Chapter 204: Chapter 203: Soaring Rankings (Request for Full Subscription)
On March 16, the 22nd round of the Primeira Liga.
Moreirense faced Valzim at home.
Ronaldo’s special training seemed to have reached a small milestone of success, playing with great finesse throughout the game, with two assists and two shots, he overtook Anderson to become the team’s top scorer!
And he was finally chosen as the man of the match for the first time.
Ronaldo was in tears.
It wasn’t easy...
You have to realize that back when he played, he was almost always the best on the field.
But for some reason now, about eighty percent of the man-of-the-match awards had gone into Deng Kai’s hands.
Damn it.
Sneaky as ever, Deng Kai.
Trying to snatch the glory, you’ve got to look to Coach Kai.
The Primeira Liga media also took notice of Moreirense, Ronaldo, and Deng Kai’s performances.
They began to provide sensational coverage.
Because following a winning streak after the winter break, Moreirense not only broke the club’s consecutive win record but also climbed from last place on the points table to eighth in the middle!
This year’s Primeira Liga standings are overall staggered with no clear breaks, from the relegation-threatened teams right up to those at the top, it’s all quite tense.
The points gaps between two or three places are almost within a single game’s reach.
"Moreirense triumphs over Aves, marking a seven-game winning streak!"
"Terrifying eight-game winning streak! Moreirense following the footsteps of Estoril!"
"Unlocking nine consecutive victories! Fatima falls to Moreirense, tumbling into the relegation zone!"
"In three rounds of matches, with five goals and one assist, Ronaldo enters the top five of the scorers’ chart with thirteen goals!"
"With increasingly better form, Ronaldo could become the Primeira Liga’s god of death! Crowned the Primeira Liga’s Player of the Month for March!"
"Ranked fifth among the scorers in half a season, had he been given another half, he might have already secured the Golden Boot! The green king, Cristiano Ronaldo!"
"Soaring to second place in the assist chart in half a season! The white king, Deng Kai, even surpasses Ronaldo in overall playmaking!"
"The miraculous coach Trigella! One more win and Moreirense can declare survival secured ahead of schedule!"
"Official Moreirense account: Next season, aiming for the Primeira Liga!"
"Sporting Lisbon fans: Next season, let Ronaldo and Deng Kai play in the first team! They deserve Estádio Alvalade!"
"Fans gathering: We hope Sporting Lisbon will extend the loan for Deng Kai and Ronaldo! If nothing else, we’ll give you Feng Te back!"
Feng Te: ...
The Primeira Liga media’s flair for nicknames is somewhat worrisome.
But Deng Kai can accept it.
The Moreirense jersey is green and white, he’s the white king, Ronaldo is the green king; together they make up the kings of Moreirense.
That works.
However, Ronaldo expressed dissatisfaction, obviously knowing what green signifies in China, having obtained the Chinese Level 6 certification made by Deng Kai.
If possible, he’d rather be less green, a bit whiter.
In response, Deng Kai said it’s because the Portuguese people still look up to you more, don’t forget that most of the Portuguese flag is also green.
Your kind of green belongs to the national green of Portugal.
For a moment, Ronaldo even felt he probably should be happy about it.
After this streak of three consecutive wins, Moreirense finally stood out among the many ranked fifth to eighth, securing fourth place in the Primeira Liga with thirty-seven points.
With forty-four points, Vizela nearly locked in the league’s top spot.
Gil Vicente was right behind with forty-three points.
Rio Ave in third place with thirty-nine points.
Behind Moreirense, both the fifth and sixth places were sitting at thirty-six points, still maintaining the chase after the leading group.
...
During the time this league round was underway, a major event occurred in the European and American entertainment industries.
On March 27th.
The annual Oscar ceremony officially commenced.
One by one, movie stars took to the red carpet.
When it was the turn of "The Princess Diaries" cast, the creators showed up together, delighting movie fans and causing a peak moment for the red-carpet event.
However, sharp-eyed reporters quickly noticed something was amiss.
Director Marshall led the male characters from the movie in what could be called the feel of Hollywood’s number one youth group.
In the next group, the veteran actress Julie Andrews led her secretary from the movie who was also Marshall’s daughter Catherine, the female supporting character Matarazzo, lead actress Hathaway, and... Hathaway holding the arm of Deng Kai as they made their appearance.
Immediately, flashes fired off in rapid succession.
Everyone thought a girl group would follow the boy band.
But they didn’t expect a man to be among the women.
Said to be the star around whom all others orbit wasn’t an overstatement.
North American reporters were already familiar with this man.
Deng Kai, a Chinese-Portuguese, was gradually rising to prominence in the European football world and seemed to have a lot of potential.
The competition for the Oscar for Best Actress was fierce.
Apart from Hathaway, there were Meryl Streep, who was later known as Auntie Meryl, Annette Bening, Hilary Swank, Jeannie McTeer, Julianne Moore, and other famous actresses.
In the end, Hathaway stood on the podium due to a strong PR campaign, achieving the miracle of winning the top award with her debut film!
It also fulfilled director Gary Marshall’s only career regret.
He had directed the widely popular "Pretty Woman" a decade ago, but lead actress Julia Roberts only got a nomination for Best Actress, never clinching the title.
It led to the saying in the industry that "romantic movies don’t deserve a queen."
But this time, Marshall brought out Hathaway, breaking the prejudice, black-horse all the way!
Hathaway’s acceptance speech wasn’t entirely unprepared; all nominees prepare a bit of a statement, even if they say they did not prepare at all.
So the speech was very appropriate.
But what caught everyone’s interest was what Hathaway did before she received the award.
When the host announced Hathaway’s name, all spotlights were on her.
Hathaway stood up, hugged the people around her, but didn’t go straight to the stage. Instead, after hugging Deng Kai at the aisle, she asked, "If there’s something I wanted to do before but didn’t have the chance, do you think I can do it now?"
Deng Kai immediately thought of what he had discussed with Hathaway before flying over.
At that time, Hathaway said she wanted a football-themed manicure.
But Deng Kai thought that football as a manicure would really not look good; wouldn’t such a bizarre aesthetic make fans leave?
"If you really want to, then just this once, otherwise..." Deng Kai hadn’t finished his humorous remark when Hathaway planted a kiss on him.
She left a fiery red lip print on Deng Kai’s face.
Deng Kai was stunned at that moment.
What the heck!
That’s... over the top, right?
The guests at the scene started cheering, as if the United States had just won against China.
Deng Kai could lose, but he couldn’t let his countrymen down.
You may be a Chinese daughter-in-law, but I can’t be a son-in-law to the United States!
Deng Kai quickly pulled Hathaway, who was heading for the podium, back towards him and then kissed her.
Lip to lip.
A soft, mushy touch.
Moist.
Damp.
Fragrant.
Somewhat sweet!
At that moment, the venue erupted into a cacophony of screams and howls.
The United States had lost!
Afterward, news kept breaking out—Hathaway and Deng Kai’s romance set at the Oscars!
