Upon returning to Old Trafford, Claire immediately threw himself into training. When Sir Alex was angry, the consequences were severe.
After being held to a draw by Lille, Manchester United hadn't faced outright mockery from the media—but the steam practically billowing from Ferguson's ears said it all.
The moment they landed in England, the gaffer unleashed a scorching tirade at the entire squad. He even pointed a finger at Rooney's face, accusing him of "neglecting his duties"—stopping just short of calling him a "womanizing scumbag" in front of everyone.
"If you'd actually believed you could crush Lille, I might've turned a blind eye to your midnight bar-hopping!"
"But getting pinned down by a Ligue 1 side? Do you think your spots at United are untouchable now?"
"Rooney, I don't know if you love this club—or just your own damn drama. The day the media digs up your mess, not even the national team will save you. You're a bloody fool."
By the end, Ferguson's voice was raw. Claire was convinced the man would've kept yelling till sunset if "Skinflint" (the team's nickname for their tight-fisted director) hadn't stepped in as the peacemaker.
---
### Crisis Talks
As the team dispersed, Ronaldo pulled Claire aside. "Wanna train together?"
Claire glanced at Ronaldo's eager expression, then at Rooney sulking alone on the pitch. He chuckled and shook his head. "I might not even play next match. You should go talk to that poor bastard instead."
Ronaldo lowered his voice. "His girlfriend's pregnant. That's… kind of a him problem."
Claire's face twisted in awkward sympathy.
---
### Business Over Football
UEFA, in a rare display of "player welfare concern", had scheduled a one-day break between Champions League knockout legs. Ferguson initially wanted to cancel it—but thanks to Skinflint's "generosity", the squad got half a day off.
Claire used the time to sneak out early and handle his business venture with NetEase.
Despite being third-largest web portal, NetEase had only delivered 4,900 sign-ups from their ad campaign.
At first glance, that sounded decent—until you remembered NetEase's daily traffic surpassed millions, and they'd even pushed the ads through corporate email blasts. To Claire, those numbers were pathetic.
Du Chan, the reporter he'd worked with before, arrived at his house bright and early—now dressed to impress in full makeup and an LV bag.
"Wow, someone's making bank," Claire teased.
"N-no! It's just… my college friend's hosting a fashion show in London soon, so I—"
Claire cut her off with a laugh. "Relax, I'm joking. Let's get to the point: My startup just got its first funding round. Merrill Lynch's rep is coming soon. I need NetEase to dump every ad dollar into this campaign—I want ROI reports ASAP. Someone in China will handle the rest."
Du Chan blinked. "China? You're… opening a company there?"
"Nope. I'm buying one."
---
### The $100 Million Gamble
Du Chan left just as Merrill Lynch's client manager, Ogmund Ford, arrived.
(Let's be clear: Ford wasn't here because Claire was some big shot—he'd paid $4,000/hour for this consultation. And even that was a "friendship discount" thanks to Chen Shijun's referral.)
"Mr. Lee, love your music," Ford said, adjusting his obscenely expensive watch. "Now—let's discuss your China acquisition."
Three folders slid across the table:
1. Qingdao CYTS Tours
2. Shenzhen CITS (state-owned, 70+ branches, Japan market expansion)
3. Beijing Youth Travel
Claire's eyes locked onto Qingdao CYTS—a young, agile firm with urban footholds but minimal market share.
"This one. $100 million. Overpay if you have to."
Ford nearly choked. "You… don't want to negotiate?"
"Time is money. If I can't launch my first overseas tour group by early 2007, this whole thing's pointless."
Ford sighed. "No wonder Chen invested in you. You're both madmen."
---
### Building an Empire (While Ignoring Football)
By afternoon, Claire had:
✔ Hired Hays Recruitment to staff his London office
✔ Leased a two-story building in Canary Wharf (£310k/year—ouch)
✔ Ignored a legal inquiry from SM Entertainment about Jessica Jung's song rights
His assistant, Delia, handed him a stack of fan mail with a sigh. "You do realize you're a footballer, right? Not a CEO-slash-songwriter?"
Claire grinned. "Multitasking is my superpower."
Then his phone buzzed—Chen Shijun, calling from a hospital bed.
"The tech team's ready. Site launches in 48 hours. Just make sure your UK ops center isn't a disaster."
"Already handled," Claire said, eyeing the clock. "Shit—gotta run. Ferguson's car is here."
He bolted for training, leaving Delia muttering:
"Priorities, Claire. Priorities."
---
### Next Time:
- Rooney's baby drama—will it explode mid-match?
- SM Entertainment's revenge—why is Jessica's career hanging by a thread?
- And Taylor Swift's team—why are they suddenly circling Claire's demo tracks?