The subsequent game went surprisingly smoothly. After Bell's free kick equalized the score, the team quickly scored another goal from Belmadi.
2-1, Southampton finally achieved a lead and won the away game.
At the post-match press conference, Kevin Keegan once again endorsed Wang Xiaodong.
"...It is enough to show that Dong has always been a caring child."
"In his life, there is only good and evil, right and wrong, and it is not as complicated as people think."
"When everyone else deliberately alienated the black brother, only Dong stood up and influenced the other person with love, while ignoring this biggest 'weapon' and giving the other person a fatal blow."
"It can be seen that violence is not the only way to solve problems in winter life."
"In many cases, he will use more correct and meaningful ways to fight back against opponents who are unfriendly to him."
Keegan’s words resonated with many, especially some of the people of color present.
Wang Xiaodong's behavior in the stands today is indeed commendable. Many media reporters are thinking whether the previous reports on Wang Xiaodong were too inaccurate.
At the same time, Wang Xiaodong's actions also won the respect of many foreign fans.
Even Southampton's official website used this as a background image to promote the club. For a time, Southampton's small team's reputation among African-American and Asian fans soared.
At the Staplewood training base the next day, Wang Xiaodong's figure appeared in the crowd again.
Seeing Wang Xiaodong return to the team, Keegan finally felt relieved.
Regardless, this is a sign of reconciliation.
...
"Left, left, left, left..."
On the sidelines of the court, Wang Xiaodong held Bell's heels and chanted slogans frequently.
At this moment, Bell was sitting on the ground, with an elastic band tied on the upper part of his foot, and he was using the strength of his ankle to exert force on the inside again and again.
For players like Bell who are prone to ankle injuries, daily ankle rehabilitation training is essential.
"Dong, where have you been and what have you been doing these two days? Why didn't you come to training?" Bell started the conversation first, hoping to ease the relationship between Wang Xiaodong and Keegan.
"Oh, you don't know. I've been so tired these past few days that I even feel like my lung capacity is a little low." Wang Xiaodong complained and subconsciously touched his waist.
"More than 8,000 lung capacity is not enough?" Bell was so frightened that he immediately sat upright. "Dong, tell the truth, what have you been doing these past few days!"
"It's nothing, just blow and massage, and then lie down on the bed..." Wang Xiaodong recalled the past few days with nostalgia and a little panic.
Vivian recorded the entire process of using the wand and sent it to the little witch via email as a teaching video for mutual study. And through the feedback given by the little witch, she even developed more tricks for using magic, which made Wang Xiaodong exhausted and miserable.
What Wang Xiaodong couldn't accept the most was that Vivian actually regarded this as a reward and punishment for practicing the saxophone. Those who played the saxophone were not bullied, and those who played well were bullied.
In the past few days, Wang Xiaodong's saxophone level has greatly improved, from a complete layman to an entry-level player.
Seeing that Wang Xiaodong was almost done practicing, Vivian walked away with more than a dozen G videos with satisfaction.
"Dong, as a good friend, I still want to advise you, having sex more often will harm your health. Don't waste your body wantonly just because you are in good health. In a few years, you won't be so tough on the court!"
"Of course I know! It's not that guy Weiwei..." Wang Xiaodong clenched his fists, and in the middle of his vicious words, he seemed to remember something: "By the way, I heard you say that when you broke up with Catalina, Is it because she found out that you can't do it? Are you too quick?"
"Farke, that's not the case!" Bell blushed, "We didn't do anything between me and Catalina, I didn't even go to second base!"
"You haven't even reached second base?" Wang Xiaodong recalled the touch of the little witch's steamed buns on Christmas Eve, and suddenly showed a look of disdain, "You haven't even reached second base, what a failure!"
"Come on, this foot is done, let's switch to the other one."
Wang Xiaodong and Bell were chatting here, while Dyer, Fernandez and others were watching from a distance.
"Dale, did you say that Bell convinced DONG? The boss still cares about Dong very much, as long as he apologizes. After the suspension, the boss will definitely let him play immediately!" Fernandez said with emotion.
"Who knows? Come and have a look!"
The two nodded and walked towards Bell and Wang Xiaodong.
Before he got close, he heard the two talking about "second base", "two", "can't get out of bed" and other topics. Fernandez immediately looked stunned: "Bell, what are you talking about with Dong?" !”
Bell turned his head with a sad face, "Dong asked me, what should I do if I have to deal with two women at the same time! Wow, how do I know the answer? I'm so fast, I can't even deal with one woman!"
Dyer & Fernandez: "..."
Wang Xiaodong did not apologize to Keegan after all, and Keegan never said a word to Wang Xiaodong.
On April 2, after defeating Cardiff City 3-2 at home, Southampton finally moved up one place to seventh in the British Championship.
Seeing this, the fans regained their hope.
On April 8, the team played away to Brighton & Hove Albion.
Today was supposed to be the day when Wang Xiaodong was "unbanned", but fans discovered that Wang Xiaodong was still on the bench and was not sent out until the end of the game.
Fortunately, Brighton and Hove Albion were not very strong and did not bring many obstacles to Southampton. The Saints narrowly passed the game 1-0.
After the game, many media speculated that Wang Xiaodong did not get a minute of playing time. The fans were most concerned about whether there was any disagreement within the Southampton team and whether there were any irresolvable conflicts between the coach and the main players.
At the press conference, Keegan still answered the matter calmly.
"...He has just returned to the court after being released from the ban in winter, and he still needs a period of time to adjust with his teammates. And there was no time period when he was required to play in the entire game..."
"In addition, Gareth performed well in this game. He was like a sharp sword on the left, repeatedly poking a hole in the opponent's defense."
"His role on the field is self-evident. I think you should pay more attention to some of the players on the field who performed well in this game."
Keegan's answer was nonchalant, even somewhat official.
In this regard, the media have speculated.
Several media outlets even obtained testimonies from some Saints players, proving that after the game, Wang Xiaodong did not take the bus back with the team, but took the train back to Southampton on his own.
Just as the media paid further attention to this matter, in the away game on April 15, fans were surprised to find that Wang Xiaodong was nowhere to be seen from the starting lineup to the bench.
In other words, this is the first time since Wang Xiaodong became the main player that he has not been included in the starting lineup due to injuries and suspensions.
During the game, the camera looked around the entire field, but Wang Xiaodong was nowhere to be found.
It seems that he didn't even arrive at the game today.
What went wrong inside Southampton?
What happened to winter?
What conflict happened between Dong and Keegan?
Is it true, as some people say, that winter will not appear on the playing field until the end of the season?
The game was played very poorly, and the team eventually lost to Stoke City 0-2 and returned home with a disastrous defeat.
Fortunately, in the other game, Leeds United also suffered a defeat, so Southampton has not yet been beaten by opponents at the top of the rankings.
Even so, Southampton has no chance of retreating if it wants to take the lead in the last three games.
The sky gradually darkened, and the lanterns began to light up.
The bus on Southampton's return journey was lifeless, and only the occasional snoring of a few sleeping players could be heard.
Kevin Keegan was still sitting in the front row. He was still wearing the neat suit and square tie, as if he was attending a fancy dinner.
But Jack on the side knew that the game was over and the press conference had already been attended.
Keegan still maintains such a serious and formal image simply because his thoughts have already flown far away.
What did you do in winter?
Is he really angry?
Will Dong ever reconcile with Mr. Keegan?
Will he still play for Southampton in the winter?
Countless questions lingered in Jack's mind. Not only him, but also the players in the carriage were whispering.
Dyer glanced at the empty seats in the last row of the car. Normally, that was where Wang Xiaodong slept alone.
"What's going on with Dong? Is he really angry with the boss? Isn't it just that he wasn't allowed to play in a game? Why is Dong so narrow-minded?" Fernandez asked.
In the last game, Keegan kept Wang Xiaodong on the bench for the entire 90 minutes.
Although Wang Xiaodong didn't say anything on the surface, he submitted a leave request report the day after the competition, and the leave request lasted until the day after tomorrow.
"The boss won't let me play anyway, so why should I come here? I might as well go home and rest for a few days." Bell shrugged, "That's what Dong said at the time."
Everyone shook their heads after hearing this, Wang Xiaodong's attitude was already obvious.
Dyer on the side crossed himself on his chest and prayed to God in his heart: "Lord, Dong must have some misunderstanding about the boss. But you know, the boss cares about him! Please tell me what I should do, as long as I can help them eliminate their misunderstanding and let me never find a girlfriend in my life!"
