As night fell, the capital entered the evening rush hour.
Su Qing walked out of the ministry gates, pushing her bicycle and saying goodbye to her colleagues.
Just as she entered Hengjie and was about to get on the bike, a man suddenly jumped out from behind and quickly sat on the rear seat.
The sudden movement startled her so much that her face turned pale. She was just about to scream when she got a clear look at the person.
It was the only one who dared to act like this toward her at the ministry compound.
"You scared me to death!" Su Qing hit his shoulder a few times, half angry and half amused. Each slap was lighter than the last.
Gao Shen laughed and raised the bag in his hand. "Come on, let's go home."
"What's in the bag?" Su Qing asked curiously.
"Don't ask. You'll know when we get home," Gao Shen said mysteriously.
Su Qing felt a little flustered, and her face flushed slightly. Thankfully, it was dark, so no one could see it.
She immediately got on the bike, carrying Gao Shen down the narrow road.
Gao Shen leaned against her back like a bird, arms wrapped around her waist, swaying as she pedaled. Listening to her light complaints, he closed his eyes with a relaxed expression.
He really enjoyed moments like this.
Su Qing grumbled at him for never informing her in advance when he returned, leaving her unprepared with no food at home, making everything chaotic.
Most importantly, he always liked hiding outside to scare her.
"Sooner or later, you're going to get caught by the security department," Su Qing "threatened."
Hearing no response from Gao Shen, she guessed something and continued riding in silence.
Soon, they arrived home.
Back in the familiar space, after locking the door, Gao Shen began to take off his coat.
Su Qing's face reddened, and just as she was about to say something, she saw him pull several things from his bag.
It turned out to be electric hair clippers and a full set of haircutting tools—scissors, combs, and more.
"What?" Su Qing was stunned.
Gao Shen smiled and pointed at his hair.
It was indeed a bit long.
"No, I can't do this."
"This is nothing. It's really easy."
"Why not go to a proper barber?"
"I don't like it. I just want you to cut it."
"What if I mess it up?"
"Even better. That makes it special and unique."
Su Qing tried all kinds of excuses, even suggesting she could introduce a famous stylist named Tony, but Gao Shen rejected them all. He insisted she do it.
He didn't want a fancy cut—just a buzz.
In the end, Su Qing couldn't win the argument, so she picked up the clippers and started carefully.
She was a complete beginner. This was her first time using such tools, so she worked slowly and cautiously, worried she might accidentally shave off a patch.
As the saying goes in her hometown, the haircut looked like a dog had chewed it.
Gao Shen, on the other hand, was completely relaxed. He closed his eyes and sat there, letting Su Qing mess around.
While tidying things up, Su Qing suddenly thought of something.
"How long will you be back this time?" she asked.
"I'm leaving the day after tomorrow."
"So soon?"
"The team's still in training. I took special leave to come back and get my hair cut," Gao Shen grinned.
Even though she knew he was just joking, Su Qing still felt happy.
She wasn't just happy about what he said but also happy that he came back to her during this time.
"Turns out cutting hair isn't that hard. When I visit you for National Day, I'll bring a set with me and cut your hair again." Su Qing was quite good with her hands, and with her attention to detail, she picked up some skill while cutting.
Not long after, the buzz cut was done.
After wiping off most of the hair with a sponge, Gao Shen looked in the mirror and found that it actually turned out quite well.
"If you ever get laid off from the ministry, we can open a barber shop. You cut, and I'll do the washing. I'm sure we'll have a bright future."
Su Qing looked at her "work" with pride. To be honest, she was pretty satisfied.
"Alright then, super VIP client, let's go."
"Go where?"
"Hair washing. Our shop not only offers that but also foot soaks and massages. And the technicians are beautiful," Su Qing said shyly.
Gao Shen's appetite was instantly whetted, and he quickly pulled her away.
…
Gao Shen stayed in the country for two days.
Strictly speaking, a day and a half.
Then he flew back to Europe.
While he rested, Manchester City's Carrington training ground continued operating. The coaching staff remained at work.
The club's medical team closely monitored player activity, especially those prone to injury like Van Persie and Robben. The two Dutchmen were well known for their fragility.
Particularly Van Persie, whose multiple injuries last season were all linked to international duty.
After Robben joined Real Madrid, his injury situation had improved significantly. Manchester City's investment in him played a major role in that.
Dr. Sala even arranged for staff to monitor Robben's condition daily, running tests and compiling statistics to keep track of his physical state.
Gao Shen's requirement was simple. Robben didn't have to play every game, but he had to be available for the important ones.
During the international break, Gao Shen and the coaching staff found time to review several of Real Madrid's warm-up matches this season, as well as a La Liga fixture.
In the first round of La Liga, Real Madrid drew 0–0 away at Real Mallorca.
From the tactical setup, Mourinho used a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Ever since Gao Shen won the double with that formation at Real Madrid four years ago, many subsequent coaches favored it. But Mourinho clearly hadn't figured out how to maximize Real Madrid's attack.
Interestingly, Di María played on the left while Cristiano Ronaldo was deployed on the right.
This was fairly normal.
Ronaldo often played on the right at Manchester United, and Di María usually played on the left for Napoli.
The advantage of wingers was that they provided width to the attack.
It's worth noting that Real Madrid currently had three center forwards: Higuaín, Benzema, and Adebayor.
In the game against Mallorca, Higuaín started, and Adebayor came on as a substitute to form a front two. At that point, Real Madrid switched to a 4-4-2.
Even so, they couldn't break through Mallorca's defense.
Michael Laudrup's team even performed quite well on the field.
…
"From the warm-up games and La Liga's first round, we can tell that Mourinho's preferred double pivot is Khedira and Xabi Alonso..."
Lucas analyzed Real Madrid's tactics this season. There were major differences between Mourinho and Pellegrini.
In short, Mourinho prioritized defense more.
Mentioning Khedira, Gao Shen immediately thought of the "ball-blind filter" from past discussions.
That perception came from the fact that while Real Madrid's coaches trusted the German midfielder, many fans felt he was ineffective or unnecessary.
In truth, Khedira's strengths lay in his physique, work rate, stamina, tactical discipline, and solid technique—particularly his ability to make deep runs.
He wasn't a pure defensive midfielder, but his presence protected Xabi Alonso and stabilized the midfield.
Currently, there were two midfield roles that seemed set under Mourinho.
The attacking midfielder position, left vacant after Kaká's injury, had been taken over by the No. 23—Mesut Özil, who succeeded Beckham in shirt number. Canales wasn't yet able to compete.
But Özil had a flaw: he rarely contributed to defense.
As Gao Shen pointed out, with Higuaín and Ronaldo already up top, adding Özil into midfield left the team dangerously unbalanced.
That's where Khedira became critical.
Xabi Alonso was also irreplaceable. For now, no one could take over his role or influence.
"As for the back line, Carvalho is the preferred center-back partner. The other slot rotates between Ramos and Pepe. Arbeloa is on the right and Marcelo on the left. There's no real suspense there."
This was essentially Real Madrid's starting lineup.
Despite having many superstars, the playing style remained focused on defense and counterattacking.
At least for now, Real Madrid lacked true midfield control and were most effective when launching quick counterattacks after regaining possession.
This had been true under Pellegrini and remained so under Mourinho.
Looking at Mourinho's current setup, he was still reluctant to let Marcelo push too far up. With Di María ahead of him on the left, Marcelo was often held back.
In fact, Real Madrid originally wanted to bring in Kolarov from Lazio this summer, but that move fell through for various reasons.
"I think when Mourinho visits the Etihad Stadium, he'll still lean toward a solid defensive setup and play on the counter. First, it's an away game. Second, it's the Champions League opener. Most importantly—let's be honest—I don't think he'll risk playing attacking football against us!" Lucas analyzed.
Trying to attack Manchester City head-on at the Etihad would be suicide!
So the smarter option would be to use three defensive midfielders and drop Özil.
But that raised another question—wasn't that a little too timid?
After all, Real Madrid and Manchester City were the biggest spenders in European football over the past two seasons. Real Madrid's investment was even higher.
If Real Madrid's current lineup still didn't have the guts to go toe-to-toe with Manchester City, didn't that suggest Mourinho lacked confidence in his squad?
When the time came, whether he won or lost, Mourinho would never be able to shake the label of being a coward.
Of course, Gao Shen suspected that Mourinho wouldn't care. He was a coach who believed only in winning. As long as he got the result, he wouldn't mind being called a coward.
"Have our scouts gather more intel in Madrid. The analysis team should also collect and assess information on Real Madrid, especially public opinion and fan sentiment in Madrid."
Gao Shen instructed Fernando Lucas, his intelligence expert.
"This match is critical for both us and Real Madrid. We absolutely can't afford to lose. So we have to be fully prepared and cover all our bases!"
Carlo, Sarri, and the others all nodded in agreement.
(To be continued.)