Chapter 22 Kaka Only Needs a Goal to Be Perfect!

No one expected Carlo Ancelotti to let Kaka start in the second round of the league. And no one expected Kaka to contribute an indirect assist for the team in his first Serie A appearance. In the seventy-sixth minute, Kaka got the ball in the backcourt, made a feint to pass the ball, and quickly dribbled the ball between two Ancona midfielders. Just when people thought he would continue forward, Kaka suddenly poked the ball forward with his right foot, and the ball passed between two Ancona defenders. Cafu (marcodemoraesCafu) cut in from the right and assisted Shevchenko (Andrishevchenko), who scored with a push shot from nine meters out, securing the victory for Milan.

In fact, Kaka had a chance to score. But his generosity made him pass Shevchenko's pass back again. The ball was blocked by Milanese midway. Sheva waved his hand helplessly, not because he didn't receive the ball, but because Kaka was too modest. Even coach Ancelotti felt very sorry.

Afterwards, Kaka flew back to Brazil to represent the Brazilian national team in the South American qualifiers for the German World Cup.

In the away game against Colombia, Brazil was still tied 1-1 until the fifty-ninth minute. Obviously, this result could not satisfy coach Parreira. So, in the fifty-ninth minute, Parreira replaced two young players, Renato, who played as a defensive midfielder, and Kaka, who played as an attacking midfielder.

Being substituted at this time can be described as being entrusted with an important task in a critical situation. Even the former Brazilian star Falcao, who was commenting on the game, thought it was not the right time and worried whether Kaka and Renato could live up to their mission. Falcao believed that sending new players on the field in such unfavorable circumstances was actually very detrimental to their growth because they had to withstand enormous pressure, their performance was difficult to guarantee, and in case of failure, they were likely to bear a heavy psychological burden.

After equalizing the score in the thirty-eighth minute of the first half, the Colombian fans who had already "defected" began to cheer for the home team again. The Colombian team also seemed to wake up suddenly and controlled the situation on the field in the final stage of the first half and the beginning of the second half. The Colombians themselves felt that it was only a matter of time before they overturned the world champions and ushered in a home victory.

Falcao's analysis was very reasonable, but it did not necessarily hold true for Kaka. In the sixtieth minute, Ronaldo (ronaldo) got the ball outside the penalty area and passed it to the middle under the pressure of the opponent's defender. In the blink of an eye, Kaka quickly stepped up and unleashed a powerful shot from outside the penalty area! Ivan Cordoba, who played for Inter Milan (inter), had no time to react, and the ball flew into the net, plunging the entire stadium into silence.

And this was only Kaka's first touch after coming on as a substitute. But Kaka thought the goal was luck. "Scoring with my first touch is a first in my career. This goal is not only helpful to me in the Brazilian national team, but also to me in AC Milan. Everything that happened to me is simply incredible!" He told reporters after the game.

Returning from the national team, Kaka will face a different game. On September 14th, in the third round of the league, he will challenge Bologna (Bologna) away, where Yang Pan is.

※※※

"Kaka, will you start?" Yang Pan asked Kaka on the phone.

"No. I just came back from Colombia, and the coach wants me to rest," Kaka replied.

"Hehe, that's good, that's good."

"What's good? Do you think Bologna can beat us?"

"No, I mean, I feel balanced if you don't play, haha!" Yang Pan laughed.

"……But I was selected for the squad, hehe!"

"You're deliberately trying to annoy me, aren't you?"

"Stop joking, seriously, you really weren't selected for the squad?"

"Can it be fake?"

"Why?"

"Hmm, good question. I also want to know why, why is Nervo in such good form?" In fact, Yang Pan knew very well that Nervo was in unexpectedly good form. In two rounds of the league, he had one goal and two assists, which was very good. In this situation, coach Mazzone will definitely choose experienced veterans. After all, he is playing very well, and there is no reason to let him sit on the bench. Moreover, the league has just started, and there is no problem with physical fitness.

"Maybe my chance will only be in the second half of the season," Yang Pan murmured. He seemed to have forgotten that Kaka was still listening on the other end of the phone.

"Ah, Yang Pan, don't be discouraged! There will always be a way... Well, how about this? If I play in the game the day after tomorrow, I'll help you tackle him off the field and let him rest for three months. Hmm, do you think three months is enough?"

"Ha! Kaka, are you kidding?"

"Hehe, of course, it's a joke! Do you think I'm the kind of person who lacks sportsmanship?"

※※※

Since Kaka's rise, the Chinese media has been eagerly hyping the "Chinese Boy Derby" in Serie A. Unfortunately, Mazzone really didn't give them face. In the list of players announced for the match against AC Milan, there was no name of Yang Pan at all.

Before the game, Yang Pan was still considering whether to go to the stadium to watch the game, but when he thought that he had invited Kaka to dinner after the game, he decided to go to the Dall'Ara (dall‘Ara) stadium to watch the game, even if there would be more Chinese reporters asking him questions like "What do you think of Kaka's performance?"

He entered the stadium with a ticket and entered the players' box. The players of both sides were already warming up on the field, and Kaka was among them. In just a short game, he seemed to have conquered the hearts of AC Milan fans. The fans who came with the team were cheering for him with flags printed with Kaka's head.

Zhang Jun is in the Netherlands, and Kaka is in Milan, and they have both shown an encouraging side. What about himself? After successfully transferring to Serie A, he seems to be gradually forgotten by people. There are fewer reporters from Bologna than before, and the number of reporters from Volendam and Milan is increasing day by day.

Professional football is like this, Yang Pan mocked himself. The stadium announcer had already started introducing the starting lineups for both sides to the fans. When the Bologna team was mentioned, cheers rang out again and again. When it was AC Milan's turn, the boos never stopped. After all, it was Bologna's home field. As expected, Kaka did not appear in the starting lineup, and Yang Pan had a hunch that Kaka would play, and Bologna would not be able to win.

When the game ended, Yang Pan thought he should buy a lottery ticket. Kaka did come on in the sixtieth minute of the second half.

From the beginning of the game, Kaka warmed up on the sidelines, glancing at the coaching bench from time to time, hoping to be summoned by Ancelotti. As expected, Yang Pan did not appear on the field or on the bench. He was a little regretful, and he had originally hoped to have a confrontation. He did not have a chance to confront Yang Pan in high school for three years, and now it seems that it will have to be postponed in Italy.

When Kaka came on, the score was tied 1-1. Sheva scored for AC Milan just ten minutes into the game. At that moment, the Dall'Ara stadium was silent, but twenty-two minutes later, Yang Pan's rival, Carlo Nervo, scored an equalizer with a powerful shot!

He is indeed in good form, Yang Pan had to admit. But he didn't know that his competitor's good form was forced out by him. Before the season, many people thought that Mazzone introduced Yang Pan to replace the increasingly aging Nervo, but it seems that it is not that simple. Healthy competition is probably what the old coach is thinking. If Nervo doesn't work hard, Yang Pan will replace him. If Yang Pan doesn't work hard, he has no hope of playing.

Bologna may really have a chance to participate in the UEFA Cup this year. Coach Mazzone thought in his heart.

A burst of boos from the stands startled him.

Kaka tackled Nervo in the backcourt, and a fierce tackle knocked Nervo to the ground. The referee quickly blew his whistle to signal that Kaka had fouled.

Yang Pan straightened up and watched Kaka silently run back to defend. He said in his heart: You kid wouldn't be serious, would you, Kaka?

Before long, Kaka fouled Nervo again. The home fans booed him without hesitation.

The third time, this time Kaka did not foul. His tackle was clean and neat. Kaka, who got up, quickly dribbled the ball forward along the sideline. Then he and Shevchenko made a two-on-two wall pass, broke away from Bologna's defense, and continued to dribble the ball!

That kid's speed has increased again. Brazil is indeed different. Yang Pan was still praising Kaka when the latter sent a cross into the penalty area. Inzaghi (filippoinzaghi), who had been behind Shevchenko, rushed up. Shevchenko cleverly leaked at the front point, and Inzaghi jumped high and made a beautiful header!

Pagliuca (gianlucapagliuca) didn't have time to react and watched the ball fly into the goal behind him. There were ten minutes left until the end of the game…

The ball went in! AC Milan took the lead!

Kaka's assist!

UEFA Cup? Let's wait and see… Mazzone thought, looking at the Milan players celebrating the goal.

※※※

In the end, Bologna tried their best but could not change the score. They had to accept the result of losing at home.

After the game, Kaka asked coach Ancelotti for leave. He did not return to Milan with the team, but went to meet an old friend. Ancelotti trusted Kaka's character very much. He agreed, but said routinely: "Have fun, but pay attention to rest."

Yang Pan was already waiting for Kaka outside the stadium. When he saw Kaka waving to him at the exit, he quickly greeted him.

"I've asked for leave. I don't have to go back to Milan tonight. I don't have to attend training tomorrow either, heh heh! We can have a good time tonight." Kaka finally revealed his true colors. Even his expression was different. Good boy? Sunshine boy? It had nothing to do with him now.

"Tsk, aren't you afraid of being on the newspapers tomorrow?" Yang Pan gave him a glare.

"Don't worry, heh heh! I'm hungry, let's go eat?" Kaka stuck out his tongue and said to Yang Pan, touching his stomach.

"Ah, you're hungry? But I can't cook… Well, why don't we take a plane to Volendam and let Zhang Jun cook?"

"……Don't you know that there is a place in this world called a restaurant, and a profession called a chef? Take me to dinner, it's your treat!" Kaka patted Yang Pan's head.

"It's unreasonable. You won against us, and I still have to treat you to dinner…"

"You are the host, hehe! You are more familiar with Bologna than I am, right?"

Yang Pan suddenly remembered that restaurant with the grammatical errors. It had been a long time since he had been there. Maybe he should go and see it occasionally. After all, it was the place he was most familiar with, having gone there twice.

"Okay, follow me." Yang Pan turned around and left.

"Where to?"

"To eat."

"Are we walking?"

"No, we're taking a taxi."

"Do you treat idol superstars to a taxi?"

"Or should we take the subway? Or, as you said, walk there?"

"……Ah, wait!"

"What's wrong?" Yang Pan turned around.

"Well, as you can see, a disguise…" Kaka put on his sunglasses and pressed the brim of his baseball cap down again. "Okay, let's go!"

"It's hard being a celebrity…" Yang Pan sighed.

※※※

"Chinachina?" Just like when Yang Pan saw the name for the first time, Kaka looked up at the neon lights for a long time, and then said to Yang Pan: "The grammar is wrong. This shop name."

"It's because the author's English is too bad," Yang Pan replied to Kaka while reaching out to push the door.

"Welcome!" A brown-haired girl was standing at the door bowing to the guests who came in, but when she looked up and saw Yang Pan's face, she froze slightly, and then immediately bowed again: "Thank you for your patronage. Come again next time!"

Yang Pan rolled his eyes and dragged Kaka straight into the store to find an empty seat. "Waiter."

The girl immediately ran over from the door and placed the menu in front of the two. "Gentlemen, our restaurant specializes in microwave Yangzhou fried rice. Would you like to try it?" The girl's face was full of smiles.

"Microwave Yangzhou fried rice?" Kaka was stunned, suspecting that he was hallucinating. Yang Pan was directly about to call the manager: "Manager…"

"Gentlemen, what would you like to order?" The bearded manager appeared at this time and pulled the girl aside.

"Um…" Yang Pan picked up the menu and prepared to order.

"Kaka?" The voice startled the two of them. The bearded manager was smiling at Kaka.

Kaka helplessly took off his hat and sunglasses.

"Haha, it's hard being a celebrity…" Yang Pan nudged Kaka, who had a helpless look on his face.

※※※

When serving the dishes, the bearded man handed Kaka an autograph board: "Please sign, heh heh!"

Kaka, who had been joking and laughing with Yang Pan just now, immediately changed his expression. After signing for the manager, he smiled and handed the paper and pen back.

"Your expression changes really fast… Ah!" Kaka stepped on Yang Pan's foot below, but still smiled on his face.

"Hmph!" Yang Pan turned his face to the side, but saw an autograph board also handed to him. "This… this is…"

"Please sign your name too, heh heh!" the bearded man said with a smile.

"But I'm not a superstar!"

"You will be in the future!" The bearded man looked at Yang Pan with a firm expression and said.

Yang Pan looked at the bearded man, then picked up the pen and lowered his head to sign his Chinese name.

"Um, can you write a sentence behind it? 'Chinachina Restaurant is delicious and affordable'! Heh heh!"

"……"

※※※

"Made a fortune! Made a fortune!" The bearded man muttered, holding two autograph boards and smiling.

"What fortune, Dad?" His daughter, Yilan – the girl just now – looked at the bearded man in confusion.

"Autographs of two superstars!" The bearded man raised the things in his hand. "I'm going to frame them and hang them on the wall for publicity! I didn't expect Kaka to actually appear here…" The bearded man glanced at the two people dining in the corner. "This is Yang Pan's third time coming to our store. Could it be…"

"Chinachina Restaurant is delicious and affordable!" Yilan pointed to the autograph board in her hand, but her dad stared at her, making her feel a little scared. "Dad?"

"Um, I understand!"

"What do you understand?"

"Yang Pan likes you!"

"Clang!"

The guests turned their heads. They saw Yilan hurriedly bending down to pick up the tray that had fallen on the ground.

"Why do you say that, Dad?"

"If not, why would he come to our small shop for the third time? You have to know that his first impression of this place wasn't very good." The bearded man looked at Yilan, seemingly reminding her of that Yangzhou fried rice. "So, for the survival of this small shop, Yilan has to sacrifice herself." Dad had a superhero-like righteous expression.

"Sacrifice me?" Yilan had a bad feeling.

"Date Yang Pan!"

"Clang!"

The guests turned their heads again and saw Yilan hurriedly bending down to pick up the tray that had fallen on the ground.

"I protest!" Yilan lowered her voice and said to her dad, "Why do you want me to do this inexplicable thing?"

"There's no way, Yilan. Since your mother passed away, we moved here from France. Your dad's small restaurant supports all of our expenses. Now business is not good, haven't you seen that there are fewer and fewer customers coming to the store lately?"

"What does this have to do with Yang Pan?"

"Of course it does! He's a player, and he's good friends with Kaka! This is the celebrity effect. If I say that Kaka and Yang Pan often come here to eat, wouldn't those star-chasing fans crowd this place? Hehe, then your dad can count money at home!"

"Hmph!" Yilan took off her apron and put it on the bar. "Since you have planned it so well, then you go and date him!" Then she turned around and walked upstairs.

Watching her daughter's figure disappear at the stairs, Dad gently sighed, "What a pity!"

※※※

"Mmm, Yang Pan," Kaka said to Yang Pan with beef in his mouth.

"What's the matter?"

"I think it's very strange. You and that girl seemed to be very familiar!" Kaka pointed to the bar with his chopsticks.

"It's nothing. It's just that when I first came to eat, that idiot actually heated up my Yangzhou fried rice in the microwave," Yang Pan said while drinking a sip of juice.

"Oh, no wonder she would say something about special microwave Yangzhou fried rice just now…"

"She’s an idiot, I have nothing to say," Yang Pan said with a frown.

"Hehe, but… didn't you find her very beautiful?" Kaka said with a smile.

Yang Pan was stunned. He had forgotten about it if Kaka hadn't mentioned it. When he first saw Yilan, he thought he had seen an eighteen-year-old version of Sophie Marceau. Beautiful face, smooth brown hair, big blue eyes, a sharp nose, and that romantic smile, as well as the special microwave Yangzhou fried rice… Yang Pan hurriedly shook his head, "She's just pretty…"

"Hehe!" Kaka smiled hard at Yang Pan.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Oh, it's nothing. Eat, eat…" Kaka buried his head in picking up dishes.

"Hmph!" Yang Pan put down his chopsticks and looked at the lively street outside the window. It was past ten o'clock at night, which was the time when Italians were active.

Thinking about it carefully, she couldn't be entirely blamed for the first time. The restaurant was indeed closed, and she was too embarrassed to let me leave, right? So she had no choice. If you have to blame someone, blame the wind arranged by the author.

But the second time, when I came again with an apology, she had that kind of attitude, it was too… too, um, too what? Ugh, anyway, she's just pretty.

"If you keep daydreaming, Yang Pan, I won't be polite to this steak!"

"That steak is mine… um? What did you just say?"

"Haha!"

※※※

Yilan was sitting on her bed, hugging a teddy bear. Because she lived on campus at the university, she rarely came back to this bedroom. Today was Sunday, so she came back to see her dad and help out, but she didn't expect to run into him again.

Her luck was really bad! Yilan sighed. How could she have such a dad, treating his daughter's love as what? A tool to make money?

You have to know that there were many boys in school who pursued her! She hadn't considered any of them. Yilan felt a little proud when she thought of this. Even if she really fell in love, she would never like, like… him.

She seemed a little hesitant.

Yilan jumped off the bed and turned on the stereo.

"helène, jemelesautres, helène.
j’aimelavotre, jevoudraistrouverl’amour, simplementtrouverl’amour……”

(Rough translation of the lyrics: Helène, my name is Helène, a very ordinary girl, Helène.
I also have happiness and sadness, a life with joys, sorrows, and happiness. I just want to find simple love, the love that belongs to me…)

(《jem’appellehelène》Chinese name: My Name is Yilan, Performer: helènerollès)

This was Yilan's favorite song. She always played it in the stereo and didn't take it out, as if it was really singing about herself. The deep voice, the clear French pronunciation, the beautiful melody, and the romance of France permeated everywhere. The singer helène was a celebrity who often appeared in magazines and on TV, but she believed that she was just an ordinary girl named helène. Her life also had joys and sorrows. She just wanted to find her own love, find her own simple love, so that she could forget the loneliness and pain behind the scenery. She sang a girl's desire for a peaceful and happy life. Although the names were the same, this helène was not that celebrity helène, but Yilan felt that this song really seemed to be singing about herself, especially today…

A knock on the door sounded, "Yilan, I'm coming in." It was her dad's voice.

"Um." Yilan turned off the stereo. "Did they leave?"

"Yeah, heh heh! I even took a photo with them when they left!" Dad's face was full of smiles.

"Then you can enlarge it, frame it, and hang it on the wall for publicity!"

"That's for sure, heh heh!"

"Hmph!"

Dad looked at his daughter: "Still angry?"

Yilan turned her back to her dad, taking it as an answer.

"Heh heh! How old is Yilan now? Twenty-one, right? Other girls have already brought their boyfriends home to meet their parents…"

"Dad, I'm not that kind of casual girl!"

"Ugh, I know. You are the same as your deceased mother. She only loved one person in her life, and that was your dad!" Dad said with some pride. "Maybe when you really fall in love with someone, it will be when you leave me… It's better to be cautious, and find a man who is worth spending your life with!" Dad touched his daughter's head, then turned around and walked out.

"But wouldn't it be better to be able to spend your life together and bring popularity to the restaurant?" Yilan heard her dad suddenly say this as she closed the door.

"……"

※※※

"Um, Yang Pan. Actually, you should find one too. The readers have been asking for it for a long time. I think that girl in the restaurant is not bad, and most importantly, you have a good start. According to the standards of third-rate romance novels, if you continue to develop like this, lovers will definitely get married in the end."

"Are you drunk, Kaka?"

"Drunk? We only drank juice and tea tonight, no alcoholic beverages…"

"Um, he must be drunk." Yang Pan walked a few steps faster.

Looking at Yang Pan's figure walking in front, Kaka smiled, "What a pity…"