Chapter 81 of 100
Chapter 81
16 min read3,932 words
After the closing ceremony on the evening of the 29th, the Olympic Village will close, and the national teams will board flights back to the Capital International Airport on the evening of the 30th.
To Zhang Guan's surprise, He Yiming's efficiency was incredibly high. On the morning of the 30th, while Zhang Guan was packing his luggage, he received a message from He Yiming, who then handed him a thick stack of A4 papers.
"These are the people I found for you. They include the legal, advertising, media relations, and financial accounting professionals I mentioned. You can choose from them. Once you've made your selections, let me know, and I'll talk to them. As for the professional agent, I have a preliminary candidate, but I'm still in talks with them. The results might not be available until we return to the country," He Yiming paused and continued, "I have your schedule after you return to Beijing. You will arrive in Beijing on the morning of August 31st, and there will be a short rest period afterward. I'll contact you then."
"Thank you, Mr. He," Zhang Guan said, holding the documents.
"Don't mention it, no need to be so formal. Just call me Brother He. I'll call you Brother Zhang. Mr. He sounds too stiff!" He Yiming said heartily.
...
Zhang Guan selected four people from the dozens of profiles.
Liu Jing, 42 years old, a law doctorate, a famous lawyer in the country, and a partner at Ningjing Law Firm.
Xu Xiu Jie, 35 years old, a well-known advertising professional in the country, and the general manager of Haojie Advertising Company.
Hong Zinan, female, 38 years old, a former well-known anchor at a TV station, who later left to work in public relations and is now the director of Yipin Public Relations.
Zhou Hanlin, 33 years old, a certified public accountant and auditor, graduated from a prestigious American university, passed the ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) exam, and holds AIA (International Accountant Professional Qualification) and CMA (Certified Management Accountant) certifications. He has been developing his career in China for the past two years and is currently an independent accountant.
Zhang Guan carefully selected these four people. Among them, lawyer Liu Jing, as a partner at a law firm, would have the support of an entire legal team; Xu Xiu Jie, who runs his own advertising company, would have a professional advertising and marketing team behind him; Hong Zinan, a former media professional, would have a natural advantage in media relations; and accountant Zhou Hanlin, with ACCA, AIA, and CMA certifications, would be highly beneficial for international financial operations.
Zhang Guan informed He Yiming of his selections, and He Yiming immediately said he would talk to these four people and asked Zhang Guan to wait for good news. He also told Zhang Guan that he had already started talks with the professional agent and had arranged a meeting in Beijing.
...
On the morning of August 31st, Zhang Guan arrived at the Capital International Airport. The airport had specially organized a flag-raising ceremony for the athletes.
In fact, they were the last batch of athletes to return from the Olympic delegation. Several batches of athletes and coaches who had finished their competitions had already returned earlier.
The media had been waiting for a long time, recording every moment of the Olympic champions' arrival. The delegation also arranged for a few journalists to conduct brief interviews with the athletes. The focus of the media, of course, was on the big-name athletes, and Zhang Guan was one of the focal points.
Afterward, the athletes were taken to the Tiananmen Apartment at the Sports General Administration Training Center by buses that were already prepared. They would stay there for the next few days and participate in a series of activities.
The entrance to the Tiananmen Apartment was surrounded by a large number of journalists and sports fans, and the police were on high alert, setting up barriers. However, as soon as Zhang Guan got off the bus, a few crazed fans broke through the barriers and rushed up to ask for autographs. After signing a few, Zhang Guan noticed the crowd growing and used a "sprint" skill to quickly run inside.
"Wow! That's Zhang Guan, he's so fast!"
"Yeah, I only saw a blur, and he was gone!"
The crowd, witnessing the world record holder in action, erupted in cheers.
At the entrance of the hall, Yao stood with a gloomy face.
"Brother Yao, what's wrong? Can't find Sister Ye?" Zhang Guan teased.
"I'm annoyed, I lost my luggage!" Yao said.
"Where did you lose it?" Zhang Guan asked.
"If I knew where I lost it, it wouldn't be a problem!" Yao looked frustrated.
At this moment, Zhang Guan suddenly remembered a funny story he had read years ago, about Yao losing his luggage as soon as he returned to Beijing. The delegation had urgently contacted the airport, and they eventually found the luggage.
"Don't worry, your luggage will be found in less than ten minutes," Zhang Guan said, taking the room key and heading to his room.
The training base had assigned Zhang Guan a single apartment. Although the conditions were not as good as a star-rated hotel, they were still very nice, with 24-hour hot water and a restaurant open from 4:00 AM to midnight. There were also facilities like a sauna.
Zhang Guan lay on the bed, planning to call his parents to let them know he was safe. But as soon as he picked up his phone, it rang.
"Brother Zhang, it's me," He Yiming's voice came from the phone. "I know you're back. Are you free now? I'd like to take you out for dinner and introduce you to a few people. I've already invited them to Beijing."
"All four of them are here?" Zhang Guan asked, surprised.
"Not four, but five. Zhuge Wenbo has agreed to be your exclusive agent," He Yiming said.
"Zhuge Wenbo?" Zhang Guan had never heard this name before, but he guessed this was the professional agent He Yiming had mentioned.
"Oops, I forgot to tell you. Zhuge Wenbo is the professional agent I mentioned. He has an MBA from New York University and has worked at CAA in the United States," He Yiming explained.
"CAA? Creative Artists Agency?" Zhang Guan was shocked. He didn't expect the agent He Yiming provided to have such a prestigious background.
"Yes, that's the translation. It seems you've heard of the company. I only knew it as CAA, and it was Zhuge Wenbo who told me the Chinese name," He Yiming laughed.
Creative Artists Agency (CAA) is a giant in the entertainment industry, dominating half of Hollywood. Two-thirds of the top stars in Hollywood are CAA clients, and many famous directors and editors are also signed with CAA. CAA has also made significant achievements in television, music, and sports. In television, "The Big Bang Theory" is a classic CAA case. In music, CAA represents several well-known American music producers and singers. In sports, the top athletes in the four major American leagues, such as Manning in the NFL, Jeter in MLB, and James in the NBA, are also signed with CAA, as is football star David Beckham.
Zhuge Wenbo, having worked at a giant like CAA, could easily secure a high-level position or even a partnership in a domestic agency. His willingness to become Zhang Guan's exclusive agent was quite unexpected.
"Zhuge Wenbo must have put in a lot of effort to agree to be my exclusive agent. It seems He Yiming is a true friend worth getting to know," Zhang Guan thought, realizing he owed He Yiming a significant favor for setting up his agent team.
...
In a hotel in Beijing, Zhang Guan met his future agent team.
Liu Jing, Xu Xiu Jie, Hong Zinan, and Zhou Hanlin all showed great interest in becoming part of Zhang Guan's agent team, even indicating that they would accept only symbolic compensation. They all had their own careers, primarily in China, and leveraging Zhang Guan's fame would be beneficial for their future development. For example, Zhou Hanlin, as the "world's fastest man's" accountant, would become the most well-known accountant in the industry. In a sense, their relationship with Zhang Guan was mutually beneficial.
As for Zhuge Wenbo, he was invited by He Yiming and also saw great potential in Zhang Guan's future. At just 18 years old, Zhang Guan's future was limitless. Zhuge Wenbo had seen many stars during his time at CAA, but now he wanted to create a superstar himself.
He Yiming, as rumored, was indeed very loyal. He had put a lot of effort into forming Zhang Guan's agent team. Zhang Guan could feel that He Yiming was genuinely helping him.
He Yiming, Zhuge Wenbo, Liu Jing, Xu Xiu Jie, Hong Zinan, and Zhou Hanlin formed Zhang Guan's agent team. Each had a different role, and major decisions would be made through voting, but the final decision would always be Zhang Guan's.
Zhang Guan, inspired by Yao's team, gave his agent team a name that was both powerful and a bit rustic.
"My name is Zhang Guan. How about we call ourselves the Champions Team? We will never fall behind and always strive for the championship!"
"Great, let's call ourselves the Champions Team. Today is the day the Champions Team is born!" He Yiming raised his glass and said loudly, "To the Champions Team, cheers!"
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