One Year Left to Play-Chapter 115 - 37: Current Limitations
"You’ve never been to China, you don’t understand the situation there, can you imagine any country doubling the area of a city the size of Los Angeles County in just one year? I believe the Chinese market is the most important development area apart from our local market!"
"OK, if that’s how you see it, then selecting a Chinese person as our partner means we can set up a joint venture company in China. Selecting Zhang, this high schooler, isn’t a bad choice; he’s currently famous and a great candidate. Doing business with Chinese people is tough, finding a famous Chinese businessman is too challenging, it’s easier to manage a high schooler."
"I don’t actually think he’s easy to manage; he’s too composed. When he heard my offer for collaboration, he didn’t show any excitement but instead started thinking immediately. I think he probably understands that interests often come with risks, so I plan to learn more about him...
As for whether he’s easy to manage, that’s not important. My plan to collaborate with him primarily involves using his identity as a Chinese person to open a joint venture company. I believe we can make money in China, so it doesn’t matter if we bear the risks ourselves. Moreover, our goal is to have people of all skin colors and countries around the world drink our coffee, isn’t it?"
"Exactly, our dream is to have everyone come to our stores to drink our coffee..."
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"I hope I can become more professional in basketball. Basketball isn’t just about playing; studying sports medicine can help me understand my body better, know how to train, how to rest, and how to adjust my physical condition.
My dream is to dedicate my life to sports, using the knowledge I’ve acquired and my personal skills to contribute to the country’s sports endeavors in the future..."
After deciding to attend USC, Zhang Hao contacted Xu Jicheng from Xinhuanet, and after confirming enrollment, the Imperial Channel and Xinhuanet Sports News Department conducted another exclusive interview with Zhang Hao following his dinner the next day.
This time, Zhang Hao’s answer to the last question asked was a rehearsed script.
After all, it counts as official media, so attention to detail is necessary, especially when it comes to promoting positive energy.
If possible, Zhang Hao would certainly do just that, but firstly, it’s about surviving, which is also why he’s not that keen on hyping himself or engaging in side businesses.
But taking some time occasionally to maintain popularity is something he’s quite willing to do; who doesn’t want to earn more money?
Having money allows him to walk further on the path of basketball.
Currently, he spends nearly ten thousand US Dollars a month just on fees for ball boys, therapy costs, and nutrition meal expenses, which shows that nowadays, having money is necessary even for sports just like it is for art.
However, one thing that frustrates Zhang Hao is that he noticed even the smallest matters are reported by the Imperial Channel or Xinhuanet.
Evidently, he hasn’t completely realized the magnitude of impact that a Chinese basketball player, who is a high school basketball player selected ninth overall in the NBA Draft, can have.
Besides, he’s accustomed to the fast-paced rhythm of idols’ popularity arising and fading quickly without any work, believing he should be out of the spotlight since he’s not playing games, forgetting that sports competitions and idols are completely different concepts.
The interviews are just a bit more frequent, yet they haven’t impacted his training, as they are conducted at agreed times during breaks, so he doesn’t mind them.
After finishing the interview recording, the staff were already familiar with such situations, efficiently packing up; they would continue to follow Zhang Hao to Rutherford Town in New Jersey, becoming his accompanying journalists.
As for Zhang Hao, after dinner he won’t train; it’s also important to let his body rest well. Although the effect of the Growth Card includes enhanced Recovery Ability when training static strength, resting is still necessary, otherwise the enhancement is useless.
Thus, after the interview, Zhang Hao casually chatted with Xu Jicheng; having someone to converse in Mandarin is quite enjoyable for him.
As they talked, Xu Jicheng suddenly remembered something: "Aix, I’ve got good news for you, Wang Zhizhi is coming to the United States for an interview next month; he might go to Georgetown University and play NCAA!"
"What’s the situation?"
Wang Zhizhi going to the United States to play NCAA? That indeed greatly surprised Zhang Hao. He merely mentioned it casually but didn’t expect it to really happen.
"Thanks to your earlier suggestion, several national team players managed to get Wang Zhizhi the opportunity to study in the United States..." Looking around and seeing no one else was present, Xu Jicheng whispered, "He was the best center at this year’s World Youth Championship, and American universities have long been interested in him. It’s thanks to your timely reminder; if Wang Zhizhi had already signed up for the first Chinese Jia-A League season, he wouldn’t be able to play in NCAA. Even if players unite and get the Basketball Association to release him, it won’t work. According to American university sports rules, once registered in a professional league, you are no longer an amateur player and can’t participate in college games. It’s all thanks to the help from the Nanjing Military Region’s chief."
Listening to Xu Jicheng’s account, Zhang Hao realized that getting Wang Zhizhi to study in the United States wasn’t easy; it actually took coordination from national team players and a military leader to secure this opportunity... Just what kind of situation is this? What kind of country sports leaders wouldn’t want domestic players to have a better development...
No need to say more, Zhang Hao picked up on Xu Jicheng’s tone and understood that this matter was just for him to know, without intentions for an in-depth discussion. He tactfully didn’t continue the conversation, just nodded to show he understood.
