Chapter 27: Boys Must Learn to Protect Themselves Out There

The day after the match, March 8th, Thursday, International Women's Day, Kaka decided to accompany his mother to the supermarket.

Of course, the most important thing for him was that the Salt Fish System finally had some activity.

"Congratulations to the host for winning the Rio-São Paulo Tournament, rewarded with 5 honor points."

A skill cost 50 honor points, a talent cost 100 honor points, and a championship only earned him 5 honor points.

Initially excited about the championship, Kaka felt a bit underwhelmed at that moment.

Ten championships to buy a skill, twenty championships to afford a talent? Were championships like cabbages? How many people played football their entire lives without even touching a trophy?

What's the use of... this system...?

"Is the championship too small, or is this the reward for every championship? Do honor points... count human honor?" Kaka addressed the system interface. "System? Buddy? Old man? Little miss? Can you make a sound?"

No response.

Well, it was better than an actual squeak.

It was quite nice that the system wasn't anthropomorphized. Otherwise, it would feel strange, like doing a live stream every time he drove.

Although he felt that the low reward was probably because the championship was too small, otherwise, a World Cup championship and a third-rate cup tournament would have the same point reward, which would be inhumane. However, considering the system's silly behavior, Kaka wasn't too sure.

"Ricardo, let's go," Simone said, looking at the distracted Kaka, a bit worried that her son had become dazed from playing football.

Ever since his neck injury had healed, Kaka had become a different person, more diligent, hardworking, and mature. However, compared to before, it seemed like something was missing between him and his family, as if he wasn't as close to them as before.

But they just thought it was a change in attitude after a significant event and didn't notice any major problems, so they didn't dwell on it.

Kaka closed the system, put on a white T-shirt, combed his hair into a youthful style, and followed his mother out.

As the saying goes, "The protagonist follows the author, and the son follows the mother." Kaka's father had an abstract appearance, so for Kaka to look like this after inheriting his father's genes, one could imagine that Simone must have been a great beauty in her youth. Well, besides the saying being accurate, this paragraph doesn't make much sense, but Kaka's mother was indeed beautiful. Even though she showed some signs of age, her figure, poise, and looks could still outshine many young girls in their prime.

But no matter how beautiful she was, she couldn't outshine Kaka.

They had severely underestimated Kaka's current level of fame.

He had previously kept a low profile, so he didn't feel it much, but after scoring two goals in the final, he had undoubtedly become more famous than a celebrity in present-day São Paulo.

From the moment they stepped out of the house, people kept greeting them and asking for autographs.

If it were ten years later, there would probably also be a lot of people asking for photos and live streams.

Simone and Kaka finally realized that their family's life had changed.

Kaka was no longer that obscure youth team substitute or a newly famous player that people recognized but couldn't name.

"Kaka, those goals yesterday were beautiful!"

"Kaka! Will we win the championship this season?"

"Could you write a few more lines? My sister is also your fan, and tomorrow is her birthday... Thank you, her name is Julian..."

"Kaka, look here, let's take a picture together. Oh my god, you're even more handsome than on TV."

"Kaka, do you have a girlfriend? If not, would you mind having one? If you do, would you mind changing her? If not, would you mind adding one more?"

"Kaka, they said you're only eighteen, is that true?"

Kaka was still a bit dazed.

Weren't foreigners supposed to have high quality and never shout or make noise in public places? Weren't celebrities abroad able to wear flip-flops and beach shorts on the street without being surrounded and watched? What's going on?

Dazed or not, he still had to sign autographs and take pictures. Handshakes and hugs were fine, but you guys touching my abs is going too far, and if you try to kiss me on the lips, I can't hold back.

So, he had to escape when necessary.

It was too dangerous. Lu Xun was indeed right; boys must learn to protect themselves out there.

Kaka didn't even pay attention to his mother and hurriedly made a run for it before the next batch of fans could swarm him, leaving Simone both proud and troubled.

She was proud that her boy had made a name for himself but troubled that there were so many tempting hussies out there trying to seduce her son.

What a headache.

Kaka didn't find peace even after returning home.

The phone kept ringing.

"Sorry, I don't need an agent at the moment... I know you're very professional, but I really don't need one..."

"Sorry, I'm very happy in São Paulo, this is my home... No, no, no, it's not about the salary... I know you can pay the release clause, but I really haven't thought about leaving..."

"Advertising? Sorry, I'm not interested... No amount of money will work, I'm not interested in money..."

After hanging up the eighth call and unplugging the phone line before the ninth call came in, the world finally became quiet.

Who the hell leaked my home phone number? What about the privacy rights we were promised?

Kaka massaged his forehead and decided to go play football.

The one good thing about being a substitute was that even after playing a match yesterday, he still had the energy to run around today.

He couldn't go to the beach or park, so he had to go to an indoor court.

It was full of talents who played beautifully and spoke eloquently, and most importantly, they never craved his body. He loved that place.

Just as he was about to change clothes, his brand new Motorola V998 rang.

Only family members, coaches, and a few close friends had this number.

The caller was Burgess. If Kaka guessed correctly, he should have just woken up.

"Good morning, Kaka," Burgess said, though he still thought he was more handsome than Kaka, but he no longer felt he was better than Kaka, even greeting him first before speaking.

"Good morning," Kaka looked at the sunlight outside. It was indeed early.

"Here's the thing, I'm having a party at my place tonight, Lura and Opsen will be there, and you have to come too. I have some decent friends to introduce to you. They're all good guys. Don't refuse yet. We know you're excellent on the pitch, but listen to me, life can't just be about work. You also need to learn to enjoy life..."

"Sorry, Burgess, you know I'm not interested in that kind of thing."

"Come on, brother, we just won a championship. How can you act like nothing happened? It's a championship! A championship! Not some crappy second or third place! We need to celebrate properly."

Kaka: "If I'm not mistaken, didn't you guys celebrate at a nightclub last night?"

"That counts as a celebration?" Kaka felt speechless, and Burgess felt even more speechless.

A nightclub? Wasn't that a regular activity? That could count as a celebration?

"..." What else could Kaka say? He could only express that you foreigners sure know how to have fun.

(End of Chapter)