Chapter 22 of 100
Chapter 22: Targeting a Million
14 min read3,586 words
On June 20, 2000, at 8:45 PM local time in Belgium, the match between Belgium and Turkey kicked off.
Lin Feng, having spent most of his money on lottery tickets, couldn't afford to buy a beer at a bar and sit down to watch the game leisurely, waiting for the money to roll into his pocket. Fortunately, to celebrate the European Championship, the Brussels municipal government had installed several large-screen TVs in the square for Belgian fans who couldn't attend the matches, allowing them to cheer for Belgium.
Naturally, Lin Feng was among the crowd, but he was rooting for Turkey, who were destined to win 2-0.
As expected, Hakan Şükür burst into action at a critical moment, scoring two goals to help Turkey defeat Belgium, eliminating the host nation and advancing to the quarter-finals.
Amid the sighs of regret from the Belgian fans, Lin Feng's cheers were particularly loud and jarring. Fortunately, Belgian fans were generally rational and civilized; if they were as fiery as English fans, Lin Feng might not have left Belgium alive after his celebratory cheers.
The next day, after claiming his prize, Lin Feng's 17,000 Belgian francs turned into 59,840 Belgian francs. Without hesitation, Lin Feng bet all his money on Romania, the only underdog in the next day's match. Of course, this time Lin Feng didn't forget to set aside 9,840 Belgian francs for living expenses, or he wouldn't have been able to enjoy the thrilling match between England and Romania. The only regret was that the tickets for this European Championship had long been sold out, and Lin Feng had no way to experience the fervor of the European Championship fans on-site.
In this group, Portugal had already secured their place in the next round with two consecutive wins. England, with one win and one loss, was second in the group. Romania, also with one win and one loss, was third. Germany, with one draw and one loss, was fourth and had already lost their chance to advance.
In essence, the winner of the England vs. Romania match would advance to the quarter-finals. Since England had a goal advantage, they would also advance with a draw. The odds for this match clearly showed that the public had no doubt about England's qualification.
England to win: 1.45 odds, draw: 1.12 odds, lose: 2.2 odds. The odds suggested that most people expected England to draw with Romania.
As the match whistle blew, the life-or-death battle between England and Romania officially began. This time, Lin Feng leisurely bought a bottle of beer and sat in a bar, watching the intense match and waiting for more money to roll into his pocket.
At 23 minutes into the first half, Romania's No. 13, Chivu, crossed the ball into the goal! The ball went in from the far post! [England vs. Romania (0-1)].
Following the goal, the bar erupted with curses and loud table-slapping. The bar owner merely frowned but didn't intervene, aware of the notorious reputation of English football hooligans, whom ordinary people dared not provoke.
Lin Feng, of course, wouldn't provoke these infamous hooligans. He didn't even cheer, just drank his beer and secretly rejoiced.
At 40 minutes into the first half, Shearer passed the ball to Ince, who was tripped by Chivu.
Goal! Shearer confidently scored the penalty! [England vs. Romania (1-1)] at 41 minutes into the first half.
"Boss, a dozen beers!" After Shearer equalized, the previously dejected English fans immediately became generous, ordering a round of beers and celebrating with their companions.
At 49 minutes into the first half, Scholes passed the ball to Owen, who dribbled past the goalkeeper and scored! [England vs. Romania (2-1)].
"Go! Go! Go! Go! ~~~" The English fans in the bar went wild, slamming their tables.
"Boss, two more dozen beers!" The English fans grew more excited with each drink.
The bar owner was also delighted, eagerly delivering the two dozen beers. It seemed that as long as England won, the English fans were not only the most passionate but also the most generous and extravagant fans in the world. No wonder, despite the notorious reputation of English football hooligans, bar owners in various countries still welcomed these fans during major tournaments.
There was a news report that in the 2002 World Cup European qualifier between England and Greece, Beckham's final free-kick not only saved England but also saved the European economy. It made sense that the enthusiasm of English fans could make the world's beer manufacturers ecstatic if England continued to win.
Of course, the only ones who wouldn't be happy were the local police. After all, England rarely won all the way through, and when they were eliminated, it was a test for the local police system.
Fortunately, although England was no longer a top-tier team, they were still a football powerhouse. If their level was as poor as China's, UEFA might consider banning England from participating. — Lin Feng thought to himself.
At 4 minutes into the second half, Romania's No. 8, Munteanu, scored from a long-range shot! [England vs. Romania (2-2)].
"No~~~~~" The English fans, who had been wild with excitement, couldn't believe that they had been leading for less than 10 minutes and were now tied at the start of the second half.
Lin Feng shook his head, finished the last sip of his beer, glanced at the dejected English fans, and left. He had to leave; if England lost and was eliminated from the European Championship, these already red-faced English fans might do something drastic, and Lin Feng didn't want to be caught in the crossfire.
At 44 minutes into the second half, Romania was awarded a penalty and easily converted it. Romania led 3-2! [England vs. Romania (3-2)].
When the final whistle blew, chaos erupted throughout Brussels. The source of the chaos was, of course, the angry English fans. Fortunately, the Belgian police were well-prepared. Although the emotionally charged English fans caused considerable unrest, there were no bloody incidents, which was a fortunate outcome.
The next day, after claiming his prize, Lin Feng had 88,000 Belgian francs. However, he wasn't very clear about the upcoming matches. Fortunately, he knew that France and Italy would meet in the final, which he wouldn't forget.
Since he couldn't remember the final score, Lin Feng didn't dare to bet all his money on a win or a draw. In the end, when France won the European Championship, Lin Feng only won a little, ending up with about 200,000 Belgian francs.
However, the 100,000 Belgian francs he had bet on France to win at 2-9 odds turned into 450,000 Belgian francs.
For the top scorer, Lin Feng had bet on Kluivert and Mijatović, each with 150,000 Belgian francs. However, the top scorers turned out to be Kluivert and Miroslav Klose.
Lin Feng stared at the list of top scorers, his eyes wide open, almost ready to swallow Mijatović. Damn it, why did they have to have such similar names, differing by just one letter, resulting in a loss of 3.75 million Belgian francs. Damn it, a single letter was worth a fortune.
In the end, Lin Feng calculated that he had earned a total of 4.32 million Belgian francs from the European Championship, minus the costs and living expenses, which converted to RMB, netted him a million RMB.
With this million RMB, Lin Feng believed he could expand "Chufeng Net City" and take his business to the next level.
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