Football: Starting with the Crescent Moon Slash

A taxi drives on the streets of Spain.

The two people in the car were chatting enthusiastically about football.

"I've been studying how you manage to kick a free kick with that kind of power, given your muscle mass." Emily turned to the side, a hint of inquiry in her eyes, her fingertips lightly tapping her knee.

Jiang Yan raised an eyebrow, a playful smile curving his lips. "Oh? Would you like to take the test?"

Emily smiled.

"All your body data is on my computer. Be sure to come back in a while to measure your muscle mass, because you should be building muscle, right?"

"That's right..."

As the two talked more and more, they gradually moved from football to things on the field.

The womanizing Benzema, the seemingly cold but actually warm-hearted Bale, the kind-hearted Modric, and Cristiano Ronaldo and Isco who treat him like a brother.

Emily listened attentively, occasionally interjecting a word or two, and sometimes chuckling at the amusing anecdotes from the changing room, making the atmosphere in the carriage increasingly harmonious.

But as they chatted, Jiang Yan found that the scenery outside the window was becoming more and more familiar.

Jiang Yan only realized this when the taxi arrived at its destination.

This familiar row of detached apartment buildings...

Jiang Yan looked at the all-too-familiar building before him, then abruptly turned to Emily, his voice filled with astonishment:

"You...you live here too???"

"Yes, I've been living here for a while now."

The two of them were heading to the same place!

Even more dramatic is...

Emily used to live next door to Jiang Yan!

"What? You live next door to me!"

Suddenly, an image of two black men entering the house flashed into Emily's mind.

"That Black guy from before..."

Jiang Yan quickly waved his hand.

"Those two are Mr. Benitez's nutritionist and fitness trainer, hired for me. I'm not the kind of man with those kinds of fetishes!"

"Pfft!" Emily chuckled at Jiang Yan's flustered appearance. "Alright, alright, thank you for bringing me back today. I'll come and thank you properly next time~"

After saying that, she waved goodbye to Jiang Yan.

Just as she was about to step through the door.

"Dr. Emily, can I come to you for muscle maintenance again next time?" Jiang Yan's voice came.

Emily's hand landed on the doorknob, and after hearing Jiang Yan's words, the corners of her mouth turned up slightly.

"You're welcome anytime."

The two returned to their respective homes.

After enjoying the delicious food prepared by the nutritionist, Jiang Yan returned to her own bed.

"I never imagined that the beautiful Dr. Emily would be my neighbor... Benitez, you really are my godfather!"

Jiang Yan was still lost in his fantasy about Dr. Emily, while right next door...

Dr. Emily had changed into a nightgown, and there was a glass of orange juice on the bedside table.

"I see. This is probably the first time someone has ever given you a taxi ride home."

Avril's voice came from the other end of the phone. After learning that Jiang Yan lived next door to Emily, her gossipy nature could no longer be contained.

"Yeah, I never expected that Jiang Yan would live right next door to me. It's like something out of a comic book or novel."

"Hey Emily, you don't actually have a crush on that Asian guy, do you?"

"No...no, I just think he's a really nice person...a really nice person!"

"Oh~ She's just a very nice person~"

"He's handsome, okay?"

Emily hung up on Avril's phone, feeling both embarrassed and annoyed, and buried her head under the pillow.

……

The following day, at Real Madrid's training ground.

"What? Jiang is playing as a defensive midfielder?"

Benzema, Bale, and Modric stood frozen on the notice board at the training ground.

Compared to Benzema's surprise, Bale and Modric seemed much calmer.

"A defensive midfielder? Maybe they'll be a surprisingly good match," Modric said.

"But Jiang Yan doesn't seem to have played as a defensive midfielder before," Bell said with some concern. "Why don't you go and teach him?"

"Yeah, Jiang Yan must be disappointed. After all, he has such a strong attacking desire, but suddenly he's switched to playing as a defensive midfielder..."

After listening to the two men's conversation, Modric shook his head and walked away from the notice board.

"When it comes to playing as a defensive midfielder, I'm nowhere near as good as 'him'."

When Jiang Yan arrived at the training ground, the players who were on good terms with him came to ask him about his decision to switch to playing as a defensive midfielder.

"Jiang, with your attacking talent, it's a waste to switch you to defensive midfield. I don't know what Benitez was thinking," Isco said.

However, Jiang Yan's expression was extremely relaxed, as if the change of position had not affected him at all.

After the basic training is completed.

"Next, we'll have a small 7-on-7 training match. No offsides, and keep your movements simple."

Team A Roster: Cristiano Ronaldo, Bale, James Rodriguez, Kroos, Pepe, Ramos, Danilo

Team B Roster: Benzema, Jesé, Casemiro, Jiang Yan, Marcelo, Carvajal, Varane

This was Jiang Yan's first time partnering with Casemiro.

The training match is about to begin.

Jiang Yan stood next to Casemiro, watching the dark-skinned Brazilian slightly lower his shoulders, his deep brown eyes silently scanning the positions of the players in the front and back fields.

Sensing the gaze beside him, Casemiro glanced at Jiang Yan, a sharp smile playing on his lips, and spoke in broken Spanish:

"This is our first time working together."

Jiang Yan's lips twitched, and he moved a little closer to Casemiro.

"This is my first time playing as a defensive midfielder. Do you have any instructions for me, or rather... tasks I should perform?"

Casemiro yawned lazily.

"If I had to say something... just don't lose your position, that's all."

Don't lose your position?

What kind of instruction is this!

Jiang Yan was speechless. Although he had long thought Casemiro looked like the quiet, reserved type, he never expected him to be so taciturn!

The training match begins.

This was the first time Jiang Yan had ever stood so close to the backcourt.

Kroos passed the ball to Ronaldo and Bale, who began to approach the B team's penalty area.

Faced with the attack of two "sharp knife" type players, Jiang Yan subconsciously wanted to step forward to intercept.

"Don't move! Just stay where you are!" Casemiro blurted out.

When Ronaldo dribbled the ball close to Jiang Yan's position.

The [Ultimate Sense of Position] skill was activated immediately, and his body moved involuntarily.

Seeing Jiang Yan's movement, Ronaldo frowned.

Originally planning to develop towards the middle lane, he discovered that the "space" he could utilize had been blocked by Jiang Yan.

With no other option, Ronaldo passed the ball to Bale on the other side and continued his sprint toward the penalty area.

"What just happened? Ronaldo actually gave up the attack... Was he throwing the game?"

On the other side, as Jiang Yan moved, Casemiro had already begun to move in advance and intercepted Ronaldo's pass.

Then a long pass found Benzema, whose shot was easily caught by Navas.

The attack is over.

Casemiro came to Jiang Yan's side.

"You're surprisingly capable. Even I didn't expect your positioning just now. Just keep up this momentum."