Huang Hao gently held the diamond ring in front of his eyes, examining it carefully.
Although the diamond on the ring looked very small, the craftsmanship was exceptionally exquisite.
The main stone was surrounded by 10 beautifully inlaid petals, which, combined with the teardrop-cut diamond, outlined a flowing, ornate pattern, radiating a vibrant glow.
After admiring it for a full ten minutes, Huang Hao slowly put down the diamond ring and sighed softly.
This outcome did not surprise An An. For some reason, when she saw Huang Hao sigh, An An felt a slight pang of sympathy for the man in front of her.
"Sir, if your budget is limited, I suggest you look at other brands."
An An couldn't help but lower her voice, whispering to Huang Hao.
If her supervisor heard her pushing a customer away, she probably wouldn't even have this internship opportunity.
An An secretly looked around, and seeing that no one was paying attention to her, she quickly added:
"Sir, please don't misunderstand. Perhaps you don't know, Harry Winston's position in the jewelry field is very, very high, and the premium is also very high, so if your budget is limited, other brands also have very good diamond rings, which is why I suggested you look around more."
Hearing An An's words, Huang Hao suddenly grinned.
Seeing that Huang Hao wasn't angry because she had tried to push him away, An An also breathed a sigh of relief, then nodded heavily, signaling Huang Hao to adopt her suggestion.
"An An, thank you for your kind reminder. I sighed just now because this diamond ring is indeed beautiful, but unfortunately, the main diamond is a little too small."
An An took a deep breath when she heard Huang Hao's words. Men, they all care too much about face!
He clearly couldn't afford it, but he insisted on saying the diamond was a little small.
However, being kind, she didn't intend to expose Huang Hao so directly.
"Mhm, mhm, so you should take a good look again, maybe you'll find an even more perfect ring."
Huang Hao smiled and didn't respond to An An.
Instead, he stood up from the chair, walked to the counter, pointed to a diamond ring in the counter, and said:
"Excuse me, Miss An An, I want this one."
Huang Hao's action once again attracted the attention of all the sales assistants in the store!
This time, everyone's gaze was not simply mockery, but filled with surprise and doubt!
Huang Hao, who had just been complaining about being poor, suddenly pointed to a diamond ring weighing a full 3 carats!
An An, who was standing beside him, was too shocked to speak!
"Miss An An, don't worry, I'm not joking, I want this ring."
"Sir... Sir, if, if you really want this one, you can come with me to the VIP room in the back."
An An, who had finally managed to calm down, was encountering someone specifically asking for a 3-carat diamond ring for the first time. For a moment, she even became a little flustered.
"No problem. If a deposit is required, that's fine too."
Looking at Huang Hao's confident gaze, An An was sure he wasn't joking.
There were no rules in the store that allowed them to refuse a customer's request!
An An gritted her teeth, nodded heavily, then walked out from behind the counter and extended her hand backward, guiding Huang Hao to the VIP room.
"Is she crazy! This person is clearly just messing with her!"
"Too crazy, he can't possibly buy such an expensive ring!"
As the two entered the store's VIP room, the sales assistants outside couldn't help but whisper.
Out of duty, the store manager immediately rushed to the VIP room after hearing the news.
"Hello, esteemed sir.
Are you looking to purchase this 'Heart of Winston'?"
After receiving Huang Hao's affirmative answer, the store manager Fiona still didn't quite believe him and continued:
"Sir, you truly have excellent taste. This 'Heart of Winston' boasts a D color and FL-IF clarity, making it a very expensive product in our store."
"OK, so Miss An An, where do I go to pay?"
Huang Hao clearly saw the store manager's intention. After playing the game of 'acting like a pig to eat the tiger' long enough, Huang Hao felt it was time to end it.
"Sir, if you confirm that there's no problem, I can bring you the payment device."
The store manager immediately said, seeing that Huang Hao was serious.
"I only have one question to confirm: does the commission go to her?"
An An was once again stunned by Huang Hao's question.
She never expected that Huang Hao's last question would be to protect her interests.
"Sir, Annie is your service representative for this visit. Our company has strict regulations, and any commission generated from a sale will be fully given to Miss Annie."
"Payment."
After receiving the store manager's confirmation, Huang Hao generously paid for the diamond ring.
Until he signed his name on the receipt, Huang Hao never once asked for the price of the diamond ring.
120,000 pounds!
Close to one million RMB!
Looking at Huang Hao's retreating figure, An An for the first time felt a little envious of the owner of this diamond ring.
Her colleagues came over one after another, congratulating her on closing a big deal.
An An, who hadn't quite reacted yet, could only keep nodding in response to her colleagues.
Although she could no longer see Huang Hao, she still gazed blankly into the distance.
As Chairman and Head Coach, Huang Hao currently earned a weekly salary of 20,000 pounds at Cambridge United.
However, his annual salary of less than one million was still a full 300,000 less than that of McCarthy, the Head Coach of Wolves, who had the lowest annual salary in the Premier League at the moment!
Not to mention Ferguson, who topped the list with an annual salary of 7 million pounds. Even Moyes, whose performance was far inferior to his own, could take home 3 million pounds from Everton.
In comparison, Huang Hao's price was no longer just a 'conscience price'; it was a 'conscience-broken-to-the-bone' price.
Despite this, the diamond ring only cost Huang Hao a month and a half's salary, which for him, with few regular expenses, was not a difficult task.
Having sorted out the diamond ring, Huang Hao immediately felt much more relaxed.
On Saturday afternoon, Huang Hao looked forward to the match at Stamford Bridge during the pre-match press conference.
The young Head Coach, dressed in a suit, chose his words very carefully.
"Chelsea is a very difficult team to beat. Although they sometimes lose one or two matches, Carlo Ancelotti's team is still the most dominant in the Premier League.
Their elimination from the Champions League allows Chelsea to focus more on the League.
Although Cambridge United theoretically still has a chance to win the championship, compared to Manchester United and Chelsea, we are just a little brother!"
Relying on sheer passion to charge forward sounds wonderful, but Cambridge United does not yet have the absolute strength to crush other giants, especially on their home ground. Playing the role of a pig to eat the tiger is the way to go, and winning would be a pleasant surprise.
By Sunday afternoon, most of the other matches in the 29th round of the Premier League had already concluded, with only three matches scheduled to kick off simultaneously this afternoon.
In the matches that had already finished, Arsenal narrowly defeated Burnley 3-1 at Highbury, securing all 3 points.
Manchester United, meanwhile, secured a 1-0 victory against Wolves, stopping their slump.
The match between Chelsea and Cambridge United was the final highlight.
On Sunday afternoon, the traveling Cambridge United once again arrived in London, this time visiting Stamford Bridge in West London.
Although they trailed Manchester United by as many as 5 points in the League, Chelsea still had a chance to win the championship.
Therefore, the attendance at Stamford Bridge was still packed.
Amidst the thrilling and noisy atmosphere, the players of both teams walked onto the pitch with their heads held high.
Carlo Ancelotti stood on the sidelines with a slightly melancholic expression. Chelsea's high-level management had not stated that they would fire him, but Fleet Street relentlessly predicted his dismissal day after day, and a continuous stream of successors emerged. The mental pressure he endured was unimaginable, to the extent that his agent recently spoke to the media, saying that Carlo Ancelotti did not wish to leave English football. This was originally a hint to Chelsea, but it was predicted by the media that Carlo Ancelotti might turn north and take over White Hart Lane after leaving Chelsea! One can imagine how annoying Fleet Street was!
Huang Hao also stood on the sidelines with a serious expression, knowing in his heart that Chelsea was inherently difficult to play against.
No one knew what Huang Hao was muttering to himself as the players entered the field, looking at Chelsea's starting lineup.
Carlo Ancelotti, Carlo Ancelotti, show some courage!
Chelsea, Chelsea, don't give up your ambition for the League title!
When there is no significant difference in team strength, the home team, if they don't want to win, basically finds it very difficult to lose!
And a team that doesn't want to lose is also very likely not to lose!
Only teams that really want to win will bear a relatively higher risk of losing!
This situation is the quantified risk relationship between offense and defense.
Huang Hao hoped that Chelsea would play this match with the ambition to win, otherwise, Cambridge United might find themselves in a very difficult situation during the game.
"Welcome to Stamford Bridge, where today's Premier League Round 29 finale is an internal battle between two top-six teams!
Chelsea hosts Cambridge United!
Let's take a look at the starting lineups for both sides.
The home team Chelsea starts in a 4-4-2 formation.
Goalkeeper: Čech.
Defenders: Ashley Cole, Ivanović, Terry, Bosingwa.
Midfielders: Malouda, Essien, Lampard, Deco.
Forwards: Drogba, Anelka.
Indeed, Carlo Ancelotti fielded his usual starting lineup.
Cambridge United's starting formation is 3-5-2.
Goalkeeper: Oblak.
Defenders: De Vrij, Lovren, Van Dijk.
Midfielders: M'Vila, Kante, Mahrez, Juninho, Tadić.
Forwards: Vardy, Lewandowski.
Cambridge United has truly brought out its elite; Huang Hao is challenging Chelsea with his strongest lineup, seemingly determined to win the match!
What kind of sparks will the two teams create in the match? Let's wait and see!"
Chelsea's starting lineup had already displayed a clear and definite attitude: pressing above all!
Carlo Ancelotti, watching the two teams on the field already arrayed and ready for kickoff, his arms crossed and brows furrowed, now had only one belief: to win the championship!
Now that it was the second half of the League season and they had been eliminated from the Champions League, with an owner like Abramovich who only valued championships, he could only keep his coaching position by winning the Premier League title.
The battle at Stamford Bridge began.
The Chelsea fans in the stands cheered for their team with hoarse voices and great excitement, hoping to see the Blues crush Cambridge United at home!
They also needed to prove themselves with a victory against the promoted team!
Who says we only rely on money?
And who can say that money cannot quickly make a team strong?
After the match began, both teams played steadily for the first 5 minutes, and the pace of the game briefly settled into a very stable state.
In the 6th minute of the match, Chelsea launched an attack from the left wing, a not-unexpected primary direction of attack.
Deco's cameo as a right winger meant that their right flank would be primarily defensive, while Malouda's left flank and Lampard in the center would be the main attacking directions, giving Cambridge United the initiative to focus their defense.
Essien played a diagonal pass from the central midfield to the left wing. Malouda actively ran to receive the ball near Tadić, who followed him closely. But Malouda let the ball pass behind him, simultaneously stopping sharply and turning to chase the ball. Tadić also stopped sharply and turned to chase.
However, as the left-footed Malouda began to push the ball forward on the wing, he was able to use the right side of his body to fend off Tadić's challenge, giving him an advantage in shielding the ball.
Tadić's sudden pressing attempt failed, and Malouda instead accelerated and shook him off.
As Malouda entered a high-speed dribbling state, he saw Kante and De Vrij forming a double-team ahead, and he turned his head to check the situation in the center.
Lampard quickly followed up, and he unhesitatingly played a horizontal pass.
But just as Lampard was about to touch the ball, to his dismay, Juninho's diagonal slide tackle got to the ball first, sending it behind him!
"Juninho's tackle broke up Chelsea's attack! Lewandowski dropped back to receive, this is a Swansea counter-attack opportunity!"
Lewandowski, dropping back, got to the ball before Essien and immediately distributed it wide.
Deco had originally intended to follow the attack, but suddenly, Cambridge United shifted their focus, and the situation changed dramatically. He stopped sharply and chased back, but in front of him was Mahrez leading the ball forward on the wing, launching a quick attack.
Mahrez has had a relatively high attendance rate in recent matches and is in good form. As he dribbled forward, he faced Essien, who was coming over to assist in defense. Just as Essien was about to make a tackle, Mahrez feinted half a circle with his right foot in front of the ball, then used the instep of his left foot to flick the ball and change direction, moving into the center!
Essien was instantly surprised, a thought flashing through his mind: He's stronger!
Just over three months ago, when the two teams met, Mahrez, though strong, certainly didn't possess the same confidence and fluid ball control he displayed now.
Especially in high-level matches!
This season, as experience accumulated in top-tier competitions, Cambridge United's overall progress was constantly evolving throughout the season.
And the changes in the team's star players were naturally the greatest, because they faced more powerful opponents, which pushed them to become stronger day by day!
After Mahrez moved into the center, Terry shifted to the area in front of the box, preparing to intercept.
At this moment, Mahrez didn't force it, but instead played a diagonal short pass to Juninho, who was following up behind him.
Vardy in the center moved towards the front right of the penalty area, while Lewandowski surged forward, cutting directly into the empty space on Chelsea's left flank of the penalty area.
Their speed caught the Chelsea defense somewhat off guard. Juninho calmly observed the situation ahead, and as he rushed up to about forty yards from the goal, just entering the dangerous attacking zone, he scooped the ball forward with a chipped pass into the left flank of the penalty area!
Terry watched the ball fly over his head; there was nothing he could do about such an attack!
Juninho directed the ball towards the left flank of Chelsea's penalty area.
Ivanović, in the right flank, had a better advantage in marking Vardy, while Lewandowski's jumping, hang time, and heading ability were clearly stronger. Bosingwa, who came over to assist in defense, was clearly no match for Lewandowski!
From the perspective of opportunity, Juninho naturally believed that a through ball over the top to Lewandowski would have a better chance of scoring!
Although they had the home advantage, the match had just begun, and Bosingwa was a bit slow to start, having just recovered from a serious injury. If Carvalho hadn't been injured, forcing Ivanović into the center, Carlo Ancelotti wouldn't have started Bosingwa in this match.
He was clearly caught off guard by Juninho's sudden over-the-top through ball. As the ball dropped behind him, he retreated and jumped, trying to clear it with a header, even if he could just graze the ball, that would change its trajectory!
But at the moment he reached the peak of his jump, the ball just dropped past about 20 centimeters above his head!
Bosingwa thought to himself: "It's over!"
And Lewandowski, who charged past him from about a meter away, met the falling ball and headed it directly towards the goal!
At this moment, goalkeeper Čech had already rushed out of his goal. He seemed to have no expectations for Bosingwa, so this time he happened to block Lewandowski, raising both hands squarely to block Lewandowski's header!
"OMG! Čech's incredible save! Lewandowski's close-range header couldn't find the net! Bosingwa still seems to be recovering from his injury. At such a crucial moment, he misjudged the header!"
The Chelsea fans in the stands breathed a sigh of relief, still shaken, while the Cambridge United fans who had come to Stamford Bridge felt unwilling.
Lewandowski himself held his head, finding it hard to believe.
Čech, however, was relieved; he had been incredibly nervous just now.