Chapter 37

The matter of signing the contract did not go through, and Manager Wang appeared a bit unhappy. He opened his mouth to speak to Lawyer Zhu beside him, "Zhang Guan did not sign the contract, it seems his father was the one who instructed him. His father probably wants more. I think we can still try to persuade Zhang's father, there's no need to give up so quickly."

Lawyer Zhu smiled and said, "That might be difficult; the headquarters cannot offer too high a price."

"True," Manager Wang nodded and said softly, "The one above us and the CEO of the Asia-Pacific region have always been at odds. The initial purpose of signing the athlete for endorsement was also to secure more budget."

Manager Wang did not elaborate, but Lawyer Zhu had heard a bit about this matter. It was normal for regional executives of multinational companies to have conflicts. Today you might block me, and tomorrow I might block you. Such things were very common, especially when it involved money. Since the annual advertising budget was fixed, their superiors would always find various ways and excuses to apply for the budget. For example, when signing Zhang Guan, they initially applied for $100,000, but the headquarters only approved $80,000. However, when it came to the actual signing, they were only willing to pay 300,000 RMB, and the rest would be withheld. Of course, as long as the advertising budget was approved, there would always be a way to spend it, regardless of whether the signing was successful or not.

Lawyer Zhu then asked, "Did you gather more information about Zhang Guan's family before coming here?"

"Yes!" Manager Wang immediately introduced, "Zhang Guan's father is a senior executive at a state-owned enterprise in the city. This SOE is one of the top in the city, established in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China. It now has over ten thousand employees, including retirees. I heard that because of its good performance, it has not participated in the SOE reforms."

"Indeed! SOEs have policy and land use advantages. Moreover, being an old SOE, it has accumulated a lot of fixed assets over the decades. As long as the leadership doesn't squander the resources, it is easier for SOEs to make money compared to private enterprises," Lawyer Zhu responded.

Manager Wang continued, "Zhang Guan's mother is an English teacher at the city's No. 1 High School. For people of their age, being a high school English teacher means they are among the most educated."

Lawyer Zhu said, "From the professions of Zhang Guan's parents, their income should be quite good, although not as high as business owners, they are definitely wealthier than the average working class. According to the regulations of the Athletics Association, athletes can only receive half of the endorsement fee. Our 300,000 RMB would only amount to 150,000 RMB for Zhang Guan, not to mention the personal income tax. So, it's normal that this price cannot persuade the Zhang family. Moreover, Zhang Guan's parents are educated and have a certain level of culture, so they value their child's future growth and development more than short-term benefits."

"If we apply pressure through the Athletics Association, signing Zhang Guan should not be a problem. Or I can report to the higher-ups and try to increase the price. However, dealing with a minor is indeed a bit troublesome," Manager Wang said.

"Regarding the matter of minors, if you really need it, it can be resolved. There are ways to find loopholes, but it's a bit complicated," Lawyer Zhu said.

Manager Wang shook his head, "If it's too troublesome, it doesn't matter. Zhang Guan is not a must-have for our company's marketing plan. Next year is the Olympic year, and there will be a large number of Olympic champions. According to the previous situation, the endorsement fee for an Olympic champion is about 300,000 to 400,000 RMB per year. After the Olympics, we can directly sign a few Olympic champions for endorsement, and the promotional effect will not be bad. He is just an Asian champion, so it doesn't really matter whether we sign him or not."

...

Director Sun also returned to the Athletics Management Center and reported to the leadership that Zhang Guan did not sign the contract.

After a long trip and several hours of travel, the signing did not go through, and Director Sun was also somewhat upset. In his report, he inevitably gave Zhang Guan a negative evaluation.

"Leader, Zhang Guan is too arrogant. Although he broke the Asian record, he cannot refuse to follow the center's management! Nike offered an annual endorsement fee of 300,000 RMB, and he would get 150,000 RMB without doing anything. If it were a regular employee, they might not save up 150,000 RMB in several years of work!" Director Sun kept complaining.

The leader remained calm and said, "Alright, if he doesn't sign, then so be it. He is still young and has not entered society, so it's normal for him to have idealistic thoughts. Moreover, he is under 18, a minor. We must act according to the law. Let's put the signing on hold for now."

"Leader is right," Director Sun immediately agreed. "We should let him cool off. We won't contact him for advertisements and endorsements, and let him face some challenges on his own."

The leader ignored Director Sun's complaints and said, "Regarding athletes' commercial activities, there are different opinions within the association. Many comrades believe that athletes should not engage in commercial activities but should focus on training to achieve results and not辜负国家的培养. Athletes training diligently to serve the country is right, but without financial support, how can athletes train with peace of mind and achieve results? Training athletes is becoming increasingly expensive, so athletes' participation in commercial activities is not as simple as it seems. As long as it does not affect normal training, appropriate participation in advertisements and endorsements can also increase funding for the center, contributing to the development of sports."

...

After that, there were no major track and field events for the rest of the year. From November to March of the following year, it was generally the time for winter sports competitions. Track and field athletes usually reduced their training intensity in December, and those with injuries began to focus on treatment and recovery.

Before they knew it, a new year arrived, and it was finally the Olympic year. The Olympics would return to its birthplace, Athens, which had special significance for the entire sports world.

This year's Spring Festival was relatively early, on January 22. Many coaches and athletes in the country did not return home to prepare for the Olympics. However, Zhang Guan received a two-week holiday, and Old Chen also bought tickets to return to his hometown for the New Year.

After the Spring Festival, on the eleventh day of the first lunar month, Zhang Guan returned to the provincial track and field team and resumed normal training on the twelfth day.

However, this time, Zhang Guan's training venue was indoors, as the national indoor track and field championships were set to begin the following Tuesday.

The national indoor track and field championships had four stations. The first station was held on February 10-11 at the West Lake, the second station on February 14-15 at the Xinzhuang Training Base in Huangpu City, the third station on February 18 in Tianmen, and the final station on February 22 at the Huangsi Training Base of the Eighth Corps of the PLA in the capital.

Indoor track and field events differ from outdoor events; there is no 100-meter race, so Zhang Guan participated in the 60-meter race. The main purpose of the provincial team sending Zhang Guan to compete was to gain more competition experience, and they also hoped that he would win a gold medal, bringing honor to the provincial team.

On February 8, two days before the first station of the national indoor track and field championships, Zhang Guan was still on the training field, sweating.

"It's already the beginning of spring, but it's still so cold, and there's no heating in the training hall..." Zhang Guan complained in his heart, but thinking about the guys practicing race walking on the outdoor track in the cold wind, his mood improved significantly.

"Running 60 meters, the key is to accelerate, and the acceleration must be fast..." Old Chen said, rubbing his chest, his face turning red.

"Old Chen, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Zhang Guan asked.

Old Chen shook his head, "I'm fine, just feeling a bit stuffy."

Zhang Guan quickly helped Old Chen sit down, noticing that Old Chen's condition was very poor. "Old Chen, you sit for a while, I'll go get the team doctor."

"No need, I'll be fine after a rest," Old Chen said.

"Still, let the team doctor check you. I'll go now." Zhang Guan ran off to find the team doctor.

A few minutes later, Zhang Guan returned with the team doctor to the training hall, only to find Old Chen clutching his chest and lying on the ground.

"Old Chen!" Zhang Guan shouted, immediately running over, followed closely by the team doctor.

"Call 120 quickly." The team doctor began performing emergency resuscitation on Old Chen.

The 120 ambulance arrived and took Old Chen to the provincial hospital.

...

On February 10, the first station of the national indoor track and field championships.

"Where is Zhang Guan? Why isn't he here?" Chen Jian searched through the crowd of athletes but couldn't find Zhang Guan.

"Brother Chen, who are you looking for?" Yang Yao came over and greeted Chen Jian.

"I'm looking for Zhang Guan. Wasn't he supposed to participate in the 60-meter race? Why isn't he here?" Chen Jian said.

"You don't know?" Yang Yao said in surprise. "I heard that Old Chen fell ill, and it's quite serious. Zhang Guan is still at the hospital with him. He definitely won't come to this station, and he might not come to the next one either."

"I see." Chen Jian nodded. Many athletes and their coaches had a relationship that went beyond teacher and student, more like family. In track and field, many athletes were almost like the coach's adopted sons, so it was normal for Zhang Guan not to participate in the competition because Old Chen was ill.

...

Old Chen had a sudden myocardial infarction. The doctor said that it was fortunate that the team doctor performed emergency resuscitation and that he was brought to the hospital in time. If it had been a bit later, he would not have been saved. However, Old Chen was still in critical condition.

Zhang Guan chose to stay at the hospital to wait for Old Chen to get through the critical period, so he gave up on the first station of the national indoor track and field championships.

Old Chen remained unconscious in the intensive care unit, but according to the doctor, his condition had improved. The provincial sports center also invited a famous expert from the capital to diagnose Old Chen, and the news was optimistic.

Three days later, Old Chen regained consciousness. Five days after that, he could eat on his own. According to the doctor, Old Chen's condition was no longer serious, and he could return home for recovery after a period of observation.

Zhang Guan thus missed the first three stations of the national indoor track and field championships. However, he could not miss the next competition.

On February 21, Zhang Guan arrived in the capital to prepare for the final station of the national indoor track and field championships.

---

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