The last day of vacation before the pre-season was spent by Cao Baiming in his villa, quietly listening to the sound of the sea.
He lay in the swimming pool with a small table floating beside him, holding a steaming latte, cheesecake, and fresh fruit. The water temperature was the same as his skin, so he barely felt the contact.
In the distance, an unobstructed view of the sea lay before him, unmarred by anything unpleasant. Apart from a dense pine forest, there were only a few equally high-end villas, though they were currently unoccupied.
This day was to be made the most of, as the friendly match would start tomorrow. Although he hadn't participated in team training, no one would dare prevent him from playing in this friendly.
The reason was self-evident; his skill level was undeniable. At this point, even in Champions League matches, missing a few training sessions wouldn't prevent Cao Baiming from playing.
The coach who recognized this fact earlier would prosper sooner; it was far more beneficial for them to utilize Cao Baiming's talents.
There was no need to overly consider strengthening the defense, integrating wing-back tactics, midfield control and interception, or forward attacking formation compatibility.
When it came to recruitment, they could choose with their eyes closed. As long as Cao Baiming was there, it seemed he could handle everything!
As the team prepared, another piece of news emerged. This time, before the news broke, Cao Baiming had already learned of it.
"Ronaldo Mysteriously Disappears? What's Really Happening Inside Manchester United?"
Reading this headline, Cao Baiming couldn't help but laugh. Normally, he remained calm even when encountering amusing situations, merely curling his lips slightly.
However, this headline was truly irresistible!
Cao Baiming had already learned of this from Mike's inquiries.
At this very moment, if anything happened at Manchester United, Mike would at least be the second to know, if not the first. The first person to know could only be the involved party, never anyone else.
No one in the world could obtain information faster than him.
Countless people were now interested in the situation within the Manchester United team, albeit with different motives.
For instance, fans might be concerned about the well-being of their favorite stars, whether they were being mistreated, and whether they had gained an advantageous position during this period of turmoil.
There were also those like Mike who had aspirations of buying the club.
However, compared to Mike, they were all far behind. There were probably fewer than ten people in the entire world with more financial resources than Cao Baiming, and coincidentally, these ten people were not interested in this dilapidated team.
Rumors had it that the relationships between the Manchester United players were incredibly delicate. Initially, it might have been that Max was at odds with everyone in the team. Later, Ronaldo fell out with a portion of the team. These things weren't particularly significant.
It wasn't until the conflict between Ronaldo and Max emerged that the relationships of everyone in the entire team underwent subtle changes. Although neither of them was one to form factions, they were forced to when it came down to critical moments.
However, the attitude of the club's senior management seemed to be even more crucial. Recent developments indicated that they appeared to be leaning towards Max!
Cao Baiming was indifferent to who would emerge victorious from the struggle between these two. In fact, he didn't care about them at all and even somewhat hoped neither of them would win.
Yesterday, Ronaldo did not attend the team's daily training. He hadn't mentioned it to anyone, not asking for leave, nor was he on vacation. He simply didn't show up.
Even Ronaldo's close friend, Bruno, had no idea what had happened. He couldn't even contact his friend, and their last meeting yielded no valuable information.
The news only came out now because Ronaldo still didn't participate in training today. It was already evening, and no one knew why.
As the saying goes, "A family's dirty laundry shouldn't be aired publicly." The leaking of such news was undoubtedly detrimental to the Manchester United club. Their senior management would certainly not want the matter to become more widely known.
However, the truth was now evident. Since Cao Baiming saw the news on his phone, it was likely that he wasn't the only one who knew.
He glanced at the view count. Within just an hour of its release, this single news article had garnered tens of millions of clicks, highlighting its immense popularity!
The source of the leak was unknown, and Mike had admitted his involvement in this matter.
The thought of the expressions on the faces of Manchester United's senior management at this moment was amusing. They must be furious enough to spit blood!
After the incident broke, Manchester United's stock price plummeted, falling by six percent, with no sign of stabilization. The trading volume continued to surge.
Cao Baiming had long anticipated that when he bought Manchester United, its price would be half of what it was originally. Now, it seemed, after the events of recent days, this goal was about to be achieved very quickly.
Even faster than he had expected!
At this moment, as close friends of Ronaldo, some players within the team had begun trying to contact him. In reality, there was one person who knew the reason behind it, and that was Max.
Because he rarely interacted with others, if the Manchester United players had to pick someone who seemed to have even a slight friendship with Max, it would be Sancho.
Sancho had merely happened to be with Max once to handle a team incentive plan. The total number of words they had spoken to each other didn't exceed twenty.
No one would ever think to approach such a person for information.
However, Max knew that Ronaldo had lost!
Although Cao Baiming didn't know the full details, it was no longer that important. From Mike's account, it was clear enough that Max had likely used some other means to put Ronaldo in a desperate situation where his only option was to flee.
One had to admit that this guy was quite something when it came to playing dirty tricks. This was a lesser-known side of Max, and only Cao Baiming knew about it; others were unaware.