The Coming Appearance

After beating Gattuso in a running contest, Huang Kaiwen earned the respect of his teammates.

Inzaghi invited him out to party after practice. Huang Kaiwen was tempted, but he still turned him down.

Barbara had said she would pick him up after training, so there was no way he could go out.

Inzaghi was disappointed that he couldn't take his new best buddy out on the town. Today, Huang Kaiwen had helped him win against the whole team.

Players from both Milan clubs loved going to nightclubs, and the playboy Inzaghi was no exception.

A little regretfully, Inzaghi walked Huang Kaiwen to the parking lot, then drove off in his sports car.

Huang Kaiwen got into Barbara's Mercedes-Benz and gave the heiress a kiss, earning himself a flurry of affectionate scolding.

"How was your day? Did you get along with your teammates?"

The heiress asked softly.

She had expected Huang Kaiwen to have a hard time fitting into the team.

Racism was rampant in Italy. No matter how talented you were, there wasn't much you could do if the whole team decided to ostracize you.

"It went pretty well. My teammates are all nice. I invited them to dinner tomorrow, and they said they'd all come."

"Mm... Hmm?"

Barbara turned to look at Huang Kaiwen and asked in surprise, "They were friendly and accepted your invitation?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"N... Nothing." Barbara started the car and drove out of the parking lot, feeling much better.

She hadn't expected the man she'd set her sights on to be so impressive.

Milan's star players were no pushovers. As the boss's daughter, she had heard plenty of stories about the discord among the club's players.

The local players wielded considerable influence.

There was even the legendary Milan Knights Table.

She hadn't expected Huang Kaiwen to get along so well with his teammates on his very first day.

Thinking about it, the man she'd set her sights on was even more impressive than she'd realized.

She was proud of Huang Kaiwen and happy for him, so that night brought another fierce battle.

Early the next morning.

Feeling Huang Kaiwen get out of bed, Barbara rolled over and gazed lovingly at him as he got dressed. "Why are you up so early, darling?"

"I'm going to warm up first. I am a professional athlete, after all."

"Okay. I'll get up and make breakfast in a bit."

Barbara's sleepiness vanished instantly.

Her man was so impressive and so hardworking. How could she hold him back?

Barbara stared at the ceiling, wondering which restaurant to book for dinner so she wouldn't embarrass Huang Kaiwen.

As for making a reservation, someone with her status didn't need to worry about that.

Today was important. Any restaurant that didn't make room for her would regret it.

After dropping Huang Kaiwen off at training that morning, Barbara got a rude awakening. Enrico Bartolini al Mudec, Milan's only three-Michelin-star restaurant, was already booked up by quite a few people.

Some of the diners were influential enough that even her father couldn't afford to treat them carelessly.

After calling a few friends from wealthy families, she finally settled on Viva Viviana Varese, a one-Michelin-star restaurant.

The unpleasant experience of trying to make a reservation gave Barbara the idea of opening a restaurant herself.

The heiress had plenty of money on hand. Even her father, who was worth more than six billion dollars, had less liquid cash than she did.

She had already given Huang Kaiwen a card with twenty million euros on it and bought the house they were living in. She still had nearly 150 million euros left. It would be a waste not to invest it.

Barbara had recently been looking into some investment opportunities.

At Milanello, Huang Kaiwen began another day of running laps.

[Abnormal Status: Fragility Change—From the moment you step onto the grass, the chance of injury increases by 200%. It increases by 5% every second. After leaving the field due to injury, the chance of injury returns to its initial level. You will not suffer a fatal injury, and injuries will not affect your physical functions. This cycle repeats. Successfully defending the UEFA Champions League title will remove the abnormal status.]

Fortunately, the track at the training ground wasn't grass. He wasn't sure whether "stepping onto the grass" meant the training ground counted, or whether it only applied to the pitch during an official match.

If any grass counted, he might get injured during warm-ups.

The thought was enough to make him groan.

The Milan players were having a great time on the training ground.

But Ancelotti watched from the sidelines and said to an assistant coach, "I wonder how Kevin's physical condition is."

"Let's have the Team Doctor check him again this afternoon. If he's fit, we can put him in the friendly and help him integrate into the team faster."

"Sounds good. Take him over there later."

Ancelotti nodded.

Right now, Huang Kaiwen's physical condition was his main concern.

That afternoon, Huang Kaiwen went for a checkup, and the Team Doctor said he was perfectly healthy.

Huang Kaiwen silently rolled his eyes.

Damn it, once Barbara became chairwoman, this Team Doctor was definitely getting fired.

Ancelotti was delighted when he heard the news.

He took Huang Kaiwen by the arm and said, "I'll have you come on as a substitute in a friendly in a few days. Make sure you get to know your teammates and fit into the team as soon as possible. I'll have you start."

By the time Huang Kaiwen had received a contract worth 2.5 million euros after taxes, he was already a potential starter.

Even before Milan's decline, the club wouldn't have signed a substitute on such a high salary.

Huang Kaiwen had a lot on his mind, but dinner that evening went well enough.

Barbara had arranged everything perfectly and booked the whole restaurant. Huang Kaiwen got to meet his teammates' families, and, with Barbara's social skills, he managed to build some good relationships.

When Paolo Maldini got home that evening, his wife asked, "Are we going to Kevin's place in a few days? He invited us and the children over."

Paolo Maldini smiled. "Don't worry, Adriana. Kevin's a good young man. I'd like the kids to get to know him, too."

"I didn't say anything bad about him. I think Kevin's great, too. I'm just worried we'll be a nuisance if we bring the kids."

"It's fine. Kevin said so himself."

"Alright, then."

Adriana, Maldini's wife, nodded in agreement.

For some reason, she had liked Huang Kaiwen the first time they met. She had even told him an embarrassing story about Paolo Maldini. She never spoke ill of her husband in front of other people.

Adriana figured it was because Huang Kaiwen had a special kind of charm.

She didn't have many Asian friends, so it would be nice to make one.

Huang Kaiwen was at his wits' end.

The Team Doctor had been no help at all, saying he was perfectly healthy.

Fortunately, Ancelotti hadn't forced him to do any ball work. Otherwise, he would have been found out.

And so, "Milan's King of Running Laps" won over Milanello with his stamina, and the first friendly finally arrived.

Their opponent was only Grosseto Football Club, a side from Italy's third division.

A pushover like this was mainly there to help the players, who had let themselves go over the summer, get back into form.

The match wasn't meant to expose them to high-intensity competition.

Milan had invited them to play at San Siro and would pay them to cover their travel and provide opposition for the team.

To cheer Huang Kaiwen on, Barbara brought her closest friends to San Siro.