Passion in the Rain

Before his words had even faded, another car turned in.

It was Perisic.

At the sight of his fellow Croatian, Lovren's eyes lit up.

The moment they opened their mouths, they switched to their native language, rattling off a long stream that no one else understood.

"Could you two speak something everyone can understand?" Milner walked past carrying a grill tray and rolled his eyes.

"We were saying your barbecue smells amazing," Lovren lied without batting an eye.

"Yeah, right. Like I'd believe that."

Milner was the head grill master today, his apron tied around his waist as steaks, sausages, and corn sizzled and dripped grease over the coals.

His son had long since gone wild, chasing a ball around the lawn all the way to the garden fence before finally stopping.

The new teammates gradually arrived.

Alisson was the most relaxed of them all.

Brazilians were naturally friendly. The moment he entered the yard, he gave Chen Anno a hug and spoke rapid-fire Portuguese.

Keita was the complete opposite.

The Guinean sat quietly at one corner of the long table. While everyone else chatted animatedly, he held a glass of juice and watched Master Zhou cook with curious eyes.

"Naby, don't just stare. Go have a taste." Chen Anno pulled him to his feet.

Keita was a little reserved. Chen Anno dragged him to the table, where he picked up a piece of poached chicken and put it into his mouth. After chewing twice, his eyes instantly widened.

"Delicious!"

Those words had actually been spoken in flawless Chinese, drawing laughter from everyone around him.

Salah arrived last.

The Egyptian stood at the entrance and nodded to Chen Anno in greeting, looking a little shy.

But once he entered the yard and saw the huge platter of steamed grouper and