Chapter 997

Although she knew Wang Yan's character, every time another woman appeared, Miss Wang still couldn't help but get angry. There was already a divorced woman, and now he had to come and provoke her.

Yet, after she fell for him, he had to cruelly tell her the truth, and what was even more excessive was that he would take advantage of her inattention to kiss her mouth. She had to admit that her heart was happy.

But then, there was Li Li from Zhi Zhen Yuan, and Wang Yan would go to Zhi Zhen Yuan to sit for a while every few days. That wasn't the end of it; news spread on Huanghe Road that Wang Yan was keeping a pretty waitress from Jin Meilin named Xiao Jiangxi. Not two days later, rumors spread that he had driven Li Li out to fool around.

This made her grind her teeth in hatred even when she slept, yet Wang Yan kept her at a distance. Occasionally seeing each other every few days, or even not seeing each other for months, was normal. He was truly a damn man...

Standing by the window, looking at the black Santana parked on the side of the road, Miss Wang curled her lips, but in the end, she changed her clothes, grabbed her small bag, and went downstairs.

She walked over slowly, opened the car door, slammed it shut, crossed her arms, and pouted: "First Li Li, then some Xiao Jiangxi, what are you looking for me for now?"

"Didn't I tell you, there's good news." Wang Yan released the handbrake, shifted gears, and started the car, "I'm telling you, I thought of you first for this good news."

"What good news?"

"Playing a friendly match against the Shanghai football team today; it counts as the first match."

"The Jia-A league has already started, right? Why are you still playing a friendly match?"

"The level isn't high enough; we need to practice more. Besides, because of the National Games this year, the Jia-A league is suspended for a year. Professionalization starts next year, and Hongyun can't play in the Jia-A league yet, so we have to start from the second-tier competition. This year is still mainly for training, playing friendly matches against other teams to adapt to the rhythm of the game. Also, we're going abroad to train and play matches there for a period of time."

"You bought a foreign team?"

"Hamburg in Germany."

"I don't know it." Miss Wang shook her head very honestly, "I don't know anything about Chinese football teams; it's just that my dad likes to watch, so I've heard a little. Why does this 'Hamburg' sound so strange? Like the hamburger from KFC? Is it very powerful?"

"Hamburg is a city in Germany, not the hamburger you eat. Actually, I don't understand it either. The people I sent to investigate said it could be bought, so I bought it. As for being powerful, it had its glory days in the past, but the results these past two years haven't been ideal, and there are financial problems. Otherwise, someone would have to be kicked in the head by a donkey to sell it to me."

"Did you buy the whole thing? Or just a part?"

"Bought over sixty percent of the shares; as long as I have the final say, that's enough. And I'll have to inject capital later; sooner or later, it'll all be mine." Wang Yan said with a smile, "Isn't it good news? The first match, although it's a friendly, still has commemorative significance. Not only did I bring my own camera, but I also brought over my media company to film a documentary."

"Oh my, if you play well, recording it is fine, but if you play badly, you'll be laughed at by the whole country in the future."

"We must play well." Wang Yan said with certainty.

He had already invested a lot in this: acquiring the team abroad, planning stadiums and hospitals domestically, the players' benefits, the team he specifically had people find from abroad, the pile of specialized instruments and equipment purchased, and the experts found from domestic medical schools to study sports medicine—from training to eating, it was all-around theoretical research.

In terms of the system, he also formed youth teams, junior teams, and a first team, building his own youth training system to cultivate young football players and discover talent. However, the saying "only scholarship is high" is true, and it's also true that this era is freer for children. Overall, it's difficult, but not too difficult.

Considering the impact of not making it and physical development, the main task of the youth team is actually still studying. Only when they reach the second-tier junior team does the formal development of the body begin, and the time spent on training will significantly exceed that of studying. By the time they reach the real first team for professional competition, it will have nothing to do with ordinary so-called studying.

The players' training is also high-intensity. As professional athletes, how can they not play for their lives? They train until they die. Every day is strictly planned for training; if they don't produce results, Wang Yan will kick them.

Miss Wang curled her lips, quite disapproving.

Wang Yan smiled: "Do you want to manage the team?"

"I don't know anything..." Miss Wang stopped abruptly, then said, "Pah, you just kept Xiao Jiangxi, and now you want to keep me too?"

"Xiao Jiangxi was just an accidental encounter; I'm just giving her an opportunity to build a career. Don't say it so ugly; what 'keeping'? I'm clean and innocent. Last time I gave her money to do things, I haven't seen her since. It's just those people on Huanghe Road who love to watch the fun and have nothing to do all day but spread gossip about others. Didn't they say you and I had something going on before? Aren't we also clean and innocent?"

Miss Wang stared at Wang Yan with wide eyes, wanting to say something but stopped, already on the verge of exploding.

Wang Yan naturally understood what she meant; it was probably that you've already held me and gnawed on me, and you still dare to say you're clean and innocent, doing things without taking responsibility? But she thought that the reason she and Wang Yan were like this was because she didn't like Wang Yan flirting and being shameless enough to say he wanted to find many women, so she couldn't speak and could only stiffen her neck and glare at Wang Yan.

"Alright, I said it wrong. It's that I've always had designs on you and, without your consent, held you and kissed you..."

"Oh my, stop talking nonsense, it's so annoying." Miss Wang blushed instantly. The angry look of someone about to kill had already turned into shy annoyance, and she started swinging her fists at Wang Yan again.

"I'm driving, pay attention to safety."

Miss Wang gritted her teeth and punched him twice more, then breathed a little rapidly, crossed her arms, and sat there without speaking.

Wang Yan didn't speak either, because it obviously wasn't the right time to say more. Once he said more, Miss Wang would ask him what he was doing going out with Li Li. Now, Miss Wang's shy state was obviously excellent.

Controlling emotions is a very important ability; obviously, Miss Wang cannot control her own emotions, but is influenced by Wang Yan...

Hongkou Stadium, built in 1950, was rebuilt in 1999 to become Hongkou Football Stadium. The current Hongkou Stadium is the home field of the Shanghai football team. This name might not be known to those who don't follow football; it is a formal state-run team under the leadership of the Sports Commission. With the reform in 1993, the Shanghai football team became the first professional football club in the country to be directly responsible to an enterprise and separated from the Sports Commission.

In December 1993, the Shenhua Club was established, and all personnel from the original Shanghai football team were transferred to the Shenhua Club. Later, it became "Shanghai Shenhua."

However, because of Wang Yan's influence, his wholly-owned "Shanghai Hongyun" was the first registered professional football club to be separated from the Sports Commission and responsible to an enterprise.

The football atmosphere at this time was actually quite good. Although it was just a friendly match, both teams received a lot of attention. Needless to say, the Shanghai football team was one, and the other was Hongyun's team; the Hongyun brand itself was very influential. Moreover, this match today had been advertised in the newspapers beforehand.

And just a short while ago, the news of Hongyun acquiring the German team had also been reported, along with plans for future overseas training for players. In the eyes of those who follow football, this news had quite a market.

With so many factors combined, today's friendly match was very eye-catching.

The stands were almost filled with thousands of fans, and there were all kinds of reporters around the field. Most importantly, there were several camera positions set up, as well as positions set up on the aisles of the stands, and so on.

Wang Yan took Miss Wang to the middle stand to watch the situation on the field.

"There are so many people." Miss Wang looked at the lively stadium and couldn't help but exclaim. She asked again, "Can you win?"

"We can't win; there's still a gap in level."

"Then wouldn't you be embarrassed? So many people watching the game, plus reporters, and you're filming a documentary."

"This is called the road to rise. Come, smile." Wang Yan fiddled with his camera and aimed it at Miss Wang.

Click, a caught-off-guard photo, slightly mixed with annoyance and shyness, was frozen in time...

Whenever there are many people, whether it's a sports match or a concert, people are always easily infected when they are in the middle of it. In a football match, the players run below, and the audience's emotions change with the offensive and defensive situation on the field, either frustrated or excited.

Even though Miss Wang didn't know much about football, she was still excited and shouting along in such an occasion. By the time the final result was 3:1, Wang Yan encouraged the players and took Miss Wang into the car, but her breathing hadn't completely stabilized.

"Watching the game live feels good, right?"

"It's too noisy."

"It's only good if it's noisy." Wang Yan shook his head and smiled, "The one to be built in Pudong is a super stadium that can accommodate 95,000 people; won't that be even noisier?"

"The football field is so big, can you still see the players?"

"Technology is developing by leaps and bounds now. There is LED display technology, and there have been breakthroughs in recording technology. By then, we'll put a few large display screens in the stadium, and the live recording will be projected onto the screens, so you can see from every angle. Construction has already started, the construction period is two years, and you'll be able to see it the year after next."

"Such a big stadium, if you don't play well and no one buys it, and only a few hundred people go to watch it, that would be embarrassing."

"Don't worry, I wouldn't dare say the best in the world, but the strongest in Asia is no problem."

Of course, he wasn't talking about the national football team, but his Shanghai Hongyun Football Club. To specialize in football, he would have to be an official and carry out a reform from the system to solve the problem. He was currently in a state of having nothing to do, spending a little money for entertainment, and ensuring his team was healthy was enough. Anything more would be a waste of energy for him.

Miss Wang smiled and didn't dampen Wang Yan's enthusiasm, because she truly believed it. From the time she met him until now, Wang Yan had always done what he said, and every thing he did was better than the last. He said he would go to Hong Kong, and he went; he said he would build a brand, and he did. Even though he was always talking about losing money, his clothing brand had become a world-famous brand.

The most critical thing was that these things were all things she had said. Including the football now, including the huge investment in that huge piece of land in Pudong, it was all what she had said.

From her perspective, it was that she said it, and Wang Yan did it. This was a very important part of her complex feelings for Wang Yan.

She asked: "The game is over, where are we going now?"

"Of course, to eat pork chop rice cakes. Eating pork chop rice cakes is only tasty when eaten with you." Wang Yan turned his head.

Miss Wang looked over, met Wang Yan's eyes, and as her eyes flickered, she turned her head away as fast as a frightened rabbit, looking at the scenery receding outside the window.

"Don't you still have Li Li, and some Xiao Jiangxi? Oh, almost forgot, there's also that Betty from Hong Kong."

Wang Yan smiled: "They are them, you are you, you are irreplaceable."

"Oh my, so they can be replaced?"

"To me, you are all irreplaceable. No need to compare with anyone; you are unique. Pretty, straightforward personality, sincere in dealing with people..."

Miss Wang was embarrassed by Wang Yan's series of compliments and various metaphors. She couldn't take it, so much so that she once again subconsciously ignored that Wang Yan was a player who deserved to be shot.

She waved her hand and didn't look at Wang Yan: "How can I be as good as you say?"

"If you weren't good, why would I be thinking about you? Besides, it's also our fate. Before this, I never thought we would meet so many times." Wang Yan's words became more and more straightforward, emphasizing fate.

Fate sounds like it has a sense of destiny. For Miss Wang, this was also an important factor in her complex feelings for Wang Yan.

Miss Wang was very pleased, but on the surface, she said: "People can't all be advantages; you should talk about my shortcomings."

"Have you ever heard the saying, 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder'?"

As he spoke, Wang Yan slowed down and slowly stopped on the side of the road.

Miss Wang raised the corners of her mouth reservedly. Sensing the car stop, she turned her head to ask the reason, but met Wang Yan's deep eyes, and she was at a loss again.

But Wang Yan understood very well. He once again held Miss Wang's face with both hands, leaned over, and gnawed on her mouth. Not only that, in the process of kissing, he also pulled Miss Wang from the passenger seat into his arms...

After a long time, their lips parted. Miss Wang, with a crimson face and watery eyes, leaned powerlessly in Wang Yan's arms, panting, her hands wrapped around Wang Yan's neck.

"Rogue, you really should be taken out and shot." Her tone was very coquettish, lacking her usual overbearing manner, and filled with infinite tenderness and affection.

"The old saying goes, 'Death under the peony flower, even as a ghost, one is romantic'."

Wang Yan smiled and stroked Miss Wang's face. The old saying also goes, 'Practice makes perfect,' and Miss Wang's reaction this time was very good.

"Even as a ghost, I'll shoot you another hundred times."

"Oh my, then I'm truly damned."

Miss Wang rolled her eyes, hit Wang Yan powerlessly, and complained: "The old saying also goes, 'Good people don't live long, while scourges live for a thousand years'."

"I thank you."

"How much longer are you going to hold me?"

"I'll hold you for as long as I can."

"How long do you say?"

"That, of course, is a lifetime."

"Hmph!" Miss Wang snorted coldly, but in the end, she didn't say anything else.

"Look at you, don't think about other things that aren't so good when you're happy, you know."

"Is that 'not so good'? That's terrible! Very terrible! Get lost, get lost, don't touch me."

Wang Yan smiled, but didn't stop her, letting Miss Wang, who had regained her strength, return to the passenger seat, sitting there angrily with her arms crossed, looking out the window.

Seeing that Wang Yan didn't say anything else and didn't make any other moves, Miss Wang turned her head and glared: "What are you stunned for? Drive?"

Her tone was as overbearing as before, very confident and loud.

"This is the Miss Wang I'm familiar with, but I still like how you looked just now."

"You're still talking!"

Miss Wang threw a punch, which Wang Yan easily grabbed. She threw another, which was also grabbed. He pulled her close, holding her fists, kissed her mouth again, and then let go of her hands, letting her swing her fists at him.

Shifting gears, releasing the handbrake, and coordinating the oil and clutch, the car drove lightly on the road.

"Let's go eat pork chop rice cakes~"

"So annoying~"

Near Fuxing Park, downstairs from the house Xiao Jiangxi rented.

"Wang Laoban, it's here."

Wang Yan parked the car on the side of the road and went upstairs with Xiao Jiangxi.

Watching Wang Yan's figure as he walked around the room with his hands behind his back, what flashed through Xiao Jiangxi's mind was the scene not long ago at the Bund, when Wang Laoban pointed to one of the old buildings and said to her, "The hotel will be opened here."

She didn't feel the slightest bit played; all she had was endless motivation and a beautiful imagination of running a good hotel and making a lot of money. There were only three words in her mind: "I've made it..."

Wang Yan looked at the environment inside the room. It was definitely a bit messy, but it was clean. Overall, Xiao Jiangxi had tidied it up quite well.

He sat on the sofa in the living room, lit a cigarette, and crossed his legs: "I've read your plan, and there are basically no major problems. However, the buildings on the Bund are quite special and are considered protected buildings. Even if I bought them, I can't just move them around. Also, regarding the soft furnishings, you don't understand these things, so I'll have someone find you later to assist you. As for other personnel recruitment, training, etc., your plans are all quite good; just do it slowly."

... "I'm afraid I won't do it well."

"If I say you can, you can. There are people to assist you, and after leading you for a period of time, you'll be doing things yourself. Everything is accumulated slowly. I'm not afraid, what are you afraid of? As long as you don't have crooked thoughts and do the hotel in a down-to-earth manner, any problem can be solved.

Just do it with peace of mind; don't put too much pressure on yourself. Losing money doesn't matter; that's necessary in the development process. If you haven't found the direction, adjust in time, and there won't be any major problems."

Xiao Jiangxi stood there, lowering her head and rubbing her hands tightly. She let out a long breath, and although her eyes always wanted to dodge, she still looked straight into Wang Yan's eyes and began to take off her clothes.

She said with a trembling voice: "Wang Laoban, thank you for giving me this opportunity. I don't know why you value me and bought the Western-style building on the Bund for me to run a hotel, but I know I definitely don't deserve it. I have nothing else to thank you with, so this is all I have. Apart from running the hotel well, this is the only thing I can do."

She spoke more and more fluently, "I've had two boyfriends before. The first one I met when I was working in my hometown, and the second one was a cook at the Dafuhao on Huanghe Road. But I'm still clean; I didn't let them touch me. Wang Laoban, I know I'm not as good as Miss Wang, nor as good as Li Li, but I definitely won't pester you. If you look for me, I'll come; if you don't, I won't have any complaints..."

Wang Yan smiled. Although he had basically moved away from this way of having no emotional reliance or soul communication, it had to be said that Xiao Jiangxi was still quite admirable. She knew what she wanted, knew what she had, and knew what she should pay.

Of course, in reality, if they didn't communicate, Xiao Jiangxi wouldn't be at ease. No one is good to others for no reason; this is the most basic understanding one should have.

It's just that it's a bit different when it comes to him, Wang Mou; after all, he's used to being a nanny. So far, only Ding Qing has had a miserable time because this kid didn't know better; everyone else has been very good.

Now that Xiao Jiangxi wasn't at ease and had offered herself so decisively, there was absolutely no reason not to accept.

Of course, he, Wang Mou, has always been a man of principle, so he worked hard, made a bowl of chicken soup for Xiao Jiangxi, and encouraged her to do her job well...

Ever since the tenderness by the Baoshan river, although Li Li didn't want to admit it, she did indeed look forward to Wang Yan's arrival. The longer they were in contact, the more she felt Wang Yan's charm.

At the very beginning, she just wanted to use Wang Yan's influence, so she maintained a vague ambiguity. But as the contact increased and the more she understood, looking back and examining herself, she was surprised to find that the ambiguity she had maintained had become real ambiguity.

"Then I'll go get busy, proprietress." After reporting some work to Li Li, Minmin said so.

"Wait."

Li Li, who was drinking on the wide sofa, called Minmin to a halt. She asked, "I remember it's been over a month, right? How is that Xiao Jiangxi doing?"

Seeing Minmin's look of surprise, she shook her head and smiled, "Just asking to understand."

She naturally understood Minmin's thoughts; it was nothing more than because she had a deep scandal with Wang Laoban, thinking she was jealous or something, which affected Xiao Jiangxi.

"She's really lucky."

After sighing like this, Minmin continued, "Xiao Jiangxi chose a place by walking through the streets, but Wang Laoban didn't even look at it and took her directly to the Bund... It turned out that the Western-style building had been bought by Wang Laoban, just to be used as a hotel. Wang Laoban also arranged an assistant for her, helping her arrange the renovation, as well as choosing some high-end bedding and other decorations at home and abroad.

I heard her tell me that she found many old masters, all of whom have passed down their skills for hundreds of years, there are... Wang Laoban also invested money in those old masters, saying he wanted to carry forward these skills and build a luxury brand to spread Chinese culture. Wang Laoban also found her a teacher to teach her financial knowledge...

What she is mainly doing now is recruiting hotel staff for training. I saw her a few days ago, and she seems like a different person... Proprietress, are you and Wang Laoban... having a falling out?"

"If I say I'm clean and innocent with him, do you believe it?" Seeing Minmin's awkward look, Li Li shook her head and smiled, "Rumors really do harm people. Alright, don't think too much, go get busy."

Minmin responded and hurried away.

Li Li couldn't help but shake her head and smile again, instantly returning to her usual deep appearance. She lit a cigarette and sat on the sofa, smoking by herself.

The moment of parting with Mr. A and the tenderness with Wang Yan by the Baoshan river intertwined in her mind.

The light from outside the window shone in, illuminating half of her face. Smoke swirled around her, capturing its shape in the light. Her eyes looked blankly at something, her face expressionless, yet revealing sorrow.

She was deep in thought...