shadow striker

The winter break of Serie A this year is very close to Christmas.Almost finished playing Friday's game, and it's Christmas Eve on Sunday.In Europe, Christmas is a very important festival, and it is also a day that needs to be reunited with family members.

So on Christmas Eve, Yue Yihuang took three Christmas presents and flew to Barcelona.again.

He rang the doorbell of the apartment where his mother and the Spanish man now lived.Unexpectedly, the little Nino, who had grown a lot, was wearing a garnet red Torino uniform and was waiting to welcome him at home with a football in his hand.When Nino finally called him brother obediently, Yue Yihuang hugged Nino effortlessly, and after hesitating for a while, he chose to kiss Nino on the cheek.

Then, it was a Christmas dinner with a happy atmosphere.

Nino kept talking about showing off at school that his brother was a Serie A player, and the boys envied him.

Yue Yihuang's stepfather, Juan's parents and his brother also had this Christmas dinner together. They were all surprised that Juan had a stepson who was a football player. Looking at Yue Yihuang, he insisted on telling him about playing football in Italy.

After finally getting away, he returned to the guest room prepared by his mother to rest, but Juan brought Nino and knocked on Yue Yihuang's door again.

At that time, Yue Yihuang was wearing a wide-necked sweater, and was sitting on the floor flipping through the sports newspapers of recent days.

Nino, who looked like a little angel, looked extremely awkward, not at all like the man he usually flaunted.He looked at his father, and finally walked towards Yue Yihuang under Juan's encouraging eyes, took a big breath in the posture of a strong man who would never return, and then said in a voice like words:

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry, brother."

After Nino finished speaking, he looked back at his father, and after getting a smile from the other party and shrugging his shoulders, he continued to hesitantly say: "I'm sorry, I shouldn't call you brother because you look different from us. You shouldn't... you shouldn't join forces with other children to laugh at you for speaking Spanish with an Argentine accent..."

After saying this, Nino rushed towards Yue Yihuang with his eyes closed, hugged Yue Yihuang's neck with his small hands, and then kissed Yue Yihuang's cheek forcefully, spreading all the saliva on his cheek. face.It made Yue Yihuang a little embarrassed.After thinking for a while, he finally said with a smile in Nino's eyes looking at him like a puppy:

"Okay, I accept your apology. But...I actually kind of like my Argentinian accent."

Got Yue Yihuang's answer.Nino was overjoyed, so he stood up and ran to his father, took the Christmas gift he was going to give Yihuang from Juan's hand, and just put the used up Dad shut the door, making the Spanish man shake his head with a smile.

"Here's my Christmas present from you, brother!"

Seeing Nino holding a Santa Claus-shaped candle in front of his eyes like offering a treasure, Yue Yihuang accepted it with a smile, and asked Nino if he wanted to light it tonight?Nino said yes, he would light candles and listen to his brother's story about playing football, and then tell his classmates during the Christmas holiday, they would definitely envy him.

Yue Yihuang agreed, but he never imagined that...Nino could actually pester him all night.When he finally coaxed Nino to sleep, it was almost morning.

This time, it wasn't his damn biological clock that woke him up.

What woke Yue Yihuang up from his sleep was a phone call from Francisco.

"You...haven't woken up yet?"

Hearing Yue Yihuang's hoarse voice that was obviously just woken up from his sleep, Francisco on the other end of the phone seemed incredulous.However, he got Yue Yihuang's helpless answer.

"Yeah, my brother pestered me about football all night yesterday. I really don't know how kids can stay up all night with such good spirits..."

Speaking of this, Yue Yihuang couldn't help but recall the way Nino coyly apologized with him, and laughed out loud.

Francisco asked doubtfully, "You still have a younger brother?"

Yue Yihuang: "Yes. He is a half-breed who looks like a little angel. When he was young, he used his innocent little face to do bad things. Although...he is not old now."

Obviously, Yue Yihuang's description made Francisco think of many possible pictures.I couldn't help laughing, and then covered up with a cough: "Well, I actually have a brother. But he is a brother, and he is very serious. In fact, Toure and him are alumni, and their grades have been so good since childhood that there is nothing to say .But when it comes to sports, he's never beaten me."

Having said that, the two laughed together.After a long time, Francisco spoke again: "I heard from Toure that you are going to work the day after tomorrow?"

Yue Yihuang: "Well, Toure accepted an interview for me. Afterwards, there seems to be a commercial shooting task, and I have to go back to China to shoot."

Francisco: "What ad?"

Yue Yihuang: "Well...it's an advertisement for an airline company. It seems that after taking the filming, you will not be charged for flying with China Eastern Airlines. But I didn't expect them to come to me. To be honest...I don't quite understand What should I do then."

Francisco: "Trust me, you won't be the first footballer to be approached for an ad."

"I think, I understand what you mean." Yue Yihuang breathed out, smoothed his forehead hair back, and gave such an answer, "Actually, Toure also showed me a few unsigned filings. .If it is confirmed, the shooting of the commercial should start soon. But I don’t want to accept the shampoo commercial.”

"Oh why?"

"Because I don't know if it's effective or not. There was a movie star who was filming an advertisement for an anti-hair loss shampoo, but the shampoo caused hair loss after washing."

After Yue Yihuang finished this sentence in a very serious tone, Francisco let out an uncontrollable low laugh.

"Actually, I want to say that Toure is really not mean enough to let you go back to work so early."

Francisco, who had had enough laughing, said these words without blushing and heartbeat, not caring at all that the person involved in the incident was sitting opposite him at the moment and raised his eyebrows at him.

When Francisco hung up the phone, Toure's eyes with many layers of meaning greeted him.

Toure: "If I remember correctly, someone asked me to arrange Yue Yihuang's work earlier in the winter break, so I made such an arrangement?"

Francisco: "Oh, yes, because if it wasn't for that, he'd be wandering around in Barcelona all by himself. I don't like him being there. He's there...not happy. I think maybe he needs a real A vacation in the sense of a holiday. Although that vacation may not be very long.”

Toure: "So?"

Francisco: "I'm going to take him around Paris."

Toure: "You'd better think of a good enough reason."

Francisco: "I already bought him a plane ticket?"

Toure: "..."

…………

"That's right! Hold that girl! Comeon! Be more tender and take the initiative! She's your girlfriend!"

"Oh, I mean you can show your more attractive side. Wait! It's good to be a little shy like you were just now, so go for it!"

"Pay attention! After you get in that car, you will show a feeling of restlessness. Don't you think they don't look like good citizens!!"

Yue Yihuang: "..."

After taking a [-]-hour flight back to China, I rushed to the shooting location of the commercial almost as soon as I got off the plane.But they have no idea what kind of thing they are going to shoot.So the director, who is like a marionette, can only say what he says, scene by scene.He first foolishly held up a golden trophy imitated by a filming crew "enthusiastically" under the white cloth background of the studio... and then began to simulate various journeys.

At first he appears to be riding a motorbike onto the road, and then another sequence of... hitchhiking.Yes, it was the one the director called out just now, he was going to sit in the trunk of a pickup truck, and then... He seemed to have been misunderstood to participate in some illegal activities, and was imprisoned by the police.

The next shot has surpassed his ability to associate, which is extremely unscientific, because in that set of shots, he actually used a metal spoon to directly dig through the tofu dregs engineering wall of the prison, and then he He escaped from prison... and went to a village to steal a normal person's clothes with his agility and lightness, but at this time he attracted the wolf dog.At the critical moment, he kicked a tattered ball far away with a beautiful shot, so the wolfdog flew out in a "wow".

Then he went to the interior studio...

The director and the cameraman kept praising him for his good performance, but Yue Yihuang had finished shooting all the shots and didn't know what the commercial had to do with the airplane, what the plot was, and what he wanted to express.He asked the director more than once what the advertisement was about, but every time he could only get a profound and incomprehensible answer:

"It's been a long journey."

Until he got on the plane back to Europe, Yue Yihuang didn't even think about what he had spent a week taking pictures of, but the more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong, and he even felt a sense of fidgeting.Of course, at this moment, Yue Yihuang would never understand what it means to be kept in the dark to be truly happy...

On the other hand, although Francisco started working almost from Christmas day, he still couldn't finish all the work and return to Turin on the same day as Yue Yihuang.As a world-class player with extremely high commercial value, his winter break will always be filled with such and such work.Not to mention, he would very much like to squeeze out a few extra days to go to Paris with that Chinese boy.

Although, the next six months are likely to be the happiest he has been in recent years.

Yes, he will not play in the Champions League this season.

And if nothing else, he may not be able to appear in the Champions League next season.

However, this summer, there will be a European Championship battle that only ignites every four years...

Because of Toure's special arrangements and strict screening, although Yue Yihuang did not take over any commercial activities before the winter break, this winter break is not too busy.It's just that the plane trip back and forth between Europe and China made him fall asleep before the sun went down because he was too exhausted when he returned to Turin, and he didn't get up until the next morning to go to the big store Make purchases.

On this day, he finally enjoyed a rare and leisurely afternoon.

In Yue Yihuang's bedroom, there was a large floor-to-ceiling window. He opened the curtains and put a recliner in front of the window. He put on headphones and played a piece of music. He even sat on the recliner and squinted his eyes to enjoy the sunshine. , but not taking a book or a newspaper, but just enjoying this rare leisure time in the afternoon.

Before enjoying this wonderful afternoon, he had already sprinkled some spices on the bought T-bone steak and frozen it. He had also finished preparing some other dishes, and he was waiting to cook a luxurious dinner for himself. .

It's just a pity...he doesn't have many friends in Turin, almost all of them are team members, team doctors or coach assistants.They are currently on vacation, spending time with their families, filming commercials and continuing to work. Almost none of them are currently in Turin.

Otherwise, he could invite friends over to have dinner with him.

Thinking like this, Yue Yihuang seemed to suddenly think of another person, a Jew with dazzling blond hair, blue-gray eyes, and elegant demeanor.So Yue Yihuang, who was already a little confused by the sun, sent a text message to the person in his mind.

[Are you in Turin now?Are you free tonight? 】

Soon, Karl replied to Yue Yihuang: 【Look for me? 】

Yue Yihuang: [No, but if you are free, I would like to invite you to my house for dinner. 】

Carl was in London when he received the text message, and he had just finished negotiating a business deal.If nothing else, he should go to his luxury villa in London and finish the rest of his work there.However, when he received a text message from Yue Yihuang, he changed his mind.

Putting on a white windbreaker, Carl said to the people behind him: "Let the pilot prepare, I will go to the airport soon, and the destination is Turin. In addition, let people carry all the documents I need to see tonight on the plane." .”

After explaining the temporarily changed itinerary to the people behind him, Carl sent another text message to Yue Yihuang: [I will come, but because the work will end later, I may arrive later. 】

[It's okay, I'll wait for you.Just let me know half an hour in advance when you're about to arrive. 】

…………

The flight time required to fly from London to Turin is three hours.Carl, who owns a private jet, finally arrived at his home in Turin from downtown London four and a half hours after receiving Yue Yihuang's text message.And there is no trace of travel and dust that came from more than 1000 kilometers away from him.

"Thank you for inviting me to your house for dinner."

Carl, who said this, looked extremely elegant.Yes, although the place he was at at the moment was nothing more than an ordinary apartment, and when night fell, there was no bright light like a crystal chandelier here.

He just stood at the door, holding the red and white wine as a gift in his hand, and he didn't even stand upright on purpose, but he still showed his uniqueness and good upbringing.

"It's just that it would be a pity to prepare a big meal without friends to eat with, so I thought of you. Thank you."

Yue Yihuang took the two bottles of wine from Carl's hands.He didn't know much about those, but at a time like this, it was obviously unwise to refuse Carl's offer.So he simply put the two bottles of wine on the wooden stand placed on the dining table, and it seemed that he planned to drink them with Karl this evening.

This is the first time Carl has come to Yue Yihuang's house.Or, this might just be the second meeting between him and Yue Yihuang.

He stepped into this very simple room that can even be described as simple, but the smile on his face did not change a bit. He even took a deep breath and felt the atmosphere floating in this room, made of food. Aroma.

"I don't know what your taste is like, so I prepared some more dishes."

After saying that, Yue Yihuang went to the kitchen to serve some appetizers that he had cooked.The salad is a special salad made of potatoes, sweet potatoes, crab legs, and mustard. The fruit is pre-cut, and because of enough time, Yue Yihuang made it into a bunch of flowers and placed it on the table instead of flowers. in the middle of the table.

The improved seafood risotto was finished not long after Carl arrived, and the shellfish dotted around the plate looked so tempting when paired with eggplant red rice.The sweet and sour pork in Chinese food is also served with pineapples and various berries, which looks extraordinarily beautiful.

Even... there was sliced ​​salmon on a plate.This is really a sumptuous dinner beyond Carl's imagination.

When Yue Yihuang brought the freshly baked T-bone steak to Karl's eyes, he remembered that he seemed to have forgotten to put the prepared candle holder on the table.But after he used white candles to light all the candlesticks he bought on a whim one day, he noticed that Carl was a little absent-minded.

"what happened?"

"I just didn't expect...you would make such a...luxury dinner at home."

Seeing that Carl was so surprised, Yue Yihuang also felt a little embarrassed, just took out the bottle opener from the cabinet, and picked up the white dry wine that Carl brought.

"Steak today. So... we drink white dry?"

"it is good."

The candles flickered, and the warm light decorated the overly simple living room.But the food placed on the table seems to be the most attractive decoration.Cut off a small piece of steak and put it in his mouth, Carl was surprised by the tender taste and texture almost the first time he chewed it, he raised his head and looked at Yue Yihuang who was seriously cutting the steak .

"Is it tasty?"

Sensing Carl's gaze, Yue Yihuang raised his head and asked the other party with a smile.What I got... was Carl's serious nod and answer after he closed his eyes and felt the texture and taste of the steak.

"It's not only delicious, it's surprisingly delicious. I daresay you'll be very popular if you become a chef."

This kind of praise made Yue Yihuang show a shy smile, he quickly stood up, and took out a fruit bouquet placed in the middle of the dining table.Put a string of watermelon, cantaloupe, grapes, and kiwi fruit on the plate in Carl's hand.

“Italians seem to like to eat fruit soaked in sugar water with some wine. I prefer fresh fruit though, and you can try it with your steak. Of course, this habit may seem strange. "

"No, the fruit bouquet is very beautiful and very appetizing."

It seems that it is rare to meet someone who puts effort into making such a bouquet of cut fruits. Carl, who picked up the bunch of fruits, really didn't know what he should do.Maybe... he can just pick up the fruit skewers and eat them?

At this moment, Yue Yihuang picked up the wine glass and took a sip of the Baigan brought by Karl. It was only a small sip, and he was surprised by the taste of the wine.It was... unexpectedly delicious.The feeling of its entrance is not irritating at all, with a gentle and delicate feeling, and an indescribable floral and fruity aroma, which makes people have endless aftertaste.Even...he was reluctant to drink it while eating, for fear that the taste of the food would ruin the taste of the wine.

"This wine is...?"

"Well, my friend made it from grapes grown at home. If you like it, I'll bring you a few more bottles next time."

"Thank you, but...will it trouble your friend too much?"

"No, it's just a little effort."

Karl seemed to be happy because of Yue Yihuang's love for that bottle of wine, and then he thought of something, and said with a smile in his eyes: "Yihuang, I saw you..."

"That must not be me!"

Yue Yihuang was still enjoying the taste of the glass of wine, but he heard what Carl said unexpectedly.He was so panicked that he almost slipped his wine glass out of his hand.Moreover, he uttered such a sentence reflexively before his consciousness reacted.By the time he realized what stupid thing he had done, it was already too late.

Carl hasn't said anything yet...

"I just wanted to say that I watched the old movie you introduced to me last time, Midnight in Barcelona, ​​and it was pretty good."

Hearing that Karl didn't see any strange reports or interviews at all, Yue Yihuang finally let out a breath, then got up and yelled at Karl Yiyi, trying to fool him like this.However, in Yue Yihuang's eyes, Carl, who always seemed to know everything, didn't ask any questions because of his strange behavior just now.

That's right, Yue Yihuang didn't tell Karl that he was actually a player of the Turin team.Perhaps it is because the Turin team really has too special meaning in Karl's heart.He thought he was just a member of the Torino team.But this Turin team is still too far away from the "Turin Team of Gods" in Karl's mind.

But he has always had an indescribable premonition that Karl may know everything.

However, whenever Yue Yihuang guessed like this, he would wonder again, if Carl really knew that he was a player of the Turin team, why would he not express anything?

Even so, Yue Yihuang decided to bite the bullet and insist on continuing to hide.

"I heard from you before that you haven't been back to Turin for a long time. But now... You almost live here? In this case, can the family's business be taken care of?"

"It doesn't matter, other people will take care of the business at home. My investment is basically in Turin, so I just need to take care of here now."

After taking a sip of Yue Yihuang's improved Spanish seafood risotto, Carl felt that his mood became better with the delicious taste that melted in his mouth.He barely concealed these words from Yue Yihuang.However, even if he easily said something that his competitors couldn't get out of it, Yue Yihuang still couldn't understand more.Of course, this has a lot to do with his not consciously probing other people's privacy.

Basically, it's a candlelit dinner that puts both in a good mood.

"I still remember the first time I saw you. At that time, you looked very unhappy. But now, you smile differently."

When the dinner was over, Carl stood up and cleaned up the tableware with Yue Yihuang.Yue Yihuang was stunned by his words, then he pulled his hair embarrassingly, and after thinking for a while, he said: "Turin is a wonderful city. She has brought me many important things, Precious things. Of course, there are people."

Yue Yihuang was very serious when he said these words, as if immersed in his own world.Karl stood beside him and looked at him, and he couldn't help being infected by that joy.Just when Karl thought of something because of Yue Yihuang's words and fell into deep thought, he found that Yue Yihuang's eyes fell on him at some point.

Yue Yihuang: "Then... what about you?"

Carl: "Me?"

Yue Yihuang: "Yes. When I first met you, although you couldn't say that you were unhappy, you always seemed to be caught up in something. I... can't tell. I just don't think you're living like that happy."

Carl's blue-gray eyes widened, but he smiled at the end. "So, would you like to take me for a drive?"

Yue Yihuang: "Oh, no, my car is too broken. I don't think it can bring you any good mood."

Carl obviously didn't expect that Yue Yihuang, who has always been very serious, would make such a joke with him, and he was stunned, unable to react for a while.His reaction obviously amused Yue Yihuang.Although Karl was obviously older than Yue Yihuang, Yue Yihuang still couldn't stop himself from pressing Karl's head.

"Look, this is what young people should look like. You are only in your early 20s. Don't be influenced by a group of old guys just because you always do business with them."

Yue Yihuang's height is about the same as Carl's, or only slightly taller than Carl's.However, he is a football player after all, with a stronger body, so when he made this move to Carl, he didn't feel the slightest awkwardness.He'd thought that a business elite like Carl, who behaved like a true aristocrat, would be offended by his gesture.

But the fact is no.Carl actually laughed out loud after being stunned.This time, his laughter no longer has that overly restrained and neither too far nor too close sense of distance.

"Actually, I'm 25. And I'm going to be 26 this year."

Hearing that he was a few years older than he expected, Yue Yihuang paused, but continued to take it for granted after that: "That's also in his early 20s. Let's go, let me tell you why I won't drive you for a ride Of course it was a joke. But I thought you might be able to use the public transport system in Turin to experience the night here."

Carl: "So, I want to go to the Communale Stadium in Torino in a moment, okay?"

Finally, Carl's words successfully made Yue Yihuang turn his head awkwardly after being choked...

Perhaps it would be a little unbelievable to say this, but this is indeed Karl's first time taking a bus.He first went to a nearby convenience store with Yue Yihuang and bought a time-limited ticket worth one euro, and then waited on the platform for the bus to arrive.

Turin is located in the northern part of Italy. It is very cold in January, and it is even colder when the wind blows at night.

Yue Yihuang seemed to have gotten used to the dryness and coldness of Europe, but he looked at Karl who was obviously not wearing much, and suddenly worried that this frail businessman would get sick from the cold because of his whim.

He thought for a while, then stretched out his gloved hand, put it on one of Carl's ears, and turned Carl's head to his neck with a little force.

Yue Yihuang: "Turin's winter is still a bit cold. Fortunately, it's only dry and cold, as long as the skin doesn't touch the air, it's fine. Maybe you think wearing earmuffs...would be silly?"

Carl: "I actually think that if you just want to cover your ears, it will look weird now."

Yue Yihuang: "...Maybe you are right."

Since there was no heavy snow that day, the public transportation system in Turin is still very convenient.Yue Yihuang and Carl had only waited on the platform for a short time, and the lights of the bus and tram had already illuminated the platform they were on.

Italian buses do not implement the system of boarding and checking tickets. After getting on the bus, the two found a seat in the back row by the window, watching the industrial capital of Italy under the city lights at night.

This is a city that perfectly combines modern industry with ancient and long history.She is different from purely classical Rome.In her urban blood, the power of motor oil is also integrated.Of course, this does not prevent people from seeing classical and Baroque gorgeous old buildings here and there.

By the way, this is also a city that hosted the Winter Olympics.

Different from the city of Milan, which has the two heroes of Milan, Turin also has a family that can be regarded as a household name in Italy, the Agnelli family.The family's name means wealth and power in Italy.Although Italy has long been separated from the constitutional monarchy, people are still used to referring to the Agnelli family as the royal family of Italy.

And this family, he is also the same city derby of the Turin team and the behind-the-scenes boss of the Juventus club.

In 2001, the young fifth-generation heir of the Agnelli family completely separated industry and football, and Juventus became a listed company as a result, with 26% of the shares held by the public.Then, the only man surnamed Agnelli in the Agnelli family also officially accepted the chairmanship of the Juventus club, which restored the chaos of Juventus in the past few years and also restored Agnelli. The Lee family's absolute control over Juventus.

For such a family, even a foreigner like Yue Yihuang, who only has football in his eyes, heard their names when he first entered Serie A to play football.Looking at the constantly changing scenery outside the window, he said inadvertently: "It is said that the decisions made by Juventus in the transfer market in the past few years are actually the ideas of Chairman Andrea Agnelli's son?"

However, what Yue Yihuang didn't expect was that... Karl would say the name of the most outstanding member of the younger generation of the Agnelli family in such a tone.

"Edgar Agnelli? He does have some talent."