"So you have such a long holiday too!" Wu Xue said excitedly.
"That's right, I can finally go traveling. The world is so big, don't you want to see it?"
"I do!"
Although Wu Xue was a student, how could she not be excited about a round-the-world trip? It was just that she didn't have the money, and she didn't know if Cao Baiming would cover the expenses...
So she seemed hesitant.
With the little money she earned from her own self-media, she would probably have to starve for three years after a trip!
Cao Baiming noticed her unease.
"What are you thinking about! Of course, I'm paying! Don't worry, I have no shortage of anything right now except money, and I really don't know how to spend it!"
"Uh..."
Although Cao Baiming's words sounded a bit boastful, they were indeed true.
Currently, he averaged one goal and one assist per game. Not to mention performance bonuses, even his base salary had increased eightfold. Now, the management was negotiating with him again to double it!
His salary was now on par with Henry's, which was tens of thousands of Euros per week, not including the share from the two image ambassadors he signed, which also amounted to hundreds of thousands per month, not to mention various miscellaneous advertisements that could fetch tens of thousands, or even millions or tens of millions...
Unknowingly, his account had accumulated nearly a hundred million, and he had no idea how to spend it all!
"Hahaha! That's great!"
Wu Xue's face broke into a proud smile.
Speaking of a round-the-world trip, it was indeed worth thinking about the itinerary. Cao Baiming directly handed over the planning to Wu Xue, giving her full decision-making power.
As for Cao Baiming himself, he didn't really care where they went; he just wanted to relax.
Unknowingly, they were getting closer and closer to their destination. The pedestrians on the street gradually became more numerous, changing from just a few scattered people on the previous street to a bustling crowd now, and it was even livelier ahead.
"It looks like there's street performance ahead! Let's go take a look!"
"That's the destination. I'll go find a parking spot."
The only available parking nearby was the open-air parking lot in the distance, with a bright sign hanging high above.
After parking the car, Cao Baiming pulled up the handbrake. As soon as he opened the car door, a wave of fragrance rushed towards them!
This aroma directly captivated the two of them. The composition was too complex: the sweetness of freshly baked bread, the aroma of snack sauces, and even the scent of floral perfumes from clothing stores...
"This is good!"
With eager anticipation, they moved forward. Both of them were hungry and had no time to look at anything else.
They walked directly towards the food court.
"Let me tell you, this is the most popular food court in the entire city. It has the feel of some famous pedestrian streets in our Tang country, and the snacks inside are also street-style."
"Yeah, I know! Haha, I researched it thoroughly in the car just now!"
"Look, is that pumpkin cake up ahead!"
...
Inside the food court, the variety was dazzling.
Cheese egg rolls, pumpkin cakes, and various fried foods. Although the portions were small, ordering a bit of everything was truly satisfying!
It had been a long time since they had experienced such pure local flavor!
The two of them walked around the street for a full circle. When they came out, their stomachs were already bulging like plump, squishy balls.
Unknowingly, they had been wandering for over an hour, stopping and going, but it didn't feel like so much time had passed.
Cao Baiming reached out and glanced at his watch. It was already nine in the evening, and the people here were still full of appetite.
After eating their fill and wandering around the city for a while, it was close to midnight by the time they got home.
Cao Baiming finally remembered the task given by the club. He sat in his chair and turned on the desk lamp. There was a piece of white paper right beside him.
Although it was the back of a flyer, it would suffice!
He grabbed a pen and immediately wrote down the first name: Messi.
Although Messi was old, his current style of playing as an attacking midfielder and a forward pivot from midfield could not find a stronger player in the top five leagues.
His average number of dribbles per game remained a steady world number one.
Messi had already decided to retire in Paris. The difficulty of inviting him to Arsenal would naturally not be small, which Cao Baiming knew. However, he was only responsible for making suggestions, and how to achieve them was up to the management to figure out!
Now that the temple had descended, it would be too much to say if Messi, with his talent and ability, could not succeed!
After writing Messi's name, Cao Baiming added a comma.
For the second name, he began to hesitate.
Current rising stars like Foden of Manchester City, Pedri of Barcelona, and Vinícius Júnior of Real Madrid were all good options.
After thinking for a moment, he wrote down Pedri's name.
After that, he successively wrote down several defensive midfielders or defenders he personally favored: Kanté, Verratti, Fabinho, Thiago...
Regarding the team's current configuration, it indeed needed some adjustments...
If he could invite Beckham or Zidane, it would be great to form a long-range shooting trio, but it was not realistic to send away Saka, Nwaneri, and Gabriel.
The best option currently seemed to be Bernardo Silva, or to maintain the status quo.
After much deliberation, a list was compiled. Cao Baiming placed it on the table, ready to hand it over to the management the next day.
This list contained players personally selected by Cao Baiming, who might not realize what an honor it was!
Thinking of a day when he could form an all-star lineup with Zidane, Messi, and future stars, sweeping all the teams in the world, he couldn't help but get excited!
He had to admire that Arsenal club had used such a ruthless tactic at this critical juncture!
Cao Baiming had truly taken the bait! He had to stay with the team now!
...
The next day, in the club's executive office.
Cao Baiming walked in with the list he had written the night before.
As soon as he entered the room, the leaders immediately looked at him. Cao Baiming placed the list in his hand on the table.
"This is my suggestion regarding the team's future signings. I have used abbreviations for some of the player names."
The executives' gazes were instantly drawn to the white paper on the table.
"Tinglan Coffee Tuesday Special: 1000 minus 50... this is..."
Cao Baiming saw that the advertisement side was facing up and was speechless!
"Sorry, I put it on the wrong side. The other side is an advertisement. Please ignore it!"
The executives chuckled awkwardly. If this had been any other player, or even the head coach, who dared to commit such an act of disrespect, they would not have been seen at the club the next day.