? ? ?

Li Shiguang's question really baffled Sun Jihai.

Actually, his purpose today was simply to treat Li Shiguang to a meal. However, at 26 years old, he was no longer a naive young man, and he understood the meaning behind Li Shiguang's question.

It's impossible for Sun Jihai not to have thought about this, but he's just a player, while Li Shiguang is the owner of Leeds United! Their statuses are worlds apart, and he simply wouldn't dare to bring it up!

Leeds United are currently fourth in the league. If they can maintain this form until the end of the season, their chances of securing a Champions League spot are very high. If I could join Leeds United, I would become the first Chinese player to step onto the Champions League stage. Given the football culture in China, wouldn't I be hailed as a superstar? Maybe I could even land a few more endorsement deals in China!

But Li Shiguang's words just now gave Sun Jihai an opportunity. He knew that if he missed this opportunity, he might regret it. So, following Chinese custom, Sun Jihai raised his glass to Li Shiguang and took a sip of tea instead of wine before speaking: "I didn't expect that my little thoughts could not be hidden from Brother Li. Today, besides inviting you to dinner, I really wanted to recommend myself, but I was afraid that I was not good enough and that you would not look down on me, so I didn't dare to speak up."

After Sun Jihai finished speaking, a "I understand" look flashed in Li Shiguang's eyes. He took a couple more puffs of his cigar before asking, "Little Sun, how much did Manchester City spend to bring you to England?"

Sun Jihai paused for a moment, then replied, "Around 2.3 million euros."

"And what about your weekly wage?"

"15,000 euros."

Li Shiguang pondered for a moment. That wasn't too expensive; Manchester City should be able to accept an offer under 4 million euros! So he spoke again, but this time he had changed how he addressed Sun Jihai.

"Ah Hai, although I am of Chinese descent, I have never forgotten that the blood flowing in my veins comes from the East. You and I are from the same hometown. If you want to make progress, I am willing to help you..." Sun Jihai's face turned bright red as Li Shiguang finished speaking.

Seeing him like this, Li Shiguang felt a mix of joy and sadness. As a football fan in his previous life, he understood all too well how much effort a player had to put in to emerge from what was known as a football wasteland. His answer now was more than just giving Sun Jihai a glimmer of hope. If Sun Jihai could step onto the top European stage, one could imagine how much encouragement that would be for him and the fans in that land! Of course, he would also definitely make a lot of money.

But as the manager of Leeds United, he also has to ensure the team's performance, because the better the results, the more money he can make.

So before Sun Jihai could express his gratitude, Li Shiguang uttered the word "but".

“But, Ah Hai, I need to make things clear to you first. You also need to go back and think about it, after all, there’s still some time before the summer transfer window.”

“Brother Li, go ahead, I’m listening,” Sun Jihai nodded.

"First, I must ensure healthy competition within the team, so I won't give you any special treatment. If you come to Leeds United, your direct competitor will be Maicon. You've played against him before, so you should be very clear about his abilities. At Leeds United, everything is based on ability. If you're not good enough, you'll only be a substitute or a rotation player! Second, I want to make it clear to you in advance that Leeds United doesn't welcome troublemakers! In my team, obeying my orders and executing my tactical plans during matches and training is the most basic requirement."

"Of course, I won't just make demands on you. If you join Leeds United next season, I'll raise your weekly wage to 30,000 euros! You don't need to rush to answer me. Go back and think through the pros and cons before calling me, okay?"

What the hell is there to consider! Sun Jihai was already prepared to take a pay cut and join Leeds United, but unexpectedly, in addition to making two perfectly normal requests, Li Shiguang actually offered to raise his salary. This made Sun Jihai want to run back to Manchester City immediately and say he quit!

While the two were having a lively conversation, Chen Guanhai listened quietly, smoking a cigar, without saying a word.

Seeing that Sun Jihai finally got his wish, he was genuinely happy for him. It seemed that he would be able to see Sun Jihai play in the Champions League next season, which ignited a fire in his heart, who was determined to make a name for himself in football but had not yet found a definite direction.

Suddenly, Li Shiguang turned to look at Chen Guanhai, who was frowning as if he was thinking about something, and said, "Brother Guanhai, I see that you came to Europe to study at such a young age. Your family must be quite well-off, right?"

Chen Guanhai was taken aback, not expecting the conversation to turn to his family's financial situation. He habitually adjusted his glasses and said, "Haha, Brother Li, I'm not being modest. My family is indeed quite well-off. You might not know this, but I've known Brother Sun since I was a kid. The football team Brother Sun played for in China was invested in by my dad."

"Oh?" Chen Guanhai's words piqued Li Shiguang's interest. He had guessed that Li Shiguang's family was well-off, but he didn't expect it to be this good.

"So after you graduate from university, do you plan to stay in Europe or return to China to develop your career?" Li Shiguang continued to ask.

Chen Guanhai scratched the back of his head, a conflicted look on his face: "Actually, my family's main business is real estate, and my dad has always wanted me to go back and help him after graduation. But I don't really want to go back. I want to do what you did and achieve something in football to show my dad!"

Upon hearing Chen Guanhai's words, the idea that had been buried in Li Shiguang's mind for a long time immediately popped into his head.

Holy crap! Bro! You should have said so sooner! I already had a project ready-made, and it's a perfect fit for your family's business!

Li Shiguang has been eyeing the home stadiums of other Premier League teams for a long time!

He had long wanted to expand the Elland Road stadium, but expanding a stadium would easily cost tens of millions of euros. After paying off his previous loan, some banks approached Li Shiguang to sell him loan products, but Li Shiguang glanced at the high interest rates and told them to get lost. So he had been struggling to make ends meet and the idea remained buried in his heart.

"This Sun Jihai is truly a lucky charm! He hasn't even arrived yet, but he's already given me such a great gift!" Looking at Chen Guanhai now, Li Shiguang felt like he was looking at a bunch of walking euros.

So he moved his stool closer to Chen Guanhai, gave him the friendliest smile he'd ever given, and asked gently, "Brother Guanhai, would you like to invest in Leeds United?"