The Greatest Manager of All time

Cromwell was smart to begin with. While riding his motorcycle on the road, he had already felt something was off, and once he stood in front of 411 Night Club, he became even more certain of his guess.

These teammates had ganged up to mess with him!

Just as he smiled and said that line, four tall, broad teammates—Glendower, Friedrich, Charisteas, and Brunel—came up from behind and lifted Cromwell together. They held him up in a spread-eagle position and charged toward the nightclub entrance. Ibrahimović, who had been wearing a stern face the whole time, finally broke into a grin.

"We're messing with you today! Who told you to have a birthday without telling us? We're punishing you!"

Cromwell was held high in the air as he shouted, "Hey, how is that my fault? I just didn't want you guys spending money!"

"Shameless bastard. You really think we'd buy you presents just because it's your birthday?"

With everyone cheering and laughing around him, they carried Cromwell into the nightclub.

Lynn and the staff entered afterward.

Hughes was rather curious about the club's unique design and lavish décor. He said, "It must cost quite a bit to book this whole place out, right?"

Lynn only smiled without saying anything. Mo Yuan joked, "Lynn said he wanted to book the place, and they didn't charge him a penny."

"Huh? Why?"

"You'll have to ask him."

Hughes looked at Lynn, then suddenly lowered his voice and asked, "Boss, is this one of your businesses?"

Quite a few people knew Lynn was a hidden rich man. Who knew how many undisclosed businesses he actually had?

Lynn shook his head and said, "This place belongs to a friend's family. We have a good friendship and some business cooperation between us, so they were willing to do me a favor and let us book it for free. Of course, I can't do this every day. That would be asking to lose all my friends."

"Haha, true."

In the main hall of the nightclub, once the Swansea players arrived, especially after Charisteas and Brunel finally set Cromwell down, the sight before him left Cromwell stunned.

Waves of female screams rose and fell, almost bursting his eardrums.

There were probably over a hundred young girls in the hall, all dressed beautifully, waiting with eager faces. They were now waving at Cromwell, and after the screams gradually settled, their voices unified into one chant.

"Oliver! Oliver! Oliver! Oliver!"

Cromwell was completely baffled.

What kind of setup was this?

Villa came to his side, wrapped an arm around his shoulders, and whispered into his ear, "These are all your female fans. You probably don't know this, but at Swansea University, you already have a fan group. Everyone knew today was your birthday, so they wanted to celebrate it with you. James suggested letting your fans join your birthday party, and with Boss booking this place, well… enjoy yourself tonight. Also, Zlatan said tonight you can take the next step into manhood."

Cromwell broke into a cold sweat.

He suddenly remembered something.

His dear elder sister at home had once told him a few months ago, "I got bored at school, so I created an Oliver Cromwell discussion group on the university BBS. Later it turned into a fan group, and it only accepts female members."

These pretty, youthful female fans in front of him were probably his sister's "boredom project."

"Oliver! Oliver! Oliver!"

The girls in front of him kept calling his name with endless enthusiasm.

His teammates came forward one after another to wish Cromwell a happy birthday. Lynn snapped his fingers toward the DJ, and immediately the nightclub lights began flashing while a pounding dance beat shook the room.

Lynn stepped forward and gave Cromwell a push from behind. Cromwell stumbled and nearly fell into the arms of one of his female fans, barely managing to steady himself. When he turned back, he saw Lynn smiling at him with a raised eyebrow.

The players each went to find comfortable seats, or simply headed straight for the dance floor to move with the music.

Lynn went up to the second floor. Erin was sitting in a corner there, overlooking everything happening on the first floor from beginning to end.

She watched the Swansea players begin their celebration downstairs. Although she remained outside the party as an observer, she could still feel their excitement, joy, and overflowing energy.

Lynn came to her side. Erin tilted her head slightly and shouted into his ear, "Why aren't you joining them?"

Lynn smiled and said, "I think just watching them makes me happy enough."

"Today is your captain's eighteenth birthday. Why didn't you give him a watch?"

"Because I feel like I've already given him far more."

Erin did not quite understand what Lynn meant, but anyone inside Swansea would.

This party alone was treatment no other player had enjoyed. And ever since Cromwell had begun playing under Lynn, everything Lynn had given him was something the other players sincerely envied.

So if Lynn now took out some material gift, he felt it would actually spoil the feeling.

After a moment of silence, Erin suddenly asked, "Where's your reporter fuck buddy?"

Lynn turned his head and deliberately studied her expression. Although she looked calm, he still caught the disguise beneath it.

"Why do you care about that?"

"She doesn't seem to have gotten much benefit from you recently. I thought the two of you were over."

Lynn rubbed his nose and did not answer.

Only last night, he and Cass Carter had been tangled together in bed. He just had not gone to her home. These days, he did not like going there anymore. Entertainment reporters and paparazzi were always lying in wait, and he found it tiresome.

Lynn could not say he was deeply in love with Cass Carter, but he could tell that Carter was quite serious about him. As for whether it was love or not, he had already chosen to stop thinking about that question back when he had been thirty in his previous life.

Maybe it was the impact of life's rises and falls. Maybe living casually and freely was not bad either. Or maybe when he had once been lonely and helpless and needed to be loved, no miracle had happened.

In any case, he had long stopped troubling himself with pointless worries.

Erin suddenly took his hand and smiled at him seductively. "Come. Dance with me."

Lynn casually took off his suit jacket, then began dancing with Erin in the empty second-floor corner, their movements intimate beneath the pounding music.

The atmosphere on the first floor grew even more heated.

Cromwell blew out the candles, cut the cake, and then got into a cake fight with his teammates, having the time of his life. After that, the players each found girls they could talk to and either played games or danced. Whenever a suitable song came on, they would crowd together and sing along at the top of their lungs.

Cromwell was very happy today. Aside from his teammates collectively celebrating his birthday for him, he also met some new female friends. He was a cheerful, lively boy with no ill intentions or schemes, the perfect example of a sunny personality, so he was very popular.

James Cook was a different style, the classic prince-on-a-white-horse type. So the girls around the two of them were the most numerous.

Of course, Ibrahimović, Villa, Tobias Rau, and the others were not lacking female company either.

Overall, everyone was enjoying themselves.

Only Robert Badenburg looked a little gloomy. He sat alone in a booth on the first floor, looking around as he watched his teammates laugh and play with girls they got along with, while he himself sat there alone. His looks were somewhat ugly, and he was not particularly famous within the Swansea squad. On top of that, his personality was not very easygoing. To ordinary people, he felt like someone difficult to talk to, someone who did not quite click with others. So he ended up in this situation.

He drank alone, feeling a little unhappy.

He envied Cromwell, Cook, Ibrahimović, Villa, and the others. In his heart, he secretly swore, 'I'm going to make a name for myself at Swansea too!'

He believed the reason those popular teammates were surrounded by people was because of their fame.

On the second floor, Lynn and Erin were sitting on the sofa, eating takeaway food that the staff had brought back from a restaurant outside, when someone suddenly came over.

"Hey, Lynn. Long time no see."

Lynn turned his head and saw Will Taylor in a fitted suit and purple shirt. This young master of the Taylor family had gotten a sharp side-part haircut, making him look not only energetic but also quite dashing.

Lynn lifted his takeaway box and asked, "Have you eaten? Want a bite?"

Will Taylor's expression stiffened. Then he looked at the food laid out on Lynn and Erin's table, showing a hint of disdain as he said, "Why are you eating this? Come on, I'll take you out for dinner."

Lynn shrugged. "This is the best food in the Mansel district. Forget it, you wouldn't understand. What have you been busy with lately?"

Although Lynn was asking him, he had already turned back to keep eating with Erin. Will Taylor found a seat for himself, took out a lighter and cigarette, lit one, and smiled at Lynn.

"Busy with what? Making money, of course."

Erin gave a dismissive little laugh.

This so-called making money was nothing more than being an obedient manager. If the family business made money, what did that really have to do with him personally?

Lynn gave a soft "mm" and then said nothing else.

Will Taylor's expression became a little awkward. Seeing that Lynn had almost finished eating, picked up a napkin to wipe his mouth, then took one of the cigarettes Will had put on the table, lit it, leaned back, and closed his eyes as if he were enjoying himself, Will felt deeply contemptuous inside.

His family clearly had a sizable business, yet he insisted on being a football coach. Wasn't that just asking to suffer?

He looked like a man who was happy after working all day, eating whatever food was handed to him, and taking one drag of a cigarette. Wasn't this just self-torture?

On the surface, however, Will Taylor acted as if he saw nothing. He smiled at Lynn and said, "Lynn, you haven't forgotten what you told me last time, have you?"

Lynn opened his eyes, looking drowsy and confused. "What did I say to you last time?"

Will Taylor steadied himself and said seriously, "Last time, you said that if I could come up with thirty million pounds, we could cooperate and do something big together!"

"Oh, oh, oh. Did I say that?"

Lynn looked dazed, and his expression did not seem fake.

Will Taylor's face immediately darkened slightly. He said firmly, "You did say it!"

His voice seemed a little too loud, and his tone a little too forceful. Lynn's hazy eyes sharpened a little as he stared at Will Taylor, his voice turning cold.

"Did I say that?"

Will Taylor's heart thumped. An apologetic smile appeared on his face, and he said gently, "You really did. Why don't you think about it again?"

Lynn withdrew his gaze.

After finishing the cigarette, he turned his head to look at Will Taylor again and smiled. "I remember now. I did say that. But that was quite a while ago. The world changes, prices keep soaring, and investment costs are rising too. So if you want to cooperate with me now, you'll need to bring out at least fifty million pounds."

Will Taylor's expression changed. He was clearly angry.

"Lynn, you—"

Lynn looked at him calmly. Will Taylor realized he had lost his composure. He also did not want to fall out with Lynn, because he knew Lynn was someone who was extremely good at making money.

In order to use his family's platform to build his own career, he had no choice but to lower his head for now.

His tone softened, and he smiled bitterly at Lynn. "Lynn, you don't know how I've lived over the past six months. To gather thirty million pounds, I've been working hard the entire time. For the sake of our friendship, stop playing with me, alright?"

Lynn suddenly burst into laughter and patted Will Taylor on the shoulder. "What are you talking about? We're friends. I was joking with you just now. Haha, Will, I told you a long time ago that you're a talented man. You managed to gather thirty million pounds so quickly. Impressive. At this rate, you'll be a billionaire soon!"

Whether Will himself had thirty million pounds, or whether he had gained the trust of his family elders and could mobilize thirty million pounds from the family, there was no need to ask.

Even without Erin tipping him off, Lynn knew the answer perfectly well.

Will Taylor said with a bitter face, "The money isn't mine. I just want to contribute to the family. You know many people in my family think highly of you, and we've always been looking for chances to cooperate with you. If I can represent the family and cooperate with you, it would be a win-win situation."

Lynn's smile gradually faded, and he sank into silence.

Will Taylor stared nervously at Lynn, while Erin watched from the side and could not help giving Will a mocking sneer.

After about twenty seconds, Lynn smiled and said to Will Taylor, "How about this? I still have club matters distracting me right now. Once we reach the eighth of next month and the club's work for this season is finished, I'll have more time. We can discuss it properly then. Since I once made you a promise, I'll honor it. But I'll make one thing clear beforehand. In our cooperation, you'll have to follow my arrangements. If you can't do that, or if you think it lowers your status, then there's no need for us to even begin."

Will Taylor's eyes lit up, but he immediately asked solemnly, "What kind of cooperation exactly?"

Lynn smiled faintly. "A money-making cooperation. We're going to run a shady shop."

Will Taylor looked surprised, then confused. He could not quite understand what Lynn meant by that.

Lynn's smile looked profound to him, which only made Will feel like a fool by comparison. He stopped asking. As long as he waited patiently until after the eighth of next month, two weeks from now, everything would be answered.

After Will Taylor left, Erin looked up and asked, "Are you really going to cooperate with him? I don't believe you can't see his selfish nature."

Lynn's eyes shifted slightly, and then he said something that left Erin baffled.

"Since we're running a shady shop, of course we need someone greedy and selfish."