Chapter One: The Last Shot Before the Window Closed

He lowered a battered kit bag to the floor. Gu Chenzhou. Ten years ago, every football supporter in the country knew the name: the overhead winner in a national-team qualifier, three straight Golden Boots, death delivered with one touch in the penalty area. Two years ago, he had been swept into his former club's match-fixing scandal. He was never convicted, but the public remembered him as the man paid to miss a penalty. Then his knee failed again. He had not played a competitive match in six months. That evening, his agent had offered him to the entire league. Nobody bid. “I hear you need a striker,” Gu said. “We also need money,” Tang replied. “League minimum. Three months. We can discuss goal bonuses later.”