Godfather Of Champions

Edward Doughty squinted in the stadium under the hot sun, and then turned to Tang En. "Tony, I watched the playoffs. Do you know why I did not choose you?" He did not continue, but was waiting for Twain to give the answer. If Tony Twain were smart enough, he would know the reason.

"Because I lost?" Tang En answered.

Edward smiled and did not reply.

"So, just because I failed, you chose a newbie. What if he also loses at the end of this season? Are you going to find someone else to replace him? Edward, do you really know anything about this sport?!" Tang En raised his voice and questioned him.

Edward did not become angry in the face of Twain\'s anger. He looked up at the blue sky, and then looked at the training grounds in the distance. A glitter reflected from the sun shining on the green turf, caused by the water drops left by the sprinklers.

"Tony, you can be Collymore\'s assistant manager. I believe that you would do a good job together." Edward spoke slowly as he gazed far away.

Tang En looked at Doughty, the new chairman of the club, and shook his head in disappointment. "Edward, I hope you know that I, Tony Twain, would never be anyone\'s assistant, and no one deserves to have me as his assistant. I am glad that you treat me like a friend. See you."

After he said this, he put on his sunglasses and left the place without hesitating.

He had no idea whether he had any chance to come back there. Yes, he planned to leave. Before he was too emotionally invested, it would be easy to leave Nottingham with no hesitation.

Twain\'s dismissal by the new chairman had spread through the industry very quickly. In his pocket he already had three paper slips with other club\'s contact numbers written on them. Those who called him said, "We were truly impressed by your achievements and coaching style during the last half season, and my club will always welcome you, Mr. Tony Twain."

This slightly improved Tang En\'s mood, because he knew that the effort he had put in during the half season was not totally meaningless, and that he would be accepted elsewhere. Although none of them were Premier League teams, there were two teams that were the same level as Forest. The last one was from League Two.

Tang En went out the main gate and said goodbye to Ian MacDonald, and then walked home slowly down the quiet boulevard. While he looked at the patches of training ground that showed through the dense forest, he knew that it was time to make the decision. Whether to stay here and be the manager of the youth team, or go to another team and be their manager.

Tang En was long gone, but Edward Doughty remained standing at the side of the field as if he had great interest in the work of turf maintenance. Actually, he was only staring through the training ground, looking at the sky.

The sound of footsteps came up behind him and then stopped.

"He\'s gone already, Edward?" someone with a sharp voice asked.

Edward nodded. "Yes, he left."

"Is he going to leave this place?"

"I am not sure, but I think perhaps."

"Such a pity," the voice replied. "If only he had more patience…"

"Actually, I can understand him, Allan. Anyone who was in his position would choose to leave immediately. It would be a miracle if he stayed," Edward Doughty sighed.

Edward turned and looked at the man behind him with golden hair. "Allan, we will succeed, right?"

Allan Adams, Edward Doughty\'s financial advisor and his roommate at Harvard University, was his most trusted assistant and friend. He nodded. "Don\'t worry. My plan is perfect. The financial situation of this club is worse than we estimated, but I still see great potential in it. You must do this in order to own the club yourself."

Edward nodded to show that he understood. "But…" He looked in the main gate\'s direction, shrugging his shoulder. "I really like Tony. If he became our enemy in the end, that would be too unfortunate."

Whose misfortune would it be? Forest\'s? His? Or Tony Twain\'s?

Tang En did not forget there was another thing for him to deal with while he was making a decision about his future. The media that had been camped outside his house had not left yet, and it seemed that they had planned to stay there even longer. Tang En felt like a guy going to meet a prostitute whenever he came and went form his house, like he was avoiding being seen by people.

Tang En really wanted to use Chinese to scold those idiot reporters who shouted, "Readers have the right to know the truth!"

At least he was able to control himself. There was no reason anyway, because they would not understand Chinese. Besides, everything was so up in the air, he did not want to create more trouble.

Tang En hid himself at home that afternoon, searching for the lawyer Jack Landy\'s phone number. He needed to find out about the court summons that he might face.

"I told you, Mr. Twain, that you would be famous," Landy laughed after listening to Twain describe the whole story. He did not seem too worried. "I have already heard of your story from the newspapers. Although you insist that you did not, nor ever would kidnap a child, that means nothing in the eyes of the law. But the real problem is that the media is reporting that a professional football manager is suspected of kidnapping a girl. I\'ve seen the photos and reports… Mr. Twain, have you received a court summons yet?"

"It\'s only been a day, how is that possible?" Tang En asked.

"So let me evaluate your current situation, Mr. Twain."

Tang En suddenly interrupted Landy. "Mr. Landy, have you started charging me already?"

Landy laughed. "Not yet, Mr. Twain. This is a free consultation to thank you for allowing me to experience some dramatic moments in the FA Cup. So, back to the subject. If the relationship between you and the girl is as you have described, I think there is no need for you to worry. First of all, the girl\'s parents are the ones who must decide whether to prosecute you, and not her English auntie. Also, international prosecution is difficult. Even if they really want to prosecute you, they\'ll have to make their way to England. Honestly speaking, if the girl has nothing to say against you, then why would her parents come all the way here to prosecute you? When you returned the girl to her parents, she was healthy and happy, right? Am I making sense to you?"

"Yes," Tang En replied.

"I think anyone in their right mind would not prosecute you. If it were not for you caring for her, who knows if they would have gotten their child back? But don\'t forget that, according to the law, your actions could be considered as kidnapping. However, if they do not intend to prosecute you, or if they do, but the court rejects the case, you will be considered innocent. Of course, if you do receive a court summons, do not worry. I will be your lawyer and plead your case. Additionally, Mr. Twain, I have a piece of advice for you."

"Yes?"

"If the girl\'s family does not intend to prosecute you, you might consider prosecuting the media that has damaged your reputation. Actually, I have always hated The Sun. If this really happened, I will be more than pleased to be your lawyer. But not for free, of course."

Tang En laughed out loud. His bad mood surrounding the "prosecution" rumor was immediately gone. "What a brilliant idea, Landy! Yes, I will definitely think about this plan." He pulled back the curtain and looked at the reporters who still waited outside his house.

He had been struggling with all the media that was everywhere he went, but Landy\'s words cheered him up.

After he hung up the phone, Tang En looked at the Totoro soft toy that he had placed on his table. Actually, he was not fond of this kind of fluffy soft toy, but he kept it in his room. The cute Totoro did not at all match Tang En\'s masculine bachelor-pad.

He was not sure why he kept it. Maybe he just sat it there and forgot to take it out. Or maybe it was for other reasons?

Uncle Tony? Uncle Tony! Uncle Tony…

Tang En turned his head, but he could not hear anything.

That clear and melodious calling had gradually faded.