Chapter 84

In July 1995, the Spice Girls released their single "Wannabe." As soon as it was released, the song quickly topped the UK charts, creating a sensation in the music industry and generating great anticipation for their next works.

The song "Wannabe" alone set numerous records and, seventeen years later, when the Spice Girls reunited, they performed it again at the closing ceremony of the London Olympics, reigniting the audience's enthusiasm.

On a sunny afternoon, in the southeast of London, the Den Stadium was already filled with nearly ten thousand people. The fans were not seated but were standing on the stands, happily swaying to the rhythm inside the stadium. The song being repeatedly played in the stadium was the Spice Girls' "Wannabe." It wasn't that Audrey was promoting the Spice Girls; it would be an insult to the Spice Girls or a way to boost Millwall's image. The most popular and well-liked songs naturally pleased the most fans.

The fans were uniformly dressed in dark blue jerseys, which were Millwall's new season jerseys, very meaningful as this was the first season of the Premier League and the first home game. The fans spontaneously wore the jerseys, turning the stands into a sea of blue.

The players were still preparing in the tunnel, while Audrey arrived on the field early. As he passed by, the fans would greet him warmly.

Audrey walked towards the East Stand, moving up the aisle. Fans near the aisle would ask him for autographs or photos. With over twenty minutes left before the match, Audrey patiently took photos and signed autographs for each fan, then continued to move upwards.

As he passed a female fan, Audrey was unexpectedly pulled and kissed on the cheek.

Audrey was startled and looked at her in surprise.

The female fan, who looked to be in her early twenties, had an average appearance and seemed to be a college student. She had three female companions nearby. Seeing Audrey's "shocked" expression, they burst into laughter. Her three companions even moved closer, intending to do the same, but Audrey quickly continued up the aisle.

At the top of the East Stand was a box renovated in the summer. Although there were not many, Audrey had it done to allow his family to watch the game and to provide a better working environment for the live broadcast team. So, he reduced some seats and converted them into boxes.

Inside the Sky Sports live broadcast booth, the two commentators, Martin Taylor and Andy Gray, naturally saw the scene through the camera lens.

Audrey was now the focus, and as soon as he appeared, the camera focused on him.

"Hehe, Audrey Hall was scared by a female fan! I didn't expect Audrey, who is like a matador at Old Trafford, to surrender just from a kiss on the cheek, hahaha!"

Meanwhile, on the lower tier of the East Stand, five female spectators were standing, who were the Spice Girls, yet to be recognized.

They saw the scene from above. The youngest, Emma, turned to Melanie with a smile and said, "He's so popular, hehe, and he's such a handsome guy. How about I kiss him too?"

Melanie pushed her towards the aisle with a teasing smile, "Go ahead."

Emma, caught between laughter and tears, said, "I was just joking. I don't like guys younger than me."

Melanie shrugged, "You're only a few hundred days older than him, and besides, you won't feel like he's a young guy when you're with him."

"Hey? Do you mean I can pursue him?"

"But he won't like a spoiled little girl like you."

"I'll go kiss him!"

"He's here."

"Huh?"

Emma turned around and found Audrey right in front of her, smiling, having recovered from his earlier embarrassment. He extended his right hand and said with a smile, "Welcome to the game."

Emma stuck out her tongue and shook hands with Audrey, then stood still.

The other Spice Girls were actively swaying to the music in the stadium, as if they were in a nightclub.

Audrey shook hands with each of them, and the camera followed, with the fans below also looking in their direction. Upon recognizing the five Spice Girls, a commotion ensued.

Reluctantly, Audrey had to invite them to the box.

Actually, Audrey came up not to greet the Spice Girls but to say hello to his family in the box.

In one of the boxes, Arthur, wearing Millwall's home jersey, had taken over the club chairman's position from this season. It wasn't that he liked the limelight; it was just that the workload of the chairman increased after entering the Premier League, and Audrey was too busy. Arthur, being a die-hard Millwall fan, took on the responsibility without hesitation.

The portly Arthur and his wife Amelia stood by the window of the box, with Barnett and Andrew conversing behind them. Audrey's sister-in-law Lea sat on the sofa, holding a one-year-old boy, Bowen Hall, who was Audrey's nephew, born before he returned to London last summer.

The ambition of the Hall family was fully embodied in the eldest brother. He was rapidly expanding his business, and although he might be destined to be a nouveau riche, he gave his son a name with noble connotations.

Audrey arranged for the Spice Girls to be in the adjacent box and then went to the box where his family was.

After entering, Audrey first squatted in front of the sofa, holding little Bowen's hand and shaking it, grinning, "Bowen, do you miss Uncle?"

"Mommy!"

Bowen innocently called out to Audrey.

"Hey, Audrey, he can only say 'Mommy' and 'Daddy' right now."

Lea, caught between laughter and tears, said.

Audrey leaned down and kissed Bowen's forehead, then stood up and hugged his two brothers. Turning around, his mother Amelia kissed his forehead and complained, "Audrey, why don't you move back home?"

"But I'm very busy with work. Don't worry, I'll come home three times a week, and you can make my favorite beef."

Amelia sighed helplessly.

Arthur, with a ruddy face, looked down at the Den Stadium. Wearing a jersey, he had no air of a club chairman, more like an old rascal.

Audrey walked up to him, put his arm around his shoulder, and said with a smile, "The stadium is still a bit small. In a couple of years, we'll build a bigger one, bigger than Old Trafford, and you'll see even more beautiful scenery."

Arthur was very excited today. He also put his arm around Audrey's shoulder and said excitedly, "I can't believe it. When you weren't even born, I and the brothers could only stand on the stands. There were no seats then. We stood from the start to the end of the match, singing and dancing. If we didn't like someone, we'd give them the finger and curse them. If we were unhappy, we'd fight after the match. Ha, thinking about those days, it was crazy. But now, being here, it feels like a dream. Son, you're amazing. You not only make me proud but also all the Millwall fans. Manchester United underestimated us, and now they're the fools. Today, Arsenal is the same. Beat them and show them that from today, Millwall is the boss, and they can eat shit!"

Arthur, who was initially excited, became furious at the end. Audrey found it strange; Millwall and Arsenal didn't have such deep-seated grudges, did they?

"Huh? What did Arsenal do to you?"

"It's that Premier League roundtable meeting. F**k! Edwards, that old pervert, said Millwall's image damaged the Premier League's interests. I grabbed his collar, and he started begging for mercy, a coward! Bates, that fool, was smug, saying Stamford Bridge welcomed the World Footballer of the Year and that everyone should learn from Chelsea to contribute to the Premier League. I called him a fool and said Chelsea was a retirement home. Everyone laughed, and the worst was David Dein, who proposed that Premier League stadiums with a capacity of less than 20,000 should rent larger stadiums. Everyone knew it was aimed at Millwall. F**k, I just don't like this guy. After I cursed his family, he shut up."

Audrey couldn't stop laughing, saying, "Those well-dressed thugs met a real old thug!"

"They deserved it!"

Arthur shrugged nonchalantly.

The Premier League roundtable meeting was a kind of "board meeting."

In a sense, the Premier League was a large company, and the club owners were shareholders. There would be members leaving and new ones joining each year.

Like the office politics seen everywhere, the Premier League roundtable meeting also had power struggles, factions, and suppression of rivals for interests. For example, Edwards was already planning the "European Super League," especially since Manchester United lost their Champions League qualification last season, leading to financial losses. They wanted to be in the top European leagues long-term. David Dein was a hero of the Premier League, instrumental in its establishment, and his influence was felt everywhere. Small clubs had little say, and even if they did, they had to unite to counter the interests of the big clubs.

However, overall, they would stand united externally. No matter how intense the conflicts at the meeting, they would keep secrets after leaving the table. The only consensus was that the better the Premier League operated, the more money they would make.

Just as Audrey was about to leave, the box door was pushed open from the outside. Audrey saw Arsenal's vice-chairman David Dein enter the large box with a suave and elegant middle-aged man.

Audrey was stunned, and David Dein looked at him curiously. However, the man beside him walked up to Audrey, a smile on his face, and said warmly, "Long time no see, Audrey."

Audrey, regaining his composure, extended his hand and said in surprise, "It's been a long time, Arsène."

Arsène Wenger stood before him!