I Love You, Su Dong!

Antonio Pereira sat like a meditating monk, but that didn't mean he was oblivious to his surroundings.

When Su Dong left the bench and headed to the back, Pereira initially thought he was going to warm up and didn't pay it much mind. But after a while, when Su Dong still hadn't returned, he immediately stood up and looked back, only to see Su Dong chatting with two people in the stands, as if he'd completely forgotten about the match.

This guy...

Wait!!!!

When Pereira got a clear look at one of the people in the stands, he was utterly stunned.

Cristiano Ronaldo!

Good heavens! What's he doing here?

And it looked like he was quite familiar with Su Dong. The two of them kept pointing at the pitch and then at a dark-skinned young player nearby, their relationship clearly close.

What's going on?

Why would Sporting Lisbon's youth prodigy come to watch a match at Sporting Clube?

Could it be because of him?

Pereira looked back at Su Dong, his expression shifting.

As a football professional in Lisbon, even if he was only the head coach of a third-division team, Antonio Pereira knew plenty of people, especially the three local Portuguese Super League clubs, which he was very familiar with.

Many fans might only know Quaresma and Edgar Marcelino, the two youth talents just promoted to the first team, or Lourenço, who'd been performing well on loan at Bristol in the English League One. But Pereira knew that Cristiano Ronaldo was no less than any of them, including Quaresma.

Yet this Madeira teenager, rumored to be somewhat aloof, how did he know Su Dong, and why did they seem so close?

It looked like he needed to reassess this Chinese kid.

The first half ended 0-0.

Sporting Clube held on with tenacious defense, keeping their goal intact, while Loretano faced little threat.

In the entire first half, Sporting Clube managed only a single shot.

The ball kept getting cut off when it reached the forwards, so chances naturally weren't created.

Head coach Pereira didn't stay seated like a fisherman on a hook. He welcomed the players off the pitch and deliberately walked to the back with captain Matello.

"Our attack up front isn't posing any threat. If this keeps up, we won't hold out," Pereira said.

Matello nodded. "Yeah, if we just defend like this, we'll run out of steam, not to mention anything else."

"I'm thinking of putting Su in to try. What do you think?" Pereira asked.

"Su?" Matello looked at the coach in surprise.

As the captain who personally trained Su Dong, Matello naturally knew his ability. He'd even wanted to put Su in the squad for the first match, but Pereira hadn't trusted him much.

Before the game, the coach had told him he planned to give Su only about fifteen minutes.

But now, what changed?

"I trust your judgment, Marco," Pereira explained, though it sounded a bit flimsy.

Matello didn't overthink it. He figured it was more because the starting forward had performed terribly, completely unable to hold the ball.

"When are you planning to sub him in?"

"At halftime. What do you think?"

Uh...

Matello paused for a moment. Instinct told him it was a bit aggressive, but it wasn't unacceptable.

If they kept playing, the second half wouldn't change anything. Might as well let Su on early—maybe there'd be a turning point?

That kid's shooting was getting more and more polished with practice.

Su Dong was called back to the locker room by the coach during halftime training.

He was both surprised and delighted, vaguely guessing what was about to happen.

Sure enough, as soon as he entered the locker room, Matello relayed head coach Pereira's intentions.

"Your job is to handle those two center-backs and take every chance you get to shoot. Leave everything else to us—we'll all pass to you."

Matello said it very seriously, and no one else around objected.

After all, in the entire first half, Sporting Clube had only one shot, a long-range blast from a midfielder pushing forward.

Even though third-division teams struggled to create chances and had few shots, that was still too few.

"Don't put any pressure on yourself. Just play like you do in training, do your best, got it?" Matello encouraged.

Su Dong nodded firmly.

He was a bit excited inside, but even more, he was looking forward to it.

He'd been waiting for this moment for a long time.

His moment had finally arrived!

"Su Dong!!!"

"Go, Su Dong!!!"

As Su Dong walked out of the player tunnel with his teammates, he immediately heard Rony and Semedo shouting from the stands.

That flashy Cape Verdean even yelled at the top of his lungs, "I love you, Su Dong!"

Su Dong, still at the tunnel entrance, nearly tripped and fell. He flipped him off with his middle finger, but the shameless bastard, reveling in the chaos, shouted back, "If you score tonight, I'll take you to have some fun in Intendente!"

No sooner had he said it than Rony shoved him down into his seat, laughing as he scolded, "Have you lost your mind?"

Several Sporting fans nearby stared wide-eyed at the dark-skinned kid, as if shocked by his audacity. What the hell was he up to?

Inside the stadium, Su Dong was utterly confused.

Intendente was a stop on the Green Line metro, not far from Marquis of Pombal Square. The Romario restaurant where he'd treated Rony and the others to seafood was nearby.

Was Semedo inviting him to dinner?

"Your friend's really going all out," Captain Matello said with a grin.

Su Dong nodded. No kidding, right?

A meal costing over seventy Euros—Semedo was definitely pushing himself.

"Wait, you don't know?" Matello asked, amused.

Su Dong blinked. Had he misunderstood?

Matello burst out laughing. "Looks like you really have no idea."

"Know what?"

"I'll tell you after you score," Matello said, waving him off and heading toward the goal with a chuckle.

Su Dong looked at him, then back at Jose Semedo, still baffled.

What was up with these two weirdos?

Loretano's two center-backs watched Su Dong amble over and found him odd.

This green kid looked clueless. Was Sporting Portugal that desperate? Why had they subbed him in?

Su Dong, still puzzling over what Intendente meant, glanced back at Rony and Semedo waving from the stands as he walked. When he turned forward again, he realized he'd accidentally wandered into the opponent's half.

Feeling the contemptuous stares from Loretano's players, Su Dong couldn't help but feel embarrassed.

How freaking humiliating!

By the rules, the second half should start with Sporting's kickoff, and as a forward, Su Dong was supposed to stand at the center circle.

Damn, he'd totally blown his cover as a rookie.

Forget it, just focus on the game.

But Loretano's two center-backs exchanged a look and silently shook their heads.

This kid looked way easier to handle than the one from the first half.

Standing at the center circle, ready to kick off, Su Dong hesitated briefly before deciding to pop some pills.

It was his debut match after all—better to go in with full buffs.

Luckily, he'd racked up a decent amount of King of Football Points from grinding against Rony lately. A potion costing ten thousand points stung a bit, but he could afford it.

He used three potions in the system, and his personal stats panel lit up with three buffs, boosting his attributes by ten percent.

Su Dong felt much more at ease.

Kickoff.

Su Dong passed the ball to a teammate and sprinted forward.

At one meter eighty-six, he was lean but tall enough to look the part of a center-forward.

The opposing center-backs didn't mark him too tightly, figuring the clueless kid wasn't much of a threat.

Just as Su Dong reached the defensive line, Sporting's midfield made a passing error, and the ball was intercepted. He had to turn back.

The ball was quickly won back, but still couldn't cross the halfway line.

After two turnovers, Su Dong saw the team's problem.

When Sporting regained possession again, Su Dong didn't stay up front like before. Instead, he dropped back, raising his hand to call for the ball.

Under the opponent's tight press, the ball was like a hot potato.

Soon, the ball reached Su Dong's feet. He stopped it, and before the center-back closing in from behind could get near, he passed it to the other side.

Even though it was just a layoff, at least the ball wasn't stolen this time.

Su Dong immediately ran to the right side, and the ball quickly came back to his feet. This time, he laid it off and passed it back to the center.

Two touches, and both passes were steady.

This was the result of Su Dong's hard work over the past period.

And every touch of the ball earned him 50 King of Football Points.

Clearly, in an official match, he could also farm some King of Football Points.

The two opposing center-backs were tall and strong. Players like that generally dislike too much running, so they weren't keen on chasing Su Dong as he darted around. At first, one of them reluctantly followed, but later they just kept their distance and watched.

Su Dong received another eager pass from a teammate, only to find that the opposing center-back hadn't followed him, and there were no defenders around. So he didn't hesitate—he stopped the ball, turned around, and gestured to his teammates while dribbling forward.

"Quick, brothers, follow me up!"

The midfield core of Athletic Club, a product of Benfica's youth system, reacted immediately and sprinted forward at full speed.

Su Dong had only taken two steps forward when the opposing center-back rushed up to challenge him.

Before the defender could close in, Su Dong gently nudged the ball with his right foot, sending it ahead to the midfield core, while giving the center-back a slight smile. He pushed off with both legs and burst into a sprint.

The opposing center-back had always assumed that Su Dong, standing at 1.86 meters, was a power striker. But to his surprise, Su Dong's sudden acceleration was remarkably fast, leaving him in the dust in an instant.

After launching forward, Su Dong sprinted at top speed toward the gap.

The other center-back from Loretano was retreating quickly, while a teammate sent a through ball straight into the space behind the defensive line.

The pass was a bit off-target. Although Su Dong reached the ball first, the opposing center-back had also managed to get back into position.

Su Dong had no choice but to make a sudden stop, halting the ball, and the center-back stopped as well.

But right after that, Su Dong faked a move, pretending to burst forward again and charge into the box, tricking the center-back into trying to block him. Instead, Su Dong suddenly swept the ball sideways with his right foot, cut inside, and chased after it in one fluid motion.

In an instant, Su Dong had carved a gap through the opponent's defense.

Signed! Begging for tips, collections, and recommendation tickets! Grateful!