The three of them chatted for a while. Kai looked at Cristiano Ronaldo, who wanted to invite Hugo home for dinner, and took the initiative to say, "Cristiano, didn't you always want to eat at that restaurant in Príncipe Real?"
"It just so happens that Brother Hugo is here today. I'll treat you both to a meal!"
"Really?" Ronaldo was flattered. "That would cost a lot of money. How could you be willing to—"
"Yeah, this used up all my goal bonus!" Kai laughed as he spoke with Ronaldo and Hugo.
But in reality, he simply didn't want to bring Hugo back to his house.
Considering Ronaldo's mood, Kai could only spend the money himself.
Chinese people place great importance on the concept of home.
If you're not a friend, who would casually let you into their house?
Especially unreasonable people.
When inviting Hugo to dinner, Kai deliberately emphasized "you two."
And he deliberately chose an expensive place.
Hugo felt embarrassed to say he would bring along the friends who had been wandering nearby with him.
So Hugo went over to explain things to his friends, then left with Kai and Ronaldo.
…
During dinner, Hugo showed extreme curiosity about the situation within Sporting Lisbon's U15 team.
Curiosity… far beyond what a normal family member of a young player should have.
"The next match is your life-and-death battle in European competition. You'll face Feyenoord at home. Are you confident?" Hugo asked with apparent concern, probing for details.
How could Cristiano Ronaldo possibly suspect his own brother of having bad intentions?
He spoke honestly, saying that from his personal perspective, he was confident they could beat Feyenoord.
But from a team standpoint, the match didn't look optimistic.
Hugo then continued asking in detail about the tactical arrangements for the next game.
Just as Ronaldo was about to answer again, Kai interrupted, "Brother Hugo, can I ask you a question?"
The atmosphere suddenly became tense.
Hugo nodded.
"Are you planning to make a big bet on football?" Kai asked bluntly.
Ronaldo was startled. He looked at his brother and tried to explain, "Kai, what do you mean? You've misunderstood. My brother isn't that kind of person, he—"
"Yes!" Hugo admitted straightforwardly, or perhaps he didn't think there was anything wrong with it.
Ronaldo froze on the spot.
Kai put down the cutlery in his hand—it could become dangerous at any moment. "So you haven't come to see Ronaldo for a long time, and when you finally do, it's just to get first-hand information so you can gamble on football?"
Hugo tried to justify himself. "Coming to see Chris and placing bets are both things I do. You don't need to say it like that. I'm Chris's brother—it's normal for me to understand the situation of his team."
Kai smiled. "Is it normal? Then let me ask you this—are you betting with a legal institution in Portugal?"
Hugo's expression stiffened.
Obviously, the market he intended to use was illegal.
Because that way, you could earn more money and avoid paying a large amount of income tax after winning.
"Cristiano, pack your things. We're going back." Kai stood up directly and pulled Ronaldo to leave.
"Hey, hey! What do you mean by that? Who do you think you are? Chris plays football for you now? You want to draw a clear line with me?" Hugo became irritated and grabbed Kai and Ronaldo, not letting them leave.
Ronaldo's expression was complicated. He had no idea how to deal with this situation.
After all, that was his brother—his real brother.
"Draw a clear line?" Kai laughed coldly. "If it were that easy, do you think I'd be this worried? Let me ask you something—have you heard of Anduoya?"
"You should know him. After all, his brother was arrested not long ago for participating in illegal betting. Your friends should be familiar with him."
"Do you know what Anduoya is doing now? He's fourteen years old and incredibly talented. If nothing had happened, he would've at least had a future in the Portuguese Primeira Liga or the English Championship. He might even have had a chance at the top five leagues."
"His future annual income could've easily reached one million euros for ten years straight. His whole family would've escaped poverty, entered the middle class, and benefited for generations."
"But now? He's been completely abandoned by football. He can't play anymore. He can only help others train while studying."
"He's destined not to go to college. He gets injured every few days on the pitch. At best, he'll last two or three years before his leg gets snapped by someone else's player."
"He has no future."
Hugo clearly knew what had happened to Anduoya and retorted angrily, "Isn't this your fault? You were the one who left him without a ball to play and got into conflict with him!"
"Brother!" Ronaldo pursed his lips. "It was me. I was the one Anduoya targeted. They looked down on me, called me a country bumpkin, called me an African brat, and made things difficult for me everywhere."
"Kai clashed with Anduoya because he was protecting me. I was afraid you and Mom would worry, so I said it was Kai who had the conflict with Anduoya…"
Hugo was stunned.
If he and their mother had known this, they probably wouldn't have let Chris continue playing at Sporting Lisbon.
What blatant bullying.
But Kai didn't care about that at all. He said calmly, "It doesn't matter who it was."
"After clashing with us, Anduoya left Sporting Lisbon and became a starting U15 player at Qatar Sports Club. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing for him."
"What truly destroyed his football career was his brother."
"Any player who gets involved with illegal betting will never again think about standing on the highest stage or becoming a star loved by everyone. He won't even think about touching a football professionally again."
"Those who encourage you to gamble—do you really think they're your friends? If they truly cared about you, they would never push you to do this. They've never once considered you or Ronaldo!"
"Someone who truly cares about you would never force you to drink when you shouldn't, let alone turn you into a useless bastard!"
On one hand, Hugo felt that what Kai said made sense.
On the other, he was frightened by Kai's blunt and alarming words.
He suggested finding another place to talk.
After all, this was a public place.
It wasn't appropriate to talk about illegal betting or drugs here.
So the three of them returned to Kai's home.
After they got back, Kai said that his father's foot was still in recovery and required light exercise.
Kai's father cleverly took Kai's mother out under that excuse.
He understood that his son needed to handle something and hoped they would avoid the situation for now.
As soon as the elders left, Hugo began explaining the so-called opportunity in front of him to "make big money."
Facts proved that Kai's guess was correct.
Hugo had been bewitched by his friends and wanted to strike it rich in one shot.
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