Chapter 1 Chen Hero

Chen Hero pushed open the door and entered, seeing the listless old Hartson lying in bed once again.

Old Hartson didn't even turn his head when he heard the door open, indicating that his attention was not focused on his surroundings at all. This was a typical sign of lack of concentration and low spirits.

Chen Hero walked straight to the old man's bedside. Only then did old Hartson notice that the person who had come was not his son, but Chen Hero.

He was a little surprised, and there was even a glimmer of light in his eyes because of this surprise, but it soon dimmed, perhaps because he thought of what the doctor had said.

Chen Hero sat down next to the old man and said to him, "I forgot to say a few words, so I came back."

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The other four didn't follow him in, but waited outside the door, each of them looking anxious and uneasy, with worried expressions on their faces.

Everyone was afraid that Chen Hero would say something that would stimulate the old man, and that would be the end of it.

Although young Hartson made way for him, he suddenly regretted it when Chen Hero closed the door. Now he was the most worried about his father, fearing that Chen Hero would be tactless and say a word or two that he shouldn't, causing his father to get excited again.

The other three were just as worried. They were worried about old Hartson's health and that Chen Hero would cause trouble. Gerrard had intended to go in and pull Chen Hero out, but he was afraid of being too violent and disturbing old Hartson.

The four of them were like ants on a hot pot, anxious and restless, but they had no decent solution.

Just as they were thinking wildly, Chen Hero pulled the door open and came out.

The four of them immediately stood still as if they had been enchanted, staring straight at Chen Hero.

Chen Hero was startled by their gazes. "What are you doing?"

Young Hartson didn't bother to ask him, he just pushed him away and rushed into the ward—he was afraid that his old man would die because he couldn't stand Chen Hero's fiery temper.

But as soon as he pushed the door open, he saw his father lying on the bed chuckling. Because he was happy, his face was flushed. It was a far cry from the previous image of a haggard face, dull complexion, and expressionless eyes!

Young Hartson was dumbfounded.

From outside, the sound of Chen Hero talking to his companions could be heard.

"Hero, what did you say?"

"Yeah, is Mr. Hartson alright?"

"I just told him what I said outside before!"

"What did you say?"

"Well, I just told him that the Liverpool game is still worth watching, and told him not to get too excited, because there's nothing to be excited about… Okay, I spoiled it for him."

Chen Hero's words made the other three not understand.

"I told him that all the championships will eventually belong to Liverpool. The glorious era of Liverpool that he experienced will definitely reappear. Then I told him to live healthily to see that day come." Chen Hero spread his hands and said.

The three opposite him were stunned. "You really dare to say that… All the championships…"

Gerrard was the first to react. He tugged at everyone, signaling them to leave and not stand at the door of the ward and talk, disturbing old Hartson's rest.

In fact, his real thought was not that he was afraid of disturbing old Hartson, but that he suddenly thought of Chen Hero's purpose in doing so.

It was in the hospital parking lot that he praised Chen Hero's approach.

"Hero did the right thing. No matter what, first use sweet words and a beautiful future to give him hope and maintain his belief, so that his life will have a goal and his spirit will be revived. As for the future… After his life returns to normal, he will probably know that Chen Hero is lying to him, right? But this is a lie of goodwill."

After his analysis, Reina and Martin O'Neill also felt that it made sense, and they praised Chen Hero for doing the right thing.

Chen Hero accepted everyone's praise with a smile on his face, but in his heart he curled his lips.

This is not a lie of goodwill at all. I have hooked fingers and sworn to the old man, how could I possibly deceive him? Every word I say is true!

But after all, he is not as impulsive as he was when he was young. He knows that some things are not convenient to say directly, as that would be too scary. He doesn't want to burden his teammates and coach with a heavy burden. Just do these things, don't talk about them.

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In the ward, young Hartson had just recovered from the shock of seeing his father. He was now very curious and wanted to know what Chen Hero had said to his father.

"He told me that he would help Liverpool return to the peak and win all the championships that can be won. The ones we should get, and the ones we shouldn't get. Joe, I'm going to live well now, I'm going to live healthily, I want to see the future he promised with my own eyes!"

Young Hartson was stunned.

His father sat up from the bed and reached out for food. "I'm hungry, Joe."

Young Hartson reacted. "Ah, I'll have them send you food right away!"

He turned and ran out.

In his heart, he deeply thanked Chen Hero.

Whether Liverpool can usher in such a glorious recovery in the future is not within his consideration, and he does not care now, because this question is not important at all. He is now especially grateful to Chen Hero for using a lie of goodwill to rekindle the hope of life in his father.

This method is great! How come I didn't think of it before?

The son who ran out thought that Chen Hero was a lie of goodwill, but the old guy didn't think so.

He has already begun to look forward to that day. Because Chen Hero also promised him that when that day comes, he will invite him to host a grand award ceremony for Liverpool, which will be even grander than the award ceremony for winning the league championship last season.

For this day, he must not go to see God before then no matter what.

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Although Chen Hero's "winning all the championships" was just a lie of goodwill, right now, dedicating a victory in a game to old Hartson was obviously necessary.

Immediately following was the away game against West Ham United. This game was designated by Martin O'Neill as a game to pay tribute to Hartson.

During the warm-up before the game, the entire Liverpool team wore t-shirts with the slogan "Steve, we are with you!" to express their encouragement and blessings to Hartson in this way.

But this game did not go as smoothly as the Liverpool players had imagined.

Although Liverpool wanted to dedicate a game to Hartson, the problem was that West Ham United had no obligation to sacrifice themselves to fulfill the Liverpool players. This is common sense—not to mention that Hartson is not dead, even if he were dead, the two sides would stand in a circle and bow their heads in silence before the game, with black紗 (shā, gauze, mourning band) wrapped around their arms. Liverpool fans would applaud West Ham United, but once the game started, that would be another matter entirely. West Ham United could not deliberately lose the game just to express their condolences to old Hartson, could they?

What's more, West Ham United and Chen Hero were not on good terms, so they were even less likely to let Chen Hero lead Liverpool to defeat them on their home turf.

West Ham United performed quite tenaciously.

Liverpool only broke the deadlock in the thirty-first minute, with Suarez scoring the first goal for the team.

But before the end of the first half, they were equalized by the tenacious West Ham United.

After the half-time break, Liverpool took the lead again, this time with Skrtel scoring, heading the ball into the goal from a corner kick.

After scoring, Skrtel lifted his jersey, revealing the t-shirt underneath, which read: "Get well soon, Steve. We love your voice!"

Skrtel has been at Liverpool for a long time, and he naturally has feelings for Steve Hartson.

But this warm scene did not last long.

Five minutes later, West Ham United equalized again.

Head coach Martin O'Neill was furious on the sidelines, waving his arms and roaring loudly towards the pitch. He was very dissatisfied with the team's performance—if they couldn't win this game, wouldn't that disappoint Steve Hartson? If the old man was disappointed, what would happen if he lost the motivation to continue living?

O'Neill based Chen Hero's promise on a lie of goodwill, so he felt that this plan was not sustainable, and that winning this game in front of him was the most realistic and practical thing to do.

The victory of this game was so closely related to a person's life and death.

How could Martin O'Neill not be under pressure?

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Chen Hero knew that what he said was not a lie of goodwill.

But he also agreed that this game was very important.

They had to win.

He had just made a promise to the old man. If he couldn't even win this first game, how could he have the face to say that he would win all the championships? He was afraid that the old man would think he was lying to him instead, right?

In ancient times, before the army set out, they would offer sacrifices to pray for the favor of heaven.

Today, let West Ham United be the sacrifice!

Anyway, I don't have any good feelings for West Ham United… Listen to those boos in the stands, it really feels like there are so many mosquitoes.

Chen Hero waved his hand, as if shooing away mosquitoes and flies.

Then, five minutes after West Ham United scored, he scored.

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"Hero—shoot—Hero!!!" The person who replaced Steve Hartson as the official commentator for Liverpool Football Club was another commentator—Harry Levy. He had worked with Hartson for many years and had deep feelings for Hartson. Therefore, his mood was the same as that of the Liverpool players on the field. They all hoped to dedicate a victory to old Hartson, who was still waiting for surgery in the hospital.

When he saw Chen Hero shoot, he raised his voice. When the football was powerfully blasted into the net by Chen Hero, he used all his strength to roar to the sky.

"Beautiful goal!! Liverpool take the lead for the third time! This time, it's Hero! He's showing his power!"

After scoring, Chen Hero rushed to the camera, and then he stretched out the little finger of his right hand, bent it, and made a hook gesture.

He didn't lift his jersey—originally, everyone thought that Chen Hero, who loves to expose himself so much, would definitely not miss this opportunity, and that he must be wearing a t-shirt under his jersey with words of blessing, encouragement, or comfort written on it, but they were all wrong, there was nothing.

So, only one person could understand his celebration.

Unfortunately, old Hartson was not allowed to watch the game, or even listen to it, before undergoing heart surgery.

But he would always have a chance to see this scene, and he would know what message Chen Hero was conveying to him.

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That afternoon, in that lifeless ward, an old man and a young man were having a conversation.

"You're not lying to me, are you, Hero? You think I'm about to die, so you're lying to me to make me happy, not wanting me to just die like this. Usually, we call this a 'lie of goodwill,' right?" Old Hartson was lying on the bed, staring at Chen Hero suspiciously, seemingly trying to see some clues from the subtle changes in his expression first.

Chen Hero frowned. "Old Hartson, you can not believe in others, but you absolutely cannot not believe in me. You are a commentator, you have watched every Liverpool game, do you think I am the kind of person who doesn't keep his word? When so many Liverpool fans in the stands encounter difficulties and call out my name loudly, have I ever disappointed them?"

Old Hartson was stunned when he heard Chen Hero say this.

Yes, this person in front of him seems to have never disappointed them…

"But why should I believe you, Hero?" Old Hartson still refused to believe Chen Hero's words. It's not that he doesn't believe him, he has been a Liverpool commentator for decades and has experienced dozens of seasons. He has never seen a team dare to say that they can win all the championships that can be won. What is that concept? It's not just that you don't have the ability, it also involves many other factors. The simplest one is luck. No matter how strong you are, if you don't have good luck, you're still done for.

Who dares to make such a boast?

But Chen Hero said it just like that.

Seeing that the old man was so stubborn, Chen Hero didn't know how to persuade him, so he simply stretched out the little finger of his right hand and bent it.

"This is?" Old Hartson was stunned for a moment, not understanding what Chen Hero was going to do.

"Hook fingers! Swear on a hook, the oath made on a hook will definitely be kept and must be fulfilled!" Chen Hero said.

Old Hartson didn't expect that it could be like this, but perhaps because people get childish when they get old, he actually stretched out his withered hand and hooked his little finger with Chen Hero's finger.

"Hook fingers forever, unchanged for a hundred years!" Chen Hero pulled the old man's hand and made the oath.