After the broadcast ended, Cong Yajing sat silently opposite Ling Yi.
Ling Yi was very curious. What was wrong with this girl? She was a girl with Big Heart, and he rarely saw her like this.
"Hey, what are you thinking about? Why are you so serious?"
"I've been wondering, what's Troubled Football Team football team? You're not a football fan, and neither am I, but I'm just really angry, and I can't figure out why."
"The reason? Who knows? I don't understand either, and it's no use asking me."
There are many reasons, but they all boil down to two words: "System".
The biggest root of the problem is the Round Association, or rather, the Round Association system.
Those in power only care about political achievements and data; what should be a sports competition has turned into a political Fengyun drama.
To give a simple example, imagine two children, one with exceptional soccer talent and the other with only average soccer talent.
But if Little Qian player has average football talent but comes from a wealthy family, and gifts were given to them, then which of these two players will be kept?
The result is self-evident.
People from the Round Association have truly disgusting table manners.
Sports competitions no longer emphasize strength or technique, but instead focus on cliques and nepotism. Players haven't learned anything else, but they've already learned how to navigate interpersonal relationships, how to deceive and cheat, how to gamble, and how to fix matches.
Expecting a bunch of people like this to play football? What a joke!
The match three days ago presented a stark contrast between the coaches and players of the two countries.
Shite Country's coach ran back and forth on the field, constantly adjusting tactics.
And Troubled Football Team the coach? He just stood on the sidelines, hands behind his back, like a little boss, occasionally glancing at the time leisurely.
As for the players? They're even more relaxed than the coaches.
The opposing player shoots, and the goalkeeper just stretches out his hand and that's it; falling down and trying to save the ball? Forget about it.
The ball was intercepted, but instead of actively trying to get it back, they simply gave up and Youyou followed until the opponent scored, then turned and walked away.
That means, conceding a goal is no big deal, it's not a big deal.
Getting scolded? No big deal, I'm used to it. Anyway, there are still matches, people still watch, and I still get paid.
There's a saying online, "You criticize Nan Zu for his Troubled Football Team performance, Troubled Football Team laughs at you for still paying off your mortgage."
They've completely lost all sense of shame.
For the sake of harmony, I won't say too much here, but there are plenty of people who criticize Round Association; a quick online search will yield tons of results.
"I just read some comments online. They said that throwing money at this is useless and won't change anything at all."
Whether it works or not, you'll only know after trying it. There are all sorts of opinions online, are you really going to believe them?
"The point is, this is an amateur team, you understand? I just want to prove that it's not that football is bad, it's just that the Round Association is bad."
"Get some rest, you have a lot to do tomorrow."
"Oh!"
"Don't overthink it, just go all in with the money."
You're awesome!
Nothing happened that night. The next day, Cong Yajing started a live stream and went to the Dafeng City Stadium with Ling Yi.
With countless netizens as witnesses, Ling Yi actually bought the Dafeng City Stadium.
This is the first time netizens have witnessed what it means to have money and do whatever you want. If 1 billion isn't enough, then double it. If 2 billion isn't enough, then double it again.
That afternoon, Ling Yi also bought a Star Grade hotel near the stadium...
Throughout the entire day, Cong Yajing's live stream maintained its high popularity, and her fan count surpassed 20 million.
In particular, Ling Yi's massive red envelope giveaway nearly crashed the platform.
As Ling Yi and Cong Yajing gain more and more attention, more and more people are also paying attention to this matter.
From the afternoon onwards, Cong Yajing's phone kept ringing.
All sorts of shady characters came knocking, including nutritionists, lawyers, and heads of various operating groups.
The most frequent inquiries were from people wanting to join the team and asking about the application process.
Cong Yajing had no experience with this; she was just a small-time cosplay streamer.
I was overwhelmed by the questions. I was polite at first, but I quickly got annoyed.
"You're asking me all this? Who am I supposed to ask? Sorry, I don't know. How could I not know? I just don't know! What are you going to do about it? Just follow my livestream, goodbye!"
I had just hung up one phone call when another one came in.
The viewers in the live stream seemed to be having a great time.
"Are you stupid? Just turn it off!" Ling Yi was both amused and exasperated.
"These kinds of things will be handled by the operations team from now on. You don't know anything about this, so why are you arguing with them?"
Cong Yajing blinked and said seriously, "You paid me a salary of ten million, so what about your nominal assistant? Isn't it a bit inappropriate to turn off your phone like this?"
"You can just focus on being a photographer and mascot."
"Is that so? That's too easy money."
"Why do I feel like your subtext is about me?"
"Absolutely not, I swear, hehe, I'm turning off my phone now!"
Ling Yi shook his head and said, "Let's go find a real estate agency first, and let them handle the operations team for us."
Just then, a car sped over from a distance. When it got close to Ling Yi and Cong Yajing, it braked suddenly, the door opened, and a fat man covered in sweat got out.
Upon seeing Ling Yi, the man didn't even bother to wipe his sweat before introducing himself.
"Hello Mr. Ling, I'm Yuan Zhuoyun from Dafeng City Zhuoyun Etiquette Company. I know you need help right now, and our company has extensive experience in event planning, so perhaps we can solve your immediate problem."
"How many people do you have?" Ling Yi asked.
"Thirty-two people in total, including me." Yuan Zhuoyun's eyes lit up, revealing an expression of ecstatic joy, and he quickly said.
"Now, send all your men to the hotel."
"Okay, okay, thank you for the meal, Mr. Ling," Yuan Zhuoyun said quickly.
"I've been livestreaming for a day, but you're the first person to reach out to me. That shows you know how to seize opportunities and you're a smart person."
"You flatter me. I'm just trying to make a living."
"Drive to the hotel, you know where it is, right?" Ling Yi asked again.
"I know, I know!"
Clearly, Yuan Zhuoyun had been watching the entire live stream and therefore knew that Ling Yi had bought a hotel that afternoon.
Neither Ling Yi nor Cong Yajing owns a car. It's understandable that Cong Yajing doesn't own a car, but it's hard to believe that Ling Yi, a top-tier tycoon, doesn't have one.
No, you can't say there wasn't any; there was still one bicycle.
If this gets out, it'll probably trend on social media immediately.
Yuan Zhuoyun's team consists of young people born in the 1990s and 2000s, and they seem quite energetic.
The hotel has a dedicated event hall, where everyone is gathered, waiting for the new boss to speak.
That's right, Ling Yi directly bought Yuan Zhuoyun's company.
With the Passive Rebate Aura, Ling Yi wouldn't let any opportunity to waste money slip by.
Ten billion may seem like a lot, but it's nothing compared to the real big conglomerates.
Since we're going to use money to go all out, then naturally the Duoduo.
"Your current job is to answer the phone. Yuan Zhuoyun, go and get a set of equipment, you know, the kind that..." Ling Yi didn't know how to describe it for a moment.
"Boss, is it the kind of VoIP phone specifically for telemarketing?"
"Yes, we'll post the numbers online later. You can categorize them, for example, which number is specifically for player registration, and which number is for the operations team's registration."
"Clear!"
"From now on, this floor will belong to your department. If you need more staff, hire more people; if you need equipment, buy it. For now, you don't need to handle any problems you encounter; just categorize, record, and organize the problems."
"Wait for a professional team to arrive, and then assign each problem to that team to solve it."
"Good!"
"You're a smart person. If you do well, I'll give you some decision-making authority. Do you understand what I mean?"
"Yes, I understand!" Yuan Zhuoyun nodded earnestly.
"You'll probably be very busy for a while, so stay at the hotel for now. Order whatever you want to eat, even if you eat abalone and lobster every day, as long as you're not worried about getting a sore throat, eat whatever you want."
Everyone's eyes lit up; could such a good thing really happen?
"But let me make this clear: if you don't perform well, you're fired."
"Don't worry, boss. These people have been with me for at least three years. Don't let their youth fool you; they're all elites and will definitely not let you down."
"What you're saying now is useless, and I don't need your promises. I can see everything."
"By the way, go find a way to get a top-of-the-line miniature surveillance system."
"Boss, what's going on...?"
"Faced with enormous profits, it's inevitable that some people will cause trouble."
"If it were you, and a football match was worth 1 billion, and the opposing team told you that if you deliberately threw the match, they would give you 500 million, would you do it?"
"Boss, isn't this a bit inappropriate?"
One of them asked.
Ling Yi remained silent, but Yuan Zhuoyun said, "The boss is right. They can earn more money in a year than others can earn in several lifetimes, so naturally they have to follow strict rules."
He paused, then added, "Not only will those players be subject to comprehensive monitoring, but everyone will be monitored from now on, including you all. If you're unhappy, you can leave now."
"Why did Troubled Football Team become useless? It wasn't just a matter of skill, but rather that their circle contained fertile ground that nurtured their decay."
Ling Yi said, "That's right. I'll not only monitor them the whole time, but I'll also broadcast it online live. Not only will our internal staff supervise them, but the entire internet will."
"I may be rich, but being rich doesn't mean I'm stupid. I don't expect them to make money for me, but I also don't want them to come here and slack off. The same goes for you."
"Leave this matter entirely to Manager Yuan; don't be afraid to spend the money."
It was already late, so Ling Yi told Yuan Zhuoyun and the others to decide on their own accommodations and meals. He assured them that the hotel provided comprehensive services, and he was confident that Yuan Zhuoyun could handle it without further explanation.
He and Cong Yajing then returned home.
Cong Yajing shoved the live stream right in Ling Yi's face and asked curiously, "Why don't you eat abalone and lobster instead of going home to eat instant noodles?"