Chapter 66
After the game, Cristiano and Giggs were both given a rest.
Although Cristiano did not think it was necessary, it was clear that even he could not sway Ferguson's decision.
The club's schedule in the first half of the year is already dense enough, and the national team's World Cup qualifiers have to be interspersed in between. Ferguson must arrange his baby well. He does not want Cristiano to be overused.
Cristiano and Kaka hardly had the chance to see each other, and sometimes they didn't even have time to talk on the phone.
The system's virtual space became the only place where they could meet and touch each other, and this was only sometimes, as Kaka didn't come in often - Kaka also played a lot of games, and he appeared more and more in the starting lineup. Ancenotti liked to use him very much, and Kaka also responded to the coach's outstanding performance.
Kaka's number of appearances far exceeded that of his other teammates in the club, and after the game, even Kaka was so tired that he just wanted to go back to bed and didn't even want to move a finger in the virtual space.
Cristiano knew Kaka's "perfect attendance" and he had to worry whether Kaka would be used too harshly.
But he didn't want to be the "annoying and nagging" person. He knew Kaka was already very tired, so he just sent him a few messages from time to time, chatting about their respective games or training, and then stayed in the virtual space at the old time when they often entered it, training alone, until he was forced to be kicked out by the system after three hours.
After waiting like this for several days, Cristiano finally caught sight of Kaka.
——Or rather, Kaka asked him out.
【K: Virtual training tonight? Haven't seen you for a long time, Cris, I miss you so much :(】
Cristiano immediately turned down Pique's invitation to go to the bar tonight and quickly replied:
【C: I miss you too! Sure, see you at the old time? 】
【K: OK Cris! 】
After being turned down for the bar event, Pique looked like an abandoned large golden retriever. Even his blond hair seemed to have dimmed a lot. "But Chris, I would feel restrained without you. I definitely can't play alone."
Cristiano almost laughed. Gerard Pique actually said that he couldn't go to the bar alone? ! God, if this was the first time he met Pique, he would really be fooled by this guy's superb acting skills and pitiful appearance.
Cristiano gave Pique a fake smile and said, "Then don't go. Go and train more. As a future outstanding defender, I think you still need to gain muscle."
Pique choked, not expecting this answer at all.
But soon, his focus shifted again: "Do you think I would be a very good defender?"
Pike's eyes visibly lit up.
"Don't you think so?" Cristiano wanted to pry open his friend's head. Could it be that the 17-year-old Pique in his previous life was also so naive and lacking in self-confidence and self-awareness?
In front of Pique, Cristiano finally felt a rare sense of joy, being able to look down on younger people with the eyes of an elder in this world. He finally felt that he was 37 years old.
He patted Pique on the shoulder, tightened his expression, and said seriously: "Gerrard, you will be one of the world's top defenders and will win many trophies for your club and country."
Pique immediately replied: "Of course! Of course I agree with that!"
But it was different when it came from Cristiano's mouth. The young golden retriever stubbornly believed that the recognition from Cristiano was much more important and had much more weight than he thought.
"Isn't that enough?" Cristiano shrugged his shoulders. That's good. He saw that Pique's eyes still had a little arrogance and pretending to be humble - it was not appropriate to say this, but he felt much more relieved. This was the real Pique.
Pique smiled brightly. He thought carefully about Cristiano's compliment and suddenly corrected himself, "It's to win more trophies for our club."
Cristiano paused. He knew very well that Pique would not stay in Manchester United for long and would be loaned out soon. After that, Pique would go to Barcelona, and he would also arrive in Real Madrid to open up new territory.
"People won't stay in the same place forever. We will be teammates, but we will also always be opponents. The Champions League is what we are really pursuing," said Cristiano.
"Will you come to Barcelona?" Pique asked suddenly.
3
Cristiano almost choked. Pique had never poached players from Manchester United like this before: "The boss will break your legs immediately if he hears."
Cristiano threatened his friend jokingly, then looked up and met his friend's icy blue eyes, which were rarely serious. He realized that the big golden retriever was serious, so he shook his head and said in a deep voice, "No, I won't go, Gerrard, let's end this issue here."
Cristiano suppressed his smile to let the big boy in front of him know that he was serious.
Pique pursed his lips tightly, lowered his head, and remained silent for a long time.
Cristiano was almost feeling a little guilty. Did he overestimate the fragile psychological endurance of a 17-year-old boy? Was he being too direct?
"Okay, Chris." Just when Cristiano was hesitant, Pique raised his head and smiled brightly at Cristiano, "If I can't be your defender, I mean, if we can't be teammates in the future, I hope... well, I wish you can always have a reliable defender. I won't let you go."
Cristiano laughed: "That would be great."
"Okay, go to training, I have to go." Cristiano looked at the time, patted Pique, then waved his hand, turned around and walked away decisively.
Pike nodded in response.
After Pique arrived at the gym and sweated for more than half an hour, he suddenly came to his senses - why was he here? He should be happy in the bar. He clearly said that to Cristiano just to coax Chris into going with him, so how come he ended up tricking himself into going to the gym?
Aaaah.
Cristiano didn't care what Pique was thinking. He took a quick shower and then entered the virtual space at the time agreed with Kaka.
When Cristiano entered the virtual space, he saw his lover taking a nap on the sofa in the medical room. He swallowed back the "Kaka" that he was about to shout out, and walked lightly to Kaka's side.
His young lover was sleeping peacefully, and even though he had crouched down, close enough to kiss her secretly, Kaka did not seem to wake up. Instead, as if he could sense Cristiano's scent, he tilted his head towards Chris and moved to the side, seeming to sleep more peacefully.
Cristiano was caught off guard and had his clothes corner pressed down by Kaka, and his arm was pressed against his lover's ear because of Kaka's small movement. He was reluctant to move away as he did not want to disturb his lover's sleep.
Cristiano blinked. It was not the first time for him to sit and wait for Kaka to wake up and adjust to the jet lag. Of course, Kaka might not know this. He carefully brought his calves together, maintaining the half-squatting position, and tilted his head to look at his lover.
Cristiano was filled with joy and satisfaction. He had been waiting for several days and finally got it.
He bent his long and delicate eyebrows, and his originally sharp eyebrows softened. He lowered his head, raised the corners of his mouth, gently rubbed the arm that was pressed by his lover with the tip of his nose, and looked at it carefully with his eyes open.
He could see the new light blue stubble on Kaka's face, as well as the fine white hairs on his cheeks, which was so adorable.
Cristiano whispered in his mind.
He squatted in the same position for several minutes, so that the soles of his feet soon became numb, as if they were being pricked by needles. He grinned and wrinkled his nose slightly, and could not help but move a little to change his position.
"Cris?" Kaka opened his eyes and saw Cristiano squatting beside him with an awkward and weird posture and a hint of pain on his face. He immediately became much more sober and sat up quickly.
"Did I wake you up?" When Cristiano saw Kaka woke up, he simply sat down on the ground, scratched his head and smiled, then looked up at his lover. The slightly drooped corners of his eyes made him look more like an innocent puppy.
He snorted softly, with a soft, coquettish tone in his voice that he himself didn't even notice, and stretched out his hand towards Kaka: "You're numb from squatting, Kaka."
Kaka laughed when he heard that. He grabbed Cristiano's hand and, with a little force, pulled his lover into the sofa.
"Why didn't you call me?" Kaka smiled and held down the boy who was lying on him.
He grabbed Cristiano's calf, and gripped the boy's even more slender and fragile ankle along the curve of the calf muscle. He skillfully massaged the soles of Cristiano's feet to relax them.
Compared to Cristiano's height, he has a pair of smaller feet than other adult men. Kaka can grasp most of them with one hand, and they are also more sensitive.
In order to pursue a clearer and more sensitive touch on the court, Cristiano always deliberately chooses a smaller size of shoes, which will put pressure on his toes and often rub them to the point of bleeding. For this reason, he often has to apply antibacterial lotion.
Cristiano laughed, "Hehe", and shrank back sensitively. Seeing this, Kaka let go of his boy.
He lowered his head and finally saw the eyes he had missed for so long. He folded his arms and sighed contentedly, rubbing his lover's eyelids with his nose: "God knows how much I miss you."
"Ancenotti used you too hard." Cristiano said, his lips curled slightly and his brows frowned. He straightened his waist while lying on his stomach, kneeling on both sides of the sofa to support himself. He held his lover's face with both hands. It was obviously much thinner, even the little bit of baby fat was gone, and the contours were more firm. He thought about it and added worriedly, "Let the system check you."
"I will." Kaka smiled and said, "This is one of the reasons why I came here today."
Cristiano nodded, then he raised his eyebrows and asked back: "I thought the purpose was to see me?"
"You obviously know the answer." Kaka pinched Cristiano's nose and bit it gently, "I just want to hug you for a while."
Cristiano bent down with satisfaction. Taking advantage of the fact that the body of a 20-year-old teenager was softer and thinner, he lay on his lover unscrupulously, grabbed his hand and put it on his waist: "The great Cristiano will reward your honesty."
Kaka laughed softly, he clasped his hands tightly, and held the warm body tightly in his arms, which made him feel at ease.
The two of them stuck together like kissing fish for a long time until Cristiano pushed Kaka, urging him to get a system check, and then they let go.
Perhaps because of the timely use of the treatment package, or perhaps because of the effectiveness of the systematic training and physical therapy, Kaka's physical condition is much better than Cristiano expected.
He breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed lazily against Kaka.
"You know your body best, take good care of it. Don't make me worry." Cristiano whispered.
Kaka also sat down next to Cristiano and said, "The same goes for you. You should know that it's not me who is always targeted. There is a reason why Aunt Dolores doesn't dare to watch your game."
Cristiano grimaced.
The three-hour virtual space time limit passed in a flash, and when Cristiano opened his eyes again, he was back in his bed in Manchester.
He turned over, missing the feeling of being hugged by his lover, buried his head in the soft pillow, grabbed the thick, silky quilt, and wrapped himself tightly like a cicada pupa - this made Cristiano feel safe.
He hadn't fallen asleep yet when his phone suddenly vibrated. Cristiano clicked on it and saw a push message from FB, indicating that his friend "kaka" had just posted a new social media blog post.
@kaka: I [love] Y [football] U [share photo]
The accompanying picture is today's daily practice on the training ground.
Kaka rarely posts on social media, and Cristiano knows very well that his lover is not someone who likes to expose his private life to the public. On the contrary, Kaka is a person who divides work and life too rationally - although this seems like an incredible contradiction for a football player who is destined to live under the attention of countless cameras - so Cristiano is almost 100% sure that this message was sent to him.
As if in response to Cristiano's sweet and happy guess, Kaka sent several other photos to Chris privately.
Cristiano received the new photos and then he noticed that he had missed a text message from Kaka. Probably because he was in a hurry to finish talking to Pique and drove home, he entered the virtual space in one go and didn't pay attention to the phone messages at all.
[K: In training today, we discussed some tactics and changes and got some rest :)]
Cristiano chuckled and clicked on the photos one by one. They were really good. His Kaka looked great.
The phone vibrated again, and it was still a private message from Kaka -
【K：I [love] Y [football] U 】
The curve of Cristiano's mouth widened even more. Look, that's what he said.
Cristiano immediately checked Manchester United's official Facebook page and found a training photo of himself and Pique wearing blue training suits among the photos released by the official account today.
Chris simply cropped the picture, leaving only the brightly smiling self in the photo, and then posted it on Facebook:
@cristiano: [love][football]Hard work never stops! [share photo]
After he sent it, he immediately sent a private text message to Kaka happily. It was like a secret code that only the two of them knew.
Kaka laughed when he received Cristiano's message. He was walking out of the room to drink some water with his mobile phone in his hand when he was bumped into by Inzaghi.
"Wow, Kaka, control your expression, control your expression." Inzaghi put on a teasing smile and bumped Kaka's shoulder. "If you walk on the street like this, you will be immediately captured by the tabloid reporters in Milan, and then it will be on the headlines of the gossip newspapers the next day."
"I've already thought of the headline for you: The Son of God falls in love, who is the lucky one?" Inzaghi said and then laughed.
Kaka paused after hearing this, and turned his head to look at the reflective glass beside him: "Was it that obvious?"
Inzaghi said: "It's like a silly boy in love."
Kaka coughed lightly and tried to suppress the upturned corners of his mouth: "I will work hard to learn how to manage my facial expressions. Thank you for the reminder."
Inzaghi rubbed his arms, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. He asked curiously, "So, what are you looking at?"
"Nothing." Kaka smiled and put away his phone. Inzaghi only caught a glimpse of a screen that looked like the FB interface.
After Kaka left, Inzaghi clicked on Kaka's homepage out of curiosity and saw that the latest post had just been sent half an hour ago.
Love football? What's this?
Inzaghi didn’t understand, but soon, he swiped down and saw the data recommendations on FB. Manchester United’s No. 7 also posted a new message - love, football, hard work?
Inzaghi paused, ah, he seemed to understand.
Big data seems to understand it too.
——Maybe not.
Mendes saw that his two young football stars were diligently posting business update photos, but before long, the topic of discussion on Facebook became:
#Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo compete secretly, Ronaldo: Never stop! #
Mendes: “…”
After Gerard Pique finished his inexplicable gym training, he took a look at his phone and saw a push notification on FB that said "The person you follow @cristiano has the latest updates..." He clicked on it and saw a solo photo posted by Cristiano, which looked familiar.
Pique scratched his head, switched to the club's official account, looked at the original picture, and compared it: "..."
He quietly saved the official photo and also posted a FB post:
@GerardPiqué: HERE I AM [football] [share photo]
It took Mendes two days to notice some minor incidents on FB. It was mainly because the team monitored the latest negative information on the Internet that confirmed Cristiano's "arrogance": Cristiano cut off his teammates when posting on FB and only posted a single photo of himself, which was silently protested by his teammates who posted the original photo. This was the real evidence of bullying that secretly excluded new teammates.
He scratched his hair. Even though this sounded like a fabrication by the tabloids, he still had to ask Cristiano what was going on.
Cristiano didn't even know about this, but he waved his hand and didn't take it seriously at all.
However, Pique posted another FB two days later, tirelessly adding a training photo of him and Cristiano, this time tagging Cristiano:
@GerardPiqué: bro! work mode[share photos]
This time Cristiano liked the post, commented on it, and sent a few fist emojis. Pique almost instantly replied with a little smiling emoji, so the rumors online about the discord between the two were put to rest.
Mendes breathed a sigh of relief, but he unexpectedly noticed that Kaka also liked Pique's photo, which was the one that was screenshotted earlier - Mendes had no idea what kind of private relationship Kaka and Pique had - but sooner or later he would have to find time to have a good talk with Cristiano about his habit of casually screenshotting other people.
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