Chapter 118 Truth or Dare (Part 1)...
Dinner that day was very lavish, and all eight of us worked together, with no one idly watching.
The midfield trio of Pirlo, Gattuso, and Ambrosini also showed great chemistry in cooking, preparing a large selection of classic Italian dishes. Fino prepared several Chinese dishes on his own, Kaka continued with his Brazilian barbecue, Nesta excelled at baking pizzas, and Shevchenko and Inzaghi, who were not particularly skilled at cooking, were responsible for washing vegetables and plating dishes.
When Fino and his two companions went to the supermarket, they didn't buy any alcohol, but Pirlo brought some wine from his own winery, Shevchenko brought a few bottles of vodka, and Ambrosini surprisingly brought several cases of German beer.
Gattuso and Nesta helped Ambrosini carry the beer over.
Gattuso complained, "Massimo, why did you bring beer? It's no fun, even a dog wouldn't drink it!"
Several people piled the bottles in the middle of the table, creating a small mountain. Fino was startled when he came out after washing his hands.
"So much alcohol? Are you sure you're okay with this?"
Let's not even talk about his alcohol tolerance. Inzaghi is also a teetotaler. With the remaining six people drinking so much, it feels like they're going to get completely drunk.
“No problem, I’m an Eastern European who grew up in the freezing cold.” Shevchenko snapped his fingers.
Pirlo and the others didn't seem to care. None of them were heavy drinkers, but since they were out having fun, it wouldn't hurt to have a good time.
Ambrosini, Kaká, and Pirlo are all surfing enthusiasts, and before the meal even started, they had already taken photos and posted them on social media.
[Waaaaah, the original five-person team is finally reunited! I thought the four of you were going to isolate Inzaghi!]
The squad has grown stronger; this time they've brought along two team leaders, and Shevchenko too.
Delicious food, fine wine, beautiful scenery, and beautiful women—this scene is so pleasing to the eye.
[Where is this? Why are there photos of a yacht? Did they go out to sea?]
Judging from the surroundings, it appears to be a lake view in the northern mountainous region.
With Milan's looks, playing football there is truly a luxury.
Cherish this opportunity, Shevchenko will be returning to Chelsea next season.
Why didn't the person upstairs mention Kaka?
[Shut upstairs! Kaká won't leave Milan!]
[This is way too much alcohol! Looks like I'm going to get really drunk tonight!]
[I wish I were there, hehe, what if someone got so drunk they passed out...]
What are you trying to do upstairs? Stop it...
...
After a lively meal, everyone took their wine glasses and moved to the living room. Fino and Pirlo washed the fruit, while Kaka and Nesta unpacked and plated the snacks, placing them on the table. Then it was game time.
Fino suggested continuing to play the "510K" game of drawing turtles, and Kaka, Nesta, and Gattuso all waved their hands frantically.
They absolutely must not have their faces painted with turtles again. In that escape tournament at the end of last season, the three of them finished last, second to third, and were ridiculed online for a long time.
Shevchenko is eager to try. He was only loaned back to Milan this season and did not experience the "510K" tortoise battle last season.
"It's just playing cards, how come you keep losing? Are you guys just too bad?"
Kaka, with a "you're ignorant and fearless" look on his face, kindly advised, "Sheva, I advise you not to try. Finney, Pippo, and Andrea are all experts."
This, however, fueled Shevchenko's competitive spirit: "Come on, give it a try!"
Try it and it'll be gone.
Fino explained the rules of the game to him, and then the game began.
With only 54 cards in a deck of cards, it's not advisable to have too many people participating in the game. Kaka, Nesta, Gattuso, and Ambrosini voluntarily withdrew and simply sat on the sidelines watching Shevchenko make a scene and see how Fino, Pirlo, and Inzaghi would teach him a lesson.
In less than an hour, a complete turtle had grown on Shevchenko's face, while the other three had clean faces.
"Sheva, want to play again?" Kaka asked with a grin as he helped shuffle the cards.
"Let's stop playing, let's stop playing! It's no fun with just the four of us. Let's play something else!" Shevchenko immediately decided to play it safe after realizing that the skill levels of the players were not on the same level.
“Let’s play Truth or Dare!” Ambrosini suggested, finally able to put his beer to good use.
They still use playing cards to set the rules of the game.
A deck of cards has 54 cards. After removing two Jokers, the remaining 52 cards are ranked from A to K in ascending order. For the same number, Spades > Hearts > Diamonds > Clubs. In other words, the Ace of Clubs is the lowest card and the King of Spades is the highest card.
Shuffle 52 cards, and each person draws one card. They cannot see their own card, but must show it to the other seven people. Then, based on the numbers on the other seven people's cards and their expressions, each person tries to guess whether their card is the lowest.
If you believe your hand is the lowest, you can choose to forfeit and punish yourself with a drink. Fino and Inzaghi, who don't drink, have to do push-ups.
When no one abstains, the person who draws the lowest card among the remaining people accepts the final punishment, choosing between Truth or Dare. The person who draws the highest card among the remaining people decides the punishment.
The first round of the game started quickly.
After each person draws a card, they turn the card face down and show it to the others.
The eight players' cards, from highest to lowest, are: Shevchenko Queen of Diamonds, Ambrosini Queen of Clubs, Pirlo Jack of Hearts, Nesta 9 of Spades, Fino 8 of Hearts, Kaka 8 of Diamonds, Inzaghi 3 of Spades, and Gattuso Ace of Diamonds.
After seeing the cards of the other seven players, Pirlo said meaningfully to Gattuso, "Rino, you should fold. Your hand is dangerous!"
Fino chimed in, as if defending him: "Andrea, don't bully Rino, he'll take it seriously."
Gattuso was becoming uncertain. Pirlo had always been a cunning man, but Fino, under Pirlo's influence, had slowly become corrupted as well. He couldn't trust Pirlo, but he also couldn't trust Fino.
He glanced at the expressions of the others. Nesta and Kaká were eating, Shevchenko and Ambrosini looked calm, and Inzaghi's smile was somewhat enigmatic.
After thinking about it for a moment, he still felt that this was a prank by Pirlo and Fino, deliberately trying to make him drink a penalty shot. Inzaghi's cards were too weak, and the possibility of him losing was very low.
Therefore, he did not choose to abstain.
The others were even less likely to choose to abstain. Gattuso's Ace of Diamonds was the second lowest card, and with 7 cards face up, the probability of him getting the Ace of Clubs was only 1/45. There was no need to abstain and drink the penalty for that probability.
The first round of the game ended, and Gattuso was punished, with Shevchenko deciding the punishment.
Pirlo burst out laughing: "I kindly reminded you, but you still didn't believe me."
Gattuso waved him off, telling him to shut up. He'd be a complete fool to believe Pirlo again. Hadn't he learned his lesson after all these years?
Shevchenko asked with a half-smile, "Truth or dare?"
The relationship between Shevchenko and Gattuso was somewhat delicate, initially due to the captain's armband.
After Albertini left Milan, Gattuso and Shevchenko gradually joined the captaincy. The captaincy was, in order: Maldini, Costacurta, Ambrosini, Shevchenko, and Gattuso.
Gattuso and Shevchenko both arrived in Milan in the summer of 1999. Gattuso was Italian, which made him feel uneasy about Shevchenko being ranked ahead of him in the captaincy. He was unhappy about it, but he felt petty to say it out loud, so he could only keep sulking.
When Shevchenko transferred to Chelsea citing his child's schooling as the reason, he made several sarcastic remarks to the media.
After Shevchenko returned from loan, he repaired his relationship with almost everyone except Ancelotti and Gattuso.
His issues with Ancelotti involved Berlusconi's interference in tactical decisions, which was quite complex, and personal feelings were less relevant. However, his issues with Gattuso were much more subtle.
This season, Shevchenko hasn't received much playing time at Milan, and Milan has no intention of buying him outright. He will return to Chelsea at the end of the season. Perhaps taking this opportunity to resolve his issues with Gattuso would be a good choice.
He always considered himself a Milanese.
Gattuso chose to tell the truth, and given his delicate relationship with Shevchenko, it was hard not to suspect that Shevchenko would use this opportunity to get back at him.
Shevchenko hit the nail on the head: "Are you still bothered that I was once ranked ahead of you in the captain's order? Even though I have now completely lost the chance to wear the captain's armband."
Wow~ That's so exciting?
The other six exchanged glances. Ambrosini subconsciously touched his upper arm. Brothers, am I the next captain?
Gattuso was stunned; he hadn't expected Shevchenko to be so direct.
He weighed the options and ultimately chose to be honest: "I did mind. To be honest, I admit that you and Massimo are both natural leaders, but I also think I'm well-suited to succeed Paolo. I'll be upset about that, but that's not the root of my problem with you. The root of the problem is that you abandoned Milan for Chelsea when they were embroiled in the 'Calciopoli' scandal, and you used the ridiculous excuse of your child going to school."
After Gattuso finished speaking, the living room fell into a deathly silence.
This is actually the sentiment of many veteran Milan players. Shevchenko has returned, and the relationship seems to have been repaired, but have the rifts from the past really disappeared?
Shevchenko closed his eyes, and after a long while, he spoke with difficulty: "I'm sorry about the transfer. I know it hurt everyone's feelings, but what's done is done, and I deeply regret it now. Besides, I've learned my lesson enough, haven't I?"
He picked up his glass and, starting with Kaka on his right, made eye contact with each of them in turn. After looking around, his gaze fell on Gattuso across from him.
"I'll be going back to Chelsea after the season ends, spending most of my time on the bench, or being loaned out again. Then I'll leave the top five leagues and go back to Ukraine to spend the rest of my professional career. But I promise, I will always love Milan, and I will always be a Milan fan. Can you forgive me?"
The topic was too heavy, so everyone silently clinked glasses with him and downed their beers in one gulp.
Gattuso hesitated for a moment, then walked over and gave Shevchenko a tight hug. It was time to turn the page.
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Author's Note: Gattuso is the cold-faced type; he's the one who's always threatening to transfer, but he's also the one who diligently takes pay cuts to renew his contract [laughing emoji]. He really wants to be captain. If I remember correctly, around 2003, Galliani persuaded him that he was suitable to be captain. He was quite humble at the time, saying that Maldini could play for at least another four years, but deep down he probably thought he would take over, because Costacurta was also retiring, and Ambrosini was often unable to play due to poor health. Later, Shevchenko was ranked ahead of him in the captaincy, which made him unhappy. When Kaká won the Ballon d'Or, Galliani said again that Kaká could be Milan's captain, which also made him unhappy.
Thank you everyone for your support! [Lop-eared rabbit head]
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