London.
As soon as Chen Ran got off the plane, he was blocked by reporters at Heathrow Airport.
There was no helping it; even though he had fled the UK for so long, paparazzi were still tenaciously following Cheryl every day.
“Mr.
Chen, where did you go after leaving Portugal?” “Besides Cristiano Ronaldo, what other stars did you bring in?” “You were away from the UK for so long, do you have a new love?” “When do you and Cheryl plan to get married?” “Is Cheryl pregnant with your child?”
Damn it.
Most of the people here today were entertainment reporters tracking Cheryl.
Chen Ran and Cheryl were surrounded by them, questions coming one after another, increasingly gossipy and explicit.
Fortunately, Stephen, who came to pick them up, was prepared and rescued them with the help of club staff.
Yaya Touré, who had traveled with them to the UK, had never seen such a scene and was left dumbfounded.
Is my new boss really this popular in the UK?
But wait, how could they just leave?
Hey, don’t leave me behind!
Poor Yaya Touré was forgotten at Heathrow Airport and was almost deported by the police as an illegal immigrant.
Fortunately, his agent quickly called, and Chen Ran finally remembered him, sending Stephen to have people pick them up.
The next day, photos of Chen Ran and Cheryl passionately kissing at the airport naturally appeared punctually in many London newspapers.
“That Chinese Man is Back!” “Heartbroken!
Cheryl and Chen kiss passionately at Heathrow Airport.” “Prize Quiz: What other players did that Chinese man buy during this time?”
After returning home, Chen Ran only relaxed with Cheryl for a day before getting busy again.
“Stephen, over the next period, the players we brought in this time will arrive in London one after another.
You need to be responsible for settling them in.” “Okay.” “Then help me contact Middlesbrough’s Gareth Southgate.
I want to meet with him.”
“Southgate?
If I remember correctly, he’s the best player trained by the Crystal Palace youth academy in recent years.
Do you want to buy him back?” Stephen was indeed Chen Ran’s capable assistant; his understanding of Crystal Palace Club was now very comprehensive.
“Yes.
We’ve brought in a lot of talented young players this time, and we need a veteran to hold the fort.
While Guardiola and Simeone could do it, they aren’t British, after all.
You know what I mean.” “That is indeed the case.
You’re right, Southgate is indeed the most suitable candidate.” Stephen nodded in agreement; some things are understood without being spoken.
Chen Ran then looked at the chubby guy lazily curled up on the sofa, still looking like he hadn’t recovered.
“Hey, Luis, it’s been so long, haven’t you rested enough yet?” “What do you mean ‘so long’?
We only rested for one day, okay?” “Look at me, aren’t I full of energy?” Chen Ran said, not forgetting to flex his biceps.
“Don’t compare a freak like you to normal people like me.
It’s incredible that Cheryl didn’t drain you dry yesterday.”
Luis picked up the Sun newspaper at hand and tossed it to Chen Ran.
It turned out The Sun had printed another photo of Chen Ran and Cheryl walking into the apartment hand in hand.
One picture at the start, and the rest was completely fabricated.
The headline was even more sensational: “Chen Ran and Cheryl’s Missing 24 Hours!”
Aside from the fact that he and Cheryl hadn’t gone out for a whole day, everything else in the article was pure nonsense.
Damn it, it seems this residence isn’t safe anymore.
“Alright, even if you haven’t rested enough, you need to work.
Our time is limited.
Have you forgotten about the matter of buying players from Brazil that I mentioned earlier?” Chen Ran tossed The Sun aside and glared at the chubby guy in displeasure.
“Buy who?” Hearing it was about this, the chubby guy instantly got energized and bounced up from the sofa.
“One is Thiago Silva from Juventude, and the other is Maicon Douglas Sisenando from Cruzeiro.” “Who are these people?
I’ve never even heard of them.” “Nonsense, would those already famous stars come to Crystal Palace?
I want to buy Kaká, how about you snatch him from AC Milan for me?” “Uh…
let’s forget about that, I don’t have that ability.” The chubby guy shrank his neck and didn’t dare to make a sound.
“Chen, Dowie has been wanting to see you recently.
What are you planning to do?” Stephen interjected at this time, saving the chubby guy.
Since the media exposed Chen Ran snatching C.
Ronaldo from Man Utd, Arsenal, and Liverpool, Dowie had gotten pumped up; it seemed this rookie new boss was playing for real.
He was now more confident about getting kickbacks from transfers.
Of course, he wasn’t arrogant enough to think Chen Ran would accept his entire shopping list, but even if only a few deals went through, it would be enough for him to shave off a few years of hard work.
So recently, Dowie’s mind hadn’t been on team training.
Shoving the work to the assistant coaches, he ran to find Stephen every other day, just wanting to facilitate the transfers.
Fortunately, it was well known that Chen Ran was out of the country, and Stephen used that excuse to stall him.
“Stall him for another two days, wait until I’ve met with Southgate.”
Middlesbrough is a major steel industrial town located in northeast England, and Middlesbrough F.C.
is in this city.
In a restaurant, Chen Ran met Gareth Southgate.
The overwhelming media coverage of Chen Ran proved advantageous at this moment.
Southgate was full of curiosity about this new owner of his old club.
So when his agent told him Chen Ran wanted to meet, he agreed without hesitation.
“How is it?
Very ordinary, right?” Seeing Southgate’s curious gaze, Chen Ran asked with a smile.
“Ahem, sorry, that was very rude of me.” Southgate felt a bit embarrassed, unable to stop himself from examining this Chinese man who had suddenly become famous.
“It’s fine, don’t mind it.
I’m used to it by now.”
The initial atmosphere was good, and the two chatted while eating.
Guided by Chen Ran, the sense of unfamiliarity quickly disappeared.
“So, Mr.
Chen invited me to meet, is it because you want me back at Crystal Palace?” Southgate didn’t hide it and directly stated his guess.
“Yes.
Mr.
Southgate, I believe you already know my plans for Crystal Palace from the media.
Honestly, I’ve brought in a large number of new players.
But I also know a team can’t just rely on buying players; we need a core to hold down the fort.
And I believe, whether in terms of ability, status, or origin, Mr.
Southgate is the most suitable candidate.
So, I sincerely hope Mr.
Southgate can return to Crystal Palace and join my plan to create a football dynasty.”
(END CHAPTER)
Thank you for the support, friends.