Chapter 41

During the special training at Rongguang, the Rio-São Paulo Championship would not stop to wait for Rongguang to practice and level up.

In the new round of the championship, São Paulo won 1-0 against América at home.

Rongguang disappeared from the starting lineup, replaced by Kaká.

Rongguang only came on as a substitute in the last five minutes of the match, but had no chance to make an impact.

There were already voices saying that if Rongguang could not change his situation soon, he might be sent back to the youth team.

After all, with the first-team players gradually recovering from injuries, there was no longer a place for him in the first team...

***

After the match, Grayson published an article in *The Scoreboard* analyzing Rongguang's current situation.

"Substituting for only five minutes indicates that Oswaldo has given up on the so-called 'genius'... This is undoubtedly the right choice. The Chinese kid has speed, but that's not football talent; he can go practice sprinting. I don't think it will be long before we no longer see this suddenly emerging 'genius' in the São Paulo first team. Brazilian football is never short of those fleeting stars, and Rong is just one of them... After this match, I will no longer write articles about this Chinese player. Let's turn our attention away from him; there are too many people and things worth our attention!"

Eduardo Simões, the football director of Corinthians, put *The Scoreboard* aside with satisfaction.

The problem that had been bothering him was finally resolved. As long as the media's attention to Rongguang gradually waned, no one would mention his refusal of Rongguang anymore, and he wouldn't have to pay attention to the performance of this Chinese kid anymore.

To hell with this damn Chinese kid and his damn agent!

At first, Eduardo Simões was scared to death, fearing that President Duari would find him trouble.

He was also afraid that the matter would escalate, involving racial discrimination, which would be difficult to handle.

Now that it turned out to be a false alarm, Simões was quite embarrassed for a while, so he had no good feelings towards Rongguang and hoped he would have bad luck.

If Rongguang could sink completely, that would be even better.

Godo that bastard even tried to use the media to screw me over, but now he's in trouble!

Serves him right!

Thinking about Rongguang and Godo's future, Simões was very happy. He decided to take his wife and children out for a big meal to celebrate.

***

As the football editor of *Lance* São Paulo branch, Coelho Alexandre Costa was very busy.

He had a lot of work to do on a regular basis, and although he was the editor, he was still a reporter who often worked on the front lines.

When he was busy, working overtime was very common.

Sometimes, after working outside and returning to the office, he would sit down to rest for a short while before having to go out again.

Now, sitting in his office, he finally finished his work and could rest. This time, he didn't have to go out again.

He sat in his chair and rested for a while, then began to tidy up his messy desk.

When he picked up an elegant notebook, a piece of paper fell out and landed right in front of him.

"Rongguang."

This was the signature Rongguang gave him during the interview.

He thought about the deep impression this Chinese teenager left on him during the interview.

He seemed to be always full of fighting spirit, cheerful and optimistic. From him, you could not feel the caution of a beginner who had only been playing football for more than two months.

After the last match, Grayson wrote a special article to conclude the debate about the "genius."

He used his professional skills to criticize Rongguang almost to the point of being worthless in the article.

The words were sharp, and the tone was serious.

Coelho also saw it.

He was worried that Rongguang would not be able to withstand such consecutive blows.

Three consecutive matches without any notable performance.

No goals, no assists, and his contribution to the team was getting smaller and smaller.

In stark contrast to his stunning performances in the first three matches, from heaven to hell, how many people could withstand such a drastic change?

This was also what Coelho had worried about in the initial interview.

The start was too smooth, which was not a good thing for a newcomer like Rongguang, who hadn't even laid a solid foundation.

Being pushed too early into the media and the public eye, placing himself at the center of attention, he lost a relatively peaceful environment for growth.

The pressure suddenly increased; could that kid handle it?

Suddenly, he realized that the kid hadn't really had the chance to show his ability to handle pressure.

His first three matches were all stunning performances, and he hadn't encountered any real tests or difficulties.

The real test was starting now.

After three consecutive mediocre, even poor performances, how would he respond?

While he was thinking, he suddenly heard a conversation between a few editors and reporters outside the door.

"I heard that a strange person has appeared in Lakeside Park recently..."

"You mean that fool? I've heard about it too!"

"What's going on?"

"Well, many people have seen a fully equipped person running on the lakeside park's shaded path in the morning and evening. But unlike ordinary runners, he has a soccer ball tied to his feet. During the run, he often trips and falls... No one knows what he's doing; it's not like running, and it's not like dribbling..."

The few people walked away, and their voices gradually faded until they were completely inaudible.

Lakeside Park?

Coelho felt the name was familiar. He thought about it carefully and suddenly realized that this was the park near where Rongguang and Godo lived.

He learned this during the interview with Rongguang.

Coelho carefully recalled the content of the conversation between the reporters and editors.

Lakeside Park, strange person, dribbling, running...

Could it be related to Rong?

He thought so.

Thinking of this possibility, Coelho found he couldn't sit in the office anymore.

It seems he had to go out again...

This time, he couldn't sit for more than half an hour.

Coelho got up with a bitter smile.

***

When Coelho arrived at Lakeside Park, it was already 6:30 PM. It was still autumn in São Paulo in mid-April, but it was already getting dark at 6:30 PM. The dense trees by the lake made the light on the shaded path very dim.

As it got darker, there were fewer people on the shaded path.

São Paulo is a city with a large wealth gap, and it is very unsafe in quiet areas at night. Robberies, kidnappings, and murders are not uncommon.

Coelho realized he had been too excited...

Although Lakeside Park is not large, the shaded path around the lake is at least five or six kilometers long. Finding a person in such a large area... How easy is that?

Maybe he should have contacted Godo first?

Yes, that's what he should have done.

Just as Coelho was about to give up and turn back, he heard the sound of a soccer ball rubbing against the ground.

He turned his head and followed the sound, and a figure ran out of the dim shadows.

He ran into a slightly open area, and the reflection from the lake made Coelho see clearly.

The person was wearing a cyclist's helmet, with shoulder pads, elbow pads, and knee pads, just as the reporters and editors described, fully equipped.

What caught Coelho's eye the most was the soccer ball at his feet.

Every time he touched the ball, it would fly forward but not very far, and it would suddenly bounce back when it reached about two meters.

Upon closer inspection, it was caught by a net!

If he pushed the ball too hard, it would bounce back faster and with more force.

His following foot would not be able to adapt to this rhythm and would be tripped by the ball.

This person had fallen four times as he ran by, and Coelho could see.

One time, he fell particularly hard, and even Coelho couldn't help but frown and wince, as if he had been hurt himself...

The "strange person" who fell to the ground did not get up immediately, seemingly quite badly hurt.

After a while, he sat up and began to untie something on his feet.

Was he giving up?

Coelho thought.

But he was wrong.

The "strange person" only untied the net from his feet but did not remove it completely.

Then he got up from the ground and continued to dribble and run forward.

He ran a few steps and fell again, but this time he got up quickly because he didn't have to sit on the ground to untie the tangled net ropes.

Like this, he ran a distance and fell to the ground. Sometimes he fell after one or two steps, and sometimes he could persist for a longer distance.

Until he disappeared into the shadows at the other end, and even with his eyes wide open, he couldn't see him in the dim forest.

But the sound of the soccer ball rubbing against the ground still came intermittently.

If the sound was rhythmic, it meant he was running smoothly. If the sound suddenly disappeared, it meant he had fallen...

There was no need to go up and confirm.

Coelho was already sure that this fully equipped, head-down, focused running and falling "strange person" was Rongguang.

He was that genius rookie.

As for why he was doing this, Coelho could guess.

His biggest problem was dribbling. Because he lacked the ability to dribble at high speed, his speed was completely wasted.

This strange running was clearly targeted practice for his weakness.

But usually, people who want to practice dribbling would do so on a proper field with proper training equipment.

Tying a soccer ball to his feet and using the opportunity to run for practice was quite rare...

But Coelho could understand why Rongguang was doing this.

Because he only started learning football at the age of sixteen and four months.

He was short on time and had to take some unconventional measures to practice.

His urgent desire to become stronger was deeply felt by Coelho from his repeated falls and getting up again.

Seeing this, Coelho suddenly felt relieved.

This Chinese teenager, Rongguang, probably wouldn't be so easily defeated by this setback...

***