Following the first leg of the Champions League, Ye Chen experienced a surge in popularity within the football world.

Beyond his on-field performance, the interest shown by other prominent clubs further propelled him into the spotlight.

After all, Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Manchester United are arguably the three most renowned clubs globally. When they express a willingness to spend €88.88 million on the same player, it signifies that the player possesses genuine talent.

It's important to remember that this was before the era of significant inflation. The most sensational transfer at that time was Cristiano Ronaldo's €96 million move to Real Madrid in 2009, while a star like Kaká was sold for only €65 million.

Both Kaká and Ronaldo were Ballon d'Or winners.

Consequently, a debate arose online: is Ye Chen truly worth such a high price?

Ye Chen's performance this season has been phenomenal.

In every game he's played, he has consistently scored at least one goal.

His long-range shots consistently find the perfect timing, catching goalkeepers off guard.

However, he is only 17 years old.

While youth represents potential, it also signifies instability.

Rumors circulated online that Ye Chen is a highly disciplined player, particularly regarding his diet, having adopted a similar regimen to Cristiano Ronaldo's at such a young age.

Furthermore, he frequently engages in extra training.

While this is generally positive, many sports science experts believe that excessive training, besides increasing physical strain, doesn't necessarily lead to improvement.

Especially considering Dortmund's involvement in three competitions and the dense schedule, reducing high-intensity training should be prioritized. Ye Chen's approach was considered detrimental to his physical well-being.

Therefore, the extra training was viewed negatively.

Even the club's physical trainers offered some advice, which Ye Chen did not heed.

Over time, they became accustomed to this situation, realizing that Ye Chen's physical functions were extraordinary, with exceptional recovery abilities.

In reality, Ye Chen placed more trust in the system than in the team's coaches.

He had spent points to purchase the system's scientific training plan.

It cost him 500 points per month, a considerable sum.

Naturally, seeing an upward arrow next to his stats further solidified Ye Chen's resolve not to stop.

Many online expressed concern that Ye Chen might be a flash in the pan. There are numerous examples of players who perform exceptionally for one or two seasons before fading into obscurity.

Another concern was Ye Chen's physique. At 17, he was still too slender.

Could his body withstand the rigors of high-intensity competition?

Especially given Manchester United's interest, could he adapt to the Premier League?

It seemed unlikely.

Therefore, they argued that Ye Chen was not worth €88.88 million.

With that money, it would be better to acquire players who had already proven themselves in the top five leagues, and several could be bought for that price.

At this point, it must be said that online keyboard warriors believed themselves to be more knowledgeable than professional scouts from top clubs.

After all, they could conquer the world with a keyboard.

However, Ye Chen's camp quickly issued a statement:

"Stop making offers. I will not leave Dortmund at this time."

This statement delighted countless Dortmund fans.

But it severely disappointed Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Manchester United fans.

Especially Real Madrid and Barcelona fans, who formed an unlikely alliance, launching verbal attacks on Ye Chen on Instagram.

Real Madrid fans were particularly arrogant, stating, "We'll teach Ye Chen a lesson in the Champions League quarter-finals!"

Some even searched for Chinese idioms to mock Ye Chen, saying he was "refusing a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit." (This idiom means refusing a polite offer only to face harsher consequences.)

Everything would be settled when the Champions League knockout stage resumed.

Frankly, Ye Chen didn't expect to be criticized for choosing not to transfer.

However, Dortmund fans were not to be trifled with, and they retaliated against anyone who criticized Ye Chen.

They even seemed to relish the fight, engaging in heated online arguments with Real Madrid and Barcelona fans.

Ye Chen remained silent on the matter. He didn't pay much attention to online messages. He preferred to focus on training and preparing for matches.

The German Cup semi-final was approaching!

Although Klopp had led Dortmund to the league title, he had yet to win any cup competitions.

Many fans were hoping that Klopp would finally win the German Cup for Dortmund.

After all, dreaming of a Champions League title was considered unrealistic.

Greuther Fürth and Eintracht Frankfurt were the two strongest teams in the 2. Bundesliga, both considered capable of playing in the Bundesliga.

At that moment, Greuther Fürth was firmly at the top of the 2. Bundesliga.

Their match against Dortmund was a clash of league leaders at a different level.

Of course, the most anticipated clash of league leaders was the upcoming match between Dortmund and Real Madrid.

Real Madrid held a 10-point lead over Barcelona, firmly at the top of La Liga.

Dortmund held an 11-point lead over Bayern Munich, firmly at the top of the Bundesliga.

A clash between these two teams was sure to be explosive.

Recently, Klopp's hair had visibly turned whiter. The pressure was immense.

Especially after watching Real Madrid's match footage, the vast Dortmund coaching room was eerily silent.

Were their opponents really that strong?

Were they truly a match?

This wasn't a matter of self-deprecation; it was simply that every position in Real Madrid's squad was filled with world-class players.

Especially their attacking line, which was incredibly formidable.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema, Di María, plus Özil's link-up play...

Real Madrid's strength directly caused the coaching staff to have furrowed brows and a tense atmosphere in the following days.

The atmosphere in Dortmund was already uneasy before the match even began.

Of course, they still had more than ten days before facing Real Madrid, allowing them to carefully analyze tactics.

But the immediate priority was the match against Greuther Fürth.

Although they were a 2. Bundesliga team, Klopp didn't dare to take them lightly.

No team that reached the semi-finals could be underestimated.

And Klopp truly yearned to win the German Cup, as he had never won any cup title.

Despite having an away game against Cologne in four days, Klopp decided to field a full-strength lineup for this match.

The match was scheduled for 3:30 AM in China, and the room was already buzzing before it even started.

The camera was focused on the stadium, but the commentators had not yet appeared.

However, fans were already sending messages.

"Zi Jin: Here they come! Ye Chen is out warming up!"

"Zhang Widow from the Haoran Sect: Finally! I've been waiting so long!!!"

"Li Yuan who likes the Cat Zither: Go for it!!! I just love watching God Ye play!!!"

"The Boss of the Dark Cuisine World: Charge, charge, charge..."

"Gu Du's Core: It's been a while since he dominated in the German Cup, let's have another five goals today!"

"Yuan Siqin who loves to eat Cold Cucumber Salad: Exactly, he only scored one last game, that's too few!!"

"General Dahan: Just be content with goals, many rookies have rookie walls, I hope Ye Chen doesn't suddenly have a goal drought..."

"Samurai Haogui: General, the rookie wall is in basketball... but I'm worried that God Ye will have a goal drought. Has everyone noticed that it's getting harder and harder for God Ye to score!"

...

Before the match even started, the barrage of comments was already lively.

At that moment, Ye Chen, who was warming up on the field, received a new mission from the system.

"Ding, main mission issued: lead Dortmund to victory away and complete a hat-trick. Mission success reward: 200 points!"

Hiss...

200 points?

But asking him to score a hat-trick seemed a bit difficult.

As Ye Chen became more popular, all teams had reached a tacit agreement to have at least two or even more players defend him.

Under such circumstances, it was naturally more difficult for Ye Chen to score.

And today, Greuther Fürth was playing a 3-4-3 formation... simply put, another defensive wall.

Facing this situation, achieving a hat-trick was difficult, which explained why the system was being so generous.

"Phew... Never mind, I'll just give it my all!" Ye Chen clenched his fists. "At least I can't have any regrets!"

Recently, Ye Chen had also realized something. Because of the "Guaranteed Long Shot Goal" card, he had become a bit complacent.

As long as he scored a goal in every game, that was enough. As for scoring twice or a hat-trick, it was entirely up to chance.

Moreover, with so many media outlets praising him, he had become somewhat conceited.

But receiving this mission made Ye Chen realize something!

The system felt that he had become somewhat lax, so it used such a mission to encourage him.