He's a leader! San Remo captain gives Lu Yang high praise!
He's getting stronger! He toyed with the opposition with a backheel, helping the team keep their title hopes alive!
From relegation candidates to champions! San Remo is pulling off a miracle!
Goal drought! Vedian failed to score or assist in two consecutive matches. He's lost his way!
No return in time! San Remo's three first-choice players on the right flank were confirmed injured and would miss the final league match!
A ticking time bomb! San Remo's right flank was torn apart by underdogs Ternana. They couldn't stop anyone!
The decline is showing! San Remo struggled to beat an underdog, so what made them think they could compete with the league leaders for the title?
After the match, Serie D entered its final, white-hot stretch, and the news was abuzz.
It was no exaggeration to say that one small thing could set off a chain reaction.
San Remo was under tremendous pressure.
But Lu Yang had gained something new.
"Ding! In this match, you did everything a locker-room leader should do. Player-level skill unlocked: Spiritual Leader!"
"Spiritual Leader: When you take the field, the mental state of your teammates on the pitch improves by five percent. After you give a speech, their mental state improves by another five percent!"
Lu Yang looked at the system, seeing it in an entirely new light.
So far, the system had appeared in several different modes.
The first was the reward mode. Any outstanding performance on the soccer field could bring him a random gift pack.
The second was earning rewards by winning praise from superstar players.
Now there was a third mode: if he did something that met the system's requirements for a particular skill, the skill would be unlocked directly.
Wasn't this Spiritual Leader skill exactly what he'd demonstrated during halftime in the previous match?
Thanks to the Spiritual Leader skill, Lu Yang's Leadership stat had jumped straight from 55 to 80!
"This is outrageous!" Moric walked over to Lu Yang with a soccer ball in his arms. "They all think we can't win!"
Lu Yang juggled the ball as he warmed up and asked, "Who?"
"Everyone!" Moric was so furious he was practically losing his mind.
Lu Yang wasn't bothered. "At the start of the second half of the season, nobody believed we could avoid relegation or make it into the promotion spots either."
"That's different!" Moric said. "Back then, we hadn't shown how good we were yet, so it was normal for people to overlook us. But now they're looking us right in the eye and lying. They're looking down on us!"
Lu Yang remembered what Suarez had gone through during the 2020–21 season and smiled. "If a club looks down on you, answer them with a championship! If we win the next match, we'll have it all. What are you so angry about?"
Moric froze.
That was right. What was he angry about?
Could it be that deep down, he also thought San Remo had little chance of winning, and that was why all this doubt made him so angry?
As a midfield general, he had to remain absolutely calm. He was the team's brain. His job was to assess the situation, not let other things affect him.
Clearly, Moric had let his emotions get the better of him.
But that was understandable. This was a championship run that could become the stuff of legend.
If San Remo won the title, the media frenzy would be incredible. The drama would be off the charts.
And as the midfield core of this legendary championship-winning team, what praise and recognition would Moric receive?
"Relax. We're at a disadvantage, but we'll still win!" Lu Yang said, his gaze unwavering.
Moric nodded, stopped complaining, and threw himself back into training.
He wasn't going to deny that he'd lost his composure. You had to see your own problems before you could solve them.
Lu Yang's presence made Moric realize that he still had problems in plenty of areas. Little by little, it was making Moric... perfect.
That was the kind of change a close friend you could confide in should bring about.
May 22.
The thirty-eighth round of Serie D kicked off.
Four of the top six in Serie D were playing today.
The title showdown between San Remo and Turris, meanwhile, was set for tomorrow night.
Surprisingly, both Palermo and Catania faced stubborn resistance from their opponents in the final round, and both matches ended in draws.
In the standings, Palermo had 74 points and Catania 73. Neither posed a threat to Turris or San Remo anymore.
That also meant Turris and San Remo had secured promotion!
Even if Bisceglie won, they could only push San Remo down to third place.
San Remo's fans erupted in celebration!
The team's precarious situation had completely turned around.
And soon, even better news arrived.
In the match between Bisceglie and Francavilla, the starting striker for Francavilla—whom everyone had assumed was just a decoy on the roster—actually took the field!
He'd been injured since the thirty-second round, and the team's form had been sliding ever since, taking them from a tie for first place down to sixth.
But this time, Francavilla's striker returned in a last-ditch effort and showed how dominant he could be. He scored twice, leading Francavilla to a 2–1 win over Bisceglie.
Bisceglie, who had been fourth the previous round, ended up at the bottom of the top six with 72 points, missing out on promotion.
Bisceglie had failed to move up to Serie C!
They'd been the first-half champions of Serie D, but after the break, they'd fallen into an awkward scoring drought. In the final stretch, they'd repeatedly dropped the ball.
Arnold became the target of Bisceglie fans' criticism. He'd perfectly embodied what it meant to choke only when it mattered most!
Francavilla, meanwhile, reached 73 points and edged into the top five.
They'd taken control of their own fate and beaten a stronger team!
They hadn't ranked above Bisceglie at any point all season. Even when they were tied on points, Bisceglie had stayed ahead on head-to-head results. Yet somehow, Francavilla overtook them in the very last round.
The sheer drama sent Serie D into a frenzy.
After these matches, the list of teams promoted from Serie D was set.
Turris, San Remo, and Palermo went up directly.
Francavilla and Catania would have to play in the promotion playoffs. The winner would face the loser of the Serie C relegation playoff; the winner of that match would enter Serie C, while the loser would be condemned to Serie D!
In tomorrow's match, Turris and San Remo—now free of any worries—would face off for the title!
Promotion was already secured, but they'd come this far. No one was about to turn down a championship.
The next morning, Lu Yang and the team held their final training session on the pitch.
They took it easy, mainly to get their bodies moving and keep themselves match-ready.
To help the team focus, Soto had the training ground sealed off, barring all outsiders from entering.
But before long, the groundskeeper showed up.
"Someone wants to see Lu Yang," he said.
"No," Soto replied without hesitation.
"But she says she won't leave until she sees him." The groundskeeper looked exasperated.
"Who?" Soto frowned. Was this some crazed fan? She wasn't giving any thought to the team's situation.
"I don't know. She's all covered up," the groundskeeper said.
Soto shook his head. "Then there's even less reason to let her in."
Just as he spoke, a figure appeared over the wall beside the pitch.
Someone climbed over, dropped down, and ran toward the training ground.
The players were furious!
A month ago, they might have been thrilled. Back then, no one paid attention to them during training, let alone climbed over a wall to come in and see them.
But now... they were preparing for a championship!
They shouldn't be disturbed...
The players' objections vanished in an instant.
As she ran, the visitor took off her hat and pulled the scarf from her face.
Beautiful!
Every player's eyes went wide!
She was gorgeous!
Wait!
Why did she look so familiar?
Moric's expression immediately turned solemn, then filled with anguish.
It was her!
That seductive femme fatale!
What was she doing here?
Hadn't she said she'd be away filming for three to five months?
The other players recognized her too.
"Oh my god! Is that Sophia?"
"It is! It really is Sophia!"
"Wow! The goddess! What's going on?"
"Is the club so loaded that it invited Sophia to cheer us on?"
"This is crazy! I think I'm going crazy!"
"I'm suddenly full of fighting spirit! Forget Turris, I'd take on Juventus!"
"I feel like Superman right now!" Vedian declared confidently.
But in the next moment...
"Lu Yang! I took leave from the set just to come watch you play in this title-deciding match, and they wouldn't let me in!" Sophia complained as she rushed toward Lu Yang, looking every bit the bashful young woman.
When Lu Yang saw it was Sophia, he opened his arms to save her from an awkward collision if her hug missed.
And then...
Sophia slammed into him, committing a serious foul with her body!
If she hadn't wrapped her arms around Lu Yang at the same time, he was sure he would've been sent flying.
What force!
A solid 36D, no question!
Watching Sophia and Lu Yang embrace, everyone on the pitch suddenly lost interest.
What was the point of playing soccer?
The goddess had run off with someone else!
Forget it!
Couldn't they just forfeit?
"I feel like you're a clown right now," Nagy said, patting Vedian on the head in sympathy.
"Bastard couple!" Moric glowered.
"Hey, little guy over there. Do you remember me? I think I forgot to say thank you after you brought me a drink last time." Sophia looked toward Moric.
"No, no, it was nothing. I was just doing my job." Moric reacted quickly, but as soon as he finished speaking, he wanted to slap himself. How pathetic. He should've stood his ground!
"Good. I was worried you'd think badly of me." Sophia took Lu Yang's arm. "Lu Yang always mentions you when we're together. He says you're a very talented player."
Moric was instantly excited. "Really? What exactly did he say?"
Lu Yang quickly pulled Sophia closer, then said to Moric, "All right, all right. Don't ask. Maybe another time."
Moric said, "Hey, man, Sophia's talking to me. You should show a little more respect. How else can you be worthy of her?"
Sophia was pleased to hear that, she had to admit.
It was an indirect acknowledgment of her relationship with Lu Yang.
So Sophia magnanimously imitated Lu Yang's tone. "That little shorty may not look like much, but he's got real skill..."
There was more, but Moric couldn't hear it anymore.
He was busy pinning Lu Yang to the ground and beating him up.
Back to the point.
Sophia's appearance did affect San Remo's preparations to some extent.
But since San Remo had already secured promotion, the distraction turned out to be a good thing.
She gave the San Remo players a huge morale boost.
See? If you work hard at soccer like Lu Yang, you might find yourself a girlfriend too—maybe even a movie star!
Lu Yang repeatedly clarified that he and Sophia were just friends.
But Sophia's shy smile said it all.
"Lu's a decent guy. To protect Sophia's reputation, he's even willing to tell his friends that she's just a friend," Soto said with a sigh. "Those young punks in Serie A play one or two matches and start thinking they're stars. They date models everywhere they go, as if they want everyone to know they've landed a famous girl."
Tom nodded again and again. "The age gap is just a bit big. Sophia's twenty-eight, and Lu Yang's only sixteen. That..."
Soto asked, "Does Lu Yang seem like a sixteen-year-old kid to you?"
Tom replied, "I'd believe you if you told me he was twenty-six!"
Soto continued, "Same question: does Sophia look twenty-eight?"
Tom said tearfully, "In my heart, Sophia will always be eighteen!"
Soto said, "Exactly. Let's hope they're happy together. It all depends on whether Lu Yang can handle Sophia. Relationships with actresses rarely last..."
Tom laughed. "Sounds like you speak from experience. You're this old and still unmarried. Is it because you never got over what happened between you and Tracy back then...?"
Tracy was one of Italy's most famous actresses.
She and Soto had briefly been in love, but later she cheated on him.
Tom didn't get to finish, because Soto pinned him to the ground.
The morning training session ended early.
Sophia left the training ground in a staff member's car, then arrived at the stadium early that afternoon.
She got the best seat in the stadium.
When team chairman Russell heard that Sophia had shown up, he was so excited that he invited her into the VIP box to watch the match. But Sophia turned him down and found a seat closer to the pitch.
"Only from here can Lu Yang hear me cheer him on!"
Just listen to her! Was that any way to talk?
Russell admitted he was jealous.
Of course, Sophia wouldn't be the only important guest at today's match. Plenty of others would be there, too.
That had to do with San Remo's legendary run this season.
It also had to do with the Russell Group's plans to build a new stadium.
And it had to do with Soto, Lu Yang, Moric, Vedian, and the others.
There were even said to be more than thirty domestic media outlets at the stadium, broadcasting the match live. Among them were eight major national outlets and two major pan-European outlets.
Not just Liguria—not just Italy—even fans across Europe were paying attention to this little Serie D match!
It had to be said: this was bringing something new to Italian football.
Should I stay up tonight to watch Portugal and France play? What a dilemma...
Also, the last three or four chapters have been a small climax. After what comes next, I don't think anyone will dislike this book anymore. Thank you all for your support. Let's keep charging ahead and make it to Sanjiang and the featured recommendation!