Chapter 24: Another 100 million
At that moment, Daniel Glazer's face turned green. His grip tightened around the bouquet, and his glare at Miller was so intense it could cut through steel.
After a beat of silence, the students burst into loud whistles and cheers, thrilled by the unexpected drama. Though some felt pangs of jealousy toward Miller, they couldn't deny the excitement of the moment.
Sun Lan, however, simply smiled with a hint of relief, though her brows knit in mild concern.
After a few seconds, Fiona separated from Miller, her cheeks slightly flushed. She turned back to Glazer. "Do you believe me now? Please don't bother me anymore." With that, she grabbed Miller's hand and walked away without a backward glance.
Glazer's expression grew cold as he stormed off in another direction, the scene capturing everyone's attention until the end of the ceremony. It became the main topic, overshadowing the rest of the graduation proceedings.
Later, Fiona and Miller sat across from Sun Lan, an awkwardness settling between them. Sun Lan broke the silence. "Are you two really together?"
Fiona gave Miller a quick glance, then replied, "Of course not. I just needed Miller to step in."
Miller chuckled internally, knowing he'd just signed up for quite the favor.
Seeing Sun Lan's doubtful look, Fiona quickly added, "It was just for show, not a real kiss." Under the table, she gave Miller a sharp pinch.
He played along, nodding, "Exactly, just for appearances."
But the faint feeling of her lips lingered in his mind.
Sun Lan watched them with a skeptical expression but finally sighed. "Well, young people's matters are your own." She waved her hand and left the restaurant, leaving Fiona and Miller alone, exchanging bashful looks.
After a pause, Fiona stood and called out, "Mom, wait for me!" and ran after Sun Lan.
Miller settled the bill, reflecting on the day's events. Later that evening, he called Fiona, but no one answered. A few minutes later, he received a text from her: I'll stay with my mom for a few days. Don't forget to eat the leftovers from last night. Don't waste food!
He smiled and texted back: I'm heading back to the UK tomorrow. Spend some time with Aunt Sun!
Her reply came swiftly: Safe travels!
Putting down his phone, Miller set about finishing the leftovers. The next morning, he boarded a flight back to Manchester.
Upon arriving, he dove back into work, focusing on Manchester City's pressing issues, like clearing out excess players from the roster. He planned to streamline the midfield and had already agreed to transfer the veteran captain to Qatar without charging a fee. Other players would be reassigned or let go, with a few exceptions like Sun Jihai and Wright Phillips, who he intended to retain.
Back in Manchester, Miller directed Bernstein to announce the player transfers, a move that caused an uproar in British football. Critics called him reckless, and some fans protested outside the team's headquarters, fearing he was dismantling the club's culture.
One of the fans, Gran Stone from the 1894 Group, confronted Miller, demanding to know why he was letting go of beloved players like Anelka. Miller, unruffled, replied, "Manchester City's culture? Relegation culture? These players aren't taking us to the Champions League."
Gran defended Anelka as the future of the team. Miller countered, "Anelka's only 24, yet he's bounced through clubs: PSG, Arsenal, Real Madrid, PSG again, Liverpool. Do you really think he'll be our backbone?"
Gran stammered, unsure how to respond.
Miller turned to the other fans. "I'm clearing the deck to bring in top talent. This summer, I'm investing no less than 100 million euros!"
The fans exploded with excitement, quickly rallying around Miller's vision, leaving Gran speechless.