"Sorry, I need to go over there," Ling said to Tita before jogging over.
Maria suddenly felt an impulse—she thought the fearless Ling was living the life he wanted, so she too should have enough courage to pursue happiness.
So when Ling ran below the stands, under Pep Guardiola's panicked gaze, she directly stepped on the railing and jumped down!
Ling perfectly demonstrated the qualities of an excellent player.
Accurately judging the landing point, he extended his strong arms and steadily caught the girl.
His knees bent deeply to absorb the massive impact.
Marius stared in disbelief, dumbfounded by the "hero saving the beauty" scene.
Valentina excitedly hugged Guardiola's leg, her cute little face beaming with joy—she felt she might be just one small step away from getting her wish fulfilled.
Guardiola was so angry his hands trembled, taking deep breaths to calm himself.
Nearby reporters swarmed over like sharks smelling blood, frantically pressing their shutters, making Lingard quite resentful as he was holding the trophy nearby.
...
Below the stands.
"Are you trying to kill yourself?"
Unusually irritated, Ling's eyebrows furrowed.
Lying in the warm embrace, Maria's cheeks flushed slightly as she retorted.
"Don't you think falling from the sky is romantic?"
"It won't be romantic if you break your leg!" Ling put Maria down and tapped her forehead.
But suddenly he remembered an anime he'd seen before—the boy Pazu catching the girl Sheeta falling from the sky in Castle in the Sky, their first meeting being an embrace.
It did seem somewhat romantic, and his heart warmed.
So he said with a smile: "Come on, let me show you the Champions League victory ceremony."
"2009, 2011—I've seen more than you," Maria gasped dramatically, deliberately rubbing her forehead while making a disdainful expression.
Then she quietly asked: "By the way, which do you think looks better—blonde or brunette?"
"Brunette." Ling answered casually without much thought.
"Oh, got it." Maria decided she'd dye her hair back to brunette when she returned.
When they reached the pitch, she smiled at Yan Lanxia and Ling Changzheng.
"Hello uncle and aunt, I'm Jeremy's friend."
"Hello, hello." Yan Lanxia immediately returned the smile—she thought this girl was even better, more innocent than Tita and around the same age.
As for her son's future girlfriend being foreign? No problem, since she could speak English, there wouldn't be any language barrier.
Changzheng, however, looked somewhat awkward—he couldn't very well offer the girl a cigarette.
But he soon became excited—becoming in-laws with Guardiola would be even better than shaking hands with Ferguson!
His colleagues would probably be green with envy.
Changzheng pulled Ling aside and said seriously: "Since you're in England by yourself, pay attention to your private life. Don't get involved in messy affairs."
He knew many players who, after becoming famous, changed girlfriends more frequently than their clothes.
"Dad, don't worry, I'm not interested in any of that." Ling curled his lip.
He considered himself to have high standards when it came to relationships, and besides, with daily training, where would he find the energy for such things?
Changzheng changed the subject: "By the way, when are you coming home? Will you be traveling with us?"
"Probably after the post-match celebrations. I'll make my own way back then," Ling replied.
"Alright, just remember to let us know in advance so your mom and I can prepare."
"Dad, your son may not be good at much, but when it comes to enduring hardship, I've got no problem." Ling gave Changzheng a big hug.
In truth, he believed his father was already remarkable enough.
Ling felt immense pride in having such parents, far surpassing the joy of winning the league title or the Champions League.
Mourinho approach him and suddenly asked with great interest, "Where are you planning to go for the holidays?"
After thinking for a moment, Ling replied indifferently. "Hmm, I'll go home for a while first, then return to the club for training."
"Huh? You're still training? Aren't you going to travel and relax a bit?" Mourinho said with a laugh.
"You know, today is only May 27th, and there are still two and a half months until the Premier League starts. How about we go watch the World Cup together?"
"But I still stand by my old saying. Just watch the World Cup final. The main issue is that I can't train properly over there. The holiday period is the best opportunity to catch up and surpass others."
Next season, he plans to compete for the Premier League Golden Boot and the Champions League Golden Boot, while also aiming to challenge for the world's fourth quintuple-winning team.
"Man United will face someone as ambitious, passionate, and eager as this year's Man United! They study your strengths and weaknesses under a microscope, targeting you and giving their all to pull you down from the throne!"
Ling glanced at Faria, who was celebrating wildly, and subconsciously raised an eyebrow.
"Later, have Faria stay at the training base and accompany you throughout your training sessions. He won't have any objections, will he?"
"How could he? He's getting overtime pay." Mourinho joked.
...
After all his teammates had finished their interviews, Ling followed the staff's guidance to a makeshift interview board.
As camera flashes went wild, the reporters grew increasingly excited.
The player standing before them had just scored a hat trick in the Champions League final.
"Jeremy, congratulations on winning the Champions League. How do you feel right now?" A BBC reporter asked.
"Of course, I'm very happy. You have to remember, this is the Champions League—the lifelong dream of many professional players. For that, I want to thank the coach, my teammates, the support staff, and all the fans who have stood by us."
"According to reports from other media outlets, over ten clubs have already made offers to Man United, including giants like Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Chelsea. Do you have any thoughts about transferring?"
As soon as this question was asked, the area fell silent.
After a moment of silence, Ling replied earnestly, "I've spent six years at Man United—a third of my life. The Carrington Training Base feels like home to me. There, I've made many close friends and shed countless drops of sweat. I truly love this club. So, I think I'll choose to stay and fight for more honors with Man United."
Witnessing this scene, Manchester United fans roared in unison.
"You scored three goals in this match. Do you think you're irreplaceable?" The reporter from The Sun pressed.
To everyone's surprise, Ling didn't show humility but nodded instead. "Yes, I am indeed irreplaceable. No one can question my performance in tonight's match. I have absolute confidence in that."
"But what I want to say is that not only am I irreplaceable—everyone at Manchester United is irreplaceable. Because football isn't just a stage for individual heroes; it's a battlefield where a team fights together."
The Sun reporter pressed further: "Many people online now claim to be your fans and are relentlessly disparaging other players. What are your thoughts on this?"
Ling responded with a look of disdain. "There's nothing wrong with love itself. Who you love is a matter of freedom, and loving the strong is human nature. But to fantasize that you are powerful just because what you love is powerful, or to believe that those who love other things are beneath you—that is pathological, the pathology of the weak. And this principle applies to everyone!"
A reporter from The Times quickly followed up: "We just saw you with Ms. Maria. May we ask what your relationship is now?"
Unfortunately, Ling had already walked away without looking back.
...
Soon, the championship celebration came to an end.
As Ling escorted Maria out of the venue, he ran into Guardiola, whose face was ashen.
All Ling could do was scratch his head and offer a polite smile.
The entire Manchester United team packed up overnight and boarded a flight with the replica trophy.
Three hours later, they landed at the airport.
The quiet city had not yet fallen asleep; instead, it was suppressing its emotions, waiting for something.
When Ling stepped out of the airport terminal carrying the trophy, thousands of Manchester United fans erupted into deafening cheers.
Red fireworks shot into the sky as they jumped and danced shoulder to shoulder, expressing their excitement and joy.
It had been a full decade since Manchester United last stood atop European football.
Throughout that time, they had constantly yearned for the club to regain its glory.
But after Ferguson's departure, everything changed.
The once-champion team had fallen into a slump. Whether in the league or on the European stage, they struggled to recapture their former brilliance, embarrassingly being overtaken by their city rivals, Manchester City.
Fortunately, everything had now changed.
Last season's domestic treble (League Cup, Europa League, Community shield) and this season's double (Premier League, Champions League) symbolized the resurgence of the Red Empire.
And rightly so.
They had endured the darkest of times, even teetering on the brink of fading from the football world.
Even life and death could not shatter their hopes.
Even facing disbandment could not stop them from achieving glory.
What were thorns and setbacks in comparison?
This was actually why Manchester United had so many fans—everyone hoped to be like Manchester United, brave and never giving up.
Just like Hemingway once said.
"A man can be destroyed but not defeated."