Chapter 188 Sophie's Ideal

Zeng Yi knew that Sophie was the girlfriend of the famous football star, Zhang Jun; Li Yan had told him this.

Before that, he knew Zhang Jun's girlfriend was called Sophie, but he never imagined she would be like this. When Li Yan showed him Sophie's photo, she was wearing the most ordinary clothes imaginable: light-colored jeans, a blue plaid shirt, a ponytail, and a faint smile. She looked like a very energetic girl. When Li Yan told him that this was Zhang Jun's girlfriend, he was shocked. He had thought that the girlfriend of a big football star would be a fashionable beauty, but he didn't expect the beauty to be so unfashionable, dressed like any other student.

Later, Sophie came to Chengdu and found him. He found that the girl was also very polite when she spoke, and very courteous in her dealings with others. Her upbringing was excellent. She didn't act unapproachable just because her boyfriend was a famous football star.

She also had a real talent for photography, and wasn't a novice.

Zeng Yi knew that with Zhang Jun's wealth, supporting Sophie would be no problem at all. He thought that Sophie's desire to find a job was a reflection of the independent thinking of new-era girls. However, he couldn't understand why she would choose to be a photography reporter, which was tiring, difficult, and potentially dangerous. He thought that a fair-skinned girl like her would be better suited to a white-collar job, rather than running around outside every day, braving wind and rain, and getting tanned by the sun into an "African native."

"I have a question." On the bus back to the newspaper, Zeng Yi brought up the question that had been bothering him for some time. "Why did you want to become a photography reporter?"

Sophie was carefully wiping her camera. She was surprised that Zeng Yi, who rarely spoke, had actually taken the initiative to ask her a question, and for a moment, she didn't react.

Zeng Yi frowned. Sophie immediately realized that she had made a mistake and quickly replied, "Uh, um… how should I put it? At first, I liked painting and studied design. Later, I suddenly felt that looking at the familiar world through a camera lens could lead to different discoveries, so I picked up a camera."

"I've seen some of the landscape photos you've taken, and some of them are quite good. Why did you choose to become a reporter instead of a photographer?"

"Because I want to photograph people, all kinds of different people."

"Want to photograph people? As long as you pay, there are models everywhere."

"No, no, it's not like that!" Sophie waved her hands. "I want to photograph real people, not models who pose according to my instructions. I want to capture moments."

"Is that so?" Zeng Yi looked at Sophie thoughtfully. "Do you have any ideals?"

"Ideals?" Sophie turned her face to the window, looking at the receding buildings. "Um, I guess so…" She thought of Zhang Jun, who was far away in Milan.

Zeng Yi saw Sophie blush and guessed that her ideal was probably related to Zhang Jun. "Then work hard!" After saying that, he didn't say another word.

Sophie smiled at Zeng Yi's back.

She had been in this unfamiliar city for almost two months. When she first arrived, she couldn't understand the local dialect at all. She took the business card that Li Yan had given her and found her way there alone. When she first met Teacher Zeng and explained her intentions, he didn't ask her to rest like others, but instead handed her a heavy satchel and said, "Follow me."

Since then, she had been following him around every day, sometimes taking the bus, sometimes walking. Whether it was windy or rainy, or under the scorching sun, she spent almost every day outside. At first, when she saw the way her teacher acted, she thought it was some big news, but when she arrived at the location, panting, she was immediately dumbfounded: it wasn't big news at all! It was just a cat that had climbed up a big tree, and the owner was anxiously calling and jumping below, while the husband was calling 119 and 110 one after the other, looking for someone to rescue it.

Sophie was very discouraged, because many times she rushed over in a great hurry, only to find that it was basically a trivial matter. This was far from the "news time" she had been looking forward to. But Zeng Yi worked very hard to take pictures. No matter how big or small the event, he was very conscientious.

"Discouraged, right?" Sophie remembered what Teacher Zeng had said to her after finishing the work. "Not what you imagined, is it? You think these things are trivial and not worth mentioning, right? But you have to understand that this is China, in Chengdu, Sichuan, not in Iraq or Israel. We're not war correspondents. News is the small things around us. It just depends on whether you can see their eyes."

This was the first lesson Zeng Yi had given her. Zeng Yi was very strict with her, and sometimes even scolded her, but she knew that it was just to help her improve her skills more quickly so that she could realize her dream of becoming a sports photographer in Europe as soon as possible.

She wanted to use her camera to capture a true Zhang Jun.

※※※

Zhang Jun was sitting on the ground chatting with Kaka and Yang Pan when he suddenly heard someone call his name: "Zhang, someone's interviewing you!" The person winked at him.

"Oh." In recent days, as the first Chinese player to start for AC Milan, he had given many interviews and had gotten used to it. He answered and stood up, patted the grass clippings off his body, and called Yang Pan to be his translator.

He had not hired a translator and had been working hard to learn Italian. For now, he could only let Yang Pan translate for him.

When he saw the person, Zhang Jun's eyes lit up: a beautiful anchor!

The other person looked at the two players and took the initiative to extend her hand: "Hello, I'm Ilaria D'Amico, the anchor of 'Champions and Dreams' on Italian TV Channel One. We had an appointment, Mr. Zhang Jun."

When Zhang Jun's hand touched Ilaria's soft hand, he remembered that Sister Hua had told him the day before yesterday that a host of some kind of champion program was going to interview him. He didn't expect it to be such a beauty.

Zhang Jun had seen many beautiful women. He had three around him. Sophie was a pure beauty, while Sister Hua was a mature beauty, and Yi Lan was a lively and lovely beauty. Unlike the three above, this Miss Ilaria D'Amico was a kind of beauty that was so sexy it was soul-stirring.

"Hi! Ilaria!" Inzaghi suddenly ran out of the gym.

"Hi, Pippo!" D'Amico said with a bright smile.

"Working?" Inzaghi looked at Zhang and Yang opposite her. They smiled at him, and Inzaghi returned the smile.

"Yeah, interviewing your teammate, Zhang Jun." D'Amico pronounced Zhang Jun's name very slowly, as if she was afraid of mispronouncing it. But to outsiders, the way she pouted her lips seemed to be seducing people to commit crimes.

"Okay, then, I won't disturb you." Inzaghi shrugged his shoulders. Then, as he passed D'Amico, he leaned down and whispered something in her ear. D'Amico's pretty face turned slightly red, but quickly returned to normal. After Inzaghi finished speaking, he left, leaving the three of them there.

"Shall we start?" D'Amico flipped her hair, tucking a strand of black hair in front of her eyes behind her ear.

Zhang Jun nodded.

※※※

The morning sun shone on the Milanello base, and the grass emitted a fragrant aroma under the baking sun, which smelled refreshing.

D'Amico was holding a microphone and listening attentively to Zhang Jun's description of his years in the Netherlands and how he came up with the "Scorpion" move.

"Many people are surprised that you chose Milan again, because after experiencing that unpleasant incident, people thought you would never come to San Siro again."

"Yeah, the decision is indeed incomprehensible, but I want to get up from where I fell. I don't want more people to think of me as a coward, so I came. In addition, AC Milan is a great team, and being able to play for Milan at San Siro is the dream of many players, and I'm no exception."

"But I heard that your favorite team is Real Madrid…" D'Amico felt that she was tired of this kind of tone, so she changed her approach.

"Yes, that's right. But that's as a fan. As a player, Milan fascinates me more, and there's Kaka and Yang Pan here, which makes me feel a sense of familiarity. In addition, I think Mr. Van Basten also influenced my choice." Zhang Jun answered honestly.

Zhang Jun's answer was somewhat unexpected to D'Amico. She had thought that Zhang Jun would first greatly praise Real Madrid, and then change the subject and express his loyalty to Milan. She didn't expect Zhang Jun to not consider the best team of the century, Real Madrid, at all. This "fan's perspective" and "player's perspective" made some sense. D'Amico had to re-evaluate Zhang Jun in her heart.

"Well, then you said before the season that you wanted to win a trophy for Milan, but now two league rounds have passed, and as a starting striker, you don't have a single goal."

Zhang Jun gradually felt the power of this beautiful host. The questions were starting to sting, and she wasn't leaving him any face. It was indeed a bit troublesome that he hadn't scored in two rounds. After all, so many media were watching him. A little success would be infinitely exaggerated, and similarly, even the slightest setback would be exaggerated into the end of the world. But the current Zhang Jun was no longer the Zhang Jun who would give up on himself after not scoring in four rounds. He smiled at D'Amico and said, "When I was still in Volendam, I had just recovered from an injury, and I couldn't score for four consecutive rounds. At that time, almost everyone thought I was finished, and I thought so myself. But my girlfriend told me that I can't expect to score in every game, and that scoring isn't everything in football. She wanted me to keep a calm mind, and then one round later, I scored a hat-trick. And now I've only not scored in two games, but I'm very satisfied with my performance. If I have to use goals to prove myself, I think I'll show it."

D'Amico smiled. She had only asked a few questions, but the other party had actually told her a "short story." He was really an interesting boy.

"Okay, then, I'm looking forward to your proof. Thank you for accepting my interview. And thank you, Yang Pan, for your translation. Your Italian is very good." She shook hands with the two of them separately to express her gratitude.

※※※

"She's a beauty, isn't she?" Yang Pan sighed, looking at D'Amico's graceful figure.

"Yeah." Zhang Jun nodded.

"How old do you think she is?"

"Why guess that?" Zhang Jun asked, puzzled.

"Guess, guess."

"Um, about…" Zhang Jun thought for a while, "…about twenty-five years old."

"Tsk, tsk." Yang Pan shook his head. "Another poor guy who's been deceived by her appearance. Let me tell you, she's thirty-two this year."

Zhang Jun was stunned.

"Don't be silly. Sister Hua's appearance doesn't match her actual age either."

"Easterners and Westerners are different…"

"Damn! That's a lame excuse!"

"…But, you really can't tell." Zhang Jun shook his head and muttered.

"Italy is full of beautiful anchors, and D'Amico is one of the more famous ones. But she and Pippo on our team are a couple!"

"You mean… Filippo Inzaghi?"

"Yeah, they've been in a relationship for over a year, and it's quite a story!" Yang Pan had been in Italy for two years, and he naturally remembered these news stories that had been hyped up by the media at the time. When the gold-medal beauty host of Sky TV, Ilaria D'Amico, was chasing Inzaghi, they both tried to keep a low profile, but the Italian media still found out, and the media reports forced them to announce their relationship early.

"There are new faces everywhere in the football world!" Zhang Jun sighed. His relationship with Sophie had already been exposed, and now that they were living apart, he wasn't afraid of reporters disturbing each other.

"Don't sigh, let's go back to training."

"Hey, Yang Pan, what's going on between you and Yi Lan…"

"No one knows, only Li Yan knows. Now we're not in the same city, and we only contact each other by phone, so the reporters can't get a hold of anything."

"No, I mean, instead of hiding it like this, why not make it public sooner rather than later? Then you can be together openly!"

"No way. The moment I decide to expose Yi Lan is the moment I decide to marry her."

Zhang Jun rolled his eyes and followed Yang Pan to the training ground.

※※※

"This afternoon, we'll be broadcasting AC Milan's home game against Parma for you viewers. A few days ago, we interviewed Milan's Zhang Jun, and he told us that scoring isn't everything in football and that not scoring in two rounds is normal. But if we have to think that scoring is the only way to prove his strength, he'll prove it with goals." Ilaria D'Amico, wearing a low-cut dress, stood in front of the camera to host Sky TV's four-hour-long league live broadcast program on Sunday afternoon.

The scene cut to the two commentators who were responsible for the live commentary. "Then we'll open our eyes wide and watch carefully how Zhang Jun proves himself in this game," one of them said with a smile.

"Yes, a struggling Parma might be a good opponent," the other said with a laugh.

As a result, many Milan fans in front of the TV also laughed.

※※※

"Today we're broadcasting another AC Milan game for everyone. They're playing against Parma at home." Wang Jianxiang said to the camera in the studio, "This is the second time we've broadcast an AC Milan game in three league rounds, right?" He turned to ask the commentary consultant next to him, Zhang Xiaolu.

Zhang Xiaolu nodded: "That's right."

"Recently, Italian media have reported that Zhang Jun said he wants to score in this game to refute claims that he's a flop. What do you think, Coach Zhang?"

"We don't know if Zhang Jun really said that. But looking at Parma's current situation, AC Milan has a very good chance of winning all three points at home. And Zhang Jun, as a starting striker, has a very good chance of scoring. Looking at the last two games, he's gradually integrating into AC Milan's tactics and playing better and better in each game. After Parma lost several key players such as Gilardino, their strength is far from what it used to be, and they've lost both games so far, so their morale is very low. If Zhang Jun wants to score, this game is indeed a good opportunity."

"Hey, Zhang Jun. Everyone's talking about your goals now." Kaka was chatting with Zhang Jun on the way to the San Siro. "D'Amico has spread your words around."

"But I didn't say that I had to score in this game," Zhang Jun said nonchalantly.

"You idiot, what do the media do? They distort your words." Kaka scolded lightly, "Look, she's been saying that for the past two days, and she's still saying it now. Don't you ever watch TV or read the newspaper?"

"I don't. And even if I did, I wouldn't understand it," Zhang Jun said with a bitter smile.

"Your Italian is improving really slowly," Kaka said, leaning back in his chair.

"Now's not the time to talk about that. Do I really have to score in the game?" Zhang Jun was a little flustered. He didn't want to be laughed at by countless people, "But scoring isn't something you can just do whenever you want, is it?"

"Who told you to say it so confidently in the first place?"

"…"

"Don't worry! I'll pass the ball to you." Kaka patted Zhang Jun on the shoulder, "Just like in Dawn."

"Just like in Dawn…" Zhang Jun muttered, and suddenly he said firmly: "Okay! I'll score one in this game and show them!"

"Wow! Scoring isn't something you can just do whenever you want!" This time it was Kaka's turn to be surprised.

"It's okay, you're passing the ball to me anyway, hehe!"

"…"

※※※

"Damn it…" Parma's coach, Pietro Carmignani, wanted to curse the word "referee," but he glanced at the fourth official watching him and quickly swallowed it back. Just now, Bovo had tackled Zhang Jun head-on, and Zhang Jun had fallen to the ground. The referee had ruled that Bovo had committed a foul, but Carmignani thought it was a dive.

In fact, Bovo had indeed committed a foul, and it was intentional. Because if he hadn't committed a foul, he definitely wouldn't have been able to stop Zhang Jun from breaking into the penalty area.

There was a gasp of surprise from the San Siro, because Zhang Jun had only taken two steps to get past another defender, Bonera, and was facing Bovo directly. He sank his left shoulder, but poked a nutmeg with his right foot, and then his body smeared to the right. Bovo desperately reached out and pulled down the unstoppable Zhang Jun.

"He's as fast as the wind! Poor Bovo got his first yellow card of the game, and he has to be careful for the remaining seventy-five minutes," the Sky TV commentator said with amazement. He had seen Yang Pan's speed, but no one could stop Zhang Jun's acceleration within fifteen meters. "He was able to poke a nutmeg at such a high speed, and his ball control is excellent. When it comes to acceleration, he reminds me of Ronaldo when he was still at Barcelona."

The referee gave Milan a direct free kick facing the goal, only twenty meters away.

Generally speaking, the closer the direct free kick is to the goal, the harder it is to kick, because the space for the football to draw an arc is too small.

Zhang Jun and Pirlo stood in front of the ball. Frey wasn't sure who would take the kick, so he had to be vigilant.

Zhang Jun knew that Pirlo was just a decoy next to him, and he would still take the kick. The ball was very close, Parma's wall blocked the left side, and Frey was guarding the right side. There were also people everywhere in the penalty area, so it was really difficult to kick this ball. It seemed that if he wanted to score, he could only choose an angle.

Zhang Jun looked at the right side where Frey was and suddenly had an idea. He moved from the left side of the football to the right side and used his left foot to kick.

Frey naturally noticed the entire change. He felt a "thump" in his heart: could it be that he wants to push it to the upper left corner? But… no! What if he's bluffing?

Just as Frey was in a dilemma, the referee blew his whistle, and Zhang Jun began to run!

Right foot as support, left foot extracted!

The arc of the football wasn't very large, but the speed of the ball was very fast. It went straight to… straight to the upper left corner!

Damn it! Frey cursed in his heart and desperately pounced on the ball at the same time. But his hesitation had made him lose the initiative. The football flew over the top of the wall and accurately drilled into the upper left corner of the goal!

The ball went in!

The 85,000 people at the San Siro erupted in huge cheers. AC Milan took the lead at home!

※※※

"Zhang scored! He really scored!! A beautiful direct free kick!"

※※※

Zhang Jun, after scoring, wasn't as excited as people imagined. He just stood where he was, with his hands raised high and a confident smile on his face. This was his unique celebration action after scoring a free kick. Everything was just like when he was still in Volendam in the Netherlands. His teammates rushed towards him, but the language they were shouting wasn't the Dutch that he understood… He was hugged tightly.

※※※

"Zhang Jun scored!!" Wang Jianxiang shouted excitedly. "This is Zhang Jun's first goal in Serie A, and it's also the first goal scored by a Chinese player for AC Milan! His direct free kick fooled goalkeeper Frey… Let's take a look at the replay. It's so beautiful! A smile, we finally saw Zhang Jun's smile in Italy! Zhang Jun made a good start to his life at AC Milan!" Wang Jianxiang's mouth hadn't stopped since the ball went in. He was too excited to stop and wished he could run a few laps in this small studio.

Zhang Xiaolu looked at Wang Jianxiang and just smiled on the side. It wasn't that he didn't want to speak, but he couldn't get a word in at all. Although he wasn't as excited as Wang Jianxiang, the degree of happiness in his heart wasn't less than Wang Jianxiang's. He had been commentating on Serie A for more than fourteen years, and it was becoming more and more like a routine. It was only after Yang Pan, Li Yongle, and Zhang Jun successively landed in Serie A that he regained the impulse he had back then.

A person who had been doing football for more than ten years felt so proud for the first time.

※※※

AC Milan played even better after taking the lead. Parma's main scorer in the previous two seasons, the star player Gilardino, had gone to Juventus this season. Parma hadn't bought anyone due to financial problems, and basically just drew people from the second team to form a youth army. Their attack completely posed no threat to Milan's defense line, which was old but the most stable.

Kaka stirred up Parma's defense in the midfield all by himself, not to mention Seedorf, Shevchenko, and Zhang Jun.

Dribbling, flanking, passing, breaking through, crossing, heading!

Shevchenko's powerful header was caught by Frey, and then he launched an attack with a throw, but midfielder Morfeo's dribbling was destroyed by Gattuso's fierce tackle.

Gattuso was a person who could mobilize emotions, and Kaka had seen it long ago. This time, when he made a fierce move, the San Siro burst into huge cheers.

Pirlo directly made a long pass, Zhang Jun snatched the ball in front of Bovo, headed the ball to create an opening, and Shevchenko rushed up at high speed, a one-on-one!

The first wave of cheers at the San Siro had just died down, and immediately rose again.

Just as Shevchenko was about to swing his foot to shoot, Paolo Cannavaro rushed up from behind and knocked him down!

Penalty!

The entire San Siro was shouting this word.

The referee ran over. He pointed to the penalty spot, it was a penalty! At the same time, he showed Cannavaro a yellow card.

It looked like AC Milan had a chance to extend their lead before the end of the first half.

The number one penalty taker for the Milan team was Pirlo. Although Zhang Jun was also the number one penalty taker when he was in Volendam, he had given up the free kick to him, so naturally the penalty should be left to Pirlo to kick.

Pirlo placed the football on the penalty spot, then stepped back after getting up. After the referee blew his whistle, he took two steps to run up and then pushed the ball directly to the center!

But Frey reacted extremely quickly. Although he had already shown signs of diving to the right, he stopped his center of gravity in an instant, forcibly slowing down the speed of his body, so that his body didn't dive out, and used his foot to block the shot while falling to the ground!

It failed!

Cannavaro, who breathed a sigh of relief, was planning to rush to the ball and clear it with a big kick, but suddenly found a figure counter-pressing in front of him, and that figure was definitely not his teammate, because the other party was wearing a red and black Milan jersey!

"Zhang Jun makes a follow-up shot! An empty goal! The ball goes in! Oh my god! How did he appear there?" The commentator exclaimed.

Zhang Jun scored twice!

No one would have thought that Zhang Jun would score two goals, it was too magical!

※※※

"Scored twice! Zhang Jun is going crazy today! He scored his second goal after joining AC Milan!" Wang Jianxiang was also crazy today. It was estimated that his voice wouldn't recover to normal for a week, but it was worth it.

※※※

Zhang Jun seemed very excited after scoring a goal. He rushed to the corner flag and roared. Being able to score twice at the San Siro was just too great!

Just as Zhang Jun was celebrating his successful goal, the TV camera took the time to give Inzaghi in the box in the stands a special shot. The intention was obvious. As a competitor, watching Zhang Jun perform better and better, Inzaghi must have felt uncomfortable.

Originally, with the departure of Crespo and Thomas, he should have consolidated his main position even more. Even if Zhang Jun came, he didn't think that the newcomer could shake his main position. But he was disappointing and relapsed from an old injury in the week before the season, and he would have to recuperate until October! Instead, it gave Zhang Jun a chance.

Looking at Zhang Jun's excited smiling face, Inzaghi only felt a pang of heartache.

※※※

The final score was 2:0. AC Milan easily defeated Parma, which was not as good as before, with Zhang Jun's two goals. The team had three wins in a row and ranked first in the standings. Juventus and Inter Milan ranked second and third respectively.

And Zhang Jun finally played the whole game after being substituted in the middle of two consecutive games. His two goals also became the topic of conversation for many people. When Zhang Jun joined AC Milan, there were still people questioning whether an injured player could adapt to the fierce Serie A. Zhang Jun carried the transfer fee of 8.5 million and the annual salary of 3.2 million, and he also carried people's doubts about whether he could live up to the money. Not scoring in two starts and being substituted in the middle seemed to give these people some gratifying signs, but in this third round, Zhang Jun responded to them with two goals: he was not a flop, and he was worth every Euro that AC Milan had spent on him.

After the game, Li Yan laughed and said to Galliani, "I've told all your Italian colleagues that there's a popular saying in the Netherlands: never doubt Zhang Jun!"

Indeed, never doubt Zhang Jun, or he will make you lose face.

A good start, Zhang Jun.