In the midst of the frenzied crowd at Son Moix Stadium, Jose Alemany clapped his hands, watching as Coach Cooper was lifted and thrown into the air by the players.
At just twenty-five years old, Jose was still quite young. Many of Mallorca's players were older than him. He had gone to the United States at eighteen to study, but after two years, he dropped out and returned to Mallorca. His father was shocked when he came back because in those two years, Jose had made an enormous fortune—close to two hundred million dollars in cash!
Jose had always avoided discussing how he earned the money, but the only thing Alemany knew for sure was that it had been earned honestly on the New York Stock Exchange. Earning two hundred million dollars in two years was a miracle, and although five years later, few people remembered this young Spaniard who had increased his wealth so dramatically, many still wondered why he suddenly gave up his career in New York to return home. Time, however, was the best remedy for forgetting, and after three years of nearly secluded study in a professional coaching course, Jose Alemany, once a prominent name on the New York Stock Exchange, was gradually forgotten. He then entered the Mallorca Club, becoming a coach for the youth team. Halfway through the season, he joined the first team as an assistant coach to Coach Cooper, and that was where he stood today.
Perhaps only Jose himself knew why he chose to withdraw at his peak. This was a secret that only he knew.
While applauding, Jose's mind drifted back to the conversation he had with club president Asensio two days prior.
"Young man, you've done well in your position as assistant coach this past year... Coach Cooper has been praising you to me," Asensio said.
In response to Asensio's words, Jose simply smiled slightly without answering.
Asensio wasn't bothered by this. He stood up and walked around his office: "You and Juan grew up together, and I've been friends with your father for years... Two years ago, when he asked me to have you join Mallorca as a coach, I thought it was just a young man's whim. But after these two years, your performance has been outstanding. You've impressed all the youth team coaches, and once you entered the first team, Coach Cooper couldn't stop praising you... Honestly, Jose, seeing you now, I'm happy."
"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. President," Jose replied politely, nodding. "But this is the career I chose, so naturally, I do it well."
"Exactly," Asensio nodded, then steered the conversation into more serious territory. "Jose, I called you here to tell you something."
"What is it?" Jose asked, although he already had an inkling.
"This season, we've done well. However, next season, there will be major changes... I will be stepping down as president of the club, and Coach Cooper will also leave his position as Mallorca's head coach," Asensio said slowly, gazing at Jose.
This was surprising news, but Jose only showed a brief flash of surprise in his eyes, his face otherwise expressionless. Asensio, noticing this, felt that this young man was indeed extraordinary. Maintaining such composure wasn't easy.
What Asensio didn't know, though, was that Jose had already known about these changes—what was happening hadn't occurred yet for him, but he already knew the future, as if it were already history.
"Coach Cooper will be going to Valencia. Mallorca will need a new coach—would you be willing to take the position?" Asensio continued.
This was undoubtedly a powerful question. No coach in the five major European leagues was as young as Jose and yet in a position to become the head coach of a club. Although there was the factor of Jose being practically a Mallorca local, it still showed how much Asensio valued him.
But Jose gave an answer that surprised Asensio: "Sorry, Mr. President, I think I still need to gain more experience... Next season, our club will play in the Champions League for the first time, and we need a more experienced head coach to lead the team. Whoever the head coach is, I will do my best to assist them."
Asensio was stunned. He looked at Jose for a long time before nodding slowly.
After a moment of reflection, Jose smiled lightly.
"Right now, I won't take the head coach position at Mallorca... Mr. Asensio, what I want to do isn't just be a head coach! At least not with the current Mallorca; it's not the club I envision."
"With the Asensio family holding 60% of the shares, and Grandé holding 30%, along with the other shareholders, the power in Mallorca lies in the hands of these people... I'm confident I can turn Mallorca into a top club, but I'm sorry, with so many constraints, it's nearly impossible to make Mallorca a top club. There's always talk of fiscal balance, and when a player performs well, they'll just be sold, and the money goes to shareholders... Are we just supposed to work hard to build something for them? What a joke! It's frustrating! When a club isn't owned by one person, no one wants it to grow—they only care about using it to make themselves money. At this rate, Mallorca will never amount to anything, no matter how well-run it is!"
Later that night, as Jose lay in bed, he recalled what his father had said earlier.
"Jose, Antonio told me today that starting next season, I'll be the president of Mallorca... Although it's just a job, it doesn't matter. Antonio and I have been friends for thirty years, and he'll definitely support me at the club. Don't you want to be a head coach? Work hard, and if you have the ability, I'll make sure you become the head coach!"
Remembering his father's cheerful words, Jose couldn't help but smile.
Becoming the head coach wasn't out of the question, but just as he had thought before, he didn't want to work for the management of Mallorca. Even if he did, it would be futile.
"Two hundred million dollars in starting funds... it's not enough, still not enough. For now, I have no choice but to wait. At least Grandé isn't willing to give up his shares, and now that Mallorca is in the Champions League, the value has increased... It's a pity I only have this much starting capital. If I had more, I'd go buy Google's stock, and wouldn't need to think so hard."
Sighing, Jose raised his right hand. An unusual phenomenon occurred. A small panel gradually formed in his hand, growing until it filled his palm. It flickered with strange light but didn't show anything.
"These bastards... gave me this little thing without even telling me how to use it. What a scam."
Jose muttered, then closed his hand, causing the small panel to disappear.
This was Jose's biggest secret—he didn't belong to this era. He was a young man from China, from ten years in the future, who had come to Mallorca for a vacation. After a surfing accident, he had thought he was dead, but something inexplicable happened.
Even now, Jose could still vividly recall the terrifying scene.
"What's going on? This guy has fifty more years to live. Why is he here?" a rough voice shouted.
"Sorry, boss, you know, mistakes happen occasionally!" another voice responded, trying to appease him.
"Enough talk, close his memories and send him back," the rough voice ordered.
"This..."
"What's the matter?"
"Sorry, boss, I had a bit too much to drink yesterday, and was late. By the time I retrieved his soul, his body had already been eaten by sharks. But I brought back the shark fin, boss, want a bite?"
"You idiot, I knew you'd be the one to drag me down..."
A chaotic brawl ensued. After a while, Jose finally saw something—a massive, hideous bull head appeared before him. It had deep purple bruises and several large lumps.
"Ghosts!" Jose screamed in terror.
"We're not ghosts, kid... Watch your mouth. You're going to die one day, and when you do, we'll be waiting," the bull-headed figure growled.
After some time, Jose finally calmed down. Piecing together what he had heard, he deduced the truth—he shouldn't have died, but due to the others' mistake, he had, and his body had been eaten by sharks.
Jose had originally planned to extort them, but it seemed that government workers everywhere were all the same.
"If you want to get rid of me, there are plenty of ways. You still have fifty years left, right? Let's leave you here for fifty years, and when your life ends, we'll send you back to reincarnate. How about that?" the bull-headed figure laughed sinisterly.