Chapter 319: Chapter 266: One Kick to Heaven, One Kick to Hell

The hospital room was pristine white. Through the window, you could see a meticulously arranged landscape, with tall palm trees as the most prominent feature.

Chen Yu sat by the window, flipping through a medical chart.

On the other side of the room, Guardiola was sitting on the bed, chatting and laughing with Baggio.

As they talked, the conversation drifted to the future, to retirement, and to life after retirement.

"I think for me, it won’t be painful. It’ll be a relief."

Baggio smiled, a look of anticipation in his eyes. "When the day of my retirement really comes, I think I’ll sleep for three straight days at home. I won’t have to think about training the moment I wake up. I can sleep in, sleep until Valentina jumps on me, her hair all messy, pulling me out of bed like a little wild child and demanding to go to the amusement park."

Chen Yu looked up. Guardiola had vanished at some point. Only Baggio was there, wrapped up in his blankets like a cocoon, struggling to turn his head to look at him.

Or rather, he was looking out the window.

"Am I happy? Of course I’m happy. Playing soccer is so much fun. Winning is fun. The fans being happy is fun. Seeing the fans happy makes me happy too. That’s probably the biggest reason I can still drag myself out of bed every morning, even when my whole body aches so badly."

"I’ve always felt like I’m repaying a debt. Valentina always calls me a hero, sees me as her idol. And so many other kids see me as their idol too, trying hard to follow in my footsteps. I can’t bear to disappoint them. And the fans... how could I bear to disappoint them? So yes, I feel like I’m just repaying a debt."

"You ask if it’s painful?"

Baggio, on the bed, pursed his lips. "At first, I was really resentful. I felt fate had been unfair to me. Why did such a tragedy have to happen to me? But later, I embraced Buddhism. My heart became calm, and I recognized my own path. I understood that when things go wrong, people always want to blame others, but that’s wrong."

"Making excuses for not achieving your dream is pointless. Your destiny should always be in your own hands."

Chen Yu looked from side to side and waved his hand. Baggio didn’t react and just kept talking.

Chen Yu turned his head away, then back again, and found himself sitting on a bench by a lake. Beside him, Baggio, still in his hospital gown, tilted his head back with his eyes closed, letting the cool evening breeze wash over his face.

"Near the small town where I was born, there was a forest, so dense it was like a primeval jungle. My father was a biologist without any official titles or degrees. When we were young, he often took us hiking in the forest. He could name every plant and animal, and the birds too. He knew the habits of every kind of bird, when they hatched their eggs. Oh, and he was also a lumberjack."

"So I think after I retire, I’ll probably go back to my hometown. I might buy a house near the forest, preferably with a big garden. Then, just like my father did back then, I’ll take Valentina and Mattia hiking and teach them the names of every plant and animal."

"I gave the first thirty-five years of my life to soccer. I sacrificed a lot for it. Andrea was always worried about me; she was even afraid that one morning, I wouldn’t be able to get up. That’s not fair to her. So you see, I’m still repaying a debt."

"God gave me talent, and I worked hard not to waste it. At one point, I even felt it was a responsibility. But deep down, I’ve always felt that I’m just an ordinary person, just a regular worker’s kid from Cardonio. So yes, I probably won’t miss soccer, because at that point, my life will be starting over."

"By the way, Chen."

Baggio suddenly turned his head and looked at Chen Yu. "What about you? Will you be a doctor your whole life? When you get older, what will you do? How will you enjoy your retirement?"

"Me?" Chen Yu was taken aback and subconsciously began to ponder the question.

Just then, a tremendous roar filled his ears.

"Chen!"

Someone was calling his name urgently.

Chen Yu turned his head. A round face was bobbing in front of him.

It was the Brazil Team’s doctor, Luis Lencio.

He looked anxious and pointed toward the field.

Chen Yu quickly looked where he was pointing. In the opposite stands, large swathes of Brazilian fans were roaring in anger, while the Italian fans were retaliating without a hint of weakness.

In the penalty area, Ronaldinho and the others were huddled together, looking tense and uneasy.

Through a gap in the crowd of players, Chen Yu saw the fallen Ronaldo. Beside him, Nesta and Maldini were trying to explain something to the match referee, Colina.

Chen Yu snapped back to reality.

’Right, the match is happening now. I just zoned out.’

Chen Yu immediately stood up, looking tensely onto the field, ready to run on at any moment if Colina waved him over.

The bald, fierce-eyed Colina showed no mercy just because he was also Italian. He unhesitatingly showed Nesta a yellow card and awarded a penalty kick.

In the stands, many Italian fans, as well as a large number of Japanese fans, let out frustrated sighs and held their heads in their hands in anguish.

The Brazilian fans, on the other hand, were so excited they looked ready to break into a samba.

After 65 long, dull minutes of attack and defense in this World Cup final, the deadlock was finally broken. Ronaldo, with his extraordinary individual skill, had torn through Italy’s chain defense to earn a penalty kick.

Compared to the cheering fans, Chen Yu was more worried about Ronaldo’s condition.

This wasn’t basketball, where a player could come off for a check-up at any time. From this far away, he couldn’t see clearly. And having just zoned out, Chen Yu hadn’t noticed what happened.

’It looked like Ronaldo was brought down by a tackle from Nesta.’

’Ronaldo must have been on a breakaway.’

’And a one-on-one with Ronaldo is probably worse than just giving up a penalty.’

Finally, after lying on the ground for another moment, Ronaldo struggled to his feet.

The camera locked onto him. On the large screen opposite, you could clearly see half a cleat mark on his right sock.

The replays showed that Nesta, in his frantic defense, had indeed shown his studs, scraping Ronaldo’s shin.

Chen Yu breathed a sigh of relief. ’An impact there shouldn’t be too serious.’

Sure enough, Ronaldo stomped his foot a few times and waved to show he was fine.

The pressure was on Buffon.

But Ronaldo was under just as much pressure.

The entire Yokohama World Cup Stadium fell silent. All sixty-nine thousand spectators, along with countless fans outside the stadium, subconsciously held their breath.

Scolari clenched his fists nervously. Beside him, Kaka had already started making the sign of the cross on his chest, praying silently.

Chen Yu’s gaze, however, was locked on Baggio in the blue number 10 jersey.

In a touching moment before the match, Totti had voluntarily given up the number 10 jersey for Baggio to wear.

Now he stood outside the penalty area with his hands on his hips, his jersey filthy. The Brazil Team’s defense had clearly put in a lot of work to stop him.

The sight of his back was almost surreal.

Chen Yu unconsciously slowed his breathing. Suddenly, he felt he understood why Baggio felt he had to spend a lifetime atoning for a single missed penalty.

The World Cup comes once every four years. There is only one champion. When you’re standing at the penalty spot, what goes through your mind?

’A casual kick?’

’Absolutely not. No matter how mentally strong a person is, it’s impossible to control your thoughts at a moment like this.’

’Score, and you’re a hero, the savior of the National Team. Even ten years later, fans will still talk fondly about this penalty.’

’But if you miss, and your team ends up losing the cup, you’re the villain. Even twenty years later, fans will still bring up your failure and curse you all over again.’

One kick to heaven, one kick to hell. That was all there was to it.

Chen Yu remembered his first time in the operating room, performing a simple joint cavity drainage procedure.

Even though the patient, under local anesthesia, was grinning and telling him not to be nervous, the moment the scalpel cut through flesh and blood, Chen Yu’s mind went completely blank. After the surgery, he couldn’t recall the process at all.

The pressure of knowing you could cause an accident, even the patient’s death—it could truly swallow everything.

So, in this moment, Chen Yu didn’t know what Ronaldo was thinking, but he could imagine the immense pressure he was under.

But it is precisely in top-tier matches like this, in high-pressure situations, that the true mettle of a superstar is tested.

Ronaldo started his run-up. Countless hours of practice made the kick instinctual.

Buffon leaped. He had guessed the right direction, but the ball’s angle was too sharp, its speed too great. It flew past his outstretched hands and into the corner of the net.

It’s in!

The entire stadium erupted as if it had exploded.

Ronaldo instantly took off, arms outstretched, running like a conquering hero. Behind him, not a single Brazil Team player could keep up.

He ran to the corner, ripped out the corner flag, and waved it excitedly at the stands.

On the bench, Chen Yu was instantly swamped by people, his ears filled with screams and a chaos of flailing arms.

It was Kaka again, hugging him with an excitement usually reserved for an accepted marriage proposal.

Unnoticed by most, Baggio was already jogging silently toward the center of the field, waiting for the kickoff.

In the stands, in the blue section, after a deathly silence, someone started it, and a powerful song rang out.

It was the Italian national anthem.

In the VIP box, Berlusconi, who had rushed over for the match, also stood up, raising his arm to join in.

Mameli’s Song echoed throughout the stadium, as if calling to their hero.

But the next moment, the Brazil Team fans responded, not to be outdone. Their singing was louder, more resonant.

"Calm down, will you?" Chen Yu couldn’t help saying to Kaka beside him. The young man was singing along as if he’d been injected with adrenaline.

Kaka grinned, showing a set of pearly white teeth, and grabbed Chen Yu’s arm, starting to wave it.

He then raised his left hand, pointed at the field before them, and amidst the deafening, dueling anthems, he said in a firm voice, "Dr. Chen, four years from now, I’m going to be standing on this field, fighting for our country, and helping our team win the championship!"

Chen Yu turned to look at him. At that moment, his still somewhat boyish face seemed to be enveloped in a radiant glow.

"What did you say? I couldn’t hear you."

Kaka’s flash of heroic passion seemed to be abruptly extinguished. He shrank back and shook his head shyly.

The corners of Chen Yu’s mouth turned up. ’This kid’s got some serious ambition.’