In front of the Heinrich home, Jin Hayes was dressed in a simple hoodie and jeans, with a thin down jacket thrown casually over his upper body. Germany in December was still quite cold, and it had just snowed.
However, influenced by the North Atlantic Current, regions at higher latitudes than some northern areas still had a milder climate—roughly equivalent to winter in southern parts of China. He raised his wrist to check the time; the Vacheron Constantin Overseas on his hand showed 16:30. It was basically time to head out.
This watch was a gift from Jorge Mendes when he had a suit custom‑made for him, casually handed over for Jin Hayes to wear. The style was relatively sporty, very suitable for a young man like him. He had thought this kind of mechanical watch would cost a few thousand RMB at most, just a few hundred euros. He later looked it up and found that the retail price in Germany actually reached €44,000—over 300,000 RMB.
Mendes certainly was generous.
At the porch in front of the entrance, Frank lit a cigarette and coolly blew a smoke ring. Jin Hayes hurriedly fanned the air in disgust.
"Frank, you're a medical student and you still smoke like this?"
"Just one last one, hehe. Oh, Anna will probably take a while to get ready. She gets 'choice paralysis' when picking outfits. Don't worry, just wait a bit."
"It's fine, I'll wait."
"You know she usually doesn't care about this stuff and just grabs whatever clothes to go out. The fact that she's being so serious shows how much she cares about this date." Frank gave Jin Hayes a meaningful look, intentionally emphasising the word "date."
"It's just a regular barbecue party."
"It's not about the party; the point is who you're going out with, understand?" Frank's hint was already very obvious. Jin Hayes wasn't a fool; he naturally understood what he meant. But he wasn't sure if Frank was exaggerating to play matchmaker or if Anna really felt that way.
After their last hug, the two had indeed become much closer. Sometimes, when he went to school for extra classes after training, Anna would wait for him to go home together as usual.
While he sat on the backyard swing lost in thought, Anna would quietly sit right next to him, gazing at the moon with him. She even volunteered to prepare dinner while Hans and Maria were away. Although the grilled beef was hard to look at, it was clear that despite her calm exterior, Anna was trying to create opportunities to be alone with him.
Could it be…
The more Jin Hayes thought about it, the faster his heart raced. Just then, the sound of someone coming downstairs came from inside. Turning his head toward the house, even though the warm winter light was shining in from outside, Jin Hayes felt as if the light source was inside.
A stylish beige wool coat over a turtleneck sweater, with slim‑fit jeans that perfectly showcased her long legs. The small Heinrich house had turned into a runway at Milan Fashion Week at this moment. Jin Hayes thought Anna could completely go to a runway show in this outfit; she truly was a professional supermodel and a fashionista. Before, he just thought Anna looked good all the time. Seeing her now was a feeling of pure amazement.
Frank chuckled softly and stubbed out his cigarette in a nearby beer can.
"Alright, have a good time. Jin, take good care of my sister." As he went inside, he couldn't help but tease Anna: "Tsk tsk tsk, I've never seen you dress up like this before."
Anna originally had the cool expression of a supermodel, but interrupted by Frank, her beautiful eyes rolled at her annoying older brother. She gave a fierce little huff like a puppy before turning to Jin Hayes, quickly adjusting her expression and approaching him with a hint of nervousness.
"You look really beautiful today." Jin Hayes spoke from the bottom of his heart; this had nothing to do with any particular skill—it was simply the truth.
"Thank you." Anna shyly bit her lower lip and instinctively tucked her blonde hair behind her ear. Her downward smile left Jin Hayes dazed for a moment before he opened the scissor door of the Lamborghini's passenger seat. A beautiful car and a beautiful woman—a handsome man and a stunning woman.
Because Anna was a bit too beautiful today, Jin Hayes couldn't help but steal a few more glances at her.
"Watch out!" Jin Hayes snapped out of it and swerved to avoid a trash can ahead.
"Keep your eyes on the road while driving. Why are you looking at me?" Anna said coquettishly.
"I was looking at the rearview mirror."
"Hmph, liar." Anna's pretty face turned red again, and she lowered her head to hide the smile on her lips. Jin Hayes was clearly looking at her just now, which meant her look today was successful. But thinking about the upcoming gathering, Anna felt a bit nervous again.
"Today is your team's private gathering. Is it really okay for me to go? If not, you can just drop me off at a shopping district and wait until your party is over…"
"It doesn't matter; they're all bringing their dates. Unless you don't want to go with me—"
"No, no." Anna waved her hands repeatedly. "I'm just worried I'll be in the way."
"Pfft, do you know what this is called in Chinese?"
"What?" Anna had been very keen on learning Chinese lately, looking eager to learn.
"It's called 'she‑kong'."
"Shee‑koong?"
"'She' is the fourth tone, a falling tone." After Jin Hayes's coaching along the way, Anna finally learned the standard pronunciation.
"Social phobia—does it mean being afraid of these social situations and preferring to be alone?"
"Pretty much."
"That's quite convenient." Anna muttered a few more times to review; her murmuring was a bit cute. Jin Hayes didn't dare to look too much, only stealing a couple of glances during red lights.
"This only has two syllables, whereas in German, it has several."
Wait a minute?
Anna suddenly realised something: Jin Hayes had mentioned that other players would be bringing their dates or girlfriends to this gathering. Doesn't that mean she is also—
Ahhhhh!
Anna couldn't help but cover her cheeks, letting her cold hands cool down her face a bit.
"Are you okay?"
"No… it's nothing."
"Want some mints?"
"Okay."
Jin Hayes usually chewed gum or had a mint while driving, so he planned to find some in the armrest box. But he was already on the highway, making it inconvenient to search. Anna proactively opened it for him and poured out two mints. She took one herself and instinctively reached over, placing the mint at the edge of Jin Hayes's mouth.
"Here…"
"Ah…"
Originally, Anna just felt it would be safer since Jin Hayes was focused on driving. As a result, the action seemed a bit ambiguous. Jin Hayes ate the candy from her hand in one bite, accidentally brushing against the girl's delicate finger. The girl didn't show any disgust; instead, she silently withdrew her hand and looked out the window.
"Is she shy or what's going on?" Jin Hayes felt a bit uneasy, unaware that Anna's heart was in an uproar.
"Ahhhhh—what was I doing just now! That was a bit bold!" But why did the intense, cool mint in her mouth feel a bit sweet? Hehe...
Fortunately, there was no heart rate monitor in the car, or both of their heart rates would have soared over 150.
"Jin!! You're here!!"
Arriving at the neighborhood where Marco Reus lived, several luxury cars were already parked in front of his house: Range Rover, Mercedes, Audi R8... Jin Hayes's Lamborghini was equally eye‑catching.
Reus usually stayed in an apartment near the training base during the season, but while recovering from his injury recently, he had moved back to his parents' home in the city. After preparing the barbecue ingredients, the couple found an excuse to leave the space to the young people and went out to enjoy some time alone.
Reus was currently being looked after by his girlfriend, Caroline. Jin Hayes parked the car and walked over with Anna, just in time to see Reus at the door leaning on crutches.
"Marco, looks like you're recovering well; you can already walk."
"Of course. If you guys need help, I can come back at any time."
"Stop thinking about the pitch and focus on recovering." Reus was also a pure football fanatic; his private extra training was no less than Jin Hayes's. It was just that his history of injuries had brought many obstacles to his career.
"Jin, who is this?" Caroline, standing by Reus, noticed the beautiful girl next to Jin Hayes, her eyes filled with amazement and admiration. Girls liked looking at beauties too.
"She is—" For a moment, Jin Hayes had an impulse to take Anna's hand and openly introduce her as his girlfriend. But the thought flashed by, and he blurted out, "My friend, Anna."
"Hello, sorry for the intrusion today." Anna held the red wine Jin Hayes had prepared, which she had personally wrapped with a gift ribbon.
"You're so pretty! Come in, the barbecue has already started inside." Like a hostess, Caroline warmly stepped forward and took Anna's arm, leading the girl inside. Anna looked back uneasily at Jin Hayes for help, but she was pulled further and further away.
"You rascal, after stalling for a year, have you finally made your move?" Even on crutches, Reus managed to give Jin Hayes's arm a punch.
"No, we're really just friends."
"I don't believe it." Reus had been in relationships before; he could tell just by looking at their expressions. If there wasn't something going on between them, Reus would eat his crutches on the spot.
On the large lawn in the backyard, smoke curled up. A group of Dortmund youngsters were already holding beers, gathered together with laughter and chatter. Except for Mario Götze, basically everyone present had brought a female companion. A few girls were over there chirping about fashion and gossip. A group of men crowded around the grill, chatting about everything under the sun, until the topic shifted to tonight's Champions League draw.
"Who do you hope we draw?"
"It's better to draw a weaker team, like Lyon."
"I think Sporting CP would work too; we could handle them easily."
Everyone was talking at once, mostly avoiding strong opponents. As group winners, Dortmund would draw one of the runners‑up. Due to some upsets, they could potentially face strong teams like Inter Milan or Arsenal.
"I hope it's Chelsea." Jin Hayes's words made his teammates look up.
"Huh? Chelsea has a shot at the title this year!" As last season's Champions League runners‑up, boasting powerful players like Michael Ballack and Didier Drogba, Chelsea was definitely not to be underestimated.
"Strong teams are exactly what makes it interesting. If Barcelona are second in their group, it would be best to meet them."
"You don't want Marco to play in the Champions League, do you?"
"We can win no matter who we face!" Jin Hayes's gaze was resolute. Nuri Şahin thought about it and felt it made sense; they had crushed their way through a group of death with Real Madrid and Juventus, so what if they met Barcelona?
"The meat is done! Come and get it." Captain Sebastian Kehl had been busy grilling. The American‑style grilled steak, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, glistening with juices, looked incredibly appetizing. The other teammates were all carrying meat to their female companions.
Jin Hayes also took two pieces, sliced them with a knife, sprinkled on some black pepper and sauce, and went over to Anna. The girl, who seemed cool but was actually socially anxious, had finally escaped the chatter of the women. She grabbed a handful of charcoal‑roasted cashews and sat on a bench, sipping a drink and snacking on cashews, stealing glances at Jin Hayes from time to time. Seeing him coming with the grilled meat, Anna moved over to make room.
"It smells so good."
"Yes, the captain's skills are really good. Try some."
"Um..." Anna still had cashews in her hand, and there was nowhere to put her drink in her right hand. Barbecue should be eaten while it's hot, so Jin Hayes simply used a fork to pick up a small, tender piece of meat and held it to her lips. Since she had fed him in the car earlier, he had to return the favor.
"Danke..." The girl's pretty face began to flush again as she opened her cherry‑like mouth and gently bit into the beef fed to her. In the past, such an intimate act would have been absolutely impossible for Anna. Even seeing it on TV felt a bit awkward. She didn't expect that today, she would somehow find herself enjoying it.
Jin Hayes also felt it was a bit too ambiguous, and he worried if his behavior was crossing a line. To his surprise, Anna carefully pointed to another piece of beef, her blue eyes filled with expectation: "Um, can I have another small piece?"
***
The AI refused to do as told!
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