4–0. Huang Kaiwen came on and immediately made two assists.
Most importantly, both assists were spectacular.
Banners rippled in the San Siro stands, and the cheers surged in wave after wave.
"Whoever doesn't jump is no Nerazzurri, whoever doesn't jump is no Nerazzurri, whoever doesn't jump is no Nerazzurri..."
The fans got to their feet, linking arms and standing shoulder to shoulder as they jumped up and down in the San Siro.
Shevchenko affectionately put an arm around Huang Kaiwen as they walked back. That was the power of an assist: it made you family. If Huang Kaiwen made a few more, Shevchenko might even have a shot at becoming Ukraine's vice president someday.
"Kaiwen!"
"For the first time, I don't know how to describe a player."
"He started in the UEFA Champions League and scored a hat trick. Today, he came on as a substitute and provided two more assists."
"Kaiwen has made four appearances for Milan in official matches, and those numbers are already perfect. When you factor in his playing time, they become even more terrifying."
"He played four minutes in the season opener, 62 minutes against Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA Champions League, three seconds in the third league match, and came on in the 72nd minute today. So far, Kaiwen has played only 84 minutes and three seconds, yet he's been involved in five goals. He's averaging just over 16 minutes per goal contribution. I doubt there's any player in Europe who can match his efficiency."
"There are still four minutes of stoppage time, but Milan can already be satisfied with today's match."
Just as the Italian commentator thought the match was all but over, Huang Kaiwen set the San Siro alight.
Reggina charged forward in a frantic attack, reaching Milan's half in search of a goal to save face. Nesta stole the ball from them and quickly sent a forward pass.
Huang Kaiwen received it in his own half and began his show.
He dribbled diagonally from the right flank toward the middle, then continued diagonally from the middle toward the left. He kept running at an angle, somehow beating several players and leaving the Reggina men chasing him in his wake.
By the time he reached the edge of the penalty area, Kaka had caught up.
Huang Kaiwen sent in a low cross. The ball rolled quickly into the middle, where Kaka met it with a curling shot and changed the score once again.
Kaka leaped onto Huang Kaiwen, who had spread his arms wide, and wrapped his legs around his waist. They looked just like Liu Piaopiao and Yin Tianchou under the big tree.
"Milan, Milan!!!"
As the referee blew the final whistle, Huang Kaiwen's teammates tossed him high into the air again and again.
When the Milan players reached the sidelines, Ancelotti gave a slight bow and hurried over to Huang Kaiwen. He looked just like a palace eunuch fussing over his master as he asked with concern, "Kaiwen, how are you feeling? Anything bothering you? Should we get you checked out in the lab?"
"Coach, I'm fine."
Huang Kaiwen smiled and stepped away from Ancelotti. He always felt there was something a little odd about the coach.
"Good, that's good."
Ancelotti stroked his chin and muttered, "Looks like the Vietnamese holy relic really works. Maybe I should buy some more from them when I get the chance."
Back in the locker room, Huang Kaiwen changed while teasing Kaka.
"Want another game tonight, Ricardo?"
"Who's scared?"
Kaka figured Huang Kaiwen was only winning because the team had the advantage. If he got to pick first, he'd definitely win.
"Fine. You can drive me home later, and we'll play at my place."
"Okay."
As soon as Kaka agreed, his phone rang.
He looked at the message and grinned before saying, "First, you'll have to come to the airport with me. Caroline's arrived. We'll pick her up, then head to your place."
Huang Kaiwen felt a little guilty and said nothing.
Once they'd changed, the two of them left together.
He and Kaka picked up Caroline, who was a very polite young woman.
"Weren't you still on break? What brings you here?"
Kaka's question made Huang Kaiwen roll his eyes.
Seriously? That was all it took?
Kaka was lucky to have a girlfriend with that handsome face of his.
"I hadn't seen you in so long," Caroline Celico said with a smile. "Hehe."
"All right. Kaiwen and I already made plans to go to his place today, so let's all go together."
Kaka put an arm around Huang Kaiwen and said with a smile, "This is Kaiwen, my good friend on the team."
"Hello, big star. I've seen you play in Brazil. You and Ricardo are both amazing, and you're both handsome."
Caroline held out her slender arm and shook Huang Kaiwen's hand with easy grace.
Huang Kaiwen thumped his chest and said, "No need to be so formal. If you're Kaka's girlfriend, you're my girlfriend too."
"Get lost!"
Kaka roared and chased Huang Kaiwen, waving his fist.
Caroline covered her mouth and giggled. She hadn't expected Kaka's friend to be so funny.
Well, he was handsome, and he'd called her his girlfriend too. Caroline didn't mind that one bit. If it had been Stam, she probably would've called the police on the spot.
On the way home, Huang Kaiwen even bought a five-euro scratch card and won 50 euros.
He understood. His luck was pretty good today.
That evening, he played with Kaka, but Caroline clearly wasn't interested. Barbara wasn't home either, and the young woman was getting bored.
If Huang Kaiwen hadn't firmly refused to keep playing, Kaka would've wanted another few rounds.
The next day was a day off. The first thing Huang Kaiwen did after getting up was buy a scratch card.
He didn't win a single cent.
He bought ten more, but still didn't win a damn thing. Even the newsstand owner found it strange. Those cards had fixed odds, and people were rarely this unlucky.
It confirmed one of Huang Kaiwen's theories.
Whether it was the Lucky Necklace or the unused 24-Hour Luck Potion, both could increase his luck to some extent.
And a person's luck varied from day to day, or from one period to another.
So even with the Lucky Necklace, his luck still fluctuated every day.
Like today. The necklace was helping, but his luck was still terrible.
Maybe his luck had already gone negative for the day. Even with the necklace, it was still below zero.
If he played today, he'd probably get injured in no time. After all, his injury risk had already accumulated to astronomical levels in the previous match. More importantly, with luck this bad, he might suffer a serious injury.
The day he made his San Siro debut, though, his luck had been great. When he'd hurt himself juggling the ball, it had only been a bruised toe.
Once he'd figured that out, Huang Kaiwen bought a box of a hundred scratch cards and took them home, deciding to test his luck every day.
That afternoon, Huang Kaiwen got a call from Kaka. Caroline wanted to go shopping, and Kaka was clearly trying to drag someone else along to share his suffering.
Huang Kaiwen could only sigh. Maybe that was just fate.
When he got home, Huang Kaiwen indeed found 20 Destiny Points.
[You have greatly altered the fate of future star Luca Celio Leite and significantly altered the fate of Luca Leite's mother, Caroline.]
Click below to view the fate.
A scene immediately appeared.
[Caroline Celico met you through Kaka]
[You often went out together. When you were injured, you cheered Kaka on from the stands with Caroline. Caroline found you witty, funny, and considerate. Comparing you with Kaka, she decided Kaka was just a grown-up child]
[Caroline realized she had fallen for you and chose to come clean to Kaka]
[Kaka agreed to break up. Luca Leite would never be born; instead, Caroline would have your child. To commemorate little Luca, who would never be born, you named your son Huang Luca]
[Luca didn't have much talent for football, but he still joined Milan's youth team]
[Barbara and Caroline got along very well, and she took good care of Luca. Milan's youth team now had two of your children. The newspapers often exaggerated, proclaiming them the new Pele and the new Maradona, while Kaka's son was just a minor character in the papers]
[Once they started playing U16, the truth came out. Luca was especially hopeless—he could stop the ball five meters away]
[Even so, when they came of age, both of them received professional contracts]
[You and Kaka had retired, but Kaka's son still played for Milan. You, Kaka, and your two sons often played poker in the stands while cheering on Kaka's son, little Leite]
[Luca turned out to be very talented at poker. He even beat you and Kaka so badly you flipped the table. Luckily, he was a good kid and gave his older brother's winnings back]
[The two little guys became better and better at working together. Eventually, they beat you and Kaka so badly that the two of you switched to playing chess]
[After years of practice, Luca's poker skills kept improving, and he decided to compete professionally. By an astonishing coincidence, his opponent in the final was Thomas Müller. Luca, who had never beaten Müller on the pitch, defeated him at the poker table.]
[Later, Luca beat Gerard Pique in a bridge tournament. Countless football stars fell to him, and before long he had earned a nickname—the God of Gambling]
Before you continue