Chapter 160: Chapter 159 Deng Kai Is Not That Kind of Person
"I... I will sue you! We’re going to call the police!" the Argentine bruiser seemed to still be unwilling to let it go, but when someone came over to pull him away, he calmed down.
As soon as they let go, he fell silent again, just like the little dog in those comedy videos.
"I am really sorry about ruining your table of food, but you also dirtied my table," Deng Kai said without even lifting his eyelids, as Cristiano Ronaldo, Shao Jiawei, Wu Xudong, Yu Shihao, and Hao Junmin stood by his side, giving off a bit of a gangster movie vibe, "As for calling the police, I don’t mind."
"This place has surveillance, everything that happened is recorded clearly."
"It couldn’t be clearer who started the fight first."
"If there are any follow-ups, I will inform my lawyer to follow through with the whole process."
"By the way, my name is Deng Kai, a player for Lisbon Athletic."
"I don’t want to have a bad impression of Argentinians, but unfortunately, the Argentinians I’ve met here are exactly like this. As Argentinians, when you are abroad, you represent the image of the entire country of Argentina."
"You have now successfully tarnished your country’s reputation."
"Until I meet new, friendly Argentinians, I will be wary of your entire country."
"Don’t blame me for generalizing, and don’t make me reflect. The cause of this problem is you; it’s Argentina that should be actively seeking my forgiveness, not the other way around."
"Whether in Portugal or in China. If you come as a guest, I welcome you; if you come to do harm... I’m also ready to deal with you!"
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Applause!
The fans in the restaurant kept clapping.
It wasn’t because Deng Kai was a player, but because what he said was truly powerful.
Argentinian fans are known for being low-class at home, but behaving like this abroad, someone has to clean up the mess!
Click!
A journalist pressed the shutter, capturing a precious photo.
In the photo, Deng Kai is sitting at the dining table alone, with five powerful figures standing behind him.
Opposite him is a group of Argentinians with bruised faces, cowering in fear.
It looked like a world-famous painting.
...
"Has Caesar become arrogant? Deng Kai attacks Argentinian fans in the restaurant—he doesn’t deserve to be a player!"
The Bola newspaper always knows how to smear Deng Kai.
They published the headline immediately.
That world-famous painting was what their journalist had captured.
The journalist arrived a bit late and didn’t get the full story, but they understood that there was a brawl involving Deng Kai.
That was enough.
After all, a player is somewhat of a public figure; conflicts with regular people, even setting aside the facts, always make you look bad.
But this time, the Bola newspaper was horribly wrong.
Because several other authoritative Portuguese media outlets subsequently took a stance in support of Kai.
"Argentinians steal seats, Lisbon Athletic’s star Deng Kai won’t spoil them! Fighting!"
"Ronaldo’s Outburst for Deng Kai: Physical Altercation Erupts Amongst China’s Pop Group. Do You Support Deng Kai’s Actions?"
"Never Forget the Beginning! Chinese Prodigy Deng Kai Scolds Argentinians, ’You Can’t Take What Belongs to the Chinese!’"
The Record Report interviewed eyewitnesses for a more detailed description of the incident: "Those seats were reserved. I wanted to sit there myself, since the view is the best from that spot, but I didn’t because I knew I wasn’t the one who reserved them. Breaking the rules would just make me a robber, wouldn’t it?"
"After the Argentinians arrived, they not only took over someone else’s reserved table and seats, but they also sang and danced boisterously. Though we fans cheer sometimes, their volume was too loud and inconsiderate, disturbing others."
"Deng Kai first tried to communicate with them. Yes, I was at the next table; I heard everything very clearly. They checked Deng Kai’s reservation receipt, and after acknowledging the seat belonged to him, they stopped talking to him, just as if they hadn’t checked at all."
"Move? Of course, they didn’t move. They resumed their singing and dancing without any intention of giving up the seats to Deng Kai. If I remember correctly, they insulted Deng Kai and told him to get lost."
"That’s when Ronaldo got angry. He wouldn’t allow anyone to talk to his good friend like that. He flipped the table, and honestly, I think he had every right to because it was their spot. He only needed to report to the restaurant, not to the Argentinians."
"The Argentinians wanted to fight Ronaldo, and they did throw punches. Then, in self-defense, Deng Kai and Ronaldo also began to retaliate. China’s F4 rushed up too. The Argentinians lost quickly; they only looked tough."
The incident escalated quickly, and the police got involved at one point.
However, after reviewing the restaurant’s surveillance video, the Lisbon police concluded that Deng Kai and his group were not at fault.
Subsequently, Lisbon officials released the results of their investigation into the matter.
They made public the dialogue between the parties and the related videos to prevent this from escalating into an international incident.
The Chinese Embassy in Portugal weighed in on the matter, expressing concern for the mental and physical well-being of the young Chinese players and condemning the inappropriate behavior of the Argentine side.
The Argentine Embassy was dumbfounded.
Are Chinese people this bold now?
They beat up our people, and you want us to apologize?
Perhaps in twenty years, we might engage with you, as by then China will have become a superpower with a rapidly rising international status. But now... ha, cannot hear you!
The Argentinians played dead, hoping to brush the incident aside.
What they didn’t expect was for the story to spread rapidly throughout Europe.
Euro football hooligans abound, but football culture is deeper, and who the hell doesn’t hate seat poachers?
Especially those who pay a hundred euros for a ticket but insist on occupying seats worth three hundred euros.
Italy’s Republic Newspaper, Torino Sport Newspaper, England’s Sky Sports, The Times, Manchester Evening News, Germany’s Kicker, Bild, France Football, Spain’s Marca, AS Newspaper, and others, all covered the news and offered their commentary on the incident.
The vast majority of people were supportive of Deng Kai.
The Sun Newspaper took a clear stance: "Until Argentina apologizes to Deng Kai, we will not employ female models from Argentina. It’s not about targeting or overlooking anyone; we simply choose not to use controversial figures."
Following this, The Sun Newspaper published photos of Hathaway’s promotional roadshow in North America. The Sun had formed a deep collaboration with the Los Angeles Daily, and their last covert operation pleased both parties immensely.
Gabi, a Spanish national youth team player who had previously had a dispute with Deng Kai, was asked by reporters about the incident during a public training day.
Gabi: "Deng Kai is definitely not a good character in my book; I despise him. He always manages to come out on top on the field, making me embarrassed and causing me to make mistakes."
"But regardless, that’s all on the field. And he’s never achieved his goals by deliberately hurting others; he operates within the rules, and I sometimes have to admit that’s actually a kind of football intelligence."
"His playing style is frustrating, but clearly not that of a villain on the field. On the field is when he’s at his fiercest, and I think he’s handled this situation pretty well."
"I assure you, very few would have the patience to communicate for so long; most people would have started fighting much earlier."
Iniesta, who had played against Deng Kai, also gave an interview: "Deng Kai’s tackle ruined my chance to save Spain, but even in that situation, he didn’t stop me with a scissor-kick or spikes, anything harmful."
"It might sound strange, but the tackle that took me down was really very gentle."
