Assembling and warming up

Wang Feng's birthday, July 12th, began with his sister and Lu Yao getting up early to prepare for him. When he returned from his morning exercise, the air in the living room was filled with the aroma of cake, and there was milk and egg bread on the table.

His sister came out of the kitchen and said, "Brother, let's have breakfast first. I guess you won't get to eat your birthday cake until tonight. Lu Yao said she wanted to make a cake for you herself."

Curious, Wang Feng asked, "You guys can bake a cake? Let me see." With that, he walked into the kitchen. Being a luxurious villa, the kitchen was naturally equipped with all the utensils and machines.

The kitchen at this moment looked like it had been through a battlefield, with egg and flour splattered everywhere. There was even some unidentified black substance in the trash can. Lu Yao's delicate face was now covered in white flour.

Seeing Wang Feng come in, she blushed and said, "This is a bit of a mess. We'll clean it up. You should go out first." With that, she reached out and pushed Wang Feng out.

From behind, his sister chimed in, "Hehe, brother, just wait to eat. We won't give up. We've been baking all day and still couldn't make a perfect cake."

Wang Feng chuckled and said, "As long as you don't make a bomb, I'll be grateful."

By evening, Wang Feng finished his day's training. His sister and Lu Yao had also completed their culinary training and brought out a cake that didn't look too good but smelled delicious.

Wang Feng looked at it, then at them, and said cautiously, "This shouldn't be poisonous, right?" His sister said, annoyed, "This is the result of our hard work all day, and you're saying this? Be careful, I'll throw it at you."

Wang Feng quickly waved his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. Thanks for your hard work. Hurry up, light the candles so I can make a wish." Lu Yao went to turn off the lights, while his sister placed the candles on the cake.

With closed eyes, Wang Feng made his wish. He wished for his family's well-being in the coming year, for himself to achieve better results, and to earn more money. Well, maybe that was a bit greedy.

When he opened his eyes, he saw Lu Yao's watery gaze fixed on him. In the candlelight, she looked especially alluring.

The two locked eyes for a long time, until his sister's light cough broke the spell. Lu Yao shyly lowered her head, and Wang Feng felt a flutter in his heart.

After a long summer break, Inter Milan gathered in early August. They would play four warm-up matches first and then prepare for the UEFA Super Cup at the end of the month.

As usual, Wang Feng arrived early at the training room for warm-up. As the players arrived one by one, they greeted Wang Feng with smiles. Players like Vieri, Recoba, and Conceciao looked noticeably out of shape, indicating that even participating in the World Cup couldn't stop their unhealthy holiday habits.

The club welcomed many new faces and bid farewell to many old ones. One departure that made Wang Feng feel a bit nostalgic was the Slovakian defender Grzesko. They had some friendship off the field, but his declining form in the latter half of the previous season led to dissatisfaction from the management, resulting in his transfer to Parma.

Among the arrivals, the most famous was Cannavaro. The former Parma captain greeted Wang Feng immediately upon arrival. "Wang, you left a deep impression on me last season. I hope you'll guide me in the future."

Wang Feng jokingly punched him in the chest and said, "Your sharp defense and free kicks left a lasting impression on me too. I hope you enjoy your time at Inter Milan."

Not only Cannavaro, but other new and old players also greeted Wang Feng eagerly. They seemed to surround Wang Feng, making him the center of attention, despite not being the team captain anymore. His strong support from the club president Moratti and his own formidable skills contributed to this.

However, Wang Feng maintained a warm attitude without any hint of superiority, making his teammates feel comfortable around him.

Coach Cooper arrived on time at the training ground. When he saw the various body shapes of the players, he felt a headache coming on. Only Wang Feng reassured him; no matter when, Wang Feng could maintain the healthiest competitive state.

With Ronaldo gone, Cooper focused on reforming Konsi Kao, who had been living a dissolute life, increasing his training load, much to his dismay.

The first warm-up match was scheduled a week after the training camp, against Pro Vercelli from Serie C. Wang Feng didn't play in this match, and several out-of-shape players were given full playing time.

In the first half, Inter Milan made defensive mistakes, allowing the opponents to score first and dominating the game.

In the second half, Inter Milan took control of the game with their rich experience but still couldn't score.

In the end, they lost 0-1 to the Serie C team. After the match, Cooper was furious and kept all the players who attended the match for extra training.

A few days later, Inter Milan played their second warm-up match against Livorno from Serie B. Cooper rotated the lineup mainly to adjust the new defense line, with new players like Cannavaro and Cocu appearing on the field.

Vieri broke out in this match, scoring twice, and Inter Milan won 2-1. But Konsi Kao still performed poorly, disappointing the coaching staff on the sidelines.

In the third warm-up match against Servette from the Swiss Super League, Cooper only used substitute players and new signings. The match ended in a 0-0 draw.

Wang Feng sat on the sidelines for this match, and what impressed him most was that Cannavaro didn't perform as well as he did at Parma. It seemed that Cooper's coaching hadn't been completed yet.

Moreover, he seemed to have some tension with Cordoba, evident in their usual activities. Although there was no open conflict between them, they barely spoke to each other. The situation in Inter Milan's locker room seemed more complicated than last year.

In the fourth warm-up match, Inter Milan played a real battle against Lazio, using all their main players, hoping to verify the lineup for the new season.

Starting the game despite being out of action for a long time, Wang Feng still showed exceptional activity. He contributed a goal and an assist, and orchestrated an attack that helped Vieri score.

However, Inter Milan only narrowly won 3-2 against Lazio, as the Lazio strikers, Corradi and Lopez, tore through Inter Milan's defense.

With four warm-up matches, Inter Milan achieved two wins, one draw, and one loss, which was unsatisfactory. Their defense still needed further adjustment.

The only consolation was that Wang Feng's role in the forward line remained prominent. At nineteen years old, he had further grown in terms of physical strength, impact, and explosiveness.