The Hero Loves Hamburgers

"Dejan, you didn't have any amazing performances when you were at Reggina. Why did you suddenly get so good?" a reporter asked.

Dejan Lu was so popular that everything about him had been thoroughly investigated.

"Ah, reporter, you've hit the nail on the head," Dejan Lu said with a smile, tapping his index finger. "I don't know if you're aware, but Americans are crazy about Italian olive oil. Whether it's in newspapers or on cooking shows, they all say eating olive oil regularly can prolong your life?"

"Of course, olive oil is selling so well now."

"The prices have gone up, damn it!"

"I can't even buy my usual brand anymore."

Dejan Lu's words struck a nerve with the reporters.

In those days, America was too dominant, both in terms of strength and cultural influence.

The fact that Italian products could conquer Americans made every resident of the Apennines feel proud.

"So it's because of olive oil?" the reporter asked.

How naive!

Dejan Lu smiled and shook his head. "Actually, it's because of food!"

"Food? What kind of health supplement?" the reporter pressed.

Health supplements were all the rage that century. Not long before, some people had even sold radioactive elements as health supplements.

"No, it's because of food, just like olive oil," Dejan Lu said. "I found an Italian gourmet recipe and improved the hamburger. Because of this dietary habit, my body has gotten better and better, allowing me to unlock my potential."

Dejan Lu had previously thought about how, despite his popularity, he couldn't make money and could only watch the damn reporters get promoted and become rich. It just wasn't fair.

For a long time, Dejan Lu had been thinking about how to monetize his popularity.

Before, he had felt he couldn't compete with McDonald's.

But now, McDonald's hadn't even entered China yet, and KFC had only just opened a few branches. Lu himself might be able to open one.

"Hamburgers?"

"Yes!" Dejan Lu nodded. "Monica and I have recently discussed opening a shop so that everyone in Genoa can eat healthy food. Roberto Mancini ate it before and said it was good. He eats hamburgers every day now."

Whether he had said it or not wasn't important; the point was that Mancini would say it from now on.

This was also beneficial for him. In a couple of years, when Baggio and the others grew up, Mancini's name would almost be overshadowed.

At worst, if the King of Football Lu made a lot of money in the future, he could give Mancini a free pass.

With McDonald's developing products tailored to different national tastes, by reversing that logic, he could be decades ahead in product development.

He would implant advertisements for Pokémon at home. In the future, when he "created" other works, he would also implant advertisements. Combined with his connections in the football world, he didn't believe he couldn't compete with those American fast-food chains.

The reporters were stunned.

They hadn't expected to get such valuable information during the interview.

However, they all thought Dejan Lu just wanted to open a small eatery. It was common for players' families to start businesses these days, mostly in the catering industry.

"What did Bergomi say to you today?" a reporter asked.

This was what they were most interested in.

Ideally, the two of them would have argued, which would provide them with more news to write about.

"He didn't say much. Mr. Bergomi encouraged me and said he would continue to work hard next time. He's a great player, and I really enjoyed watching him play before. Italian defenders turned defense into an art form," Dejan Lu said.

While the reporters were happy, they were also a bit disappointed.

This was why coaches like Mourinho were the reporters' favorites.

If you don't say anything controversial, there's no good news to write.

Many people praised Bergomi and Italian defenders.

Worried that Dejan Lu might say something wrong, Boskov gave the press officer a look and directly escorted Dejan Lu away.

There weren't as many strict rules for press conferences back then.

When Dejan Lu returned to the locker room, he was immediately met with applause and whistles from his teammates.

"Roberto said he'd give you a car. I think he needs to see a doctor. For that miser to be so generous!" Vialli teased.

He was afraid Mancini would go back on his word.

Gifts were rarely so valuable in Europe.

"A motorcycle, a motorcycle!"

Mancini quickly explained, "I'll take you to Milan tomorrow. You can pick one out yourself?"

"I thought it was a sedan, but after playing for so many years, you're still this stingy. Dejan, it was a mistake to stick up for you," Pari taunted. He knew exactly what had happened during the match.

As a midfielder, he had clashed with Matthäus plenty of times.

"Then it's a sedan. Tch, I'll go to Milan tomorrow and pick whatever I want!!!"

Mancini gritted his teeth and said.

A star player of his caliber, when his income was calculated as a weekly wage, only earned around ten thousand dollars a week.

Most of the team earned a few thousand dollars a week, so they couldn't buy luxury cars with a week's salary like Rashford or Sancho would later on.

Mancini would have to spend one to three months' salary to buy a sedan. As for a sports car, it might cost him nearly a year's salary.

Naturally, he felt the pinch.

However, thinking of Matthäus's scowl, Mancini still felt it was worth it.

Vialli said with a hint of sourness, "I've known you for so long, and the most expensive gift you've ever given me was a movie ticket."

"Nonsense, I brought good wine when I visited your place last time."

"Because that was also a gift from someone else to you."

After returning home, Lu Deyan shared his idea of opening a fast-food restaurant with Monica.

"Fast-food restaurants aren't easy to run," Monica said.

"At least there's an opportunity now," Lu Deyan replied.

"If you want to do it, then do it. I'll support you no matter what!" Monica said.

Lu Deyan hugged her and patted her back.

What he wanted to build was a food empire, not just a single restaurant.

Once he gained fame, he could expand through franchising, providing semi-finished ingredients and set standards, allowing franchised stores to proliferate.

Many people in China at this time didn't distinguish between hamburgers and Western cuisine, and hamburgers were indeed not cheap.

If he engaged in a price war, he wouldn't be able to compete with international giants.

He could only find solutions in other areas.

He was quite optimistic about the future of this industry. Even Sicong was selling beef jerky and planning to open 100 steak restaurants, which showed that the catering industry could be profitable if done well.

Serie A was a microcosm of the World Cup, and the entire European football scene was shaken.

Sports reporters were rushing to file their articles, eager for fans to see the news the next day.

"La Gazzetta dello Sport" wrote, "In the summer, Gigi Riva, Rivera, and Mantovani all identified Dejan as a super talent. Inter Milan proved this during the match. As Trapattoni said, Inter Milan played well, but unfortunately, their opponents were better."

"Tuttosport" published a photo of Lu Deyan kissing Monica and wrote, "We're not discussing football today, only love. If we were to discuss football, Inter Milan and Galliani would be very embarrassed."

"Gazzetta dello Sport": "According to sources, Dejan is still earning an annual salary of 80 million lire. We believe Sampdoria can't sit still and will offer Dejan a new contract before the next match. This might be the fastest contract renewal in Serie A history."

The Scottish coach, who was in a bad situation, also saw the newspapers after waking up.

"The Times": "Just yesterday, Inter Milan used four world champions to defend against an 18-year-old young man, and they lost. A supernova has truly risen, and if everything develops smoothly, he will become another superstar in Serie A."

Ferguson looked at Lu Deyan's photo and couldn't help but gasp.

He had seen many geniuses, but few had risen so quickly.

It was rare for a genius to score in their first game, and even when they did, their opponents were usually weak teams.

That Yugoslavian colleague really dared to play a newcomer in the match against Inter Milan.

It wasn't surprising that reporters suspected he had a conflict with Lu Deyan.

After all, coaches usually wouldn't arrange a player's debut like this. Considering Lu Deyan's performance, Ferguson believed Boskov might have had too much confidence in him.

Next, "The Sun" found someone to fully interpret the conflict between Matthäus and Mancini. The Anglo-German rivalry meant they were happy to fan the flames from the sidelines.

After fully interpreting the dialogue between the two, they commented, "When you can't get revenge, you need a strong teammate."

Knock, knock, knock—

Mancini knocked on Lu Deyan's door early in the morning.

"Let's go, come with me to Milan."

If he hadn't seen Lu Deyan in his pajamas, he would have dragged him out directly.

"So early, darling?" Monica asked, rubbing her eyes as Lu Deyan entered the house.

"Roberto is probably worried about the cost of the car," Lu Deyan quipped.

That was several months' salary.

Monica chuckled beside him.

She didn't care about the matters between Lu Deyan and his teammates.

Dejan Lu always got along well with his teammates.

After Dejan Lu finished washing his face, he got into Mancini's sidecar, and the two set off for Milan.

"Are you driving this because you're in a bad mood?"

Not long after, Dejan Lu started complaining.

Riding in a sidecar could be cool sometimes, but over 100 kilometers was tough; the suspension on this bike was mediocre.

"No, I thought you liked motorcycles," Mancini said.

The two spent over two hours on the road, arriving in Milan close to noon.

Mancini immediately took Dejan Lu to look at Ferraris. He had already made the offer, and he couldn't back down from his word.

"How much is the F40?" Dejan Lu asked.

"450,000 US dollars!" the salesperson immediately said.

Mancini was on the verge of tears.

Dejan Lu pouted and said, "Wasn't it 400,000 when it first came out? You guys are marking it up too much. We're not buying it."

He pulled Mancini and left.

Mancini looked back and said, "If you really want an F40, you can have one."

"Then shall we go back?" Dejan Lu teased.

Mancini froze for a moment, and seeing his expression, he playfully punched Dejan Lu.

"I'll buy one with someone else's money at the end of the season. That car looks great, doesn't it?" Dejan Lu said.

Football salaries were too low back then, and he felt a bit reluctant to buy one with his own money.

"It really does," Mancini nodded, as he also liked sports cars.

"Actually, the 928S would be fine too, and it's not expensive," Mancini said.

"Forget it, I don't like that model," Dejan Lu said, pulling him along for lunch.

The 928S was Jackie Chan's ride, costing tens of thousands of dollars. Dejan Lu particularly disliked the rear design.

"Let's go look at Japanese cars," Dejan Lu said after lunch.

He remembered that Japanese cars weren't expensive at that time, and there were many classic models.

Japanese cars were selling well in Europe due to their stylish appearance and affordable prices. The period from 1980 to 1990 was their golden age of sales in Europe.

Jackie Chan and movies from Cinema City often featured Japanese cars.

They did see a Corolla AE86, but driving that car didn't seem very auspicious.

Finally, the two bought a 1978 model M1. Because it was old stock, it only cost a little over 20,000 US dollars.

"This isn't me stopping you from choosing a Ferrari," Mancini said.

"Don't worry, I really like this car," Dejan Lu waved his hand.

To save Mancini's face, he couldn't choose a car that was too cheap.

An overly expensive car would be a burden on Mancini.

If it weren't for this M1, it would have been difficult to choose.

He'd have to repay the favor sometime. Seeing how affectionate he and Federica were, they would probably have a child soon.

On the way back, Mancini simply left the motorcycle in Milan, found a driver to help drive the car back, and hitched a ride with Dejan Lu.

He immediately asked Dejan Lu to drive him to find Vialli.

The rich second-generation lived by the sea in Genoa and had a lot of movie merchandise.

When they arrived at the villa entrance, Mancini squeezed over and honked the horn incessantly.

Vialli came out, saw the red M1, and teased, "Roberto finally splurged. But I thought you'd buy a Ferrari."

"Dejan didn't want it," Mancini said somewhat guiltily.

Vialli didn't tease him further and pulled the two inside to examine his new toy.

"Human Cannon?"

Dejan Lu asked immediately.

Vialli gave a thumbs-up and said, "I didn't expect you to know it. I thought it was really cool when I saw the TV show before."

"It really is quite good."

Dejan Lu exclaimed.

Dinosaur War Party Koseidon was the first tokusatsu show he had ever watched.

"Want to come and film our own work together?"

Vialli urged, wanting to play the protagonist and fight little monsters again.

Roberto Mancini vehemently shook his head.

Every time he played the villain, and for someone as handsome as him, he was naturally destined to be the protagonist.

"Roberto, I have a once-in-a-lifetime request."

Seeing the camera, Dejan Lu's eyes lit up as he spoke.

He hadn't decided on a burger brand yet, but he could film an advertisement to keep on standby.

Several hours later, Vialli and Mancini were finally ready. The two, dressed in hastily bought short outfits, performed a few ungraceful somersaults in front of the camera. After finally regaining their balance, they immediately raised their burgers and, speaking in broken Chinese, said, "Da sha Han bao bao, di shu ji shen hao, kao xi kao bu dao..."

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