Chapter 1880: Report

Zhao Fusheng left, and Zheng Yao naturally followed. The matter of sponsorship was left to their assistants to discuss with Zhu Qiang.

It wasn't a sign of disrespect to Zhu Qiang, but rather a mismatch in their respective statuses.

If Zheng Yao were to handle it personally, at least a leader from the Football Association would need to be involved.

Soldiers face soldiers, generals face generals.

Zhu Qiang himself understood this principle.

So he courteously saw Zhao Fusheng and his party to the door, watching as Zhao Fusheng and Zheng Yao got into the car.

"Are you really planning to do this?"

Once in the car, Zheng Yao asked Zhao Fusheng, "To be honest, although I sympathize with these women's football players, I don't think this benefits the company."

This was her true feeling.

From a personal standpoint, Zheng Yao naturally sympathized with the women's football players who worked hard for the country's honor, but from a commercial perspective, she couldn't see the point of Zhao Fusheng's actions.

Sponsorship was one thing, but funding the team's overseas training—what commercial value did that have?

Zhao Fusheng smiled and shook his head. "You always overthink things."

Huh?

Zheng Yao was puzzled by his words. What did he mean by overthinking?

Zhao Fusheng looked at Zheng Yao and explained, "In business, it's normal to use any means to make a profit. But the key is to have a limit. If you pursue profit too relentlessly, you become a slave to money. We do business to make money, not to be played by money, right?"

"Besides, in this life, it's always good to be kind to others. We should try to lean toward the brighter side."

"I've earned so much money that I can't spend it all alone. Even if my children spend it together, it won't be easy to exhaust it. So if I do some good deeds, something worthwhile, it's not a bad thing."

Zheng Yao looked at Zhao Fusheng, never expecting him to have such considerations.

But on second thought, it was very much in line with his character.

Zheng Yao knew Zhao Fusheng too well. He might often say 'every man for himself and the devil takes the hindmost,' but in reality, he cared more about the people and things around him than anyone else.

If he weren't burdened by so many attachments, Zhao Fusheng would definitely be even richer than he is now.

Of course, his wealth was already more than enough. As Zhao Fusheng himself said, even if he retired now, he wouldn't have to worry about money for the rest of his life.

Even if his children were spendthrifts, it wouldn't be easy to squander tens of billions in assets.

That was the foundation of Zhao Fusheng's confidence.

"Alright."

In the end, Zheng Yao nodded. "Since you want to do this, I'll go along with it."

She had merely done her duty by reminding Zhao Fusheng; the final decision was still in his hands.

Zhao Fusheng smiled and said nothing more.

For him, spending tens of millions was nothing. If any of his company's stocks rose a bit, the money would be recouped.

In fact, any subsidiary of the Future Group could make more money from a single project than this amount.

But this money could help a group of people striving for their dreams to make progress, which brought Zhao Fusheng a sense of joy.

...

...

Let's tell two stories at once.

After Zhao Fusheng and Zheng Yao left, Zhu Qiang immediately called his old superior.

"Director Tian, there's something I need to see you about right away. Do you have time?" Zhu Qiang got straight to the point.

"Then come to my office."

A gentle voice answered on the other end.

Director Tian, named Tian Ye, was the deputy director of the Chinese Football Association in charge of women's football. Zhu Qiang usually reported to him.

To be honest, being in charge of women's football within the FA was not a good assignment. Women's football received little attention in the country—whether it was the domestic league or other infrastructure, there was little profit and much thankless effort.

But Tian Ye had done his best, always trying to secure funding and opportunities for women's football at FA meetings.

Zhu Qiang was someone he had personally promoted.

So upon learning of this matter, Zhu Qiang immediately thought to report to Tian Ye.

Over an hour later, Zhu Qiang hurried to the FA.

Upstairs, he went straight to Tian Ye's office.

"What's the matter that you need to see me so urgently?"

Tian Ye was fifty years old and looked very stern, but those who knew him understood he was soft-hearted despite his tough exterior. Every time he saw the plight of women's football, he was deeply distressed and worked hard to change the situation, but unfortunately, his efforts were a drop in the bucket.

"It's like this. The Future Group's sponsorship we discussed earlier has changed a bit," Zhu Qiang said to Tian Ye.

"Changed?"

Tian Ye was startled and asked in surprise, "What, have they changed their minds? Are they not going to sponsor us?"

There was no helping it; this had been going on for years. It wasn't that no one wanted to sponsor the women's football team, but many ultimately backed away.

Of course, there were many reasons for this, involving all sorts of factors.

But regardless, if Future Group's sponsorship fell through, he would probably have to fight for more training funds for the women's team at the Football Association meeting.

"No, no, Director Tian, don't misunderstand." Zhu Qiang quickly shook his head. "It's not that we're stopping sponsorship, but increasing investment."

"What? Increasing investment?"

Tian Ye was taken aback, looking at Zhu Qiang with some surprise.

He really hadn't expected this.

"It's like this: this morning, Future Group's CEO Zheng Yao came to our training base for a scheduled visit. I didn't think much of it and just received her according to protocol. I never expected that Mr. Zhao Fusheng, the chairman of Future Group, would also come along."

Chairman?

Tian Ye was somewhat astonished and asked in surprise, "Is that... that billionaire?"

"Yes, that's him."

Zhu Qiang said, "I was surprised at first too, because he's so young, under thirty. But I know Zheng Yao, and she confirmed his identity."

"Huh, interesting."

Tian Ye laughed and said to Zhu Qiang, "I didn't expect that gentleman to be a football fan."

"No."

Zhu Qiang shook his head. At this moment, he seemed sharper than when he had met Zhao Fusheng. He said to Tian Ye, "I think he doesn't like football. It seems he just feels the women's team players have it too hard."

He paused, hesitated, then said in a low voice, "Um, when he mentioned the men's team, his tone was very unpleasant."

"Hahaha..."

Tian Ye laughed and nodded, "Normal. Which fan can smile at the men's team?"

Zhu Qiang gave a helpless smile at this; it was true.

As the saying goes, love deep, criticize deep. For Chinese fans, the men's team is an eternal pain in their hearts.

Countless failures and disappointments, plus the players' own lack of effort—not even the bare minimum—over time, even the most persistent fans grow disheartened.

"Tell me, what's his plan?"

Tian Ye asked Zhu Qiang.

Clearly, since that big boss was willing to increase investment, he must have a new plan. Otherwise, Zhu Qiang wouldn't have rushed to see him.

"It's like this..."

Zhu Qiang quickly recounted all the plans Zhao Fusheng had mentioned, and finally said, "On my way here, I calculated; this sum would be at least over twenty million."

Over twenty million?

Tian Ye was startled, then his eyes lit up: "He really said he would sponsor the women's team to train abroad?"

"Mm."

Zhu Qiang nodded: "I don't think he would need to lie to me, right?"

Tian Ye laughed: "That's true."

When Future Group first proposed sponsoring the women's team, they had already studied the group's strength. Naturally, they knew how immense the wealth of Chairman Zhao was.

In other words, if he wanted, he could even buy those European豪门 football clubs. There was no need for him to joke around with a Zhu Qiang.

So that meant Chairman Zhao was genuinely sincere about sponsoring the women's football cause.

How unexpected!

"He's really a good person."

After a long while, Tian Ye nodded.

If it were for fame or profit, he wouldn't need to sponsor the women's team; he could sponsor the men's national Olympic team, which would attract much more attention.

That was an unavoidable fact: across China, although the men's team had poor results and negative press, their attention far exceeded that of the women's team.

Even though the women's team had always been a top contender in Asia, they couldn't compare to the men's team, which was third-rate in Asia.

Therefore, in Tian Ye's view, Zhao Fusheng's actions were all the more commendable. At a time when fewer and fewer wealthy people had a conscience, most were profit-driven businessmen.

Sponsoring sports was just a means of promoting their own companies.

Few people were like Tycoon Huo, who wholeheartedly strove for the excitement of seeing China's five-star flag rise on the field.

Even athletes were the same.

Athletes in other sports were okay, but football players, with the marketization and commercialization of football, had undergone a change in mentality.

In the past, athletes cared more about winning glory for the country; they would rather suffer hardships themselves, thinking of bringing honor to the nation.

Today's athletes know clearly that the better they perform on the national team, the bigger contracts they can sign with clubs.

So, sneaking into the national team is their goal. If they get a chance to play, they seek no merit but no fault. As long as they have the title of national player, they won't lack suitors.

That's the current state of domestic football.

Of course, the women's team is a bit better off, because their attention is too low; even national players are unwanted.

But precisely because of this, Tian Ye felt that perhaps this time, for the Chinese women's team, it was an opportunity—a chance to return to the peak.