Buzz... buzz...
The phone on the bedside table kept vibrating, rattling softly against the wood. Ethan, who was used to sleeping in silence, was jolted awake. He glanced at the dull grey sky outside the window, then sank back into bed, utterly listless.
Last night, he had drunk himself senseless at Walsh's Pub to celebrate New Manchester United's return to the top of the National League table. Drinking with the supporters had been great fun at the time. Now, he had to suffer through the headache that came with the hangover.
Since their away win against Kidderminster in the twelfth round, New Manchester United had been unstoppable, winning seven straight league matches. After October began, they finally overtook Kidderminster and Boston again, reclaiming first place in the league.
Everyone at New Manchester United was thrilled to take back the position they had lost, especially Ethan. He could feel the team building momentum, and their performances on the pitch were becoming smoother and more cohesive with every match. Essien, in particular, was becoming increasingly reliable, although he would soon have to leave for Ghana's youth-team training camp to prepare for the U-17 World Championship in New Zealand.
In Ethan's previous life, it was at that very U-17 World Championship that Essien had been spotted by Ligue 1 side Bastia and taken away from Ghana. But now, Essien was a New Manchester United player. Ethan was confident that no one would be able to snatch this African gem away from him.
After the difficult match against Kidderminster, Juninho's form had also improved compared to pre-season. His influence on the pitch was becoming more and more apparent. Although he had not fully settled into the team's tactics yet, he had already begun to show his value, especially with his passing and his dangerous free kicks.
This season, New Manchester United were playing in the National League, so they would enter the FA Cup directly in the fourth qualifying round at the end of October. If they successfully reached the proper rounds, they would have to balance both the league and the FA Cup in November. The FA Trophy would also begin in December.
The upcoming schedule was going to be extremely demanding, so Bruce had already drawn up a plan for the team. They needed to pick up as many points as possible in October to prepare for the packed fixture list ahead.
Of course, Ethan did not need to worry too much about that. The team had scientific experts like Professor Fryer and Derek, as well as football coaches like Bruce and Cassel. There was no need for him to micromanage everything. That was exactly why he had allowed himself to drink so much at the pub last night.
Buzz... buzz...
The phone started vibrating again.
Ethan lazily reached out from under the covers, yawned, grabbed the phone, and answered without even checking the caller ID.
"Hello, Ethan speaking. Who is this? Why are you calling so early?" Ethan's tone was far from friendly.
He had drunk far too much last night. When he woke up that morning, his mouth was dry, his throat was sore, and he had no idea whether it was inflamed. His mood was already terrible.
"You really know how to sleep. It's almost ten o'clock, and you're still in bed? You call this early?"
Eva's sweet voice came through the phone like a splash of clear, cool water, waking Ethan up at once.
"Heh, so it's you, Eva!" Ethan suddenly felt a little embarrassed.
"Didn't you tell me before that you wake up before seven every morning to exercise? Were you lying to me?"
Ethan gave an awkward laugh. "Today is an exception. I was with some friends last night, and I got a little too happy. I ended up drinking too much."
"Oh, really? You're the boss, so no one cares if you're late, right? Poor me. I've been waiting for you at the city-centre station for almost half an hour!" Eva said angrily over the phone.
"Waiting for me?" Ethan was a little surprised.
He did not remember making plans with Eva.
But the moment that thought crossed his mind, Ethan slapped his forehead. He remembered now. A week ago, while they were talking on the phone, he had told Eva that he wanted to buy a car but had no idea how to choose one. She had said she would be back in England today, so they had agreed to go car shopping together.
"Well? Remember now?" Eva had clearly heard the slap through the phone and laughed.
"I'm sorry, Miss Superstar. I'll be there in fifteen minutes. Find a café or restaurant nearby and wait for me there. Breakfast is on me!" Ethan immediately apologized with a smile.
After they agreed on a meeting spot, Ethan jumped out of bed and rushed to wash his face and brush his teeth.
Some people said a car was a man's second love, and every man dreamed of owning one.
Ethan had always wanted a car. In his previous life, however, he had only been an ordinary office worker. After deducting his daily living expenses from his monthly salary, forget buying a car, he probably would have struggled to afford even a single tire.
But after being reborn, Ethan had become a wealthy man. Naturally, he now had the right to enjoy the pleasure of owning a luxury car.
Influenced by his previous life, Ethan loved sports cars most of all. He especially liked supercars that could turn heads the moment they appeared on the street. To him, that was simply too cool.
Ethan was not usually someone who liked to show off, but buying a car was different. When it came to cars, he did not mind a bit of flash.
When it came to sports cars, Ethan had been quite knowledgeable in his previous life and could talk about them endlessly. Aston Martin and Lotus were both good choices, and they were British brands. Ferrari and Porsche were also worth considering, but his first choice was still Lamborghini.
As one of England's major cities, Manchester naturally had an authorized Lamborghini dealership. Ethan had already asked Jim, the taxi driver known as the "Manchester City Expert," about it before bringing Eva to the city centre.
Whenever Eva went out, she always wore oversized sunglasses. Her long, beautiful hair was tucked beneath a stylish hat. She wore a fitted T-shirt on top and black jeans on the bottom, showing off her elegant figure perfectly.
"I think you should wear an old lady's fur coat the next time you go out," Ethan said with a smile, glancing at the pedestrians who kept looking at Eva.
Eva reached out and lightly punched him, but she still took his arm with effortless style. The two walked into the authorized Lamborghini dealership side by side.
The dealership did not only sell Lamborghini sports cars. It was also an Audi specialist store. That reminded Ethan that Lamborghini had been acquired by Volkswagen in 1998, so this dealership was probably as official as it got.
"Good morning, Mr. Chairman!"
As soon as the two entered the showroom, they immediately drew the attention of the sales staff.
Seeing Ethan's puzzled expression, the man pointed to his name tag. He was actually the manager of the dealership.
"I used to be a Manchester United fan, but now I support New Manchester United too!"
Ethan laughed when he heard that. He was already getting used to being recognized by supporters whenever he went out.
"Are you here to look at cars today?" asked the sales manager, whose name was Jack.
Ethan nodded. "I'd like to take a look at your Lamborghinis."
Jack immediately led the two of them toward the Lamborghini section.
As they passed through the Audi area, Ethan paid special attention to the models on display. Compared with the Audi cars he remembered from his previous life, these looked very old-fashioned.
But after thinking about it, that was only natural. He was looking at 1999 models through the eyes of someone from 2010, so of course the designs seemed outdated to him. To people from this era, however, that was clearly not the case.
At least Eva seemed to have a good impression of the cars. She was obviously considering buying one for herself.
When they reached the Lamborghini section, Ethan still felt a little disappointed. The few Lamborghini sports cars on display all looked like older models to him.
"What? You don't like them?" Eva asked with a smile when she saw Ethan frowning beside her.
Ethan nodded. "The designs don't feel striking enough. I prefer sports cars with a stronger personality."
"Then why not try Audi?" Eva clearly liked Audi quite a bit.
To her surprise, Ethan still shook his head. "Their designs don't really do it for me either."
Standing nearby, Jack could only smile bitterly, but he was not surprised. There were plenty of picky car buyers like Ethan, and compared with some of them, Ethan was not that bad.
"I never would have guessed. You're really particular about cars," Eva said with a laugh.
Ethan and the others were standing a short distance away from Jack, so Ethan gave a helpless smile and said, "It's not that I'm overly particular. It's just that these cars feel too plain. I don't think they have enough character."
"Lamborghinis have no character?"
A middle-aged man who was clearly also here to buy a car suddenly joined the conversation from the side.
Standing beside him was an older man who had probably come with him to look at cars. Ethan had noticed the two of them pointing and discussing the cars since they entered the showroom.
"It's hard to explain. I just feel like something is missing. They aren't quite the style I like," Ethan replied.
"Then what kind of style do you like?" the older man suddenly asked.
When the topic turned to cars, Ethan immediately became interested.
"I think men look at cars the same way they look at women. The first thing they notice is the front, especially the headlights. My favorite kind of headlights are the ones with real presence, like a pair of sharp eyes staring straight ahead."
As he spoke, Ethan pictured the headlights of the 2011 Audi R8 he had seen back in 2010. They had looked truly fierce.
The middle-aged man and the older man both found Ethan's words interesting. They enthusiastically pulled over a couple of chairs, sat down nearby, and gestured for Ethan to continue.
"As for the doors, I prefer Lamborghini's scissor doors. Honestly, the first time I saw those doors, I fell completely in love with them. I think only a genius could design something that brilliant. They're incredible."
As he said this, admiration showed clearly on Ethan's face. The middle-aged man and the older man glanced at each other and smiled, as if Ethan had just praised them personally.
"Beyond that, when it comes to the overall look of the car, I think it should combine several elements. Power, dominance, style, presence, and individuality. But it can't be too stiff. It should have smooth curves while still feeling unmistakably distinctive."
At that moment, Ethan thought of the Chevrolet Camaro from Transformers, along with many other sports cars from brands like the Audi R8, Porsche, and Ferrari. Their silhouettes drifted through his mind, overlapping again and again.
The older man beside him saw Ethan's absorbed expression. Somehow, he produced a piece of cardboard and a pencil, handed them to Ethan, and urged him eagerly.
"Draw it. Come on, draw it!"
(To be continued.)