Chapter 26

The originally scheduled half-hour interview was extended by an hour due to Rongguang and Godo's excellent cooperation and Coelho's initiative to prolong it.

An hour later, the interview finally concluded successfully. Coelho extended his hand to Rongguang and Godo, thanking them for their cooperation.

"Cheer up, Rong. You've already attracted more attention. The most difficult times are just beginning. The next match, the one after that... every match from now on will have many people scrutinizing your performance with a magnifying glass. Starting too high is a good thing, but it can also be a bad thing."

Rongguang, holding Coelho's hand, grinned, revealing eight shiny teeth: "No problem, Mr. Reporter. Just watch me!"

Coelho was infected by Rongguang's optimism and confidence and also smiled, saying, "Finally, do you have anything you want to say to the Lance newspaper?"

He thought Rongguang would say something to thank the Lance newspaper—don't people always say that?

But Rongguang refreshed his understanding once again.

Rongguang asked him first, "Can I speak from the heart?"

Coelho didn't understand what he meant by "from the heart," but he still smiled and nodded: "Of course, we love to hear the truth."

Rongguang glanced at Godo and then cleared his throat: "I'm going to say it, okay?"

"Please go ahead."

"Um... next time when I have a match, can you use a front-facing photo of me?"

Godo covered his face; this kid... can't you be a bit more mature!

Coelho was stunned for a moment and then burst out laughing.

Not only him, but the other Lance newspaper staff in the room also laughed.

It turned out he had been bothered by the front-page photo choice in the Lance newspaper all along!

But that back view photo was chosen by Coelho himself...

Coelho laughed so hard that tears almost came to his eyes.

Finally, he wiped his tears and nodded vigorously: "No need to wait for the next match, Rong. I promise you. When this interview comes out, there will be a front-facing photo of you! I promise you will be recognized on the street!"

Caught in the act, Rongguang blushed and chuckled.

After this interview, Coelho developed a considerable liking for Rongguang.

So he flipped open his notebook, which he had filled with interview notes, and handed it to Rongguang along with a pen: "You're a star now, Rong. Can you sign for me?"

Everyone around was moved, even Godo was surprised.

He didn't expect that Coelho, a renowned journalist with a good reputation in Brazilian sports media, would make such a move!

Normally, it would be him asking Coelho for a signature, as Coelho had interviewed stars like Ronaldo, Romario, Pelé, Zico, and many others!

"Coelho seems to really like that Chinese boy..." the other staff in the corner of the room whispered to each other.

"Yes, yes... but anyone would like him after seeing his lively and cheerful personality, right?"

Rongguang was the only one who wasn't surprised; he was very happy and had been practicing his signature recently.

He took the notebook and pen, placed the notebook on his thigh, and held the pen in his right hand, writing his name carefully stroke by stroke.

Seeing this, Coelho couldn't help but smile—what a rookie, he doesn't even know how to sign!

But precisely because he was such a new rookie, his success was all the more precious, right?

Rongguang finished signing and handed the notebook back to Coelho. "Done! How is it?"

Coelho took it and looked at the signature, which was written with effort to be neat but was actually a bit crooked: "It looks good! Is this Chinese?"

"Yes!" Rongguang replied.

Coelho said, "I'll keep it well. A Chinese star's Chinese signature, and his first in his career, I think it must be very precious!"

Praised by Coelho, Rongguang was even happier, scratching his head and smiling broadly.

***

After seeing Rongguang and Godo off, Coelho returned to his private office.

He opened his notebook and turned to the page with Rongguang's signature.

He looked at Rongguang's crooked signature again... Rongguang said he only went to elementary school, and this signature did match his education level...

Rongguang...

He silently repeated this somewhat awkward name in his heart.

A sixteen-year-old boy who had only been learning football for a little over a month, yet his career started so high, what would his future be like?

Coelho suddenly looked forward to Rongguang's future matches.

It was like accidentally seeing the beginning of a TV series and wanting to keep watching until the end.

He carefully tore out the page with Rongguang's signature and placed it in another exquisite notebook.

***

"Being a star is great, Godo!" In the car on the way back, Rongguang, sitting in the passenger seat, said excitedly, still savoring the feeling of the interview.

Godo smiled while driving: "If you want to continue being a star, you need to work even harder, Rong."

"I will, just watch me, Godo!"

The bright sunlight filtered through the dense trees and the front windshield, shining on Rongguang's face. He squinted and looked ahead, where the road curved and extended.

The car sped down the road, the scenery constantly changing. Sometimes it turned into a dense cluster of buildings, weaving through the bustling city center, passing by people of all kinds; after a few turns, the view opened up again, leaving the bustling city behind, revealing a blue sky and white clouds, and the green hills and slopes ahead, with white-walled, red-roofed villas on the slopes.

Would his career be as colorful as this road?

***

When the Lance newspaper's interview was published, everyone was stunned again.

This time, there was a detailed interview, photos, and many details proving that Rongguang was indeed a complete rookie who had only received a little over a month of football training.

"... As a Chinese player, I asked him about the Chinese national team, which we will face in the World Cup group stage. But Rong told me he had no knowledge of his own country's team, he didn't even know that China had qualified for the World Cup, and his understanding of the World Cup was very vague... This shows that he really doesn't know much about football... How could someone who has received football training in China not know about the Chinese national team?"

Of course, the most important evidence was the training content of the São Paulo youth team.

The Lance newspaper's reporter specifically contacted the former coach of the São Paulo youth team, Waldemar de Oliveira.

Oliveira confirmed in the interview that Rongguang had always been undergoing basic training at the São Paulo youth team.

When Rongguang first tried out, he was a complete novice who had never touched a football.

With so much solid evidence, people couldn't help but believe Rongguang's true identity.

Moreover, this interview was written by the famous journalist Coelho Alexandre Costa, which added even more credibility!

Coelho had interviewed many stars and, as a well-known journalist, was very protective of his reputation. He wouldn't risk his reputation over this, would he?

Although there was no longer much doubt about Rongguang's rookie status, many people still found it hard to believe.

Because how could this be possible?

In the end, they could only accept the answer given by Rongguang's agent, Godo.

"He is a true genius!"

This was also the headline of the Lance newspaper's interview.

***

"A Chinese football genius?" In the Scoreboard newspaper building, a middle-aged man threw the Lance newspaper on the table and snorted.

He was the ace reporter of the Scoreboard, Graciano Ferreira de Oliveira Andrade, almost as famous as Coelho Costa.

The Scoreboard and the Lance newspaper were competitors, and he, Graciano Andrade, and Coelho Costa were also competitors.

In the competition for who was the best football journalist in Rio de Janeiro.

"What high praise? Just a bit of luck, and a true genius... how nauseating! He's just fast, what's the big deal? This is a football match, not a 100-meter dash! He should be training in athletics, not playing football!"

Thinking about this, Graciano opened his notebook and began writing a commentary on this suddenly famous Chinese boy.

"... I heard that São Paulo has a true genius? I always love such geniuses who display extraordinary talent in football. They make us love this sport even more... So I paid close attention to this 'genius.' But unfortunately, I saw no talent that would make one's eyes light up in this Chinese boy..."

The sky outside was dark, and the light in the room faded like a receding tide.

Graciano seemed to be very inspired, writing furiously without stopping.

Until he couldn't see anymore, he reached out and turned on the desk lamp. The orange-yellow light spilled onto the desk.

He continued to work diligently.

This was absolutely not a sentimental, word-playing critique. It was a serious and professional commentary.

He wanted to help people break free from their impulsive emotions and not to shout "genius" just because a player performed well in one match.

"... We often misuse many terms, 'genius' being one of them. In my opinion, Rongguang is definitely not a genius! São Paulo already has a true genius, and that is the young Kaká!... If we lose our calm judgment and professional attitude just because of one match, we don't deserve to be qualified football professionals. When we cheer for one 'genius' after another, do we ever hear the cries of the true geniuses? Please don't let the term 'genius' lose its value and shine!"