On October 7, in the Italian Super Cup replay against Lazio, Huang Kaiwen came on for 13 minutes and set up a goal for Shevchenko before getting injured. Milan still lifted the trophy with a 3–0 win.
Luckily, this time he had only dislocated his shoulder. A few days of rest would be enough for him to recover.
The next day, La Gazzetta dello Sport published a piece of news that left Huang Kaiwen speechless.
Someone had come forward and claimed responsibility for his injuries.
"Nigerian witch doctor Donarba claims that Inter Milan's director of transfers paid him 100,000 euros to cast a curse on Milan's talented player, Kevin. In an interview, he showed us a 'cursed doll' made in Kevin's likeness. According to Donarba, the doll is the sole reason Kevin has been getting injured so often. Donarba also announced that he couldn't give up now, because he was a witch doctor with professional integrity. His fee was 20,000 euros a year, and Inter Milan had hired him for five years!"
Looking at the photo of the little straw doll in the newspaper, even Huang Kaiwen almost believed it.
He tossed the paper aside and immediately understood what the man was up to.
He was just advertising.
He was trying to ride the wave of attention, then trick people into sending him money.
Huang Kaiwen had wondered why it had taken so long for a "witch doctor" to come forward and claim responsibility.
Africans really are a bit slow on the uptake.
In his study, he had pulled the blinds halfway down and sat backlit at his desk.
Feeling that he looked the part, he rang the bell. The old butler appeared at once.
"Sir."
The loyal Albert bowed slightly.
"Albert, go to La Gazzetta dello Sport and ask them to offer a reward of one million euros on my behalf. Anyone who can lift the curse and guarantee I won't keep getting injured for six months can have the money."
"Of course, sir."
Albert bowed again and left the study.
Huang Kaiwen rubbed his chin, feeling that things were getting more and more interesting.
One million euros should get plenty of people to take the bait.
But his injury rate was set by the system. Those charlatans would be powerless, even if they worked themselves to exhaustion. Huang Kaiwen just wanted to see how they would explain it when the time came.
Realizing he hadn't seen the young lady in several days, Huang Kaiwen called Barbara.
"Darling? I heard you got hurt. How are you feeling?"
The young lady asked with concern from the other end of the line.
"It's nothing serious. I can still play in the next match. What about you? Where are you?"
Huang Kaiwen asked softly.
Barbara was a little stubborn, but she had always been wonderful to him.
The last time they spoke, she had been in Ethiopia.
"I'm in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. There's a really powerful witch doctor here. Don't worry, I brought plenty of bodyguards. Nothing will happen to me."
"That's good. Be careful when you go out in Africa. It's best not to eat anything unfamiliar, and drink bottled water too. Infectious diseases are really bad over there."
"Okay, I know!"
Barbara laughed sweetly.
Hearing Huang Kaiwen's concern made even the scorching African weather feel a few degrees cooler.
She reminded him over the phone, "While I'm away, make sure you eat on time. If you don't feel like cooking, have the restaurant deliver something."
"Mm-hmm, will do."
They chatted for another half hour before the young lady finally hung up, reluctant to end the call.
After the reward was announced, plenty of people came forward.
Unfortunately, Huang Kaiwen insisted on paying only if their treatment worked, so all they could do was register their claims and begin "casting spells" at home.
By October 17, Huang Kaiwen's shoulder had healed.
But Ancelotti still left him off the squad list.
Huang Kaiwen sat with Kaka's girlfriend, Caroline, in the away section, watching Milan's league match against Cagliari.
"Do you think we'll win?"
Caroline asked quietly.
"Definitely. Cagliari aren't very strong," Huang Kaiwen said casually.
Milan should have had no trouble with a team like this.
But the match proved him very wrong. It wasn't until the final minutes that Seedorf set up Andrea Pirlo for a goal, and Milan scraped out a difficult away win.
"So, Milan were supposed to win easily," Caroline teased, covering her mouth.
Huang Kaiwen shamelessly replied, "If I'd been on the pitch, Milan would've won comfortably!"
Caroline said nothing, just stuck her tongue out at him.
She really was a cute girl.
After the match, once Kaka had changed, the three of them went to grab something to eat.
After training on October 19, Ancelotti found Huang Kaiwen and mysteriously handed him a package.
It was wrapped in rags, and Huang Kaiwen strongly suspected Ancelotti had picked it out of a trash can.
Seeing Huang Kaiwen's puzzled look, Ancelotti said quietly, "I bought it from some people from Myanmar. You're starting against Barcelona tomorrow. They say if you boil this in water and drink it, it'll protect you from curses."
Huang Kaiwen: ...
How come they didn't cut out your kidney while they were at it?
Faced with his superstitious coach, Huang Kaiwen didn't know what to say.
Ah, Huang Kaiwen really is a sinful man.
To put Ancelotti at ease, Huang Kaiwen patted his chest and promised he'd drink it first thing in the morning.
I'll use the Injury Immunity Card I've saved up when we play Barcelona tomorrow.
When he got home, he threw the rag-wrapped package away.
The next morning, Huang Kaiwen used his 24-Hour Injury Immunity Card.
Then, during the warm-up, he chose to draw a card.
[ Ding! You received the single-match experience card for Luis Figo in the 21st round of the 1997–98 La Liga season: Barcelona vs. Real Madrid. ]
Huang Kaiwen's expression turned strange.
Figo against Barcelona? Won't the away fans throw a pig's head onto the pitch?
The last few cards had all been for wingers, which saved him the trouble of feeling awkward.
If he ever drew a goalkeeper's card, Huang Kaiwen wouldn't know what to do.
The Milan fans in the stands were already eagerly awaiting the match. Quite a few held up banners in support of Huang Kaiwen.
With Huang Kaiwen supposedly "cursed," Milan's fans were his most steadfast supporters.
"Both teams have fielded their strongest lineups today," Coach Zhang said with a smile. "The fans are in for a treat. AC Milan against Barcelona—it's practically a showdown between the strongest teams in football. The clash between two renowned coaches, Ancelotti and Rijkaard, will be well worth watching too."
"That's right. Let's take a look at the starting lineups."
Milan's 4-4-2 diamond midfield:
Goalkeeper: Dida
Defenders: Maldini, Nesta, Stam, Cafu
Midfielders: Gattuso, Andrea Pirlo, Huang Kaiwen, Kaka
Forwards: Inzaghi, Shevchenko
Barcelona's 4-3-3, with one holding midfielder and two central midfielders:
Goalkeeper: Valdes
Defenders: van Bronckhorst, Puyol, Oleguer Presas, Belletti
Midfielders: Deco, Rafael Marquez, Xavi
Forwards: Ronaldinho, Eto'o, Larsson
"Worth noting, Barcelona also have the talented young Messi on the bench. He made his debut in a friendly against Porto last season. In February this year, he signed a professional contract with Barcelona that runs until 2012—an eight-year deal. That shows just how much the club values him. It's also worth mentioning that Inter Milan are very interested in Messi as well."
Huang Kaiwen had noticed the King of Football on the bench too.
He had a youthful face and the same mid-length hairstyle as Aimar. His style was very flamboyant.
Who could have guessed that he would become one of the future rulers of world football?
Luckily, Huang Kaiwen wasn't worried. His good buddy Kaka had pretty much recovered. Let Barcelona's players compete with his good buddy first.
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