"Hello, Sir, what brings you here?"
Gao Shen bumped into Ferguson in the hotel bar and greeted him warmly the moment they met.
But just as Ferguson was about to respond with a smile, Gao Shen's next sentence nearly made him collapse.
"I don't recall not sending you any tickets. Why are you here?"
Upon hearing that, Ferguson nearly exploded with rage and looked like he wanted to kill someone.
"Do you still want to go back to Manchester?" Ferguson's eyes were sharp like blades, full of menace.
Gao Shen laughed it off and invited Ferguson to sit down.
In fact, Gao Shen had sent Ferguson a match ticket.
Not only him, but Ancelotti, Wenger, and others had received one too. Ancelotti, however, declined, saying he wasn't in the mood.
The poor Italian must be at home right now crying into his pillow.
"Is your fiancée here?" Ferguson had just sat down and ordered a glass of wine before immediately pulling out a metaphorical dagger.
"She's here. Why? Did she offend you?"
Before Ferguson could answer, Gao Shen shook his head. "No way. She's got a great personality and never offends anyone."
Ferguson was left speechless. This guy was saying all the lines, good and bad, by himself.
"I have to say, you two are really the same type of person. No wonder your taste is equally terrible."
"Hey, mind your words. We're just perfectly in sync."
"Get lost!" Ferguson fumed. "She took over Leeds United just a few days ago and sent a fax to our office with three offers at once. She even claimed I had agreed to them. When did I agree to anything?"
Gao Shen was delighted, watching the old knight nearly lose it.
As if he didn't know exactly what Ferguson was up to.
These days, everyone's playing games. No one's pretending to be righteous anymore.
So as soon as Su Qing took over Leeds United, Gao Shen had her team contact Manchester United with three offers.
"Really? I had no idea." Gao Shen even put on a shocked face.
"Keep pretending!" Ferguson was no fool. How could he fall for it?
"Ravel Morrison, one million pounds. Seriously? One million?" Ferguson looked like he was about to explode.
"And Jesse Lingard, also one million pounds. You're the one who said he was as good as Messi. You even said Messi was nothing compared to him. And now you want to take him for a million?"
"And Paul Pogba. Another million."
Finally, Ferguson asked, completely puzzled, "Who gave you this kind of confidence?"
Gao Shen almost couldn't hold back his laughter but kept a straight face. "Didn't you promise me? Market value."
"When did I…" Ferguson knew exactly what he had said. "I didn't agree to sell all three."
"Come on, Sir, you said I could pick one. You even joked about recording it. I trusted you. Are you trying to back out now?"
Of course Ferguson remembered. He just hadn't thought Gao Shen would actually go through with it.
And even if he did, he didn't expect it to happen so quickly.
Who would've thought Gao Shen was sneaking through the shadows, secretly pulling strings?
At this point, Ferguson understood he'd been tricked.
The reason he'd stormed over today demanding an explanation was because he knew he had no leg to stand on but couldn't swallow his pride either.
"Fine, I did say that. But I didn't say you could take all three."
"Okay, I'll just take one. Lingard."
Ferguson secretly smirked. So that was who he was really after.
After talking with Gao Shen and Solskjaer, Ferguson had returned to Carrington and taken a closer look at Lingard.
And sure enough, the more he looked, the more intrigued he became. The kid had talent, but it hadn't fully emerged yet.
How to describe it?
If Morrison and Pogba were flashy types with obvious talent, then Lingard was the quiet, understated kind.
"No way. We've already contacted Lingard's agent and are preparing to renew his contract."
"Come on, are you messing with me?" Gao Shen was starting to get anxious.
Ferguson chuckled. "Weren't you doing the same?"
What's good for the goose…
Gao Shen pointed at Ferguson, about to speak several times, but ultimately held it in.
"Fine. You're tough! I'll switch to Morrison."
"He's off-limits too."
"Why?"
"Go ask around. I've been keeping tabs on him for half a year. I know exactly who he hangs out with and how much time I've invested in him. And now you want to snatch him away?" Ferguson looked extremely pleased with himself.
He now understood Gao Shen's plan.
This guy wanted Lingard and Morrison, with Pogba as a fallback.
To be honest, apart from Lingard, Ferguson thought Morrison was more talented than Pogba.
The problem was Morrison's messy life off the pitch. He hung out with the wrong crowd and caused trouble constantly. Ferguson had plans to clean him up personally. There was no way he'd let him go to Leeds United.
"This one's no good, and that one's no good. Are you just going to dump Pogba on me and call it a deal?" Gao Shen looked annoyed, as if he really didn't rate Pogba.
"You're being picky? He might not even want to play for a Championship club." Ferguson sneered.
"This kid's got a big ego. He's been changing agents lately, trying to find someone who'll stand up to me. But do you think anyone in British football would do that?" Ferguson laughed coldly.
Gao Shen really wanted to say: there's no one in British football, but they eventually found that fat Italian.
Many called Raiola a vampire, and Ferguson had blasted him more than once. But think about it: Pogba was just a professional trying to protect his own interests. Was that wrong?
Truthfully, Pogba wasn't wrong to leave Manchester United.
Gao Shen had read many accounts from United insiders. Before Pogba left, they sent Evra, Ferdinand, and others to try to convince him to stay, but he still chose Juventus.
That move turned out to be brilliant.
In 2012, Pogba was 19 and needed game time. But Ferguson couldn't give him that.
After the infamous 6-1 loss to Manchester City, Ferguson became extremely cautious. He even used Fabio in midfield instead of giving Pogba a chance.
Pogba lost faith. During contract talks, he reached out to many agents, but none could stand up to Ferguson—because in English football, Ferguson was the top dog.
No wonder Ferguson disliked Raiola the moment they met.
He was used to being flattered. Who would like someone that challenged him immediately?
The worst decision in Pogba's career was going back to Manchester United. Worse still, he kept choosing to stay even when he knew it was a mistake.
You can't change the past. But with Pogba's talent, if he had stayed at Juventus, he would've developed just fine.
Gao Shen understood all this. But right now, Pogba hadn't met Raiola yet.
Gao Shen had been carefully watching Ferguson's expression. After some thought, he suddenly changed his approach.
"What if I go for someone else? Forget Pogba. Give me Januzaj. I'll pay whatever you paid for him."
Pogba was a past deal. Januzaj was a rising star.
"You're dreaming. Don't even think about it." Ferguson rejected him instantly.
"Fine. Just Pogba then. One million pounds. If I want him, I'll talk to him myself."
Gao Shen was getting frustrated now.
"Are you seriously playing hardball?"
"One word. Yes or no?" Ferguson felt great taking the lead for once.
Since going up against Gao Shen, he'd always been on the back foot. Finally, he had the upper hand.
"Think about it. Even if you look down on him, Pogba's still a leader in our academy. Leeds United is just a Championship club…"
At the end, Ferguson raised an eyebrow, as if to say: Think it through.
Gao Shen looked bitter and helpless. "Fine. Pogba it is."
Ferguson raised his right hand. Deal.
"But let's be clear. I'm not signing any dodgy agreements."
"No problem."
"And if you want to sell Morrison, Lingard, or Januzaj in the future, let me know first."
Ferguson felt even more confident. Gao Shen clearly wanted Morrison and Lingard badly. That made him even happier.
"Sure. No worries. Just wait for my call."
Gao Shen looked at the old man's smug expression. How could he not see right through him?
Honestly, it was exhausting.
He was just too famous. He couldn't even poach players in peace.
A small move from him and the media went into a frenzy.
Once a team knew Gao Shen was interested, why would they still sell?
But there were upsides too.
Fernando Lucas had already leaked to the media that Gao Shen's fiancée's family acquired Leeds United because they had found the "next Lampard."
Who?
Jonathan Howson.
As soon as Su Qing took over, she began contract talks with Howson and a few others.
The guy had a double-double season. Sure, it was in the Championship, but he was young. A little hype wasn't too much, right?
Next, it was time to see which other clubs would get lured to the table.
As for the negotiations with Manchester United, Gao Shen had only ever wanted Pogba.
Morrison and Lingard were talented, especially Morrison, but he was trouble. Off the pitch, his life was chaotic. Between Lingard and Pogba, the choice was obvious.
But if Gao Shen had asked for Pogba directly, there would've been no chance.
So, he never mentioned him. He took a roundabout route and let himself get "forced" into the deal.
Now, both Gao Shen and Ferguson were happy.
Business should always be a win-win.
(To be continued.)