That was...
Cao Baiming?
Hu Tao couldn't believe his eyes for a moment, quickly rubbing them with his hands.
Seeing that the people around him wore the same surprised expressions, he realized it was real. At this moment, he also noticed that Cao Baiming's gaze was fixed on him!
For a moment, he stopped walking. The relatives, friends, and his girlfriend beside him all made way.
"Hello there, Hu Tao! You recognize me, right?"
Before he even reached him, Cao Baiming spoke first.
"Of course, of course, of course! You are Cao Baiming, how could I not recognize you!"
Hu Tao, at this moment, could hardly suppress his excitement. His idol had actually spoken his name!
"Your performance today was astounding. In my opinion, the others on the field were not on the same level as you at all. Didn't you realize that?"
"Haha, you flatter me!"
Cao Baiming gave him a look, and then he understood some of the meaning.
Hu Tao was also a smart person, and at this moment, he was already contemplating various possibilities.
Upon arriving at a place where they could rest, Cao Baiming carefully explained his thoughts.
"That's right, the Tangguo team needs you!"
Hu Tao seemed somewhat excited. He truly never imagined that he would one day play for the Tangguo team!
It was as if yesterday he was still immersed in the romance of heroism, cheering and celebrating Tangguo's victory as World Cup runner-up, and the next day he himself might become the protagonist!
This joy was unparalleled!
"No problem! That has always been my dream!"
Hu Tao replied decisively, not even asking for specific details. He knew very well in his heart what was truly important to him in this world.
Compared to this biggest dream he had always had, everything else seemed to become less important.
With such an opportunity, why not seize it? If he missed it, he would probably regret it for the rest of his life, or even the next.
No matter how many difficulties there were, they could be overcome. There was no problem that could not be solved. Everything had to make way for his dream.
Cao Baiming looked at the expression on the boy's face and the glint in his eyes and knew that all his previous assumptions were unnecessary.
Hu Tao's eyes were full of admiration. His idol had personally come to recruit him as an apprentice to play for the team. Moreover, this was the dream of every young boy playing football in Han-guo. Who could refuse it?
However, at this moment, Hu Tao couldn't help but wonder why the person who came to find him wasn't a high-level executive from the team, or some other staff member specifically responsible for recruitment, but Cao Baiming himself?
He had this question in his heart all along, but at this moment, facing such a huge piece of good news, there was no hurry to ask.
More importantly, he felt he wasn't qualified to ask such a question right now. Perhaps there were internal reasons, but for him, these were not particularly important matters.
Originally, he had heard that to join the Tangguo team, you at least needed money, or if not money, then at least connections. But he had neither, being just a poor postgraduate.
Until now, he still couldn't believe that all of this was real and not a dream.
After hearing Cao Baiming's words, Hu Tao even bit his finger to see if he was dreaming, because the feeling at this moment was too surreal, its surrealism far exceeding his understanding of reality.
Seeing Hu Tao so excited, Cao Baiming laughed heartily.
"Don't worry, you will definitely become a core player in the team in the future, and you'll get along well with your teammates!"
Hearing this, Hu Tao finally couldn't resist asking the question.
"Why are you personally recruiting? This seems a bit different from what I understood..."
Cao Baiming understood as soon as he heard it; he still had concerns.
"Don't worry, I will spend some time injecting new vitality into the entire team, and this task has been fully entrusted to me."
"You can consider me the absolute person in charge of this matter now. What I say is absolutely reliable, and you don't need to worry!"
"Alright! Thank you, idol!"
...
Liu Yunpeng next to him also joined in the fun.
That evening, Hu Tao told his family about this matter. At first, everyone couldn't believe it. However, considering that a superstar like Cao Baiming had personally come to watch his game, it was indeed hard not to believe.
After all, if it were an ordinary person, why would he personally come to find him? That would be too much face.
Cao Baiming looked at Liu Yunpeng beside him, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"You should be the real hero today, for helping me discover such a treasure boy. You deserve to be rewarded handsomely!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Yunpeng thought his boss was going to give him a bonus and started rubbing his hands together, his face already beaming with joy.
"Boss, thank you!"
As he spoke, Liu Yunpeng stood there expectantly, his gaze fixed on the black leather bag in Cao Baiming's hand.
"What? What are you waiting for? I said let's have dinner, my treat, let's go!"
At these words, Liu Yunpeng was stunned.
Seeing his reaction, Cao Baiming also laughed.
"Don't worry, you won't be shortchanged on money, and it's not in this bag. Can you stop staring at it already!"
Hearing this, Liu Yunpeng gave an embarrassed laugh.
He had originally planned to have dinner with his wife that evening, but how could he refuse Cao Baiming's invitation?
The two went to a luxurious Western restaurant, which primarily served French cuisine and was very expensive.
Liu Yunpeng, in his thirty years of life, had never eaten such an expensive meal before, so it was not a wasted trip.
The dishes in such high-end restaurants were often very small but extremely exquisite. A dish the size of a fist could cost over a thousand yuan.
It opened Liu Yunpeng's eyes, and he knew he had indeed followed the right boss.
Small portions with multiple dishes were a characteristic of French cuisine. The benefit of this was obvious: within the limited capacity of the stomach, one could taste as many flavors as possible.
One could enjoy more delicacies, which was undoubtedly the most cost-effective method for food lovers.
After the meal, the day's work was considered done, and it was time to go back and get some good rest for the night.