Chapter 68

Rongguang trained day after day on the beach in Santos. During the day, he would push himself to the limit with his special training, and at night, he would fall into a deep sleep under the massage of the old master, replenishing the energy he had expended, just like a phone that needs to be recharged.

Day after day, he would wake up earlier than the sun, warm up with a slow jog, and then stand to watch the sunrise over the sea.

Then he would begin his hellish training for the day.

Tourists on the beach came and went.

Gradually, a tall steel scaffold was erected at the other end of the beach. In front of the scaffold, screens were placed one by one, eventually forming a giant screen about three stories high.

Rongguang could see the giant screen every time he ran, but he didn't know what it was for.

Gradually, the tourists on this side of the beach began to gather under the giant screen, surrounding it.

This side of the beach became much quieter.

Rongguang didn't mind; a bit of peace was good. It saved him from the annoyed looks of the people nearby every time he warmed up with the old master, as if he was disturbing their tranquility...

Later, soccer matches appeared on the giant screen, and more and more people gathered under it, shouting loudly. Rongguang could hear them even from his side of the beach.

But he had no idea what matches they were watching.

He didn't care about the World Cup, the biggest soccer event in the world...

The noise from the outside world was irrelevant to him. He was immersed in his own world. What did other people's excitement and brilliance have to do with him? He was eager to become stronger, and the time in the real world was not enough. How could he possibly care about what others were doing?

※※※

The World Cup Stadium in Suwon, South Korea, was filled with the sounds of the crowd. Although this match was no longer relevant to the group stage results, many fans still came to watch.

This was the charm of Brazil, the most powerful soccer kingdom on Earth.

Most of the fans were there to support the Brazilian team.

Kaka stood by the sidelines, feeling the atmosphere of the World Cup.

He was a bit excited.

Although this wasn't his first time experiencing the World Cup atmosphere, he hadn't even gotten a minute of playing time in the previous two group matches.

Although he had replaced Romario and earned a spot on the World Cup team, as the media had said, what could a twenty-year-old with no experience possibly achieve on such a big stage as the World Cup?

He hadn't even gotten a chance to play.

Until this match.

The Brazilian national team had already secured their place in the next round with a 2-1 comeback win against Turkey and a 4-0 victory over China. In this meaningless match, the team's coach, Scolari, finally remembered Kaka, whom he had specifically brought to Korea.

Now he was standing by the sidelines, with the fourth official next to him, about to enter the field!

He knew he was just a supporting player on this team, but he was still excited.

The World Cup!

The highest stage any Brazilian player could dream of, and he had finally achieved his dream!

As a child, I just wanted to play one match for the Brazilian national team, but I never thought... I would be able to participate in the World Cup and play in it!

At this moment, he should have thought about more things, but for some reason, he suddenly thought about the Chinese rookie Rongguang from the São Paulo team.

Rongguang pointed to his chest and said, "I will beat you, Kaka, I will definitely beat you!"

So, where are you now, rookie, while I am on the World Cup stage?

※※※

Rongguang was sweating profusely as he trained with the walnut.

The walnut was hard to control as it bounced around, but this time his luck was good. Several times the walnut almost rolled out of bounds, but it hit the edge and bounced back.

This made Rongguang's heart race.

Two days ago, he started incorporating ball control into his walnut training. Before, he just kicked the walnut with his toes.

But doing so made the walnut roll in unpredictable directions and paths.

So he tried to kick the walnut using ball control techniques, with the inside of his foot, the outside of his foot, and the top of his foot... Of course, the walnut is not a soccer ball and is much smaller, so the difficulty varied, especially with the top of his foot, as the walnut was so small that his toes often hit the ground. Fortunately, he wasn't moving fast, or it would have been disastrous.

But when he started this training, he felt he had a deeper understanding of ball control.

So the temporary pain couldn't stop his enthusiasm for this training.

Sweat dripped from his chin to the ground, splashed by his swinging arms, and was thrown off by his running legs, leaving a trail of sweat behind him.

※※※

The fourth official raised the substitution board.

Number 10 Rivaldo off, number 23 Kaka on!

Kaka clapped for Rivaldo like the other Brazilian fans, while eagerly anticipating his entry. He leaned forward, almost impatient to step onto the World Cup field!

Rivaldo finally came off, and after a high-five with Kaka, he raised his hands to applaud the fans in the stands.

Kaka then dashed onto the field.

World, here I come!

The twenty-year-old Kaka was full of spirit.

"The Brazilian team has finally made a substitution! They have brought on the young Kaka, who is only twenty years old, to replace Rivaldo! It seems this match has no significance... Kaka is a new talent who emerged in Brazil this year..."

Although Kaka was full of spirit, the commentators from other countries gave only a brief introduction, quickly moving on to other topics.

Kaka was still a stranger to the world.

It was wishful thinking to expect the world to remember him in just a few minutes of play...

※※※

Although the commentators from other countries were indifferent to Kaka's entry, in Brazil, especially in São Paulo and on the beach in Santos, many fans welcomed and anticipated Kaka's appearance.

When Kaka entered the field, they erupted in a loud cheer.

Especially the female fans, whose screams almost pierced the eardrums.

This cheer reached Rongguang, distracting him, and he kicked the walnut out of bounds...

Rongguang stared at the rolling walnut, his expression more miserable than crying.

He lifted his wrist to check the pedometer.

It clearly showed the distance he had run—9,731 meters!

He was only 270 meters away from completing his training!

"Ah! Damn! What are you cheering for!?" Rongguang shouted at the cheering crowd, almost breaking down. "Do you have any sense of public decency!?"

But his shout was quickly carried away by the sea breeze...

After shouting, Rongguang weakly moved off the green path, bent down to pick up the walnut, and gritted his teeth to run back.

"Damn, damn, damn..." He cursed as he ran.

He didn't know that the crowd was cheering for Kaka's entry; otherwise, he would have thought Kaka was deliberately against him...

※※※

When Rongguang finished his training for the day, it wasn't even dark yet.

For the first time in a month, he saw the sunset on the beach with a light heart!

On the undulating hills, the fiery red sun hung low in the western sky. It was winter, so the sunlight was slightly dim, not burning half the sky, and the sun was just a red ball, not glaring.

Compared to the summer sunset, Rongguang thought of the winter sunset in his hometown.

The snow-covered ridges and the pale blue sky, he would sit on the roof of his house and look into the distance. The whole world seemed to turn white, with the sun being the only color in the world.

Rongguang was reluctant for the sun to set, as it meant the long, cold winter night was coming.

He could only curl up in his bed, hugging his younger brother to keep warm.

For Rongguang in the mountains, winter didn't mean warm memories like snowball fights or building snowmen, but rather harsh and unbearable conditions.

Only the Spring Festival was worth looking forward to, as his parents would return from the distant big city.

This dilapidated house would finally feel like a home.

One day, I will earn enough money to bring my whole family out of the mountains and live in a spacious and bright house in a bustling big city, enjoying a life without worries!

He clenched his fists.

Although the sun was still in the western sky, the temperature dropped rapidly with the sea breeze.

The wind grew stronger, and the waves higher, perhaps a change in the weather was coming. Rongguang was familiar with this; in the month he had been there, he had experienced both sunny and rainy weather on the beach.

Tourists could plan their trips based on the weather, coming out to bask in the sun when it was good and changing plans when it was bad. Rongguang couldn't do that; he trained on the beach every day, rain or shine.

Rongguang turned around and looked at the sea behind him. The waves, pushed by the wind, surged towards the beach.

The sound of the waves was thunderous.

It was the power of nature, and it seemed like the voice of fate.

Rongguang looked at the surging sea and suddenly took a step towards it.

He stopped when he entered the water, which forcefully washed over his legs, much stronger than usual, almost making him lose his balance—the previously calm sea had suddenly become fierce and terrifying.

Rongguang, who couldn't swim, showed no fear. He swung his right leg and kicked the soccer ball, which had been blown off course, towards the incoming waves!

Boom!

※※※

The old master looked at Rongguang, who was drenched like a drowned rat, with a puzzled expression, as if asking, "What did you do?"

Rongguang scratched his head awkwardly, "Uh... the waves were really big. Is it going to change the weather?"

The old master nodded, "We'll go back tomorrow."

Rongguang was taken aback by this news.

"Tomorrow?"

"Today is June 21st, and we've been here for a whole month."

Rongguang opened his mouth wide, "It's been that long?"

"Do you not want to leave?"

Rongguang shook his head quickly. He could accept the training to become stronger, but that didn't mean he was a masochist...

The old master smiled at Rongguang's fearful expression.

Being able to endure a month of training, this kid was a rare genius.

He lived up to the "unusual bone structure" evaluation.

※※※

The next day, Rongguang and the old master left Santos, where they had stayed for a month, and returned to São Paulo, which they hadn't seen in a long time.

They said goodbye outside the lake park near Rongguang's house.

After a month of living together, Rongguang was a bit reluctant to part with the old master.

If he had previously seen the old master as a mysterious and otherworldly master, now he felt the old master's mystique had diminished, as even masters need to eat, drink, and use the bathroom like normal people, but this didn't mean he respected the old master any less.

The old master, whom he had never met before, had helped him twice, especially this time, spending a month with him and giving him massages.

Just this kindness alone was enough for Rongguang to respect the old master.

Not to mention, he believed that eating, drinking, and using the bathroom did not affect the old master's high status.

"When will we meet again, old master?" Rongguang asked.

The old master smiled mysteriously, "When you want to see me, we will meet. You have excellent bone structure, and your future is boundless. But no matter what, don't stop wanting to become stronger; that is your strongest bone structure."

As if it was a farewell, the old master spoke a bit more than usual. In the past, when Rongguang was with him, he spoke very simply, with a high status.

Rongguang, moved by the old master's kindness, wanted to express his gratitude again, but just as he opened his mouth, he saw a white ambulance skid over from a distance, accompanied by a screeching brake, and it stopped precisely a few meters behind the old master.

Before the car had even stopped, the rear door opened, and two burly men in T-shirts with "São Paulo Mental Hospital" printed on them jumped out.

In a flash!

One of them lifted the old master's legs from below, while the other crouched down and hoisted the old master onto his shoulder.

Then they carried and restrained the old master, turning and jumping into the car!

As they were just getting into the car, it accelerated with a screech of burning tires and sped away.

The car door slammed shut afterward.

The whole process was completed in the blink of an eye, smooth and seamless.

Rongguang hadn't even reacted when the car was already out of sight...

Then he reacted like an IE browser, shouting, "Kidnapping! ——!"

At the same time, he leaned forward, ready to chase after the car!

But at that moment, someone grabbed his arm, and the myth of chasing a car on foot didn't come true on the streets of São Paulo...

"It's okay, don't worry! They're just taking my grandfather back!" the person who grabbed Rongguang quickly said, afraid that he would break free if he didn't explain clearly...

"Your grandfather?" Rongguang keenly picked up on the key phrase and turned his head to look at the side. At some point, a young man had appeared next to him, who looked somewhat like the old master, also a Chinese person, or a Chinese descendant, speaking fluent Mandarin to Rongguang.