Upgrade! We're Just Friends

<He is a leader! The San Remo captain speaks highly of Lu Yang!>

<He is getting stronger and stronger, using a backheel flick to toy with his opponents and keeping the team's title hopes alive!>

<From a relegation-threatened side to champions! San Remo is performing a miracle!>

<Goal drought! Vedian has failed to score or assist for two consecutive rounds; he is lost!>

<Hard to return! Three key starters on the San Remo right flank have confirmed injuries and will miss the final league round!>

<Time bomb! The San Remo right flank was shredded by the underdog Ternana; they couldn't defend against anyone!>

<The decline is here! San Remo barely scraped a win against a weak side; how can they possibly compete for the title against the league leaders?>

After the match, the Serie D entered a white-hot stage, with all sorts of news reports creating an uproar.

It was no exaggeration to say that a single move could affect the whole situation.

As for San Remo, the pressure was immense.

But Lu Yang had gained something new.

"Ding! In this match, you fulfilled everything a locker room leader should do. Player-level skill activated: Spiritual Leader!"

"Spiritual Leader: When you are on the pitch, the mental state of your teammates increases by 5%. After you deliver a speech, their mental state increases by an additional 5%!"

Lu Yang looked at the system, gaining a brand-new understanding of it.

So far, the system had presented several different modes.

The first was the reward mode, where any outstanding performance on the football pitch could potentially earn him a random gift pack.

The second was receiving praise from superstar players, which could also earn him rewards.

And now, a third mode had appeared: if his actions met the specific requirements set by the system for a certain skill, that skill would be activated directly.

For instance, wasn't this Spiritual Leader skill exactly the role he had played during the halftime break of the last match?

Because of this Spiritual Leader skill, the leadership attribute in Lu Yang's mental stats had jumped directly from 55 to 80!

"It's too much!" Moric hugged the football and walked over to Lu Yang. "They all think we can't win!"

Lu Yang juggled the ball to warm up and asked, "Who?"

"Everyone!" Moric was so angry he was practically losing his mind.

Lu Yang, however, remained indifferent. "When the second half of the season started, no one believed we could avoid relegation, let alone reach the promotion zone."

"That's different!" Moric said. "Back then, we hadn't shown enough strength, so being overlooked was normal. But now, they are lying through their teeth; they are looking down on us!"

Lu Yang recalled the experience of Luis Suarez in the 20-21 season and smiled. "If a club looks down on you, then you respond with a championship! As long as we win the next match, we win everything. What are you angry about?"

Moric was stunned.

That's right, what was he angry about?

Could it be that... deep down, he also believed it would be difficult for San Remo to win, which was why this lack of recognition made him so furious?

As a midfield commander, he had to be absolutely calm because he was the brain of the team; he should only be thinking about the situation, not being influenced by other factors.

Clearly, Moric had lost his composure.

But this was normal; after all, this was a legendary championship.

Once San Remo won the title, the news impact would be explosive, and the drama would be off the charts.

And as the midfield core of this legendary championship, what kind of praise and recognition would Moric receive?

"Relax, we are indeed at a disadvantage, but we will definitely win!" Lu Yang's eyes were firm.

Moric nodded, stopped complaining, and threw himself back into training.

He wouldn't deny his loss of composure, because only when you see your own problems and discover them can you solve them.

Lu Yang's presence made Moric realize that he still had issues in many areas, and it also made Moric gradually become... perfect.

This was the kind of change a true, heart-to-heart brother should bring into your life.

May 22nd.

The 38th round of the Serie D kicked off.

Today, four of the top six teams in the Serie D were in action.

The title race between San Remo and Turris would be decided tomorrow night.

Surprisingly, Palermo and Catania both encountered stubborn resistance from their opponents in the final round, both ending in draws.

In the standings, the former had 74 points and the latter 73, posing no further threat to Turris and San Remo.

This also declared the successful promotion of Turris and San Remo!

Because even if Bisceglie won, they could only push San Remo down to third place.

For a moment, the San Remo fans were in a frenzy of celebration!

The previously critical situation had completely reversed.

Soon, even better news arrived.

In the match between Bisceglie and Francavilla, the Francavilla starting striker, previously thought to be a smokescreen in the squad list, actually started the game!

He had been sidelined by injury since the 32nd round, causing the team's performance to slide from a tie for first place down to sixth in the standings.

But this time, the Francavilla starting striker, returning to the front line, displayed his dominance by scoring a brace to lead Francavilla to a 2-1 victory over Bisceglie.

Bisceglie, who were fourth in the previous round, finished with 72 points, landing at the bottom of the top six and missing out on promotion!

Bisceglie failed their bid for Serie C!

They were the mid-season champions of Serie D, but fell into an embarrassing goal drought in the second half of the season, repeatedly dropping the ball during the final stretch.

Arnold became the target of the Bisceglie fans' vitriol, as he perfectly embodied the definition of someone who only chokes at the most critical moments!

Francavilla, meanwhile, edged ahead into the top five with 73 points.

They seized their own destiny, winning against the odds!

They had not been ranked higher than Bisceglie all season, and even when tied on points, they remained below Bisceglie due to the head-to-head record. Yet, they managed to overtake them in the very last round.

This drama sent Serie D into a frenzy.

After these matches, the Serie D promotion list was finalized.

Turris, San Remo, and Palermo were promoted directly.

Francavilla and Catania would play in the promotion playoffs; the winner would face the loser of the Serie C relegation playoffs, with the victor ascending to Serie C and the loser sinking into Serie D!

In tomorrow's match, Turris and San Remo, now free of worries, would face off for the championship!

Although promotion was already secured, having come this far, no one would say no to a title.

The next morning, Lu Yang and the team held their final training session on the pitch.

The workload was light, mainly to activate their bodies and maintain match fitness.

To ensure the team could focus, Soto specifically ordered the training ground to be locked down, prohibiting all outsiders from entering.

But soon, the groundskeeper arrived at the training pitch.

"Someone wants to see Lu Yang," the groundskeeper said.

"No," Soto replied decisively.

"But she says she won't leave until she sees Lu Yang," the groundskeeper said, sounding a bit speechless.

"Who?" Soto frowned. Was this some kind of fanatic fan? How inconsiderate of the team's needs!

"I don't know, she's wrapped up very tightly," the groundskeeper said.

Soto shook his head: "Then she definitely can't come in."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a figure appeared on the perimeter wall.

Someone vaulted over and ran toward the training pitch.

The players on the field were furious!

Perhaps if this had happened a month ago, they would have been happy, because no one used to pay attention to their training, let alone have fans climbing over walls to get in.

But now... they were preparing for a championship!

They should not be disturbed...

Soon, however, the players on the field had no more complaints.

Because as the person ran, she took off the hat and the veil covering her face.

Beautiful!

All the players' eyes went wide!

It was a super beauty!

Wait!

Why did she look so familiar?

Moric's expression turned serious in an instant, then shifted to one of heartbreak.

It was actually her!

That pink-skinned skeleton!

How could she be here?

Wasn't she supposed to be on set filming for three to five months?

Soon, the other players realized it too.

"My god! Is that Sophia?"

"It's true! It really is Sophia!"

"Wow! The goddess! What is going on?"

"Is the club this loaded? They invited Sophia to cheer for us?"

"I'm going crazy! I feel like I'm losing my mind!"

"I'm suddenly full of fighting spirit! Forget Turris, I'd dare to take on Juventus right now!"

"I even feel like I'm Superman at this very moment!" Vedian said, brimming with confidence.

But the next moment...

"Lu Yang! I specifically took leave from the set to come watch you play this title-deciding match, and they actually wouldn't let me in!" Sophia complained as she rushed toward Lu Yang, acting every bit the doting girl.

Seeing that it was Sophia, Lu Yang extended his arms to avoid an awkward atmosphere should her proactive embrace miss its mark.

And then...

Sophia dribbled into him—a serious foul!

If Sophia hadn't also wrapped her arms around Lu Yang, he felt certain he would have been sent flying.

What force!

Thirty-six D, no explanation needed!

Watching Sophia and Lu Yang locked in a tight embrace, everyone on the pitch suddenly felt that life was flavorless.

To hell with playing football!

The goddess has run off with someone else!

I'm done!

Can we just forfeit?

"I even feel like you're a clown at this very moment!" Nagy patted Vedian on the head, offering a silent prayer for him.

"You shameless pair!" Moric looked on with resentment!

"The little kid over there, do you remember me? I don't think I said thank you after you served me wine last time." Sophia looked toward Moric.

"No need, no need, that was just my job." Moric's reaction was lightning-fast, but as soon as he finished, he wanted to slap himself twice. So spineless—why couldn't he have been bolder?

"That's good, I was worried you might have a bad impression of me because of it." Sophia linked her arm with Lu Yang's. "Lu Yang always mentions you when he's with me, saying you're a player with immense talent."

Moric was instantly thrilled: "Really? What exactly did he say?"

Lu Yang grabbed Sophia and said to Moric: "Forget it, forget it, don't ask. Let's talk about it later."

Moric: "Hey, buddy, Sophia is talking to me. You should be more polite, otherwise, how could you be worthy of Sophia?"

One had to admit, Sophia was quite satisfied with Moric's remark.

It was, in a roundabout way, an affirmation of her relationship with Lu Yang.

So, Sophia graciously mimicked Lu Yang's tone: "Don't let that short guy's plain looks fool you, his technique is truly excellent..."

There was more, but Moric couldn't hear it anymore.

Because he was currently pinning Lu Yang to the ground and hammering him.

Back to the main topic.

Sophia's appearance affected San Remo's preparations to a certain extent.

But considering San Remo was already destined for promotion, this influence was actually positive.

She provided a massive boost to the San Remo players.

See that? As long as you work as hard at football as Lu Yang, you too have a chance to find a girlfriend of your own—even a female celebrity!

Although Lu Yang repeatedly clarified that he and Sophia were just normal friends.

Sophia's shy smile was enough for everyone to understand everything.

"Lu is still quite decent. To protect Sophia's reputation, he's actually willing to tell his friends that Sophia is just a friend." Soto was deeply moved. "Those punks in Serie A, they play one or two games and think they're superstars, dating young models everywhere, terrified that people won't know they've found a famous girl."

Tom nodded repeatedly: "It's just that their age gap is a bit large. Sophia is twenty-eight, and Lu Yang is only sixteen, this..."

Soto asked: "Do you think Lu Yang looks like a sixteen-year-old kid?"

Tom: "I'd believe you if you said he was twenty-six!"

Soto continued: "By the same token, do you think Sophia looks twenty-eight?"

Tom teared up: "In my heart, Sophia will always be eighteen!"

Soto: "There you go. I hope they can be happy. It all depends on whether Lu Yang can handle Sophia. Romances with female celebrities are often hard to stabilize..."

Tom laughed: "It seems you speak from experience. You're at such an age and still unmarried; is it because you never moved on from that time with Tracy..."

Tracy, one of Italy's famous female stars.

She had a brief romance with Soto, but later cheated on him.

Tom didn't get to finish the sentence, because he was pinned to the ground by Soto.

The morning training session ended very early.

Sophia followed the staff vehicle away from the training ground and entered the stadium early that afternoon.

She secured the best seats in the house.

Even the Russell Group chairman, upon learning of Sophia's arrival, was so excited that he offered to invite her into the VIP box. Sophia declined, choosing instead a seat much closer to the pitch.

"Only from here can Lu Yang hear my cheers and support for him!"

Listen to that—is that even human language?

Russell had to admit he was jealous.

Of course, besides Sophia, many other heavyweight guests were expected to attend today's match.

This was tied to the legendary journey San Remo had experienced this season.

It was also related to the new stadium the Russell Group was planning to build.

And it involved Soto, Lu Yang, Moric, Vedian, and the others.

It was even rumored that over thirty domestic media outlets had arrived on-site to broadcast the match live. Among them were eight major national media organizations and two pan-European giants.

It wasn't just the Liguria region or even Italy; fans across Europe were paying attention to this tiny Serie D match!

It must be said, this brought something different to Italian football.

Should I stay up late tonight to watch the Portugal and France matches? Decisions, decisions...

Additionally, the last three or four chapters have been a small climax; I don't think anyone will dislike this book after reading them. Thank you all for your support—let's charge all the way to the Sanjiang list and the strong recommendation!