In Cristiano Ronaldo's eyes, the locker room at Leam Valley Stadium wasn't exactly luxurious, but you couldn't deny it ranked among the top 500 sports facilities in the UK. "So, is Claire a football star or just a celebrity?" Rooney asked.
Ronaldo glanced at the northeast corner of the stadium, shrouded in a massive black tarp, and chuckled. "I don't know what kind of star he is, but one thing's for sure—he's not coming for your captain's armband. He might have his little schemes, but Claire Lee's never been ambitious about football."
Rooney smirked, watching the Castle team players warming up on the pitch, but said nothing. Meanwhile, the rest of the Manchester United squad clutched their goodie bags. Some held Taylor Swift's autographed photos, others had a seven-day Mauritius travel voucher, and a few waved Walmart gift cards.
Park Ji-sung, ever the gossip, crouched in a corner chatting with Ferdinand. "Come to Korea with me sometime. I'm not bragging, but drop my name there, and you'll get VIP treatment like you've never seen."
Ferdinand gave Park a skeptical side-eye but didn't commit. Park, a bit flustered, pressed, "Why're you acting like Claire? You take my gift and then clam up!"
"Bullshit!" Ferdinand shot back. "This is from Claire's uncle, not you. What's it got to do with you?"
"If I hadn't snooped around to find out what you all wanted, would you have gotten your dream gifts? Without me, how would Nani have scored that Taylor Swift autograph?"
Nani, overhearing, grumbled, "Can I trade mine? I'd rather have Evra's family vacation package."
The United players treated this friendly at Leam Valley like a mini-vacation. Facing a fourth-tier English team, a serious match could shatter the "big team confidence" Dennis Irwin had painstakingly built for Castle. As the locker room buzzed with chatter, the once-empty Leam Valley Stadium suddenly filled with a swarm of fans. Unlike Old Trafford, the usual British post-match stage was moved to the center of the pitch.
Lucy Pinder, draped in a glamorous black dress, stood on the stage, surrounded by a flurry of staff tweaking equipment. Ronaldo couldn't help but remark, "If some small-time star latched onto Claire's coattails right now, they'd shoot straight to the top of the UK entertainment scene."
Park licked his lips, nodding. Jessica Jung's recent buzz in Korea had him a tad jealous. There were two ways to "blow up overnight." The first was through relentless marketing stunts and media hype, creating a flash-in-the-pan idol. The second was striking a chord with fans and passersby through authentic work, earning a flood of media attention. If Girls' Generation was the former, propelled by money and PR, Jessica Jung, thanks to Claire's songs, had become one of Korea's top stars.
As a second-tier artist, Jessica didn't have to worry about Girls' Generation's popularity fading or being dropped by her agency. Claire's work kept her in demand, with brands clamoring for her endorsement. Seeing Lucy Pinder on the pitch, Park muttered to himself, "Tch, I gotta hold onto that leg-up tight."
---
Up in the stands, Zhang Peng clutched his ticket, hunting for his seat. Once he found it and scanned the crowd, he was sure he hadn't been scammed. As an '80s kid, Zhang Peng lived for football. High school, college—every spare moment was spent on the pitch.
But as he grew older, football let him down, and he shifted his passion to global leagues. At first, influenced by local commentators, he was hooked on Serie A. But with the internet's rise, he found the Premier League far more thrilling, packed with quirky stories and electrifying matches.
Zhang Peng's parents were among first wave of nouveau riche, leaving him with plenty of free time. He not only formed an amateur football team at his dad's massive state-owned factory but also took them to play matches all over. Over time, though, he grew restless with his life. In , money alone couldn't buy a proper football career. A buddy in Dalian learned that the hard way—his dad bought a pro team, only to pull out later.
Then, while catching up on Premier League news, Zhang Peng spotted an ad: "Want to meet your football idols up close? NetEase and Manchester United make your dreams come true!" Nervously clicking through, he saw every United player endorsing the trip, with 17% of the proceeds going to charities. Initially skeptical, Zhang Peng's doubts vanished when he saw Qingdao International Travel Agency was handling the logistics. He signed up his entire amateur team on the spot.
"Peng, why'd you buy that red wine?" Li Dongdong, his team's goalkeeper, piped up. "Third Bro says it's worth hundreds of thousands in RMB!"
Zhang Peng shot him a withering look. "What do you know? I'm buying sentiment, not just wine. Not everyone's like you, coming to the UK just to stuff their face!"
"Don't single me out! Third Bro and the others went food shopping too!"
"Tch, say what you want, but Claire knows how to make a buck. Look at that host he got—her figure's something else!"
"Peng, that's MUTV's star presenter! I heard The Sun offered her £50,000 for a photoshoot, and she turned it down!"