Chapter 157 New Boss

De La Valle's words were like a bombshell dropped in a bustling downtown area. Some media outlets exaggeratedly boldened and enlarged that passage, placing it on the front page with a red headline that screamed ominously: "This is the Final Verdict!"

Clearly, De La Valle supported Malesani. Zhang Jun had no space to survive in Florence anymore. Only the fans firmly supported him, but was their support useful?

When the club wanted to sell Baggio, did they listen to the fans' protests?

When Cecchi Gori insisted on dragging Fiorentina to the grave, disregarding everyone's opposition, did the fans' massive protests have any effect?

In the eyes of capital, fans were always a vulnerable group, unable to influence club decisions. Even if public anger reached a boiling point, scapegoats were easily found.

So, although many fans protested at the club and outside Malesani's house, it didn't help Zhang Jun's situation. Some radical fans even made personal safety threats against Malesani, smashing his home's windows with stones. This only made Zhang Jun more passive, adding another piece of evidence to the claim that he was "inciting fans to riot."

Zhang Jun stopped showing his face, leaving everything to his agent, Hua Fang. He waited for the national team's call-up.

Due to FIFA's decision, the Asian Cup, originally scheduled for 2008, was brought forward to 2007. The higher-ups said they were worried about clashing with the Olympics and the European Cup, which would affect viewership.

This Asian Cup was also unprecedentedly co-hosted by Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam—four Southeast Asian countries. Although public opinion generally believed that co-hosting by four countries would lead to many problems, the AFC bureaucrats, under the banner of promoting football, handed the hosting rights to the four nations.

Considering this situation, coupled with the imminent Beijing Olympics, Qiu Suhui and Chen Wei communicated and decided not to focus on results. They sent a national team composed of some first-team players and Olympic team players to participate, and the Olympic team's coach was also temporarily transferred to the national team's coaching staff. The intention of training troops was very obvious.

The State General Administration of Sports also agreed to this plan, and the media didn't dare to say much under the grand environment of the Olympics. Only the fans felt uncomfortable. The Chinese team had made a name for themselves at the World Cup, and they wanted to continue to see them dominate in the Asian Cup, but now it had become a training exercise.

Of course, in China, fans were an even more thoroughly vulnerable group, and no one would care what they thought.

In this situation, Qiu Suhui called Zhang Jun and told him to use this vacation to rest well. He didn't need to participate in the insignificant Asian Cup.

Zhang Jun was a little surprised when he received the call. He really wanted to participate in his first Asian Cup, but Qiu Suhui seriously told him that his physical condition wasn't ideal, so it was best not to participate, but to rest well and relax his body and nerves.

Zhang Jun reluctantly accepted this arrangement—he couldn't refuse anyway. Qiu Zhi wouldn't change the entire preparation plan because of his personal wishes.

In the end, this national team introduced several first-team players on the basis of the Olympic team. Li Yongle, who had just helped the team win the league title, was very popular and had no physical problems. He was called into the team. Xiang Tao, Wang Yu, Wu Shangshan, and others who rarely showed their faces also came back to get acquainted. Yang Pan, like Zhang Jun, wasn't called into the team, while Liu Peng, Li Suisheng, Zhao Pengyu, and others were called in from China. Zhang Jun heard that some foreign clubs were interested in them, but he didn't know the reaction on the domestic side.

These people formed the so-called national team and went south under the banner of training troops.

Zhang Jun took his mother out and went to Switzerland with Sophie for two weeks.

For two weeks, he didn't turn on his phone, didn't read the newspapers, and didn't go online. He just accompanied his mother and Sophie everywhere. He wanted to make up for the filial piety he hadn't fulfilled in recent years, and he also wanted to resolve his longing for Sophie.

Sophie brought him good news: starting in the second half of the year, she was assigned by the newspaper to Italy to be Li Yan's assistant.

This was a piece of news that made Zhang Jun ecstatic. He and Sophie had been separated since they went to the Netherlands. This kind of longing wasn't something a couple could endure for a long time.

At that time, he could live with Sophie and sing all night long... woo-hoo!

Sophie twisted Zhang Jun's ear and told him not to think crooked. They would still have separate rooms, anyway, the house was big.

Zhang Jun muttered in his heart, "Then I'll sell that house and we'll squeeze into a small one in the city..."

Although he thought so, he was already very grateful that Sophie could come to his side. He also knew that some things couldn't be rushed.

In fact, it would be very, very good to have someone to snuggle with and talk to after every training session, someone to confide in when depressed, and someone to share with when happy. Then, every hard work and the pressure endured would be worthwhile.

The mountains and rivers of Switzerland were beautiful, and Zhang Jun was in a particularly good mood. He seemed to have completely forgotten that there was a lot of mess waiting for him in Florence.

※※※

The two-week vacation was too short for Zhang Jun, who lingered and forgot to return. The national team had just arrived in Thailand.

Sophie accompanied her mother back to China. She needed to go back to handle various procedures and had already said goodbye to her parents. Zhang Jun called Hua Jie and then flew directly back to Italy.

Hua Jie told him on the phone that there had been some changes, but she didn't tell him in detail what the changes were, and she didn't know if they were good or bad.

When he set foot on Florentine soil, he felt the changes that Hua Jie had spoken of. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but the atmosphere in Florence was quite strange.

No one was paying attention to his life-and-death struggle with Malesani anymore.

"Because they have a new topic," Hua Fang said bluntly as soon as she saw Zhang Jun. "Recently, there have been rumors that a consortium wants to acquire Fiorentina, and De La Valle wants to sell it at a high price."

"That's impossible!" Zhang Jun blurted out. He really thought Hua Jie was joking with him. "De La Valle keeps shouting about revitalizing Fiorentina. Would he let go?"

"Zhang Jun, De La Valle's primary identity is that of a businessman. Pursuing higher profits is his ultimate goal. As long as someone offers a price he can't refuse, things won't be easy to say." Hua Fang used to be a businessman, and she knew businessmen's thoughts very well.

"So, how much is that consortium offering?" Zhang Jun asked casually.

Hua Fang held up one hand with her left hand and five fingers with her right: "It's said... 150 million euros."

Zhang Jun's mouth didn't close. He wasn't a fool who didn't understand anything. Li Yan had told him that before De La Valle acquired Fiorentina, his net worth was conservatively estimated at 166 million euros. By 2006, when Fiorentina was promoted to Serie A, that number exceeded 300 million. And that consortium's offer was half of De La Valle's net worth. It was indeed hard to refuse.

Hua Fang continued to strike at Zhang Jun: "And that consortium also said that if they're not satisfied, they can raise the price... Is this doing business? It's clearly smashing with money." When she was in charge of the Hua Group, the total assets were only 180 million euros, and she couldn't help but sigh at the consortium's strong capital strength.

Zhang Jun's brain stopped responding for a long time before returning to normal. Fiorentina almost got relegated, and there would definitely be a purge after the season. The current team wasn't worth 150 million, but if they offered a price according to the real market price, De La Valle would have to consider the loss of his reputation among the fans and the government, and he wouldn't give up easily. So, offering this kind of price clearly meant they were eager to acquire.

But what would they do with a club like Fiorentina? Want to make money from it? No way, it would be good enough if they didn't lose money. Besides, would such a rich consortium care about this small amount of money? So, would they just buy it to play with? That would be really boring, treating the players and fans as toys. Or... money laundering?

Zhang Jun shuddered and didn't dare to think any further. Some things didn't belong to his world, so he shouldn't delve into them. After staying in Italy for two years, he also understood how powerful the Mafia was in Italy. He just needed to play football honestly, and he couldn't control other things.

Zhang Jun shook his head. "Does this have anything to do with my situation?"

"From the current point of view... if the new boss is different from De La Valle, whether you would stay in Florence or not, I always have to listen to your thoughts."

Zhang Jun was stunned. Indeed, in the end, he was unwilling to leave here. If the new boss didn't hate him, then everything could be salvaged.

"Then... let's wait and see, wait and see..." he murmured.

※※※

The acquisition rumors caused divisions among Fiorentina fans. Some die-hard, radical fans firmly opposed the team being acquired. They believed that the Fiorentina club should be the club of the people of Florence, not a toy that anyone with money could take away.

Others believed that being acquired might not be a bad thing for Fiorentina, which was in trouble. At least De La Valle was incompetent. Maybe someone else could revitalize the team, like the infinitely glorious Chelsea. Money wasn't a bad thing, it depended on where it was used. If it was used on the team, they had no objections.

Now, the influence of this acquisition rumor was no longer limited to Florence. The entire Italian football world was paying attention to this matter. Everyone was very interested in the mysterious consortium that was spending money lavishly. Since neither party had disclosed anything publicly, the reporters had to investigate themselves, and the Italian judicial authorities also suspected that it involved Mafia money laundering and launched an investigation.

Of course, the results of their investigation were basically the same: it was a registered, legitimate group, and its owner had strong financial resources. When it came to trade secrets, even the judicial authorities couldn't do anything, after all, it wasn't an Italian company.

One week later, the Chinese team broke into the knockout stage of the Asian Cup, and things here also had a result.

On July 27, the Fiorentina club officially announced that the Renz Group had successfully acquired the team and all its assets, and De La Valle had resigned.

More than a month of speculation was finally confirmed, still shocking many people. Many people even lamented that even Fiorentina, a classical team with a Renaissance style, couldn't resist the onslaught of money. It seemed that commercial football was everywhere.

As soon as the news was announced, people came to protest and demonstrate outside the club every day. Some people even attacked De La Valle for being a liar and a shameless speculator. In just five years, his bold words that he would devote himself to Fiorentina football had become bullshit. People held up banners and caricatures of him, protesting loudly outside his house all night long. But their protests were ineffective. Fiorentina had changed hands, and their former owner had long since secretly fled abroad for vacation to avoid the limelight.

After realizing that they had done useless work, the fans began to turn their anger against Francesco Galimberti, the CEO of the Renz Group. They printed his head on paper, drew a big red cross on it, and made various cartoons satirizing him. They called on fans not to buy the team's season tickets for next season and to boycott Fiorentina's games.

"This is a disgrace in the history of Fiorentina football!" This sentence appeared most frequently in the protest banners.

But just as the fans' protests against De La Valle selling Zhang Jun had no effect, their protests didn't help prevent the team from changing hands.

Afterwards, the CEO of the Renz Group ignored the fans and went directly to visit the mayor of Florence. After a morning of talks, when he came out, he shook hands with the mayor cordially and bid farewell with a smile. The mayor then issued a statement, saying that Mr. Galimberti had assured him that the Fiorentina club was still the property of the Florence City Government and would always represent the city of Florence. He supported Mr. Galimberti's work.

"Well done! I don't know how much benefits they gave that mayor, to get the government settled so quickly," Zhang Jun exclaimed.

Afterwards, Galimberti visited the president of the Italian Football Federation and the president of the Italian Professional League, especially the latter. He assured Galliani that Fiorentina had no intention of fighting between the factions. Renz just wanted to contribute to Italian football and save the declining and heartbreaking Fiorentina. These words were so high-sounding that no one could find fault with them.

Then he promoted himself and some senior executives of the group as loyal Fiorentina fans in a foreign country, supporting Fiorentina for three generations. "Even my blood is purple!" Mr. Galimberti proudly claimed that he was willing to do anything to make Fiorentina reappear brilliantly.

This move won the hearts of many fans.

Within a week of acquiring Fiorentina, he made so many effective moves. The high efficiency was staggering. Seemingly casually, he resolved the acquisition crisis. Obviously, this was a premeditated acquisition, not the product of a whim of some rich master.

Galimberti was busy with public relations activities, but he didn't pay attention to the mess of the team, which made many Italian sports media laugh at the new boss for being an idiot who only had money and didn't know anything about football. Zhang Jun and Malesani were anxiously waiting for the new boss's verdict, but there was still no news.

Hua Fang also took the opportunity to fly to Germany to handle Anco's transfer. Dortmund's economic situation continued to be poor, and Hua Fang was very dissatisfied with the fact that their star player Anco's salary only ranked third-rate in the Bundesliga. On the one hand, she forced Dortmund to change the contract and increase his salary, and on the other hand, she actively contacted Bayern Munich.

Now, Bayern Munich had offered a high price that Dortmund couldn't refuse, and Anco was no longer using emotions as an excuse. His departure was a foregone conclusion. Dortmund fans didn't blame Anco, but wished him good luck, and Beckenbauer had said more than once: "We need a talented goalkeeper like An." Now, he had his wish.

The two sides talked very smoothly, leaving only the physical examination and final signing. At this time, Hua Fang had time to come back and busy herself with Zhang Jun's affairs.

※※※

This acquisition also had a certain impact in China. Some die-hard Fiorentina fans, like their Italian counterparts, regarded the acquisition as a disgrace and a betrayal. It's just that because they didn't understand more of the situation, they were more extreme and more radical. And those who liked Fiorentina because of Zhang Jun didn't care. They were more concerned about Zhang Jun's fate, whether he would leave or stay in the end.

Some media outlets exclaimed at the magnitude of this event: "I thought it was just a matter of changing coaches or selling players, but I didn't expect that the owner would be changed directly. The world is unpredictable, more than this."

In Italy, Galimberti, after pacifying the people, began to think about putting his attention on the team, but he didn't have any prospects for next season, but to clean up the mess of last season.

On the last day of July, the players on vacation in various places returned one after another, and the Chinese team's Asian Cup journey also ended in the top four. This summer, the national team's games were not the main focus of people's attention.

Galimberti first issued a statement, saying that he didn't know much about the grievances between Zhang Jun and Malesani, but he believed that these were just misunderstandings. Both of them were professionals, and they would unite together for Fiorentina without any problems.

Li Yan's said this statement was fart, full of nonsense, saying nothing, and didn't reveal the personal preferences of the new boss. He reminded Zhang Jun to be careful, this kind of person was often the best at playing tricks.

Afterwards, Galimberti called the two to talk in the office separately.

No one knew what they talked about. Zhang Jun didn't know what the new boss said to Malesani, but he saw that Malesani's face was good when he came out. He remembered Li Yan's advice, and he was uneasy when he entered that large office.

Pushing open the wooden door, he saw Fiorentina's new chairman—Mr. Francesco Galimberti. This was the first time he had seen the real person face to face. Before, he had only seen photos on TV and online.

Medium height, balding, thick beard, and deep-set eyes made it difficult to see the person's eyes. He wore a neat purple suit—to show his love for Florence. This was the person who acquired Florence, this was the person who would decide his future.

He sat down on the sofa opposite the new chairman, waiting for the person to speak.

But it seemed that Galimberti was very interested in Zhang Jun's appearance. He stared at Zhang Jun for a long time, making Zhang Jun feel hairy and want to run away.

He wouldn't have that inclination, would he?

After a long time, Galimberti opened his mouth, but he only said one sentence, ending the meeting.

"My boss wants to see you, he will decide your future."

Zhang Jun was stunned.

※※※

Zhang Jun sat in this pure white extended Rolls-Royce, and Galimberti sat opposite him. This guy was staring at him with a smile, and Zhang Jun felt a burst of fear and didn't dare to look him in the eye. To cover it up, he simply closed his eyes and leaned his head on the back of the leather seat, pretending to be asleep.

Driving an extended car, or a white Rolls-Royce, in Florence, a city with many alleys and narrow roads, in Zhang Jun's opinion, the boss he was going to see was really flashy.

When Galimberti told him that sentence, his surprise was beyond words. Galimberti was the chairman of the team, but he couldn't decide his future, everything had to listen to his boss...

This made Zhang Jun a little interested in that mysterious boss. What kind of big shot would that be?

The car was driving smoothly on the highway, and Zhang Jun felt that they were out of the city.

When Hua Fang heard that the real boss wanted to see Zhang Jun, she insisted on coming along. But Galimberti refused very simply. "Miss Hua, my boss has ordered that only Zhang Jun is allowed to come. And it won't involve anything about contract or interest, so there is no need for an agent to follow."

He, a dignified club chairman, CEO of the Renz Group, spoke about this "boss" in a very respectful tone.

Zhang Jun didn't understand. Why would such a powerful and wealthy figure want to see him? And why did he have to see him to decide his future?

"We're here."

Zhang Jun opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the gate of a villa and the security guard standing in front of the car door, ready to open it for them.

This was a place he had never been to before, a manor. Because Zhang Jun was already inside the manor, he couldn't know whether the manor was big or small. All he could see was this villa and a outdoor swimming pool next to it, but he didn't see the tennis court and golf course that were usually in manors.

Galimberti acted as a guide, leading Zhang Jun around. Zhang Jun didn't know where he was going to be taken, so he had to follow closely, for fear of getting lost. From the outside, he thought the house wasn't very big, but when he got inside, he found that it was different.

From time to time, he could see servants and security guards wearing neat and uniform clothes, which made him have many more guesses about the identity of this mysterious boss.

Galimberti didn't speak, and Zhang Jun didn't want to ask. He came in a hurry this time. He originally wanted to go home and change into a more formal suit, but Galimberti told him that he should leave now, because his boss was already impatient. As a result, he came out in this casual outfit, and now he suddenly felt that he was incompatible with the atmosphere of this manor.

After passing through a corridor, there was a garden. He saw a huge building with white walls and a white roof. It was huge, not because it was tall, or really huge, but compared to the surrounding environment, the building was big and abrupt, and everyone's eyes were drawn to it. It was about three stories high, but it covered a large area.

The building was blocked behind the villa, and Zhang Jun didn't see it at first.

Galimberti pushed open the door of the building and made a gesture of invitation. At this time, he didn't look like a club chairman at all.

Zhang Jun stepped in, but was shocked by what he saw.

Three floors, stands with plastic seats, a transparent tempered glass roof, green turf, white goals and nets, it turned out to be an indoor nine-a-side football field!

He squatted down and touched it with his hand. This wasn't cheap artificial turf, but genuine natural grass, and it was good grass, better than those in Franchi stadium, maybe it was World Cup level, it felt very resilient. He couldn't help but jump. Looking around, the top of the stands was a small box, with huge floor-to-ceiling glass curtain walls, you could see the outside clearly. In a place Zhang Jun couldn't see, he guessed that there should be changing rooms, gyms, physiotherapy rooms...

This was clearly a mini stadium!

The owner of this place was really extravagant! Tsk tsk! Zhang Jun shook his head and sighed, but... this was also a dream of his student days. At that time, it was popular to yy what you would do if you had money, buy two bowls of soy milk, drink one, and pour out one was a classic joke. At that time, Zhang Jun fantasized that he could have such a private football field, so he could play football whenever he wanted, no matter if it was windy or rainy, day or night.

At that time, Anco also mocked him for being worthless, having a lot of money and doing this.

As soon as he thought of the past with his friends, Zhang Jun couldn't help but smile. Now Anco has gone to Bayern Munich, it should be a good place to go...

Zhang Jun suddenly realized that he was now a guest in someone else's home. He turned his head and found that Galimberti had disappeared at some point. He felt a panic, but he quickly calmed down, thinking that since the boss was already impatient, he would naturally come out to see him.

He refocused his attention on the luxurious indoor football field. Spending so much money, not making a tennis court or a golf course, but making such a football field, showed that the owner here should also be a football lover, so they must have a common language. Maybe he wouldn't have to leave.

Thinking of this, Zhang Jun was full of hope for this meeting. He originally thought that the boss's boss should be a busy, money-making, and so busy that he didn't even have time to bend over, and who was unsmiling, and difficult to approach. But now, Zhang Jun looked at the indoor football field and felt a sense of intimacy.

A football rolled to Zhang Jun's feet at some point. He was a little surprised, and then turned around and looked back, only to see a person leaning against the door.

The afternoon sun was still dazzling, shining in diagonally from the door, he couldn't see the person's appearance, and he couldn't help but squinted his eyes.

"Long time no see, Zhang Jun." the man said.

Zhang Jun was stunned.

※※※

It was a young voice, giggling, and the tone was familiar. Memories from many years ago flooded into his brain with the sound.

At the sad and crazy graduation farewell dinner, he put his arm around Zhang Jun and said to him drunkenly: "Don't worry, Zhang Jun. I've liked football since I could run, and it's been more than ten years. Do you think I'll easily say goodbye to it?"

On the empty Shuguang High School football field, Li Yongle looked at him: "Actually, you didn't plan to leave a way out for yourself from the beginning, right?" He smiled: "You saw through it?" Zhang Jun saw helplessness in his smile.

After that, he never saw the guy who ran away alone without saying a word. For five years, this kid disappeared without a trace, as if he had evaporated from the world, completely not considering what others would think.

Now, he just appeared in front of Zhang Jun as if nothing had happened, and said to him with a giggle: "Long time no see."

It really made people want to beat him up.

But Zhang Jun didn't do anything. He just stood there, staring at the figure at the door whose face he still couldn't see, and stammered: "Ren Yudi? Is that really you?"

The figure walked in, picked up the football on the ground, caught it with his hand, and then looked at Zhang Jun with a giggle: "Guaranteed, no cheating."

Zhang Jun's eyes were a little wet. He didn't expect his friend to appear in front of him like this one day. This face, this smile, this voice, was clearly Ren Yudi, the Ren Yudi who had been missing for five years.

Zhang Jun wiped his eyes. He was really embarrassed to almost cry.

Ren Yudi turned his attention to the indoor football field, pretending not to see Zhang Jun wiping his tears. He waved his hand: "How is it? Your dream."

Zhang Jun smiled. After so many years, he still remembered, which showed that he wasn't someone who forgot his friends. He must have had some difficulties to hide from them.

"Very good, very good... I didn't expect you to still remember."

"Of course I still remember, I remember everything. You wouldn't think I've forgotten you just because I haven't contacted you for five years, would you?"

Zhang Jun never pretended in front of his friends. He nodded and said fiercely: "That's right! You kid just left without saying a word, and your home in Luoyang has changed owners. No one knows where you went, or what you're doing, or even if you're alive or dead..."

"Hey hey, I'm still alive... Aren't I back now? And I've brought you a big gift." Ren Yudi smiled.

"A big gift?" Zhang Jun didn't react for a moment.

Ren Yudi posed, "I'm now the boss of the Renz Group, with a net worth of 1.8 billion euros, the Fiorentina club is now also my assets, and you..." He looked at Zhang Jun, "are my employee, haha!"

Ren Yudi was joking, but he wasn't joking. Zhang Jun's mind was a little confused. It turned out that the mysterious boss behind the scenes was his classmate. So why did the boss have to rush to see him had an explanation, he had been waiting for five years, of course he was anxious, so anxious that he couldn't allow Zhang Jun to go back to change clothes or arrange another time to come.

Ren Yudi patted Zhang Jun and woke him up. "Let's go, let's have tea. We'll talk slowly, there's plenty of time."

※※※

Sitting in the spacious and bright hall, watching the servants next to him, Zhang Jun was a little uncomfortable. Although he had money and a big house, he would only hire hourly workers to help him clean. Usually, he took care of himself. Ren Yudi saw it and waved his hand, and everyone retreated.

The fragrance of tea was still lingering on Zhang Jun's tongue, but he wasn't in the mood to taste it. He was full of questions now. "You acquired Florence? What did you acquire it for? Don't you want to play a real-life fm (football manager game)?"

Ren Yudi slowly put down his teacup, not in a hurry to answer Zhang Jun's question. "Zhang Jun, do you know? I once played a season of semi-professional football."

Zhang Jun was a little surprised.

"In the 0405 season of the English Third Division League. I played for a year in a small club called 'Wendi'. On the one hand, I wanted to see if my body really couldn't adapt to the intense games. On the other hand, I wanted to see if I still had feelings for it after so many years of not being in contact with football." Ren Yudi was playing with the football in his hand.

"So then?"

"Then? Hehe, I failed. I can only play half a game even in the Third Division, and I also suffered an injury. But... I didn't gain nothing, I found that I still like football very much. After so many years in the business world, I thought I had forgotten what it was like to play football, to play football happily, to play football to my heart's content, and then to try my best. But there, I found that feeling. In the last game, we fought for promotion, everyone was working hard, the fans were cheering us on, I found the feeling of us working together for the championship at that time. Although we still lost in the end, we didn't get promoted, but I think I found the most important thing, that's enough..." Ren Yudi leaned on the sofa, closed his eyes, and murmured very enjoyably. (For details, please refer to the Gaiden "Journey")

"Although I can't play football on the field anymore, that doesn't mean I'm isolated from football. My body doesn't allow me to play football with you, but my money allows me to be with you in another way." He waved his hand.

"So you acquired Florence?"

"Well, I gave De La Valle a lot of benefits, and he gave up. That guy who only cares about money, you and Florence will never have a future under him." Ren Yudi didn't tell Zhang Jun the truth. At that time, it wasn't just giving benefits, some abnormal means were also used. But Ren Yudi felt that there was no need for Zhang Jun to know those unspeakable things, he just needed to play football wholeheartedly and happily. This was Zhang Jun's wish, and it was also what Ren Yudi most wanted to see after so many years.

Zhang Jun didn't express his opinion. He couldn't recognize De La Valle anymore. He left, so he wasn't sad. Instead, he looked carefully and found that Ren Yudi looked a little older than his actual age. He was the same age as him, but he already had wrinkles on his face and obvious white hair in his hair. His energetic eyes were no longer pure. Five years, the change was really big, the world that Ren Yudi was in must be a world that he couldn't imagine.

"You came to Italy... then your family, your younger brother?"

"They are in Hong Kong, where the headquarters of the Asian Group is. I don't care about them, and they don't care about me." Seeing Zhang Jun looking at him in the wrong way, Ren Yudi quickly added: "Don't get me wrong, I didn't break off my family ties with them, it's just that I earned all this money myself, and now I want to use it to invest in football, I don't need to get their permission. This money doesn't have much to do with them. Let me put it this way, I have no worries now, and I can do my best to help you and Florence achieve glory."

Zhang Jun was a little moved: "A net worth of 1.8 billion... just to make me succeed?"

"Zhang Jun, I want to see you play football happily, all of you succeed, not just you, Yang Pan, Anco, all of them... all of you succeed, and then I can watch you play football from the sidelines, and I'll be very satisfied. I don't care how much money I spend, even if I lose everything, as long as we can be together. Galimberti is just a facade to deal with the outside world now. I will replace him next year. At that time, we won't have to be sneaky anymore. You just focus on playing football, and I will always cheer you on. Since we can't play football together, then this is not bad..." Ren Yudi said with a smile, but for some reason, Zhang Jun thought of Ren Yudi's sigh during that Spring Festival: "Professional players..."

In high school, he gave up his future football career in exchange for three years of happy and carefree life. And now? He gave up the opportunity to continue making money, gave up more money, just to be with his friends, watch them play football, watch them succeed, as for what will happen to him in the future, he doesn't consider it.

Or rather, his five years of lurking, five years of hard work, many years of aging face, early white hair, suffering, hardship, and maybe many dangers, were all for today.

"Yeah, not bad either..." Zhang Jun was speechless for a moment, and could only repeat Ren Yudi's words.

"I know you're looking for a new owner everywhere, but I hope you stay. Note, I hope and not order, your future should be chosen by yourself."

Zhang Jun smiled: "You've said that, what choice do I have? Since you've bet your future and dreams on me, how can I leave?" Recently, there were rumors that Basten would replace Ancelotti, and Basten named Zhang Jun to come back. Honestly speaking, before Ren Yudi appeared, Zhang Jun was really unsure about Basten's AC Milan. But now, even if Basten found him in person, he couldn't have any illusions about Milan anymore. Just like he said to Yang Pan: "I was born as a Florentine, and I will die as a Florentine."

Ren Yudi also smiled: "That's right, you can completely take my words as a high-sounding facade. In fact, I know you will definitely stay, and I also know that you haven't been doing well in the past five years. Now I'm creating a material condition for you, and I hope you can be successful in everything. However, Zhang Jun, you have to understand that although we are friends, there are still some things that you can't influence me, and there are still some things that you need to work hard on yourself. I'm always paying attention to you, and I know every step of your growth..."

Hearing this, Zhang Jun suddenly thought of a question: "Then Feng Qing, did you hire him?"

Ren Yudi was stunned, and then laughed: "He is a good doctor, right? He is also a very interesting person. Yes, I hired him, he once treated my illness." The actual situation was not to treat his illness, but to treat his injuries, but it was not sports injuries. "I thought he was good, so I recommended him to you."

"Then he came again recently..."

"Ah? He came to find you again?" Ren Yudi was very surprised. He also stunned Zhang Jun: "What? Didn't you tell him to come?"

"Of course not." Ren Yudi shook his head, "This Feng Qing is very interesting, he never goes back to find the patients he has treated... It cost me a lot of money to find him... He would actually take the initiative to find you again?"

"Well." Zhang Jun nodded, "I always thought you sent him here. He said he came to give me a follow-up examination. It was thanks to him that my injury healed so quickly this time."

Ren Yudi touched his chin, "Well, I was busy with the acquisition of Florence during that time, and I ignored it. In fact, his responsibility to me ended after that time in the Netherlands, and we haven't been in contact since then. But, since this is the case...