Chapter 73

The figure of 13.7 million euros left Fléchecq speechless, unable to express his shock in words. It wasn't until Ossadolis on the other end of the phone kept calling him that he snapped back to reality.

"Three lottery wins, with a total prize exceeding 20 million euros!" Fléchecq had never handled such a large sum before. At this moment, his mind was filled with various plans, and he was confident that through some tax avoidance measures, he could ensure that Zhang Guan would ultimately receive over 15 million euros in net income.

One of the main tasks of accountants in Europe and America is to help the rich save money, but for ordinary accountants, the opportunity to handle funds in the millions of euros is rare. Those who can come up with millions of euros at once are usually large companies, which have top-notch accountants or professional accounting teams and don't need Fléchecq. Therefore, this deal exceeding 20 million euros was a rare and valuable experience for Fléchecq. At this moment, Fléchecq had already decided to do everything in his power to handle this big deal perfectly, making it a classic case and a capital for him to take on more big deals in the future.

Although the Greek government borrows money every day, there are still many wealthy people among the Greek populace.

Ossadolis continued, "I have already made an appointment with Zhang Guan. I will invite him to the OPAP headquarters tomorrow morning, and the chairman of the Greek Lottery Committee, Mr. Sneris, will personally present him with the check."

"I understand," Fléchecq replied. "I will go to your place and prepare a more detailed tax reduction plan for our dear client..."

...

At this moment, in the residential area where Zhang Guan lived, hundreds of journalists had gathered. Zhang Guan's parents had already closed their doors to visitors. Unable to interview Zhang Guan's parents, the journalists interviewed his neighbors. The old ladies who usually strolled and sunbathed at the entrance of the residential area were more than happy to talk, endlessly recounting Zhang Guan's past, with a few true stories and many fabricated ones.

At Zhang Guan's former high school, due to the summer vacation, the campus was already empty of students. However, the school leaders had arrived early and invited all the journalists present inside. The principal's face was beaming with happiness; such a good opportunity to promote the school must not be missed. Zhang Guan's former homeroom teacher was even more ecstatic, as one of his students had become an Olympic champion, breaking the 100-meter record, an honor that few people would ever achieve in their lifetime.

The media did not have the budget to travel to Athens, but they could afford to cover the news domestically. Television stations, newspapers, sports magazines, and online media were all mobilized.

However, the main reports on that day were from television, radio, and online media. The 100-meter race at the Olympics ended at around 4:00 AM local time, which left the newspapers in a bind. By 4:00 AM, many newspapers had already been printed, and some were even being packed for distribution, missing the opportunity to report on the event.

Fudan University immediately announced that Zhang Guan had been admitted and would start his studies there in the next semester. For a top-tier and well-known university like Fudan, the admission of a regular Olympic champion might not be so enthusiastic, but Zhang Guan's gold medal in the men's 100 meters was considered a historic breakthrough in Chinese sports, with an impact far greater than that of a regular Olympic champion. Therefore, Fudan was very enthusiastic about Zhang Guan's admission.

In the media of Europe and America, Zhang Guan also became a hot topic of discussion.

Track and field, especially sprinting, has always been a domain where Asian champions were absent. Zhang Guan undoubtedly caused the biggest upset of this Olympic Games. Although the women's 100-meter race was also an upset, the champion was from Belarus, a Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) country. During the Cold War, Soviet athletes dominated various sports, making it acceptable for CIS athletes to win. However, Zhang Guan is an Asian athlete from China, a country that Europeans consider mysterious and underdeveloped. His victory left many Europeans in disbelief, leading to intense discussions. European media had mixed reactions.

A Chinese athlete winning the Olympic men's 100-meter sprint is certainly surprising, but considering his winning time of 9.77 seconds, a new world record, I don't think anyone would doubt the authenticity of this news. Breaking a world record and winning an Olympic gold medal is a natural outcome. —— *Le Figaro* (France).

The Chinese team currently leads the gold medal tally with 24 gold medals, while the U.S. team has only 20. This is somewhat unexpected. However, the results of the men's 100-meter final at the Olympics are a natural outcome. A Chinese athlete won the gold medal and broke the world record in a sport dominated by Americans, while the Americans only won the silver medal. I believe this is a sign of China's rise and America's decline. Perhaps in the future, China will truly replace America. —— *Pravda* (Russia).

A shocking race! A shocking result! This is not an April Fool's joke; the champion of the men's 100 meters at this Olympic Games is a Chinese athlete! China has produced its first Asian sprinter of the century. Many people think this is just a flash in the pan, but it's worth noting that this Chinese athlete, Zhang Guan, is only 18 years old! His body has not yet reached its peak, indicating that he still has room for improvement. Regardless, we congratulate this young man. —— *Tribune de Genève* (Switzerland).

Asian athletes have always been mediocre in sprinting. China only broke the 10-second barrier last year. We consulted sports science experts, and under normal circumstances, it's hard to imagine any reason for such rapid progress and breakthroughs in such a short time. Of course, if non-normal methods were used, it is possible to achieve astonishing results. In the past, athletes have often used unethical methods to improve their performance, and the previous world record holder, Montgomery, is now embroiled in a doping scandal. —— *The Sun* (UK).

*The Sun* is the largest-circulation newspaper in the UK, known for its sensational and exaggerated reporting to boost sales. The article continuously questioned Zhang Guan, suggesting that he used performance-enhancing drugs to achieve his results. Other European media outlets with similar defamatory comments were also numerous.

However, a few hours later, the IOC announced the post-race drug test results, and Zhang Guan was completely clean. The media that had been questioning him quickly fell silent, as they were not foolish enough to offend the IOC for unrelated interests. Negative speculation after the Olympics would certainly follow.

The 100-meter sprint medal ceremony was held at 20:45 Athens time, which was 1:45 AM in Beijing. Despite this, many people in China stayed up to watch the ceremony, witnessing this historic moment.

CCTV-1 entered the live broadcast mode an hour early. It's worth noting that CCTV's efficiency was very high; in just one day, they produced a 40-minute documentary about Zhang Guan. The footage of Zhang Guan was limited, but there were many interviews, including those with his parents, teachers, provincial sports coaches, and Mr. Chen. The video of Zhang Guan's performance at the Asian Athletics Championships was also obtained from Japanese media and inserted into the documentary. The footage of Zhang Guan's Olympic victory was repeatedly played.

"Today, I want to tell the world that what others can do, we Chinese can do too! Not only can we do it, but we can do it better!" These inspiring words and scenes left the viewers who were still watching the TV completely awake and highly excited.

Finally, the medal ceremony began.

Zhang Guan walked to the podium and stood in the highest position in the center.

IAAF President Lamine Diack approached and personally placed the medal around Zhang Guan's neck.

"Congratulations, young man! You have created a miracle. You have shown that Asians can also win championships in track and field sprints. I believe that the future of Asian track and field will rise, and I look forward to you and your country achieving even greater success in the future," Diack said.

"Thank you, Mr. President. I believe it won't be long before a second Chinese sprinter wins an Olympic gold medal!" Zhang Guan said with a smile.

"If that happens, I will award him too! Congratulations again!" Diack gave Zhang Guan a ceremonial hug and then turned to leave.

Next was the flag-raising and national anthem.

The bright national flag slowly rose, and the solemn national anthem played. Zhang Guan gazed at the flag, singing the national anthem, his eyes involuntarily welling up with tears.

At this moment, Zhang Guan was incredibly moved, even more so than when he broke the record and won the gold medal the previous day.

Because, in this Olympic main stadium, the national flag was being raised for the first time, and the familiar national anthem was being played!

...

"I am very excited, extremely excited. Especially when I heard the national anthem and saw the flag rise, I couldn't help but cry," Zhang Guan said to the camera, with a microphone from a CCTV female reporter in front of him.

Zhang Guan adjusted his emotions and continued, "I think this is just the beginning. This is the first time the national anthem has been played here, but I know it won't be the last. I believe it won't be long before our national flag and national anthem return here, and our national team athletes will stand on the highest position of the podium again! In track and field, we will definitely have more Olympic champions, we will definitely get stronger! Chinese athletes, keep it up!"

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Chapter 1 is here, please give me a recommendation!