The Coward's Bane

"You see? Dejan is my good brother. He respects me very much."

Roberto Mancini said with a smile.

"My brother is also my brother, but that doesn't stop him from being useless at football," Totti said.

Roberto Mancini: ...

"I'm Roberto Mancini. I've already been selected for the national team, and I scored plenty of goals last season!" Roberto Mancini said, craning his neck.

Today, he had to make this little bastard understand how good he was.

"You wear number 10 but have never even won the Golden Boot, yet you dare call yourself a forward? No wonder the national team doesn't want you," Totti mocked.

"I'm a Number 9.5. Number 9.5, understand?"

"Then don't wear number 10 if you have the guts. Besides, the national team would never give you number 10 anyway."

Totti said.

Roberto Mancini was practically going insane. He yanked at his hair and shouted, "If you've got the guts, stop talking about the national team."

"Fine. Sampdoria plays better without you. That Salzano is better at finding space than you are."

Totti pointed at the pitch as he spoke.

Roberto Mancini: ...

Although Roberto Mancini was a loyal man, he was willing to make an exception for this brat.

Once this kid got a girlfriend, no matter how much money or effort it took, he would make sure to cuckold him!

Damn it!

Chiesa was already standing by the touchline.

Enrico Chiesa had a feeling that he existed solely to replace Dejan Lu.

But when he thought about possibly being sent out on loan, staying with the team as a designated substitute did not seem so bad.

Based on how the coach currently used Dejan Lu, he should get quite a few appearances over the season.

The Roma players were clearly having mentality problems.

Their passing speed had increased considerably.

But they did not have the technical ability to support it.

The moment Giannini received the ball, he felt that he could not control it.

Dossena immediately rushed in and kicked at it. Giannini instinctively tried to win the ball back, but it struck his leg and went out for a throw-in.

"Throw it, quickly!"

Pari reminded him.

Dossena rushed to the sideline and snatched the ball from the ball boy.

He threw it directly to Dejan Lu, who had come over in support. Dejan Lu twisted his body and swung his right foot.

Bang—

The ball flew from the left flank straight across to the right.

Roma's defenders were still focused on Vialli. Only then did they realize that Salzano had already charged into the box at high speed.

Cervone immediately went down and stretched out a leg, barely managing to block Salzano's stabbed shot out for a corner.

"Coach, am I going on?"

Chiesa turned and asked. The fourth official also looked toward Boskov.

"Wait a little longer."

"Wait for what?" Chiesa asked instinctively.

"Wait for a goal!"

Boskov said directly, his eyes never leaving Roma's penalty area.

Dossena walked straight toward the corner flag as the players from both sides battled for every inch inside the box.

Sampdoria had scored quite a few goals from corners recently, and Roma did not want to concede another.

"Give me some space. Don't block my view."

Cervone shouted.

He gave Pellegrini a shove in passing.

That kid was standing so close to him. Was he trying to obstruct the goalkeeper?

Pellegrini wanted to argue, but the referee quickly warned him.

Most leagues did not allow physical contact with the goalkeeper during set pieces. If Arteta's Arsenal were dropped into Serie A of this era, they probably would not even be able to hold onto fourth place.

After his run-up, Dossena whipped in the corner.

At the near post, Antonio Comi leaped first, but he completely missed the ball.

Not only that, he disrupted the players in front of goal as both teams' players rose in a mass.

Sebastiano Nela quickly flicked his head and cleared the ball away.

The ball flew straight toward the edge of the box.

Dejan Lu, who was about to be substituted, raised his right foot and used the inside of his boot to knock the ball back into the penalty area before turning and bursting forward.

Mauro was a step slow. Dejan Lu adjusted his stride inside the box, and the players from both sides saw his right foot scoop beneath the ball again.

Whoosh—

Clean and decisive.

The ball sailed over the heads of numerous players from both sides and flew into the net beneath the crossbar.

Roma goalkeeper Cervone was still frozen in his crouched ready position.

He was the biggest backdrop of the day.

"Substitution, make the substitution now! The Roma players are getting ready to play dirty!" Boskov rushed to the touchline and pushed Chiesa forward as he shouted.

The fourth official could not help giving him a sidelong glance.

Chiesa could not help feeling a little aggrieved.

He was a young genius too, okay?

Was he being sent on just to help Dejan Lu bear the Romans' anger?

Still, he had to go on.

Chiesa immediately twisted his waist by the sideline, at least making sure he was properly stretched so he would be less likely to get hurt when fouled.

If I ever have a son, I'll definitely tell him that he'd rather be the boss at a small club than someone else's lackey.

"Good luck, Enrico."

Dejan Lu patted Chiesa's arm and headed toward the sideline.

"Go take a shower. The weather's been getting colder lately, and it's easy to catch a cold," Boskov said as he came over.

Dejan Lu did not refuse.

The weather in Italy really had changed.

By the rules, he should have been sitting on the bench eating sunflower seeds with his teammates, but these things could always be worked around. Would an injured player still sit on the bench?

He had spoken with Boskov, so the Italian media probably would not fabricate stories like "Dejan was substituted early and stormed back to the locker room in anger."

After showering, Dejan Lu remembered Roberto Mancini sitting in the stands.

He searched for a long time without finding him, so he borrowed the stadium telephone.

"Why did you go sit in the home supporters' section?"

Dejan Lu asked quietly after sitting down.

That was a little too thrilling.

"I just wanted to challenge them," Roberto Mancini said.

"He probably bought the wrong ticket."

Totti said.

"Shut up!"

Roberto Mancini snapped.

Totti mocked, "Dejan, if you want to win everything, the first thing you should do is stop being teammates with people like him."

"Looks like you two have already gotten acquainted."

Dejan Lu said with a smile.

He had not expected the Wolf King to be so aggressive.

"Earlier, you said you would introduce me to Marco Lanna. Isn't he a defender?"

Totti changed the subject.

He was also afraid that Roberto Mancini might actually hit him. After all, he was an adult.

"Forget it. You two are different."

Dejan Lu said.

Lanna was a true simp. He should be sitting at the same table as Yamal, Felix, and Icardi.

Totti had merely been cheated on hundreds or thousands of times without knowing it. It was not like he had wanted that.

"I've thought about it. I still want to stay in Rome."

Totti said.

His whole family supported Roma.

"No one wants you in Genoa."

Roberto Mancini mocked.

Totti said nothing.

"Then stay in Rome. If you run into trouble, remember to tell me. I'll help you," Dejan Lu said with a smile, patting Totti on the shoulder as he silently mourned for De Rossi.

In the end, he still could not escape fate.

Sigh. Who could be vice-captain for an entire lifetime?

In the end, Sampdoria crushed their opponents 5-0.

Roma picked up five yellow cards and two red cards.

By the time the match ended, it was already well past midnight, and the whole team returned to the hotel together.

The journey of over five hundred kilometers would have to wait until tomorrow's bus ride.

Unable to sleep, Dejan Lu opened the system and immediately saw a notification.

Your brother Francesco Totti has received a gift from fate

This kid had only met Dejan the Football King once, yet he already considered him a brother. He trusted people so easily—no wonder.

Fortunately, Dejan the Football King was a good person.

He continued reading.

Totti still chose to remain in Rome. After all, it was the city where he was born. As your fan, Totti gradually mastered more than two styles of play on the pitch, making him even harder to defend against.

Off the pitch, the handsome Totti was adored by countless fans, both male and female. Yet he still did not heed your advice to study hard, and Totti jokes became an essential comic relief section in newspapers.

Just like in the Totti jokes, Brasi still appeared in Totti's life. The Prince of Rome fell once again. A high-level schemer was not someone the protagonist of a joke could deal with, and he once again became Brasi's prey. That television host became the envy of most women across the Apennines.

But after your reminder, Totti quickly discovered the problem. He might not have been smart, but he knew who the good people were. Following your advice, Totti did not immediately make a scene. Instead, he took precautions to prevent himself from being controlled through a child. At the same time, he pretended that eating Monica's Hamburgers had won him a grand prize trip abroad, then took the opportunity to ask you to help install advanced, concealed surveillance equipment in his home.

After returning home, he acted as though nothing had happened. He even found another romance because of this painful incident. Having truly inherited your teachings, Totti did not rush to end the marriage, instead quietly gathering evidence.

Then one day, Paris Hilton's videotape making a fortune gave Totti an idea. Since he had already worn so many hats, why not use the matter to make some money for himself? With so many people involved, it was bound to be exposed sooner or later. Through an intermediary, Totti sold all the surveillance footage from his home. The tapes earned him more than twenty million dollars.

Because of the videotape scandal, Totti's divorce proceedings went very smoothly, and Brasi left with almost nothing. Just when everyone was sympathizing with the Wolf King, they were shocked to discover that this symbol of Rome had openly appeared on the streets with a woman. Even more shocking, the two had a child around ten years old with them. Judging by the timing, the child had been born less than two years after Totti's marriage. The entire Apennines gained a new understanding of the poorly educated Wolf King.

One day, Roberto Mancini, now a coach, led Inter Milan to victory over Roma. He should have been celebrating wildly, but instead he waved his fist and charged straight at Totti, moving even faster than he had in his youth. The Roma players were about to go help when they heard their captain shouting as he ran, "Calm down, calm down! I'm your brother-in-law..."

Skill obtained: Coward Buster

Coward Buster: Where there is skill, there are no cowards. Those who have experienced betrayal will quickly recover under your persuasion and will find it easier to succeed in other fields.

???

This skill.

Would Dejan the Football King become the football world's confidant big brother for cuckolded players in the future?

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