Tao Xuan's Recruitment

In the boss's office, Tao Xuan sat on the boss's chair with a playful expression, examining Liu Hao up and down as if observing a small hamster in a cage.

Liu Hao suddenly felt a bit uneasy. Could there be a trap hidden in this?

"Don't be nervous. I called you here just to chat casually," Tao Xuan smiled and gestured towards the leather sofa nearby.

Liu Hao sat down, feeling the warmth still lingering on the sofa. Obviously, someone had sat here just now, either Ye Qiu or Su Mucheng.

"Liu Hao, how old are you this year?" Tao Xuan really seemed to be just chatting.

"21," Liu Hao answered truthfully. Whether before or after crossing over, he was 21 years old.

"Oh, 21, one year younger than Mucheng. But at your age, you're not young anymore. You've been in the professional scene for three years, and you can be considered a veteran," Tao Xuan said meaningfully.

Liu Hao was stunned. What did he mean? This tone sounded strange, like he was trying to recruit him but also threatening him.

He knew Tao Xuan was a deep-thinking businessman, but in this situation, he couldn't guess Tao Xuan's intentions at all. Just now, Tao Xuan asked about Ye Qiu. He was still pondering the deeper meaning behind it.

The two fell into silence.

Tao Xuan observed Liu Hao's expression while Liu Hao stared back at Tao Xuan.

After a while, Tao Xuan asked again, "Liu Hao, back to the previous question, what do you think of Ye Qiu? Is he a qualified professional player, a qualified... captain? Answer me honestly."

"Does the boss have any opinions on Captain Ye Qiu?" Liu Hao probed.

"I'm asking you now!" Tao Xuan suddenly became stern, his eyes flashing with determination.

Tao Xuan was indeed intimidating. Liu Hao's heart pounded, but he didn't show any emotions.

"Well, I'll be honest. Ye Qiu is the most outstanding professional player I've ever seen. He is an excellent captain. I admire him very much. He is gentle, calm, wise, and always willing to help... During training, Captain Ye Qiu always points out my mistakes and helps me correct them. Sometimes he even teaches me some advanced professional techniques... In life, Captain Ye Qiu is also very kind. He returns lost items, even if it's just a coin found on the street, he would give it to the police uncle, and he willingly helps elderly cross the road..." 

"Liu Hao!" Tao Xuan couldn't bear it anymore, he wanted Liu Hao to discredit Ye Qiu, not praise him as a perfect person.

Tao Xuan knew Liu Hao was ambitious and had never gotten along with Ye Qiu. He had implied it already. How could Liu Hao not understand? Liu Hao was just pretending to be clueless! 

"Liu Hao! Do you know what Ye Qiu told me just now?" 

Liu Hao shook his head, pretending to be clueless.

"Ye Qiu told me that he wants Qiu Fei from the training camp to join the team and replace your position as the starter..." Tao Xuan paused, observing Liu Hao's expression.

"If Ye Qiu is cutting off your future, you should show your true colours, right? Say shit about him man!" 

But Liu Hao still remained calm, even slow to react. He felt that he shouldn't appear so calm upon hearing this news. He intentionally widened his eyes, pretending to be surprised and angry, his acting skills extremely crude.

"Liu Hao, you knew it already, didn't you?" Tao Xuan looked at him with deadpan eyes.

"Um, I just ran into Ye Qiu outside, and he told me," Liu Hao explained.

"Since you know Ye Qiu is targeting you, why do you still speak well of him?" Tao Xuan asked angrily.

"What can I do? He is my captain. Can I badmouth him behind his back? I am, after all, a decent person," Liu Hao pretended to be pitiful.

"A decent person? Bah!" Tao Xuan looked at Liu Hao's pretentious appearance, feeling extremely angry. Earlier Liu Hao was pretending in front of Ye Qiu, but now he was pretending in front of him. Did he really think Tao Xuan knew nothing?

"Liu Hao, do you really think I don't know about your petty tricks?" Tao Xuan asked angrily. "You've been teaming up with other players to isolate Ye Qiu and Su Mucheng. Do you think I, as the boss, wouldn't find out?"

Liu Hao's expression instantly turned serious. Tao Xuan actually knew about the previous owner's deeds? This was bad, he was being controlled.

"The reason I'm not punishing you is because I see potential in you and want to give you a chance," Tao Xuan tapped the desk lightly with his fingers. "I originally thought you were at odds with Ye Qiu, but I didn't expect you to praise him in front of me."

"Boss, Ye Qiu is a jerk!" Liu Hao immediately expressed his attitude.

Tao Xuan looked puzzled, apparently not expecting Liu Hao to change his attitude so quickly. But he soon showed a smug expression, thinking he had Liu Hao in his grasp, and persuaded him, "Liu Hao, I didn't agree to Ye Qiu's request. I agreed for Qiu Fei to join the team, but Qiu Fei will replace Shen Jian's starting position, and you will still be the starter for Excellent Era."

"Thank you, boss." Liu Hao pretended to be "compliant". Now he finally understood why the original owner dared to blatantly contradict Ye Qiu. It turned out the original owner's backstage support was Tao Xuan.

All along, it was Tao Xuan who silently acquiesced to the original owner's actions.

"I intend for Ye Qiu to retire because he's getting old and his performance is declining," Tao Xuan said slowly.

"That's just an excuse," Liu Hao said bluntly.

Tao Xuan was displeased with Liu Hao's interruption. They both understood each other's thoughts. Why say it directly?

"The reason you want Captain Ye Qiu to retire is that he lacks commercial value. You need to find a player with commercial value to be the captain of Excellent Era, right?" Liu Hao said.

Tao Xuan's expression changed, his tone icy. "How do you know?"

How would I know? I read novels... Liu Hao "innocently" said, "Just guessed."

Tao Xuan smiled, and he looked Liu Hao up and down, praising, "You're quite smart. Can you guess who I want to make the captain of Jia Shi?"

"Sun Xiang," Liu Hao blurted out.

Tao Xuan was once again stunned. "How did you guess this time?"

"Based on the competition data and fan support rate, this year's best newcomer is likely Sun Xiang. Moreover, Sun Xiang even directly broke through the rookie wall, far surpassing many professional players. He is only 19 this year and has great potential," Liu Hao explained.

Tao Xuan couldn't help but applaud.

"The current league is a commercial league. Ye Qiu lacks commercial value. Excellent Era needs to cultivate players like Zhou Zekai, who have tremendous commercial value," Tao Xuan said.

"But doesn't Excellent Era already have Su Mucheng?" Liu Hao asked.

"Just one Su Mucheng is not enough," Tao Xuan shook his head. "I want to train Sun Xiang to be a player like Zhou Zekai. I want Ye Qiu to make way for Sun Xiang's rise in a proper and dignified manner. By then, you will be the vice captain of Excellent Era."

Liu Hao remained silent. If it were the original owner, fueled by hatred towards Ye Qiu, he would probably agree to Tao Xuan's idea without hesitation. But now, he wouldn't accept such a half-assed deal.

Although his ideology differed from Ye Qiu's, they were both professional players, and the ultimate goal of professional players was to win games. Tao Xuan's intentions were clear. Although he didn't directly ask Liu Hao to engage in match-fixing, his words encouraged Liu Hao to continue confronting Ye Qiu. He was a weapon in Tao Xuan's hands to balance against Ye Qiu.

"Sorry, boss, I refuse this proposal!" Liu Hao immediately rejected it. "Compared to Ye Qiu, Sun Xiang is still too inexperienced. If I had to choose between the two as the captain of Excellent Erai, I would choose Ye Qiu without hesitation."

Tao Xuan was stunned. When did you, Liu Hao, become so righteous? Don't you have a grudge against Ye Qiu? I've even promised you the position of vice captain, yet you still refuse? Do you actually want to be the captain of Excellent Era?

(End of Chapter)