Chen Yingxiong slammed the newspaper on the table.
"Damn paparazzi!"
The newspaper he had thrown on the table was spread out, and in a prominent position on it was a photo of Chen Yingxiong, Anyukov, Denisov, and Kerzakov walking out of the door of Katyusha Nightclub. The four of them were standing side by side, and as they came out, they were photographed in a full-body frontal photo!
And this was obviously not taken secretly with a mobile phone. The photo was very clear, and you would definitely not have the excuse that "the person in the photo is not me".
Above the photo was a large news headline. "Four Zenit players visited a nightclub and returned late at night!"
There was also a small title below. "The Hero of Zenit's last two games, the mysterious No. 99 player has appeared in the nightclub!"
Writing it this way, it seems like I am the protagonist, and the other three are accomplices...
Fortunately, they just had some drinks with a few beauties in the nightclub last night, and no one took anyone home, otherwise, if eight people came out... and were all photographed, it would have caused a sensation!
Yesenin just watched Chen Yingxiong get angry and didn't say anything.
He didn't care about Chen Yingxiong's private life, just like what he said to Yingxiong when he first came here - "I will pretend not to hear what you do in your room." This was even happening in a nightclub far away, so he couldn't care less.
"What kind of newspaper is that St. Petersburg Life? Does it have a big influence?" Chen Yingxiong was now feeling hopeful.
He knew that if the head coach knew about his visit to the nightclub, it would definitely affect his impression in Advocaat's mind, and he might not even be included in the game roster...
"It's a local tabloid in St. Petersburg, mainly reporting all kinds of gossip and scandals about celebrities. It was founded in imitation of the popular gossip newspaper Life in Russia. The newspaper's style is kitsch, mainly pictures, and it often publishes all kinds of revealing and stimulating photos. In St. Petersburg..." Yesenin glanced at Chen Yingxiong and said something that made him despair. "Top three in sales."
Chen Yingxiong held his head with both hands and cried out to the sky "Ah——!"
I'm dead this time!
One hundred percent dead!
Why am I so unlucky? It's only my second time going to a nightclub and I've already run into the legendary paparazzi! Damn it, the paparazzi who took photos of me, your whole family will grow broccoli out of your asses!
Chen Yingxiong vented his dissatisfaction in his heart and cursed Boris's entire family to the last eighteen generations.
Just at this moment, the cell phone on the table rang.
It was Denisov calling. "Hello, hero, have you read the newspaper?"
He didn't say which newspaper it was, but Chen Yingxiong knew he was referring to the St. Petersburg Life.
"I saw it..." Chen Yingxiong said unhappily.
"Damn it! We're in trouble this time!" Denisov said gritting his teeth.
"What should we do now?" At this time, the only decision left to the team leader.
"I can only deny it until my death..."
"The photo is very clear, Captain..." Chen Yingxiong reminded.
"Uh... just say we went in and sat there for a while, didn't do anything, and then left!"
"Will this... work?" Chen Yingxiong felt that this excuse was too weak and not convincing at all.
"Oh... never mind it working! Just say that!" said Denisov.
Chen Yingxiong suddenly thought of a question. "Captain, you've been to so many nightclubs. Is this the first time you've been caught?"
"Of course not."
"Before that..."
"That old man Petzera was easy to talk to. You could just find any excuse and swear that it wouldn't happen again... But I am not familiar with this Dutchman Advocaat! This is my first time since he became the head coach!"
Chen Yingxiong vaguely felt that the four of them were doomed...
After hanging up the phone, he focused his attention on Yesenin.
"Maxim..." This was the first time Chen Yingxiong called him so affectionately. Before, he either called him "Yesenin" or "Mr. Aurora".
"I can't do this." Yesenin knew what he was going to say.
"You are a god. How about you just erase this report? No one will know about it, the freedom of the press wasn't meant to be used against someone like me!"
"I've said before that I'm not a god. And I really can't do this. If I could make this thing disappear out of thin air without causing any sequelae I would be so powerful I would have caused people to go mad when I appeared over Moscow..."
Yesenin here was arguing that if he had this power, he would have been an eldritch diety impossible to even gaze upon.
Chen Yingxiong was desperate.
Was the leading position he finally got going to be lost to him just because of this damn paparazzi?
My butt hasn't even gotten warm yet!
…
When Chen Yingxiong went to training the next day, he was dejected.
There were only two days left before the next round of the league. After this incident, he might not even be able to make the roster.
Like him, Anyukov and Kerzakov were also dejected. Denisov looked the calmest, but everyone knew that he was just a substitute, and it didn't matter to him whether he played or not!
However, these three main players were now grieving.
In the parking lot, when the four people met, they all sighed at the same time.
I regret what I did back then...I could have worn sunglasses and a baseball cap or something!
The teammates obviously knew about this too - just as Yesenin said, the circulation of St. Petersburg Life in St. Petersburg was amazing, covering a wide range of people, from government officials to peddlers, everyone loved to read it! Zenit's players were naturally not immune to its appeal.
Everyone laughed when they saw the four men walking into the locker room dejectedly.
Li Hao smiled especially happily because of the resentment that had accumulated little by little before, and now he was particularly happy to see Chen Yingxiong in trouble.
Seeing their teammates' reactions like this, the four of them became even more desperate - their teammates knew about it, so there was no reason why the head coach wouldn't know about it...
…
In fact, they guessed correctly. Before the training started, assistant coach Cole Porter was banging the table and making an impassioned speech in Advocaat's office.
"...They must be severely punished! They disregarded team discipline like this! It would be fine if you just went out to play...but you let the media take pictures! Isn't this damaging to the team's image? Professional players should be virtuous idols in the minds of young people and children. If their fans see that their idols behave like this! What a bad impact it will have on Zenit!"
Porter was spitting everywhere, but Advocaat remained silent.
When he first learned that Chen Yingxiong, Anyukov, Denisov and Kerzakov went out to a nightclub together, he was also very angry - the team was in the preparation period and they actually went out to a nightclub. I said that you had a holiday after the last game and I didn't care if you went to a nightclub, but now the next league game will start in two days, and you let the media expose this kind of thing...
But that happened last night. Now that he had gotten over his anger, he was considering the impact this incident would have on the team.
Krylia Sovetov was their opponent in this round of the league. They were currently ranked 12th, which was in the lower reaches. This team was not very strong. Otherwise...
Among the people who went to the nightclub, three of them were the main players, especially the two main forwards...Tekke was injured, and now there were only three forwards available. These two main players went to the bar. If they were replaced in anger, who would be the forward? Panov? His cooperation with the team was still average...
However, the opponent was not too strong, so if it didn't work, just throw them into the reserve team to calm down.
After Porter had vented his anger, Advocaat nodded. "I understand. I will make arrangements after training."
…
During the entire training process, Chen Yingxiong and the other three were all nervous. They wanted to observe whether the situation was favourable or unfavourable to them from Advocat's face, but unfortunately, they got nothing. However, Porter was very rude to them. This indirectly confirmed the fact that the coaching staff must have known about their affairs.
What should I do now?
Chen Yingxiong was very unwilling when he thought that he had just played for the first team and now he had to go to the reserve team.
It's normal for young people to go to bars... Besides, it doesn't interfere with my daily training. Who exactly did I bother with this?
The more he thought about it, the more unwilling Chen Yingxiong felt.
No, we can't just sit there and wait to die and surrender without a fight!
Although he didn't know what Advocaat was thinking, he decided to go to the head coach and talk it out face to face.
First of all, we went out to play during our free time. Secondly, we were not late for training yesterday, and the same was true today. Our attitude during training was impeccable. Even if we were photographed by the media going to a nightclub, so what?
If I were asked to go to the reserve team for this reason, I would absolutely not accept it!
Chen Yingxiong made up his mind, and then said to the other three teammates during the break in training. "After the training is over, let's go talk to the head coach?"
"Are you crazy? Yingxiong!" Kerzakov was the most timid among the four people. He was shocked when he heard that Chen Yingxiong was going to find the head coach. Wouldn't they just be walking into someone's trap?
Anyukov and Denisov also looked at Chen Yingxiong in surprise.
"I'm not crazy. I want to make it clear to him. I don't think we did anything wrong! If we missed training and stayed out all night before the game because of clubbing, which led to a decline in form, I would have nothing to say. But now..." Chen Yingxiong curled his lips and shrugged. "It has no impact at all!"
The three of them stared at the bold Chen Yingxiong and were stunned.
Then Denisov spoke. "The Eating, Drinking and Fun Group has always acted together. If you go, I, the group leader, must go. I will accompany you!" He put his arm on Chen Yingxiong's shoulder.
"Since the commander has spoken, I, as the deputy commander, naturally have to go." Anyukov put his arm around Chen Yingxiong's shoulders from the other side.
"Wait, when did you become the deputy leader?" Denisov had never heard that there was a deputy leader in the eating, drinking and having fun group.
"If you were to ask me who knows the most about food, drink and entertainment in St. Petersburg, I think it would be me. It wouldn't be bad for me to be the deputy head of the group, right?" Anyukov said shamelessly.
"That won't do. The appointment of the deputy leader must be decided by me, the leader!"
"We can vote!"
As expected of young people, they quickly forgot about the crisis they were about to face and started bickering over such a trivial matter.
While the two were bickering, Kerzakov also said to Chen Yingxiong. "I think we have no other choice now. No one wants to go to the reserve team, right? I'll go with you, hero!"
Chen Yingxiong chuckled.
"Thanks!"