Chapter 1 They Are All Ready

Having just finished the Champions League, Zhang Jun and the others couldn't rest. Another important competition awaited them.

The 2010 South Africa World Cup Asian Qualifiers' final round of eight was scheduled to kick off on March 9th.

So, before they could recover from the joy of advancing in the Champions League, they immediately boarded a plane back to Beijing.

Since the teams of several foreign key players had all successfully advanced from the Champions League and were in good shape, coupled with the fact that their first match was against Kuwait, the weakest team in the group, preparations this time were relatively relaxed.

Zhang Jun even joked around with An Ke on the training field, because the next round of the Champions League quarter-finals would see them facing each other.

Qiu Suhui was very pleased with this atmosphere. He didn't like everyone getting nervous before a match, so he rarely even held meetings.

March 9th, home game against Kuwait.

March 26th, home game against South Korea.

March 30th, away game against Australia.

With that, the first round of the final eight was completed. The national team disbanded, and everyone returned to their respective national leagues.

Then, after the various national leagues concluded, the final eight would resume.

June 3rd, home game against Australia.

June 9th, away game against Kuwait.

August 17th, away game against their final opponent, South Korea.

The above was the full schedule for the final eight.

In reality, there wasn't much to say about the match against Kuwait. The opponent was too weak and not worth mentioning in the eyes of the current Chinese national team. However, because it was the first match, and as the Chinese saying goes, "Everything is hard at the beginning," it was taken very seriously.

For this final eight, the Chinese team set up their home field in the southwest, in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province. Because the southwest region had a tradition of enthusiastic football fans, even for a match against an opponent like Kuwait, the Sichuan Provincial Sports Center was packed that day. Scalpers even inflated the price of ordinary tickets, originally selling for eighty yuan, to three hundred yuan. Those paying these prices were devoted fans eager to see their idols up close.

Chen Wei's decision to set the home field in Chengdu was indeed correct. Due to the decline of football in the southwest, fans in the region rarely had the opportunity to watch high-level matches. Now, the entire Chinese national team was coming to compete, along with big-name stars returning from overseas, which was enough to draw a crowd.

Fans from Sichuan, Chongqing, Yunnan, Guizhou, Shaanxi... even chartered flights to Chengdu to watch the game.

On the day of the match, while the Chinese team was still making final preparations in the locker room, shouts of "Xiongqi!" (Rise up!) from the stands never stopped.

After the German World Cup, the Southeast Asian Four Nations Asian Cup, the qualifying rounds, and a series of warm-up matches, the Chinese team under Qiu Suhui had completely completed the transition of generations. Almost everyone in the team now was a direct disciple cultivated by Qiu Suhui. The team atmosphere was the best it had ever been, and their fighting strength was naturally at its peak.

In terms of formation, Qiu Suhui used the classic 4-4-2, with a diamond midfield. Zhang Jun and Wu Shangshan partnered as forwards, Yang Pan on the right midfield, Zhao Pengyu, who played in the Netherlands for Eindhoven, on the left midfield, Cruyff Lee as the attacking midfielder, and Li Yongle, deservedly, as the defensive midfielder. The center backs were Li Suisheng, who played for Celtic in the Scottish Premier League, and Liu Peng, who played for Fenerbahce in Turkey. Xiang Tao of Fiorentina was the left back, Wang Hui of Manchester City in England was the right back, and the goalkeeper was naturally An Ke, the starting goalkeeper for Bayern Munich.

The substitute lineup also included many outstanding players from the domestic league. Dalian team's goalkeeper Sima Hongxin and powerful center forward Li Jie, Shanghai team's attacking midfielder Lin Feng, the Wang Ji and Wang Xiang brothers on the left and right back positions. Even Wang Yu, the starting defensive midfielder for Villarreal in Spain, could only be a substitute under the shadow of Li Yongle. Shao Jiayi from Bayer Leverkusen in Germany also performed very well in the attacking midfielder position, but Cruyff Lee was even better. Since he could also play left midfield, he was more suitable as a substitute, along with more young players that Qiu Suhui discovered from the domestic league and gave plenty of opportunities. Their presence meant that the depth of the Chinese team's bench was no longer so weak, and when one or two key players had problems, there were suitable people to fill in.

This was a lineup that could compete with the best in Europe, let alone in Asia.

So, it was no wonder that some media outlets were shouting the slogan: "Qualifying for the World Cup is no problem!"

When the starting eleven of the Chinese team stood in the tunnel, they could clearly feel the heatwave stirred up by the southwest fans in the stadium.

"China team! Xiongqi! Zhang Jun! Xiongqi! Wu Shangshan! Xiongqi! Yang Pan! Xiongqi! Cruyff! Xiongqi! Li Yongle..." These passionate fans announced the Chinese team's starting lineup even earlier than the commentators on the field.

These shouts made the Chinese players' blood boil. They had been together since the Olympic team and had faced such scenes many times, but this time was different, because this was the beginning of their World Cup journey.

An Ke patted Yang Pan's shoulder.

Yang Pan turned his head to look at him: "What? Do you need to go to the bathroom?" Yang Pan was immersed in this atmosphere and was unhappy to be disturbed by An Ke.

"No." An Ke surprisingly didn't retort, "The fans here are really great. It reminds me of Westfalenstadion..."

Yang Pan understood what An Ke was thinking. Although he had been at Bayern Munich for two seasons, perhaps this man's heart would always belong to the black and yellow, sold-out Westfalenstadion.

"It's Signal Iduna Park now," Yang Pan whispered. The season after An Ke left, to save Borussia Dortmund's increasingly loss-making finances, the club sold the naming rights of the stadium to Assekuranz Group, Germany's ninth-largest insurance company, for 24 million euros over five years. The black and yellow colors symbolizing Dortmund and the name Westfalenstadion were only half left. The renaming day was sad, and even An Ke's performance in the league that day was out of sorts.

According to Yi Lan, Lin Jia mentioned the incident when she called to chat later, saying that An Ke was very depressed when he came back because of the renaming. Lin Jia had rarely seen An Ke act so abnormally, and she was frightened at the time.

"No, in my heart, it will always be Westfalenstadion," An Ke replied firmly. One reason he left Dortmund was that Bayern could offer better development opportunities. Another reason was that the high transfer fee paid by Bayern could temporarily save Dortmund's dire financial situation.

Therefore, his departure did not affect his status in the hearts of Dortmund fans. Every year when he returned to Westfalenstadion, he still received heartfelt blessings and applause from all the black and yellow fans.

After all the fans finished shouting, Yang Pan turned around to face the ten teammates behind him. He clapped his hands and shouted loudly: "Alright! It's our turn to go on!"

Then he turned and ran out.

This was the best World Cup in terms of their age and condition. The previous German World Cup was just a trial run. This time was different. They were going to be serious, and their goal was not just to be a dark horse and be satisfied. Yang Pan felt that this step out was one step closer to the dream in his heart. What was he doing as a professional player for? It was definitely not to earn more money, nor to become a superstar admired by millions, but for the World Cup, the World Cup!

An Ke tightened his gloves and followed.

For the lovely fans here, for the Westfalenstadion in my heart! There are no cowards who walk out of Dortmund!

Xiang Tao raised his head and took a deep breath, then rushed out.

I'm very familiar with this place. I've been a ball boy here since I was in the youth team, then the youth team, the Olympic team, Fiorentina, the national team... Dad, Mom, Grandpa, are you all in the stands? You all watch carefully, this is my home field!

Cruyff followed the players in front of him with a blank expression.

He still hadn't found the sense of honor to serve the country. He just felt that there were quite a few good people on this team. And it was also because… Mom, this is the country we used to live in. You always said, don't let me forget this place. Now I'm back, but what about you?

Zhang Jun touched the red bracelet that Sophie had personally tied on his wrist.

Sophie, watch me play!

※※※

Just like I said before, this game didn't have much to say. Kuwait's strength was the weakest in the group, so they were ranked in the fourth tier.

As a result, the Chinese team slaughtered Kuwait 5-0 in front of their home fans’ crazy shouts of "Xiongqi!". Zhang Jun scored his thirtieth goal in the national team, a milestone goal. Because Zhang Jun hadn't played many games for the Chinese team, these thirty goals better reflected his efficiency. Some forwards had to exhaust their entire lives to score thirty goals in the national team, but Zhang Jun had already done it after only half of his career.

Zhang Jun's goal came in the thirty-sixth minute of the match. At that time, the score was already 2-0.

Before that, Yang Pan opened the scoring for China with a signature thunderous shot in the eleventh minute. After scoring, when he ran to the stands and roared wildly, he looked like a beast. The fans roared along with him, like a pack of beasts worshipping their king.

He hadn't played for a long time, so Yang Pan wanted to vent his frustration.

As opponents in the club, Li Yongle certainly wouldn't let Yang Pan hog all the glory. Just three minutes later, before Kuwait had recovered from the shock of conceding a goal, Zhao Pengyu used his speed and skill to break through Kuwait's right flank, passed the ball low into the box, and Li Yongle rushed to the front of the goal, jumped high, and headed the ball into the goal with a header that wasn't his specialty.

Although the posture was a bit awkward, the important thing was that he scored.

The cheers erupting from the Provincial Sports Center could be clearly heard in Tianfu Square.

The commentator for CCTV5 shouted excitedly: "I've never seen such a smooth start! In the first match of the final eight for the Chinese team, we are already leading Kuwait 2-0 with less than fifteen minutes played!! The team's morale is high, the tactical arrangements are appropriate, and the fans are enthusiastically supporting! A perfect home game!"

Next up was the performance of China's number one scorer, the Serie A top scorer, the symbol of Fiorentina, the best Italian player, the Asian Footballer of the Year, the Chinese Footballer of the Year... and so on, Zhang Jun alone.

After receiving a tacit pass from Cruyff in front of the penalty area, he pretended to shoot, deceiving the first center back to the ground to block, but instead pushed the ball inside and accelerated into the box. Just after entering the penalty area, Zhang Jun raised his foot again to shoot, and the second Kuwaiti defender obediently dived to tackle and block. Zhang Jun suddenly stepped on the ball, watched the opponent fall in front of him, then gently pushed the ball away, created space, and was about to shoot again...

"He seems to be teasing Kuwait's defenders, what a mess..." Qiu Suhui smiled and shook his head. He hadn't seen Zhang Jun in a long time, and he was more mature than before. This could be seen from his calmness on the field.

The goalkeeper charged forward, and the defender blocked, this time it was a double whammy.

Zhang Jun accurately timed his move and lightly flicked the ball away, causing the opponent's defender and goalkeeper to collide, then took a big step and shot!

This time it was for real.

"Goal!! Zhang Jun's beautiful individual performance! Fantastic! China leads Kuwait 3-0! We are going to win!" In the past, for the commentators of CCTV5, commentating on Chinese team matches was a very depressing thing. Not only was the football played weakly, but they also commentated weakly, so many viewers were very disgusted with their commentary.

But now it was different. Since the German World Cup, these commentators seemed to have rejuvenated and were looking forward to commentating on Chinese team matches. In the past, leaders forcibly assigned tasks, but now they were fighting to commentate.

The changes brought about by China's golden generation are not just on the field.

After scoring, Zhang Jun first kissed the national flag on his chest, and then played a silly celebration with Xiang Tao, pretending to dribble the ball on a one-on-one, with Xiang Tao playing the clumsy charging goalkeeper, and Zhang Jun faked him out and fell to the ground, then powerfully shot an empty goal. Zhang Jun laughed and threw himself on Xiang Tao, who was lying on the ground after scoring.

The commentators and the fans in the stadium laughed along with him.

"They don't take this as an important qualifying match at all, but as an opportunity to have fun, haha! Great, these kids. I'm starting to understand more and more why Fiorentina has achieved such dazzling results now." Qiu Suhui said to Hu Li, who was beside him, with a smile.

During the half-time break, the bored Chinese fans even started a Mexican wave. The scattered Kuwaiti fans hid in the crowd in the stands with long faces. A few years ago, the Chinese team still had to lose to them, how could they be beaten so helplessly now?

The situation in the second half was the same, so after taking care of everyone like it was a communal pot of rice, and after Cruyff scored a goal with his individual skills, Qiu Suhui began to make frequent substitutions. He didn't expect to win this match so easily before the game. These kids have grown a lot.

They have had too many games lately, so they should be given more opportunities to rest. With this in mind, Qiu Suhui replaced Zhang Jun with Li Jie, Cruyff with Shao Jiayi, and Zhao Pengyu with Wang Yu, and the Chinese team switched to a 4-4-2 formation with parallel midfielders.

Zhang Jun received the most cheers and applause of the three when he was substituted.

Qiu Suhui patted Zhang Jun's shoulder: "You did a great job, take a good rest next. Prepare for the league and the Champions League."

Zhang Jun nodded: "I haven't seen Coach Qiu in a long time. I really want to have a good chat with you, but I came back in such a hurry this time. I'm going back to Italy tomorrow."

Qiu Suhui smiled: "No hurry, no hurry. We'll have plenty of time during the World Cup. We can stay together for a month then! Go back and sit down and rest."

Zhang Jun obediently took the dry towel handed to him by assistant coach Hu Li, then put it around his neck and sat back on the bench, not forgetting to high-five and celebrate with the teammates on the bench who had been cheering for them for dozens of minutes.

He was now not only an idol for the fans, but also an idol for the younger players on the team. Zhang Jun really admired Qiu Suhui's eye for talent. Although they regarded him as an idol, they weren't like those hooligan kids on the Olympic team, who were like servants. They regarded him as an idol, just as a goal to work towards in their hearts.

Zhang Jun was the first to be substituted. Just five minutes after he was substituted, while he was chatting with Sima Hongxin, another goal was scored on the field.

This time, the goal was scored by Li Jie, who had just been substituted.

After scoring, Li Jie excitedly rushed to the camera lens and made a gesture to show off his muscles. As the strongest forward on the team, he was indeed qualified to do so.

His goal just now was a typical bully-type goal. He relied on his body to squeeze away the Kuwaiti defender who was harassing him, then kicked out angrily and blasted the ball into the Kuwaiti goal from very close range.

Zhang Jun was an all-around forward, Wu Shangshan was also all-around, but he was better at fast breaks, and his shooting skills were a bit lacking, but his dribbling and raids were definitely excellent. Li Jie was a very typical target man, an excellent weapon for attacking the fort.

Qiu Suhui was very satisfied with this. The Chinese team's forwards were quite all-around and complete, and he had more choices. The Chinese team's tactics would be more diverse.

※※※

In the end, the Chinese team bullied Kuwait 5-0 at their home stadium. This big win boosted morale and gave a warning to the other two teams in the group who also wanted to qualify.

The overseas players who finished the game also boarded different flights the next day. They would soon be facing a dense and suffocating league schedule.

"Life is really busy..." Xiang Tao stretched exaggeratedly on the plane.

Cruyff, who was sitting next to him, turned his head to look at him, then turned back. He was as expressionless as if he had seen a puff of air.

Xiang Tao felt that being with Cruyff was boring, too boring. He wanted to chat with Zhang Jun. But when he turned his head, he saw that the captain was already leaning his head on the seat and falling asleep, without even putting on an eye mask.

The hope of Chinese football, the symbol of the city of Florence, the idol in the hearts of hundreds of millions of fans, the captain of a team composed of a bunch of hooligans, the number one enemy in the hearts of countless defenders... He was about the same age as himself, but he had to bear so much pressure. He remembered the celebration that Zhang Jun performed with him after scoring a goal in the match against Kuwait. His indulgent smile at that time was really nostalgic.

Zhang Jun's smile was certainly praised by many female fans as sexy, warm, and charming.

But Xiang Tao preferred the laughing Zhang Jun, but such opportunities were too rare.

Is this maturity?

Xiang Tao smiled and shook his head, then pulled down his eye mask and closed his eyes to get over the jet lag.

※※※

March 9th, finished the World Cup qualifier, March 10th, returned to Florence, March 11th, the twenty-second round of the league, home game against Perugia.

Sabato cursed the FIFA's schedule for the qualifiers while inquiring about the players who had just returned from the national team.

He received almost affirmative answers that they could play. Sabato was not at ease. He knew these players, and their desire to fight was as strong as men who hadn't seen a woman in ten years. So, he was worried that someone was hiding their injuries and physical condition. He asked Feng Qing's medical team and the fitness coach to conduct a comprehensive and detailed examination of them.

Finally, Feng Qing and the fitness coach came to the unanimous conclusion that Zhang Jun's physical condition and physical condition were not suitable for participating in the next round of the league, and suggested that he rest for a round.

Zhang Jun was a little surprised to hear this news. He went to Sabato: "Boss, I don't know what they told you. But I've been getting over the jet lag on the plane, and I don't feel any discomfort now. I know my body very well, and I can play."

Sabato chuckled, "Do you think I don't want you to play? Now is the crucial moment to compete for the final championship. We are ranked third, Inter Milan is still lurking below, and the two teams in front are killing us so hard... With so many reasons, do you think I don't want to?"

Zhang Jun's eyes lit up: "So, you agree that I can play?"

"No." Sabato said very definitely, "I still can't let you play."

"Why?" Zhang Jun was very disappointed.

Sabato pointed to Zhang Jun's chest and said, "It's very simple. The absence of just one game can't pose too much of a threat to our chances of winning the championship, but if you miss all the games after that because of this, then we're really done for. The overall situation is the most important thing, do you understand? Sufficient rest now is also for a better explosion in the future." Sabato tapped very hard, and Zhang Jun's chest hurt every time he tapped.

Zhang Jun covered his chest and looked at the coach: "But, boss, I still..."

Sabato suddenly smiled at him: "Zhang, don't you trust your teammates so much? Are they useless without you? You're not an iron man, and you'll always miss a few games in a long season, sometimes because of physical fitness, injuries, or tactical needs. But Fiorentina can't be useless without you, that's not a mature team. Go and rest, they will bring you a victory. Also, you should spend more time with your girlfriend. You've been flying around so much lately, and you haven't been together for a long time, have you?"

After speaking, Sabato turned and left. Zhang Jun stood there, with his hand still on his chest, thinking blankly about what Sabato had just said.

※※※

Back home, Sophie was still asking Zhang Jun about tomorrow's game.

Zhang Jun didn't answer, but asked instead: "Sophie, are you free tomorrow?"

"What? Isn't tomorrow your game?"

Zhang Jun shook his head: "The boss gave me a day off, I don't have to play tomorrow. Where do you want to go?"

Sophie sat on the sofa, thought for a long time, and then said, "I don't know. Let's just walk around the city, we haven't been shopping together for a long time."

Zhang Jun nodded. Since Sophie came to Florence, except for the beginning when they often went out and walked around, the time they spent shopping together had indeed become less and less. The reason was that he was training, playing games, and had some social events in the news industry and commercial activities for sponsors, and Sophie, as a football reporter, didn't have much free time.

※※※

florence, firenze, florenz.

The above three names are the English, Italian, and German names for "Florence" respectively. However, Zhang Jun and Sophie both prefer the poet Xu Zhimo's name for it – "Firenze," which comes from an essay he wrote in July 1925 called "A Leisurely Chat in the Mountains of Firenze." And "firenze" in Italian means "city of flowers." From these names, it can be seen that Florence is a very, very beautiful city.

The current "Florence" is obviously translated according to the English version, but this can't reflect the connotation of the city of Florence, and that noble temperament.

Although it is the capital of the Tuscany region of Italy, Florence is not a very large city. Florence is divided into the old city and the outer city. The old city is the famous Florence, which has been designated as a World Cultural Heritage site by UNESCO and can't be changed. Every year, countless tourists travel thousands of miles to Florence to see this old city.

Standing on the Piazza della Signoria (also known as the Town Hall Square), you can overlook the entire city of Florence. This city does not have skyscrapers with glass curtain walls. The tallest buildings are bell towers and churches, which are symbols of Florence's centuries of glory and disgrace, and also Florence's landmarks.

Florence is not an international metropolis. In fact, there are not many cities in Europe that can be called "international metropolises." Unlike China, "international metropolises" are blooming everywhere.

Florence is small and the roads are narrow. The buildings on both sides of the road are either old buildings with hundreds of years of history, or houses built to imitate ancient buildings. The creamy yellow walls and orange roofs look very warm under the blue sky, white clouds, and sunshine.

Zhang Jun still isn't very clear why many buildings in Europe like to use red or orange for the roofs. The Netherlands is like this, Florence is like this, and Portugal is like this.

Sophie explained it this way: Maybe the warm-colored roofs look like the candlelight in the home, so when people see the roofs, they think of home.

Zhang Jun thought about it and thought it made sense. It is said that in ancient Florence, people returning home from afar only needed to see the red roof of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore from afar to know that home was near, and they would feel at ease. It was a warmth that came from the heart, and had nothing to do with religion.

And nowadays, when you look far away, the first thing you see is still the red dome of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore.

The Arno River, which has flowed quietly for hundreds of years, runs through the city, and the sunshine at 44 degrees north latitude ripples with golden light in the river. The red roofs, the creamy yellow walls, the gray-yellow stone bridges, the distant green mountains... It is truly a beautiful Firenze!

Because the roads are narrow and the place is small, there are not many private cars in Florence. People travel by public transportation or simply walk. In Florence, you have to learn to walk. If you are not willing to walk, you will miss countless touching things.

So, the three cars in Zhang Jun's garage are parked quietly in the garage most of the time, except when he needs to go to some relatively far places.

The two of them came out wearing ordinary casual clothes, and Zhang Jun added a pair of sunglasses. He wasn't worried about being surrounded by enthusiastic fans. Florentines are enthusiastic, but they are also polite. On the street, he is just an ordinary tourist, and not many people will come up to bother you endlessly. This is also one of the reasons why Zhang Jun likes it here. He has plenty of personal space, just like he did in Volendam. People didn't treat him like a superstar, but as part of the city, a member, and there was nothing special about him compared to other Florentines.

The replica of David in the Piazza della Signoria, the Neptune Fountain, the statue of Cosimo I, the Loggia dei Lanzi... The Palazzo Vecchio, the Bargello National Museum, the Basilica of Santa Croce... Florence's monuments and artistic treasures are countless. If calculated by unit area, Florence is probably the most concentrated place of human artistic essence in the world.

This is also the reason why Sophie likes it. As a graduate of an art major, she often can't move her feet when faced with these treasures that she could only see in books or on the screen in the past.

Zhang Jun would stop and accompany her to circle around these works of art. Even if they were replicas, she enjoyed them with great relish.

Florence's works of art can't be appreciated completely, and Sophie also knew this, so she just looked at them in moderation.

They still had many places to go, such as the various gold and silver jewelry and handicraft shops on the Ponte Vecchio. When it comes to gold and silver jewelry, it gives people a very tacky feeling. But the gold and silver jewelry on the Ponte Vecchio is different. Here are the most precious gems in the world, and here are the most experienced and skilled craftsmen in all of Italy. Unlike the cheap gems that are machine-polished, the gem products on the Ponte Vecchio are all hand-carved. Each unique gem shines with a noble light in the window, reflecting the sunshine.

The two lingered in one jewelry store after another. Zhang Jun pointed to the finished products displayed in the window and said to Sophie, "When we get married, I will use the jewelry here as wedding jewelry."

Sophie touched the engagement ring on her hand and smiled happily.

The Ponte Vecchio is the oldest of the seven bridges spanning the Arno River, with a history of one thousand years. This was once a very prosperous bridge, with many shops selling a wide variety of goods. However, it is said that because the butchers who sold meat "dirtied" the bridge, the Grand Duke ordered that only gold and silver jewelry shops be allowed to be opened on this bridge in the future, so people also call it the "Gold and Silver Bridge." In addition, there is a very romantic legend about this bridge. On this Ponte Vecchio, the poet Dante met Beatrice, the love of his life.

And now, Zhang Jun and Sophie are wandering on this bridge.

Florence's famous attractions are almost all concentrated in one block, so the two of them walked to the world-famous Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore as if they were taking a stroll. It is the fourth largest church in the world.

This church is different from any church Zhang Jun had seen before. When Zhang Jun first saw it, he had to praise the person who named this church in his heart - it was too appropriate.

Because many churches in Europe pay attention to the atmosphere of "solemnity and solemnity", the exterior is built in a solemn and standardized manner, and the interior is dark and has little light, which gives people a very depressing feeling. In addition, during wartime, churches were often used as shelters, and some widely spread horror stories gave people the feeling that the church was a place with many strange things, and vampires, hunchbacks, zombies... often appeared.

But the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence is completely different. The exterior wall of the entire church is inlaid with marble in three colors: orange-red, pure white, and light green, which makes it look exceptionally beautiful. Unlike those solemn churches, the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore is like its name, like a Madonna under the background of flowers, enchanting and charming, but also sacred and dignified.

The octagonal building opposite the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore is the famous Baptistery. Dante was baptized here.

But what Zhang Jun is most interested in is the three doors of the Baptistery, one of which is called the "Gates of Paradise". The reliefs on the door were all completed by Bertini after twenty-five years, telling ten stories about the Old Testament. Today, the Gates of Paradise are tightly closed, and an iron railing is erected in front of the door for people to stand outside and take photos. It is said that this Gates of Paradise is made of pure gold and is very expensive. It is usually closed like this. It is only opened every year on Easter, and the bishop leads the team in to worship, meaning that following the bishop can pass through this door to reach heaven.

Zhang Jun has not participated in such activities, but he has always been very concerned about this statement. Because standing outside the Gates of Paradise, he suddenly thought of his father. He doesn't believe in religion, but he still believes in the concept of heaven. Good people go to heaven and bad people go to hell. This is the concept he has accepted since he was a child. He believes that his father is a good person, so he must be overlooking him in heaven. He just doesn't know if he can really see his father if he follows the bishop through this door.

Looking at the Gates of Paradise, which shone with golden light in the sun, Zhang Jun sighed softly.

※※※

After walking around for most of the time, they ate Italian noodles and vegetable salad in a restaurant in the middle, and continued to stroll in the afternoon. They felt a little tired. The two of them happened to walk to a small square, and Sophie suggested sitting down to rest. Zhang Jun agreed.

This is a very, very small square. In fact, it is more of an intersection of several roads than a square. Zhang Jun had never found this place before. It was an accidental encounter. But this square made both him and Sophie like it very much. Because of the atmosphere here, the pigeons strolling in the square, the tourists teasing and feeding the pigeons, and a small band performing their music on the street. People either watched or participated. Everything was very free.

Sophie bought a box of pigeon food from a kiosk next to her, and then ran to the middle of the square to feed the pigeons. Zhang Jun sat on the side and watched her squatting in the pigeon flock. The pigeons seemed to be attracted by something and all surrounded her. Gray and white pigeons surrounded Sophie. Sophie was like an angel from heaven under the glory of the sunset, and those pigeons were her wings.

Zhang Jun was stunned.

Obviously, Zhang Jun was not the only one who was stunned.

A middle-aged man who sold paintings on the street walked directly to Sophie. Then he handed Sophie a painting. The Sophie in the painting was squatting on the ground, listening to two pigeons on her shoulders, teasing the pigeons on her palm. At the same time, almost all the pigeons were falling around her, and the pigeons kept flying up and down.

This is a sketch, and it can be seen from the lines that it was painted in a very short period of time.

"For you, beautiful lady," the middle-aged man smiled at Sophie.

Sophie stood up, looked at the painting, then looked at the painter, and then said to him in Italian with a smile: "Thank you!"

"You're welcome, miss. You were just like a beautiful oil painting. May I have the honor of painting a portrait for you again?" The middle-aged man pointed to his painting stall.

Sophie turned to look at Zhang Jun, then waved to him, signaling him to come over too. "Can you draw a group photo for the two of us?"

The middle-aged man looked at Zhang Jun, then nodded, "But please take off your sunglasses, sir."

Zhang Jun took off his sunglasses as he was told. The man was slightly stunned, then motioned for the two to sit on the chairs opposite him. He sat down and began to paint.

Zhang Jun originally thought that the other party recognized him, but seeing that he didn't show anything else, he was relieved.

After about fifteen minutes, the portraits of the two came out. In the painting, Sophie and Zhang Jun were snuggled together happily.

Zhang Jun handed the money over. The other party took the money, put it in his wallet, and then took out a sketchbook and a marker pen from the side and handed it to Zhang Jun.

"This is..." Zhang Jun hadn't reacted yet.

"I'm your fan, please sign for me!" The other party said solemnly to Zhang Jun. It was hard to believe that this was the elegant painter just now.

"..." Zhang Jun reluctantly took the pen and signed his name.

Sophie covered her mouth and laughed on the side.

Until Zhang Jun and Sophie left in a hurry, the middle-aged man was still shouting loudly: "You must win the championship this season! Please!!"

Zhang Jun originally said that he wouldn't talk about football today, and he wouldn't think about the game that was going on. For this reason, they didn't even go to various bars, tea houses, and other places. As a result, he didn't expect to run into a fanatic fan when it was almost dark.

On the way back, Sophie was still laughing at Zhang Jun's expression when he saw the fan. Zhang Jun could only pretend to be a fierce and vicious look and glare at her, and there was nothing else he could do.

But anyway, Zhang Jun and Sophie had a good tour of Florence and completely relaxed. If you use the saying in the game: Zhang Jun and Sophie went out for a day, and their stamina was fully recovered, and their energy was max.

In the twenty-second round of Serie A, Fiorentina easily won Perugia 2-0 at their home stadium and maintained their third place. They still had a chance to compete for the league championship.