The Truth Behind Ginobili's Baldness

Chapter 34: The Truth Behind Ginobili's Baldness

Sun Hao had a dream.

He dreamed he was on a boat, the waves raging, tossing him back and forth.

His body rose and fell with the vessel.

A giant wave crashed over, and he struggled to grip the mast and stand.

But even standing, the wind and waves still swayed him forward and back.

When the sea calmed, he found another person unconscious on the boat.

But he couldn't make out their face.

He seemed to know who it was, and he shouted the name with all his might.

But the other person never answered him.

"Sir... Sir..."

A voice sounded in his ear. He opened his eyes and realized he was still in the bar.

His head throbbed violently.

The afterburn of that white wine was really too strong.

When the pain eased a little, he let out a rough breath and noticed the bar was quiet.

The noisy metal music was long gone.

Fernandez had just been woken up by the bartender too, and his reaction was about the same.

Really, the two of them had gotten completely drunk on their first time drinking together.

And when he looked again, he saw the bar was empty, and the basement window was open, white light streaming in from outside.

He checked the clock on the wall and found it was already past six in the morning.

They had actually slept in the bar all night!

But this speakeasy was pretty decent—they hadn't just thrown them out onto the street.

If they had, the two of them would probably have been "picked up" like corpses.

They sat for a while, slowly recovering, and gradually recalled what had happened yesterday.

Sun Hao's last memory was fixed on holding Angela's hand.

Right, Angela. Where was she?

He swept his gaze around again and found that the bar really only had him and Fernandez left.

It seemed Angela and her female companion had already left.

He couldn't help but knock on his head.

Fernandez was still reliable; yesterday at the bar, they had officially experienced a romantic encounter.

It was just that... they themselves couldn't hold their liquor!

Just as they were about to draw their guns and charge into battle, Sun Hao's father could have smiled with relief, gratified that his gift had finally found its use after two years.

But instead, they had fallen asleep!

And they had slept straight through until broad daylight!

Blame it on the fact that they usually only focused on training and barely touched alcohol.

Getting this drunk on their first try, they couldn't blame anyone else.

"Gentlemen, you need to pay the overnight fee."

Once the bartender saw they were mostly sober, he reminded them.

Sun Hao nodded.

There was no such thing as a free lunch; this overnight fee was very real.

Sun Hao reached for his wallet to pay.

But when he felt his pocket, it was empty.

He stood up and patted himself down all over—nothing.

"I'll cover it."

Seeing Sun Hao's movements, Fernandez thought Sun Hao wanted him to treat.

And he really should; last time when they went to watch the World Cup final, Sun Hao had treated him.

But when he felt his pocket, his wallet was gone too.

He also stood up.

The two of them turned into the dancers from last night's stage, hands patting themselves back and forth.

Then, they bent down and started searching around the booth area.

After flipping every sofa cushion and finding nothing, the two sat on the couch, exchanged a look, and confirmed one thing.

Their wallets—including their passports—had all been stolen.

"Hold on."

Sun Hao signaled the bartender to leave first.

Once the bartender was gone, Sun Hao sat down beside Fernandez.

"Do you think the name Angela sounds real?" Sun Hao asked.

Fernandez thought for a moment, then shook his head.

Angela—very few people in Italy would be called that.

That name was mostly used in English-speaking countries, and translated, it meant "angel."

It sounded nice, but it was no different from a common name like Zhang San or Li Si back home!

And that story.

The Gulf War—it wasn't even a real war, it was a one-sided slaughter.

He couldn't remember the exact numbers, but he had a rough impression.

Iraq lost over a hundred thousand people; the coalition lost just two or three hundred!

And Italy was only a member state—probably only a few hundred people were sent. A single battalion would have been enough. There was no need to recruit new soldiers.

Not to mention the coincidence of him running into that.

Really, the holes were everywhere!

Fernandez looked at Sun Hao, and both quickly understood.

They had... fallen into a trap.

The city was full of tricks!

Sun Hao suddenly felt very embarrassed.

Fernandez was one thing—he was still a kid—but Sun Hao, counting his past life, was thirty years old, and he'd still fallen for it.

All he could say was... they'd been too obsessed with the idea of a romantic encounter.

And they really couldn't hold their liquor. Drinking made their thinking plummet off a cliff!

If only there were that much fate in the world.

Well, reality had just taught them a lesson.

"After this, no one says a word about it when we get back."

Sun Hao held out his hand, then extended his pinky.

This kind of thing was too humiliating to tell anyone!

Fernandez nodded with a firm gaze.

He'd always thought he understood women, yet his first expedition had ended in a crushing defeat. He felt humiliated too.

The two hooked pinkies, sealing the pact.

Only heaven and earth knew, only you and I knew—no third person would find out.

But...

The problem now was what to do.

If they couldn't pay for the night at the bar, would they be stuck washing dishes like in the movies?

Or, in a foreign land, would they be sold off somewhere to serve others?

After all, both of them were decent-looking!

Though they had no idea if those European women liked their type of fresh-faced young men.

"Let's call the police."

Sun Hao spoke after thinking for a while.

The money issue was minor—if it came down to it, they could just call home.

The real problem now was the passports.

Without them, they couldn't even leave Italy.

Compared to that, calling the police was the most effective solution.

Fernandez nodded in agreement.

The two stood up, walked to the bar, and told the bartender they'd lost their wallets.

To their surprise, the bartender said he understood and went straight upstairs to find the boss.

Seeing that reaction, Sun Hao and Fernandez exchanged a glance, their eyes full of suspicion.

"You think the bar owner's in on it?"

This was a perfectly normal question.

Fernandez glanced around, nodded, and felt a sudden urge to bolt.

If they were in on it, wouldn't the next step be locking them up?

It wasn't impossible!

Sun Hao realized that too.

But luckily, before long, the owner came downstairs.

In his hands... no imagined baton or gun.

"I know a police officer. They can help you handle this. As for the overnight fee, you can pay after it's sorted."

The owner said directly.

Hearing that, Sun Hao figured they'd been a bit paranoid just now.

A bar had to make money; losing a wallet couldn't be the first time.

If the owner didn't have connections, someone who lost their wallet would just call the cops, and this speakeasy would've shut down long ago.

They say China's a society of connections, but where isn't it? Where there are people, there are connections.

Sun Hao and Fernandez agreed—they didn't have another choice.

After a wait, a police car pulled up to the winery entrance.

A very tall Italian cop hauled them straight to the station.

This cop was quite chatty, talking with them as he drove.

Sun Hao learned his name was Lartigue, he liked boxing, his favorite food was chicken breast, and his favorite actress was Monica Bellucci...

"You like Monica?"

Sun Hao instantly found a kindred spirit.

Even though Monica hadn't starred in Malèna yet, she was already a well-known Italian actress.

"You like her too?"

Lartigue's enthusiasm for the conversation grew.

Unlike the sugary sweet idols that macho men of Sun Hao's era adored.

In this era, sexy goddesses like her were what real men loved most.

And as they talked more, the conversation naturally drifted to their ordeal.

Sun Hao and Fernandez had agreed not to tell anyone, but the police were an exception.

After all, they were counting on him to solve the case and get their stuff back soon.

"Don't worry, Alfred's Winery has surveillance at the entrance. I've already grabbed the tape. You just need to look it over, point out who it is, and we'll crack the case fast."

Lartigue looked big and burly, but he was sharp.

"Still, you guys really got the short end. If you'd held out till the hotel, losing that stuff would've been worth it."

Lartigue said, turning his head and laughing loudly.

Sun Hao caught his meaning instantly.

Same loss of money and passport, but if you could get a few rounds in, it'd be money well spent.

But he immediately denied what Lartigue said.

That was freaking solicitation!

Was he that kind of guy?

Did he need to be?

Life in Italy was slow, and the cops were bored stiff.

Lartigue chatted with them in the car for so long because he had nothing better to do.

And here's the funny part: knowing how the cops were, a lot of people didn't even bother reporting lost items.

So the police kept in touch privately with plenty of winery owners and farm owners.

The drive was a bit long, and when the topic of solicitation came up, Lartigue even vented about it.

Italy's charm ranked first in Europe.

When it came to medieval court affairs, you could ramble on and write several thick books.

In this country, solicitation wasn't just allowed before—it was popular.

Not just nobles, even emperors did it.

One disease even plagued the country for centuries, called the "Italian disease."

It wasn't until 1958, pushed by female politician Lina Marlin, that a law was passed to ban it.

But the reality is that this law hasn't had any positive effect at all—instead, it's only made the behavior more rampant.

Before, it might have been limited to certain specific venues, but now it's directly evolved into apartments, hotels, even cars.

It's no exaggeration to say that Italy has at least seventy or eighty thousand workers in the industry.

With that many people, you can't arrest them all.

The Italian government chose to play ostrich on this, burying its head in the sand and pretending not to see.

The way their police handle it is also turning a blind eye.

That's why Lartigue could talk about this topic with them so casually.

And the looser it gets, the more indulgent it becomes. This industry in Italy is so famous that many workers come from abroad, and the local proportion is getting smaller and smaller.

"You're lucky. You ran into an authentic Italian woman."

When Lartigue said that, Sun Hao and Fernandez both turned to look at him at the same time.

So you're the regular customer here!

Lartigue coughed dryly a few times. He seemed to have let something slip.

They chatted along the way, and by the time they reached the police station, Lartigue sat down and started taking statements directly.

Don't say, even though it looked like casual conversation, he'd already gotten the full story of the case during the trip.

Lartigue was really thorough.

Sun Hao and Fernandez sat there waiting for Lartigue to type, getting a bit bored.

Their phones had been stolen too, so they couldn't even play Snake.

"Damn it! Let me go!"

Just as they were about to die of boredom, a string of curses came from the doorway.

"Behave yourself."

Followed by a scolding voice.

Sun Hao turned his head at the sound.

Someone was being escorted in by the police, resisting.

"Wait for me a moment."

Seeing the situation, Lartigue got up and went over to help.

But Sun Hao froze at that moment.

Because he saw the person being arrested.

A straight nose, handsome and striking, with a temperament six or seven parts similar to Prigioni, and... hey, why was his head shaved?

Lartigue's appearance immediately calmed the arrested man down.

Only then did Sun Hao notice there was also a woman being brought in behind him, with Southeast Asian features.

"Manu?"

As they passed by him, Sun Hao couldn't help speaking up.

The arrested man instinctively turned his head at the sound.

But quickly, he turned it back.

That reaction made Sun Hao suddenly laugh.

He even felt he could completely ignore the fact that he'd lost his passport.

Because the person in front of him was fucking Ginobili!

He knew Ginobili was playing basketball in Italy.

Last season, with the European Super League canceled and no games between European countries, he'd never had a chance to run into Ginobili.

He never thought that on this trip, he'd actually meet him—and at a police station!

Ginobili was taken straight to the interrogation room.

Sun Hao's eyes were full of curiosity.

He didn't recall ever hearing about Ginobili getting into something like this in Europe.

But then again, he was in the US at the time, and information was relatively scarce back then, so it was normal not to have heard.

Still, his curiosity was thoroughly piqued.

"You know him?"

Fernandez had never seen Ginobili before, and he found Sun Hao's reaction strange.

He'd never heard Sun Hao mention knowing anyone in Italy.

"No, I might have mistaken him for someone else."

Sun Hao waved his hand.

He wasn't sure that man was definitely Ginobili.

And even if he was, Fernandez had better not remember.

This kind of thing—the fewer people who knew, the better.

It was over half an hour before the police returned.

"I told you, you guys got lucky."

Lartigue sighed as soon as he came back.

"What happened?"

Sun Hao knew he was definitely talking about Ginobili.

"That guy found a Filipina. They agreed on a price, but then she tried to jack it up on the spot. They started arguing, and the woman called the cops."

"Just think about it—didn't even get the deed done, and now he's got to suffer for it."

When Sun Hao heard what the cop said, he burst out laughing.

Ginobili was into that stuff too?

Bah, what did he mean by 'too'!

"But that guy's a big name in Zoccalabrì. Smoothing over something like this shouldn't be a big problem."

Lartigue was a real chatterbox. Once he had a topic, his mouth never stopped.

Before long, Lartigue finished typing up the statement and had them sign it.

Then he took the two of them to the video room to look at the surveillance footage.

Surveillance in the '90s wasn't as high-tech as in Sun Hao's era, but it was still pretty advanced.

Even at night, you could make out faces well enough.

After watching for a while, they quickly found Angela and the person who had gone into the bar with her.

But the awkward part was that the two of them seemed to know there were cameras. They wore hats and kept their heads down the whole time they came and went!

These were definitely repeat offenders.

Coming out of the video room, even Lartigue, a tough guy, couldn't help scratching his head.

Couldn't see the face, didn't know the name—what he'd thought was a simple case was looking like it would drag on for a long time.

"This case... I'd say it'll take a month or so."

He didn't hide it.

Sun Hao figured he was being optimistic.

Anyway, it was going to be a long time.

As tourists, Sun Hao and Fernandez couldn't realistically stay here waiting for the result.

Even getting a visa extension would take half a month.

The fastest way was to go to the Chinese embassy in Rome and apply for a travel document.

Normally, it could be done in four business days. If the local police station filed an expedited request, it could be done in as fast as two days.

Sun Hao suddenly felt a bit grateful to Lartigue.

Was it because he'd guessed the guy was a regular john, and Lartigue was afraid he'd spill the beans?

Just as he was thinking that, Ginobili came out.

Compared to the disheveled state he'd been in when dragged in, he looked much more relaxed coming out.

Seems like things had been resolved.

But when his eyes met Sun Hao's, there was a clear flicker of avoidance.

He probably never imagined he'd run into someone who knew him here in Sicily, of all places—at a police station.

Sun Hao couldn't help but laugh again.

Now this was big news.

After finishing up the paperwork and getting the application materials from the police, they left.

They'd still have to go to the embassy themselves to apply for the travel document.

Fernandez went to the bathroom, and Sun Hao waited for him at the door.

"I'm not Manu. You've got the wrong person."

But to his surprise, no sooner had he stepped out of the police station than a voice came from behind him.

Sun Hao turned his head—wasn't that Ginobili?

He'd been waiting for him at the door!

Sun Hao held back a laugh and nodded, signaling that he understood.

Honestly, for an adult, this kind of thing was pretty normal.

Come to think of it, Ginobili is already 22 now. Isn't it normal to have some needs?

"No, I'm not."

Ginobili repeated himself to Sun Hao a few times.

After saying it, he seemed to feel something was off.

But in the end, he had no choice but to turn and leave.

Sun Hao watched the quickly retreating figure and nearly choked with laughter.

They say whoring damages the kidneys, and damaged kidneys lead to hair loss.

So... was this the real reason Ginobili went bald?

After a while, Fernandez came out.

Sun Hao suddenly remembered their earlier agreement and pulled Fernandez into his arms.

"Rudy, remember, we never went to the police station. Right now, we're in Venice, riding a boat through the canals."

But as soon as he said it, Ginobili's words uncontrollably popped into his head.

Somehow, it felt like he wasn't much better off than Ginobili.

Because of the travel document issue, Sun Hao and Fernandez ended up staying two more days in Italy.

They took the chance to tour Venice, the "City on Water," which they hadn't visited before.

The Golden Palace, the Bridge of Sighs, St. Mark's Basilica—and a city with no cars, only boats. The "Pearl of the Adriatic" truly lived up to its name.

"Venice's tears~ fragile like glass~ when it comes to love, some know how to turn around, some are too absolute~"

Sun Hao couldn't help humming a familiar song as he rode the boat.

This was the most classic song from his school days, played on loop over the campus radio every day after class, and it was what first sparked his curiosity about Venice.