Chapter 17

Oswaldo held onto Rong Guang, wanting to give him some tactical advice.

But when he looked into the young man's pitch-black eyes, he didn't know what to say.

What could he say?

He had never included this kid in any tactical plans during training. His presence in the first team was more for the sake of numbers, to ensure that there were enough players for training...

He had only undergone a little over a month of basic training. From the youth team matches, it was clear that he didn't even understand the rules of football... What could he do?

And what could be expected of him?

How could he even think about giving tactical instructions, forgetting that he was a complete novice?

Oswaldo gave a self-deprecating smile, then patted Rong Guang's shoulder: "When you go on, use your speed to break through from the back. If you can get the ball, pass it to Luis."

The Luis he mentioned was Fabiano, Luis Fabiano.

Rong Guang nodded excitedly. "I know, sir!"

Oswaldo was surprised to see that he was only excited and not nervous at all.

If Oswaldo knew why Rong Guang's eyes were the most spirited among the whole team just now, he would understand why Rong Guang wasn't nervous.

Just then, when Kaka was injured, Rong Guang stared at the pitch, seeing an opportunity.

He started to imagine what would happen if he went on.

He saw a bright future.

First-team debut!

Fame with one goal!

Waking up in a pile of money every morning!

Six meals of Brazilian barbecue a day!

A big house in Shanghai!

Tuition for his sister and brother!

No more sun and rain for his grandparents!

A good life for the whole family!

...

Thinking of his bright "money" future, Rong Guang was full of energy.

He kept bouncing and twisting his waist and hips on the sidelines. This was a normal pre-game preparation.

But to outsiders, it seemed like he was overdoing it, as his movements were very exaggerated. If he pulled a muscle and had to be substituted before even getting on the pitch, it would be a laughingstock...

This included Godo.

Godo found himself feeling anxious, hoping Rong Guang would perform well but also worried that he might do poorly...

He couldn't help but frown—don't get too cocky, Rong! If you're too excited, you might not perform well on the pitch. There are too many examples of this in football...

When the beautiful future you hope for is completely different from the harsh reality, how many people can bear such a blow?

The fourth official held up the electronic substitution board, pressing Rong Guang's number: 33.

Then he raised it.

Number 8 off, number 33 on.

This was actually a moment that would be remembered—though people didn't realize its significance at the time.

Even Rong Guang's agent was worried about his future...

***

Since Kaka had already come off, Rong Guang didn't need to wait for a high-five. When the fourth official raised the board, he sprinted onto the pitch—his legs were eager, yearning to run and release the energy stored in his body!

In front of him, it seemed not like a green pitch but a heaven filled with money!

But no one else saw it that way, and no one noticed his speed.

When the commentator Galvão Bueno saw Rong Guang come on, he exclaimed dramatically: "Who is this? São Paulo's number 33! R—O—N—G? Who is this? Has Oswaldo given up on winning this match? Ladies and gentlemen, dear viewers, you are watching the 'Clássico Paulista' between São Paulo and Corinthians. The match is at 32 minutes, and São Paulo is tied 0-0 with Corinthians at home, but São Paulo has already given up on this match! They have brought on a player we've never heard of! I don't even have any information on this person! Can you expect such a person to help São Paulo win this match? Don't be ridiculous!"

The other commentator, Jéfferson Caffer, was known for his detailed and calm commentary.

But faced with this inexplicable substitution, he couldn't come up with a coherent comment.

Because he had no information on Rong Guang.

This number 33 seemed to have emerged from nowhere.

But he couldn't remain silent and had to comment from other angles. His long experience as a commentator helped him, as he could make the audience feel impressed without knowing Rong Guang's information.

"I understand Oliveira's urgency to level the score. But now Corinthians' morale is high, while São Paulo's morale is low due to Kaka's sudden injury. What should be done is to strengthen the defense and prevent Corinthians from scoring more, not to attack Corinthians..."

Despite knowing almost nothing about Rong Guang, Caffer could deduce through basic logic that Rong Guang was not a defensive player, and Oswaldo Oliveira didn't bring him on for defense—why would the familiar defenders on the bench still be sitting there if it were for defense?

"Attacking is unwise. Attacking Corinthians now will only make things worse. Oswaldo's choice is a complete blunder. He will make the team lose the match, and he himself might lose his position due to two consecutive losses. At the same time, he will ruin this young man's future, as he has placed too much pressure on him that doesn't belong to him!"

São Paulo fans watching at home were initially confused when they saw Oswaldo bring on a completely unknown young man.

After hearing the commentator's pessimistic comments, they realized how bad it was...

The São Paulo fans in the stands were even more disappointed.

They looked at Rong Guang running onto the pitch, completely unsure what this kid was there to do. Some wondered: Is this guy also a São Paulo player?

***

"It's Rong Guang!" A middle-aged man in the stands, wearing a Corinthians jersey, was pleasantly surprised.

"Is it him?" A girl next to him, wearing Kaka's São Paulo jersey, widened her eyes in surprise.

This was the father and daughter, Cui Hao and Cui Yun, also known as Coelho.

The father and daughter were both at the "Clássico Paulista." The father supported Corinthians, while the daughter supported São Paulo. But even if it weren't for the "Clássico Paulista," they would still come to watch. Cui Hao naturally supported his young compatriot, while his daughter came for Kaka.

"Haha! Rong Guang is on! I told you, Yun, Rong Guang is a promising young man!" The father was very excited, momentarily forgetting he was a Corinthians fan, and even cheered for a São Paulo player.

Coelho rolled her eyes and ignored her overjoyed father.

She had a big question in her mind—why did that bastard who insulted her idol get a chance to play?

This question filled her mind, and she even forgot to worry about Kaka's injury. Just a moment ago, she had shed tears over Kaka's injury, and her eyes were still red.

***

"It's Rong?"

"That rookie?"

"Why?"

In the stands, there was also a group of surprised people.

They were the São Paulo youth team. For such an important first-team match, the entire youth team, led by their coach Rojas, came to watch. On one hand, to cheer for the first team, and on the other, to learn from high-level matches up close.

When they saw Rong Guang substitute for Kaka, they were all surprised.

These people who looked down on Rong Guang couldn't understand why the first-team coach, Mr. Oswaldo, would bring on that rookie.

They were still sad and desperate over Kaka's injury.

When Rong Guang came on, their emotions changed.

Only Lucas didn't.

He smiled and muttered to himself, "Good kid, impressive! Truly a... monster!"

His learning speed was fast, and his promotion was quick...

***

The São Paulo players were also watching Rong Guang, their eyes following him as he ran onto the pitch.

Many of their gazes were not friendly.

The bastard who said he would beat Kaka was now substituting for Kaka... With 60 minutes left in the match, the coach brought on this ignorant idiot. What was Mr. Oswaldo thinking?

Luis Fabiano spread his hands and sighed, shaking his head at Júlio Baptista: "It's over, this match is over..."

Baptista frowned: "If we need speed, Riquelme has it, and his technique is more comprehensive than that rookie. Why not Riquelme, but this rookie?"

"Who knows." Fabiano shrugged. "Anyway, if we lose this match, it won't be our fault. The responsibility will be on the coach and that rookie. But it's a pity..."

He still wanted to win this "Clássico Paulista."

***

Kaka, supported by the team doctor José Sánchez, walked back to the bench, his face in pain.

Seeing him like this, many female fans in the stands shed tears: "Kaka... oh..."

The coach, Oswaldo, stepped forward and held his hand.

Kaka's face was somber: "I'm sorry, coach." He said softly.

Oswaldo patted his shoulder with his other hand: "It's nothing, it's not your fault, Kaka. You did your best, now go rest."

"But the match..."

Oswaldo didn't answer him.

Kaka himself knew he had asked a stupid question.

So he lowered his head and walked back to the bench.

His substitute teammates patted him, comforting him.

Continuous injuries are something no player wants to see. They hoped Kaka would recover quickly.

Kaka barely responded to his teammates' kindness and then stared at the pitch.

His gaze was also on the number 33, Rong Guang.

He remembered that the first time this number 33 met him, he challenged him, saying he would definitely beat him.

He didn't take it seriously, not believing Rong Guang could do it, and it wasn't worth arguing with a rookie. So he maintained his dignity and quickly forgot about Rong Guang.

Now, seeing Rong Guang substitute for him, he couldn't help but think back to that moment.

Rong Guang, who was a head shorter, stood in front of him, looking up with a defiant expression, pointing at him and saying, "I will beat you!"

***

"Number 33, RONG? Who is this?" While the São Paulo players were confused, the Corinthians players were also confused.

"Never heard of him, looks young... Probably brought up from the youth team?" Vampeta asked and answered himself. "Makes sense, with São Paulo's injury situation, they can't even field a full team, so they have to bring up youth players to fill in..."

"Who cares!" The Corinthians' main striker, who had been selected for the Brazilian national team eight times, Gilherme, shrugged and sneered. "Kaka is off, we're going to win this match! Finally, we can get revenge from last year!"

Last year, Corinthians didn't win a single match against São Paulo, losing all of them. Such a one-sided situation in the "Clássico Paulista" was rare and a disgrace to Corinthians. All the Corinthians players were determined to take revenge on São Paulo in this match.

In the stands of the Morumbi Stadium, the club presidents and officials of both teams were seated.

When the Corinthians club president, Alberto Dualibi, saw Rong Guang run onto the pitch, he frowned.

Because this person's figure seemed familiar...

But who was he?

He couldn't figure it out.

Maybe it was just an illusion... he thought to himself.

***

The match resumed, and Rong Guang stood in Kaka's position, a playmaker!

This was a position he had never played before. Although he hoped to play as a forward, no one cared about what position he wanted to play, liked to play, or was good at...

This was the basic treatment of an unknown player.

You are unknown, and you should be grateful for the few minutes of playing time in the first team. How dare you be picky?

If you fail, it's because you lack the ability. It has nothing to do with the coach's arrangements.

The coach letting you play is already a favor to a rookie.

For a rookie, reality is this harsh. Don't expect the team to revolve around you; you should quickly adapt to the team. If you can't adapt, you deserve to be eliminated, GAME OVER.

So don't say things like, "I didn't play in my most comfortable position, so my poor performance is understandable." No one will listen. Before you become famous... who are you? Who cares what you say? Who will listen to your grievances? Who will shed a tear for your failure? What right do you have to demand the world understand and sympathize with you?

To succeed, even if you are buried in the mud, you must struggle to crawl out from the depths of the mire!

Without such a belief and determination, don't talk about "I yearn for success"!

Success is not something that comes to you just by talking about it.

***

Rong Guang was on the pitch for five minutes with no performance.

This was normal; his teammates didn't trust him, so they wouldn't pass the ball to him.

He wanted to perform but had no chance.

Rong Guang knew he had to seize this opportunity to substitute and try to stay in the first team with a good performance in this match.

But he never got a chance to attack.

No chance to attack... then defend.

Rong Guang looked at his own goal.

Since Corinthians' attacks were strong and São Paulo's defense was under pressure, he ran back to participate in the defense.

He was very active, extremely active, running a lot, from left to right, from top to bottom, his figure could be seen everywhere. Relying on his speed and good physical condition, he ran tirelessly.

He was the most energetic player on the pitch for São Paulo.

Unfortunately, his energy did not awaken his teammates.

São Paulo was still being dominated by Corinthians.

On the seventh minute of Rong Guang's appearance, Corinthians launched another attack. Gilherme brought the ball through the center, threatening São Paulo's goal.

Rong Guang rushed from the side, always keeping an eye on Gilherme. He planned to use his speed to overtake the opponent and then take the ball.

But just as he was about to do so, he suddenly lost his balance and fell to the ground, colliding with someone and falling together!

Rong Guang struggled to get up, but he felt something holding him back. He tried to break free but failed.

"Gilherme with the ball... Oh no! Two São Paulo players collided! What a disaster! The São Paulo defense made a low-level mistake! Gilherme's luck is incredible! He broke into the penalty area! Shot—"

"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!!! Gilherme! Corinthians finally broke the deadlock, they lead São Paulo 1-0!"

While Rong Guang was still struggling to break free from his teammate, he heard the cheers of the Corinthians players.

"Great, Gilherme!!"

He looked up and saw Gilherme with his arms open, turning to run back.

He tried to break free again, and this time his feet were free—he finally broke free.

But what was the point?

He sat on the ground, looking ahead.

At that moment, the goal-scorer, Gilherme, ran over and saw Rong Guang sitting on the ground.

He changed his plan to celebrate with his teammates and instead turned, squatted down, and patted Rong Guang's shoulder.

"Thanks!"

Then he laughed and got up, running to join his teammates in celebrating the goal.

Rong Guang didn't look back at him but clenched his fists tightly.

Damn damn damn damn damn—!

***

A seed, to survive, to see the sunlight, to breathe the air, to feel the nourishment of the rain, to grow into a towering tree... even if buried in the soil, even if its body is tender, must struggle to break through the earth and emerge!

This is a matter of survival.

Now, this seed is stirring in Rong Guang's heart!