Chapter Two: Eight Minutes at Twenty-Seven

“And the fixing allegations?” “When I have evidence, I'll speak.” A reporter asked Shen, “Creditors arrive tomorrow. Can one victory prevent bankruptcy?” “No. But one victory can make people listen to our next sentence.” He announced the Keep the Lights On campaign. Supporters could prepay for three seasons of tickets, while the club would publish every operating transaction except private player information. The target was two million yuan in seventy-two hours. If it failed, every payment would be returned. At eleven that night, they had 370,000. At noon the next day, 820,000. With six hours remaining, the counter stalled at 1.13 million. Tang stared at the dashboard. “The moment has passed. We're short 870,000.”