"Daddy, I can't sleep."
Seeing little Chan rubbing her eyes as she walked out of the room, Chen Yixun quickly got up, picked her up gently, and settled her on his lap.
"Where's Mom?" he asked softly.
"Mom's already asleep," Constance replied in her crisp, childlike voice.
Chen Yixun chuckled. "Well then, how about keeping Daddy company and watching the match?"
"Okay!" Constance beamed. As long as she didn't have to go back to bed, she was all in.
Her eyes widened as she looked at the TV. "Daddy, which team are you cheering for?"
Chen Yixun pointed to the team on the left. "That one—Manchester United. They're one of the biggest clubs in European football."
Constance pointed to the other team. "Then I'm supporting that one!"
Chen Yixun blinked. "Huh?"
"Wouldn't it be more fun if we supported the same team?" he tried to coax her to change teams.
Constance shook her head firmly. "Nope. I'm sticking with the team on the right!"
"Why's that?" Chen Yixun asked, puzzled.
She gave a proud little smile. "Because they've got Asian big brother."
[T/N: Aww, so cute]
Just then, Kai's photo appeared on the screen.
...
[Arsenal Locker room, Emirates Stadium]
The players had finished their warm-ups. The starting eleven had changed into their match kits and were ready to head out.
Wenger ran through the tactics one last time before stepping out, led by captain Vermaelen.
As they moved toward the tunnel, they saw that Manchester United had already lined up.
Standing at the end of the line was Van Persie, now in a United shirt.
His expression was tight. After a brief hesitation, he extended his hand.
"Thomas, I…"
Vermaelen didn't acknowledge him—he turned and walked past without a word.
Van Persie's smile faltered.
The Arsenal players filed past him one by one, cold and expressionless.
Kai noticed Van Persie's jaw tense slightly, a hint of bitterness flashing across his face.
Both teams were now assembled in the tunnel.
TV cameras moved in, scanning the players' faces one by one.
...
Beijing, China
In Sina Sports' live commentary booth, Zhan Jun spoke up:
"The starting lineups have officially been released, and from the tunnel we can already see Rooney wearing the captain's armband and standing up front. With Vidic out due to injury, he'll be leading United today. Behind him, we have De Gea, Rafael, Ferdinand, Evans… and Van Persie."
Zhang Lu added, "Last season, De Gea took over from Van der Sar. After a full season of ups and downs, his performances have grown more consistent. He's looking solid again this year."
"Absolutely," Zhan Jun nodded. The camera now panned to the Arsenal side. "As for Arsenal, captain Vermaelen remains a dependable presence. In goal, Szczesny; defenders Mertesacker, Jenkinson, and Sagna. The midfield includes Arteta, Cazorla… and Kai."
Zhan Jun's voice lifted with excitement. "Kai is starting! In this crucial Premier League clash, the young 18-year-old midfielder has been trusted with a starting spot. This speaks volumes about manager Wenger's confidence in him."
Zhang Lu said boldly, "Well, I said it before—he had to start. Without Kai, Arsenal wouldn't stand a chance at holding back United's attack."
Zhan Jun began reading off Kai's stats.
"In the last nine rounds, Kai's made three appearances off the bench and started six times. He's averaging five steals and five interceptions per match, along with two key passes."
He paused.
Those were elite numbers.
To have stats like that, even for a defensive midfielder, was rare.
It didn't hit until they were read aloud, but when you laid them out… it was remarkable.
Even Chen Yixun was stunned.
He wasn't usually one to fuss over midfielder data, but those figures spoke loud and clear.
"Five steals per match? Five interceptions? Two key passes? " he muttered.
"And he's not even started every game?"
He wasn't the only one in shock. Fans all over were buzzing.
Freaky:
"These stats are nuts!"
Monami (replies-@Freaky):
"Nuts? This is insane!"
DeltaForce:
"Defensive rock and two key passes? This guy's covering both ends of the pitch."
PikapikaPikachu:
"Pirlo vibes?"
...
As the chatter picked up online and in the stadium, the players made their way out onto the pitch.
The Manchester United squad walked into a wall of boos from the Emirates crowd.
Van Persie was met with a wave of jeers from the home crowd—calls for him to get out of the Emirates echoed around the stands. The former Arsenal captain's schooled face showed cracks as he walked onto the pitch.
The starting lineups appeared on the big screen:
Manchester United (4-4-1-1):
Goalkeeper: De Gea
Defenders: Rafael, Fernando, Evans, Evra
Midfielders: Antonio Valencia, Carrick, Cleverley, Ashley Young
Forwards: Rooney (C), Van Persie
Arsenal (4-2-1-2-1):
Goalkeeper: Szczesny
Defenders: Jenkinson, Vermaelen (C), Mertesacker, Sagna
Midfielders: Arteta, Kai, Cazorla
Forwards: Podolski, Suarez, Walcott
Amid the noise and anticipation, both teams lined up for the customary handshake.
The Arsenal players, however, wore stone-cold expressions. Most of them avoided even glancing at the Manchester United players.
Kai noticed Van Persie's expression as they passed by. The tension was obvious.
He couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
"So being Arsenal's No. 10 wasn't good enough? Had to head to United for that No. 20 shirt?"
Van Persie didn't exactly win glory there—his move might've marked a personal peak, but it cost him his place in Arsenal's legacy.
Fair trade? Easy for a person wanting a trophy.
Although painful now as an Arsenal player, he did win an EPL trophy with United in his past life.
As both teams moved into formation, Kai rotated his shoulders, shook out his arms, trying to fire himself up. His gaze drifted across to the opposition.
Rooney. Van Persie. A solid front line.
Kai licked his lips subconsciously. No nerves. Just that rush—the good kind. He felt dialed in.
Better than ever.
Manchester United kicked off. Van Persie tapped the ball into the center circle as the referee, Mike Dean, blew the whistle to a sold-out stadium of fans.
"And we're underway!" Commentator Ian Darke's voice rang out.
"Tenth round of the 2012/2013 Premier League season—Arsenal hosting Manchester United! Arsenal in red and white, attacking right to left. Manchester United in their white shirt, and socks with black trunks attacking left to right."
"Manchester United wasting no time here—Rooney finds Ashley Young on the wing. Let's see how he handles it."
"Ashley Young's pushing forward now—Kai moves to intercept."
As Young accelerated down the flank, Kai signaled to Sagna with a downward wave, urging him to hold position. Then he closed the gap himself.
If this had been last season, Kai might've been more cautious. But Ashley Young hadn't been the same this year due to injuries. His threat level had dropped considerably.
Still, pressure changes things. And maybe seeing Kai marking him sparked something in Young—something to prove.
Kai stepped up fast.
As they neared, Kai's focus narrowed. He didn't flinch as Young feinted, shifting his weight left and right, trying to unbalance him.
Kai didn't bite. His eyes tracked the ball, calm, reading the rhythm, anticipating the next move.
Then Young made his break—flicked the ball to the outside, hoping to outrun him.
But Kai had read him like an open book and was already there.
He lunged forward with his right foot, cutting off the path in one stride. The ball ricocheted off his boot and skidded out of bounds.
Ashley Young stopped short, clearly frustrated. He muttered something under his breath.
Kai straightened up and got ready for the throw-in.
...
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