Chapter 396: Buying a Premier League Club? Fan Xiaopang Steals the Show—I

He claimed to be accompanying Fan Xiaopang to the Cannes Film Festival, but in reality, Seeing Yan Li never went to Cannes.

After accompanying Fan Xiaopang around Paris, he went to England to watch football.

It was May now, near the end of the season; Seeing Yan Li missed the Champions League final, but he could at least attend a few matches in person.

Seeing Yan Li never expected that simply watching a match would land him in the news.

The cause was a Sina Sports reporter spotting him at the stadium.

Probably thinking the story of Seeing Yan Li watching football lacked热度, they fabricated a news item about him acquiring an English Premier League team.

After this snippet was reposted on Weibo, it was officially republished by Weibo Sports, followed by analytical articles evaluating which clubs might be suitable for purchase and so on.

This was no small matter!

Weibo was Seeing Yan Li's own company; by not debunking the rumor but instead appearing to encourage it, many saw this as proof that Seeing Yan Li truly intended to buy a team.

Thus, the rumor spread not only among domestic fans but also caught the attention of British media.

Seeing Yan Li still had some influence in Europe and America, and information about him was easy to find.

Soon, the British Sun published a report stating that this Chinese billionaire interested in entering English football had a net worth of approximately 4 billion pounds.

He was China's most famous and youngest billionaire, also a globally renowned new business magnate.

He primarily operated in entertainment and the internet in China, owning China's—and even Asia's—largest entertainment company, valued at over 2.5 billion pounds, and had personally founded China's version of Facebook and was the largest shareholder of China's YouTube (Tudou. com), seen as a strong contender for future richest man in China.

Handsome in appearance, young and wealthy, with an extremely rich romantic life, his playboy reputation spread across Asia.

He had gossip links with famous Chinese actresses such as,,, and was nicknamed "The Captain Who Conquered Ice" and "The Great Cannon Yan."

Passionate about football, he had long been a loyal supporter of the Premier League, suspected to be a Manchester United fan; according to Chinese media, he had always wanted to take ownership of a football club to fulfill his dream.

Liverpool and West Ham United, both burdened with massive external debts, might be his top choices.

Championship powerhouses Leeds United, Leicester City, and Blackburn Rovers had also long been rumored for sale and might be linked to this young Chinese billionaire.

The Sun's report further corroborated this claim; when it returned to China, it immediately trended nationwide.

By the time Seeing Yan Li, still overseas and slow to catch up, realized how big the fuss had become, domestic fans were already calculating a dream team of Mourinho + Messi + Ronaldo.

"Great, now they're adding Messi and Ronaldo—do they really think money grows on trees? Besides, even if I could get them, they'd fight in the same team."

Seeing Yan Li was utterly speechless; he had already called Weibo to find out the truth.

To be fair, this was partly his own fault.

Seeing Yan Li had indeed entertained a passing thought of buying a club just for fun; occasionally during meals with Weibo executives or trainees, when football came up, he'd boast a bit.

But Seeing Yan Li forgot about his boasts after making them; his subordinates took them seriously, some even pushing the rumor forward to flatter their boss and enhance his image, until it spiraled into this mess.

Seeing Yan Li thought about it and chose neither to debunk nor confirm the rumor.

He did have a genuine inclination to buy a football club, but it wasn't something you could just buy on a whim—and buying a club was never cheap.

Even a mid-to-lower-tier Premier League club cost nearly a hundred million pounds, equivalent to nearly one billion RMB; Championship teams were cheaper, but still required hundreds of millions in RMB.

In addition, most clubs carried external debts; acquiring ownership meant assuming those debts.

Of course, those debts often became the negotiation space between buyer and seller.

For example, Liverpool's acquisition price a few years ago was nearly 500 million pounds, but now it might be had for 300 million, provided the buyer assumed over 200 million in debt.

The total price still seemed high, but there were strategies for repaying debt; if the buyer had capital and operated well, they could gain considerable advantage through the process.

Even if the seller knew this, they had no choice—the pressure of debt forced them to sell at a low price.

Moreover, after a club changed hands, new owners typically spent money to demonstrate their commitment and win over fans, adding another expense.

So even buying just a Championship club, all costs combined, would run into hundreds of millions.

This sum wasn't much to Seeing Yan Li, but it wasn't small change either.

Moreover, Seeing Yan Li didn't buy a club just for fun; owning a famous football club offered benefits to both his personal status and certain companies—such as asset allocation, financial investment, and corporate development support.

Regardless of motive, acquiring overseas assets, especially those with public visibility, benefited entrepreneurs.

And right now, capital going overseas, globalization, and diversification were major trends; relevant authorities were actively promoting the strengthening of the sports industry; Seeing Yan Li's move precisely aligned with policy.

But precisely because of this, he couldn't just随便 buy any club.

Forget about elite giants; at minimum, the club needed some influence and recognition, with a decent future and performance, so he needed to do some research and investigation.

If no suitable option existed, he might as well wait; it wasn't a necessary option anyway—better to not buy than to force it.

Under these circumstances, silence was best; it avoided any embarrassing reversals, and without heat, those chasing trends would naturally give up.

Compared to Seeing Yan Li's unconfirmed rumor, which only sparked minor buzz in sports circles, Fan Xiaopang, who was in France, had genuinely broken out into mainstream fame.

On the Cannes red carpet, this woman wore a dragon-robe-style gown that stole the spotlight and made her an instant sensation.

International media and the fashion world gave high praise to Fan Xiaopang's dragon robe, calling it a standout in fashion taste and an embodiment of Eastern aesthetics.

A renowned European fashion editor rated the robe as the best-dressed look of this year's Cannes, declaring Fan Xiaopang had dominated the red carpet.

AFP also reported, emphasizing Fan Xiaopang's striking appearance, describing her as beautiful, stylish, and elegant.

It also sparked heated discussion among Chinese netizens and media.

Many supported her, believing Fan Xiaopang was showcasing the splendor of Eastern charm, promoting Chinese culture, and bringing honor to China—no wonder she was Fan Xiaopang, and so on.

Some opposed her, thinking her move was too showy, deliberately stealing the spotlight, and over-marketing.

Overall, however, positive evaluations dominated.

The reason was simple: the world valued strength and status—and Fan Xiaopang was simply powerful enough.

For any other minor star, that dragon robe would be a monkey wearing a crown—an absurd clown bringing shame upon herself.

But for Fan Xiaopang, it was entirely different.

In the past two years, films like The Painted Skin, Red Cliff, and The Message had made Fan Xiaopang the first female actress in China to surpass 1 billion RMB in personal box office earnings.

Her business prowess dwarfed all other actresses; in last year's Forbes Celebrity Rankings, she dominated as the top-earning and most-exposed female star.

She won the Golden Horse Award for Best Actress, filling her last major gap; her two runner-up and one win in the Weibo Goddess awards further proved her explosive popularity.

Meanwhile, her biggest rival, International Zhang, had stumbled; Fan Xiaopang seized the momentum, reaped massive gains, and was now quietly emerging as China's most popular actress.

Last month, Yi'an went public, amassing billions in wealth and becoming a paradigm of celebrity rapid wealth, envied by countless people.

Today, Fan Xiaopang is the very embodiment of 【Beauty, Confidence, Strong Woman】.

She wore a dragon robe ceremonial gown, and most people accepted it readily—almost as if it were deserved, like a red carpet coronation.

When Seeing Yan Li returned to France and saw Fan Xiaopang again.

Leveraging the dragon robe incident, Fan Xiaopang not only further solidified and spread her personal brand and persona, but also began moving toward expanding the image of Chinese female stars, exporting Chinese cultural elements, and positioning herself as a pioneer of Eastern aesthetics.

In elevating herself, she also stepped on Zhang Yi, who was currently filming with Wang Sunglasses.

This woman had frequently appeared on international stages in recent years, but her styles were conservative and monotonous; after years of effort, her impact and significance paled next to Fan Xiaopang's single red carpet appearance.

Given Fan Xiaopang and Yang Zhen's style, it would be strange if they didn't step on her—if not for fear of overdoing it, even Gong Li might not have escaped.

Seeing Yan Li specifically examined that dragon robe ceremonial gown.

Because the Cannes Film Festival isn't one day, and the red carpet isn't just one walk, Fan Xiaopang brought several gowns—he hadn't paid much attention to this dragon robe before.

"Pity, wouldn't a Ming dynasty style have been better?"

Seeing Yan Li raised an objection, but Fan Xiaopang shook her head: "This bright yellow dragon robe—we understand it, foreigners understand it too; it's simple and clear. Besides, a dragon robe isn't an imperial robe; it must balance beauty and emphasis."

The dragon is a symbol of power; one of the design concepts of this dragon robe is that women can wield power—not that a queen must ascend the throne.

If we used a Ming dynasty dragon robe, the elements and complexity would increase, and the style wouldn't stand out as sharply.

Moreover, design becomes an issue: with Qing dynasty style, you can alter it however you like; but if you base it on Hanfu, you'll face countless problems and experts.

Seeing Yan Li thought about it—he was right. This was primarily about showcasing Eastern culture; the dragon robe's highlights were the bright yellow and the dragon, neither unique to the Qing dynasty, so there was no need to overthink it.

"I've only seen photos. Let me see how it looks on you in person."

Fan Xiaopang rolled her eyes—she knew exactly what this dog of a man was like; whether he was just looking or planning to use it was anyone's guess.

Still, Fan Xiaopang went to change into the dragon robe, tidied her hair, and tried to replicate the red carpet look as closely as possible.

Seeing Yan Li was thoroughly satisfied; he reached out to touch it, but Fan Xiaopang stepped aside.

"Just look—that's silk embroidery, very expensive."

"How much did you spend? I'll reimburse you."

Seeing Yan Li had torn through more than one or two high-end gowns; they were expensive, but the experience was exceptional.

This time, Fan Xiaopang's dragon robe was magnificent and majestic, especially alluring, stirring Seeing Yan Li's blood to boil.

He even thought the Qing dynasty dragon robe wasn't bad—today would be a good day to settle accounts with the Tartars.

Uh, wait—Qing emperors weren't necessarily Tartars… never mind, better to strike at the great mountain of feudalism instead…

…

Although Fan Xiaopang broke out on the Cannes red carpet with the dragon robe, her lead role in "Guanyin Mountain" received no awards.

But this was expected; there was no real disappointment. After giving several interviews, she led her team back to Jingcheng.

Seeing Yan Li did not go with her—he had work in Mudu and went to handle it.

Exiting through the VIP passage, Fan Xiaopang encountered some of her fans.

Her Cannes itinerary was relatively transparent, and flights from France to Jingcheng were few, so some fans came to meet her at the airport.