Kai immediately jumped out of bed, pulled his laptop from his suitcase, and began scrolling through major sports and entertainment websites.
Headlines were exploding everywhere:
"New Disney Princess's Romance Exposed — Boyfriend Shorter Than Her!"
Los Angeles Daily:
"This Boyfriend Is No Ordinary Kid! Hathaway Dating a Young Football Star Who Won Two Champions League Titles This Year!"
*"Who Is Kai? UEFA Youth League Best Player! Sir Alex Ferguson's Most Promising Young Talent! The Next David Beckham?"
Sky Sports:
"Young Actress Falls for Rising Football Star — Will Hathaway Affect Kai's Focus?"
The Times:
"Kai's Position in the Portugal U16 Squad Still Uncertain. New Girlfriend May Damage His Image in the Coach's Eyes."
FourFourTwo:
"Born in 1985, Kai Is Still Too Young. Early Romance May Affect Physical Development. Science Shows Excessive 'Jade' Consumption Impacts Height Growth!"
Record:
"Will Kai Become America's Royal Consort? Our Special Correspondent Jiang Yunzhu Has Arrived in Prague. Stay Tuned for Exclusive Coverage!"
For a moment, both the football media and entertainment media went completely insane.
No one expected Kai to become the second athlete this year to "blossom in both sports and culture."
Naturally, comparisons were drawn to David Beckham, who had just won the treble with Manchester United and announced his wedding to Victoria Beckham.
Now Kai was being linked to Anne Hathaway.
Not even a Manchester United player — yet somehow already carrying Manchester United's "tradition."
Scandal, glamour, headlines.
Kai explained everything to Cristiano Ronaldo.
They had just met that day. She invited him to dinner as thanks. Refusing would have made her feel awkward.
They might become friends — but they were absolutely not a couple.
Ronaldo reluctantly accepted the explanation.
But he didn't forget that Kai had skipped team dinner for a girl.
To settle that score, Kai had to train with Ronaldo three extra sessions per day for three consecutive days.
Only then did Ronaldo calm down.
When Kai's parents saw the news, their reactions were completely different.
His father proudly declared, "Good job! You've brought glory to the family! But remember — the child must carry the surname Deng. No American citizenship nonsense!"
His mother, however, repeatedly reminded him:
"You're growing up. If anything happens, you must take safety precautions."
Kai almost choked.
Nothing had happened!
Why did they trust him so much — and yet not trust him at all?
Kai called Hathaway that day.
From her tone, he realized the film crew was under strict information control. Director Garry Marshall had apparently imposed a hush order to protect the lead actress's image.
If Kai had called thirty minutes later, she might not have been allowed to answer.
Clearly, she didn't know about the rumors yet.
So Kai kept it simple.
He wished her smooth filming and said that after the European Junior Championship ended, he would visit the set to talk in person.
Hathaway was thrilled.
Visit her?
Talk in person?
Was he going to confirm something?
Wasn't this moving too fast?
They had only had one dinner.
Still… why did she feel so happy?
The news also stirred waves in the American entertainment industry.
In recent years, Chinese and Chinese-American figures had gained increasing attention in the U.S., especially as American capital eyed the mainland Chinese market.
Sports, film, entertainment, consumer goods — everyone wanted in.
The NBA, in particular, was pushing hard into Asia.
This year, they had invited rising Chinese basketball prospects — including Yao Ming — to the United States for training and exhibition games to build hype.
But surprisingly, the media spotlight was stolen by Kai.
In China, he was unstoppable.
The national team coach, Bora Milutinović, had reportedly used Kai's match footage as internal teaching material.
Not because Kai was better than the current national midfielders — but because his passing vision was extremely advanced.
Players like Ma Mingyu, Sun Jihai, and Li Xiaopeng were encouraged to study it.
Kai's Youth Champions League title and his so-called "guidance" in Manchester United's treble run had pushed his popularity to its peak — rivaling stars like Yang Chen and Fan Zhiyi.
Chinese fans even began calling Hathaway "China's future daughter-in-law."
In an exclusive interview with Sports Weekly, reporter Jiang Yunzhu asked directly:
"Are you and Hathaway boyfriend and girlfriend?"
Kai replied calmly:
"No. The day we were photographed was the first day we met."
"Then why dinner?"
"We met by chance near a castle outside Prague. She needed help with football scenes for her movie. I gave her some guidance."
"She invited me to dinner as thanks. That's all."
"We are friends. A very pure friendship. Please don't overthink it."
"At this stage, my focus is football — especially the upcoming European Junior Championship."
"Coach Violante and I have discussed my tactical role. I need to work hard to earn it."
He even added jokingly:
"I won't fall in love before I reach the legal age for romance. Young fans in China — even if you date early, don't overdo it!"
The media storm slowly faded.
But inside the Portugal U16 squad, opinions differed.
Hugo Almeida thought Kai was too high-profile.
Hélder Postiga was simply jealous that Kai could dine with movie stars.
Ricardo Quaresma didn't care — he was dating several young models himself.
Raul Meireles, however, was clearly unhappy.
After Coach Violante announced the regular formation, Meireles expected to start at right midfielder. But during training, Kai was repeatedly tested in that role, pushing Meireles back into a defensive midfield position he disliked.
Hugo Viana acted as the locker room leader. It wasn't surprising he would later become sporting director at Sporting CP.
Quaresma and Ronaldo were natural stars — inspirational figures — but not ideal managers. Their emotional intelligence simply wasn't built for team politics.
Viana didn't personally reject Kai.
But he didn't believe in Violante's double attacking-midfielder system.
More importantly, he didn't fully trust Kai's ability.
As a result, during training matches, the team rarely executed the tactics Violante wanted.
Some assistant coaches began suggesting a return to a double defensive-midfield setup.
Kai was handed the yellow bib — substitute squad.
It looked like he was about to become the classic case of "winning in love, losing on the pitch."
Unlike Almeida, who vented frustration by targeting teammates during training, Kai chose a different path.
He knew exactly where the problem lay.
In football, sometimes one person's support matters more than a thousand explanations.
You have to find the right voice.
Late one night, Kai quietly left his dorm room — after making sure Ronaldo was asleep — and knocked softly on Ricardo Quaresma's door.
"Who is it?" Quaresma's sleepy voice called out.
Kai lowered his voice.
"Special service, sir. I've brought the finest girls from the hotel—"
The door flew open instantly.
The two stared at each other.
Awkward silence.
Quaresma suddenly remembered he was at a training base, not a nightclub.
"There's no special service here…"
He coughed awkwardly.
"It's you, Kai. I… didn't hear anything just now."
Kai stepped inside casually.
"Conditioned reflex. I understand."
Quaresma shut the door quickly, as if afraid someone else had heard.
In Europe, fame at a young age often means money at a young age.
Since discovering nightlife, Quaresma had indulged a little too much.
But unlike certain thick-skinned British "emperors," he still felt embarrassed about it.
He didn't know how Kai had figured it out.
But one thing was certain.
In this conversation—
He was already at a disadvantage.
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