Ten days had passed in the blink of an eye since the World Cup finals concluded.
Although the media and the internet were still abuzz with heated discussions about the World Cup among fans, the five major leagues, which had made way for the tournament, had now sequentially commenced. Players, having concluded their brief休假 (xiūjià - holidays), were returning to their clubs to play.
As the core player for Arsenal, Cao Baiming naturally wouldn't miss this first match of significant importance today.
However, he didn't appear on the pitch as part of the starting lineup, nor was he on the bench. Instead, he watched the live broadcast of the match remotely from Tangguo, as a loyal spectator.
That evening, Cao Baiming went alone to a street-side coffee shop. It wasn't crowded, as it was dinner time, and not many people chose to eat at a coffee shop.
The atmosphere inside was very comfortable, and he decided to stay for a while, at least until the match ended.
After ordering a French espresso and a few delicate pastries, Cao Baiming placed his tablet on the table and began to officially watch the game.
At this moment, five minutes had already passed in the match. It was indeed a bit late to start watching now, but Cao Baiming felt no panic whatsoever.
Even without him or Henry on the field, defeating Swansea, a team that had barely avoided relegation, wouldn't be a difficult task. After all, the market value of the other players was several times that of their opponents!
Upon opening the stream, the first thing Cao Baiming felt upon seeing Vieira controlling the tempo with the ball was a pang of nostalgia. He hadn't had a good chat with his old teammate in a long time.
The ball was currently being passed around in Arsenal's own half, with no immediate forward progress, a tactic that somewhat surprised him.
Then, Cao Baiming noticed an even more important detail: even Messi wasn't on the field. He had already returned to the club.
Now, sitting on the bench, what was Arteta planning?
Just then, in a moment of inattention, Thomas delivered a forty-five-degree diagonal long pass to Saka, who executed a volley shot to score!
In an instant, it all happened in an instant!
Cao Baiming couldn't help but applaud, even though they certainly couldn't hear him. He still wanted to express his excitement.
Indeed, without the three of them on the field, Saka was Arsenal's main attacking threat.
So that's what Arteta was up to!
At that moment, Cao Baiming subconsciously glanced at the score, expecting to see 1-0 by the seventh minute, but then...
In the inconspicuous corner at the top of the display, the score read 1:1, and the time was 7 minutes!
"Whoa? What's going on?"
"I only looked away for a moment. Did they concede a goal while I was opening the stream in those five minutes?"
The feeling was so strong. He had assumed the score would be fine and hadn't looked, nor had he noticed the earlier goal.
He sighed with resignation and then took a sip of the freshly served coffee.
It couldn't be helped; the opponents weren't entirely without their chances.
His own team's defense indeed had issues and wasn't as solid as could be.
However, watching these players on the field, with their clear thinking, organized play, and individual technical skills, was far more comfortable than training with the Tangguo team.
Compared to them, playing with those players presented a significant increase in difficulty.
At the very least, the players at the club were all talented individuals who could at least control the ball properly.
The match continued for a few more minutes. Swansea seemed unwilling to concede any more ground and began to launch their own attacks.
They were currently second from last in the Premier League standings, making relegation a real threat. Therefore, every match had to be treated as a final.
They were indeed fighting hard!
However, the gap in skill was visibly apparent. Before halftime, during injury time, Saka assisted Martinelli for another goal.
A curling shot with the outside of his foot into the far corner, even more spectacular than the earlier volley, making the Premier League match feel like a showpiece!
Seeing the relaxed expressions on everyone's faces, Cao Baiming felt at ease.
The camera panned to Messi on the bench. It was likely that he would get a chance to play in the second half.
Arteta probably just wanted to use this opportunity to test another tactic, and with an opponent as consistently weak and unlikely to cause surprises as this one, it was the perfect scenario.
Furthermore, Henry and he himself hadn't returned yet, making it a golden opportunity. This gave him ample confidence to proceed with his plan, without worrying about any unforeseen circumstances leading to regret.
Therefore, this was undoubtedly the best chance!
During the halftime break, Cao Baiming ordered more food, planning to have dinner at this coffee shop for the day.
This was a relatively inexpensive coffee shop, just one he found nearby. Most of the customers were ordinary people with average incomes.
Sitting in a corner, he wasn't recognized.
Looking at the menu, most of the items were simple desserts, not really designed for satiety.
They were more suitable as snacks, for breakfast, or for afternoon tea.
However, the small cake he had earlier indeed had a novel and unique taste.
As he was contemplating what else to order, Cao Baiming's gaze suddenly swept across the entrance of the coffee shop, where two familiar figures were walking.
Weren't those Hu Tao and his girlfriend, whom he had just met yesterday?
The lighting in the coffee shop was dim, and his clothes were also unfamiliar, so he could only see his profile.
However, the girl beside him was likely his girlfriend. They were holding hands, and she was wearing the exact same outfit as yesterday afternoon, a white jacket.
This confirmed he hadn't mistaken them.
Before Cao Baiming could even greet them, Hu Tao spotted him.
This time, there was no need for his girlfriend to point him out.
With an excited expression, Hu Tao walked over, not even bothering to acknowledge the approaching waitress.
"Cao Baiming!" Hu Tao shouted, startling him considerably.
Everyone in the room jumped, their gazes turning towards them.
At that moment, Cao Baiming was still holding the menu, and the waitress beside him had a complex expression, quickly taking another look.
Cao Baiming felt a wave of exasperation. He had managed not to be recognized earlier, but now...
Everyone in the room was looking at him, all thanks to Hu Tao's shout.