The following morning, Manchester was bathed in warm sunshine.
The old industrial city seemed wrapped in a golden cloak, looking brighter than ever.
After Čech arrived in Manchester, the club had asked whether he wanted to live with a supporter family or rent a place of his own.
If he chose the first option, the club would make the arrangements, and the family would help him settle into daily life.
If he chose the second, he would live independently, although the club would help him find a suitable property and arrange domestic assistance when necessary.
Čech considered both options before choosing to stay with a supporter family.
As a newcomer to Manchester, he was still unfamiliar with the city. His first priority was adapting to life there as quickly as possible, so having people around to help him seemed the better choice.
Once he had settled in, he could rent a place of his own.
"Hey, Petr!"
The family hosting him were devoted New Manchester United supporters.
Although the club had existed for only a few years, they had been official members from the beginning and had also enrolled their children in the club's youth-development programme.
Čech turned and saw that the woman of the house had called him.
"Good morning, Mrs. Taylor."
"You were incredible yesterday, Petr! Absolutely incredible!" she said excitedly.
Čech smiled, nodding modestly and looking slightly embarrassed.
"You don't have training today, do you? Where are you going? I'll drive you," her husband called as he hurried out of the house.
It appeared that the previous day's match had earned Čech several new admirers.
"No, thank you, Mr. Taylor.
"I'm going back to the training ground. I can run there.
"I feel as though I still need to improve, so I want to do some extra training," Čech explained awkwardly.
"Yes, of course. That's the right attitude, Petr. Keep working hard!" Mr. Taylor replied with a smile.
Čech left the house in a cheerful mood.
As he moved through the neighbourhood, residents repeatedly greeted him.
Several even ran over to ask for autographs, embrace him, or take photographs with him, including a few young women.
All of it was because of his performance the previous day.
Čech reminded himself of that firmly.
The house was not far from the Newton Heath training base.
He jogged the entire way, using the journey as his warm-up.
That was also how he usually travelled to training every morning.
Today, however, the area outside the training ground looked completely different.
Dozens of reporters had gathered near the entrance.
There appeared to be at least thirty of them, while a long row of broadcast vans lined the road outside.
Newton Heath had never witnessed anything like it.
Beep! Beep!
Two blasts from a car horn sounded behind him, startling Čech.
He turned and saw Ethan leaning out of the window of a BMW convertible.
"Hey, Petr. What's going on?" Ethan asked, clearly in an excellent mood.
Čech pointed toward the reporters.
"They..."
"It's all right, Petr. You're a star now. You'll need to get used to this kind of attention.
"Come on, get in. I'll drive you through."
Čech immediately climbed into the passenger seat.
Ethan sounded the horn several times, forcing the reporters to move aside.
The elderly security guard hurried out to open the gates, allowing Ethan's car to enter while blocking every reporter who attempted to follow.
"These reporters are completely mad, aren't they?" Drogba said from a short distance away as he and several teammates stared at the scene outside the gates.
There had once been a time when the training ground was almost deserted.
Now it looked like this.
"They're probably here to interview Petr and Ivica," Curtis said with a laugh. "And Mourinho, of course.
"That attack on the referee yesterday was magnificent. I thought he chose his words perfectly."
Almost at that moment, another car arrived at the entrance carrying Mark and Mourinho.
The reporters immediately surrounded it.
Mourinho and Mark soon managed to calm them down, then pointed toward the administrative building, where New Manchester United's press-conference room was located.
Clearly, the club intended to admit the reporters and hold an official media session.
Under the direction of club staff, the reporters entered the training base in an orderly line.
Many took photographs along the way, apparently astonished by the modern and comprehensive facilities at Newton Heath.
"I'm glad you're all here," Mourinho said as he approached the players after Mark left to organise the press conference.
He scanned the group, spotted Olić and Čech, and waved them over with a smile.
"All right, you two stars. Come with me.
"I'm sure the reporters would love to speak with you."
Olić and Čech both looked surprised.
However, amid the laughter of their teammates, they followed Mourinho toward the administrative building, leaving the others behind to watch enviously.
From his office upstairs, Ethan smiled as he watched Curtis usher the remaining players away.
Behind him, his secretary was reporting on the press conference and had already prepared a statement concerning the referee's performance in the previous day's match.
New Manchester United had hired an experienced newspaper editor as the club's chief press officer.
He was responsible for preparing everyone, from the owner to the security staff, for media interviews so the club could maintain a consistent public image.
The statement in Ethan's hand had been written by the press officer and his assistant.
Mourinho and the players attending the conference had also received guidance, although theirs consisted only of a few points to remember.
Ethan alone would formally announce New Manchester United's complaint against the referee.
The others were simply expected to answer questions.
Ethan glanced through the statement, placed it in his pocket, and picked up the telephone.
"Hello, Curtis."
"Boss? Why are you calling me now?" Curtis sounded cheerful on the other end.
Ethan smiled.
"Juninho can't go today because something has come up.
"I need you to visit Manuel and check on his injury. You should also see Giorgio.
"They probably both need support right now.
"I'm going to be very busy today, and you're the team's vice-captain. This is part of your responsibility. Understand?"
Curtis immediately agreed.
"I know what to do, Boss. I'll leave now."
"Pay particular attention to Giorgio. I imagine he's in a terrible state after yesterday.
"You need to help him through it."
Ethan did not want the future first-choice centre-back for Italy to be damaged by one disastrous match.
He still had extremely high expectations for Chiellini.
"Don't worry, Boss. I understand," Curtis promised.
Ethan ended the call with relief.
Although Curtis was only sixteen, he was unusually mature and handled responsibility with great composure.
Since becoming vice-captain, he had willingly taken on more duties and earned the respect of his teammates.
Ethan trusted him completely with the matter.
Just as he put down the phone, one of Mark's assistants arrived to inform him that the press conference was about to begin.
...
New Manchester United were represented at the press conference by Ethan, Mourinho, Čech, and Olić.
Speaking on behalf of the club, Ethan announced that New Manchester United had completed its evidence file and would submit it to the FA that day.
The club would cooperate fully with the investigation in the hope of protecting a fair competitive environment.
Mourinho also answered questions from the media.
He admitted that he had criticised the referee after the match, but insisted that his remarks had been directed solely at the official's performance and were not intended as an attack on the FA.
He made it clear that he was willing to cooperate with any investigation.
However, he continued to argue strongly that the FA needed to improve the standard and competence of its referees.
Olić and Čech had been New Manchester United's outstanding performers the previous day.
Yet given the wider controversy surrounding the match, neither became the main focus of the press conference.
Instead, most attention remained on Ethan, who repeatedly confirmed that he would travel to London personally to discuss the matter with the FA and that New Manchester United would support the investigation completely.
The statement sounded highly official.
However, as the chief press officer had explained, this was precisely the tone the FA preferred.
At the end of the conference, just as the reporters had obtained what they needed and were preparing to leave Newton Heath, a young couple approached Čech with a child of around two years old.
They said they had become his supporters and asked whether he would sign something for them.
The father explained that he and his wife had struggled to decide on a name for their son.
After watching the previous day's match, they had finally chosen Peter.
They hoped that one day their child might join New Manchester United's academy and become an outstanding goalkeeper like Čech.
Ethan watched the unexpected scene and glanced suspiciously at Mark.
He assumed it was a publicity stunt arranged by the Commercial Department.
Mark looked equally surprised and shook his head firmly, indicating that he knew nothing about it.
The reporters, however, were fascinated.
Sensing another strong story, they immediately surrounded the couple and began asking questions.
Ethan quickly stepped forward.
He asked a staff member to find the smallest New Manchester United shirt available and personally placed it on the young supporter.
He then publicly announced that the boy would become an official junior member of the club from that day onward.
Once he reached the appropriate age, he would be invited to train at the academy.
The photographers immediately began taking pictures again, privately admiring Ethan's quick thinking.
The young couple were delighted and thanked him repeatedly.
"By the way, what is your son's full name?" one of the club's staff members asked.
"Peter. Peter Jackson."
Ethan nearly burst out laughing.
What a name.
Even Peter Jackson, the director of The Lord of the Rings, had somehow found his way into the story.
The coincidence drove the reporters into an even greater frenzy and almost caused the entire scene to descend into chaos.
Fortunately, New Manchester United's new press officer stepped forward and restored order, allowing Ethan and the others to escape.
Over the following days, the Red Rebels appeared repeatedly in Britain's major newspapers, sometimes even on the front page.
The coverage was not only about New Manchester United's complaint against the referee.
It also focused on the tiny supporter who shared his name with the director of The Lord of the Rings.
(To be continued.)