Chapter Four: Wearing Their Names

Three days after the Qingzhou victory, the bank froze Cape City's operating account. Keep the Lights On money was legally tied to future tickets. Tang Mu had only 410,000 yuan available, while training-ground rent and the away coach would cost 630,000 on Friday. “Winning doesn't print money,” she said, pinning the demands to the board. Shen Yan projected the Qingzhou numbers beside them: seven times the streaming audience, Luo Xiao's final twenty-meter sprint the fastest in the league, and ten million views for the eight-man goal. “Then we sell proof that we're improving.” He and Tang visited local companies. A hotel chain feared relegation; the port group would talk only after Aurum took control.