The Return of the King

"Anno..." Chen Fuqing wore an indulgent smile. "Do your best. Once you make it into Sao Paulo's first team, your mother and I will always be in the stands at Morumbi Stadium, cheering for you."

"Alright, Anno, it's your turn." Ramalho's voice snapped Chen Anno out of his daze. He placed both hands on the boy's shoulders. "Anno, tell me... are you ready?"

Taking a deep breath, Chen Anno's gaze became incomparably firm. "Sir, I'm ready."

"Very good!" Ramalho looked at the somewhat youthful face before him and gave his shoulder two firm pats with his right hand. "Go on, enjoy the happiness that belongs to you!"

Standing by the sideline in a white jersey accented with black and red, Chen Anno bent down and brushed the turf with his hand. Looking up at the pitch-black night sky, he silently said, Dad, Mom, cheer for me!

The assistant referee also raised the substitution board: No. 21 on, No. 27 off.

"Wow... Sao Paulo fans, everyone, look who's about to come on!"

The stadium announcer's voice suddenly rang out, drawing everyone's attention.

[No. 21? Who's that? Do we have someone like that on our team?]

[I didn't notice. Did the club just sign him? How come there was no news about it?]

[He looks kind of familiar, but I can't remember who he is.]

The fans whispered among themselves. Since Morumbi Stadium had a running track around the pitch, they were quite far away and could not clearly make out Chen Anno's face.

In fact, this had been deliberate on the club's part. They wanted Chen Anno to make a sudden appearance at home in order to create a sensation.

"Sao Paulo fans, let us welcome back our star of hope with the warmest applause. He is... Anno Chen!"

[It's Anno? That's right, it's him! Anno is actually back?]

[Hahaha... I was wondering why he looked so familiar. So it's Anno! This is great, he's finally back!]

[That's right, Sao Paulo's genius has returned!]

"Anno... Anno... Anno..."

Tens of thousands of fans shouted in unison, showing just how high Chen Anno's standing had once been among Sao Paulo supporters.

Even after two years, many fans still remembered him.

Sao Paulo's former golden boy had returned once more.

This time, he stepped onto the turf of Morumbi Stadium as a first-team player.

Hearing the fans' calls, Chen Anno's eyes reddened slightly.

Over the past two years, he had suffered far too many grievances, struggling bitterly among people who knew nothing about football yet placed scheming above everything else.

At that moment, it felt as though a shackle in Chen Anno's heart had suddenly been unlocked. The version of himself who played football for the joy of it had returned.

"Anno, good luck!"

"Thank you, Roni!"

After embracing his teammate, Chen Anno officially stepped onto the pitch and began his first official match.

"Hey... Anno, remember what I told you. Enjoy your football!" Lucio stepped forward and high-fived Chen Anno.

"Thank you, Lucio. I will!" The boy nodded, his eyes resolute.

Beep...!

With the referee's whistle, the second half officially began.

Sao Paulo had lined up in a 4-2-1-3 formation for this match. After coming on, Chen Anno took up the position of the "1" behind the forwards—the standard No. 10 role on the pitch.

In an inconspicuous corner of the stands, Vizoli was also watching Chen Anno's first-team debut.

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As Chen Anno's first mentor and his current guardian in Brazil, Vizoli's eyes were filled with gratification.

Vizoli had watched Chen Anno grow up. This time they met, he could clearly sense that the boy had changed greatly. The brightness in his eyes from years ago was gone, and he no longer liked to talk much.

He knew about Chen Anno's family situation, and he also knew of the unfair treatment Chen Anno had endured in football during his two years back in China. Vizoli had once been deeply worried about whether Chen Anno could pull through.

After all, it was hard to imagine a minor suddenly enduring so many shocks and blows.

Fortunately, after observing him for so long, he could tell that Chen Anno was an exceptionally strong person inside.

Back in Sao Paulo, back in the place where he had once made so many happy memories, Chen Anno had only football in his eyes. He also understood what path he should take, and his goal was clear.

What the boy had experienced would not knock him down. It would only make him mature and steady sooner.

This was Chen Anno—the Chen Anno of today!

Watching the boy run across the pitch, Vizoli knew that Anno's future would surely be successful. Of that, he was absolutely certain.

On the pitch, Sao Paulo had already launched an attack.

Lucio's chipped pass found Chen Anno in the attacking third. While running, the latter let the ball roll to his left and used his body to challenge the opposing defender.

Using the collision, Chen Anno flicked the ball to the right with his right foot, then suddenly paused and slipped around behind the defender.

Then, with a touch of his left foot, he brought the ball under control and accelerated toward the penalty area.

The entire sequence flowed seamlessly, drawing thunderous applause from the stands.

Up front, Fabiano, playing as the center forward, began stretching the defense to create space for Chen Anno to pass or shoot.

Before he even reached the top of the penalty arc, Vasco da Gama's center-back had already come up to cover.

At high speed, Chen Anno repeatedly swept both feet over the ball. Unlike many players' stepovers, his body feints were far more exaggerated, and the opposing center-back Renato Silva was quickly left dizzy and disoriented.

Just as Silva was about to lose his balance, Chen Anno suddenly pushed the ball outward with his right foot. Sure enough, his opponent took the bait and immediately threw his weight over to block him.

But with a flick of Chen Anno's ankle, the ball slipped right through Silva's legs and rolled toward the left side of the penalty area.

That was exactly where Sao Paulo's left winger Osvaldo was running. It had been a pass made without even looking at his teammate.

It fooled not only every Vasco da Gama defender, but even Osvaldo himself, who nearly failed to react in time.

But on a striker's instinct, he pulled off an unconventional shooting move—a sliding shot!

The ball flew into the net almost grazing the near post. Alves, standing in front of goal, did not even manage to attempt a save and could only stare blankly as the ball went in.

1:0!

The stadium clock showed only the 49th minute. Less than five minutes into the second half, Sao Paulo had scored.

The entire Morumbi Stadium was ignited, and the fans erupted in thunderous cheers.

"Beautifully done, Anno!" Osvaldo, who had scored, directly lifted Chen Anno into the air. "You guy, you didn't even warn me before passing it. I almost missed that brilliant ball."

"Hahaha... that's right. If Osvaldo had missed that goal, it would've been a crime—he'd have completely wasted Anno's earlier performance!" Fabiano came over as well and embraced them both.

Then came Silvinho, Denilson, Lucio, and the other teammates. This was Chen Anno's first assist, and even the old captain—the team's goalkeeper, Ceni—came over.

At that moment, the stadium announcer's voice rang out: "The scorer just now was..."

"Osvaldo...!!" the fans roared.

"And providing the assist was Sao Paulo's genius, Anno..."

"Chen...!!"

In a corner of the stands, Vizoli listened to the cheers, the wrinkles on his face all squeezed together.