Chapter 15
In the conference room, Yu Sui and Zhao Feng sat across each other around a round table. Shi Luo, completely expressionless, half-sat half-squatted on the sofa.
The atmosphere was awkward and strange.
Yu Sui had changed into his personal clothes, a simple T-shirts and casual pants. It made him look not much bigger than Shi Luo. Zhao Feng looked Yu Sui’s face that still seemed a little boyish and felt a sense of discordance. In the past two years, aside from growing his hair a bit longer, he still looked like a young boy. Was this person going to soon be a club owner?
Compared with Yu Sui and Shi Luo’s casual attire, Zhao Feng’s three-piece suit was a bit too formal. Zhao Feng himself seemed to feel awkward. He took off his suit jacket and smiled. “Some things aren’t easily discussed over the phone so I thought it best to have a face to face discussion. But Whisper, the thing that you mentioned isn’t easy to handle. To tell you the truth… ”
“For this discussion…” Yu Sui interrupted Zhao Feng. He tiled his head and looked at Shi Luo. “the player does not need to be present.”
“It’s alright. Other clubs operate in the dark, but we at IAC like to be open and honest. We want to respect the players ‘opinions. So, let’s just talk like this.” Zhao Feng smiled, insinuating that ‘We won’t go against the players’ wishes and force them to go to another club.’
When Yu Sui heard this, he lowered his head and smiled. He didn’t mind.
Shi Luo frowned and cursed.
Yu Sui looked at Shi Luo, and their two eyes met. But they quickly broke eye contact.
Yu Sui looked at Zhao Feng: “Alright, then let’s talk.”
“It’s like this. After you contacted me, I immediately got in touch with management. Everyone agreed that–” Zhao Feng had a firm expression, his mouth full of lies, but his face remained unchanged, “we can’t let Evil transfer to your team in the secondary league.”
Zhao Feng said positively: “Even if we involve the league in this discussion, they will definitely support our opinion on this matter. Evil’s performance has been sure and steady. Although he has the occasional minor disciplinary violations, he has never made major ones. There is no reason for such an outstanding player to suddenly be relegated to play in the secondary league. This would clearly be a loss for our division. ”
“There is no need to worry about this,” Yu Sui said without any hesitation. “After we buy Shi Luo’s contract, he can still play for IAC. The real transfer process shall be carried out after we have pa.s.sed the qualifier. If my team can’t enter the league, he may choose to break the contract. He himself may choose to stay in IAC or go to another team. ”
“Impossible.”
“That’s great!”
Shi Luo and Zhao Feng had opened their mouths at the same time. Yu Sui took a look at Shi Luo from out the corner of his eyes. For a moment, Shi Luo was a little embarra.s.sed. He said, vexed, “What the h.e.l.l is this? A pre-order? After purchase, you’ll leave a deposit?”
“What kind of talk is that?!” This way they could keep Shi Luo for a while without having to spend any money. Zhao Feng was very satisfied with this freebie. He smiled and said, “Whisper is certainly very considerate. This way, Evil won’t need to play in the secondary league. Alright, let’s set aside this matter for now.”
Zhao Feng looked at Yu Sui. “But, I think we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Right now the situation is that our senior executives don’t want to let him go. While I say that, our problem is that we respect our players’ own opinions. To stay or to leave depends on Evil himself. However, he is currently indifferent regarding this matter. In this case … I mean, everyone here’s a businessman. So I say he should go to whoever can offer the higher price.”
“Honest people have nothing to hide. Shi Luo’s current annual signing fee is this much.” Zhao Feng raised eight fingers. “We will certainly be offering him higher. And you, Whisper?”
Zhao Feng stared closely and intensely at Yu Sui. He had already figured out how to control the situation. Step by step, he will incite Yu Sui to offer more than 10 million. Afterwards, he would be able to collect the spoils of victory without lifting a finger and he’ll be able to cash in on some big money.
“Fifteen million.”
Shi Luo’s shook so badly he almost dropped his phone.
Zhao Feng swallowed silently.
Zhao Feng and Shi Luo’s eyes met, a complicated look in their eyes.
This was the exact target price Zhao Feng had set that morning.
No one could have thought Yu Sui wouldn’t conduct the negotiations the normal way.
Shi Luo wanted to ask Yu Sui, ‘when you play ‘Fight the Landlord‘, do you always start by throwing out your king?’
Zhao Feng originally thought he’d have to exhaust all his skills in order to get this price. After all, they were starting from eight million. Getting it to ten million would already be pushing it. He never thought Yu Sui would come right out with the final price. Zhao Feng looked suspiciously at Shi Luo. He even suspected that this matter had been leaked to Yu Sui in advance.
Shi Luo saw the suspicious look Zhao Feng was directing at him, and he murmured between gritted teeth, “…I didn’t!”
If he hadn’t leaked it out, then that’s fine. 15 million. Zhao Feng felt a little dizzy. He wanted to laugh but didn’t dare to. With much effort, Zhao Feng managed to school his expression. He tried to keep his tone as steady as possible. After a while, he said, “15 million five hundred. ”
Shi Luo frowned.
What was with this? Wasn’t the final price supposed to be 15 million?
Yu Sui said, “17 million.”
Shi Luo couldn’t help but say, “No … What’s the meaning of this?”
Applying for a place in the secondary league wouldn’t just require the players’ own acc.u.mulated points, they would also need to provide a huge deposit to the league. Then, they’ll need huge sums of money to pay for the compet.i.tion venues provided by the league. Afterwards, they still need to secure a headquarters for the team and have it furnished. And they’ll need to sign and formally register the players… Only once everything was ready and each items manages to pa.s.s the league’s verification will the new team be officially recognized by the league and qualified for formal partic.i.p.ation.
This was also why Zhao Feng didn’t understand why Yu Sui didn’t just buy a ready-made officially recognized first-league team. Not only was it troublesome, money would be flowing out like a river with how much would be needed to get a new team off the ground.
Shi Luo knew that Yu Sui was very rich, but forming a club would definitely set him back by a lot. He didn’t know how much of his funds were left. Why was he still negotiating like this?
“Don’t bother us. Didn’t we say just now, that you will go to whoever could offer a higher price?” Zhao Feng’s face had gradually turned red. He stopped his eyebrows from gradually rising up and up. He said, “Seventeen million five hundred.”
Yu Sui said: “Nineteen million.”
Zhao Feng’s eyes flashed with excitement. “Nineteen million nine hundred fifty.”
Yu Sui said: “Twenty-one million.”
Zhao Feng’s palms began to sweat. “Twenty-one million one hundred fifty.”
Yu Sui said directly, “Twenty-five million.”
Shi Luo looked at Yu Sui in disbelief. “Twenty-five million?!”
Zhao Feng’s face and neck were red. He licked his lips. “Twe-, twenty … Twenty-six million!”
Seeing that Yu Sui intended to follow up with another offer, Shi Luo was driven to the edge of his patience. “I accept that deal!!!”
The entire meeting room instantly turned quiet.
Yu Sui was startled. Zhao Feng was dumbfounded.
Zhao Feng broke out in a cold sweat.
Wha-what the h.e.l.l?
You’re accepting the deal?!!
Weren’t we going to take Yu Sui for all he’s got? Why are you taking the deal here?
And where would he get twenty-six million? He wouldn’t get that much even if he sold himself. When the club owners heard that Shi Luo was going to transfer, they only agreed to offer Shi Luo ten million to get him to stay. Where would he get the remaining sixteen million from?
When Zhao Feng returned to his senses, he no longer had it in him to take notice of anyone else. His face ghastly pale, he rose to his feet and hurriedly said, “Shi Luo, what’s gotten into you?”
Shi Luo had also lost his temper. He stood on the sofa and said angrily, “What’s the matter with you?! Twenty-six million! Are you crazy? Just what about me is worth twenty-six million?”
Zhao Feng howled, “That’s Whisper’s price!”
“That you jacked up!” Shi Luo really couldn’t stand it anymore. “Twenty-five million! Why don’t you sell your wife?”
For twenty-five million, Zhao Feng really would sell his wife. Zhao Feng could really drive a person to vexation with his unreasonable demands. He said, “No, what you said doesn’t count … IAC won’t renew your contract.”
Shi Luo said furiously, “Didn’t you just say that you would respect the players’ wishes!”
In his anger, Zhao Feng couldn’t help bringing up his grievance. “Shi Luo, what did we talk about this morning?”
“You want to talk about this morning? Who said that he’d stop when it reached fifteen million?” Shi Luo couldn’t hold back his anger. “When this started, did I say anything? I didn’t let you suffer a loss, did I? You got the price, so why haven’t you stopped?!”
“You …” Zhao Feng was speechless. He threw a guilty look at Yu Sui, not daring to say anything more. His face was purplish red and after a long while, he said, “Anyway … this is not possible.”
“Why not?” Shi Luo looked beyond irritated. He had thoroughly given up. “Twenty-six million, hit me with the contract! I’ll be IAC’s player for life.”
Zhao Feng was shaking with anger. “Where would I get that much money?!”
Shi Luo shouted, “What do I care where you get it!”
“Just now …” Yu Sui who had been silently watching the two argue, said, “Was this a shill bidding?”
Shi Luo and Zhao Feng were at a loss for words.
Shi Luo then realized that he’d been too indiscreet. He closed his eyes and wished he could just rewind time.
Why … Couldn’t he control it?
Shi Luo bit down on his lip. He wanted to explain to Yu Sui that he had no intention of acting in league with Zhao Feng to cheat him, but…
Shi Luo pressed his lips into a thin line. It was an indisputable fact that Zhao Feng had raised the price again and again just now. There was already no way to explain it clearly.
This was the case every time.
Once again, there was no way to clearly explain it.
“How about we…” Zhao Feng found himself in a very embarra.s.sing situation. This time he really had lost all face. He forced himself to remember his manners. He wanted to tactfully send Yu Sui out. “set aside the matter of his transfer for now. Apparently, there are some points on which Evil and our club don’t match up on. If there is a need to, we can discuss again at some later date…right, let’s do it that way. ”
Yu Sui stood up and said, “I probably understand. It’s really nothing. Manager Zhao must have been a little bit emotional just now because you were reluctant to let Shi Luo go. That’s only normal.”
Yu Sui said: “When I negotiated Shi Luo’s transfer to NSN before, I myself wasn’t very calm. It’s understandable.”
When Shi Luo heard this, he turned his head to look at Yu Sui. His eyes suddenly reddened.
When discussing his transfer contract to NSN that year, Yu Sui had worked on it with NSN for an entire week.
At the beginning, Shi Luo had been hysterical. He’d argued with Yu Sui constantly. He smashed his CPU and threw down his keyboard. He’d flung Yu Sui’s car keys into a pond, blocked the gate of their headquarters and did everything to prevent Yu Sui from going out. He even went to NSN’s base to create a scene. He wanted NSN’s manager to think he was some madman and give up on him.
But in the end, he couldn’t stop it.
Yu Sui could screen out all of Shi Luo attempts at interference. He continued to discuss the details of the transfer contract with NSN’s manager.
One by one, Yu Sui personally reviewed each stipulation with a lawyer.
Shi Luo remembered that day when they officially signed the contract. He had lost his mind in anger. Outside NSN’s base, he picked up a brick and hurled it into the gla.s.s window of NSN’s headquarters.
Only Yu Sui had been injured.
Yu Sui wiped his bleeding forehead, scratched by the broken gla.s.s. He signed his own name, and said quietly to NSN’s manager and NSN’s team captain, Gu Gan: “I will leave the rest to you.”
Shi Luo regretted his impulsive action and wanted to check on Yu Sui’s injury, but by the time he made up his mind to return to FS’s base, there was nothing left in the huge base except for a scattered mess.
They had all left already.
Shi Luo’s eyes were red as he looked at Yu Sui, who was about to leave the IAC base. He felt extremely distressed.
Two years later and he once again messed everything up.
He was the one who messed everything up.
“Since it was done on impulse, then we can consider as if the last bid hadn’t happened.” Yu Sui continued, “Since your last bid has been invalidated, how about we go with my last bid?”
Shi Luo froze.
Zhao Feng’s eyes lit up instantly.
Yu Sui’s last bid was twenty-five million!
Zhao Feng nodded eagerly and smiled. “Yes, yes, of course!”
“But …” Yu Sui looked at Zhao Feng and added, “Because Shi Luo won’t be transferring before the qualifiers, he’ll be waiting until everything is ready on our side, I guess his contract with IAC would have already expired by then. That’s why my quoted price will be the signing fee I will give him and not a transfer fee. ”
Zhao Feng choked. Doesn’t that mean he won’t be getting anything?
Yu Sui said, “But for emotional considerations, IAC should still be compensated a little. Two million, how about it?”
Zhao Feng’s eyes changed and he immediately rapped the gavel. “We accept!”
Yu Sui nodded, he looked at Shi Luo.
Both of Shi Luo’s eyes were rimmed in red.
Yu Sui’s expression was no longer the indifferent one he had on just now. He looked at Shi Luo hesitantly and made as if to speak but then stopped.
After a long while, Yu Sui lowered his head and used the hem of his shirt to wipe the screen of his phone. He said in a low voice, “… When the new club is all set up, I’ll come pick you up.”
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Translator’s note:
Fight the Landlord: Link