Relegation battle. Brian Carter knew about it—it's an indispensable part of football, and a very important “scenery” in the English football environment. Every season, some leave the top stage; some teams sink and fall deeper, while others are reborn like a phoenix from the ashes. Even though he already knew the outcome, he reflexively asked, “So, what was the result?”

“We were relegated.” Emily Clark lifted the brim of her baseball cap and looked up at Brian Carter with a smile. “On May 14th, we were relegated from the Premier League. Twelve years ago on this very day, we defeated the all-powerful Liverpool and won the FA Cup. That was our most glorious moment.”

Looking at the smiling face of this girl, Brian Carter felt that she didn’t seem as... calm? Maybe she was just pretending.

Emily Clark noticed the way Brian Carter was looking at her and shrugged. “Let’s not talk about that. I’m really glad to see you here, Carter.” She deliberately emphasized the word “here.”

“Uh... I really was just passing by...” Brian Carter lowered his head and saw the strap of his backpack, as if he’d found a lifeline. “I’m delivering orders, just happened to run by here, saw there was a new poster, so I came over to take a look...”

Emily Clark suddenly interrupted his eager self-defense: “I’ve been waiting for you here for three days and never saw you. I thought you’d been fired by that Chinese fast-food chain.”

“Huh? Here?” Brian Carter was a bit surprised and pointed at his feet.

“This is where I met you before—you were being chased by two dogs.” Emily Clark laughed, her eyes curving into crescents. Thinking back, the way this boy had made his entrance was actually pretty funny.

With her reminder, Brian Carter finally looked around at the shabby surroundings. Sure enough, he saw the somewhat dilapidated courtyard gate ahead. Through the half-open gate, he could see two short-legged bulldogs. When they noticed him looking, they bared their teeth at him, showing off their fangs and drooling...

“I... uh, delivering orders isn’t an everyday job.” He still found it hard to believe that this girl had waited here for him for three days. Why? That was his first thought—why was she so persistent about him?

Looking at the smiling Emily Clark, Brian Carter still decided to refuse her kindness, even though he had no idea why this beautiful girl was so interested in him. If this were an urban romance novel, he could assume he’d gotten lucky and that beautiful women would now flock to him. But this was a sports novel... “Sorry, Miss Stan...”

“Call me Emily Clark, or Amy.” Emily Clark interrupted him with a smile.

“All right, Miss Emily Clark...”

“Drop the ‘Miss’.” Emily Clark still smiled at Brian Carter.

“Damn...” Brian Carter muttered in Chinese, thinking this girl was really troublesome. “Fine, Emily Clark, I don’t like football. I’ll say it again—I really don’t like football.” He raised his arm, chopping down with each “really.”

Emily Clark stared at him for a while, then shook her head. “You’re lying.”

Brian Carter widened his eyes. “Do I get paid for lying to you?”

“I don’t know why you want to refuse, but I think... well, someone who fights to the last moment in a match and never gives up must like football, right?” Emily Clark looked into Brian Carter’s eyes and asked in return.

“That’s just my personal principle, nothing to do with what I like. I take everything I do seriously and never give up early. My teammates—they gave up long ago, but can you say they don’t like football? They’re all football fans.” Brian Carter spread his hands.

“That’s because their love for football isn’t as deep as yours.”

Brian Carter grimaced—he really didn’t know what to say.

“Can you tell me, Emily Clark. Why do you want me to try out so badly?” After a moment of silence, Brian Carter pointed at the poster and asked.

“I have a question for you too, Carter.” Emily Clark ignored Brian Carter’s question and instead asked her own—maybe that’s a privilege of beautiful women...

She took off her baseball cap, letting Brian Carter see her full expression. “After playing a match like that, are you really content?” She was referring to the friendly match between Chinese exchange students and British students.

“I don’t plan to play football anymore.” Brian Carter shook his head—he really meant it.

“If you don’t play, are you really content?” Emily Clark pressed on.

“This...” Brian Carter was momentarily speechless. In the three years before that match, he hadn’t played a single game. At first, it was out of a bit of spite, but later, he was simply overwhelmed by his studies and couldn’t spare the time. If he really didn’t want to play football, then why did he agree to help when Olivia Harris asked him to play?

“From now on, never playing football again—are you really content?” Emily Clark repeated her question.

Brian Carter still didn’t know how to answer.