Chapter 667 125: Another Bet! The Three Superstars Meet Again

The sheer spectacle even startled Ronaldo.

He had come to China with Manchester United before, but this reception was clearly much grander.

"Hey, Cristiano."

"Hello, Wang!"

Amid the countless CLICK CLICK CLICKs of camera shutters, Wang Shuo stepped forward to hug Ronaldo.

Ronaldo had also brought his girlfriend, Irina, this time.

He held his girlfriend's hand while waving to the fans with his other hand.

"Is he here yet?"

Ronaldo asked as he walked shoulder-to-shoulder with Wang Shuo.

"He'll be here this evening." Wang Shuo didn't even have to guess; he knew he was asking about Messi.

"I'll take you to the hotel to rest first. How about we all have dinner together tonight after he arrives?"

"Of course. I'm good with anything. I'll leave it to you." Ronaldo was an easygoing guy.

Ronaldo traveled with an entire entourage now.

Wang Shuo and Shen Qinghe rode in a luxury van with Ronaldo and Irina, while the others were picked up in private cars. After leaving the airport, they all headed straight for the hotel.

After getting Ronaldo settled in, they returned to the airport that evening to pick up Messi.

In contrast to Ronaldo, Messi was decked out from head to toe in Adidas.

When he saw Wang Shuo, the Argentine looked a little surprised.

"Don't you have to wear Adidas gear?"

"Special privileges!" Wang Shuo said with a grin.

Messi had brought his girlfriend, Antonella, so Wang Shuo had Shen Qinghe greet her.

Despite the long flight, as soon as he heard Ronaldo was waiting for them for dinner, Messi decided to go straight there.

Shen Qinghe had booked a very famous, high-end restaurant in Hu City where privacy wouldn't be an issue.

Strictly speaking, this was the first time the three of them had met privately.

The last time they had met was at the Grimaldi Conference Center in Monaco.

It had to be said, meeting like this felt completely different from meeting on the pitch.

As they sat down, Wang Shuo asked with concern about Pique's injury.

That screw-up was pretty serious; it would take two or three months to fully recover.

'Poor guy!'

"The rumors are running wild across the European Football Scene right now. One day people say you're going to Bayern, the next they say Manchester City, then it's Manchester United, and some are even saying Arsenal. Which one is true?" Ronaldo asked curiously.

Wang Shuo spread his hands. "I haven't decided yet. Besides, no one has made a formal offer. I might just stay at Dortmund."

Messi and Ronaldo exchanged a smile, clearly not believing him.

If Dortmund really wanted to keep Wang Shuo, they would have publicly denied the rumors long ago.

"Hey, why don't you go to Atletico Madrid!" Ronaldo suddenly suggested.

"Atletico Madrid?" Wang Shuo laughed.

"Yeah! We could have a city derby. It would be full of hype. Besides, isn't Atletico Madrid looking to sell Aguero?"

Ronaldo couldn't help but chuckle at his own suggestion.

"I want to go to Real Madrid!" Wang Shuo shot back.

"I'm not afraid of you!" Ronaldo said defiantly.

Everyone else found it amusing as well.

But they had to admit, in the entire world, probably only Real Madrid was capable of pulling off something so outrageous.

After all, Kaka was still at Real Madrid!

However, one thing did surprise Wang Shuo: both Ronaldo and Messi requested that when they got to Quanjiang City, he arrange a visit to his school and his family home.

'Why, though?'

"We've seen it in the news so many times," said Messi. "Since we made the rare trip out here, we have to go see it in person."

Wang Shuo, in turn, apologized.

This whole affair had indeed grown beyond his expectations.

Especially as public discussion continued to swell, and combined with the attention from their previous "King of Football" bet, Ronaldo and Messi's trip to China was now being followed closely both at home and abroad.

Naturally, many aspects of the trip had slipped out of Wang Shuo's control.

For example, Nike and Adidas had begun to get deeply involved in their itinerary.

Barça and Real Madrid also got involved in the event.

Of course, this wasn't a bad thing for Ronaldo and Messi.

Ronaldo, in particular, seemed to thoroughly enjoy this high-profile treatment.

"No need to apologize. Let's make another bet!" Ronaldo said eagerly.

Wang Shuo and Messi looked at each other and both broke into a smile simultaneously.

"Same rules as before: next season's Golden Boot Award. If I win, you two have to do a charity event in my hometown!"

It seemed Messi had the same idea.

The desire to return home in glory, it seemed, was universal.

Wang Shuo certainly had no problem with that.

And so, the matter was settled.

They stayed in Hu City for two days, during which Wang Shuo and Shen Qinghe personally escorted them on a tour of several famous scenic spots.

From Hu City, they flew to the provincial capital, then transferred to Quanjiang.

After checking into the best hotel in Quanjiang and staying the night, they traveled with Wang Shuo to Lingshan State Town, and then to his family home.

Fortunately, his hometown had undergone tremendous changes in the last two or three years, and the road was now paved right to his doorstep.

But the winding, rugged mountain road along the way still made it easy to imagine what things were like before it was built.

Ronaldo came from the Madeira Islands, and Messi also came from a poor family, so they could both relate to much of what Wang Shuo had experienced.

The three biggest superstars of world football, gathered together in Quanjiang, Lingshan, and a small mountain village. Everywhere they went, they caused a massive sensation and drew enormous crowds of onlookers.

The contingent of reporters and fans following them was especially vast.

On the day of the final match, the area around Quanjiang City Stadium was gridlocked, packed solid with a surging tide of people and cars.

The sheer scale of it all startled even Ronaldo and Messi.

'The fans in China are so passionate!'