Chapter 581: The Sensible Gray

When Qi Sheng finished his first sentence, everyone except Jin Ying lowered their heads in shame.

“However, I am very patient, and I believe Arsenal won’t be stuck with these results forever.”

Having just used the stick, it was now time for Qi Sheng to offer the carrot.

“Now that I’ve acquired the club, all its debts have been cleared. I will be investing an additional 200 million British Pounds for player recruitment this summer.”

“Two hundred million British Pounds?”

Hearing this figure, Arteta and the others couldn’t help but be shocked.

In the entire Premier League, only Chelsea and Manchester City had that kind of financial muscle.

Arsenal had been uncharacteristically generous at the start of this season.

They spent 130 million British Pounds on a few new signings.

But that was still a far cry from a transfer budget of 200 million British Pounds.

“And that’s 200 million British Pounds in net spending. Any income from player sales won’t be factored in.”

Before they could even digest this news, Qi Sheng dropped another bombshell.

GULP.

The sound of someone swallowing echoed throughout the conference room.

Arteta and the others were finally getting a taste of what it meant to have deep pockets.

‘No wonder Guardiola doesn’t want to leave Manchester City,’ they thought. ‘Only those oil tycoons have the kind of money to just buy, buy, buy.’

Now, their new boss was proving to be just as astonishingly generous.

“For the upcoming summer recruitment, the focus will be on young players. Try to clear out all players over the age of thirty from the squad.”

Qi Sheng had set the tone for transfers; Jin Ying would help supervise the rest.

Qi Sheng could turn a blind eye to any minor shenanigans.

But if anyone got too greedy, he wouldn’t hesitate to make an example of them.

“Meeting adjourned.”

This meeting with the executives was mainly for Qi Sheng to make an appearance and, while he was at it, flex his financial muscle.

At present, Arteta didn’t have any authority over player recruitment.

Besides, Qi Sheng had the advantage of being reborn; he was bound to be more reliable than this bunch who just bought players blindly.

But for now, the priority was the FA Cup Final.

Arsenal hadn’t won a title in several years, and this was the most important match since the club had changed ownership.

Neither the fans nor the management wanted to miss out on this trophy.

Most importantly, winning the FA Cup was their only way into a European competition.

…

Knightsbridge is a prime location in central London.

Many foreign tycoons buy mansions here.

After leaving the Korni Training Base, Qi Sheng had his motorcade drive to the super-mansion he had just recently purchased.

The total price was 210 million British Pounds, and its former owner was none other than President Xu of Evergrande.

The mansion had seven floors and a total of 45 bedrooms.

Its living space was slightly larger than an American football field, and it overlooked Hyde Park.

Originally, the property consisted of four separate family homes.

It wasn’t until 1980 that they were converted into a single, private, palace-like residence.

The renovation budget at the time was a staggering 50 million British Pounds, equivalent to 100 million British Pounds today.

With its ornate crystal chandeliers, jewel-encrusted bathtubs, and lavish dressing tables, it was the very definition of opulence.

A palatial mansion like this naturally came with butlers and maids.

It came with a staff of twenty maids alone.

The butler, John Gray, was a classic English butler through and through.

His previous employers had all been worth over five billion British Pounds.

Adhering to the principle of “when in Rome,” Qi Sheng had specifically recruited an English butler to manage the entire service team for him.

Dressed in a black tailcoat, silver vest, and silver tie, Gray’s professionalism was on par with that of Tang De, who served their family back home.

“Sir, several of the local magnates have sent dinner invitations. If you are interested in attending any, I will inform them on your behalf.”

Gray handed over a few invitation cards, and as Qi Sheng leafed through them, he meticulously detailed the identity and net worth of each host.

“Set them aside for now.”

Qi Sheng had no interest in dealing with these local tycoons. It was just the usual, clichéd business networking.

With his current net worth, there was absolutely no reason for him to attend such a low-tier reception.

“Very good, sir. Your bath has been drawn. For breakfast, we have prepared both English and Chinese options. Is there anything else you require?”

Gray was not the least bit surprised by Qi Sheng’s attitude.

‘His employer, after all, had just purchased a super-mansion worth 200 million British Pounds.’

‘His social circle would, at a minimum, consist of billionaires worth over ten billion British Pounds.’

‘This crowd of minor tycoons, barely worth a billion British Pounds, was simply not in the same league.’

“Not at the moment.”

Qi Sheng, quite satisfied with Gray’s arrangements, led Jin Ying upstairs.

“Are you getting used to London?”

In the massive master bedroom, which spanned over a thousand square feet, Qi Sheng and Jin Ying soaked in a huge, circular jacuzzi, their skin pressed intimately together.

“It’s not bad. It’s just a bit boring and lonely.”

Jin Ying said worriedly, “Honey, what if we lose money on this Arsenal purchase?”

Her original plan had been to acquire just a small club.

Even if it lost money, it wouldn’t have been a big deal.

But Qi Sheng had gone and spent two billion US Dollars to buy Arsenal, completely throwing all her previous plans into disarray.

If Arsenal’s market value plummeted under her management, she’d be too ashamed to go back home and face Qi Sheng.

“We won’t lose money. With me here to advise you, we’re only going to make a profit.”

“Once you’ve had your fun here, I’ll arrange for someone to take over for you.”

Qi Sheng toyed with Jin Ying’s breasts, his tone exceptionally casual.

To him, the two-billion-US-Dollar Arsenal was nothing more than an exciting new toy he’d stumbled upon.

“But I said I was going to help you make money. It would be too embarrassing if I incurred a loss.”

Jin Ying let out a soft moan, her face flushing. She was already used to Qi Sheng’s wandering hands.