Chapter 169: Reason With Me?
While James Cook was in the middle of crossing that line from boyhood into manhood, his best friend Cromwell appeared at the County Hall reception dressed in a sharp suit.
Cromwell himself was not particularly interested in this kind of reception, but his parents had dragged him along. Besides, they would not be home for long, and it was rare for his sister to have time off as well. Being able to attend an event together as a whole family still made him feel satisfied.
As soon as he arrived at the reception, Cromwell saw Lynn happily chatting with people he did not know. He took the initiative to walk over, greeted him, then obediently stood beside Lynn and waited for Lynn's conversation with the others to end.
Lynn was only casually chatting with a district councillor from the Mansel District. After finishing, he put an arm around Cromwell and asked in surprise, "Oliver, why are you here too?"
Cromwell pointed at his parents and said, "My parents received an invitation, so they brought me and my sister along. Boss, why are you here?"
Lynn immediately laughed. "You can come, but I can't? Heh, I'm the same as you. I'm here because of my parents."
Cromwell curled his lips. "The way you were chatting with people just now was obviously different from me. Wait, I saw an old acquaintance."
After Cromwell left, Lynn took the initiative to walk over to Cromwell's parents. After greeting them, he also chatted with Jennifer Cromwell for a while.
Cromwell's parents were intellectuals. Lynn had not known before that they were also well-known figures in Swansea, though their fame was mostly within the intellectual class.
They thanked Lynn, saying that Cromwell had not only found a job at Swansea Football Club, but had also grown into an outstanding young man.
Lynn looked toward Cromwell, who had gone to meet an old friend, and smiled. "I should thank you as well."
Having a captain like Cromwell under him was something Lynn considered his own good fortune.
Cromwell walked up behind a slim girl and said uncertainly, "Chloe?"
The girl turned around, revealing a face that bore some resemblance to Isabel. She looked at Cromwell in surprise and delight, shouting, "Oliver! Oliver! Is that you?"
Her voice was so loud that it attracted the attention of many people nearby. She immediately covered her mouth, lowered her head slightly, and smiled at Cromwell.
Cromwell smiled at her. "Of course it's me. Ever since you went to that girls' school, we haven't kept in touch. Back then, we used to skateboard, ride bikes, and even go bungee jumping together…"
Cromwell was happily reminiscing about the old days, but Chloe immediately stepped forward and covered his mouth, complaining, "Stop talking! Are you trying to embarrass me to death? Listen, from now on, you're not allowed to mention that we used to do extreme sports together. I'm a good girl now!"
Cromwell looked disappointed. "Huh? Why did that happen? The moment I saw you, I was already thinking about taking you skydiving, but you…"
"Skydiving! That sounds so exciting! I'll go, I'll go!"
Chloe nodded and whispered, even licking her lips, looking extremely excited.
Seeing her like that, Cromwell became thoughtful. Only after a while did he say, "Then why are you acting like this? Isn't it better to do what you like?"
Chloe and Cromwell walked to a corner of the hall. She sighed and said, "Oliver, not everyone can be as free as you. I was too wild before and made my family angry, so they sent me to a full-time boarding school for girls. But now I'm about to go to university, and I've already decided to return to Swansea for university. That way, we'll have plenty of time to hang out together again."
Hearing that, Cromwell smiled. He said happily, "That's great! By the way, I still don't know who your family is. You came with your family too, right?"
Chloe pursed her lips toward Mayor Charles Potter, who was in the center of the hall, speaking enthusiastically with others. "Look. That's my dad. The one who always waves his right hand around like an orchestra conductor when he talks."
Cromwell at least knew who Swansea's mayor was. He said in shock, "Your dad is the mayor?"
"Mm. And the woman sitting over there reading is my most hated sister!"
Cromwell looked toward Isabel Potter. Almost no one would have a bad first impression of Isabel, especially with her elegant movements as she turned the pages of her book. She looked graceful and refined, the very image of a goddess.
Cromwell said in surprise, "She looks very nice."
Chloe gritted her teeth. "It's exactly because she's too good that she's annoying! Families compare people, you know. They always want me to learn from my sister and be obedient like her."
Cromwell immediately looked subconsciously toward his own sister, Jennifer Cromwell. Then, feeling deep sympathy, he said with some sweat on his brow, "Right. Having a very outstanding sister really does create a lot of pressure!"
Chloe puffed up her cheeks, looking rather cute. Suddenly, she asked curiously, "By the way, Oliver, what are you doing now? Did you obediently go to school? You're so smart. As long as you're willing to work hard, you can definitely get into a very good university."
Cromwell shook his head. "I couldn't sit still for that. I'm already working."
Chloe immediately looked a little disappointed. She believed Cromwell's intelligence and talent should have been used on a bigger stage.
But if he was not studying, what could he be doing now?
She casually asked, "Then what do you do now?"
Cromwell smiled. "I'm a professional footballer now. I play for Swansea. Look, the embroidery on my suit is the team crest. Over there, look there. That's my Boss."
Chloe carefully looked at the left side of Cromwell's suit jacket. There really was Swansea's crest there. This suit had been custom-made by the club. No matter the occasion, as long as Cromwell wore formal clothes, he wore the suit tailored by the club. It was comfortable, and it also satisfied his little bit of vanity.
After looking, Chloe followed Cromwell's gaze and saw Lynn, who had already taken a seat. Her eyes immediately widened, and she walked quickly toward Lynn. Cromwell was startled. He felt Chloe's mood change, and it did not seem like a good sign.
Lynn was hungry and had taken a plate of buffet food for himself. Suddenly, he saw a somewhat familiar young girl walking toward him aggressively.
He fixed his eyes on her and carefully searched his mind for memories of her. Then he immediately put down his plate, circled around the table to avoid her, and walked over to Isabel's side.
He smoothly sat down beside Isabel, turned his head, and whispered to her, "Your sister is here too? Why didn't you say so earlier?"
Isabel smiled. "I really wanted to see what would happen when she met you."
Chloe hated Lynn to the bone.
Because Lynn had ruined her sister. Yes, ruined the sister she disliked so much. Even so, she had no good feelings toward Lynn at all, and if she ever got the chance, she wanted to "take revenge" on him!
Seeing Lynn sit beside her sister, Chloe pouted.
Cromwell came to her side and asked curiously, "You know my Boss?"
Chloe clenched her fists and said hatefully, "More than know him. That hooligan. If I find a chance, I'll definitely teach him a lesson!"
Cromwell was completely confused. He felt Lynn should not have done anything to offend Chloe, so he asked, "How did the Boss offend you? He's a hooligan?"
"Yes. He's a hooligan!"
Cromwell looked toward Lynn again and noticed Lynn sitting beside Isabel. He roughly understood what was going on.
The reception began. Mayor Charles gave a New Year's speech, then everyone started dancing. Naturally, Lynn invited Isabel for the first dance.
Holding Isabel's waist again after so many years made Lynn feel as if he were floating among the clouds. Isabel smiled sweetly and looked at Lynn during the slow dance.
"Lynn, recite a poem for me."
Lynn opened his mouth and began immediately. Back then, to pursue her, he had truly put in a lot of hard work. Perhaps because the time he had spent with her was too beautiful, those poems were still fresh in his memory.
"Since I have placed my lips upon your ever-brimming cup,
since I have rested my pale brow against your hands,
since I have sometimes breathed the gentle scent
of your soul, a fragrance buried deep in shadow;
"Since I have sometimes heard within your words
the mysterious heartbeat that wanders through your breast;
since I have seen you weep, since I have seen you smile,
my mouth against your mouth, my eyes against your eyes;
"Since I have seen your star shine above my head,
ah! though it always hides itself and cannot be reached;
since I have seen a petal from the tree of your youth
fall into the flowing waves of my life;
"Now I can say to swift-fleeing time:
pass away, pass away without end! I shall keep my youth forever!
You may vanish with your withered flowers,
but there is a flower in my soul that no one can pluck!
"The jade cup from which I drink is already full;
even if your wings sweep past, they cannot spill one drop of nectar.
Your ashes are far from enough to extinguish my spiritual flame!
Your forgetfulness is far from enough to swallow my love!"
Isabel listened as Lynn recited the poem for her in a rhythmic tone, then happily leaned against his shoulder.
The next day, Lynn did not have dinner with Isabel, because the matter they needed to discuss had already been settled over breakfast after they woke up that morning.
Isabel truly wanted to open a publishing house, while Lynn gave his own suggestion: focus on the online market rather than traditional retail marketing.
Traditional bookstore sales were already part of a declining industry. Secondly, even if she established a new company, she probably would not be able to compete with traditional giants in terms of resources.
Isabel listened to Lynn's advice and acted with decisive speed. She immediately began preparing to establish an online book-selling platform website, and Lynn gave her ten million pounds.
Two days later, with her father's help, Isabel established the company. She herself was indeed the company's chief executive, but she still placed all the company's shares under Lynn's name.
Lynn did not say anything about this. Isabel was indeed the kind of woman who did things for her dreams. If she were chasing profit, she would not have needed to reach out to Lynn for money at all. By circling around Charles every day, she would have found countless business opportunities.
Lynn was very happy that Isabel had returned to Swansea. At the very least, during his relaxation time, she could make his life much richer and more colorful.
When the winter transfer market opened in January, Swansea very rarely received no faxes from clubs asking about player prices.
Perhaps it was because Swansea had recently announced contract renewals for most of their main players, so even if other clubs wanted to poach them, they believed the chance of success was not high.
It was also possible that Swansea's actions during the previous two transfer windows had given them the label of being "difficult to deal with." Clubs that were not strong enough simply could not be bothered to humiliate themselves.
Lynn's work proceeded step by step. However, every morning when he went to work and every afternoon when he left, he would deliberately drive from St. Helen's Road west of the training base, circling around to Oystermouth Road on his way to work or home, because he could pass by the construction site of the new stadium!
The Swansea new stadium project had officially begun. A towering building rose from flat ground, and Lynn enjoyed every day and every moment of watching that process.
On January 9, Lynn led the team away to Bristol City. The main lineup easily defeated the opponent 2–0 away from home, extending Swansea's lead over second-placed Brighton to twelve points.
Two days later, Lynn was preparing for the next day's Football League Trophy semi-final. This time, the opponent they had drawn was Queens Park Rangers from the Second Division.
After work, he returned to his office and habitually looked over transfer market news. He wanted to strengthen the squad, but this was not the best time for signings. Capable players would not come, and talented youngsters were unwilling to move. Still, news that needed attention had to be watched.
At that moment, the phone rang. After answering it, he asked, "What is it?"
"James' brother Lance is here."
"Oh, let him in."
Lynn felt a bit of a headache. He hoped Lance Cook had not come to the club to ask for a pay raise for James Cook. They had only renewed James Cook's contract and raised his wages half a year ago. If he came to demand another raise now, that would be a little too much.
Lance Cook entered Lynn's office with his serious expression. Lynn personally poured him a glass of water, then returned to his seat and asked, "Lance, coming to see me at this hour — is there something important?"
It was already after work, the time to go home for dinner. It counted as private time, and business matters should not be handled now.
Lance Cook said sincerely, "I also came straight here after work. I'm very sorry for delaying your time, so I'll get straight to the point. It's like this. I've done some research. FIFA does not advocate players training excessively, and there is also scientific evidence proving that players' training load should be moderate. Excessive training only increases the burden on a player's body and is not beneficial for their health."
Lynn listened in complete confusion and asked back, "Why are you telling me this? I understand that completely. Too much is as bad as too little. Of course players need a balance between work and rest in training!"
Lance Cook asked back as well, "Then why do you arrange training for James every night?"
Lynn became even more confused!