4: First impression of female reporter

Lin Feng looked at the uninvited female reporter in front of him.

Sophie Green, just as the club's good-natured secretary had informed him over the phone, was dressed in a sharp professional suit with black-rimmed glasses perched on her nose, making her appear both intellectual and somewhat sharp.

Her interview notebook and voice recorder were ready, and a professional smile was on her face, but the eyes that looked through her glasses were full of scrutiny and inquiry.

“Hello, Mr. Lin, I'm Sophie Green, a reporter from the Hartlepool Mail. It's an honor to have the opportunity to interview you.”

“We have many questions about you and the future of Hartlepool United that we'd like to ask,” Sophie Green said politely, her gaze quickly and subtly sweeping across the somewhat simple office, finally settling on Lin Feng's unremarkable, but to outsiders, overly youthful face.

Lin Feng gestured for her to sit on the old sofa opposite him, his expression as calm as ever, even though this was only his second time in such a situation.

“Miss Sophie, please sit. I'm happy to answer your questions, as long as they don't involve too many business secrets.” He knew in his heart that what she most wanted to know were precisely those so-called “business secrets.”

Sophie Green smiled faintly, clearly not surprised by his watertight opening statement.

She opened her interview notebook and, with almost no small talk, went straight to the core: “Mr. Lin, the fans of Hartlepool are full of gratitude and curiosity towards you. You resolved the club's debt crisis of nearly a million pounds in such a short time; it's practically a miracle. We want to know, what is the true source of this huge sum of money? And what attracted you to acquire an English League Two club that was on the verge of bankruptcy at the time?”

The questions were sharp and direct. Lin Feng was well-prepared and smiled as he repeated the answer he had already given to bank managers, city officials, and countless curious inquiries: “I acquired Hartlepool United when it was still a League One club, although it was relegated to League Two last season.”

“But I believe the team will definitely return to League One next season. I am optimistic about this club's potential and historical heritage. I believe that with proper management, it is fully capable of occupying a place in English football.”

“I made some relatively successful investments in the international financial market, and I was lucky,” he explained the “reasonableness” of his funding source and expressed his “confidence” in the club's future. As for whether she believed him, that was beyond his control.

Sophie Green was clearly not entirely satisfied with this official answer. Her pen quickly scribbled notes in her notebook, and she immediately changed the subject, but Lin Feng could feel her probing gaze had not left him: “So, Mr. Lin, do you have any specific plans for the future of Hartlepool United? The fans are very concerned about the team's goals for the new season.”

“As I just said, we will definitely return to League One next season,” Lin Feng continued to answer.

“As for how exactly we'll do it, I think time will tell. Hartlepool United will surprise everyone.” He cleverly avoided specific details like player transfers and tactical reforms, only giving a broad goal. He saw Sophie Green's eyebrows raise almost imperceptibly, clearly surprised by both the “vagueness” and “ambition” of his answer.

Just as Sophie paused her questioning, in Lin Feng's mind, the World-Class Club Development Platform also provided its initial assessment of the female reporter:

“Character Scan: Sophie Green. Profession: Sports Reporter. Potential Rating: B+ (Media Field). Remarks: Possesses excellent professional ethics and keen insight, with a persistent pursuit of truth. May become a well-known media personality in the future. Recommendation: Good relations can be established to a moderate degree, but attention must be paid to information confidentiality.”

“B+ potential? She seems like a character worth noting, but also a lot of trouble,” Lin Feng thought to himself, his vigilance towards her increasing.

Sophie Green keenly captured the immense ambition beneath the calm in Lin Feng's words.

She nodded, quickly jotting notes in her notebook, but had already made up her mind that this young Chinese owner, and the series of unusual actions by Hartlepool United since he took over, were definitely worth long-term, in-depth tracking.

She sensed that beneath Lin Feng's calm exterior lay a shrewdness far beyond his age and unknown secrets, which excited the professional instincts within her young reporter's body.

The interview lasted nearly an hour. Sophie Green asked some more questions about club operations and youth training development. Lin Feng gave appropriate and forward-looking answers, but of course, he revealed nothing of the core information.

Finally, Sophie Green closed her interview notebook and politely stood up: “Thank you very much for accepting my interview, Mr. Lin. I look forward to Hartlepool United's performance in the new season, and we at the Hartlepool Mail will continue to follow it.”

“Thank you for your attention too, Miss Sophie. I hope next time you can report our good news,” Lin Feng also stood up to see her off, his tone polite.

After seeing Sophie Green off, Lin Feng's expression returned to its usual calm. He walked to the window, watching Sophie Green's small Fiat disappear at the end of the street.

Appropriate exposure was good for enhancing the club's image, but excessive probing could also bring trouble, especially since he harbored a huge secret.

However, at the moment, he had more important things to deal with.

He rubbed his temples, refocusing his attention on the most pressing issue at hand — the team's strength, or rather, the lack of the team's offensive capability.

He opened the Player Radar module in his mind and, with a thought, once again locked his scan target on the Hartlepool United first-team forwards.

“Scan Target: Adam Boyd (Forward), Potential Rating: D, Evaluation: Occasionally has a flash of brilliance, but overall strength is insufficient to support promotion goals, poor Countermeasures, hesitant in front of goal.”

“Scan Target: Joel Porter (Forward), Potential Rating: D-, Evaluation: Physical quality is acceptable, technique is crude, lacks goal-scoring instinct, stopping the ball three meters away is common.”

“Scan Target: James Brown (Forward), Potential Rating: E+, Evaluation: Recommend clearing him as soon as possible, keeping him in the team is a pure waste of food expenses.”

The results were the same as when he scanned other positions before: a dismal array of D-level, or even E-level potential ratings, which made him frown deeply.

Hartlepool United's frontline could only be described as “horrible.” With such an attack, let alone promotion, even avoiding relegation would be difficult.

“It seems that solving the debt is just the first step in a long journey,” Lin Feng muttered.

“The most urgent task is to use the system to find that future legendary striker who can change the team's current lack of attacking power! Immediately!”