Chapter 254 Scandal and Pressure

“Who knows? Life is stranger than fiction.” When Li Yan said this, he absolutely wouldn't have imagined that everything that followed would be so unexpected.

※※※

Ilaria was in the kitchen making breakfast for Inzaghi, and she was in a good mood. She was going to do a show at the station later, and she could spend the morning with Pippo.

She heard Inzaghi walk in and stop behind her. Then she saw Pippo reach out and silently turn off the stove.

"Stop it..." Ilaria reached out to pull Inzaghi, but he grabbed her hand and turned her around.

"What's wrong, Pippo..." Ilaria was puzzled. She realized that Inzaghi's eyes were different; they definitely weren't the playful eyes he usually had. "What's wrong with you?"

Inzaghi grabbed Ilaria's hand and held it up to his chest, looking her straight in the eye. "Weren't you supposed to be working in Milan last Sunday?"

"Yes... yes, I was." Ilaria was taken aback. She didn't understand why Inzaghi was suddenly asking her this.

Inzaghi held up the newspaper and put it in front of Ilaria's eyes: "Then can you explain what this is about, Miss D'Amico?"

Looking at the photo of herself gently touching Zhang Jun's forehead, Ilaria gasped.

※※※

Yang Pan finally cleaned up the spilled milk and stopped coughing. He saw Zhang Jun sitting limply in the chair, the torn newspaper scattered on the floor.

"Hey, Zhang Jun... don't take it to heart. The reporters made it all up. This blurry photo looks like it was photoshopped. There's a game this afternoon, so don't..."

"No... it's true. I really did go on a date with Ilaria..."

Looking at Zhang Jun's lifeless face, Yang Pan couldn't help but shudder.

※※※

When Li Yan saw the report, his first reaction was, "We're doomed!" Zhang Jun had a game that afternoon, and Zhang Jun wasn't in a good mood to begin with. He finally had a chance to start and prove himself, but the media stabbed him in the back at this critical moment. How could he concentrate on the game?

Li Yan was right. In the game between AC Milan and Brescia at home, Zhang Jun, who started, was almost sleepwalking and couldn't find his form at all.

He played for seventy minutes before being replaced, and he only had one shot, one pass, and ten turnovers!

This was the lowest record of Zhang Jun's career.

Almost no one would believe these numbers. At the time, a Chinese reporter shouted in the press conference hall that the Italian statistics agency had counted the wrong person. "They must have counted the players warming up on the sidelines!"

"A disastrous performance!"

"Zhang Jun's form is declining, and he is getting further and further away from the starting lineup."

"Beset by internal and external troubles, Zhang Jun is no longer as mighty as before!"

"Maybe we should let Zhang Jun step down from the altar."

……

Looking at these news headlines from domestic traditional media and online media, everyone felt the seriousness of the situation.

※※※

While Zhang Jun was still sleepwalking in San Siro, the scandal between him and Ilaria D'Amico had already spread throughout Italy. The Italian media's relentless attention was not because of the male protagonist, Zhang Jun, who only the Chinese media would put so much effort into reporting. What drove the Italians crazy was the female protagonist, Ilaria D'Amico, one of the three Italian soccer godmothers, the golden host of Italy's Sky TV, the embodiment of sexiness, and the lover of Filippo Inzaghi. These multiple identities made this incident seem particularly interesting, exciting many bored people because they had finally found a topic to talk about after eating and drinking their fill. People even talked with great interest about how many rounds Zhang Jun and this sexy bombshell would fight on the bed that day.

In front of the media, Inzaghi and Ilaria always appeared together whenever they could, showing the world that their relationship was very harmonious and not affected by the scandal.

But most people knew that Inzaghi and Ilaria must have had a big fight on the day they learned about the matter. Because many people watching Sky TV's live broadcast of the league clearly felt that Ilaria D'Amico, the host of the show, was more haggard than usual, a haggardness that even makeup couldn't cover up. Moreover, she often spaced out and was absent-minded during the show.

On the night of the game, Zhang Jun secretly called Ilaria alone to apologize to her because he knew that she and Inzaghi were a couple, and he didn't want to cause trouble for them.

Ilaria was even more troubled by this. She didn't want to expose these things, because for someone who trusted her, what would they think if they suddenly discovered that her previous contacts were just to obtain more valuable news? The blow would probably be even greater, right? Based on this mentality, Ilaria could only force a smile at Zhang Jun after just finishing her argument with Inzaghi: "You don't have to blame yourself, Zhang. I was the one who took the initiative to ask you out. Just play your game well. This has nothing to do with you. I watched the game. You played terribly. You can't do that this afternoon..."

After finishing the call, Ilaria turned around and saw Inzaghi standing at the door, arms crossed, looking at her coldly: "Who were you talking to again?"

"Zhang Jun." Ilaria answered simply.

Inzaghi raised his eyebrows. He didn't expect Ilaria to admit it so readily. "Okay, did you discuss where you're going on a date tomorrow?" His tone was icy and hurtful.

Ilaria felt weak all over. She had explained it countless times, but no matter what, Pippo wouldn't believe her.

This time was the same. As soon as she was about to speak, Inzaghi cut her off: "Are you going to say that it was an interview again? Do you think I would believe that? Miss D'Amico, can you please stop using work as an excuse?"

Ilaria was really aggrieved, but in addition to this grievance, she would also take the time to imagine how her fellow reporters discovered it.

※※※

Sophie had been busy packing for the past few days. She would soon be leaving for Beijing. Of course, she couldn't avoid treating her colleagues to a meal before leaving.

It was almost midnight. After working all night, looking at the gradually emptying room, the luggage was packed and piled in a corner. Sophie sat on the wooden floor and picked up today's newspaper. The front page was about Zhang Jun again, but this time it wasn't good news.

It was actually a scandal, a scandal about Zhang Jun. When Zeng Yi handed her the newspaper, she saw the striking headline and was a little surprised.

But it was only "a little surprised."

Zeng Yi was surprised by her reaction at the time and asked her: "Judging from your expression, aren't you worried at all?"

Sophie shook her head: "Why should I worry, Brother Zeng? I've known him for seven years, right? Such a long time is enough to trust each other completely. I believe in Zhang Jun. Many media outlets have been very excited recently, so it can't be ruled out that they deliberately fabricated this." She smiled at Zeng Yi, thanking him for his concern.

Now she was staring at Zhang Jun in the photo in a daze.

Tell me, Zhang Jun, is this true? You should have only had a meal together, right?

The sudden ringtone of her cell phone startled her. For a few seconds, Sophie just stared blankly at the phone in front of her, but didn't answer it. The forty-chord ringtone echoed in the empty room, sounding particularly loud.

It was Zhang Jun calling.

※※※

Zhang Jun, who had just called Ilaria, hurriedly dialed Sophie's cell phone. Now, his terrible performance, the unbelievably low statistics, the messy news reports, and interpersonal relationships were all unimportant. He just wanted to explain to Sophie and ask for her forgiveness. He was willing to pay any price as long as he could prevent Sophie from misunderstanding.

He silently counted the number of rings in his heart. The phone was only answered when the bell rang for the fifth time.

※※※

Sophie frantically answered the phone. Even though Zhang Jun hadn't said a word to her yet, she already knew what Zhang Jun was going to say to her. That idiot would definitely rush to say "I'm sorry" first, and he would repeat it more than three times, if that date was real...

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Sophie!" As soon as the call was connected, she heard Zhang Jun shouting on the other end of the phone. "I want to explain to you. I did go on a date with her that day, but we just had a meal together, chatted casually, and didn't do anything else. I'm telling the truth. You have to believe me, Sophie!"

Zhang Jun said it all in one breath without stopping, and Sophie didn't plan to interrupt him, letting him finish everything he wanted to say.

So the date was real. Should she believe the media or Zhang Jun?

Did she even need to ask?

After Zhang Jun mustered up the courage to say everything, he quietly waited for Sophie's judgment. He really regretted it now. Why did he agree to Ilaria's invitation to go on a date? Why didn't he think that someone would definitely take pictures and that it would bring a lot of trouble to their respective relationships?

But what was the use of regretting it now?

"Why are you saying sorry to me, Zhang Jun?" Sophie said to Zhang Jun in the most ordinary tone possible. She was afraid that even a hint of hesitation in her tone would make Zhang Jun overthink things. "Have you ever done anything to apologize to me for?"

"I went on a date with her..."

"That was just a normal meeting. You just had a meal together, right?"

"Yes..."

"I love you very much, Zhang Jun. But I can't tie you down. I can't reject you from contacting other women just because you're my boyfriend. Love isn't selfish. Love is trust, tolerance, understanding, and honesty. I believe that Zhang Jun didn't lie to me, and I also understand your situation. So, do you think I have any reason to blame you, Zhang Jun?"

Zhang Jun was stunned. He didn't expect Sophie to say such things. Love is trust, tolerance, understanding, and honesty. Sophie was right. His previously uneasy heart had calmed down without him realizing it.

Why did Sophie have such magic that she could ease and improve his recently anxious mood with just a few words? Zhang Jun didn't want to delve into it now. Now he just wanted to cherish every minute and every second, listening to Sophie's soft whispers.

"Thank you, Sophie..."

※※※

After hanging up the phone, Sophie sat on the floor and stretched comfortably. The stone in her heart had finally fallen, and her mood suddenly improved a lot.

She looked at the luggage that was almost packed again. The original feelings of parting had turned into anticipation for the future. Zhang Jun went from Volendam, Netherlands, to Milan, Italy, and started a new life. She would also go from Chengdu, Sichuan, to Beijing, the capital, and start another new life.

Life is always about going from one place to another, and since she had chosen photography, she would always have to get used to this nomadic life.

Zhang Jun had been drifting outside for three years, and she was just getting started.

Zhang Jun, keep it up! Sophie, keep it up too!

Even though he had communicated with Sophie, this didn't mean that Zhang Jun's troubles were over. Due to the "scandal" with Ilaria, his situation within the Milan team wasn't very good. Not to mention Inzaghi, who was basically "enemies meeting, exceptionally jealous." Many other players also believed that Zhang Jun was a despicable third party who destroyed other people's happiness, and they despised him in their hearts.

Kaka and Yang Pan naturally believed in Zhang Jun, but what could the two of them do? Zhang Jun didn't want to embarrass his two good friends either.

In such an environment, could he still be expected to play soccer with peace of mind?

He never regained the form he lost in the battle with Brescia. That was just how it was. In the first game after the "scandal," he was a substitute for Inzaghi, and he didn't even have a single shot in less than twenty minutes. His performance was terrible. In the second game, Ancelotti simply didn't take Zhang Jun to the away game. This time, no one questioned the coach's decision, including the Chinese reporters. Because it was obvious that Zhang Jun wasn't in form recently. What was even more unfortunate was that Inzaghi and Borriello, who came on as substitutes, both scored in this game. Among the four genuine forwards, his three competitors all exerted their strength when he was in a slump, and their form was surprisingly good.

This almost pushed Zhang Jun to the brink of desperation. If he couldn't prove himself, his future might be ruined in Milan. But Ancelotti didn't like Zhang Gun and didn't plan to give him a chance.

In the third game, Zhang Jun was still watching other people perform from the stands. This time, Inzaghi didn't score, and Shevchenko didn't score either. But Borriello, who came on as a substitute, actually scored two goals in just twenty minutes!

Looking at Borriello's smiling face, Zhang Jun felt that Milan's harsh winter had arrived.

※※※

December 10, 2005, it had been more than a month since his father passed away. The things he had experienced in this month made Zhang Jun feel physically and mentally exhausted. Now, playing soccer made him feel bored. Under the torment of various events, he gradually lost his interest in soccer.

Before, in Volendam, it was a small place, and even if he received a lot of attention, it wouldn't be even one-fifth of what it was in Milan. The town was small, and everyone knew each other, so Zhang Jun never felt any pressure from the residents. Playing soccer happily, he had upheld this ideal for at least three years in Volendam.

But since he came to AC Milan this summer, everything had changed. AC Milan was a world-class powerhouse, with countless reporters and fans. Everyone focused their attention on this place every day. Which of the people who played soccer here wasn't the focus of attention?

Zhang Jun hadn't seriously considered the relationship between attention and pressure before. Now that he realized it, he couldn't handle it anymore.

To be honest, with Zhang Jun's personality, he wasn't someone who could easily adapt to this huge pressure. He wasn't Yang Pan. So it was normal for such or such problems to arise.

The problem was that people didn't know how Zhang Jun felt. In China, he had a huge fan base, and his name was mentioned almost every day in sports media. His huge success in the Netherlands and his joining of the world-class AC Milan had caused a lot of sensationalism with the help of the media. They gradually molded Zhang Jun, this boy next door, into a god. Three years ago, when Chinese soccer was at its darkest, it was Zhang Jun who appeared out of nowhere, and then, in the time that followed, he used his beautiful goals to let people see a glimmer of hope and have something to look forward to when they were disappointed.

People had gotten used to such a Zhang Jun, a Zhang Jun who was majestic on the field, a Zhang Jun who was always smiling and happy. When Zhang Jun changed his image and appeared in front of them with an almost dejected feeling, no one could accept it.

They either cursed Ancelotti for being incompetent or cursed Zhang Jun for being an unadulterated coward. But no one could put themselves in Zhang Jun's shoes and think about it. When a young man of only twenty-four years old suddenly lost his father and then suffered successive blows to his career, could he really "turn grief into strength" as everyone expected?

Just after hearing the news of Zhang Jun's father's death, except for initially expressing their grief symbolically, almost everyone was looking forward to a movie-comic-style hero to appear. He would turn grief into strength, vent all his pain on his poor opponents, and raise his hands to accept the cheers they had prepared for a long time.

But I'm sorry, Zhang Jun disappointed them, or rather, they expected too much.

They wanted a hero, but Zhang Jun never wanted to be a hero, or he didn't even realize this at all. For him, playing soccer was his job and his hobby. It was that simple.

On the one hand, there were huge expectations, and on the other hand, there was indeed a somewhat lazy personality. The conflict between the two was predictable. This would form a vicious circle, and continuing it would only lead to a lose-lose situation.

Zhang Jun was trying to alleviate this conflict. His cold attitude towards the media also had a bit of this meaning in it. But this could only arouse the dissatisfaction of the media and eventually allow some people to seize the opportunity to make a big deal out of it.

Regarding the "assault incident," the first instance verdict of the court had already been issued. Zhang Jun was found to have lost the case and had to make a formal apology in the media and compensate the other party for various economic losses. Zhang Jun had already asked Hua Fang to help him file an appeal. He wanted to fight this lawsuit all the way to the end until he couldn't appeal anymore. He didn't care about the money. He was fighting for pride.

Zhang Jun's poor form in the past month was also undeniably related to this matter.

After a month, the ""scandal" incident gradually faded from people's attention. Except for a few people involved who still felt angry and embarrassed, no one would talk about it anymore. There were already new events that people were talking about with great interest. The biggest beneficiary of this "scandal" was not the newspaper that first disclosed it, but Italy's Sky TV. Because the female protagonist of the "scandal" worked here, the ratings of several programs hosted by Ilaria during this period reached new highs, and even the advertising fees increased as a result.

Alessandro Crialese made a fortune, but no one paid attention to Zhang Jun's losses anymore.

In confusion and helplessness, Zhang Jun watched the once infinitely beautiful expectations turn into this appearance. Ever since his father passed away, things had become uncontrollable for him. He wanted to do something to salvage the current situation, but what could he do in this state?

He couldn't play in the games, his relationship with other people on the team wasn't good, the coach didn't like him from the beginning, and countless media outlets he had rejected were watching him make a fool of himself... Zhang Jun didn't know what else he could do staying here.

Even when he was seriously injured, it wasn't as bad as it was now. At least at that time, he still had a love for soccer. What about now?

Countless people said that when a hobby becomes a job, you will find that it is actually not cute at all. You will feel bored, you will feel pain. You will find that things that once brought you countless happiness will one day bring you endless trouble and annoyance.

Now, Zhang Jun deeply understood the truth of this sentence.

He was training and playing soccer every day. Was he experiencing aesthetic fatigue?

In fifteen days, it would be Christmas. Zhang Jun thought that maybe giving himself a vacation would be a good idea, taking the opportunity to relax properly during the holidays. When he returned to the team again, he believed that his form should return.

Just as he was thinking this, he received a call from Baggio.

"Robi? Shouldn't you be hunting in Argentina at this time of year?"

"Surprised, right? Haha. This year, I want to spend Christmas in Italy." Baggio said with a chuckle.

"I haven't heard from you in a long time. Are you okay?" Zhang Jun was very happy to receive a call from Baggio, so he put all his previous unhappiness behind him.

"I'm fine. It's you who seems to be having some trouble recently, right?"

Zhang Jun was silent for a moment: "Even you know about it? There are indeed some small troubles, but I can handle it. I think maybe I'm just too tired. Fortunately, Christmas is coming soon. There won't be any problems after resting for a holiday..."

"No, listen to me, Zhang. Your problem is not this." Baggio interrupted Zhang Jun.

"This..."

"Those things, Wan Ou, know everything and are very clear. I have a lot of friends in the soccer circle. Regarding the penalty kick in the Milan derby, I can't say who is right and who is wrong between you and the club. You both have your own reasons, which is understandable. I just want to ask you one question, Zhang, do you regret your choice of kicking that follow-up shot, which led to your current situation?" Baggio asked seriously on the phone.

"I don't regret it. I think... I've never regretted my choice at that time, even if it meant losing my starting position because of it." Zhang Jun said decisively.

"Hmm, Zhang. Do you remember what I told you when you were rejected after coming to Milan for the first time?"

"What... words?" Zhang Jun searched hard in his mind, but he still couldn't remember what Baggio had said to him.

"If you can't go to AC Milan, then go to Fiorentina. I think Fiorentina, which is still in Serie B, might be more suitable for you." Baggio said to him. He repeated what he had said two years ago.

"Go to... Fiorentina?" Zhang Jun was stunned. He had never thought about this question.

"Yes, I still give you this advice now. Leave Milan, no matter what way, whether it's a loan or a transfer, leave there, and then come to Fiorentina."