Lin Hao stood up, hands on his hips, and stood there. Vardy waved at him and then gave him a pinky finger pointing down.
Lin Hao's anger flared up instantly. He knew that everyone looked down on him, thinking he was just a country bumpkin who was lucky enough to become a professional player. All the players viewed him with prejudice.
He always thought that Vardy wouldn't do that, because Vardy also came from humble beginnings. But he forgot that Vardy had climbed up step by step, and it was only natural for him to have resentment towards him.
He also forgot that, in the world of football, these football players, judging by common sense, are not many good ones.
The free kick was taken and sent into the penalty area. Maguire headed the ball away, and Leicester City immediately launched a counter-attack. Maddison played a long ball over the top, and Vardy controlled the ball and took a powerful sprint, tearing apart Arsenal's defense.
Serdin quickly followed up, and just as he reached Vardy at the edge of the penalty area, Vardy unleashed a long-range shot into the far corner. The ball skimmed along the grass and headed straight into the top corner of the goal.
Vardy immediately roared and ran to the sidelines to celebrate with a knee slide. This time, in front of the entire stadium, he wagged his finger at Lin Hao, meaning, "You're not good enough!"
The camera zoomed in abruptly, focusing on Lin Hao. On Lin Hao's youthful face, there was not a trace of stage fright or fear. Instead, his eyes were sharp. This scene was later frequently used in various videos.
That was a textbook example of a gaze, and it was hailed as Lin Hao's awakening.
At this moment, Lin Hao truly understood. In almost every game, the way other players looked at him, even when he first arrived at Arsenal, was the same way his teammates looked at him. It was only after getting to know each other that things improved.
That look seemed to say, "Why are you here? You don't deserve it!"
Arsenal were down by one goal when the game resumed and Arsenal kicked off their attack.
In the 70th minute of the match, Leicester City launched a counter-attack and kicked the ball out of bounds. Goalkeeper Cech immediately took the goal kick and found Lin Hao directly.
Lin Hao controlled the ball with ease, turned around, and before the ball even hit the ground, unleashed a powerful shot.
All the Arsenal fans stood up.
We haven't even reached the center circle yet.
Schmeichel wasn't really keen on stepping forward, but for some reason, whether it was part of the tactical plan or a sudden lapse in judgment, he just showed up today.
But Schmeichel didn't come out as far as Neuer. If the team pushed too far forward in attack, the goalkeeper might even be standing on the halfway line.
Generally speaking, such a distance is not a problem to get back. There is no one in the Arsenal team who has both powerful shooting skills and good shooting ability.
Lin Hao couldn't do it either; at such a distance, the speed would definitely slow down by the time he reached the goal.
But Lin Hao's shot was a lob shot in mid-air. The ball was spinning too fast, rising rapidly before falling quickly, almost just skimming the crossbar.
Schmeichel, looking dejected, leaped to reach the ball, but missed by a hair's breadth.
The ball went into the net.
The moment the ball went into the net, Lin Hao spread his arms and waved them upwards.
This half-field lob shot really ignited the passion of the fans in the stadium, creating a deafening roar. The design of the football stadium is meant to make the players playing in the middle feel the pressure from the fans even more, with tens of thousands of people all around them.
But similarly, when these people are cheering you on, you are genuinely moved.
Lin Hao looked at Vardy, pointed to himself, and gave himself a thumbs up, saying, "I'm the best."
Don't you all look down on me? Well then, bring it on!
The game had just resumed, and less than a minute into Leicester City's match, Lin Hao made a tackle in the attacking third. This was Lin Hao's first tackle, and of course, there was no special technique involved; it was simply a result of tireless running.
After intercepting the ball, Lin Hao did not shoot immediately. Instead, he dribbled forward, waited a step, and when Maguire came up, he changed his pace and moved towards Maguire's weak side. As everyone knows, Maguire's turning speed is very slow, and he could not keep up with Lin Hao.
Lin Hao had already brought the ball to Schmeichel's face, but he didn't shoot. He kept controlling the ball tightly, and Schmeichel didn't dare to rush in.
Lin Hao even lobbed the ball up, and Schmeichel immediately pounced on him. Any player would be unable to remain calm under such provocation.
Lin Hao used a double-volley technique. The first time, he didn't lift the ball very high, but the second time, he lifted it high and headed it into the empty net.
Lin Hao didn't even run to the sidelines. He just spread his hands, tilted his head, and looked like a smug, arrogant war god.
They've taken the lead, 2 to 1.
In the 79th minute of the match, Lin Hao received the ball on the left side of the penalty area. At the same time, the defender had already come up. Lin Hao pulled the ball and poked it through Evans's legs. Aubameyang took the ball, led it to the byline, and then passed it back. Lin Hao came across and took the ball again. He took one step and shot directly at the goal.
The fans stood up confidently the moment the ball hit the goal, raising their hands high. Sure enough, the ball went into the net. Lin Hao ran to the sidelines to celebrate with the fans. This was his first hat-trick.
Lin Hao's hat trick!
He helped the team defeat Leicester City 3-1 and secure three more points.
The moment the final whistle blew, Lin Hao was undoubtedly the star of the night. His teammates came over to celebrate his hat trick, and some even joked with him, saying that the angrier he got, the better he became.
But Lin Hao wasn't actually happy. He genuinely didn't understand why everyone had to look at him with prejudice. Maybe that's just human nature.
Lin Hao had already made up his mind: since everyone dislikes me, then I will definitely become the most disliked person. Anyway, he already knows that most players are really not good people, so there's no need to be friends with them.
Even his teammates from the same Brazilian national team treated him like that, so why should he be all nice to everyone else? If he's not happy, he should fight back. Even if he loses, he shouldn't be resentful; he should fight again next time!
In their next match, they traveled to Portugal to face Sporting CP in the Europa League. They defeated Sporting CP 1-0. The first round of the group stage is now complete, and Arsenal has won all of them, so advancing is practically guaranteed.
The last match in October was an away game against Crystal Palace. When Lin Hao came on, the score was already 2-2. He tried his best but couldn't help the team score another goal, and the game ended in a draw. Fortunately, the team was still in the top four and ranked third in the league.
As the weather grew colder, in November, they defeated Blackpool in the EFL Cup.
Then came a crucial match against Liverpool.
Liverpool and Manchester City are undoubtedly the two strongest teams in the Premier League, and they have been the main contenders for the title in recent years.
They drew their last league match, and the slight advantage they had managed to gain was wiped out. If they lose this match and Chelsea and Tottenham win, they will drop to fifth place.