Gao Bo didn't know that, thousands of miles away in Shanghai, a young man was preparing to leave home and chase his dream in England.
After the tenth round of the league, Luton faced a midweek match in the Football League Trophy, known in the 2008–09 season as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy. The competition is reserved for clubs in League One and League Two, designed to give lower-division teams a stage of their own while bigger clubs fight in the FA Cup and the League Cup. It began in the 1980s as the Associate Members' Cup, and although the structure of the Football League has changed over time, the tournament has endured, simply taking on new sponsors and new names along the way.
For a club like Luton, its importance varies from year to year. Some teams see it as a rare chance to reach Wembley, while others use it purely for rotation. Gao Bo didn't treat this fixture as a priority. He sent out a full lineup of youth players and placed no demands on the result. For him, this match existed purely as a training opportunity. Luton's true focus remained the league.
In the end, Luton's opponent was Brentford from League One. Away from home, Luton suffered their second defeat of the season. Brentford won 2–1, eliminating them from the competition.
Gao Bo had no intention of investing too much energy in the cup. League Two itself has forty-six matches, and Luton's squad was relatively thin. Even with the few signings he had brought in, the gap between the starting lineup and the bench remained huge. Gao Bo could not assume the starting group would stay injury-free all year, so he used his main players very cautiously.
Injuries are a nightmare for any professional. On October 17th, during training, Charlie Austin suddenly sat down on the ground, clutching his ankle with a pained expression.
Gao Bo's brow tightened, and team doctor Haruko Sakuragi immediately hurried over for an examination.
After a preliminary assessment, the news was not encouraging.
"Charlie has a sprained ankle. He'll need at least two weeks to recover."
Gao Bo frowned. No one ever wants to see injuries, but on the pitch, they're unavoidable. He hugged the visibly frustrated young Austin to comfort him.
Charlie was bitterly disappointed. He had been thrilled to be playing professional football, yet now he was forced to step aside.
Matt Smith's eyes flickered when he saw Charlie Austin's injury.
At first, Matt had believed he would be Luton's starting striker, but Vardy and Charlie Austin had locked down the two main spots. It had become difficult for him to start matches, even though he was the first-choice substitute up front and had already scored four league goals. With the team winning game after game, chances for substitutes naturally became fewer. A winning team does not change its formula.
Matt and Charlie Austin had no personal conflict, but objectively, Charlie's injury meant Matt's opportunity had arrived.
On October 18th, Luton hosted Accrington at Kenilworth Road.
The most notable change in this match was the new strike partnership: the towering Matt Smith alongside Vardy.
Before kickoff, Gao Bo needed to choose his card combination.
After ten league rounds, he had successfully leveled up to Level 2, increasing his card slots from three to four.
His current system status displayed:
Football Edge System
Name: Gao Bo
Level: 2 (1500 / 10000)
Nationality: Chinese
Date of Birth: August 30, 1981
Occupation: Football coach
Cards owned: 12
Special Skill: Scouting Vision (cooldown 24 hours)
His highest-level cards were still the two blue cards obtained at the start. The blue game card was a fixed necessity.
In addition to that, he selected three more cards.
After more than ten consecutive rounds of card draws, Gao Bo had finally obtained a yellow card.
[Game Card (Yellow): Heading ability increased by 8%, can be assigned to any player]
Previously, he had always used this card on a central defender, because Luton didn't rely on long balls—neither Vardy nor Charlie Austin had an advantage in the air. But with Matt Smith starting, strengthening the crossing routine became essential. After all, he was a striker standing at 198 centimeters.
He also chose two more cards:
[Game Card (Yellow): Speed increased by 7%, can be assigned to any player]
He assigned this one to Vardy.
Then there was a white card that improved passing ability by 3%, which he placed on Kevin Nicholls.
Although Gao Bo owned many cards, very few were actually useful.
What he looked forward to most now were the rewards he would receive at the end of the season.
In this match, Accrington knew Charlie Austin was injured and believed they could take points from Kenilworth Road. They sat deep, refusing to give Vardy any space to attack, and left a quick forward up front to threaten on counters. Even without scoring, taking an away point would already count as success for them.
In fact, after Luton's long winning streak, many League Two clubs—especially those near the bottom—had begun paying close attention. When facing Luton, they retreated deep and played defensive counterattacking football. Although Luton sat last in the table due to the deduction, their true strength was recognized by everyone. Without the 30-point penalty, they would have been competing for the title.
Against such a compact defense, Luton struggled. Breaking down a low block is a challenge for even the best teams, and Luton was no exception.
The first half ended 0–0. Accrington's players were thrilled—they had kept Luton at bay and rarely allowed clear chances.
At halftime, Gao Bo adjusted his approach.
Vardy's effectiveness dropped sharply when he had no space to accelerate into, and Accrington had tightly marked him throughout the first half, which explained why Luton's attack had been stagnant.
In the second half, Gao Bo shifted the focus to the wings. Accrington soon noticed the increase in wide deliveries.
Matt Smith's 198-centimeter frame placed enormous pressure on their penalty area. In the 68th minute, he finally seized an opportunity. Kevin Nicholls delivered a cross from the right, and Smith wrestled past his marker, rose above him, and powered a header on target. The Accrington goalkeeper reacted quickly, diving to parry the ball, but the rebound dropped into the box.
Vardy, lurking like a fox in the shadows, arrived at just the right moment and tapped the ball into the net.
It was the only goal of the match.
Despite the win, Gao Bo wasn't pleased. The game had revealed many problems.
First, in future league matches, they would face many more opponents using similar deep defensive setups. How were they supposed to break down such compact blocks?
The question gave him a headache.
The players didn't dwell on such things. From their perspective, a win was a win—why overthink it?
In the dressing room, Gao Bo dismissed the team and granted them a day off, prompting cheers throughout the room.
But he didn't leave immediately. The issues exposed today needed solutions. He decided to return to the office at the training base.
As he walked out of the stadium, Magis rushed over, panting.
"Coach Gao Bo, there's a Chinese boy asking for you."
...
Gao Bo was certain he had never met this young man. In truth, if the stranger hadn't been Chinese, he wouldn't have had the patience to stand there at all.
He looked at the young Chinese man in front of him. The lad was about 176 centimeters tall, with messy hair and a worn, tired face, probably in his early twenties. He clutched a grey trolley suitcase, paint still dried on his right hand, a large black backpack slung over his shoulders. He wore a black T-shirt under an old brown jacket with a broken zipper, and jeans torn at the knees. In the October chill of England, he was visibly shivering.
Seeing Lin Sen dressed like a passing tourist, Gao Bo's smile stiffened. He immediately felt he had been fooled. He assumed this was just some trick by a Chinese visitor. After all, he was something of a local figure in Luton. There weren't many Chinese tourists travelling through London—though not none—and it wouldn't be strange for someone to "accidentally" show up, take a few photos with the Luton "celebrity," then return home to post them on a blog with embellished captions or sentimental commentary.
He checked his watch. This encounter had already wasted nearly fifteen minutes of his time.
Lin Sen, dragging his suitcase and adjusting his backpack, spotted him. Compared to how Gao Bo looked on television, he still had the same energy in person: standing tall, smiling faintly, composed and vigorous. Ever since entering Luton, Lin Sen had noticed the friendliness the locals showed toward Chinese people—and he was convinced that much of it stemmed from this man.
He straightened his collar. To him, this moment was an interview, and he had to present his best self. But weeks of stress and exhaustion had left him looking worn down.
Lin Sen knew that coming to the UK, simply finding Gao Bo was only the first step—and the easiest. The real challenge was convincing him to accept him into the coaching staff. Before leaving China, he had searched the internet for every "interview technique" he could find, then pieced together a script for himself.
After adjusting his collar and clearing his throat, he felt ready. It was the sort of misplaced confidence fresh graduates often had. He didn't notice that Gao Bo's smile had already turned to impatience.
"This isn't an area tourists can enter, young man." Gao Bo raised his hand, checked his watch again, then turned to leave. If not for the man being a compatriot, he wouldn't have bothered to say even that much.
Gao Bo glanced once more at him before walking away, leaving Lin Sen completely stunned. All those prepared lines evaporated from his mind. When Gao Bo had already walked several meters, Lin Sen finally reacted.
He forgot every interview tactic he had rehearsed and simply shouted, "Please take me in, Coach Gao!"
Gao Bo turned around wearing a look that clearly said: Is this a joke? I'm Chinese, not a charity worker. Who hears "Please take me in" from a stranger and actually accepts him?
In Gao Bo's mind, Lin Sen's image had shifted—from a pushy tourist to an unhinged young man with unrealistic fantasies.
Desperate, Lin Sen rushed to explain his situation and handed over proof of his work—a thick notebook containing the player database he had built over the years.
Gao Bo was stunned. He hadn't imagined someone would watch a match, then decide to travel across the world with no guarantees whatsoever.
His expression softened. It wasn't admiration for Lin Sen's "persistence." It was sympathy. To find such a Don Quixote-like fool in real life was surprising enough—but for that fool to appear here, in his care, felt like misfortune. Even if none of this truly had anything to do with him, Gao Bo couldn't bring himself to abandon a young admirer who had just arrived in a foreign country. He was not a cold-hearted man. The headache came when he considered that he might even have to help this kid buy a ticket home…
But he still took the notebook Lin Sen handed him.
What he saw inside left him genuinely surprised. The pages were filled with densely compiled data. The young man had used mathematical methods to track statistics on most players in the Championship, and even included his own tactical and performance analyses.
As Gao Bo read, Lin Sen explained his understanding of football.
He had to admit—this young man had real potential. His grasp of football concepts was far beyond that of an ordinary supporter. More importantly, he was only in his early twenties.
Gao Bo became serious. In truth, his coaching staff lacked someone who could act as a dedicated data analyst.
He set aside his earlier impatience and said, "Come with me."
Lin Sen exhaled in relief. After Gao Bo walked past him, he quietly clenched his fist in celebration. The first step was a success.
After speaking with him in the office, Gao Bo decided to hire the young man into his coaching staff. At Luton, aside from the club owner, Gao Bo had the highest authority. From the first team to the youth academy, every department fell under his responsibility. His coaching staff was entirely his to assemble.
But before hiring Lin Sen formally, he set a probation period.
"On November 5th and November 8th, we'll face Walsall at home in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy and Altrincham at home in the FA Cup. You'll be responsible for collecting information on both teams. After you finish your analysis, compile a report for me. I expect the report for Walsall before the fifteenth round of the league."
"Yes!!! Coach!!!" Lin Sen beamed. He hadn't even discussed salary yet.
"In the next few days, I'll arrange for club staff to let you watch their matches. But if you pass the probation period, I recommend you get a UK driver's licence. Boy, you're going to be very busy." Gao Bo patted him on the shoulder.
The Johnstone's Paint Trophy didn't matter much to Gao Bo. Even winning it meant little—the prize money was barely under £100,000. The FA Cup, however, was important. Now that Luton had been knocked out of the League Cup, he had no intention of giving up on the FA Cup. Reaching the third round meant the possibility of drawing a Premier League giant.
Even just playing away at a Premier League stadium would bring in hundreds of thousands of pounds from ticket revenue and broadcast shares.
That was real business.
Everyone must fulfil their responsibilities, and as manager, Gao Bo had to consider Luton's financial situation.