After taking the team bus back to Manchester, everyone first went home to freshen up, changed clothes, and headed to their usual private bar spot.
"Oh, thank goodness, Ling!" Lingard exclaimed in a strange voice as Ling walked in. "You finally didn't show up to the party in training gear!"
Ling was wearing a light blue casual suit paired with a crisp white stand-collar shirt.
Although the overall outfit was fairly conventional, on Ling's robust, athletic physique, it exuded a unique charm.
Most importantly, the girl on his arm was dressed in an elegant black evening gown that balanced sophistication with a stunning figure.
Under the dim lighting of the bar, Maria's already radiant appearance looked even more breathtaking.
"Ling, aren't you going to introduce her?" Maguire winked at Ling.
"My girlfriend, Maria," Ling said with a proud smile.
"Hello, everyone," Maria greeted them gracefully and confidently.
Actually, Ling had initially thought of postponing the gathering for a couple of days, as everyone was exhausted after the brutal match.
But who knew the Manchester United players would disagree? The minority had to yield to the majority, so he had no choice but to agree.
And because he was bringing Maria along, Ling had specifically reminded his teammates to bring their partners too, so Maria wouldn't feel awkward.
"Jesse, is this your daughter?" Ling asked, looking toward a booth where a cute little girl, about a year old, was staring blankly at a glass of orange juice in front of her.
"Hope. I'm just letting her get used to the environment early," Lingard said gently, ruffling the little girl's hair.
"You're something else!" Ling couldn't help but sigh.
Only Jesse Lingard would think of bringing a toddler to a bar to "get used to the environment."
Fortunately, they had booked the entire place for the night, so the atmosphere was relatively quiet and clean.
"Ling, do you know what day it is today?!" Mahrez asked mysteriously, stepping forward.
"What? Your birthday, or are you getting engaged?" Ling took a sip of his cocktail and replied casually.
Lately, with the tight schedule, he had even lost track of time, only remembering match dates.
Fortunately, after the match against Liverpool, Manchester United only had two games left for the year—against Huddersfield and Bournemouth, both teams in the lower half of the table.
Manchester United shouldn't have too much trouble winning.
Of course, there are no easy games in the Premier League.
Ling certainly wouldn't underestimate them.
"Guys, get ready!" Mahrez shouted at the top of his lungs while pulling out a party popper, aiming it at Ling and pulling the string.
Bang, bang, bang!!!
With a series of muffled sounds, colorful confetti shot into the air before showering down on Ling, turning him into a disheveled "drowned rat."
Immediately after, the bar echoed with a melodious tune as everyone joined in, singing "Happy Birthday" in rhythm.
Maria pushed a large cake cart over, gently removed the colorful streamers from Ling's head, and then playfully placed a birthday hat on him.
"Happy birthday!"
"A belated birthday party!"
"Ling, I wish you could score forty goals this season—no, fifty goals!"
"Are you underestimating him? I'll say a number—eighty goals!!!"
The Manchester United players offered their blessings one after another, along with gifts they had prepared in advance.
"You guys always manage to surprise me!" Ling sighed with genuine emotion.
This was his first real birthday celebration since being reborn into this timeline.
Last year, as he hadn't secured a starting position yet, he threw himself into training every day and simply wasn't in the mood to celebrate.
Who would have thought this year would be so different...
"Alright, don't get too emotional. Hurry up and blow out the candles—Hope is waiting to eat the cake!" Maria urged with a laugh.
It must be said that professional footballers have impressive lung capacity since Ling blew out all twenty candles in one breath.
After finishing, he turned to his teammates. "Remember not to eat too much cake—we have a match in three days!"
"Got it, got it. You're only 20, why do you sound like my grandpa?" Aaron Wan-Bissaka groaned.
"Hurry up and cut it!" Wan-Bissaka impatiently shoved the knife into Ling's hand.
"Tomorrow at 8 a.m., I'll be waiting for you at the training ground," Ling raised an eyebrow at the right-back.
"We'll do extra one-on-one defensive drills!"
Wan-Bissaka's face instantly fell, and he shot a pleading look at Antonio Valencia.
Valencia shrugged and laughed. "I can't control Ling—he's the captain now."
"Let's eat quickly!"
After Ling finished cutting the cake, Maria distributed it to the others, and the booth grew lively again.
"Ling, what did you wish for?" Luke Shaw asked quietly, reaching out to grab another piece of cake.
But his hand was swiftly swatted away by the quick-handed Ashley Young.
"It won't come true if you say it out loud!" Young said sternly. "And look at your little belly—still eating? Aren't you afraid the boss will make you run laps tomorrow?"
Luke Shaw could only awkwardly withdraw his hand. Seeing this, the Manchester United players all burst into laughter.
Everyone tacitly refrained from overindulging because they shared the same professional goal.
...
Around 11:30 p.m., the birthday party finally came to an end.
After bidding each other farewell, everyone headed home.
Ling had his assistant drive Maria home safely, while he decided to walk to his apartment in the city center.
A biting cold wind blew against him, making passersby instinctively tighten their coats. Late-night Manchester was very quiet.
The buildings on either side, bathed in warm yellow lights, created a lazy atmosphere, occasionally punctuated by the sound of a street musician's guitar.
Ling's slight tipsiness quickly faded as he pulled out his phone and glanced at the Premier League scores.
The match between Everton and Tottenham had just ended, with Tottenham securing a resounding 6–2 victory.
Harry Kane and Son Heung-min each scored a brace.
Recently, under Mauricio Pochettino's leadership, Tottenham had gradually found their form, achieving five consecutive wins across all competitions and climbing to fourth place in the league table.
Chelsea, on the other hand, seemed to be playing worse and worse.
In this round of the league, they lost 0–1 to Leicester City. So far, Chelsea had conceded over 20 goals in the league.
Outside media commented, "Maurizio Sarri has worn out N'Golo Kanté and Eden Hazard, leading to Chelsea's Waterloo."
In truth, their assessment was quite objective.
To make room for Sarri's favorite player, Jorginho, Kanté was forced to play in an unfamiliar, advanced right-sided midfield position, preventing him from performing at his full defensive potential.
As for Hazard... due to the poor form of Alvaro Morata and Olivier Giroud, Sarri had shifted Hazard to play as a false-nine center-forward.
And the result? Before Hazard changed positions, he had recorded 7 goals and 3 assists in the first 8 league matches from the wing.
After the position change, he had gone 4 consecutive rounds without scoring.
Currently, Chelsea trailed the top of the table by 13 points, essentially leaving them with no hope of winning the title.
As for Manchester City, their performance remained frustratingly stable.
They defeated Crystal Palace 3-2, firmly holding onto the top spot, two points ahead of United.
...
The next day.
Ling arrived at the Carrington training base early, only to find Wan-Bissaka already there waiting on the pitch.
'Was it just a joke from last night, or did this dude actually take my threat seriously?' Ling wondered.
Amused, he generously gave Wan-Bissaka a brutal special training session in 1v1 defending.
Days passed by in training and video review sessions—monotonous yet fulfilling.
Unconsciously, December 26th arrived, marking the start of the 19th round of the Premier League.
Boxing Day football.
Manchester United faced Huddersfield Town at Old Trafford!
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