"Get off! Get off! You have ten minutes left!"
Ethan stepped off the team bus, followed closely by John, who was busy urging the players to head to the locker room and get changed before warming up on the pitch.
One by one, the players gathered their belongings and exited the bus through the front door. They entered the dressing room, quickly put on their kits, and then jogged out to the pitch for the pre-match warm-up.
Ethan, however, remained behind in the locker room, preparing his final motivational speech before kick-off.
This match had drawn significant attention across England. Reports from the media suggested that if Luiz Felipe Scolari's Chelsea team failed to impress, his tenure at Stamford Bridge might come to an abrupt end.
Ethan wasn't sure if his presence had altered history, but he knew that in the original timeline, Scolari had been sacked by Roman Abramovich a month later. Now, standing alone in the dressing room, he could hear the thunderous chants of Chelsea fans echoing through the walls.
The Premier League…
He clenched his fists. As a head coach, how could he not dream of managing at the highest level?
But Ethan remained grounded. Ambition meant nothing without results. Until he had truly proven himself, fantasies of coaching in England's top tier were just that—fantasies.
He stepped into the bathroom and splashed cold water onto his face, shaking off any lingering nerves. Staring at his reflection in the mirror, he took in his angular features and thick black hair, which partially covered his forehead. His bloodshot eyes reflected his relentless determination.
"Come on, Ethan!"
He straightened his posture, clenched his fists, and whispered to himself.
Meanwhile, across the world, in Guangzhou, China, a young TV station employee ran down the corridor of the Guangdong Television building.
"Director He! Look at this!"
The man stopped He Hongfa, a veteran commentator for Guangdong Sports Channel, just as he was heading toward the live broadcast studio. That evening, he was set to commentate on an FA Cup fixture.
Tottenham Hotspur vs. Wigan Athletic—one of the more competitive matchups of the third round. Most of the other Premier League clubs had been drawn against lower-league opposition, meaning this was one of the few all-top-flight encounters. Tottenham sat 16th in the Premier League with 20 points, while Wigan Athletic were punching above their weight in seventh place with 28 points.
"What is this?"
He Hongfa took the printed sheet the employee handed him. It contained a screenshot from a news website.
"Chinese Head Coach Leads Luton Town to Face Chelsea Away?!"
The headline stood out, punctuated with both a question mark and an exclamation mark, suggesting even the article's author wasn't entirely convinced of the news.
At the time, China's internet had just experienced a period of rapid growth, flooding the digital space with an overwhelming amount of information—some credible, much of it questionable.
A Chinese manager? Coaching Luton Town?
He Hongfa's first instinct was that this had to be fake news.
Checking his watch, he saw there was still an hour before kick-off.
"Wait here!"
Years of journalism experience told him that if this story was real, it could be a game-changer—especially for Guangdong TV, the only broadcaster in China with FA Cup rights. If a Chinese manager was indeed leading a team against Chelsea, viewership numbers would skyrocket.
Rushing back to his office, He Hongfa powered on his computer.
News…
He quickly found the article, which had already racked up hundreds of comments.
"Is this real?"
"Fake news! Stop spreading lies!"
"I don't believe it!"
Skepticism filled the comment section. China had produced very few professional footballers playing abroad, let alone head coaches. Even in Japan and South Korea, nations with stronger footballing infrastructures, it was rare to see coaches leading clubs in Europe's top leagues.
Damn this slow internet…
Impatiently, he waited as the page loaded at a crawl. The images hadn't even appeared yet.
Then, finally, the picture materialized.
A young man stood surrounded by players. Though the image was taken from a distance, it was clear that he had East Asian features.
At first glance, He Hongfa was almost certain—the man had distinct Hakka facial characteristics. He was Chinese.
But curiously, the article itself provided no concrete confirmation of his nationality.
Luton Town…
He Hongfa quickly searched for Luton's official website. It was entirely in English, but that wouldn't be a problem. He had to verify this story. If it was true, Chinese football fans were in for a historic moment.
Soon, in the coach introduction section, He Hongfa easily found Ethan's profile.
"Ethan Kai Wong?"
Ethan? Kai Wong?
Since the name was in english, He Hongfa realized that Ethan's exact Chinese characters were still unknown. However, in the next section, he immediately confirmed that Ethan was indeed Chinese.
In the nationality column, alongside the English word "China", there was also a small version of the five-star red flag.
A Chinese head coach in a European second-division club?!
This was big news.
Excited, He Hongfa visited a British football news website and searched for "Ethan"—and what he found was unbelievable.
"Chinese head coach leads team to ten consecutive victories—overcoming a massive 30-point penalty!"
A 30-point deduction and still level on points after ten league matches?!
This is incredible!
Another headline caught his eye:
"Former Chelsea U18 coach claims Scolari's tactical overhaul is doomed to fail!"
"Luton's Chinese coach criticizes Abramovich: 'He doesn't understand football!'"
He Hongfa was stunned. He never knew that Ethan had such a background in English football.
Just then, someone called out to him.
"Director, the live broadcast is about to start..."
"Wait a moment!" He Hongfa stood up.
"We're broadcasting this match instead."
Soon, major Chinese sports portals announced a sudden change in their FA Cup live broadcast schedule.
"Chelsea vs. Luton Town?"
"Luton? A second-division side? Why skip a proper Premier League fixture for this?"
Before people could even process the news, complaints flooded in.
At this time, Chinese internet culture was still in its early stages, and football fans weren't as well-informed as they would be a decade later.
Then, the updated headline appeared:
"Premier League giants Chelsea take on Luton Town, led by Chinese head coach 'Ethan'!"
A Chinese head coach?!
The internet exploded. Even Guangti Sports confirmed that Ethan was indeed Chinese.
One post stirred up a frenzy. Netizens who were fluent in English flocked to Luton Town's official website, generating so much traffic that the site crashed.
Even though it was already midnight in China, the sheer volume of interest was overwhelming.
This was the power of China's massive football fanbase.