Chapter 110 Home Game

Beating their arch-rivals Manchester United on their home turf, the Liverpool players were overjoyed. Back in the locker room, their faces were still radiant with smiles.

Chen Hero received the "Man of the Match" award outside, and a bottle of champagne was handed to him—a tradition in English football. He scored one goal and assisted on another in this match, making him the number one contributor to Liverpool's victory over Manchester United. Being named the best player of the match was well-deserved.

He returned to the locker room with the bottle of champagne and saw everyone enthusiastically discussing the game that had just ended and where to go to relax next. After winning such an important game, Dalglish would definitely give the team a day off tomorrow.

Chen Hero decided to take the opportunity to invite everyone to his new home.

"Everyone! Listen up! Come to my new house tomorrow night! I've moved, and I haven't invited you all yet! Don't worry, I won't invite the boss or anything, so you can all have fun! Bring your women! Whether it's wives, girlfriends, or whatever...bring them all, let's have a good celebration!" He jumped to the center of the locker room, holding up the champagne bottle, and shouted to everyone.

"Oh, and Martin!" Hero pointed to Skrtel, "You can bring two!"

The locker room erupted in laughter.

Skrtel gave Chen Hero the middle finger: "I have a girlfriend and a kid now!"

Everyone was in high spirits, and when Chen Hero said this, they naturally agreed amidst laughter. Some were even discussing whether to prepare a gift for Chen Hero, after all, he had just moved into a new home, so they should congratulate him.

Then Chen Hero walked to Suarez's side and said to him, "Hey, Luis. You're coming too, right?"

Suarez was a little surprised: "Me?"

"Yeah, everyone, all of you. How could you not come?"

"Uh..." Suarez hesitated a little. He felt like something was wrong, but he couldn't remember what it was for a moment.

At this moment, Chen Hero put his arm around his shoulder: "What's there to hesitate about? Come have some fun, bring your girlfriend."

"It's my wife..."

"Whatever, just bring her. Look, we beat Manchester United, shouldn't we celebrate and relax?"

Suarez was confused by Chen Hero's words. He thought Chen Hero made sense, so he nodded reflexively.

Chen Hero smiled: "Then, I'll take that as a yes, I'll be waiting for you! Be sure to come!"

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The next day, just after noon, Skrtel and his girlfriend, Barbora, came to help Chen Hero.

"I figured you're preparing a party at your house, and you'd be swamped if you did it all by yourself, so we came to help," Skrtel said.

Chen Hero grinned. He really had a good friend, to think of coming to help. But he didn't say any cheesy thank yous. Good friends didn't need to; a smile was enough.

Actually, there wasn't much Skrtel needed to help with. Chen Hero was holding an outdoor barbecue, and he had hired people from a barbecue restaurant to help with the grilling. The equipment was also rented directly from the restaurant.

But the fact that they came was a kind gesture.

Skrtel's girlfriend, Barbora, presented their gift, congratulating Chen Hero on his new home.

Chen Hero didn't need to thank Skrtel, but he still had to show his gentlemanly manners to Skrtel's girlfriend. He expressed his gratitude to Barbora.

"Do you live here alone?" Barbora asked after touring Chen Hero's house.

Chen Hero nodded: "For now, yes."

"What about your girlfriend?"

"Uh...she's in Italy."

"Is that the bodyguard?" Skrtel had heard about Chen Hero's bodyguard. The media had been reporting on it for a while. The media didn't know who the woman wearing sunglasses was, but he did.

Chen Hero nodded: "Yeah."

Skrtel immediately revealed a meaningful smile.

When Chen Hero saw his smile, he knew this kid was up to no good. He rolled his eyes: "Look at that lecherous smile of yours!"

Skrtel simply laughed out loud.

His girlfriend Barbora, on the other hand, asked, "Isn't it difficult for you to see each other then?"

"I fly over to see her," Chen Hero replied.

"That must be hard..."

"No choice," Chen Hero shrugged. "Loving someone always comes at a price."

Barbora tilted her head and thought for a moment, then smiled at Chen Hero: "Being your girlfriend must be a happy thing!"

Skrtel coughed twice, and this time it was Chen Hero's turn to laugh: "Don't be jealous, Martin! Ah ha ha ha!"

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As the setting sun began to reflect on the surface of the sea behind the house, and the golden light dyed the sea a dark gold, the sky gradually darkened.

Outside Chen Hero's house, it gradually became lively as his teammates arrived one after another in their cars. Chen Hero stood at the door to welcome them, and Skrtel led them in. In the outdoor garden, the barbecue restaurant staff had already set up the stoves and started making barbecue. The aroma of grilled meat gradually filled the air amidst the rising smoke.

When everyone arrived, they congratulated Chen Hero on his move and presented their small gifts. It might be a scarf, or a small ornament, not worth much money, but it was a token of their appreciation.

Even Gerrard, who was recovering from an injury, received Chen Hero's phone invitation, so he came this time as well. He hugged Chen Hero outside and patted him on the shoulder, thanking him for his goal and assist, which helped Liverpool defeat Manchester United.

"Well done, Hero. Did you hear the cheers for you from the Kop stands? It shows that you've started to win the hearts of most Kopites!"

"So I'm only just now winning their hearts?" Chen Hero pretended to be surprised.

Gerrard laughed: "Games against Manchester United are always different. Scoring a goal in this game is worth three goals in other leagues!"

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On the way to Chen Hero's house, Suarez was still complaining incessantly: "Damn it, why did I agree to him in the first place? I don't want to be his damn friend! We're rivals, enemies to the death! Liverpool can't have two attacking cores, it's either me or him, what good is it for me to be friends with him? Damn it!"

His wife, Sofia Balbi, was sitting in the passenger seat, dismissive of Suarez's incessant complaining all the way, yet still stubbornly driving the car towards Chen Hero's house: "Then you can turn around now, we'll go back the way we came."

"That won't do! What do you know, woman!" Suarez was very dissatisfied with his wife's tone, "I don't want him to think I'm afraid of him! So since I promised, I have to go!"

Sofia, sitting next to him, smiled silently when she heard his words, her lips curling up, which was quite charming.

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Suarez was the last to arrive, driving his car very slowly, fully demonstrating the struggle in his heart.

When he arrived, he saw Chen Hero standing outside the gate, waiting for him.

Seeing him arrive with his wife, Chen Hero opened his arms, grinned, and stepped forward to greet him: "You're late, Luis."

Suarez very skillfully shifted the responsibility to his wife beside him: "It's all her fault, you know, women always have to dress up and get ready when they go out, it takes up a lot of time!"

"Hey, Lui..." Having been made the scapegoat, Sofia was very dissatisfied and opened her mouth to retort.

Suarez quickly turned to her and winked, signaling her not to say what she shouldn't say.

So his wife had no choice but to shoulder the blame, with an embarrassed smile on her face: "Yes, yes. Attending a party, I can't lose Luis's face, can I?" Of course, she still had to prick her husband with those words.

Suarez pretended not to hear.

When Chen Hero heard that the reason for the lateness was Suarez's wife, he was embarrassed to continue joking about the topic, so he simply put his arm around Suarez's shoulder and walked in.

"Let's go in, Luis. They've already started!"

Sofia, following behind, saw her husband seemed to struggle for a moment, but he didn't break free. She didn't know if it was because Chen Hero was holding him too tightly for him to break free, or if it was because he didn't really want to break free at all...

She smiled silently again.

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Under the cooks' culinary skills, the food was very delicious. And because of the addition of the women, the atmosphere was harmonious and joyful. Everyone gathered in groups of three or five to chat and joke. The women discussed topics they were interested in, and the men discussed their topics.

Chen Hero wandered around the crowd, checking to see if one group of people was eating well, and then going to see if another group was having a good time chatting. Occasionally, he would join in, but he would leave after a short while.

He was like a spring breeze, sweeping across the entire scene, leaving no dead corners, so that no one felt neglected.

Isn't that why everyone says Chen Hero is well-liked? It would be strange for someone who behaves like this to not be well-liked...

Gerrard and Carragher, the captain and vice-captain, gathered together. They were holding a glass of wine in their hands. Chen Hero had just walked past them and then plunged into a group of players who had only joined the team this summer. Soon, loud laughter erupted from that group.

"It's incredible, seeing how he acts, I'd think he's been the captain of this team for ten years," Vice-Captain Carragher said, a little surprised.

"Some people are just naturally more easily welcomed by everyone..." Gerrard said, "Are you jealous?"

Carragher rolled his eyes: "What would I be jealous of him for?"

"I never thought he could join Liverpool before. I watched yesterday's game, it wasn't actually that exciting, and we didn't have an absolute advantage before he scored. But this kid has the ability to break the deadlock and can also assist his teammates. Maybe Liverpool can really rise again now?"

Carragher shrugged: "He only stayed at Napoli for three seasons, who knows how long he'll stay at Liverpool?"

"That's because of the fans. In Liverpool, I believe no one will be as stupid as the Napoli fans. We're getting old, the future of Liverpool is his, and I hope he can keep playing here. I believe he will fall in love with this city and this team..." Gerrard sighed.

Frequent injuries have made the former Liverpool Iron Man tend to become a glass man, so Gerrard has been particularly sentimental during this time. He always feels that he is already thirty-one years old, and his body is beginning to decline, so he is pessimistic about how much longer he can continue to play for Liverpool.

Now, seeing Chen Hero, he sees the future of Liverpool. Chen Hero is only twenty-three years old, and if he can keep playing for Liverpool, he can play for Liverpool for a long time, at least ten seasons. Aren't those ten seasons enough for our Reds to revive?

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