But what surprised Kai was that Ronaldo didn't come either.
He said he had something to do and excused himself.
Now that was interesting.
Over the past week, Ronaldo had frequently skipped extra training.
His normal training form had also been poor lately, and he could no longer suppress Pepe.
That was extremely rare.
Because players like Ronaldo usually start at a lower level than others of the same tier, but once he catches up to you, all you'll ever see afterward is his back getting farther and farther away.
But now, his growth rate had actually been overtaken by Pepe.
He definitely wasn't putting all his attention into training anymore.
This was the first time in Ronaldo's career.
The movie they watched this time was X-Men. It was a special-effects blockbuster, and everyone enjoyed it a lot.
The tickets had been provided by Hathaway's friends. VIP seats, complimentary food—the experience was excellent.
After everyone finished watching the movie, Kai suddenly spotted a familiar figure in the crowd.
"C—" Before Kai could shout, he noticed the girl standing beside that figure.
The two walked side by side, both looking youthful and inexperienced, like a young couple on their first awkward movie date.
"Is that Ronaldo?" Fonte also recognized the figure.
"Shh..." Kai signaled everyone to stay quiet, then secretly followed them.
Good lord!
No wonder Cristiano Ronaldo had been absent-minded recently.
Turns out he had encountered the lifelong enemy of every successful man... romance.
Judging from the fact that they walked together without holding hands, they probably hadn't officially confirmed their relationship yet. And today didn't look like their first date either.
There was a high chance they were planning to make it official tonight.
The girl had slightly darker skin and long curly hair, giving her a South American vibe.
And there were plenty of South Americans in Portugal.
However, just as Ronaldo and the girl walked out of the cinema, a man suddenly rushed over and dragged both of them into an alley.
"Fuck!" Kai immediately signaled his brothers to follow him.
What the hell?
A robbery in broad daylight?
But before they even entered the alley, shouting could already be heard inside.
"Fuck! Chris, are you trying to die? How dare you mess around with my sister!"
"Hey, Mario, you'd better take your hands off me, otherwise even if you're Jordana's brother, I'll hit back!"
"Say that again? You think I don't dare hit you, you little shit?"
"Brother, stop it! Chris and I really like each other!"
"Jordana, shut up. You don't get to talk here. Listen to me, Chris, it's impossible for my sister to be with you, understand? I'm already sick of you and that little brat. You act so fucking full of yourselves every day."
"You really think you're stars? In front of real stars, you're nothing!"
"Mario Jardel, watch your damn mouth! Whether Jordana and I date or not is between us. It has nothing to do with Kai. If you insult him again, don't blame me for not giving Jordana face!"
"Hah! Talk big all you want! You think you're worthy? There aren't many good footballers out there. My sister isn't one of those stupid fangirls who lets players sleep with them and throw them away... Jordana, you didn't sleep with him already, did you?"
"Brother, are you insane? Chris and I haven't even officially started dating yet. We're still getting to know each other. You can't do this. I have the right to love whoever I want!"
"Good, as long as you didn't! I'll find you a proper family later. From now on, stay away from him. Jordana, don't forget who raised you all these years. If you still want another cent from me, then promise me you'll break up with this little bastard! This bastard follows Kai around every day. He's not even a normal man!"
"Motherfucker! I'll beat you to death!"
Ronaldo exploded and rushed forward, instantly fighting with Jardel.
He struck first and landed a punch on Jardel.
But Jardel quickly suppressed Ronaldo.
He grabbed Ronaldo, slammed him against the wall, then took him down to the ground and started punching him.
But in the very next second, someone kicked Jardel over from behind.
"Beat his ass!"
Kai gave the order.
Several large figures behind him instantly charged forward.
The first one leading the attack was Ibrahimović.
"I told you I'd fuck you up someday! Did you really think I wouldn't dare?" Ibrahimović punched him happily.
No karate stance, no martial arts discipline—just straight fists flying everywhere.
Fonte, Barzagli, Drogba, Pepe, and the others also rushed in and started beating the hell out of him.
The scene spiraled out of control almost instantly.
Even though Kai repeatedly tried to stop them, Pepe was too fired up and refused to stop. In fact, he hit the hardest.
That was probably related to the fact that Jardel had beaten Ronaldo earlier. Pepe and Ronaldo had been sparring together for so long that their bond had become genuinely deep.
Jordana also joined the chaos, and eventually things calmed down only after Jardel had already been beaten into a swollen pig's head.
"Chris, how could you do this? He's my brother!" Jordana shouted at Ronaldo while holding Jardel on the ground.
Ronaldo himself also had a bruised nose and swollen face.
First of all, he wasn't the one who ordered the beating.
Secondly, he wasn't even the one doing most of the hitting.
And lastly, when Jardel had been beating him earlier, why hadn't Jordana stepped in and questioned her brother like this?
Ronaldo had plenty he could've explained.
But Jordana's words instantly killed all desire he had to explain anything at all.
Even the feelings he'd built up for Jordana during this time seemed to disappear.
If he had been emotionally overheated before, now his heart had gone completely cold.
For the first time, he deeply understood the difference between closeness and distance.
No matter what Jardel did, he was still Jordana's biological brother.
Ronaldo could never surpass Jardel's position in her heart.
And Ronaldo couldn't accept that.
Although he also had siblings of his own, Ronaldo believed that after taking care of his family, his significant other should become the person closest to him in the world.
It was an extremely self-centered mindset.
But people like Ronaldo, who center their world around those they love, often end up taking especially good care of their own people.
There was no right or wrong between Ronaldo's and Jordana's perspectives.
But they were undeniably different.
They simply weren't the same kind of people.
"Let's go. There's nothing left to say." Ronaldo grabbed Kai and motioned for everyone to leave.
"Chris! Get lost!" Jordana shouted curses at Ronaldo and Kai from behind them.
Cristiano Ronaldo clenched his fists tightly.
His eyes were red, but his back remained straight and firm as he walked away.
Kai glanced back and saw that Jardel didn't seem seriously injured, so he took Pepe and the others away.
He could understand exactly how Ronaldo felt.
Cristiano Ronaldo was the type of person who could give everything to someone else.
But only if that person also treated him as their entire world.
He was terrified of being ignored.
Terrified of not being valued.
He couldn't tolerate even the slightest neglect.
If Jordana had first asked about Ronaldo's injuries—especially seeing how rough he looked—then Ronaldo might've even apologized to Jardel afterward for the sake of their relationship.
Ah... poor Ronaldo.
After watching Kai fall in love, he'd also gone looking for a girlfriend.
And the result...
It ended before it even properly began.
Pat pat.
There, there.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can visit my Patreon page:
Patreon.com/PhoeniXcel
I upload 2 chapters daily on Patreon!
There are 250+ advanced chapters available for you to read.
Your support would be greatly appreciated.
📢 Check out my new Naruto fanfic!
[Marvel: Living the Laid-Back Life]