After George Wood said goodbye to his mother at the door, he opened the door and walked out to find that the outside of his house was a little different than usual. There was a white jeep parked by the roadside with a man standing in front.
When the man saw him come out, he greeted him with a smile. "Good morning, George."
"Boss?" Wood was a little surprised. This was the first time he saw the team's manager when he went out for training. And it was clear that he had been waiting here. He looked back at his house. "Since you're here, why didn't you come in?"
"I just arrived too." Tang En told a very obvious lie.
"Is there something you need from me?"
"I was just passing by. Let's go to Wilford together?" Tang En patted the Mercedes jeep behind him.
George Wood was the highest paid player in Nottingham Forest, but he did not even have a car and had to run to the training ground every day. Perhaps this could explain why his stamina was so good.
Wood looked back at his house again, then walked over, opened the car door and got in.
Tang En drove very slowly. It was still early, and he was not in a hurry to get to Wilford. Because some things were better said now than when they arrived.
"George, you've been absent-minded recently. Did you encounter any trouble?"
Wood certainly knew that the boss's unprecedented visit to pick him up for training was definitely not "just passing by." But he still had to fight back with his words. "Didn't you say I found a girlfriend?"
Tang En coughed. "This … is just a joke. I received a call early this morning. My friend told me that AC Milan had contacted you in private? "
"No contact. I just talked to my agent, Woox."
Tang En smiled. "Contacting him is equivalent to contacting you. He's your agent, and he can make decisions for you most of the time. I heard that AC Milan has promised you a lot of generous conditions. Can you tell me about it? "
"A higher weekly salary and full portrait rights. And … "
At this point, Wood paused.
"Anything else?" Twain asked.
"They promised to pay for my mother's treatment."
Tang En sneered in his heart. AC Milan was sparing no expense in order to get the world's number one defensive midfielder. They even knew to start with George's mother.
But on second thought, it made sense. They were not fools. Of course, they were looking for George Wood's weakness.
But Tang En had something to say. "George, let me say something that you might not want to hear. Your mother … Is your mother's illness something that money can solve?"
With both hands on the steering wheel, Twain turned his head to look at George Wood in the front passenger seat.
Wood did not answer the question. He just reminded him, "Look ahead, boss. You were still driving. "
Tang En did not turn his head. He continued to look at Wood and asked, "Do you really think a lot of money can cure your mother's illness?"
Wood pursed his lips and did not answer, but the expression on his face was already a little ugly.
"George, if you want to make more money, you want to play for a real powerhouse and gain a bigger reputation. I understand when you say you want to go to AC Milan. But if it's for your mother … I can't agree. Can you cure your mother by going to Italy? You accompany her every day. I'm afraid you know her body condition better than those Italian experts … "
"Stop the car!" Wood suddenly said.
Tang En obediently stepped on the brakes.
Wood turned around to open the car door.
Tang En did not pull him back. He just raised his voice and roared from behind, "George Wood! You know better than anyone, don't you?! "
Wood did not utter a word. He opened the car door and jumped out.
"How long do you plan to keep dreaming? Can't you be more realistic?! "
What answered him was the loud sound of Wood slamming the car door.
Then Tang En saw him turn around and run in the direction of his home.
Tang En did not get out of the car to chase after him. He just smashed his fist on the steering wheel.
After venting his anger, he took out his phone and called George Wood's agent, Billy Woox.
"You rarely take the initiative to call me, Mr. Tony Twain." Woox's playful and somewhat greasy voice rang out from the phone again.
But Tang En did not have the time to bicker with him today. He went straight to the point and asked, "Did the people from AC Milan look for you?"
"You're very well-informed, Mr. Twain." Woox did not deny it.
"You also believe that they want to treat Sophia's illness?"
"They're very sincere."
"Do you think that no matter how much money they spend, Sophia's illness will be cured?" Tang En suppressed his anger.
"What I think is not important. What's important is what George thinks."
"You'd better reject them."
"I'm really sorry, Mr. Twain. You're not my employer. "
Hearing Woox's unhurried tone, Tang En was so angry that he almost smashed his phone again. But he held back in the end. His tone softened. "Alright, I hope you can persuade George, Mr. Billy Woox. I don't think it's a good choice for him to transfer to AC Milan, let alone because of that reason … "
Woox did not agree. He only asked, "Did you talk to George just now? Mr. Twain. "
"Yes."
"Looks like you didn't succeed." Woox chuckled. "Mr. Twain, I think there's something you've never understood."
"What is it?"
"In front of George, my words are not as effective as yours. If you haven't convinced him, how can I possibly convince him? "
Tang En was stunned for a moment. He really had not thought of such a thing. He had always thought that George would listen to whatever Woox said.
But …
"You're not lying to me, are you?"
"Why would I lie to you, Mr. Twain? You've been with George for so long. Can't you even notice this? "
Tang En was speechless.
"Alright, thank you, Mr. Woox." Tang En had completely lost his anger. He hung up the phone and sat in the car in a daze for a while. Then he drove to Wilford.
※ ※ ※
George Wood did not turn up for the morning training. This matter caused a huge uproar within the team. It was the first time George Wood had missed training since he became a member of Nottingham Forest.
Coupled with his abnormal behavior the past few days, everyone was guessing if something had happened to George Wood.
Kerslake looked for Tang En because everyone knew that Tang En and Wood had the best relationship. They were practically like father and son.
"He ran into some trouble." Tang En did not tell the truth to his assistant manager. "I approved his leave to deal with it."
"Oh …" Kerslake came to a sudden realization. "I knew it. George is not the kind of person who would miss training without reason. "
He shook his head and walked away. Tang En shrugged behind him.
After Kerslake relayed this to the team, everyone's suspicions subsided a little. But new guesses arose. What kind of trouble did George run into? He needed to specially ask for leave to deal with it.
Tang En glanced at the reporters filming outside the training ground and called Kerslake over. He pointed to the reporters and said, "Tell them it's time for public filming. Ask them to get out."
Kerslake nodded. He began to chase the reporters out.
But the reporters had different opinions.
"The fifteen minutes are not up yet. We can still continue filming!"
"Mr. Kerslake, may I ask why we haven't found George Wood in the team?"
"I heard that he has been in private contact with AC Milan recently. Is his absence from training related to that matter?"
"How much money does AC Milan have to offer George Wood for Nottingham Forest to release him?"
"Would selling the team's captain cause the fans to be unhappy? Have you worried about this? "
…
It was like a large swarm of flies buzzing in a corner of the training ground, attracting everyone's attention.
Tang En finally walked over personally.
"Now is not the time to answer questions from the reporters, ladies and gentlemen." His cold expression really frightened some of the reporters. "Time's up. Please get out."
"Mr. Tang En, please answer the rumors about George Wood's transfer …"
"That's all f * cking nonsense!" Tang En burst out with vulgarities. There was an uproar among the reporters.
"Before my mood turns bad, you'd better all leave. Otherwise, I'll cancel this afternoon's regular press conference." With that, Tang En glanced at Pierce Brosnan again.
Brosnan knew what he meant. It looked like the outcome of his exchange with George Wood was not very good.
He nodded and was the first to turn and walk out.
The other reporters followed behind him and left one after another.
The last person to leave was Carl Spicer. He deliberately lagged behind with his Sky TV interview team. When he left, he even smiled brightly at Tang En.
Tang En's gloomy expression was already imprinted in his eyes.
Tang En knew that the new episode of "Football Matters" would definitely be about him and George Wood. However, he couldn't care less about these minor details.
※ ※ ※
Sophia looked at her son in surprise. She opened the door of the house and walked in.
"Forgot to take something?"
George shook his head and panted on the sofa in the living room as soon as he came in. Only then did Sophia notice that her son's face was red and he was panting slightly.
"What's wrong, George?" His mother put down the work in her hands and wiped her hands clean. She came to sit beside Wood and looked at her son with her head tilted.
"Mom, how about changing to a different city to live?" Wood looked up at his mother.
Sophia was a little surprised. "Why change to a different city? We're living well in Nottingham. And your job … You want to transfer? "She suddenly understood.
"There's a club in Italy that wants me to go. They promised to treat your illness …"
Sophia looked at Wood very seriously. "What exactly do you play football for, George?"
"To treat your illness …"
"But I'll die eventually. Even if it's not because of the illness, I'll still die. What will you do if I die? Don't play football anymore and follow me to die? "
Faced with Sophia's increasingly serious expression, George Wood was speechless.
"George, playing football is your job. You play football for yourself, not for me. If you say it's because of your salary and you want to play in Italy, I won't have any opinion. But don't say it's because of me. Do you really want to play in Italy? "
Wood continued to be silent.
Sophia looked at her son's stubborn look and sighed. "To be honest, George … I know my body very well. It can't be cured no matter how much money you spend. Otherwise, after so many years of spending so much of your salary on me, what's the result? "She smiled, but looked a little miserable.
"Mom, I've stopped thinking about that a long time ago. I just want to see you healthy and happy while I'm alive. Find a girl, George. You're always single. It makes me worried … "
Wood wanted to shake his head but was held back by his mother's hand. Wood stopped moving the moment he felt his mother's somewhat cold hand on his cheek.
"Don't shake your head. If you're really doing this for me, don't be willful, George."
Wood listened to his mother's soft but slightly weak voice and nodded.
"George, remember. There won't be any son in this world who will always be with his mother. People will look at that kind of thing differently. You have to have your own life, a life that belongs completely to you. It has nothing to do with your mother. Do you understand? "
Wood continued to nod.
Sophia looked at her son and smiled very gently. She kissed Wood on the cheek and said, "Go to training, George. Don't let Mr. Twain wait too long. "
"Mom …" Wood looked at his mother, who was getting older, as if he was worried that he would never see her again if he turned around and walked out. "Can you let me stay with you for half a day? I'll go to the afternoon training … "
"No, George." Sophia shook her finger. "You can't find a reason for your laziness. What did you rely on to succeed, George? What are you worrying about? Go to training. That's your job. "
Sophia stood up and looked at Wood.
Wood could not stand the look in her eyes. He also stood up and said, "Okay, I'm going. Goodbye, Mom. "
Sophia waved at him and said, "By the way, if you quarrel with Mr. Twain, remember to apologize to him. You can't talk back to him. "
"Mom?" Wood was surprised.
"Don't think I didn't see the Jeep parked in front of our house." Sophia winked. "Think about who gave you the chance in the first place. He was really thinking about you, George. "
Wood nodded again before saying goodbye to his mother and going out again.
After the door was closed, the smile on Sophia's face disappeared. The shining light in her eyes gradually dimmed and was replaced by a low sigh.
※ ※ ※
George Wood came to the side of the training ground halfway through. At this time, there was no longer any media around.
His teammates looked at him and Twain curiously.
"I want to apologize to you, Boss." George Wood, who was standing in front of Twain, said with his head down. "I shouldn't …"
Twain interrupted him and said, "You don't need to apologize to me. The ones who need to accept your apology are all the players in the team. You're the Captain and their role model. Everyone's eyes are on you. You need their forgiveness for being late to training, not mine. "Twain waved his hand and said," Go apologize to them. "
So, George Wood obediently walked to the front of his teammates who were training. Twain signaled for Kerslake to stop the training and gather everyone together to listen to Wood's apology.
"I apologize to everyone for being late to training. I'm very sorry that as the Captain, I'm late to training …" Wood spoke very slowly to ensure that everyone could hear what he said clearly.
His teammates opposite him all had different expressions. Some had a sudden realization, some looked puzzled, and some were expressionless.
After Wood finished apologizing, Twain came out and announced the rules for George Wood's punishment. Because he was late to training, he would sit on the substitutes' bench for the first round of the league tournament. At the same time, he would be fined 10,000 pounds. In addition, he would have to make up for the missed training sessions due to being late.
No one objected to this. Even George Wood would not ask for special privileges just because he was the Captain. The discipline that Twain had always emphasized was on full display at this moment.
※ ※ ※
At the regular press conference in the afternoon, the media, who had been scolded by Twain in the morning, planned to collectively take Twain down a notch. After the press officer and Twain walked into the venue together and announced the official start of the press conference, the reporters left their seats one by one. In a short period of time, all of them left the venue! In the blink of an eye, only Pierce Brosnan was left in the press conference hall.
The expression on the press officer's face was as awkward as it could be. Even Pierce Brosnan did not expect his colleagues to do this. He turned his head to the left and right before turning back to look at the two men on the stage.
A surprised expression only appeared on Twain's face at the beginning. He quickly covered it up.
Now, he was grinning as he looked at the empty press conference venue.
"Mr. Reporter, do you have any questions?" he said to Brosnan, who was sitting in the middle.
"Ah … Oh, uh …" Brosnan had yet to recover from the impact of the scene.
Twain instructed the press officer in a low voice, and the press officer strode toward the door. He did not want his words to be heard by the ears outside the door. Since they wanted to play this game with him, then they could forget about getting any news!
The door was slammed shut. The reporters waiting at the door were like birds startled by the sound of gunfire, retreating one after another.
"All right, Mr. Brosnan. You don't have to be nervous. It's just you and me now. You can ask any question you want. I'll tell you everything I know. This is to thank you for giving me special treatment for tipping me off! "Twain sat on the stage and smiled at Pierce Brosnan.
"Uh, okay. George Wood and AC Milan … "
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