Chapter 57
After the friendly match, Manchester United's main players flew back to Manchester the next day.
Compared to Milan's spring-like climate all year round, Manchester has already entered the snowy season early. Balls with red and green elements can be seen everywhere on the streets, decorating the streets.
"Christmas is coming again." Cristiano leaned against the car window and looked at the long and narrow street outside. There was a bustling crowd of people and the stalls were selling animal-style hats.
Last Christmas, he and Kaka walked along this street. They even did a funny dance in front of the store on the corner. Then they ran away when the crowd was at its busiest, went into the park, and kissed each other in the park.
Cristiano curled up the corners of his mouth as he recalled the past. As he took a few deep breaths, a thin layer of white mist covered the car window.
Keane sat next to him and asked, "Are you going back this year?"
"No, I plan to bring them over this year." Cristiano looked at his captain and explained, "The house I rented last Christmas was too small and inconvenient. This new villa I bought this year has enough guest rooms. I think it's time for them to come and see how I'm doing here."
Keane nodded and said, "You can show them where you train every day."
"Yes, that's right." Cristiano laughed, "They have always been curious about my life here. They must also want to meet you."
Ferdinand interrupted and asked, "Have you ever told your family about us?"
Everyone else in the car pricked up their ears. Van Nistelrooy opened the book in his hand without turning the page, Giggs quietly turned down the volume in his headphones, and even Rooney put down the game console in his hand.
"Of course." Cristiano looked at Ferdinand.
He raised the corner of his mouth. Even Ms. Dolores in the previous life was very familiar with his teammates. He left his familiar hometown when he was very young, and he was very willing to share with his mother some interesting things happening around him, so that their lives, which seemed to be getting farther and farther away, could overlap again.
They are family, and family is more important than anything else.
- Of course, what Chris shared with Ms. Dolores were only some interesting things. As for other more complicated and annoying negative emotions, he did not want to pass them on to the people around him. He could digest them well by himself.
In his previous life, Ferdinand had even closer contacts with them. Ever since he had little Mini, Ferdinand had helped take care of him many times. He was always willing to play ball with Mini and was one of Mini's top three favorite uncles.
In this life, Ferdinand waited patiently for a few seconds after Chris finished speaking, and then found that Cristiano had no intention of continuing. He even looked at them with a knowing smile, a look of teasing and certainty that seemed to deserve a beating.
Ferdinand laughed angrily after he realized what was happening, and rubbed Cristiano's head: "You bastard, just assume that no one will beat you up even if you deserve a beating!"
Van Nistelrooy, Giggs and others who were waiting for Cristiano to start speaking immediately realized the boy's intention.
What a low-level prank. A few people rolled their eyes angrily, and continued reading or playing games.
…
"What do you think Cristiano will say about us in front of his family?" In the locker room, Rooney took the lead in opening the topic.
Cristiano is going to pick up Dolores and the others at the airport today, which gives them a good opportunity to discuss this little issue that has been bothering them for a long time.
"A strict class teacher." Giggs pointed at himself, causing Neville to laugh.
Neville said: "Indeed, your appearance is very consistent with the class teacher in some boys' nightmares."
Giggs smiled at Neville and commented on him: "The vice-captain who is better at clearing the ball in the interview area than on the pitch."
Neville spread his hands, ignoring his friend's vindictive comments.
"The protector of the stadium." Giggs pointed at Ferdinand who was getting dressed. Their central defender had distinct abdominal muscles and muscular body.
Ferdinand raised his eyebrows when he heard this and was quite satisfied with this evaluation.
"Two people of the same age who work well together." Giggs pointed at Rooney again.
Rooney was equally satisfied with this. He touched his short hedgehog-like stubble and grinned: "You are right, I believe this is the case!"
"You are so boring." Van Nistelrooy glanced at Rooney, Giggs and others, and had no intention of participating in such meaningless speculation and discussion.
Giggs crossed his arms and smiled, "Come on, Rude, you're just feeling guilty. You kicked Ronnie on purpose, maybe that's what his mother thinks of you."
Fanny: “…”
The Dutchman's face darkened quickly, but he quickly retorted: "Then, you guys, the class teacher, are not innocent either. You trained your little teammate so hard that he hid away and cried, and it was reported in the newspaper? This will definitely spread more widely."
Fanny gave them a fake smile, stood up and picked up his training bag, nodding slowly: "So maybe your discussion is over? I'll be leaving first."
Giggs, Neville, etc.: "..."
Fanny killed the chat.
Keane coughed lightly, breaking the silence in the locker room.
He pointed at his watch and said, "Perhaps Cristiano has already met his family. I plan to visit them later with some things. Who of you plans to go with me?"
Giggs and Neville looked at each other and actually felt a rare sense of guilt. It had to be said that Van Nistelrooy's words just now had some impact on them.
"Isn't today too rushed? We haven't even informed Ronnie in advance. Why not wait two days?" Neville asked.
"That's up to you. I've already mentioned it to Ronnie in advance." Keane shrugged.
Ferdinand called to Keane: "I'll go with you."
So when Cristiano had just settled Dolores, Dinis and Simeone's family and had not had time to sit down and have a glass of water, he received a visit from his captain and Ferdinand.
"Ah, you guys are here really early." Cristiano opened the door and saw two teammates standing at the door. He couldn't help but laugh and immediately stepped aside to let them in. "Come in and sit for a while. Just you? Where are the others? Didn't they say they wanted to come and play?"
Ferdinand didn't know how to tell Chris about the discussions in the locker room and the embarrassment of some individuals, so he chose to keep silent and just said: "They are not ready yet."
Cristiano laughed: "Are they planning to prepare any gifts? That would be great."
Keane coughed twice and handed the two bottles of red wine he brought to Cristiano: "I don't know about that, let them go."
Cristiano led his teammates through the corridor of the villa to the warm living room with a fireplace. Dolores and Simeone were all there, but Cristiano's brothers and sisters and Di Gan were still tinkering excitedly in their respective rooms.
Keane and Ferdinand didn't expect that there were not only Cristiano's parents here, but also apparently another couple.
The two of them paused and looked at Chris.
"This is my mother and father. Mr. and Ms. Aveiro." Cristiano introduced Keane and Ferdinand, then looked at Simeone and Bosco on the other side, "This is Mr. and Ms. Wright."
"These are my teammates, Keane and Ferdinand." Cristiano introduced both sides.
Keane and Ferdinand were stunned when they heard this. Mr. and Ms. Wright? Have they been too wary of that guy named Kaka recently? Why did my first reaction think of Ricardo Wright?
Can't it?
The Red Devils' captain and his central defender subconsciously exchanged glances, but before they could exchange any information.
Dolores stood up and hugged the two tall and strong players, then took Cristiano's arm and said, "Oh, I know you. You are Chris's captain and you took good care of him when Chris first joined the team. And you, Chris said you always get him out of the conflict as soon as possible. Thank you so much, otherwise I would be very worried about Chris. He has always been a restless child."
Dolores smiled warmly on her round face. She patted Cristiano's arm and motioned for Chris to translate her words to the two gentlemen.
Cristiano grinned, translated to his two teammates, and added at the end: "I'm not a restless kid. At most, there are always people who like to provoke and trouble me who are not as good as me."
Keane and Ferdinand laughed a bit, with Ferdinand replying: "I'm well aware of that."
Cristiano turned his head to look at his mother and quickly translated two sentences into Portuguese, which made both Ms. Dolores and Ms. Simeone laugh.
Dolores looked blandly at Keane and Ferdinand.
It is rare for the iron-blooded captain who won the treble and the tough central defender to stand together at a loss.
They didn't expect Cristiano's mother to smile at them so sincerely to express her gratitude, nor did they expect Dolores to really understand all this. They thought that Cristiano's previous statement of "mentioned it" in the car was just a simple statement.
"Oh...it's nothing, this is what we should do." Keane said. He looked at Cristiano. The boy had an "I told you so" expression on his face, cheerful and straightforward. He couldn't help but shake his head and said to Cristiano, "Ronnie, translate for us: Cristiano has integrated well into the team, and everyone likes you."
Cristiano grinned. "Of course, my mother already knows this. I've told her countless times. Of course, it makes me more credible when you say it."
Ferdinand chuckled.
With Cristiano acting as an atmosphere regulator on both sides, Keane and Ferdinand did not feel too difficult between the elders on both sides, although they still had a huge question lingering in their minds - which Wright?
The two did not stay in Cristiano's villa for too long. Before dinner, they got up and said goodbye to the two enthusiastic couples.
As Cristiano escorted them out the door, Ferdinand whispered to their young teammate: "So, who are the Wright couple who have been sitting on the right?"
"Tell me it's not that Wright," Keane added.
Cristiano smiled brightly and openly: "Oh, it's what you think."
Ferdinand took a deep breath: "...Meet the parents?"
"They are very understanding and open-minded parents," Cristiano hinted.
"But I think they are a very typical Christian family!" Keane blurted out in disbelief.
Cristiano hummed, "So I said, they are very reasonable and open-minded parents?"
Keane: “…”
"You've come to this?" Ferdinand stared at Cristiano seriously. "If the tabloids took pictures of you having dinner together...even having Christmas dinner together..."
Cristiano interrupted Ferdinand and said with a smile: "Yes, Christmas dinner. I have been preparing for it for almost half a month."
He looked at Ferdinand. "Even the tabloids know where to draw the line. Besides, it was just a Christmas dinner between two good friends who appreciate each other. The tabloids will praise our harmonious competitive relationship."
Ferdinand: “…”
He was silent for two seconds, and finally said: "Yes, you are right, but are you sure you really want to do this? Your career has just started, and this relationship hidden under the surface will force you to bear more challenges and pressure than other players."
Cristiano added: "I like challenges and pressure. They make me stronger and better. And I think I have always handled it well."
Keane helplessly watched his teammate in front of him seem to have a competitive spirit, which was not the point at all. He shook his head and corrected: "No, that's not the point. The point is, what does the other person think? Can he do it too?"
"Cristiano, it's too easy for you to give your sincerity and everything to someone, whether it's love or friendship. This is good and a rare quality, but it requires someone to cherish it." Keane looked at Cristiano as if he was looking at his own brother.
He will never forget that day on the bus when Cristiano resolutely and impulsively stood between him and his boss in the fierce conflict.
He knew very well that he had stepped hard on the boss' bottom line that time and he would be kicked out of the club he loved, but he never expected Cristiano to intervene. Although the boy was young and immature, he could understand the club's hidden rules of survival. What's more important, after Cristiano understood it, he still tried hard to shake the boss's determination for him.
Keane was absolutely certain that no one else would do this for a teammate they just worked and played with.
This incident also completely changed his impression and opinion of Cristiano. He would never hurt Cristiano and he didn't want to see Cristiano get hurt.
He sighed and reminded her as best as he could: "As your teammate and friend, Leo and I admire your personality and abilities very much, but I hate to say this - but your personality will make you more vulnerable. If you invest too much and it's not proportional, or... then how can you take your heart back?"
Ferdinand also looked at Cristiano in silence.
Cristiano understood what they meant. He paused and then replied: "If that person is not worthy of my sincerity, then I will take it back. I will leave completely, whether it is a friend or a lover, he will disappear from my life."
Ferdinand and Keane were stunned when they looked into Cristiano's eyes. They were frightened by Cristiano's seriousness and decisiveness for two seconds, as if the other party had really done this.
Ferdinand couldn't help but frowning slightly. The next second, he grabbed the curly-haired guy in front of him and squeezed him hard. Then he shook his head slightly at Keane, indicating with his eyes that he should skip this topic.
Cristiano was soon released. He saw Keane scratching his short hair, which was not very thick to begin with. He wanted to say something but couldn't find anything to say. He grinned and said, "I'm just saying. Can this determination reassure you?"
Keane pursed his lips and said, "Then you'd better be able to do it. But I hope you never have to do this."
"I don't think I'll need it. My eyes are very accurate in recognizing people." Cristiano compared his eyes, "I can be sure that he loves me as much as I love him."
Ferdinand: “…”
He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Who could have thought that in the end, Cristiano would go back to being the love-brained Cristiano?
"That's great. I'll keep an eye on it," said Ferdinand.
Cristiano touched the tip of his nose: "Okay."
"It seems that Kaka is right." He raised his eyebrows.
"What did he say?" Ferdinand asked.
"He said you and Keane must have a scoring sheet for him, always keeping an eye on where to deduct points," Cristiano said and laughed again.
Keane, Ferdinand: "..."
This Kaka is really not simple. The two big brothers had red lights on in their hearts.
After Cristiano sent the two away and returned to the room, Simeone and Bosco looked at Chris. They both seemed to have something to say, but were hindered by the presence of Dolores and Dinis.
Seeing this, Cristiano said, "Aunt Simone, don't you want to see my gym? It's in the basement. I'll take you there to play. Mom, do you want to come with me?"
Dolores waved her hand: "Forget it, I'm not interested in this. I'd rather stay with the TV."
"I'll accompany your mother." Denis said. Dolores smiled sheepishly and nudged her husband with her elbow.
Cristiano made a funny expression. He had rarely seen Dinis and Dolores being so affectionate and outgoing. But now everything had changed, which was a good thing. He smiled and turned around to take Simeone and the others downstairs.
"Oh Chris, your teammates, they just talked to you for a long time, did they figure out something?" Simeone asked uneasily.
Cristiano was a little surprised by Simeone's sensitivity. He did not hide it and nodded: "They do know, but they won't tell anyone. These are some unspoken secrets. They are just worried that we are moving too fast."
He chose a slightly more euphemistic term.
But Bosco quickly understood: "They don't think you can stick with it."
Because that was also his original idea.
He received a stompling from his wife for his statement, and he gasped, but managed to stand straight and elegantly and smile: "That's because they don't know enough."
"Yes, that's right, they don't know Kaka well enough." Cristiano coughed lightly to cover up the sound of laughter that was about to come out.
Bosco looked at the boy helplessly, Cristiano's acting was terrible, he could see how much the boy wanted to laugh, his dignity was gone.
Simeone grasped the point, Chris' teammates thought Kaka would not be firm enough.
She said quickly: "That's it, Kaka will never let go first, Chris, you can believe this 100%, if you have seen how he looked during the time you were apart, you will understand."
Cristiano was stunned for a moment, then he asked tentatively: "The time when we were apart? Um... when?"
Simeone and Bosco both looked at Cristiano: "... around 2002? We thought you were separated for a short period of about a month."
Cristiano realized that perhaps it was because Kaka came into this world a month earlier than him.
He took a deep breath, his heart aching uncontrollably as he wept for his lover who was alone.
He didn't need Simeone to say anything more, he thought about how Kaka looked when they first met in this world - it was enough for him to imagine.
Cristiano curled up tightly, and Simeone hugged him in panic. He found that Cristiano was silent with red eyes, and his tears quickly wet Simeone's sleeves.
"I'm sorry, Aunt Simone, I just... I just can't control myself, sorry..." Cristiano said incoherently, over and over again. He took a deep breath, "I'm sorry, I don't want to be like this... I just didn't know he was here alone, God..."
Simeone's heart was once again gripped with grief. The last time it was because of his son, and this time it was because of his son's lover.
Even though she didn't understand what happened between the two people, she didn't understand why two people who loved each other would suffer such torture, but she still felt the same way, once again.
She felt Cristiano's helplessness, pain, and confusion. Cristiano's emotions were like straightforward words, clearly and violently rushing towards Simeone and Bosco.
This made them extremely regretful for letting these things slip.
Bosco put his hand on Cristiano's shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly: "It's all over, kid."
Simeone hugged Cristiano, who curled up unconsciously, and kissed Cristiano's forehead: "Don't apologize, Chris, God will not blame you. What's important is that you love each other so hard. God will bless all equal love. You are blessed."
She wiped Cristiano's red eyelids and tears, slowed down her voice, and said firmly and gently: "Chris, you will be safe and happy. The Lord is with you."
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