Alessandro had finally figured it out.
There could be no compromise now.
He and Guo Chao—or rather, the entire Football Federation—were completely at odds.
If he gave in, he'd be labeled as the guy who caved and paid his way onto the Olympic team.
And then, it would be over for him.
He'd be finished.
There was no turning back.
> "I've got no way out. I won't let the Football Federation's corruption drag my name through the mud."
> "Besides, I was never planning to stay in domestic football. I've been aiming to go abroad. But there's one big problem—my registration card is still with the Shandong provincial team. If the Federation wants to screw me over with that, I'm—"
That was a real problem.
Because technically, Alessandro was still registered under the Lu Provincial Youth Team.
Even if it was just a youth contract, if the provincial side decided to block his exit...
He wouldn't be able to transfer abroad.
> "What if they're the ones who terminate the contract?"
Su Huishan asked with a sly smile.
> "Terminate it themselves?"
Alessandro's eyes lit up.
> "You mean…"
They looked at each other and grinned.
> "Looks like we need to keep this evidence under wraps for a couple more days."
Alessandro chuckled.
> "Let the bullet fly a little longer."
He was confident now.
If public outrage kept snowballing, the Federation would react.
Maybe they wouldn't issue a formal statement…
But the Lu Provincial Team might just quietly release him to avoid the heat.
And once they did?
He'd be a free agent.
He could go wherever he wanted.
> "By the way," Su Huishan added, "have your parents fly out of the country for the next couple days, just to lay low. If things boil over, I don't want them getting harassed online."
Alessandro nodded quickly.
> "You really think of everything."
---
Su Huishan was right.
Public opinion had turned into a full-blown firestorm.
On social media, the scandal topped the trending lists.
Alessandro's personal page had been flooded.
A tidal wave of insults nearly crashed the servers.
Clips mocking him were going viral across every major platform.
He had been branded with every possible negative stereotype about local footballers.
And because Alessandro hadn't spoken publicly yet...
His silence was seen by many as an admission of guilt.
The backlash only grew more vicious.
Soon, the Lu Provincial Team issued a statement:
> "Official Statement: Effective immediately, Alessandro Dybala has been released from his contract with the U18 squad."
After reading the announcement, Alessandro simply smiled.
> "It's go time."
On the other end of the line, Su Huishan was ready too.
> "I spoke to a few journalists—they're very eager to cover what you have to reveal."
Alessandro nodded and opened his phone.
His following had exploded recently.
Sure, most of it was hate—but hate still brought attention.
And that was all he needed.
He quickly typed up a post:
> "The lies stop here. On January 3rd, I will hold a press conference at Conference Hall 1, Tianhaiwan Hotel, Suicheng. The truth will be revealed. All media are welcome."
As soon as the post went up, social media exploded again.
> "Whoa! A press conference?"
"Better have answers, man. We need to know about this 'red envelope' situation."
"So what if he paid 200K for a starting spot? Everyone does it."
"Football here is finished…"
"Classic white chicken move!"
Honestly?
He wasn't a white chicken.
Literally or metaphorically.
He was the black sheep—and proud of it.
---
> "What the hell is going on? I thought it was over!"
Guo Chao was hunched over, gripping his phone. On the line was Mr. Cheng, General Manager of the Football Federation.
> "Mr. Cheng, don't worry. The kid's got no credibility. Everyone's already turned on him. Whatever he says now won't matter."
> "What about Blazevic?"
> "Handled. No rule-breakers are getting in on our watch."
> "Good. Don't mess with thorns like that again. But… now that he's been expelled, is there any chance another team might pick him up?"
Mr. Cheng sounded genuinely worried—though clearly not for Alessandro.
He was just covering his own ass.
Guo Chao almost laughed.
This guy was a government appointee with zero football background.
Easy to manipulate.
> "Rest assured, Mr. Cheng. Every club knows the story. No one will touch him. He's finished. You'll only see him playing Sunday league now."
> "And this won't come back to bite us?"
> "Not at all," Guo Chao said smoothly. "He's just a 17-year-old. Most youth players never make it. If he fails, it'll look perfectly normal."
> "Good. Keep it contained. This public backlash is getting out of hand."
> "Leave it to me."
Guo Chao grinned as he hung up.
Oblivious to the fact...
That this was only the beginning.
---