Listening to the conversation between the two, Jin Mingzhu suddenly burst into laughter. She pointed at Lin Chen, "Zuo Siqi, you really believe this loser can change the course of the game? If you actually win, I, Jin Mingzhu, will take your surname, Zuo Siqi, from now on!"

Hearing Jin Mingzhu's provocation, Lin Chen stood up and made a disdainful gesture at Jin Mingzhu, "Ever heard of Shaolin Soccer? Today, I'll show you what's truly awesome."

With that, Lin Chen headed straight to the field.

Before long, Lin Chen's voice appeared over the loudspeaker, "Ladies and gentlemen, the team leader of Stick Country, Miss Husky Dog—I mean, Miss Jin Mingzhu—and our Capital City University's Miss Zuo Siqi just made a bet. Whichever country loses this match will have to run 400 meters on the track in high heels, while proclaiming they're an unsightly pig. Please, bear witness to this to prevent someone from reneging later."

At the announcement, the entire audience was in an uproar.

"Damn, has Teacher Zuo lost her mind? Capital City University is already looking weak, and she still dares to make a bet."

"Man, losing the game and losing face all at once, Teacher Zuo is still my idol, though!"

Hearing the broadcast, Zuo Siqi's face also turned sour. After all, she wasn't sure if Lin Chen could really turn things around, and although they could initially deny it, now that it was announced over the loudspeakers, denying was no longer an option.

Jin Mingzhu was over the moon, "Don't blame me this time, Jin Mingzhu. It's your pretty boy fool who dared to publicize our bet. You're done for."

Surprise filled the announcer's eyes as Lin Chen left the broadcast room and headed straight to the locker room.

Upon entering the locker room, Lin Chen saw the Capital City University team players each wearing a look of shame, their faces ashen.

"Damn, this is just bullying. They've got national team and Olympic team members playing, how can we compete?"

"Exactly, those two are too fierce; we can't intercept the ball from them at all."

Lin Chen's gaze turned to the field, only to see two Korean players nonchalantly drinking water and chatting with ease.

"Are these guys really that good?" Lin Chen asked curiously.

"Of course. That Li Minghao, he joined the youth national team at 14, represented Stick Country in the Olympics, and is rumored to be heading to Barcelona this summer."

"Damn, to think he's a future Barcelona player," Lin Chen muttered to himself in amazement.

"See that short guy? That's Xu Zaiyun, also an active player for Stick Country's Olympic team. He's heralded as the most promising young star of Stick Country and is about to go train with Chelsea."

The player continued with growing dismay, "Playing against this kind of player is like adults bashing kids. It's not that we don't want to help Teacher Zuo; we just can't match them."

The other players looked dejected, "Man, hopefully we can lose fewer goals in the second half, or we're really going to get roasted."

Lin Chen clapped his hands and smiled, "Don't lose heart, guys. So what if they're the national team or the Olympic team? Daring to act so arrogant on our turf is just asking for trouble. Brothers, let's kick their asses in the second half."

Despite Lin Chen's spirited encouragement, the players' morale didn't improve and their spirits remained low.

Seeing this, Lin Chen shook his head and continued, "How about this, if we beat these punks today, win or lose, as long as everyone tries their best, I'll treat you all to a meal at Royal Pearl."

Royal Pearl?

At the mention of the name, all the players' eyes lit up.

It was the most famous clubhouse in Huaxia, where the girls looked like movie stars and the food was exceptionally delicious.

However, its prices were as steep as its reputation; a single meal could cost hundreds of thousands, easily.

This was a place these players dreamed of visiting. Hearing Lin Chen's encouragement, they immediately perked up.

"National team, Olympic team, whatever, I'm giving it my all."

"Just because these puny kids dare to strut around in our great China, I'll flatten them."

"Right, following Brother Feng, there's meat to eat, let's do it."

Lin Chen looked around at everyone's energetic spirits and nodded with a smile.

"Wang Dong, Li Wei, Zhang Tao, you three take charge of defending Xu Zaiyun. Li Minghao is mine, I'll show him what Kung Fu football is all about."

"For the glory of our motherland, for the Royal Pearl, for our goddess Ms. Zuo, let's go!" The Capital City school team's morale soared sky-high.

The Seoul team's players curiously glanced towards the Capital City team, wondering where this sudden morale boost had come from, considering they had trounced them like dead dogs in the first half.

The match officially started, and Capital City University kicked off.

The stadium buzzed again, but like in the first half, the cheering was all from the players of the rival country, while only sporadic cheers erupted from China's side.

Having seen the first half, no one had high hopes for the second half, and many students couldn't bear to watch their school team get slaughtered and decided to leave early.

"Li Minghao, Li Minghao!"

Chants echoed through the stadium, and Li Minghao looked disdainfully at Lin Chen, who stood in front of the ball, a mocking smile curling at his lips.

In the stands, Jin Mingzhu burst into laughter seeing Lin Chen standing in front of the ball: "Your pretty boy really doesn't know his place. Li Minghao has been picked by Barcelona and will be playing alongside Messi. This idiot actually thinks he can challenge him, ridiculous."

Zuo Siqi smiled faintly, fixating her gaze on Lin Chen on the field. She had already figured that Lin Chen would turn the tide in this match, but how could this guy possibly defeat two national players from the rival country!

Li Minghao glanced at Lin Chen with a coldly amused smirk, his eyes shimmering with contempt and derision.

Lin Chen snorted, "Arrogant for what? Just wait, and I'll make you unable to claim you're a Barcelona player."

"Beep!"

Along with the referee's whistle, the match officially began.

A player from Capital City University tapped the ball, passing it to Lin Chen's feet.

To everyone's surprise, Lin Chen did not pass the ball but directly dribbled it towards Li Minghao.

Li Minghao was initially stunned but soon a smirk appeared, and he charged towards Lin Chen.

In the stands, Li Minghao's agent was chatting confidently with a scout from Barcelona: "Not only can Li Minghao attack, but he is also good at defending. Look at this idiot trying to get past Li Minghao. Just you watch, he's about to steal the ball."

On the field, Li Minghao darted towards Lin Chen like lightning, eyes fixed on the ball's trajectory, ready with a sliding tackle.

Li Minghao was fast, but Lin Chen was faster. Just as Li Minghao's foot was about to reach the ball, Lin Chen suddenly flicked it upwards.

Meanwhile, the agent was still excitedly commentating: "Look, Li Minghao has tackled the ball, and although the opponent is just an amateur, notice Minghao's positioning, reaction, and burst of speed, watch as he gets the ball..."

However, when his gaze returned to the field, his face instantly turned the color of liver, and his next words choked back down his throat.

"It seems like Li Minghao got played!" a nearby scout chimed in just at the right moment.

The agent's face turned awkward instantly, while the scout's eyes involuntarily drifted towards Lin Chen with the ball.