Chapter 135 Has Taylor Swift Written It Into A Song? A Warm Welcome From Juventus Fans!

In both his previous life and current one, this was Su Luo's first time setting foot in Italy.

Places like Rome, Florence, and Venice would have been quite familiar to him.

In his previous life, he had explored them while following Ezio in Assassin's Creed 2.

However, Turin was unfamiliar territory to him as a Chinese.

Even Napoli seemed more prominent than Turin.

The main reason was that Turin housed two Serie A teams, but Juventus, the dominant and renowned team globally, overshadowed the city's namesake.

Juventus had faced relegation due to the infamous "Calciopoli" scandal but swiftly returned to Serie A within a season. At that time, Serie A was dominated by the Milan duo. AC Milan, boasting stars like Kaka, shone globally, avenging Liverpool to win the Champions League. Subsequently, Kaka departed for Real Madrid, Mourinho joined Inter Milan, defeated a peak Barcelona, and achieved the treble, briefly establishing a "Great International Dynasty."

Seeing Milan's rise, Juventus was not to be outdone. After 2011, they began their dominance in Serie A, winning four consecutive titles. Even this season, Juventus remained the team to beat in Serie A.

Su Luo understood clearly that Juventus would likely continue their Serie A dominance until the 2019-2020 season at least. During this period, no other team in the league could challenge their supremacy. Consequently, Juventus' primary focus also turned to the Champions League.

Last season, Juventus fell short in the Champions League, and this season, Serie A's Lazio lost in the playoffs to Leverkusen. With only Juventus and Roma left in the Champions League, Roma's chances were limited, making Juventus Serie A's hope in the competition.

The challenge awaiting Union Berlin in their away game could be imagined. Indeed, as soon as they landed, Union Berlin felt the fervor of the Italian people. Fanatical Juventus supporters even organized a confrontation with Union Berlin at the airport!

"Damn it!"

"God damn it!"

"Fools, I'll show you in two days!"

"Go away, you filthy lot! Sons of bitches!"

In just the brief three-minute walk through the airport channel, Su Luo had already picked up several Italian words—though not under the best circumstances.

"Why are these fans so intense?" Quining, also experiencing Italy for the first time, felt somewhat out of place.

Big Brother Alex explained on the sidelines, "In Turin, Juventus is the pride of the city. You could insult their pizza easier than you could insult Juventus."

"They're probably so hyped because they see us as a threat."

The "Group of Death" posed challenges not only for weaker teams but also for giants who faced direct pressure. Juventus, as the true giant in their group, would face criticism even if they didn't top their group. They had anticipated cruising with Manchester City to qualify, but Union Berlin had unexpectedly emerged as group leaders!

Now, all eyes were on Juventus.

Union Berlin could afford a draw or even a loss, but Juventus had only one option: victory!

The Juventus fans, feeling the mounting pressure, aimed to leverage their home advantage and disrupt the visiting team as much as possible.

As expected, trouble followed the team that night at the hotel.

Su Luo and his roommate Quining had just settled in and were on the brink of sleep when they were jolted awake by a loud bang!

"Was that an explosion?"

Quining, a light sleeper, groggily leaned over to the window to see what was happening.

To their surprise, fireworks lit up the sky right outside their window!

Initially, it seemed like a harmless celebration. However, the fireworks continued incessantly, rousing the entire Union Berlin team to their windows to witness the spectacle.

There wasn't any holiday in Italy that day, making the intent behind the fireworks abundantly clear—they were aimed at Union Berlin.

As the fireworks persisted for an hour, Football Director Schaffer stormed down to the hotel lobby in frustration. He confronted the hotel manager, who claimed they had no authority over activities outside their premises.

Infuriated, Schaffer dialed the police.

After a ten-minute wait, the Turin police finally arrived and dispersed the rowdy fans congregated below.

The players finally experienced a brief respite.

Yet, their peace was short-lived. Less than two hours later, at three or four in the morning, the fireworks resumed with blaring music from massive speakers downstairs!

The next day, when the players woke up for breakfast, they all sported noticeable dark circles under their eyes.

As they headed to Turin's Allianz Stadium for their field training, everyone's mood was far from optimal.

Neuhaus frowned and clenched his teeth, "Shouldn't they be doing something about this by now? The match is tomorrow..."

"Shaffer lodged a complaint with the police this morning. It should be sorted out," Hofstadter replied uncertainly.

"Should we try switching hotels?" Neuhaus suggested.

"No use. I feel like the Italians are in cahoots. Besides, we can't afford it," Hofstadter sighed in resignation.

The club's finances were tight, with this season's Champions League and Bundesliga broadcast earnings mostly allocated to operational costs. Cancelling the three-day booking at the five-star hotel would incur substantial fees, which Neuhaus reluctantly acknowledged.

"I'll arrange for some noise-canceling earplugs. I'll cover the cost," he decided.

"Alright, I'll take care of it," Hofstadter agreed quietly.

He couldn't fathom why such disruption was necessary for a mere Champions League group match.

That night was worse than before. The fireworks display resumed, with Italian fans even borrowing Chinese gongs and drums from Chinatown to add to the festivities.

Superintendent Shaffer was furious and called the police again, but their response was lackluster.

"I'm sorry, our officers are on other duties. Please be patient," they responded.

Shaffer was dumbfounded by the Turin police's nonchalance.

Unable to sleep, Su Luo sat on the balcony in a wicker chair, gazing at the moonlit sky and watching Juventus fans' elaborate fireworks display. The atmosphere, despite its disturbance, carried a festive air.

Suddenly, a message from Taylor Swift popped up.

"Miss me, Su? :)" she texted.

Since his birthday at the end of May, Su Luo hadn't seen Taylor Swift in person, their interactions limited to occasional chats online.

Taylor Swift had been exceptionally busy in 2015. Her album "1989" had swept the global music scene, topping the Billboard charts and garnering accolades as one of the year's top albums. Her songs like "Blank Space," "Shake It Off," and "Welcome to New York" had become worldwide hits.

Su Luo wondered why Taylor Swift was contacting him now.

"Are you free next month? The male lead for my 'Style' music video really wants you to star in it," she suggested.

Curious, Su Luo accepted the video call invitation. Taylor Swift's face appeared on the screen, looking both surprised and flustered from her studio in Los Santos.

"Up so late when you have a game tomorrow? You should be in bed," she teased affectionately.

"It's been ages since we've seen each other. I've only been catching glimpses of you in the news. You avoiding me?" she joked.

"Not at all," Su Luo chuckled, playing along. "Hey... don't hang up," he added quickly when she pretended to end the call.

"I miss you too," he confessed.

"Why did you pick me for the music video?" Su Luo asked, intrigued.

"Because you're also a Coca-Cola ambassador. They're sponsoring the video, so it's a perfect fit," Taylor Swift explained.

Despite not fully understanding her reasoning, Su Luo agreed to participate. It was just a collaboration, after all.

"I'll talk to my agent. It should be fine," he assured her.

"Great! I'll be watching your game on TV tomorrow. Good night," Taylor Swift said warmly before ending the call.

Afterwards, the police finally arrived to disperse the rowdy fans downstairs, allowing Su Luo to finally get some rest.

Match day arrived at the Ling'an United Stadium.

Su Luo and the team arrived two hours early by bus, noticing the weariness among their teammates due to the recent disruptions caused by unruly fans.

Despite the challenges, Su Luo remained unfazed. The stronger the opponent, the more determined he became.

"Let's see just how strong Serie A's overlord really is!" he declared, ready for the challenge ahead.

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