Chapter 40: A Joyful Prelude

“The ancients never lied—food and beauty are in our nature. To stay away from women is truly difficult!” Dai Zhiwei stretched his back and sighed.

Ever since losing to Fuli, Dai Zhiwei had returned to the disciplined state he’d maintained at the very beginning of his new life: abstaining from alcohol, avoiding nightclubs, extra training every day, early to bed and early to rise...

There was only one area in which Dai Zhiwei’s resolve faltered: his vow to abstain from carnal pleasures.

“What can I do? Xiaochun is just too alluring!” Dai Zhiwei excused himself. “It’s not that my defenses are weak—it’s simply that the opponent is too strong!”

And so, Dai Zhiwei faced the 27th round of the Chinese Super League: Guangzhou Evergrande versus Guizhou Renhe.

Before this round, Evergrande already led second-place Shanghai SIPG by ten points in the league, meaning that as long as they didn’t lose this match, they would be able to hoist the championship trophy for the season at its conclusion.

Renhe, having lost three consecutive games, remained stuck at 25 points and had dropped to second from the bottom on the table. For this match, Misimović, Salihović, Zhang Chenglin, and Shi Liang were all suspended due to accumulated yellow cards.

Evergrande, with an AFC Champions League semifinal to play the following week, still fielded their main lineup. The previously injured Zhang Linpeng started, Elkeson led the attack, and Li Xuepeng replaced the suspended Zou Zheng at left-back.

Renhe’s lineup: Zhang Lie; Rao Weihui, Park Joo-sung, Liu Yang, Yu Rui; Chen Changyuan, Feng Renliang, Zhu Baojie, Chen Jie, Yuri; Santos.

Evergrande’s lineup: Zeng Cheng; Li Xuepeng, Kim Young-gwon, Feng Xiaoting, Zhang Linpeng; Paulinho, Zheng Zhi; Goulart, Dai Zhiwei, Robinho; Elkeson.

After a brief warm-up, the players entered the pitch for the official opening ceremony. The on-site commentator at Guiyang Olympic Sports Center, with electrifying passion, called out the name of each Renhe player, and after each name, the stadium responded with a deafening roar. In contrast, the Evergrande players were greeted with a chorus of boos from the crowd.

The fervor of Renhe’s supporters startled Dai Zhiwei, but he quickly reminded himself that this was a crucial match for Renhe’s survival in the league, so such passionate behavior from the fans was only natural.

Soon, Dai Zhiwei pulled himself away from these distractions and focused on the match.

Today, Renhe played with unusual intensity and initiative, driven not only by their desperate need to avoid relegation but also by the pressure of their home crowd.

The moment the match began, Renhe launched a lightning-fast attack, catching Evergrande off guard. Feng Renliang, receiving the ball in the backfield, was about to be closed down by Dai Zhiwei when he unleashed a long right-footed pass to ignite the offense.

The pass showcased Feng Renliang’s skill—a forty-meter ball from the back, astonishingly precise, and the choice of recipient was shrewd. Either Chen Jie or Zhu Baojie could receive it and immediately mount a counterattack.

Zheng Zhi tracked Zhu Baojie closely, yet still failed to intercept the pass, a testament to its quality.

“Was that just luck?” Dai Zhiwei mused, glancing back at the advancing Feng Renliang.

The reason for his doubt was simple: such technically demanding long passes were rare among domestic players.

While Dai Zhiwei pondered, Zhu Baojie, now on the left flank, didn’t rush forward. As Chen Jie surged ahead, drawing defenders away, Zhu Baojie began tussling with Zheng Zhi just outside the box.

After a couple of quick exchanges with Chen Jie, Zhu Baojie suddenly switched the ball to the center. Zheng Zhi, realizing too late, turned to see a tall, lean figure unleashing a powerful shot.

Kim Young-gwon heroically dove to block, but Yuri’s thunderous long-range effort forced Zeng Cheng into a desperate, acrobatic clearance, kicking the ball away in mid-air.

The ball whistled past the post before flying out for a corner, sending a gasp through the stands.

Although Renhe’s opening assault was unexpectedly swift and fierce, once Evergrande’s defenders regained their composure, a solid wall formed before their penalty area, leaving Renhe with no further chances for long-range efforts.

Renhe had delivered an early warning, but Dai Zhiwei was well prepared. As the ball was gradually worked upfield, Dai Zhiwei received a short pass from Robinho. Rather than charging forward, he moved diagonally toward the right wing, drawing Feng Renliang with him.

Under close attention from two or three defenders, Dai Zhiwei had to seek cooperation with Zhang Linpeng and Robinho on the flank.

The ball moved among the three, then Dai Zhiwei suddenly accelerated, darting forward as Robinho slipped a through ball down the diagonal.

Dai Zhiwei pulled wide, Robinho cut inside, and their crisscrossing runs left Renhe’s three defenders unable to switch marks in time.

Dai Zhiwei advanced along the wing, and Liu Yang quickly stepped up. As Liu Yang’s attention was drawn away, Dai Zhiwei immediately returned the ball to Robinho, who was cutting inside.

Unfortunately, Robinho was overly cautious, taking two extra touches and allowing the recovering Feng Renliang to slide in from the side and clear the ball before he could shoot. Still, the entire Renhe back line was left with lingering anxiety.

Both teams had unleashed their attacking intent from the outset, heightening the tension and quickening the pace of the match.

After their probing start, Renhe once again entrusted their foreign attackers with the offensive burden.

Renhe’s ferocity was met in kind by Evergrande, who, under Dai Zhiwei’s lead, fearlessly exchanged blows.

It wasn’t so much fearlessness as necessity—the situation on the field left them no choice but to go all out.

The midfield battle was fierce, with the clashes between Zheng Zhi and Zhu Baojie, Paulinho and Feng Renliang, thrilling the crowd.

Zhu Baojie drove forward, trailed closely by Zheng Zhi, who stuck to him like a shadow. Spotting a gap just as Zhu Baojie prepared to pass, Zheng Zhi lunged in with a sliding tackle, body nearly brushing the turf.

Zhu Baojie couldn’t pull back in time and was taken down, ball and all.

Fuming, Zhu Baojie leaped up, berating Zheng Zhi for his roughness, frustrated to see another good chance slip away.

But Zheng Zhi, captain of both Evergrande and the national team, was not one to back down. He gave Zhu Baojie a hard shove, and the match began to take on a dangerous edge.

After more than twenty minutes, both teams’ attacking cores were tightly marked. Dai Zhiwei could scarcely take three steps with the ball before at least two defenders converged, making it tough for him to find space.

However, Dai Zhiwei gradually adapted to Renhe’s defensive intensity. After all, Elkeson, Goulart, and Robinho drew away much of the attention.

Evergrande won the ball at the back again. Kim Young-gwon was about to transition the ball to the fullback for an advance when he suddenly heard a familiar voice.

“Kim, here, ahead!”

Dai Zhiwei received the ball, though a bit belatedly, as Feng Renliang and Liu Yang had already fallen back to await his attack.

Dai Zhiwei shifted the play to the center, starting out slow, then suddenly burst down the flank, startling the surrounding defenders. They hurried to assign help for a double-team.

At the moment Renhe’s back line adjusted, Dai Zhiwei slipped the ball to Robinho, who cut inside, then himself darted to the right, vacating the center for Robinho.

Another switch and cut!

Feng Renliang stuck to Dai Zhiwei like a shadow, caring little whether he was organizing the attack—he would follow him to the bitter end, confident with Liu Yang and Park Joo-sung covering behind.

Especially since he had read Evergrande’s first attempt at a switching attack, he thought he had nothing to fear this time.

But Robinho had learned from his earlier mistake. Upon receiving the ball, he immediately passed to Goulart, the forward planted up front.

Though not as powerful as Elkeson, Goulart was physically strong enough to shield the ball from Renhe’s defenders.

Liu Yang stepped forward to tackle, but Goulart had already moved. He faked a center-forward’s hold-up, then suddenly flicked the ball behind him with his heel, the pass slipping through the crowd into the box.

Dai Zhiwei, having already darted into the area, seized the ball. Rao Weihui rushed to close him down.

But Dai Zhiwei, without breaking stride, unleashed a thunderous shot.

The ball flew in a straight line toward the top left corner of the goal. Before keeper Zhang Lie could even react, the net bulged behind him with a crisp “whoosh.”

1:0!

The Renhe players inside the box looked on as Dai Zhiwei, after scoring, stood his ground and thrust his right fist skyward with fierce pride. Their hearts sank.