After an eleven-hour flight, an Airbus from Madrid finally arrived at the Capital Airport.

  Shortly after, Gao Shen pushed his suitcase and walked out slowly.

  Almost instinctively, he wao find the entrao the airport subway, but quickly realized, with some frustration, that there was none.

  This was a time when the Capital Airport was not yet ected to the subway!

  With a sigh, Gao Shen began to head toward the airport bus stop, but stopped after a short while.

  Wait, I'm riow, why am I thinking of taking a bus?

  Take a taxi!

  Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel delighted and immediately turned around to head toward the taxi stand.

  The fare from the airport to the city ter was nearly 100 yuan.

  At first, Gao Shen didn't think much of it, but after getting into the car and listening to the driver's chatter, he realized that in 2006, 100 yuan wasn't a small amount of money.

  The driver was mainly curious about what Gao Shen did for a living, w why he was willing to splurge on a taxi ride.

  Because Gao Shen wore sungsses and a hat to disguise himself, no one had reized him, except for the flight attendants on the pne, and there were certainly no media reporters at the airport.

  This made him seriously doubt whether those so-called celebrity street photos were really random enters.

  Gao Shen also began to realize that in 2006, wages in a were generally low. In his memory, when he had just graduated, his monthly sary was about 1,500 to 1,800 yuan.

  With that perspective, spending around 100 yuan on a taxi was indeed quite a luxury.

  Given Gao Shen's age, the driver's first guess was that he must be a rich sed-geion kid studying abroad.

  Gao Shen didn't deny it, feeling a little amused with himself.

  Uedly, in this life, he could be sidered a rich sed geion.

  But the driver had gotten it wrong; Gao Shen was actually the first geion .

  During the ride, Gao Shen listeo the driver talk about various things happening domestically. The driver eveioned him, saying how incredible it was for a ese person to be coag abroad, especially fiant team like Real Madrid.

  But the driver didn't seem to know the facts too well, g that Gao Shen robably in his thirties or forties.

  This almost prompted Gao Shen, sitting in the back, to ask out loud: Do I look that old?

  Gao Shen mao resist the urge but decided to show off a bit by asking the driver where he could find the best mobile phones in the capital.

  This suddenly surprised the taxi driver.

  "Man, the gap between the rid the poor is widening these days," the driver said with a shake of his head.

  ...

  The capital city of 2006 looked fresh ao Gao Shen.

  Especially listening to the driver's chatter along the way, Gao She he had learned quite a bit.

  In the end, the driver dropped him off in Zhongguan.

  God knows if it was just because it was a bit further away.

  However, since he was iy, Gao Shen didn't mind.

  After paying the fare, he first looked around and soon found a rge mobile phoore, where he began browsing immediately.

  Having been aced to using a smartphone from 2021, seeing world brands like Nokia, Sony, and BckBerry, along with domestiockoffs like Gioimestar, and Obi, everythi awkward to him.

  , no Taobao, no Twitter, no Instagram, no...

  Oh my God, nothing!

  Eveest so-called camera and color-s mobile phones seemed like junk to Gao Shen.

  After careful sele, Gao Shen finally chose Nokia's new music phoh a swivel design. He spent 3,000 yuan and asked the clerk to help him pick a good mobile phone number. Only then did he leisurely walk out ao the café across the street.

  Finding a seat by the window, Gao Shen first made a phone call, then began transferring his tacts, calling his friends in Europe to share his new number in a for easier unication.

  When he finished, he saw a familiar yet distant figure hurriedly pass by the window.

  Looking toward the entrance, he saw Su Qing standing at the ter, looking around.

  Despite his disguise, Su Qing immediately spotted him and walked over.

  "When did you get back?" She sat directly across from Gao Shen, slightly breathless from her rush.

  "I just arrived. I bought a new phone and a new number and tacted you immediately," Gao Shen replied with a smile, showing off his new phone.

  Though it was still quite basic, at least it was a music phone, capable of pying some tunes.

  Su Qing noticed the suitcase beside Gao Shen and, without asking much, got straight to the point, "I'll help you find a pce to stay."

  As she spoke, she took out her phone and asked, "How long are you pnning to stay in the capital?"

  "I'll stay for a few days, then I want to go home," Gao Shen replied, feeling a deep longing for home.

  Su Qing gave him a thoughtful look but asked no more questions. "I'll go back with you once I finish up some things here."

  Gao Shen didn't respond.

  In his memory, his retionship with Su Qing had always been like this, calm and indifferent.

  While Su Qing made some phone calls, the waiter brought her a cup of coffee. She quickly arranged a pce fao Shen to stay in a small hotel near her school.

  "Didn't you say earlier on QQ that you would e back a few days earlier? Why were you deyed?" Su Qing asked casually.

  "Something came up, you know, I'm very popur now," Gao Shen chuckled.

  "Have you found a job?"

  Gao Shen shook his head. "Not yet. They're all sidering my demands."

  From the moment he decided to leave Real Madrid, Gao Shen had started thinking about his steps.

  His coag requirements were quite high. For instance, he wanted absolute authority over the locker room and also sought to have a say in the club's transfers and tract renewals. The tter, in particur, caused many teams to back away.

  Many were afraid!

  Not for nothing.

  I years, the "bung-gate" sdal in the Premier League had stirred up a lot of troversy. In the end, it was mainly because the head coach had too much power. Even famous managers like Ferguson were caught up in it. This shows how serious this storm was.

  It's true what they say: absolute power leads to absolute corruption.

  Leagues like La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1 in tial Europe don't operate like the Premier League; they put stricter limits on a head coach's power and rarely allow coaches to get involved in transfers.

  At most, they could give some advice.

  Iy, Gao Shen's demand wasn't about having plete trol over transfers but ensuring that the club's transfers aligned with his requirements—whether buying or selling.

  But the top-tier European teams were very cautious about this, as it posed a high risk with many untrolble factors.

  To be frank, Gao Shen had no experien this area at all.

  The owner of a mid-table La Liga team had even told Gao Shen directly that if he was only responsible for the locker room, they could sign immediately, but if he wanted authority over transfers and renewals, even if partial, they would have to think long and hard.

  It was evident how wary these teams were.

  Not to mention, even in the Premier League, the powers of the head coach had been increasingly curtailed i years, drawing lessons from the tial leagues. They added roles like sp directors and teical directors.

  In other words, they were bang the head coach's authority.

  Of course, famous coaches like Ferguson and Wenger were exceptions; they were too special.

  After the Champions League final, Gao Shen stayed in Madrid, taking refuge at Carlo's house to avoid the media. He spent most of his time handling various matters.

  For example, Real Madrid had transferred his championship bonuses, and he needed a tax paymeificate to trahe funds back to a through his Hong Kong at. He used most of the moo buy shares in Te.

  But Gao Shen had never mentiohis to anyone.

  While in Madrid, a major i rocked European football: the Calciopoli sdal in Serie A.

  Fans familiar with football khe details, but ohing was different from what Gao Shen had remembered.

  Previously, he thought that the sdal was because Juventus maniputed referees to fix matches, as ofteed in the domestic media, but it wasn't quite like that.

  It wasn't so much a match-fixing sdal but rather that Juventus ma had used disgraceful means te favorable referees for their matches, which is distinct from actual match-fixing.

  heless, the Juventus hierarchy the so-called "Big Three" were set to step down, and the Bianeri would likely face relegation, just as Gao Shen remembered.

  As for whether Capello would leave Juventus to coach Real Madrid, as he had in Gao Shen's memories, that would depend on the uping presidential ele at Real Madrid and whether Calderon could defeat Martin.

  Iingly, several Real Madrid presidential didates had reached out to Gao Shen through Carlo, hoping he would endorse them in their campaigns. But Gao Shen firmly rejected their offers.

  Florentino Perez also called Gao Shen, advising him not to get involved.

  Gao Shen was no fool. What be would it bring him to participate in the ele circus?

  These didates would be friendly when they needed his support, but as soon as they secured the presidency, their attitude would likely ge. Why bother?

  ...

  Su Qing didn't seem surprised by Gao Shen's situation and didn't press further, ialking about his pns.

  "I want to fulfill a wish I've had for many, many years," Gao Shen replied with a smile.

  "What is it?" Su Qing asked, her curiosity piqued.

  "That's a secret."

  Su Qing rolled her eyes at him but didn't pursue the matter. She sipped her coffee and suggested they get moving. "Let's get you settled," she said, pushing his suitcase and leading the way out.

  As they walked out of the café, they took to the road.

  The subway system in the capital wasn't very ve back then, and it would only improve after the Olympics.

  At first, Su Qing walked ahead, pushing Gao Shen's suitcase herself, while Gao Shen trailed behind, her figure, her long bck hair flowing down her ba smooth, glossy waves that seemed to shimmer in the light.

  Her figure was captivating, with a petite upper body and a small chest that trasted with her curvier, fuller hips that moved with a subtle rhythm. There was a natural elegance about her, a quiet beauty that should have easily caught any man's eye. As she pushed the suitcase along with slender arms, her movements were both deliberate and graceful. By all appearances, she had everything that should have drawn him i Gao She no spark of attra.

  Perhaps it was because Su Qing had always kept their retionship at a ral distance.

  After they turned a er, Su Qing noticed that Gao Shen was gging behind, so she slowed her pace.

  " you walk a little faster? I still have a css to get to," Su Qing urged.

  But she still waited fao Shen to catch up before walking side by side with him.

  She was always like that, maintaining a fortable distah people, which made them feel at ease.

  In the past, Gao Shen hadn't uood her behavior, but now he saw it as the quiet strength of a self-assured woman.