Chapter 5

On his first day with the youth team in São Paulo, Rongguang spent the entire day practicing juggling the ball.

Although many of the young players thought he had already learned it well during the first training session in the morning.

He still continued to practice repeatedly.

Because to reinforce muscle memory, one must repeat, repeat, and repeat again.

In this process, Rongguang felt that his control over the ball with his feet had improved significantly.

If before the training he had lacked a basic understanding of the ball.

Now he had a preliminary grasp of its nature.

The feeling of being able to control the ball with just his feet was truly exhilarating.

He had never experienced this before—his first time kicking a soccer ball, he had kicked it off a cliff...

It turns out... this is what soccer is like!

After the first day's training ended, although Rongguang had only done the most basic training, he still felt a sense of accomplishment.

Rongguang originally wanted to do extra practice, but he had other things to do after the training, so he had to suppress the idea.

This time, Godo was taking him to visit a Chinese family.

This Chinese family, it turns out, were actually from the same hometown as Rongguang.

They were also one of the key figures who helped Rongguang come to Brazil.

They were Godo's Chinese friends in São Paulo, Cui Hao, and his family.

If it weren't for the video Cui Hao accidentally shot while visiting his family, Rongguang might still be herding sheep on the mountain...

Godo went to China to find Rongguang, and Cui Hao helped him and accompanied him throughout, even serving as a translator.

Now, hearing that Rongguang had successfully entered São Paulo, Cui Hao invited his young fellow townsman for a meal. How could Rongguang not go?

※※※

At the first-team training ground of the Bravaonda training base, the continuous screams were gradually fading as the crowd was dispersing, following their target.

A young Eastern girl with long black hair squeezed out of the crowd.

"How was it, Kori, did you get anything?" her companions asked when they saw her.

"No..." Kori shook her head in disappointment, flicking her long hair.

"What? Still nothing?" her companions were surprised. They were all young girls with innocent faces.

"Oh my God! Kori! You are the only one who hasn't gotten Kaka's signature. Your luck is really bad! Maybe you shouldn't even like Kaka!" At that moment, a harsh laugh came from behind.

"Christina!" Kori turned around, feeling humiliated, and her face turned red as she shouted.

"What? Want to fight?" A tall blonde girl stood in front of Kori, looking down at her with disdain. "Kaka, such a friendly person, never refuses fans' requests. We all got signatures, why didn't you? It just means you and Kaka don't have a connection!"

The blonde girl sighed, spreading her hands and shaking her head.

"So don't bother. Kaka isn't the kind of person you should like. I have a photo with Kaka, do you?"

Christina flicked her hair, speaking with a haughty air.

Seeing her smug look, Kori clenched her fists, really wanting to punch this annoying Christina in the face.

But she didn't, because in terms of size, the small Kori was clearly no match for the tall blonde girl Christina.

But she wouldn't show weakness in front of someone she hated. She huffed, "What's so great about that? I will definitely get Kaka's autograph!"

"Who can't brag?" Christina sneered.

"It's not bragging! I will get Kaka's signature!" Kori threw out a defiant statement and ran off.

She had to hurry home. She finally remembered that her father said he was going to invite a São Paulo player to their home today... She could get Kaka's signature through a São Paulo player, and maybe even have a chance to meet Kaka face to face?

This would be much better than Christina and the others pushing and shoving in the crowd to get a signature!

The more she thought about it, the more excited she became, but she had to hurry back, or her father would get angry...

※※※

Rongguang first followed Godo back home, took a shower, changed into a clean set of clothes, and then drove to Cui Hao's house.

Cui Hao was one of the hundreds of thousands of Chinese who came to Brazil to make a living, but unlike many of his compatriots who were still struggling on 25 de Março Street, he was a success.

Now, he no longer carried a briefcase to chase Brazilians on the street to sell cheap goods, nor did he rent a small stall in the 25 de Março Street market to sell high-quality imitation brand-name sports shoes while worrying about the Brazilian plainclothes police.

He now ran a foreign trade company specializing in trade between China and Brazil. Many of the high-quality and affordable Chinese goods sold in the 25 de Março Street market were imported by him, and he also exported Brazilian wood and coffee to China.

Although he couldn't compare to the truly wealthy, he was considered rich compared to many Chinese who had just arrived in Brazil and were still struggling at the bottom.

He had long obtained a Brazilian green card and become a Brazilian citizen, bringing his wife and daughter to Brazil. Now they were all Brazilians, and if they returned to China, they would be considered overseas Chinese.

"... He bought a second-hand villa from a bankrupt businessman. His family lives together, and his life is much better than mine... tsk tsk." While driving, Godo introduced Cui Hao to Rongguang. "His story could be written into a thick book."

"How did you become friends with him, Godo?" Rongguang asked.

"We both love football, and we are both Corinthians supporters." Godo answered simply. In Brazil, that was enough. Enough for a Brazilian and a Chinese to become friends.

As he spoke, Godo's red old Ford car pulled up to a high-walled villa.

A wall over two meters high separated the villa from the road, and on top of the wall was an electrified butterfly blade security net, making it look very secure. This was a common sight for the homes of wealthy Brazilians—São Paulo's huge wealth gap made the rich feel insecure. Chinese wealthy people in Brazil were even more so, often seen as easy targets by Brazilian gangs.

"We're here." He stopped the car and turned off the engine.

After Rongguang and Godo got out of the car, they were warmly welcomed by Cui Hao and his wife, Liu Jifen—waiting at the entrance of the villa, which was a high-level reception. Of course, for safety reasons, they did not open the gate to wait for Godo and Rongguang but opened the heavy electric gate from inside after seeing them through a small observation window, welcoming them with open arms and smiles.

Rongguang and Cui Hao had already met; Godo went to China to find Rongguang, and Cui Hao helped with the translation.

Cui Hao briefly introduced his wife to Rongguang and then led them inside.

After passing through a not very spacious courtyard and entering the house, Godo noticed that Cui Hao's lively daughter was not there.

"Cui, where's Kori?" he asked.

Mentioning his daughter, Cui Hao's expression became somewhat unnatural, clearly showing a subtle "don't air the family's dirty laundry" look.

He didn't say anything, but his wife muttered, "She's probably gone to watch the São Paulo training again..."

Godo explained to the puzzled Rongguang, "Cui's daughter, Kori, is a São Paulo fan, so I think you two will have a lot to talk about."

He smiled and said, "Both Cui and I are Corinthians fans, but his daughter is a São Paulo fan..."

"Don't mention her..." Cui Hao sighed, his tone full of "family misfortune."

Corinthians and São Paulo are fierce rivals in São Paulo, and their matches are called the "Derby Clásico." A father who loves Corinthians raising a daughter who loves São Paulo is indeed a "family misfortune." One wonders if a family war breaks out between father and daughter during each "Derby Clásico"?

As they were talking, a series of hurried footsteps sounded from outside the door.

"Dad, Mom! I'm back!" The voice came before the person.

It was a young female voice.

With her voice, a small girl with long black hair rushed in.

She didn't stop until she reached Rongguang.

She saw Rongguang, as he was the only stranger in the room she had never seen before.

She immediately realized this was the São Paulo player her father mentioned.

After stopping, she circled around Rongguang, tilting her head to examine him from head to toe.

"Are you a São Paulo player?" she asked curiously.

Rongguang nodded, not quite understanding.

He felt a bit uncomfortable under the girl's gaze.

The girl had small features and freckles on her face, not particularly attractive, but she had a lively air. She spoke Portuguese with a heavy accent, similar to Chinese-accented English.

Seeing Rongguang nod, she mumbled, "Strange... I didn't see you during the first-team training..."

But this wasn't important, so she didn't dwell on it.

After getting a positive answer from Rongguang, she pulled out a folded poster from her shoulder bag and handed it to him.

"Can you get me Kaka's signature? If you can, please ask him to write: 'To dear Kori'!"

Twelve-year-old Kori Cui, a passionate fan, looked at Rongguang with stars in her eyes.

But these stars weren't for Rongguang; she was excited at the thought of getting Kaka's signature.

She was determined to slam the signed poster in Christina's face, making that ugly face unable to smile!

Just as she was imagining how she would use Kaka's signature to slap Christina's face, she heard Rongguang say, "Who is Kaka?"

It was like a bucket of cold water poured over her, chilling her from head to toe!

(PS: Please note, Kori is not the main character!!!)

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