Although Zhou Yi was absent, Borussia Dortmund's players still firmly controlled the game.

It wouldn't be easy for Hengyuan to turn things around. The difference in strength between them and Borussia Dortmund wasn't just about Zhou Yi.

In the end, Borussia Dortmund scored another goal, defeating Hengyuan 4-0.

This was the result of a match between the Chinese champions and the German and European champions. However, it didn't reflect the true gap in strength, because it was a commercial game. Borussia Dortmund's players hadn't gone all out. At the very least, Zhou Yi hadn't played the full ninety minutes. Otherwise, the final score definitely wouldn't have been like this, and Hengyuan would have conceded even more goals.

Those who disliked Hengyuan were quite pleased with the result—weren't you guys claiming to be the overlords of China? Borussia Dortmund has shown you your true level!

After finishing the game against Hengyuan, the next day, the entire Borussia Dortmund team took a plane and left Guangzhou, arriving in Shanghai.

There, they would play against a Shanghai club team. This team wasn't Shanghai's long-established powerhouse, but a young team—Shanghai Chongming.

This team was a complete junior in Shanghai football. Last year, they were still in the Chinese Football League One, which is China's second-tier league.

This year, they were newcomers to the Chinese Super League.

As to why Borussia Dortmund's opponent in Shanghai was this team, and not the traditional Shanghai Shenhua, there were many rumors online. Some Shenhua fans were unhappy with Borussia Dortmund, believing that the Borussia Dortmund club was discriminating against Shanghai football because they hadn't chosen the Shenhua club, which best represented Shanghai football history.

But the reason was actually very simple—Shanghai Chongming paid!

One paid, one didn't, or one paid more and one paid less. The Chinese organizers responsible for organizing Borussia Dortmund's China tour would naturally choose the generous Shanghai Chongming.

It had nothing to do with history, heritage, derbies, grievances... it was just about money.

All the analyses were useless. Could Borussia Dortmund understand Chinese football? Did they know the difference between Shanghai Chongming and Shanghai Shenhua? How could they know which team represented Shanghai football?

For Zhou Yi, playing against Shanghai Chongming was no different from playing against Shenhua. Both were just games.

He was a player, not a club owner, so naturally, he couldn't decide on these commercial arrangements.

※※※

When Wu Lei passed by his Chongming teammate Yan Min, he glanced at the ipad_mini in his hand and noticed that Yan Min wasn't playing games or watching American dramas, but watching... a football game!

Curiosity made him stop and lean behind Yan Min for a closer look, and the result surprised him even more.

"Hey, Yan Min, why are you watching the Borussia Dortmund vs. Hengyuan game?" He curiously patted Yan Min on the shoulder. "Didn't you watch the live broadcast at the time?"

Yan Min turned around and saw Wu Lei. He quickly took off his headphones and said, "I watched it, but I wanted to watch it again. It wasn't easy to find a complete game recording online, the others are all highlight reels."

"Why are you watching this stuff?" Wu Lei couldn't understand.

"I want to study Borussia Dortmund's game." Yan Min replied.

"Why study their game?"

"I want to find a way to beat Borussia Dortmund."

Yan Min's words shocked those around him. Other teammates heard his conversation with Wu Lei and gathered around.

"Beat Borussia Dortmund?"

"Yan Min, you're daydreaming again!"

"Pfft, Yan Min, are you serious?"

Everyone laughed around him.

Wu Lei also thought Yan Min's idea was too fanciful, but he didn't ridicule Yan Min like the other teammates. Instead, he shook his head and said, "Then I won't bother you, good luck!"

After speaking, he left.

He had no interest in studying how to beat Borussia Dortmund. It was like an elementary school student trying to figure out how to solve Goldbach's conjecture.

Besides, if you really want to study the opponent, that's what the coaches do. As a player, you just need to execute the tactics arranged by the coach on the field.

Wu Lei left, and the other teammates surrounded him, continuing to tease Yan Min.

"Hey, Yan Min, have you found a way yet?"

Yan Min seriously shook his head and replied, "Not yet."

Everyone laughed, laughing happily. Yan Min was the team's comedian because he often did some silly things that made everyone feel amused. Like this time.

Some people kindly reminded Yan Min not to waste his time: "Don't watch it, Hengyuan lost 0-4, and Borussia Dortmund didn't even use their full strength. The gap in strength is too big. We want to win against Borussia Dortmund? That's impossible!"

Yan Min obviously didn't listen to these voices. He put his headphones back on, ignoring the opinions of his other teammates, and continued to watch the game recording.

Seeing Yan Min being so stubborn again, the other teammates knew it was useless to persuade him, so they let him continue to immerse himself in his fantasy world.

So they all left.

※※※

Borussia Dortmund's schedule in Shanghai was also very tight. In addition to training, the team had to participate in some commercial activities, of which Zhou Yi was the most popular. He was brought to almost every press conference.

At the pre-match press conference, some Shanghai reporters stirred up trouble, asking Zhou Yi how he felt about Borussia Dortmund's opponent in Shanghai being the Chinese Super League newcomer Chongming, rather than the old Shanghai team Shenhua. Whether Chongming could not represent Shanghai football.

Zhou Yi shrugged: "You're asking the wrong person with this question, how would I know how they choose their opponents? Whether it's Chongming or Shenhua, they are both Shanghai teams, I don't think there is a question of who can represent and who cannot. As a player, I only care about the game against the opponent, but I don't care who our opponent is."

He was smart enough not to get involved in the football feud in Shanghai.

Of course, this matter really had nothing to do with him. What did the grievances and feuds of Shanghai football have to do with him, an outsider?

His image and reputation among Chinese fans were excellent, and he didn't need to put himself in trouble just to satisfy some people's internal strife complex.

※※※

The night before the game, Yan Min finally put down the ipad_mini he had been holding these days, his brow furrowed.

Seeing him like this, Wang Chao, his roommate, advised him to think positively: "I told you, who are they? They are Borussia Dortmund! Champions League champions! We want to beat them? That's a toad trying to eat swan meat! Don't get stuck in a rut. It's also great to know yourself correctly..."

"I've changed my goal." Yan Min suddenly said, making Wang Chao a little confused.

"Change what? What goal?"

"Beating Borussia Dortmund is indeed a bit too difficult..."

"It's simply impossible, okay!"

"But we can score goals against them in the game. Hengyuan didn't score any goals. If we can score a goal, isn't that also very impressive?" Yan Min asked.

Wang Chao originally wanted to habitually advise Yan Min to be more realistic, but when he opened his mouth, just as the words were about to come out, he realized—this goal isn't very exaggerated!

Beating Borussia Dortmund is impossible, but scoring a goal against them in the game... if you say that's impossible, then wouldn't that be underestimating yourself too much?

"See, you agree with my idea too!"

"This..." Wang Chao really wanted to disagree, but he couldn't lie against his conscience.

"I think as long as we can score a goal against them in the game, we can make them stop looking down on us!" Yan Min was very excited.

"Then why were you frowning just now?" Wang Chao asked.

"Because even wanting to score a goal is still very difficult..." Yan Min sighed.

Wang Chao smiled: "Isn't that normal? If they let us score goals so easily, how can they be European champions? Okay, don't think so much, there's still a game tomorrow, get some rest early."

Yan Min still wanted to say something, but seeing that Wang Chao had already gone straight to the bathroom to wash up, he had no choice but to stop talking.

Tomorrow's game...

Just thinking about this, he clenched his fists.

In tomorrow's game, he must show his best performance.

What he cares about is not Borussia Dortmund as an opponent, but Zhou Yi—this is a rare opportunity for him to compete against Zhou Yi on the same field!

Since they parted ways on the reality show, he has made great progress. He wants to let Zhou Yi see his progress, and he also wants to see how far he is from Zhou Yi.

Although he has watched many games and trained together in the national team, nothing can illustrate the problem better than a real game!