Du Chan looked around curiously at the affluent neighborhood behind Old Trafford.
If Manchester's most luxurious business district was the old financial center, then its most prestigious residential area was undoubtedly this one. Not only did Manchester United players live here, but a significant number of London parliament members also called it home.
Having grown up in comfortable circumstances herself, Du Chan understood exactly what this meant.
Humans are social creatures.
If you surround yourself with people constantly striving to make money and build fortunes, the worst you'll end up is comfortably middle-class. But if your neighbors are all high-ranking officials and wealthy elites? Even if you're lazy, your future path likely won't be too shabby.
To Du Chan, this was what domestic circles often referred to as "social stratification." If Claire could maintain his current goal-scoring efficiency over the next three years without being cut by Manchester United, his future would undoubtedly be limitless!
As she pondered this, Claire—who hadn't slept well the night before—approached her. "Mr. Claire, hello, I'm—"
"No need for formalities. The reason I invited you here is because I have a favor to ask." Claire didn't put on airs. He knew better than to offend a journalist, and besides, he genuinely needed her help.
It had been two and a half months since his uncle acquired the lower-league club Castle FC in Newcastle-under-Lyme. During that time, his uncle had thoroughly enjoyed playing the millionaire—after all, Claire's nearly £6 million in signing fees and endorsement money had been funneled into rebuilding the tiny third-tier team.
When it came to running a football club, Claire had to admit he'd bitten off more than he could chew. The costs were staggering:
- Land and infrastructure fees
- Stadium renovations
- Player contracts
- Staff wages
- Daily operational expenses
The list went on.
When Claire was injured, Denis Irwin (his uncle) had desperately wanted to visit him. But Castle FC was in a critical phase—and Irwin, even more than Sir Alex Ferguson, was a control freak.
He insisted on handling everything—ownership and coaching—himself.
By the end of 2007, England had:
- 140+ leagues
- 480 divisions
- 7,000+ clubs (with an average of 15 teams per division)
Clubs constantly joined, left, merged, or dissolved.
In this environment, Irwin splurged £30,000 per week to poach a young talent named Christopher Bela from the Scottish Premiership's youth system.
And it worked.
Money talked in English football.
Within a month, Castle FC went from a fifth-tier nobody to a serious contender for promotion to the Southern Football League.
After tasting success, Irwin immediately came back to Claire for more funding.
But Claire was strapped for cash. Though his song was a hit, the royalties wouldn't arrive anytime soon. Left with no choice, he had to get creative.
Truthfully, Claire didn't care much about owning Castle FC. What he really wanted was:
1. Lyme Valley Stadium (the club's home ground)
2. A seasonal friendly match contract with Manchester United
With these assets, Claire's mind immediately jumped to commercial real estate.
While Western markets were already mature in this area, Claire was confident no one could outdo him in concept marketing.
His plan was simple:
As someone who'd lived through 's economic boom in his past life, Claire knew the spending power of tourists.
In 2006:
- tourists' per-trip spending ranked second globally (just behind Japan).
- But their shopping expenses were already #1 worldwide.
- The average overseas shopping expenditure was $987 per trip—the highest in the world.
Against this backdrop, Claire planned to aggressively market a customized tourism package to fans:
"Come watch Manchester United play—in person!"
In the early 2000s, Asia had a massive football fanbase. The chance to see Manchester United's first team live—and even interact with players—would be unprecedented.
Claire was certain this would sell.
By bringing fans to England, he could:
- Boost matchday revenue
- Stimulate local spending around Lyme Valley Stadium
- Turn the entire area into a lucrative hub
The £10 million investment in renovations wouldn't go to waste.
Lyme Valley Hotel (adjacent to the stadium) was already a star-rated establishment—it had just fallen into disuse due to Newcastle-under-Lyme's stagnant tourism.
Claire was confident he could revitalize it into a thriving commercial hotspot.
When Du Chan heard Claire needed a favor, she was stunned.
Sitting on the sofa, she wracked her brain—what could a "semi-celebrity" like Claire possibly want from a small-time journalist like her?
Claire laughed. "Don't overthink it. I just wanted to ask—does your UK branch have ad sales quotas?"
"You've interviewed my uncle, so I won't reintroduce him. I want to place travel ads on NetEase's domestic platform. Since you're in the industry, if you have other media connections, I'd love to discuss partnerships."
As he spoke, Claire poured tea and handed Du Chan a tourism proposal for Lyme Valley Stadium.
Her hands trembled slightly as she took it.
Originally, portals like NetEase set up overseas branches to:
1. Expand foreign media networks
2. Tap into international ad markets
But with Yahoo and Google dominating online ads—and traditional media giants fiercely protective of their turf—breaking into Western advertising had been brutally difficult.
If Du Chan remembered correctly, Claire might be the first client to ever approach them for ad space.