"Lin, that was a truly satisfying victory!"
"After four matches, Liverpool have finally rediscovered their form. This crucial league win helped Liverpool overtake Manchester City and return to the top of the table."
"With the first half of the season almost over, will returning to first place give Liverpool's morale a boost?"
At the post-match press conference after the match against Manchester City, Leo Lin once again attended as captain.
The reporters present, especially the Liverpool beat reporters, had happiness written all over their faces. They had finally seen a long-awaited victory, and long-awaited three points.
"These three points are extremely important, and I don't just mean returning to the top of the league. I mean what it does for the team's morale."
"When a team is stuck in a winless run, no matter what caused it, that state keeps interfering with the team and makes it impossible to find the feeling of winning again."
"That's why stopping that winless momentum is so important, especially when the opponent is a strong Manchester City side."
"I respect Manchester City a lot. They played their own tactical style and they have outstanding players."
Leo Lin's answer sounded exactly like a captain's answer. It was full of responsibility and commitment, and every word was spoken with the team in mind.
"That is why I made Lin the fourth captain. People always say he's too young, that he doesn't have a long history at Liverpool yet, but that doesn't matter."
"What matters is that I can see his heart is with us. He gives everything for this club, and that is enough!"
Klopp praised Leo Lin without holding back. Everyone knew how much he liked him.
"One final question, Lin. In a few days, you'll face Paris Saint-Germain again in the fourth round of the Champions League group stage."
"If you win, you'll lock up a place in the Champions League round of 16 with two matches to spare."
"But as far as I know, most of Liverpool's injured players still need one or two more matches before they can return. Are you confident you can lead this depleted lineup to victory over Paris?"
Leo Lin frowned as soon as he heard the question. He did not answer it directly, because he felt the question itself was unreasonable.
"I don't really want to answer that question. I don't think it's fair, because I don't believe we are a depleted lineup."
After Leo Lin said that, Klopp smiled with satisfaction beside him. He knew Leo Lin had not fallen into the reporter's trap.
"You always like using the word depleted to describe our current lineup, and honestly, I don't understand it."
"Why exactly is our lineup being called depleted?"
"Was Ocho not good enough today? He was outstanding."
"Did Firmino not play well enough, or was Wijnaldum not giving everything he had?"
"You're always blaming this and blaming that. But when the team falls into difficulty, all you do is criticize, mock, ridicule, and even break a player's mentality. Other than that, you do nothing."
"But look at our fans. The vast majority of Liverpool supporters are standing firmly behind us. That is what we want to see."
"We may go through difficult moments, but only by staying united can we get through them together."
Leo Lin used this press conference to defend his brother Ocho. Before long, the video of Ocho defending two on one went viral online.
It had been a long time since Liverpool's youth academy had produced such an impressive young player. The previous one was probably Arnold, Liverpool's crown prince, though his performances still needed judging carefully, especially on the defensive end.
That night, Leo Lin, Rodri, Firmino, and the others went to Ocho's home for a small gathering.
They ate and chatted together. When Firmino played the video clip of Ocho defending two on one, Ocho immediately reached out in embarrassment, trying to stop Firmino from playing it.
But the others started making noise and teasing him. Leo Lin laughed as he pinned Ocho's hands down, forcing him to watch his own two on one defensive highlight.
Firmino and the others even read the comments aloud.
"I, username Pitch Utility Pole, hereby sincerely apologize to Ocho. I apologize for criticizing you after the previous two matches!"
"I hereby declare that Van Dijk shall henceforth be known as Little Ocho!"
"Look at Ocho's tsundere expression. Not even a smile after defending two on one. I'm giving him a nickname, the Tsundere Little Prince of Defense!"
Some Liverpool fans had already started calling Ocho the Second Prince, while Arnold was the First Prince. No matter how you looked at it, this was a good sign.
Looking at Ocho, who was clearly secretly delighted inside, Leo Lin smiled and swallowed the last bite of his steak. Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, he took a few pieces of sausage from Rodri's pasta and ate them too, before wiping his mouth in satisfaction.
They had less than a day to rest, so the group played video games at Ocho's house for a while. Late into the night, they scattered across the living room and fell into a deep sleep.
At 9 a.m. the next morning, Barnett's phone call woke Leo Lin.
Firmino, who was nearby, picked up Leo Lin's phone. Seeing that it was Barnett, he answered it.
"Hello, Barnett. You call him more often than Maria does."
Barnett's slightly hoarse voice came from the other end. After the weather turned cold, Barnett had caught a bit of a cold, perhaps because he had not dressed warmly enough while walking with Delores.
"Tell Lin I need a small favor from him. My friend's child is celebrating his birthday today, and he wants to invite Lin over to give the birthday boy a blessing necklace."
It was a strange invitation. Leo Lin had never given anyone a blessing necklace at a birthday party before.
This was a request from one of Barnett's friends. He hoped his own son could also become a professional athlete like Leo Lin, and he felt Leo Lin's blessing might have some effect.
On November 26, when Leo Lin arrived at the birthday party in his coat, the guests immediately took out their phones to take photos and videos. Barnett, dressed in a suit, was waiting outside with his friend.
The sturdy man saw Leo Lin and immediately stepped forward, stretching out both hands and gripping his tightly.
"Lin, thank you so much for coming!"
"Barnett told me he was willing to help me with this, but I thought you might find it troublesome."
Leo Lin smiled and replied, "How could I? This is Barnett we're talking about. If he wants me to help with something, of course I will."
Then Leo Lin turned his head with a sly look and whispered in a voice only Barnett could hear, "I want that old pocket watch you've been treasuring for decades."
Barnett's entire body trembled. He quickly shook his head and refused.
Leo Lin made as if to turn and leave, and Barnett hurriedly grabbed him, gritting his teeth as he nodded.
He had known it. At a time like this, he was definitely going to be fleeced by this little fox, Leo Lin.
Only then did Leo Lin smile and enter the birthday party. What appeared next was a young boy with slightly chubby cheeks, sitting in front of the birthday cake.
But his eyes were not on the cake. His hopeful gaze was fixed straight on Leo Lin, the idol of his dreams.
"What's your name?"
Leo Lin asked with a smile.
The little boy answered, "Lamine…"
"Lamine Yamal."
...
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