Chapter 48: Chapter 48 The Prodigal Son Returns
Lisbon, a slum district.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Hugo was tied to a chair, getting beaten up by his "good friends."
"You motherfucking son of a bitch! You made me lose thirty thousand!"
"Damn it! You have to pay me back for this, or I will kill you!"
"I’m down thirteen grand too! Fuck!"
"Did you secretly bet on something else? Is that why you let your brother score so many goals?"
"Definitely, that son of a whore. I’ll find someone to break his fucking legs tomorrow! Then let’s see him play fucking football!"
Hugo’s face was covered in blood; he had no strength left to argue with these men.
Hasn’t he lost money as well?
He had!
Over twenty thousand!
How could he possibly compensate?
How could he pay it back with his mother’s salary of just over five hundred a month?
He truly felt like death might be the better option now.
However, when he heard those men talk about breaking Ronaldo’s legs, he mustered his last bit of strength and spat in their faces.
"If you’ve got a problem, take it up with me, leave my family out of this!" Hugo was on the verge of passing out.
Beep~woo~beep~woo~beep~woo~
Suddenly, the sound of police sirens emerged from outside.
One of the guys went out to look and came back in panic, saying:
"The cops are here!"
"Run! There’s a bunch of them!"
"The police! Damn it, who called them!"
"Go, go, go, let’s get out of here!"
"We’re done for if we get caught!"
The gang scattered quickly.
The sound of police sirens continued unabated outside.
Just as those people left, Hugo heard footsteps behind him.
Someone came to untie him; he turned around to see it was Ronaldo and Deng Kai.
"Chris, why is it you guys..." Hugo said weakly.
"Let’s get out of here first. We’ll talk later. Just in case they come back!" Deng Kai signaled to leave quickly and not to waste time on greetings, not to learn from the bloody clichés of domestic dramas.
Only after entering the Chinese community did Deng Kai relax.
They were safe now.
Ronaldo knew where Hugo’s hangout in Lisbon was.
By the time they arrived, Hugo had already been restrained by his mates.
The police were called by Deng Kai and Ronaldo.
But Deng Kai did not disclose Hugo’s location; instead, he gave the address of the adjacent building.
Being arrested by the police could expose Hugo and his friends’ illegal betting and even involvement in match-fixing. It might leave Hugo with a criminal record on one hand and could potentially affect Ronaldo on the other.
Scaring the assailants away was the best outcome.
Of course, if they couldn’t be scared off, Deng Kai would intervene and lead the police over to keep people safe, but that would bring more trouble afterwards.
Ronaldo was initially very worried about Hugo.
But Deng Kai was confident about the situation.
Those people were after money.
If Hugo died, they would indeed end up with nothing.
So Hugo wouldn’t be in danger, at least not in the short term.
And Hugo wasn’t completely harmless back in Madeira; once he returned to Madeira Island, most of these troubles would vanish.
But he still had to repay that debt of twenty thousand he owed, since it was borrowed from the bank.
The money from official channels is the hardest damn thing to shake off.
...
"Why did you guys play like that? Did you do it on purpose?" Hugo had actually realized it back at Estádio Alvalade, staring at Deng Kai with fierce anger.
"Before I answer your question, you answer me this. Do you still think those guys are your friends? Now, do you still believe they won’t hurt you and Ronaldo?" Deng Kai looked at Hugo without a hint of guilt.
Some people just can’t get comfortable without a good beating. Their intelligence and Emotional Intelligence aren’t enough, and they must experience a thrashing before understanding some obvious truths.
"Do you know how much debt this will leave my family with?" Although Hugo knew Deng Kai was right, he couldn’t accept his methods, "You don’t even deserve to call yourself Chris’s good friend."
"You’re the one who caused his family to take on a massive debt; we will be poor and in debt for our entire lives!"
"You scoundrel! Your heart isn’t in the right place!"
"Brother! Enough!" Ronaldo finally stood up, "Deng Kai is my friend, he’s been so concerned about my problems, he even saved you, yet you talk about him like this. Apologize to him!"
Hugo was stunned, as big brothers are like fathers, and his beloved little brother had never lashed out at him before.
But this time.
"Chris, you..."
"Apologize!" Ronaldo said furiously, "If you don’t apologize to Deng Kai, I won’t acknowledge you as my brother! Apologize!"
"I’ve had enough of you!" Hugo also erupted completely, "What are you being so bossy about? Why do you always command everyone in the house from your high horse?"
"Do I owe you anything?"
"I entered the workforce early to help with family expenses, and what about you? Your expenses alone are more than everyone else’s combined!"
"Both Dad and Mom love you the most, but I am their son too, have they ever shown concern for me?"
"Do you think I wanted to pay off debts? Do you think I wanted to borrow money! Did I use that money to enjoy myself?"
"I did it for our family too!"
"You’re too selfish!"
Hugo stormed out the door once again.
This time he really left.
Ronaldo stood there, dumbfounded, unable to retort.
Because Hugo was not entirely wrong.
Deng Kai patted Ronaldo on the shoulder, signifying that he was right, then chased after Hugo.
Deng Kai caught up to Hugo and threw something at him.
Hugo turned around, ready to hit Deng Kai, but realized that what was thrown at him was... money?
Bang, bang, bang!
Deng Kai had thrown several wads of it.
"This is the money Ronaldo borrowed from me, it’s all the scholarship money I got in advance from school!" Deng Kai explained, "Take this money and pay off those crap debts."
"If there’s any left, tell Auntie you earned it during this trip, then start a stall and do some small business."
"Never gamble again."
"And don’t touch those addictive things that you can’t quit, they’ll ruin your entire family!"
Deng Kai had realized that the family, especially Ronaldo, mattered a lot to Hugo.
Saying that the money was borrowed by Ronaldo would make Hugo care more.
At the very least, he wouldn’t squander it again.
If he really did squander it, he would lose his little brother forever, which wouldn’t be a bad thing for Ronaldo.
Indeed, Hugo’s hands were trembling.
As he bent down to pick up the money, he asked, "How can Chris afford to repay this money?"
"He’s going to be a football star," Deng Kai said, "and then none of you will need to worry about money ever again. But even the greatest stars can become a joke if their families are not harmonious and law-abiding."
"From now on, you don’t need to take any risky shortcuts for money. Just take care of yourself, your uncle and auntie, and your two sisters, that will be the greatest support for Ronaldo!"
"The last time he gave you a book, you didn’t read it, did you?"
Hugo shook his head; he didn’t even know the title of the book.
"Wait here, I have another copy at home, I’ll go get it for you," said Deng Kai as he turned around, "Take it and then head back to Madeira Island as soon as possible. Your friends probably won’t have reacted yet."
"But if you don’t leave tonight, it might be more difficult to leave later."
Two minutes later, Deng Kai came running back and handed the book to Hugo.
Hugo accepted the book, which had "Complete Guide to the Football Agent Exam" on the cover.
Hugo looked up at the shadow on the nearby balcony, and tears instantly streamed down his face.
"Thank you, Kai! Meeting you has been a fortune for both me and Chris! Thank you!" Hugo disappeared into the vast darkness.
