games, and the team was exhausted. After that match, they didn't stay in London but returned directly to Manchester, ruining Lin Quan's plans.
"Sit down. Why are you so tense in your own house?"
Seeing De Bruyne standing there nervously, not sure whether to sit or stand, Lin Quan found it amusing.
This guy looked like a kid who did something wrong, waiting to face the parents.
Am I that scary?
De Bruyne nodded and sat on the sofa.
Lin Quan pointed to the unfinished pizza, "Want some?"
De Bruyne shook his head.
Finishing the pizza quickly, Lin Quan wiped his mouth with a napkin and looked around.
"What are you looking for?"
This time, De Bruyne took the initiative to ask.
"A place to sleep, of course. It's almost 2 AM. Aren't you tired?"
De Bruyne thought to himself, I was tired, but you showing up out of nowhere scared the sleep out of me. Now I'm wide awake.
Since rejecting Lin Quan's call, De Bruyne had been on edge, feeling something was bound to happen.
And indeed, something did happen!
Lin Quan had driven overnight from Manchester to see him, which was unexpected but made sense upon reflection.
This was totally in line with his style.
The more silent Lin Quan was, the more uneasy De Bruyne felt, like he had done something wrong.
Lin Quan yawned; he was truly exhausted.
Luckily, he had a break coming up with no matches. Otherwise, this night's ordeal would leave him in no shape for tomorrow.
De Bruyne became more confused by Lin Quan's intentions. He came, ate, and now wanted to sleep.
Wasn't he here to question him?
But with Lin Quan not speaking up, De Bruyne didn't dare to ask.
So, he led Lin Quan to the guest bedroom.
Lin Quan fell asleep immediately, while De Bruyne tossed and turned.
Nothing more was said that night. Both slept late, waking up the next morning around 9:30 AM.
"Good morning, come have breakfast, I made it!"
Lin Quan greeted De Bruyne, who had dark circles under his eyes, and after taking off his apron and washing his hands, he sat down at the dining table.
De Bruyne looked over to see toast, fried eggs, breakfast tea, and a large bowl of some kind of soup.
Out of respect for Lin Quan, De Bruyne tried a sip of the soup.
His eyes lit up after tasting it! At first, it tasted a bit sour, but then the flavor turned sweet, and the rich, savory taste stimulated his taste buds, making him hungry. He quickly finished the entire bowl.
"How is it, tasty?"
"Yes, it's delicious!"
"Hehe, this is called tomato and egg soup, a very tasty and inexpensive dish in Chinese cuisine. If you like it, I can give you the recipe, and you can try making it yourself!"
Seeing De Bruyne's interest, Lin Quan explained.
Tomato and egg soup is one of the simplest soups, loved by many.
Besides liver and lean meat soup and radish and pig blood soup, this was Lin Quan's third favorite soup.
Compared to ordering takeout or eating whatever was available at home, today's breakfast was definitely the most sumptuous and delicious meal De Bruyne had had in a long time.
He never knew Lin Quan had such cooking skills.
Not only was he great at playing football, but he was also excellent at cooking.
Thinking of this, De Bruyne felt even more inadequate.
"What time is your flight?"
Seeing De Bruyne's packed suitcase, Lin Quan guessed he might be flying back to Belgium today for national team duties, so he asked.
"At eleven-thirty in the morning."
"Cancel it. I couldn't get a ticket for that flight; switch to the next one!"
"Oh!"
De Bruyne obediently did as he was told, but after buying the new ticket, he realized something was off.
"Wait, why are you getting a ticket for the same flight as me?"
"Why? Of course, I'm going to Belgium to see how you perform with the national team!"
Lin Quan looked De Bruyne up and down:
"I'm curious, after two months without a match, if you can still perform!"
…
It turned out De Bruyne was in excellent form.
In a friendly match between Belgium and Colombia, he scored one goal and assisted another, helping the team to a 2-2 draw.
In another match against Japan, he scored twice and assisted once, leading the team to a 3-2 victory.
After watching the two matches, Lin Quan was reassured about De Bruyne's form.
Though he hadn't played for Chelsea, he clearly hadn't slacked off in training and hadn't given up on himself.
From his physical performance in the matches, Lin Quan felt he was even stronger than when he first arrived at Chelsea.
Although he still had some defensive issues, as long as he wasn't used solely as a defensive player, his current defensive capabilities were completely adequate.
Lin Quan couldn't understand why Mourinho didn't value him!
At this moment, De Bruyne was at least half a tier stronger than he had been in the same period in the original timeline.
Thinking this, Lin Quan straightforwardly said to De Bruyne:
"Come to Manchester City. Let's join forces and make a new world for ourselves at City!"
Manchester City happened to need a passing master to free up Lin Quan.
And De Bruyne had just that ability. Given their relationship and chemistry, they were undoubtedly the best partners.
"You followed me for seven or eight days just to say this?"
De Bruyne put his hands on his hips, looking at Lin Quan with a mix of exasperation and amusement.
Lin Quan had stayed with him in Belgium for over a week, supposedly to assess his form.
De Bruyne suspected Lin Quan hadn't been this attentive even with his girlfriend. "You cheeky guy, are you trying to say that if I had invited you on the first day, you would have agreed?"
"Of course, how could I refuse the invitation to fight alongside you?"
De Bruyne smiled as he extended his hand.
Lin Quan also smiled and extended his hand, and they shook hands firmly.
Just then, De Bruyne's phone rang.
It was his agent, Patrick.
"Kevin, Wolfsburg is most interested in you. They not only promise you a starting position but also offer the highest salary and bonuses among the three teams!"
Patrick said excitedly. After tough negotiations, he had managed to secure an annual salary of 4.5 million euros for De Bruyne, which was top-tier for first-class players.
Higher salaries were reserved for top-tier stars, and De Bruyne's current fame and skill didn't quite reach that level, so he couldn't get a higher wage.
Having secured this deal with Wolfsburg, Patrick was almost certain De Bruyne wouldn't refuse.
They just had to wait for the winter transfer window for Wolfsburg to make an offer to Chelsea. Once the transfer fee was agreed upon, De Bruyne could sign with Wolfsburg.
Patrick thought De Bruyne would be delighted to agree to this transfer, but to his surprise, before he could finish explaining the contract details, De Bruyne firmly said:
"No, I'm not going to Wolfsburg."
Patrick was stunned, thinking De Bruyne still wanted to stay at Chelsea, so he earnestly advised:
"Kevin, you need to face reality. You have no future at Chelsea. Leaving early is good for both you and the club."
De Bruyne nodded:
"Yes, Lin told me the same thing!"
"Lin, which Lin?"
Patrick was momentarily puzzled.
"Lin from Manchester City. He invited me!"
Patrick gasped. Manchester City seemed like a good destination.
They had good league and Champions League results, and the team's core had a good relationship with De Bruyne, so he wouldn't be sidelined like at Chelsea.
But would Manchester City really want De Bruyne?
He hadn't proven himself at Chelsea. Would City really be willing to spend money to sign him?
Although Lin Quan had a good relationship with De Bruyne, he was just a player. Could he really influence City's management to buy De Bruyne?
What if they rejected the Bundesliga club's offer and City didn't act during the winter transfer window?
Wouldn't De Bruyne be in a very awkward position then?
"I trust him!"
De Bruyne's tone was exceptionally firm! (End of Chapter)
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