The familiar suffocating sensation returned.
Chen Tao almost felt his ribs being crushed!
In just one Christmas holiday, Aunt Maria's arm strength had increased quite a bit! If she went to Japan to participate in sumo wrestling, she might be able to compete with Makushita-ranked rikishi.
"How was your training in England? Those Englishmen didn't make things difficult for you, did they?"
"You've lost weight again, you definitely haven't been eating well."
"You two, can you let Chen in first? He hasn't even put his luggage away yet."
Frank just kept shaking his head nearby.
He hadn't seen the old couple welcome him so warmly when he returned from business trips.
As he carried his luggage into the house, Chen Tao happened to see Anna.
She was still curled up on the corner sofa, her cute, fair feet exposed, engrossed in reading a book.
Anna showed no reaction to Chen Tao's return, only nodding at him from a distance.
Chen Tao immediately felt a sense of disconnect.
A few days ago, on Christmas Eve, seeing the message she sent had inevitably made his heart beat a little faster.
Back in his dorm, Chen Tao, uncharacteristically, suffered from insomnia.
He kept wondering, what did Anna's "Me too" mean?
Could it be that...
It shouldn't be, right?
She rarely even smiled at him normally, always maintaining that cold demeanor, how could it be?
He was probably overthinking it.
After that, he had to train with Arsenal and also busy himself with writing his final project for German class.
Chen Tao gradually forgot about it later.
Sure enough, upon returning to the Heinrich before the winter break ended.
Seeing that Anna hadn't changed at all, Chen Tao's suspicions were confirmed.
He had indeed been overthinking it.
After Anna signed with a modeling agency, she had to balance school with modeling training, so she probably wasn't in the mood for dating.
Chen Tao's focus was also on football, trying his best to secure a starting position under Thomas Doll.
If Anna didn't have that intention, he wouldn't push himself to hit a wall.
As Chen Tao carried his luggage back to his second-floor room,
In the living room, Frank sat on the sofa with a can of beer, looking curiously at Anna.
"Did you and Chen have a fight?"
"No, why?" Anna was startled.
"Then you're very strange. You were clearly leaning out the window looking out just now. Were you waiting for him?"
Anna's porcelain-white complexion quickly flushed red from her neck upwards, and she rushed out of the living room, clutching her book, and hurried upstairs.
Frank watched his sister's shy retreating figure and shook his head.
"What are you two mumbling about?" Aunt Maria looked over curiously.
"Nothing, Anna has grown up."
"Was?"
Aunt Maria was completely bewildered.
...
"Don't you guys pay attention to weight management during the winter break? It hasn't been that long!"
At the Borussia Dortmund training ground, head coach Thomas Doll frowned.
Seeing the indifferent expressions of the players below, he, as the head coach, truly had no authority to speak of.
It was Chen Tao who was reassuring; his body fat percentage consistently remained at an excellent 8%, while also showing clear muscle gain.
After only a month apart, Thomas Doll felt that Chen Tao had become much stronger, no longer like before where he would fall over with a gust of wind.
Previously, when Chen Tao chose to train at Arsenal during the winter break, Thomas Doll was still a bit dismissive.
He thought, even if you train for a full month, how much improvement can there be?
Now it seemed Chen Tao's training had indeed been effective.
His overall improvement was significant, showing more abundant physical stamina and more aggressive defense in training matches.
Assistant Coach Dick Fuhren was stunned on the spot:
"How does it feel like Chen has suddenly evolved again? He's more like a top professional player than before."
Many times, they even forgot Chen Tao's age, treating him completely as an adult player.
"Should we consider giving him more opportunities?"
"Hmm, I'll think about it again."
Thomas Doll's attitude still seemed very hesitant.
Dick Fuhren opened his mouth, but swallowed back all the words of persuasion.
Thomas Doll's playing style was clearly incisive, so why was he so indecisive as a head coach?
Moreover, from last season's relegation battle until now, Thomas Doll had not developed a tactical approach suitable for Borussia Dortmund.
The tactics were still using Jurgen Röber's era's wing attacks, simple and crude, with both wings flying, lacking any real substance.
If not for Chen Tao's numerous substitute saves, Borussia Dortmund's performance would not have reached 6th place.
Can't they still see who Dortmund's true main player is?
Although it sounds exaggerated, the true main player is the 15-year-old Chen Tao!
Dick Fuhren had already heard that,
Club CEO Watzke was in contact with other people; Mainz coach Jürgen Klopp had been photographed by reporters having several meetings with Watzke.
"If this continues, the club might really have to make a change."
Dick Fuhren was not optimistic about Thomas Doll's future.
...
"After a winter break, I believe everyone can't wait any longer!
"Bundesliga is back in full swing, Bayern Munich, Wolfsburg, Bayer Leverkusen, Schalke 04, Werder Bremen, the top 5 ranked teams all won their first match of the second half of the League!"
"Now only 6th placed Borussia Dortmund remains."
"Borussia Dortmund's season can be described as starting low and finishing high. At the beginning of the season, they almost fell into the relegation zone. Until before the winter break, they achieved an impressive 7-match unbeaten streak, climbing all the way to 6th place in the League!"
"Especially the epic battle before the winter break, where Borussia Dortmund came from 4 goals down at home to beat Bayern, I believe everyone remembers it well!"
"The excellent performance of the 15-year-old Chinese youngster Chen Tao was a pleasant surprise!"
"Today, facing the bottom-placed team, Duisburg, who are highly likely to be relegated this season... Borussia Dortmund's 3 points are a must-win!"
Commentator Sauer was in high spirits.
He very much hoped to see young Borussia Dortmund show a positive upward trend.
However, upon seeing the starting lineup, Sauer still felt some regret.
"Today, Dortmund's starting midfield is still Kehl paired with Tinga. Young players Nuri Şahin and Chen Tao are both on the bench."
He really didn't know what Thomas Doll was up to?
The combination of Chen Tao + Nuri Şahin guaranteed at least a draw, so why not let the youngsters try more?
On the commentary stand, Sauer even tried to explain for Thomas Doll.
"Presumably, the Borussia Dortmund coach wants the game to be played more steadily. The veterans on the field are experienced, which can reduce mistakes and maintain possession."
"As a relegation-threatened team, Duisburg will undoubtedly use a more aggressive style, fighting for every point."
Commentator Sauer was half right.
Brazilian veteran Tinga indeed maintained possession on the field.
Borussia Dortmund took an early 2-0 lead, with 74% possession, not giving Duisburg many opportunities.
However, there was a lapse in the midfield during the first half, allowing the opponent to steal a goal.
"Oh no! Tinga, the ball was intercepted!"
"He didn't expect the opponent to press so actively!"
"Duisburg's counter-attack reached the box, and that's a goal! They are still fighting hard to avoid relegation and haven't given up!"
The first half was largely positive, and Thomas Doll was still happy, praising the team's performance.
Who would have thought that the second half would become a disaster for Borussia Dortmund!
"Oh oh oh oh! Manasseh Ishiaku's one-on-one! Duisburg scored again! A very simple and crude counter-attack!"
"Tinga became the weak point again! His passing intention was too obvious and was intercepted!"
"After the winter break, Dortmund players are all sleepwalking! They've returned to their form from the beginning of the season!"
...
"Unbelievable! Manasseh Ishiaku!"
"The Nigerian striker's hat-trick! Duisburg leads 3-2!"
"Borussia Dortmund suffers a shocking upset by the bottom-placed team in their first match after the winter break!"
At this moment, almost all Dortmund fans had only one question.
"Why isn't Chen Tao playing?"