"This is a good thing." Kai comforted the somewhat frightened Hathaway over the phone. "You don't need to do anything special during this process. Of course, don't be stupid and let the media come up with slogans for you."
"You don't need to express any stance or opinion before any real heavyweights come to contact you. When someone asks, just talk about your feelings—tell them how you feel about me, what you think of me, that kind of thing."
"When you become an important symbolic figure, you need to know how to wait for the right price and say what people want to hear at the most appropriate time. And clearly, the Oscars are not that time."
Hathaway was a little confused. "Then when is the right time?"
Kai replied, "When you've built your own large-scale enterprise—which, honestly, isn't very cost-effective. Or when you're ready to step into politics and already have a solid starting point. Or when someone truly needs you during an election campaign."
"Before you speak out, Hollywood won't abandon you. And even if they do, you can come back anytime you want."
That night, Hathaway didn't fully understand everything Kai said.
But she understood part of it.
She had started a fight—but she didn't need to step into the ring herself. She only needed to appear at the final championship match.
She didn't need to feel guilty about receiving help in the Oscar race. Compared to her true role, that favor wasn't even interest—it was just a tiny bonus.
The benefits from this wave were far greater than decades of slow struggle.
And yet—
They achieved it in such a short time.
February 18th.
Benfica player Maniche gave an interview.
The background was simple: as the schedule progressed, everyone realized that Benfica's opponent in the Portuguese Cup quarter-finals was actually Moreirense.
This matchup had been decided in the first half of the season.
Back then, nobody cared about Moreirense.
But now—
Who wouldn't pay attention to them?
Especially since Moreirense had previously tried to sign Maniche.
Maniche said:
"I don't care about whatever movement Kai's girlfriend is leading in North America—campus goddess, Oscar Best Actress nominee, whatever."
"I'm a football player."
"I just want to use this match to show Kai and Triguera whether 'Maniche on the right wing' is really the 'nothing' Kai claimed!"
Maniche was clearly pissed.
On the other hand, Moreirense's players were also interviewed.
Old captain Altino said:
"Benfica is a very strong team. They are contenders for the Portuguese Super League title, while we've only just climbed out of the relegation zone in the Portuguese Liga."
"We just hope to play a match we can be proud of."
The underdog mentality was obvious.
Even though Altino thought he sounded strong.
This was also the mindset of most Moreirense players and fans.
The winning rate of a Portuguese Liga team against a Portuguese Super League team is usually less than 10%.
And if the opponent is Porto, Benfica, Sporting Lisbon, or Boavista—
That percentage drops even lower.
But Cristiano Ronaldo said in the same interview:
"No matter who the opponent is—even if it's a Serie A team—we will win. I only have one purpose in football: to score goals and win matches."
Reporter: "Aren't those… two purposes?"
Ronaldo: "For me, they're the same."
Kai later added to Ronaldo's statement, explaining their confidence:
"Nuno Gomes has some minor injuries and won't be in the squad."
"João Pinto is an excellent striker, but as he's getting older, he can no longer decide matches alone. He needs a partner—and he won't have one this game."
"Maniche may become an excellent defensive midfielder in the future, but as a right winger, I have full confidence in our left-back handling him."
"Also, Benfica has league pressure and will likely rotate heavily. This is our best opportunity."
Reporter: "Don't you have league pressure as well?"
Kai replied calmly:
"If you've watched our recent matches, you'd know—if our goal is just to avoid relegation, then we don't really have any pressure."
The reporter didn't understand what Kai meant.
They missed the headline.
But today's content was already explosive enough.
February 19th, Estádio da Luz, Lisbon.
The Portuguese Cup quarter-finals begin.
More than 40,000 fans packed the stadium.
Because this was a "homecoming" for Kai and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Benfica would give Moreirense half of the ticket revenue—making this their biggest income of the season.
This was exactly why Moreirense had prioritized the Portuguese Cup earlier instead of the league.
Big clubs want weak opponents.
Small clubs?
They love facing giants like Benfica.
Just like some underdog Champions League teams secretly hope to land in the "group of death," get smashed by giants, collect the money, and go back to dominate their domestic leagues with fat checks.
Easy money, baby.
"Don't be nervous when we walk out. Just pretend the fans don't exist, alright?" Altino encouraged his teammates.
Benfica's home stadium.
40,000 fans.
That atmosphere wasn't even comparable to Moreirense's usual few thousand.
Some players get so nervous in this kind of environment that they can't even control the ball properly.
Right, Dembélé?
Benfica wore their home kit—red.
Moreirense wore green and white.
Sporting Lisbon: green-white stripes.
Moreirense: green-white checkered… basically Croatia in green.
But the moment they stepped onto the pitch—
Altino froze.
"Oh, shit… am I color-blind? Red-green color blindness?" he muttered, staring at the stands.
Kirop, the strongest youth product in the team, was also stunned:
"This has nothing to do with color blindness… why does it feel like half the stadium is ours? Since when do we have this many fans?"
Then the answer came.
Fans in green jerseys began chanting under organized leadership:
"The successor of Simão and Quaresma… Cristiano—"
"RONALDO!!!"
"Sporting Lisbon's Football Caesar—"
"KAI!!!"
Meanwhile, somewhere else in the world…
Japan vs Croatia? Hard to predict. Japan has a high chance, but hey—bless Modrić and Croatia. Let them remind everyone that the old king is still the king.
Brazil vs South Korea?
No suspense.
Brazil will win.
The only question is—
how many Brazilian players will get kicked into the hospital?
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