[35 hours, 59 minutes, 57 seconds!]
[35 hours, 59 minutes, 56 seconds!]
Bright red numbers flowed before his eyes like blood.
Tang Moumou knew this was the countdown of his life.
Aside from these constantly ticking characters, his field of vision was filled with countless flashing lights and reporters in the audience frantically raising their hands.
This setup looked exactly like a press conference.
Could this be the grand ceremony after the System acquired Manchester United?
With this suspicion, he silently turned his head, wanting to see if the decorative wall behind him was printed with the Manchester United crest.
But just as he turned, he saw a figure that shocked him.
He blinked in disbelief. The figure before him smiled, leaned in close to his ear, and whispered, “Tang, no need to be so nervous. You’re Chinese; if you don’t want to answer their questions, just pretend you don’t understand.”
This advice was both humorous and considerate, making Tang Moumou realize that all of this was not a hallucination, but reality—
The ticking numbers before his eyes were real.
His becoming the Chairman of Manchester United was real.
And the fact that his name, his life, and even his soul had been plundered by that wicked System was also real…
[Warning! This System is a legal and compliant Wishing System.]
[The reason you are receiving these punishments is that after discovering a loophole in the System, you did not report it, but instead abused it.]
[According to the rules, this System has fulfilled your wish, but you must pay the corresponding price.]
Hearing this cold prompt, Tang Moumou only wanted to roll his eyes.
Oh, his name certainly wasn’t Tang Moumou, but now he only remembered that his surname was Tang.
However, in the face of having less than 36 hours of life remaining, he didn’t care about his name. He only cared about how he would spend the final moments of his life.
First, he had to figure out the current situation. More importantly, he had to find out:
[System, what year is it? Why is David Gill sitting next to me?]
The moment he saw David Gill, questions popped up in his mind—
As a die-hard Manchester United fan, he was far too familiar with Gill.
One could even say that if fans were to vote for the most successful administrator in Manchester United’s history, David Gill would undoubtedly be at the top of the list.
But didn’t Gill retire along with the Old Man back in 2013?
Moreover, he looked younger than in Tang’s memory.
[Because your wish was to become Ferguson’s boss and the owner of the Red Empire.]
[This System has brought you to May 14, 2012. Just one day ago, in a life-and-death duel against Manchester City, Manchester United lost the league title because their goal difference was lower than City’s.]
[Ferguson is about to welcome his final season at Manchester United. In the next 36 hours, you will become his superior and the master of Manchester United.]
Hearing these words, Tang Moumou felt like his head was going to explode.
“Wait, you’re saying that the day after Manchester United lost the league title in the most tragic way possible, I took over the club from the Glazer family?”
The System was clearly dissatisfied with his question: [It was the System that realized your dream of acquiring Manchester United based on your wish.]
Tang Moumou didn’t give a damn about the System. He was just… feeling melancholy.
He had landed in this situation because of himself, of course. Who told him to be so petty as to try it out after discovering a loophole?
As a result, his life was gone, his soul was lost, and he had even become a “Moumou” (John Doe).
But if one were to trace it back to the source, it was all because of Manchester United.
If he hadn’t been a Manchester United fan and hadn’t harbored a deep-seated hatred for the current owners, the Glazer family, he wouldn’t have used the loophole to try.
Now that the wish had been granted, he only had a short 36 hours left for the rest of his life…
His life was about to end. If he said he could accept it calmly, that would obviously be a lie.
However, the constantly decreasing timer before his eyes made him realize he had no right to be sentimental.
Instead of wasting time being sad, he might as well think about how to make full use of his remaining time—
He had become the owner of this century-old giant and paid such a heavy price. If he didn’t enjoy it properly, how could he face himself?
And his experience as the Chairman of a top club would, of course, start with the press conference in front of him.
Thinking of this, he braced himself, while also not forgetting to thank Gill for the advice.
Gill had noticed earlier that this young man was spacing out. However, there were at least three or four hundred media outlets squeezed into this press room, and the flashing lights were enough to form a galaxy.
It was normal for this young billionaire, who was both low-profile and mysterious, to not be adjusted to the cameras.
Now that the young man had regained his spirit, Gill was already looking forward to how he would handle the media.
After all…
He was also full of curiosity about this mysterious boss.
Not only was Gill observing the new owner’s expression, but Phil Towson, the Manchester United press officer, was doing the same.
As a former Manchester United player, Towson had dealt with these media outlets since his playing days; he was highly experienced and even better at observing.
Seeing that the young boss was ready, he selected a reporter from The Times.
After the reporter was chosen and stood up to introduce himself, Tang Moumou’s favorable impression of Towson also rose sharply.
As a Manchester United fan, he followed the British media quite a bit. The Times was Britain’s leading mainstream newspaper.
British people took pride in The Times, always believing it exerted a major influence on global politics, economy, and culture.
Of course, as a Chinese person, Tang Moumou neither believed the British rhetoric nor acknowledged their self-aggrandizement.
However, he understood Towson’s intention. As a major newspaper among major newspapers, The Times usually had more integrity than those tabloids focused on gossip.
Yet, this reporter from The Times opened his mouth and asked:
“Mr. Tang, in the recently concluded 2011/12 season, Manchester United’s valuation was 2.33 billion euros, while the club’s revenue this season was only 390 million euros, having fallen from the former king of revenue to third place, losing out to Real Madrid and Barcelona.”
“Under such circumstances, you have actually spent 4 billion pounds, equivalent to 5 billion euros, to acquire Manchester United.”
“Have you considered how the world will judge you for such a move?”
Tang Moumou was already in a bad mood, and his eyebrows twitched upon hearing this.
This guy wasn’t so much asking a question as he was questioning him—
Questioning whether there was something wrong with his head to pay such a high price to buy a club.
Setting aside the fact that he had already paid the price of his life for Manchester United, this posture alone made him unhappy!
But he didn’t explode directly. He just said calmly, “I am Chinese. We have an old saying in China: ‘A thousand gold pieces cannot buy this master’s happiness.’ I’m afraid my English is limited, so the translation might not be quite appropriate.”
This isn’t just “not quite appropriate,” Gill thought, dumbfounded.
The reporters below also fell silent for a moment. They hadn’t expected this young man from the East to be so arrogant. He was practically saying “I’ll spend my money however I want,” which was incredibly wild.
Back when the Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich took over Chelsea, he didn’t have this kind of aura.
But a moment later, the eyes of the media present suddenly lit up.
In this era where Mourinho had gone far away to La Liga, what did the appearance of such an arrogant, mysterious, and more importantly, super-wealthy Manchester United Chairman mean?
It meant skyrocketing sales, of course!
Gill looked at the reporters below and then gave Towson a look.
Towson immediately pointed to a reporter, one from the Manchester Evening News.
In truth, by choosing the MEN, Towson didn’t have much of a choice.
The full name of Manchester United was Manchester United Football Club, and they were in the same city as the MEN.
Originally, the MEN should have been the mouthpiece for Manchester United, but they preferred the other team… Manchester City.
Yes, the very team that snatched the championship yesterday.
But Manchester United was the giant team with hundreds of millions of fans worldwide. For the sake of sales, the MEN still had to show Manchester United some respect.
So Towson gave them this opportunity, and he also knew this reporter, thinking he would be sensible.
But the moment the reporter spoke, Towson regretted it.
Because he asked: “Mr. Tang, you bought Manchester United in the name of the Manchester United Fans Foundation. So I would like to ask, in the future operations of the club, will the fans have a greater role? Will the fans participate in the club’s decision-making, and which fans will be qualified for this?”
Hearing this question, Gill’s expression also changed.
Because everyone knew that although the young Chairman said the club was bought in the name of the “Manchester United Fans Foundation,” for a super-wealthy man who could casually spend 5 billion euros, Manchester United was just his toy.
Since it was his toy, he naturally had the final say. Why would he share it with the fans?
Gill was waiting for Tang Moumou’s response. Tang Moumou, on the other hand, felt he could handle this question easily.
When his life had less than 36 hours remaining, what question could he not face directly?
“I bought Manchester United Football Club in the name of the Manchester United Fans Foundation because I am also a Manchester United fan. I hope I can remember my identity as a fan and not forget the traditions and spirit of Manchester United.”
“I did not acquire Manchester United to make money, nor do I care about the world’s judgment. Otherwise, I would not have paid the price of 5 billion euros.”
As Tang Moumou said this, he looked pointedly at the reporter from The Times.
Yes, he was retorting him, openly and squarely.
“And just like all Manchester United fans, my wish is to make Manchester United even stronger.”
“Therefore, in the club’s operations, I will listen to the advice of professionals, including the manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, and the club’s management.”
At this point, Tang Moumou looked at David Gill.
Ferguson and David Gill were the two great pillars of Manchester United in terms of sports and management, respectively. With such professionals available, wouldn’t it be foolish not to use them?
If he hadn’t considered the fact that these two old men were both going to retire in a year, he would have even dared to say: Even a pig could be a good Chairman of Manchester United.
Gill also saw the deep respect in the young Chairman’s eyes, which caused him to give a reserved smile, feeling quite satisfied.
The speed at which the club changed hands this time was like a lightning strike, with the transaction completed in just one day.
Not to mention how shocked the fans were or how surprised the media was; even as a participant, looking back, he felt it was inconceivable.
Because… that was five billion euros!
If Real Madrid and Barcelona weren’t member-owned clubs, that amount would be enough to buy both of them as a package!
So he could completely understand why the Glazer family would sell so decisively—
If they missed a fat sheep like this, they would miss it forever.
How could Tang Moumou know that his “legendary CEO” actually saw him as a fat sheep?
He continued to speak eloquently: “As for whether fans will participate in the club’s decision-making, what I want to say is that it depends on the fans themselves.”
“If there are fans with ability, passion, contribution, creativity, and ideas, then I welcome them to join the Manchester United Fans Foundation and work with me for the future of Manchester United.”
“Later, we will formulate a detailed charter and announce it to everyone on the official website.”
Gill: “…”
What on earth?
You really want to let fans participate, you’re going to make a charter, and you’re even going to post it on the official website?
Aren’t you just looking for trouble?
Strictly speaking, could this be considered the new Chairman’s… first fire after acquiring Manchester United?
He was wrong.
This was just the beginning.
Tang Moumou felt that rather than letting these malicious media outlets babble with their questions, he might as well elaborate on his philosophy himself.
Commonly known as “drawing a big pie.”
In fact, all fans were masters at drawing big pies. Which fan hadn’t thought “I could do better”? They just never had the chance to make their philosophy public.
Now that the opportunity had arrived, and since he didn’t have much time left to live, Tang Moumou hoped to seize this chance to state his plans for Manchester United one by one.
For the time he had left, he would push them forward with all his might.
Of course, he also had to admit that the reason he had the confidence to draw such a big pie for everyone was that he had checked Manchester United’s financial situation through the System—
After he acquired Manchester United and paid off the $509 million debt that the Glazer family had forced upon the club, based on the revenue of £320 million in the 2011/12 season, Manchester United would achieve a net profit of £100 million this season. Manchester United would have a massive cash pile of £151 million, which converted to 186 million euros!
This was in 2012. In this era, the highest transfer fee in football was still the 94 million euros for Cristiano Ronaldo’s transfer from Manchester United to Real Madrid.
What did this mean?
It meant—
He could act with absolute billion-aire abandon.
He could replace an entire team for Sir Alex.
He wanted to ask sincerely: Sir, would you like to command an aircraft carrier?