However, the resilience of the African Eagles couldn't be underestimated.
4th minute!
Almost a lightning equalizer! Nigeria quickly counterattacked. Musa got the ball on the left, used his speed to blow past Argentine defender Rojo, burst into the penalty area and fired a calm low shot that pierced the door guarded by Romero! 1-1!
"Damn it!"
Ethan couldn't help but burst out cursing.
"This... This is too fast!"
The ecstasy on Diana's face instantly froze, turning into unbelievable astonishment, and she was still hanging on Ethan, but her expression collapsed.
The rest of the game completely turned into an offensive battle, which was thrilling.
The two sides went back and forth, and the offensive and defensive transitions were extremely fast.
Every touch of Messi touched Diana's heartstrings, and she sometimes held her breath nervously, sometimes sighed regretfully.
In stoppage time of the first half, Messi stepped up again!
Argentina received an excellent free kick at the edge of the penalty area.
Messi stood in front of the ball, his eyes focused on measuring the distance between the wall and the goal.
The entire stadium instantly became quiet.
Diana subconsciously grabbed Ethan's hand, her nails almost digging into his flesh, and she didn't dare to breathe:
"Messi... score one..."
Run-up! Strike! Messi's left foot made a perfect arc, the ball went around the wall, with a strong dip, and went straight to the top right corner of the goal! Enyeama made another hard save, his fingertips seemed to touch the ball, but he still couldn't stop it from flying into the net!
Goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooal!!! It's Messi again! Brace!!!
"YES——!!!!"
This time, Diana's scream almost overturned the roof.
She transformed into a koala again, jumped on Ethan, wrapped her legs tightly around his waist, held his face and kissed him hard, leaving a greasy fries sauce mark!
"Messi! King of football! I love you!!"
She was so excited she was a bit incoherent and shouted at the TV screen, completely ignoring her image.
Second half.
Argentina scored another goal through Rojo (3-1), and Nigeria pulled one back from Musa (3-2) to make it 3-2.
Throughout the game-watching process, Diana's emotions were like a roller coaster—screaming, sighing, cheering, nervously biting her fingers. Finally seeing Argentina win without major danger and secure top spot in the group, she completely relaxed and leaned softly in Ethan's arms, as if she'd fought a battle.
The TV played interview footage of Messi being elected man of the match.
Diana was extremely tired but extremely satisfied. She nuzzled Ethan's neck, her voice carrying strong fatigue and a smile:
"It was really exciting... Ethan, for every World Cup in the future, can we watch it together?"
Ethan lowered his head and looked at the beautiful young woman in his arms who at the moment was relying on him like a little girl. His fingertips brushed over her sweaty temples, and his eyes were gentle and deep:
"Of course, every tournament, I'll watch the games with you."
He deliberately emphasized the last word.
Outside the window, the neon lights of the city were still flashing, but in this private world, the magic and sweetness of football were interwoven into an intoxicating World Cup memory that belonged to them.
The two of them slowly fell asleep!
When Diana struggled to open her eyes from heavy sleep, Ethan was still sleeping, breathing evenly, and his young and angular face had faded in the morning light with the sharpness and control of last night, revealing a trace of tranquility that matched his true age.
Diana turned slightly sideways and stared at him.
This boy who could pick her up and cheer at the passionate moment of the ball game last night, and who could make her lose herself at the peak of desire, was as quiet as a cheetah with its claws put away.
Who would have thought that he was just a student who'd just finished the SATs with an almost blank resume?
Her fingertips gently brushed his slightly furrowed eyebrows, where there seemed to be worries that far exceeded those of his peers.
Ten o'clock in the morning.
There was a rumbling sound of water in the bathroom. Diana was wrapped in a bathrobe and meticulously put on exquisite makeup in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling mirror to cover up the little fatigue from staying up late.
Ethan was much more casual, wearing a comfortable bathrobe provided by the hotel, his hair still dripping with water, and he sat on a high chair by the window.
They simply packed up, checked out, and then walked into the stylish café outside the hotel.
They chose a relatively quiet corner booth by the window.
Diana ordered a flat white, and Ethan asked for an iced Americano.
Ethan took out a bank card and pushed it to her, saying:
"Do you remember what I told you last time, Diana?"
Diana's slender eyelashes trembled slightly, and her red lips opened slightly: "This is...?"
"Startup capital."
Ethan's voice was very soft, but it exploded like muffled thunder in the quiet café.
He picked up the coffee and took a sip before continuing: "There are five million saved in the card."
"Five... million?!"
The coffee cup in Diana's hand shook suddenly, and the dark brown liquid swirled on the wall of the cup. She hurriedly put down the cup, but her fingertips unconsciously pressed hard until they turned white.
She took a deep breath, her chest rose and fell violently, and her eyes, which were always charming, were round at the moment:
"My little devil, what earth-shattering event are you planning to do?"
There was an incredible tremor in her voice: "And... is there really five million in this card?"
Diana had been working in for years. She was used to seeing large companies with tens of millions of dollars in turnover, but at this moment, holding this thin bank card, her fingertips couldn't stop trembling.
A teenager who'd just taken off his school uniform casually pushed five million in cash—this strong contrast made her truly realize for the first time that the "bad boy" in front of her, who always had a mischievous smile, was probably far more unfathomable than she imagined.
She instantly understood the confidence Ethan had shown when he told her before not to worry about the issue of "startup capital"!
"If it's fake, you can sue me for fraud."
Ethan's fingertips gently tapped the table, his voice so calm he didn't sound like an eighteen-year-old:
"This isn't the end, but the spark that will start a prairie fire. The number itself is meaningless—what matters is that it represents my absolute confidence and trust in starting the company, in your abilities."
Ethan's fingertips gently scratched the edge of the coffee cup, and his voice was low and powerful:
"The first task is very clear—to establish an investment-oriented company in the fastest and safest way."
Diana's slender fingers rubbed the bank card, her eyes lingering on the card's reflection for a long time, as if she wanted to see through the numbers behind it through this small piece of plastic.
In the café, lazy jazz melodies were interwoven with the steam of the coffee machine.
She suddenly raised her head, her eyes flowing with a bit of teasing, and she said half-jokingly and half-seriously:
"Little devil, you're not planning to scam me, are you?"
Ethan chuckled and reached out to pinch her flushed cheeks:
"Scam you? Why would I scam you? You're my most precious treasure."
"Stop it!"
Diana hurriedly slapped his hand away, but the tips of her ears were quietly stained scarlet. "Let's talk business."
She took a deep breath and solemnly put the bank card into her wallet:
"I agreed to this. But... have you thought of a company name?"
"Red Bean Capital."
Ethan replied without thinking, his eyes suddenly becoming deep.
Why such wired name?
There are 50 advance chapters ahead in my Patreon. If you are interested can check it out.
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