After about forty minutes, Kaka came back.
Caroline had returned to the hotel and would be heading back to Brazil the next day.
Judging by how long he'd been gone, Kaka really had only gone to check whether Caroline was at the hotel. He hadn't even comforted his ex-girlfriend.
It was great to be handsome. He'd even managed to date two beautiful girlfriends.
Kaka stayed the night, and early the next morning came the part European kids loved most: opening presents.
As a virgin, Kaka clearly didn't understand how important it was for adults to sleep in. Early in the morning, he was already knocking on the master bedroom door and calling excitedly, "Kaiwen, Kaiwen, get up! It's time to open presents!"
Huang Kaiwen opened his eyes and saw that Barbara was already awake.
"Was letting him stay over a bit careless of us?" Huang Kaiwen said with an awkward laugh.
Thud—
The young lady kicked him out of bed, then climbed out herself.
When Huang Kaiwen saw Barbara go into the bathroom, he hurriedly threw on a couple of things and opened the door. "Buddy, you know I only got four hours of sleep, right?"
"Were you up late playing games yesterday?"
Kaka didn't think much of it and said, "Come on, let's open presents."
Sure enough, people who'd never experienced it could hardly think of it right away.
Kaka dragged Huang Kaiwen over to the Christmas tree.
"Mr. Albert, this is your present." Kaka politely found Albert's gift first and handed it to him. Then he asked, "Where's Sasha? I got her a present too."
"Sasha quit."
Huang Kaiwen yawned. Sasha had been the maid who'd looked after him. To keep him from getting into trouble, Barbara had picked a maid whose looks left a lot to be desired.
Huang Kaiwen really couldn't stand it, so he gave her a severance payment and sent her on her way.
The pursuit of beauty was human nature. Sure, you wouldn't let me have a Japanese-style romance with the maid, but you couldn't let her looks ruin my mood either.
"Okay, that's a shame." Kaka found another box and handed it to Huang Kaiwen, looking expectant. "Open it. You'll definitely like it."
Barbara had changed clothes and come out. She stood beside him, watching the present in Huang Kaiwen's hands.
After unwrapping it, Huang Kaiwen found a game console and looked puzzled.
It was Nintendo's new console, the NDS.
Barbara, standing nearby, suddenly grew wary. She knew Huang Kaiwen had prepared exactly the same gift for Kaka: a Nintendo NDS!
The young lady had an absurd thought: perhaps it wasn't those seductive hussies she needed to watch out for.
Even though Kaka had given her an expensive handbag, Barbara still couldn't bring herself to be happy.
Still, thanks to Huang Kaiwen's efforts, they had a pretty good Christmas.
On January 6, Serie A resumed.
The system shop hadn't stocked an [Injury Immunity Card] that month, but Huang Kaiwen didn't pay it much mind. His holiday still had some time to run.
In Milan's last two matches of the month, they lost 0–1 to their opponents both times. The January 30 match against Bologna was especially concerning: Kaka was injured in the closing minutes, casting a shadow over Milan's prospects.
Ancelotti prayed to every god he could think of, hoping Huang Kaiwen would recover soon.
The only consolation was that Crespo, who'd joined on loan, was gradually settling into the team and putting in some good performances.
As the team's social organizer, Huang Kaiwen decided to throw a party to lift everyone's spirits.
They'd held as many as eight parties at his house during the first half of the season. His butler, Albert, had plenty of experience with them, and everyone always had a great time.
Thankfully, the system shop came through in February.
[Dribbling Master] 2,000 Fate Points, [Cruyff Template] 8,000 points, [24-Hour Injury Immunity Card] 20 points, [Judo Mastery] 100 points, [Item: Cheerleader Horn] 150 points.
With only 100 points, Huang Kaiwen did as usual and spent 20 on the [Injury Immunity Card]. All he could do with the rest was look.
On February 2, Milan played away against Messina. Huang Kaiwen had stopped using crutches, so he went to the away stands with Kaka.
As soon as they sat down, Huang Kaiwen pulled bag after bag of snacks out of his backpack.
Then he took out two cups and handed one to Kaka. Finally, he pulled a game console and a game cartridge from the front pocket of his backpack and asked, "Did you bring the console and cable like I asked?"
"Yeah," Kaka said.
"Great. Later, we'll find somewhere to trade Pokemon."
"Sure! I caught Latias. I'll give it to you later!" Kaka said excitedly. He'd caught the rare Pokemon just a few days ago while he was using the bathroom.
They were playing Pokémon Ruby. Even though Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen had been released as remakes in January 2004, Huang Kaiwen didn't really like that generation.
Milan found their form again that day. Crespo and Tomasson both scored twice, but the cameraman kept cutting to the stands.
The Italian commentator joked, "Kaka and Kaiwen get along well, which is good news for Milan. But the two of them look like they're on a picnic. Kaiwen even brought a folding table!"
The next day, the all-knowing La Gazzetta dello Sport revealed not only the brands of the snacks they'd eaten but also the console and game they'd been playing.
Before long, Nintendo came to Huang Kaiwen with an endorsement deal. All he had to do was play their console in the stands while he was injured, and he'd earn 800,000 euros a year.
Huang Kaiwen had no objections. He was having a pretty good time playing, at least.
He was injured, and companies were still coming to him with endorsement deals. What more could he ask for?
Unfortunately, Kaka soon betrayed their revolutionary friendship and returned to the pitch.
Huang Kaiwen was left by himself in the stands, playing his console.
After Kaka returned, Milan went on a tear, winning every league match and even beating Inter Milan again. Kaka scored in that match.
After scoring, Kaka showed off the T-shirt he was wearing under his jersey. It read in Italian, "Get well soon, Kaiwen."
In Europe, meanwhile, Milan beat Manchester United 1–0 away, with Crespo scoring the winner. The team showed its strength in both competitions.
Under those circumstances, Huang Kaiwen returned to the team in early March, having picked up another [Injury Immunity Card].
After the Milan Lab had examined him twice, Gianni Nanni excitedly told Ancelotti, "He's fine. There are no lingering problems with his body."
Ancelotti was thrilled, then left Huang Kaiwen out of the squad for the March 5 match against Atalanta.
It wasn't because he had anything against Huang Kaiwen.
Ancelotti would rather have Huang Kaiwen play in the upcoming Champions League match.
Milan had won the first leg by a goal, but against a team like Manchester United, one goal wasn't enough to feel safe. Ferguson's Red Devils were Europe's greatest comeback artists.
Ancelotti wanted to surprise Ferguson with Huang Kaiwen.
So he announced the Champions League starting lineup early, and Huang Kaiwen's name was right there on the list.
The Manchester Evening News claimed it was a smokescreen from Ancelotti and that Huang Kaiwen wouldn't play another minute on the pitch that season.
There'll be another update later. I need a moment to sort out the main storyline.
Before you continue