February 26th—the second day off. Liverpool's training routine was about to resume.
The last day of a break always felt short, yet it was the one you most wanted to hold on to. Leo Lin lay in bed, leisurely playing video games.
It was ten in the morning. At four a.m., he had already gotten up and trained with Firmino on the pitch for two hours. After breakfast, he went home and slept again until ten.
Sleep after a workout was unbelievably refreshing. Feeling energized from head to toe, Leo Lin confidently opened PES.
After three straight losses, he had suddenly calmed down, slipping into a zen-like state. Then, as soon as he got up, he began harassing his good friends. Salah and Firmino had come over to his place the night before and stayed the night.
"Knock, knock!"
"Salah, wake up!!!"
"Let's go to Barnett's for brunch!!!"
"Knock, knock!"
"Firmino, stop sleeping!!!"
"Let's go to Barnett's for breakfast!!!"
"Ding dong!"
"Barnett, wake up!!!"
"We're here for breakfast!!!"
Ten minutes later, Barnett watched helplessly as the breakfast he had carefully prepared was devoured by the three of them. He clutched the last remaining egg in his hand, guarding it cautiously, afraid Leo Lin would snatch it away.
"Leo Lin, we're going to make a big move today," Barnett said, swallowing his egg as he looked over.
"What kind of big move?" Leo Lin asked, puzzled.
"You finally couldn't resist going after that beauty on Liverpool Street?"
Barnett was the kind of guy who, once he came up with a wild idea, would definitely carry it out. And those ideas seemed to live in his brain, lining up and taking turns popping out every day to give him fresh inspiration.
"Your online traffic has been soaring lately—especially after the last match. Your search volume on major social platforms has skyrocketed. This is a great opportunity for me to use."
Leo Lin almost thought he'd misheard.
Use him? Fine.
But to say it that bluntly, as if worried he wouldn't get the point?
"So how exactly are you going to use him?" Firmino asked with interest.
"Use him?" Barnett stared at Leo Lin and suddenly broke into a mysterious grin.
"Of course we're going to use him properly!"
"Firmino! Salah!"
"At your command!"
"Lift Leo Lin up. We're heading out!"
Firmino and Salah had no idea why they were listening to Barnett, but they hoisted Leo Lin up anyway, shoved him into Barnett's sports car, and drove straight to Barnett's agency.
Today, the entire staff at Barnett's agency was holding recreational activities. It was the company's relaxation day—also known as welfare day.
Barnett was handing out perks across the board: extra bonuses, exquisite afternoon desserts, and various entertainment activities.
And the biggest perk of all was Firmino, Salah, and Leo Lin.
Yes, Firmino and Salah were part of the benefits package too. Barnett had practically sold them off—and they were even helping him count the money.
The three of them stood on the rooftop terrace of Barnett's luxurious headquarters building, facing a crowd of agency employees.
They had played in front of tens of thousands of fans before. Yet facing this group of employees, they actually looked unusually reserved—almost awkwardly introverted.
Because at that moment, every employee—male or female—had only one reaction: staring intently at the three Liverpool players in front of them.
The day before, Barnett had declared in the company group chat:
"I guarantee I'll bring at least three Liverpool stars to celebrate relaxation day with us!"
"You'll be able to get autographs, take photos, and play games with them!"
And so, the fun began.
All kinds of mini-games and activities kept the trio busy, and before long, they were genuinely enjoying themselves.
Although Barnett had dragged them here, he didn't let them overexert themselves. He declined requests for individual photos and instead arranged group pictures in batches. During the games, the three of them mostly acted as referees.
As Leo Lin looked around at the members of Barnett's agency, he couldn't help feeling astonished.
He had never really understood how massive a billion-pound agency could be—until today. The sheer number of employees alone was staggering, even surpassing the total staff count of Liverpool Football Club.
And every single person here was top-tier talent in their field. A master's degree in economics was completely ordinary. The agency didn't just have master's graduates—it had PhDs and even postdoctoral researchers.
"See that middle-aged man laughing like crazy over his £100 bonus?"
"He's my head of finance. A PhD in economics from one of London's top universities. I pay him £300,000 a year. He keeps the entire agency's finances perfectly balanced—absolutely first-rate."
"And that beautiful woman over there? She's the chief front desk manager. PhD in business administration."
"Anyone here could be considered elite at another company. Yet some of them can only work reception here."
"That's the main reason my company has always been the leading agency in England."
"To get into my company, you first have to survive society's natural selection. After standing out in that process, you still have to go through another round of evaluation once you're here."
"Every year, each department conducts a fresh review. Only employees who perform exceptionally well and make significant contributions that year can continue advancing."
"For those who show no improvement, I have the departments analyze their issues, point out future development directions, and give them focused training."
"When a new year begins, I bring in fresh blood again, creating a new round of competition."
"Do you understand? While I strengthen the company's foundation, I gradually introduce new blood, driving growth—just like the circulation of blood in the human body."
"It's like running. Constantly making the company, like a body, stronger and stronger, keeping the blood flowing smoothly."
Barnett patted Leo Lin on the shoulder.
"Remember what I said today. You might need it someday."
Leo Lin didn't understand.
Someday he'd need it?
He wasn't going to run a talent agency—how would this ever apply to him?
Not far away, Firmino and Salah had already blended in with the employees. Smiling, Leo Lin grabbed Barnett and pulled him into the game.
Today was a perfect day.
...
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