To avoid his girl friend when the games are in progress, a freshman at Wenhua College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, Hubei Province set down 10 rules for his girlfriend.
The regulations stipulated the times they could hang out, date, or even pick up the phone when the World Cup is on TV.
One of the regulations said, "Football matches are my life. We can't hang out, have dinner or call each other when I'm watching the World Cup. We must cancel all kinds of entertainment."
The telecommunication freshman, Zhu Xiaofeng, said he wrote the rules for fear of quarreling with his girl friend, Wang Xiaoxiao, when the games are under way.
"So I set the regulations for the purpose of enjoying the World Cup and reminding my girlfriend in advance," Zhu said.
Wang surrendered and agreed to obey the rules.
"The World Cup is once every four years. Compared to the time we are together, it's a small percentage. I should permit several days' leave for my boyfriend to watch the match," she said.
Meanwhile, the World Cup has inspired a new kind of dating game. Some single female students make full use of male fascination with football to hunt for a partner.
Xiao Dou, a female student at the School of Foreign Language, Neijing Normal University, is a soccer fan. She asked a young man whom she recently met to send her chocolates. She explained that she needed something sweet to eat while watching the matches at night.
As a reward, Xiao Dou invited the young man to watch the World Cup with her.
A short while later, they announced to the world that they were falling in love.
(Source: Global Times)