Chapter 599: Friendship is Priceless

July. The height of summer.

The promotion for the China leg of the International Champions Cup was already in full swing.

Real Madrid, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Manchester City, Manchester United, Greater Paris, Chelsea, and Arsenal.

Any one of these teams had tens of millions of fans in China.

Manchester United and Real Madrid, in particular, had fans numbering in the hundreds of millions.

Arsenal had plenty of fans in China as well.

Their reputation as the “fourth-place fiends,” always fighting for a Champions League spot year after year, was a popular running gag among many fans.

But this year, Arsenal could be said to have been reborn from the ashes.

The ticket prices for this International Champions Cup made it arguably the most fan-friendly event in history.

As the organizer, Comet Sports was showered with praise by countless fans.

Tickets came in just four tiers, priced at 100, 300, 600, and 900.

The value for the price was unbelievable.

Whenever those other teams came to China to cash in, the most expensive tickets would cost four or five thousand.

This move from Comet Sports really won over the fans.

Arsenal, as a team wholly owned by Comet Sports, gained a massive new following.

One of the event sponsors, Jixiang Airlines, also cashed in nicely.

Next to the ticket reservation section on the official website, there was a booking link for Jixiang Airlines.

Of course, Qi Sheng wasn’t one to make a losing deal.

After his system reward arrived in early July, Qi Sheng spent 10 billion to acquire a 51% stake in Jixiang Airlines, becoming its largest shareholder.

For Wang Han and the others, it was a rare opportunity to cash out and exit the business.

It wasn’t as if they were taking a loss, however.

Jixiang Airlines was, after all, one of the top ten airlines in the country. With proper management, it was guaranteed to be profitable.

After successfully taking over Jixiang Airlines, Shengxuan Group’s reach extended into the travel sector.

The original Jixiang Airlines brand was relegated to become the group’s budget airline.

The main brand was renamed Shengxuan Airlines.

Even a magnate like Ah Bu grew increasingly enthusiastic after witnessing the capabilities of his new friend.

In a way, Qi Sheng was an oligarch, just like him.

The difference was that Ah Bu was a businessman with close ties to politicians.

Qi Sheng’s background, however, had to be absolutely extraordinary.

Otherwise, an empire of his size would have inevitably attracted the covetous eyes of hungry wolves.

“Qi, the stadiums in your country are quite nice—much prettier than our Stanford Bridge.”

Ah Bu remarked with unconcealable envy as he gazed at the Phoenix Mountain Sports Park Stadium before them.

“Our players might be terrible, but our stadiums are top-notch.”

Qi Sheng handed Ah Bu a glass of red wine.

Sitting in Suite No. 1, which had the best view and the most luxurious decor, he and Ah Bu chatted and laughed, sharing amusing stories.

At their level, material desires had long since become mundane.

There was nothing with a price tag that they couldn’t afford.

Before long, the players began to emerge from the entrance tunnel.

A full 60,000 fans had packed into the Phoenix Mountain Sports Park Stadium.

The local fans alone could have easily bought up all those tickets.

As the host of the tournament, it was only natural for the opening match to kick off in Chengdu.

The final, meanwhile, was set to take place at the Worker’s Stadium in the Capital City.

Tickets for the final showdown, dubbed the “Forbidden City Peak,” were being snatched up frantically by countless fans.

No matter which teams made it to the final, the fans were guaranteed to get their money’s worth.

“Qi, how about a bet on which of our teams will win this match?”

Ah Bu had been eagerly preparing for so long, buying a squad of experienced, high-level players.

He had absolute confidence in his formidable Chelsea squad.

“What are the stakes?”

Qi Sheng almost felt bad about setting Ah Bu up for a fall.

Against a cheater like him with a god’s-eye view, Ah Bu was guaranteed to lose.

Every player in Arsenal’s starting lineup would one day be worth over 60 million euros.

Saka and Haaland, in particular, would be worth over 100 million euros each.

Jin Ying had mentioned to him more than once how thrilled Arteta was to see this group of players.

He had even canceled his vacation to bury himself in tactical research for the next season.

He was ambitious and eager to make a huge splash.

“I just bought a Boeing 787, worth about 250 million US dollars.”

“If Arsenal wins this match, the plane is yours.”

Ah Bu’s tone then shifted. “If Chelsea wins, you need to give me a chance to invest in Misha.”

“No problem.”

Qi Sheng glanced at Ah Bu, a hint of a smile in his eyes. ‘As expected of a Russian oligarch. His instincts are sharp.’

Misha, which was about to go public, was a hot commodity on the capital market.

Many people were bullish on this rising star, believing it had the potential to overthrow the LVMH Group’s dominance.

It was precisely because so many investors were interested in Misha that Misha’s valuation had soared to 100 billion euros without even needing a roadshow.

In recent years, Ah Bu had also been moving his assets and shifting his investment focus.

The net profit margins in the luxury goods industry had always been highly regarded by the market.

For a company of Misha’s size, an annual net profit of 3 billion euros was well within reach.

Ah Bu smiled, raised his glass, and clinked it against Qi Sheng’s.

He knew his ulterior motive couldn’t possibly be hidden from his new friend.

Even if he lost the bet, Ah Bu wouldn’t mind.

As long as he could get a stake in Misha, he was sure to earn it all back in the future, and then some.

…

Tens of millions of fans flooded the Xingchen Video livestream, and the screen was a dense barrage of scrolling comments.

Even with the “simplified comments” filter on, it was still difficult to see the screen clearly.

Comet Sports’ decision to livestream the entire International Champions Cup for free had attracted yet another wave of new users.

Furthermore, the star commentary duo, Zhan Jun and Zhang Lu, also made an appearance in the broadcast booth.