Journalists with cameras kept coming over to take pictures, which made Cao Baming incredibly happy. This was exactly the situation he wanted.
Nearly half an hour had passed, and everyone was just starting to pick up their chopsticks. What was most impressive about this high-end restaurant was the speed of service. The chefs must have assumed people weren't there to eat or weren't hungry at all.
But perhaps, for some people, that was indeed the case.
Leaders would occasionally stand up and say a few words, as this was, after all, a celebration banquet. The heroes of the day were scattered around the tables – the players of the Chinese football team were the true protagonists.
At this moment, the table where Cao Baming was sitting had become the center of attention. However, because the table was exclusively occupied by players and the coaching staff, with no particularly high-ranking leaders, people rarely looked in their direction.
After everyone had been eating for a while, a leader suddenly stood up.
"Eat and drink well, everyone!"
This remark made everyone around burst into laughter. They echoed his sentiment and applauded.
Cao Baming felt a surge of exasperation, completely unable to understand what these people were doing.
Did they really need him to tell them to eat and drink well? Furthermore, could such a pointless statement elicit so much fawning? Would people even lick his spit if he were to spit?
Just then, Cao Baming felt a gentle breeze beside him. It turned out that Li Gang had suddenly stood up from his seat.
He held up a white wine glass, which was already full of newly poured Baijiu. Supporting it with one hand, he raised it towards the front, his gaze fixed forward, making a toasting gesture towards the leader who had just spoken.
"This glass is for you, Li Gang's toast! If not for your diligent work and efforts behind the scenes, our Korean football would not have achieved today's success, nor would we have performed so outstandingly on the World Cup stage!"
Li Gang spoke volubly. He didn't notice that Cao Baming, sitting right next to him, had a face that had turned extremely unpleasant.
What the hell? The players had worked their hardest in the matches, yet the biggest contributors were now high-ranking leaders who had been enjoying themselves? What had they done?
If he wasn't mistaken, those few people hadn't even attended the finals. They might not even know what they were eating this meal for right now.
But if one dared to call out, the others would follow suit. The leaders simultaneously stood up, smiling, and raised their wine glasses. They all drank in one go.
Was this some kind of ritual?
Li Gang had started the trend, and then, another teammate next to him stood up and raised his glass to the leaders. As a team member, his status was one level below the head coach, so he naturally couldn't expect the leaders to drink with him.
He stood up, a smile on his face, and downed the wine, uttering words of flattery identical to Li Gang's.
At this moment, everyone seemed to have transformed, becoming like docile lambs, completely lacking the fighting spirit they displayed on the field.
Fine, Cao Baming could barely contain himself any longer. When it was his turn to toast, he showed no reaction, merely picking up his wine glass.
Everyone looked at Cao Baming curiously, their hearts tightening with anxiety.
"What are you doing? It's your turn to toast the leaders!"
Wu Lei whispered to Cao Baming, careful not to be overheard.
However, in the next second, to everyone's utter astonishment, Cao Baming didn't even glance at the leaders. He simply picked up the glass, now full of Baijiu, with one hand and drank it down.
"Good wine."
After tasting it, Cao Baming's face broke into a happy smile, which stunned everyone in the room.
The leaders were still awkwardly waiting in their seats, but after a few more seconds, Cao Baming still hadn't uttered any words of flattery.
It seemed he had merely drunk the wine because he was thirsty, taking a sip to taste it.
The atmosphere in the room suddenly became strange. No one dared to speak.
It wasn't until Li Gang deliberately looked at Cao Baming and asked,
"Aren't you going to toast our esteemed leaders?"
Hearing the voice, Cao Baming turned to look at Li Gang, his wine glass now empty.
"No, I have no intention of toasting the esteemed leaders."
Cao Baming said with a smile.
A simple sentence, merely stating a fact, had enough to make everyone around him tremble.
Li Gang hurriedly stood up and apologized to the leaders.
The expressions on the faces of the elders, initially surprised, then turned unhappy. It was difficult to tell if they were angry or not.
Cao Baming, on the other hand, remained calm and continued to savor the dishes on the table.
At this moment, one of the leaders stood up and spoke. Coincidentally, a roving journalist also approached to capture the scene.
"Cao Baming, you are indeed the biggest contributor, but do you think you could have won the match by yourself?"
The leader spoke without much conviction.
"Of course not by myself. Many players worked hard, and it was a collective effort. But may I ask what you did?"
This question stumped him. He hadn't prepared an answer to this question beforehand.
He fell silent for a moment.
Seeing that the other leaders had no intention of speaking, Cao Baming continued, signaling for a cameraman behind him to come closer.
In the eyes of others, these cameramen were taking pictures, but in reality, they had already been bribed by Cao Baming. At this very moment, they were pressing the record button!
All of this was being documented on video.
After drinking the last small sip of Baijiu in his glass, Cao Baming continued,
"I believe that not everyone in the team should enjoy this celebration banquet, as some individuals have not put in the effort they should have."
"If we want to win the championship, not just be runners-up, in the next World Cup, then these people must be expelled."
"It is time for a major purge."
At this point, many players who were serving dishes to the leaders began to tremble uncontrollably.
Although not explicitly stated, a quick recollection would reveal that they were likely the very people he was referring to.