The Yiding Football Betting Storm, Sophia's Family Key

The thirty-fourth round of the Serie D has concluded.

The top three teams in the standings all secured victories, with Bisceglie maintaining their lead over Francavilla due to a superior win count, holding firm in second place.

However, the original fourth-place team, Palermo, faltered.

They suffered two consecutive defeats!

Among the top six in the standings, they were the only ones who failed to win.

San Remo overtook Palermo, climbing to fourth place in the standings with 66 points.

Palermo sits in fifth with 64 points, and Catania in sixth with 63 points.

Potenza, previously seventh, slipped to eighth due to their loss, and the gap between them and the promotion zone has now exceeded twelve points.

The situation in the Serie D is becoming increasingly clear, yet simultaneously more chaotic.

But these shifts are no longer the primary news in the current Serie D.

All headlines must give way to the brawl involving Lu Yang on the pitch.

And Lu Yang... is currently participating in his second remote video conference.

The attendees are the same as last time.

"This is roughly all the information I have gathered so far," Hans began, detailing a long list of points, primarily focusing on the attitudes of various parties regarding this incident.

Because the public narrative was guided in a timely manner, and with Maniero and Soto stepping up to take the heat, the majority of players are supportive of Lu Yang's actions.

A professional player's greatest enemy is injury.

And those who intentionally cause injuries are the common enemy of all professional players.

Borges has a history of ending other players' careers; he is a repeat offender.

On the other hand, anyone who watched the match knows that Lu Yang threw a punch for justice.

It simply violated the rules of the pitch.

But you cannot expect the Italian Football Federation to change its regulations based on such public support; that would conflict with the very essence of the rule of law.

"You did the right thing!" Maniero affirmed Lu Yang.

"Indeed, though I underestimated the amount of gunpowder in your blood, so this incident got a bit blown out of proportion," Soto added, looking slightly embarrassed. "But in the long run, this is very beneficial for both you and Moric, and the team will benefit from it in the future as well."

The reason he mentioned the future is that San Remo is indeed in trouble right now.

Without Lu Yang, even Soto is losing confidence in the upcoming schedule.

"Perhaps we could find more star players to speak up for Lu? To put pressure on those people at the Italian Football Federation?" Arthas suggested; as an agent, he is most adept at leveraging influence.

"No," Lu Yang interjected.

Everyone stopped their discussion and looked at Lu Yang.

"The federation is the federation, after all. How could they bow down because of a few individuals? If they truly did that, would the Italian Football Federation have any authority left? Then many similar incidents would occur in the future," Lu Yang said. "Besides, what I did was indeed not permitted by the rules of football."

"That red card was deserved."

The people on the call were all sharp individuals; as they listened to Lu Yang, their eyes darted around, all arriving at the same realization.

The red card was deserved.

But what about the suspension and the fines?

Were those deserved as well?

"Are you suggesting we file an appeal?" Maniero asked, looking at Lu Yang.

Soto shook his head: "According to the regulations of the Italian Football Federation, a team can file an appeal against a referee's decision, but the result of the appeal will not affect the match outcome. In other words, even if the federation accepts our appeal, Lu Yang's red card and suspension will not be rescinded."

Lu Yang, however, smiled: "I don't need the federation to rescind it. The Italian Football Federation also has a rule that, in order to minimize wrongful convictions, a player can temporarily avoid additional penalties outside of the pitch while an appeal is pending."

"This means that as long as we keep the appeal active, I only have to serve the one-match suspension from the red card, without having to accept the additional four-match suspension! The suspension count will only begin once the appeal process concludes."

"Of course, the team and public opinion need to do something during this period to keep the appeal going for a month. By the time the Serie D season ends, even if the suspension remains, it won't matter much—that would be a matter for next season."

After Lu Yang finished speaking, the way everyone looked at him changed.

Soto: "This... you thought of this method from the very beginning, didn't you? Otherwise, you wouldn't have been so calm after leaving the pitch!"

Maniero: "This is indeed a great method! Soto, you need to communicate with the team management as soon as possible and have the team file an appeal!"

Arthas: "I'll go find a lawyer immediately."

Hans: "I will mobilize the media to continue speaking up for you."

Lu Yang nodded, then looked at Arthas: "Mr. Arthas, if we suspect a player or a referee of match-fixing, is there any way for us to track down relevant evidence?"

Arthas frowned: "Are you saying you believe the referee of that match..."

"Not just him, Borges is highly likely involved. He wasn't playing football at all, especially after I scored; he seemed exceptionally annoyed," Lu Yang said. "He is not someone who puts the team's victory first. I am certain that there is no football in his eyes."

Arthas thought for a moment and said: "I will ask some friends to look into it."

The Italian football scene is not a clean place.

Many years ago, they even suffered a devastating blow due to match-fixing.

The rise of the Premier League and La Liga, coupled with the decline of Serie A, is undoubtedly influenced by these factors.

Such deep-rooted issues are incredibly difficult to eradicate.

Match-fixing still exists in Italy today, though it may not be entrenched in the top-tier leagues. It persists in places less easily discovered, operated by organized groups that locals with the right connections can access.

How could a local super-agent like Arthas be completely ignorant of such things?

Some agents are even directly involved with the betting syndicates themselves.

One day later, Sanremo Football Club filed an appeal regarding the thirty-fourth round of the league.

They argued that the referee's officiating at the time was highly problematic and that the penalties handed to the Potenza players were far from sufficient. However, they did not express much objection regarding the punishment Lu Yang received.

To an extent, this appeal allowed the Italian Football Federation to save some face.

After all, if a blatant brawl like the one involving Lu Yang could be swept under the rug, the Italian Football Federation might as well organize match-fixing for everyone.

Two days later, many people began to realize the implications.

According to the regulations, Lu Yang's additional suspension would not be enforced while the appeal was pending.

This meant Lu Yang would only miss the thirty-fifth round of the league.

This news instantly revived the spirits of the Sanremo fans.

Likewise, it infuriated the other five teams in the top six of the standings, who each voiced their opinions on the Lu Yang brawl incident, demanding that the federation severely punish such behavior.

Yet, they knew that such public outcry was essentially useless.

Once a process is set in motion, everything becomes irreversible.

Just as a referee's decision in a football match—even if proven wrong after the fact—rarely results in the match result being overturned.

Another day later, the focus of the Italian football world shifted from Lu Yang and Sanremo to Potenza's Borges and the referee of the thirty-fourth round, Odin.

According to an exposé by Live Football News, both of their accounts had shown abnormal fluctuations for years.

With evidence provided by anonymous netizens, it was confirmed that both of them had participated in betting on a certain gambling website.

This report instantly triggered panic within the Italian Football Federation!

Match-fixing was back!

Considering that the entire European football community was currently focused on Italy, if the Italian Football Federation failed to handle this matter properly, the dark history they had finally managed to make people forget would return in an instant.

This would be a massive blow to the commercial value of Italian football as a whole; it was definitely not just a matter of a few million or tens of millions.

The Italian Football Federation quickly intervened in the investigation, and through internal data, they soon confirmed that the two had indeed participated in match-fixing. Furthermore, they often bet on matches they were playing in or officiating.

Although they did not place the bets directly, they often did so through friends, family, or interest exchanges.

Don't ask why the federation has "insider information"—those who know, know.

This matter absolutely could not be dragged out for too long, or else once international attention arrived, the damage would be irreparable even if it were resolved.

Therefore, this Serie D football scandal lasted only two days from the incident to its resolution.

Borges and Odin were taken away by the police.

It is reported that they will face charges from the Italian Football Federation, involving heavy financial compensation and certain jail time.

The Italian Football Federation specifically reached out to relevant media outlets, requesting that this matter be handled with a low profile.

They desperately needed something to happen in Serie D that could capture public attention and divert it elsewhere.

And if Lu Yang were unable to play for a long time, his status as a "victim of the match-fixing incident" would only draw more attention to the affair.

After all, if it weren't for those unjust officiating decisions, why would Lu Yang have resorted to violence on the pitch?

But the Italian Football Federation could not slap its own face; it was impossible for them to unilaterally revoke the punishment they had already issued.

In this situation, the appeal became the perfect fig leaf.

The Italian Football Federation did not rush to process the appeal, choosing to drag it out instead.

This meant that Lu Yang would only be suspended for one match.

Of course, the club would help Lu Yang pay the fine.

During the thirty-fifth round of the Serie D, Sophia was at the seaside villa in Sanremo.

Lu Yang and Sophia sat on the sofa, turning on the television to watch the match.

This was perhaps the biggest challenge Sanremo would face this season.

They had to secure a victory in this match while Lu Yang was suspended to keep up their pursuit of the teams at the top of the table.

"Can you guys win?" Sophia asked, watching the intense match on the field.

"Of course! Look, that guy is Moric. With him orchestrating our attack, we will definitely win." Lu Yang pointed at Moric on the screen.

"Oh, I remember this kid, the one who served the drinks." Sophia said, pulling out a set of keys. "I'm going to be leaving Sanremo for a while."

"You're still living in the team dormitory, right? I think you could move in here; there are so many rooms."

A flush of crimson bloomed on Sophia's cheeks.

She was not exactly short on money; she owned properties in several Italian cities.

"Huh? Here? Me?" Lu Yang was stunned.

"Just think of it as looking after the house for me? If no one takes care of it for too long, I'm afraid... you don't have to worry, I'll hire someone to handle the maintenance, you're just helping me... helping me keep an eye on it..." Sophia's logic was becoming a bit scrambled, and by the end, even she didn't believe herself. "You don't need to worry about the living expenses; you helping me watch over this place is a favor in itself..."

"But there's no pitch here." Lu Yang shook his head. "Living here wouldn't affect my team training, but it would hinder my extra practice."

"Don't worry, I'll get everything sorted before I leave." Sophia had a sudden inspiration. "Actually, I'm quite interested in football myself. I've always wanted to put a small pitch in that empty space out back, but I'm always prone to procrastination when I'm on my own... If you're willing to move in, I can have people start on it immediately. It should be finished before I head out!"

"Really?" Lu Yang was tempted.

Such a massive house, such high-end amenities, convenient electric curtains, a whirlpool tub, electric sofas, and smart home systems... It wasn't Lu Yang's first time at Sophia's place, but every visit still left him in awe.

Don't ask why Lu Yang's attention was on the sofa and the tub; I can only say that the lecherous see lechery!

But for Lu Yang, if there was a chance to live in a house like this, who could refuse?

"Right, you said you're leaving for a while—is it because the script has been picked up?" Lu Yang caught the important detail at the right moment.

Sophia was visibly happier, nodding as she said, "Yes! Someone finally took an interest in our script. The crew is starting production soon, and we expect to finish within three months."

"We have to go to other cities for location shooting, so I'll be very busy during that time. I might not even be able to attend your championship ceremony."

Sophia's words revealed her optimism for San Remo's prospects; she was already talking about the championship ceremony.

"It doesn't matter. Just film it and let people see your confident self again, Sophia!" Lu Yang looked into Sophia's eyes.

Sophia's eyes reddened. She was moved by Lu Yang, and she slowly leaned in, her lips drawing closer and closer to his.

The atmosphere turned ambiguous, and the air grew thick.

Dopamine began to surge rapidly in both of them.

But... just then, a sound erupted from the television.

"Great shot! GOAL! Only five minutes into the match, and San Remo has taken the lead thanks to Vedian! This is simply incredible..."

"GOAL!" Lu Yang jumped up in excitement. They had done it! They could actually win! They still had hope of clinching the final championship!

A look of infinite disappointment flashed across Sophia's face.

Truth be told, she didn't actually like football.

And right now, she was starting to hate it.

Some things, some atmospheres, once missed, are gone forever.

Sophia watched Lu Yang's profile as he intently watched the game, sighed, and began to watch along with him.

She knew that Lu Yang, currently suspended at home due to a red card, might not have the heart for romance at this very moment.

After all, his team had the chance to create a miracle this season.

Lu Yang did not leave Sophia's house that night.

After the match, Sophia personally prepared a sumptuous dinner as a gesture of gratitude, and Lu Yang couldn't very well refuse.

After the meal, the two discussed the filming of the script for a long time.

Lu Yang's descriptions were always vivid, and since Sophia was still a relatively inexperienced director, the two hit it off perfectly—it was exactly the kind of exchange they needed.

It's unclear how late they talked, but eventually, they grew tired and fell asleep right there on the sofa.

The next day.

Beep, beep, beep.

Lu Yang was awakened by his phone ringing.

"Hello, Lu Yang, where on earth did you go? I couldn't reach you all night." Moric's voice was exceptionally joyful.

"I was having dinner with Sophia last night. I turned on flight mode to avoid being disturbed," Lu Yang said.

"You went to Sophia's place again?" Moric was filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred. "Did you watch our match? We won!"

"Of course I watched it! Your assist was absolutely brilliant! Vedian had a goal and an assist; his stats are now at twenty-four goals and ten assists—it's absurd!" Lu Yang grew excited at the mention of football, so much so that he woke Sophia up beside him.

"What's that sound?" Moric had sharp ears.

"Nothing, it's just Sophia. I was talking too loudly and woke her up," Lu Yang whispered. "Anyway, let's meet up this afternoon. We fell asleep on the sofa last night, and she probably didn't sleep comfortably, so let's not disturb her."

"You slept on the sofa?" Moric felt as if his world were collapsing.

Last time it was the bed, and this time the sofa?

Bed, sofa, hallway, kitchen, bathroom, dining table, balcony—is there anywhere left that Lu Yang and Sophia haven't tried?

Good heavens!

Why must a little virgin like me hear these things?

This is going to be the death of me!

Moric hung up the phone in a rage, not wanting to hear another word from Lu Yang.