Champion’s Heart

After the draw results for the Champions League quarter-finals came out, Dortmund's local media could not wait to look forward to the showdown with Real Madrid.

But for Klopp and his team, there is a more realistic task, which is to secure the league title.

With eight league games remaining, Dortmund now leads second-placed Bayer Leverkusen by five points.

Two-front operations still had a certain impact on this young team.

In the twenty-seventh round of the league, Dortmund faced Mainz at home, while Leverkusen faced Schalke 04 at home.

In this game, Zhou Yi played the entire game and provided an assist and a goal in the game. His performance was very good and helped Dortmund defeat Mainz 4:0 at home.

Although Leverkusen defeated the out-of-form Schalke 04 2:0 at home, they still were unable to further narrow the points gap between them and Dortmund.

After the game, Klopp gave the team a day off, and all players who played in this game did not have to go to the training base to train the next day.

The same is naturally true for Zhouyi.

So he took a nap and got up a little later than usual.

However, although he is sleeping in, it does not mean that he is really lazy. In fact, if he sleeps a little longer, he can practice in the virtual space for a while... If it weren't for the fact that he needs to continue to improve his physical fitness, he would have to get up early for morning exercises. , in fact, he still sleeps in...

After getting off the bed, he stood on the ground and stretched, giving his whole body a good stretch.

But right now. His body froze.

Because he felt some tightness and pain in the muscles at the back of his left thigh.

It wasn't the kind of stinging pain that felt like pins and needles, but it was definitely an uncomfortable pain.

He tried stretching his left thigh again - he stretched his right leg forward, then lunged, dragging his left leg behind. Straighten.

The uncomfortable feeling in the muscles on the back of my left thigh came again.

Zhou Yi frowned.

He switched to one leg, bowed his left leg forward, and pushed his right leg back to straighten it. There is no discomfort in the muscles of the back of the right thigh as there is in the left leg.

It's not like he didn't feel muscle soreness after a fierce game, let alone a fierce game when he first joined Dortmund. After a day of high-intensity training, he would feel muscle soreness when he got up the next day.

But he has rarely been able to feel that kind of muscle soreness in the recent season, and that kind of soreness is often soreness in many parts of the body, but this time there was only discomfort in the back of his left thigh.

Although it wasn't very serious, Zhou Yi was still a little concerned.

He began to put on his clothes, wondering in his mind what was going on.

But not until he got dressed. He couldn't think of a reason either.

I had to continue to frown and wash up.

As soon as she went out, she met Cortana.

Good morning. Cortana greeted him.

Good morning. Zhou Yi frowned and responded absently, then passed by Cortana and went straight to...the kitchen.

You want to go to the kitchen to wash up? Cortana reminded him.

Only then did Zhou Yi react, raised his head and glanced ahead, then turned and walked towards the bathroom.

After Zhou Yi finished washing up and came out of the bathroom, his brows were still there, even when he sat down to have breakfast.

Cortana, who was sitting opposite him, finally couldn't help but asked: Breakfast isn't delicious?

Ah? No. No. Zhou Yi shook his head quickly.

Then why are you frowning all the time? Do you have a toothache?

The tooth doesn't hurt, the pain is... Zhou Yi told Cortana the question he had been thinking about.

After listening to Zhou Yi's words, Cortana pushed the tableware aside and stood up.

Zhou Yi raised his head and looked at her in surprise.

Take off your pants. Cortana looked at him condescendingly and said.

Zhou Yi panicked and covered his crotch: What are you going to do? In broad daylight, in the bright sky, a man and a woman are alone in the same room...

Cortana rolled her eyes at him: What are you thinking of? I'm just checking you out.

Zhou Yi looked down at his jeans and then realized what he was doing. When the team doctor in the club does an examination, he also has to change his pants...

Do you need to take off your underwear too? Zhou Yi raised his head again and asked.

Rogue. Cortana said flatly.

Zhou Yi smiled and turned back to his room. He quickly changed into a pair of shorts and came out.

Cortana pointed to the sofa: Lie down.

Zhou Yi lay down obediently, and then felt Cortana's hand touch the muscle on the back of his right thigh.

He hissed.

Is it so serious? I just touched your skin... Cortana was surprised.

No, my hands are cold... Zhou Yi said aggrievedly.

Although it is March now, the temperature in Dortmund, located in the northwest of Germany, is still quite low in the morning. Zhou Yi, wearing only a pair of shorts, is afraid of the cold.

Zhou Yi's back was turned to Cortana. He couldn't see Cortana's expression, but he could guess that Cortana must have given him a hard look at this time. Then he curled up, ready to welcome Cortana's cold fingers again. But he didn't feel Cortana's hand coming back up. Instead, he heard a rustling sound, so he looked back and found that Cortana was putting her two hands together and rubbing each other.

Cortana rubbed her hands and said to Zhou Yi: Lie down. She used a commanding tone.

Zhou Yi obediently lay down again.

The rustling sound continued behind him and disappeared after a while. Then Zhou Yi felt that his right leg was covered by a warm palm.

Is it still cold? Cortana's voice sounded.

Uh, no, it's not cold anymore...

Then Cortana began to rub Zhou Yi's right thigh with her fingertips, which made Zhou Yi's thigh feel numb and itchy. This feeling made him... couldn't help but feel excited.

But just when Zhou Yi's little heart was about to jump, a burst of pain rushed into his mind without warning. He couldn't help shouting: Ah! Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap...

Cortana took her hand away: Did you stop and rub this place when the game was about to end yesterday?

Zhou Yi was stunned for a moment: Yes, there is such a thing...

Yesterday he played the entire game and performed very well, but when the game entered stoppage time. After he passed the ball once, he stopped and touched the back of his left thigh because he felt something was wrong when he exerted force.

But when it comes to pain, it doesn't hurt, I just feel my muscles are a little tight.

After pressing it, he tried moving again. I didn’t feel any pain, so I left it alone.

Later he simply forgot about it.

If Cortana hadn't mentioned it, he probably wouldn't have thought about it for a while.

Is it that time...

What else do you think?

I thought it was pulled when I got up and stretched... No, how did you know that when I was about to end yesterday's game... Zhou Yi suddenly reacted, he turned around and looked back at Cortana and smiled, Oh—— I didn’t expect you to watch my game too!”

Don't be so sentimental. I'm watching my brother's game. Facing Zhou Yi's teasing smile, Cortana said expressionlessly.

But Mark was replaced in the 77th minute... Before Zhou Yi could finish his words, he was interrupted by Cortana's hand - that hand pressed the place where Zhou Yi felt pain.

Tap it gently... Zhou Yi was frightened and screamed repeatedly.

Does it really hurt? Cortana asked.

Zhou Yi reacted after being startled. He tilted his head and felt it carefully, and then said: It seems...it's not that painful...

Cortana continued to press, and Zhou Yi continued to feel it. It was indeed not as painful as he thought. The initial pain should be a stress response of the brain when one is unprepared. Actually...it doesn't really hurt that much.

Does it sting? Cortana asked, pressing the place where Zhou Yi felt the pain.

Uh... no. Zhou Yi shook his head.

Are you sure? Cortana pressed hard again.

Sure. Not really. Zhou Yi said.

After another round of pressing, Cortana took her hand back and said, Muscle strain.

ah?

Muscle strain, Cortana repeated.

Zhou Yi's entire body and facial expressions froze, as if what Cortana said was a spell of petrification magic that froze him instantly.

What? Cortana asked when she saw him like this.

Muscle, muscle, muscle, muscle...muscle strain? Zhou Yi stuttered as he spoke. He is not imitating Lao Guo...

Don't act like you've seen a ghost, Cortana said. I know what you're afraid of, but it's not what you think.

The term muscle strain is not unfamiliar to professional athletes, even if Zhou Yi is not a player, he is still a fan. He'd heard the word many times too.

Because the media will tell fans that muscle strain is a stubborn disease that can recur, so once the area has been strained, it may be strained again if you don't pay attention to it in the future, and the chance of strain will be higher than before. Although muscle strain is not a serious injury such as knee meniscus fracture or cruciate ligament tear, it will accompany the player's career and cause trouble from time to time.

This is why Zhou Yi is worried. If his left leg is a muscle strain, let alone how many games he will miss. He is only twenty years old and has at least fifteen years left in his career. In these fifteen years, Is there always a shadow of muscle strain accompanying you?

Cortana saw Zhou Yi's worry.

It's not what I thought? What is it like? Zhou Yi asked.

Cortana held out three fingers: There are three degrees of muscle strain. The first is subtle damage to the muscle, the second is partial tearing of the muscle fibers, and the third is muscle rupture. Then she took away the last two. Finger, said to Zhou Yi: And you are the slightest of the first.

Although it seemed like good news to hear that he was in the mildest condition, Zhou Yi was still a little skeptical and asked, How do you know?

Don't you feel the sting?

Yes, no...

If you have a torn muscle fiber, you will have a tingling sensation, and you will feel like your right leg can no longer work. Cortana put her hand on the area where Zhou Yi felt uncomfortable. If you have a muscle rupture, if I press here, you will obviously feel a depression because your muscle tissue has been disconnected and displaced.

Zhou Yi touched it with his backhand and pressed it. He did not hit any holes.

Seeing that he was in the most minor condition, Zhou Yi let out a sigh of relief: As long as it's the most minor, it's OK with the most minor...

He babbled repeatedly, just like a Xianglin sister-in-law. (To be continued.)