Rebirth: My dad is too obedient

Chapter 540 Your Family Will Clear Your Name
Cheng Hong: "Huh? This involves business competition?"

Xu Chen thought for a moment: "Besides direct competitors like Anta, it could also be the work of investors."

He briefly explained the "Amrex Investment" matter to Li Yue and Cheng Hong.

This includes the other party's two unsuccessful attempts to negotiate, their desire to buy out Xie Bingran's endorsement, and even their investment in and control of "Ranbing" (燃冰).

After listening, Li Yue said:
"If you put it that way, it's actually quite possible."

If your "gas hydrate" is already interfering with their investment and industry strategy, they might really see you as a thorn in their side.

He thought for a moment, then spoke again:

"Mr. Xu, this information is extremely important!"
The higher-ups are investigating those involved in this matter; I'll update them on the situation later.

If some commercial organizations smear the national team for commercial gain, then they are also smearing the national image...

Even if the General Administration can't handle this, other departments can step in!

This was naturally the reply Xu Chen hoped to hear.

When faced with such situations, relying solely on the potential of "Burning Ice Sports" won't solve many problems.

If we can get official help, the trouble can be resolved more easily.

Moreover, it's not just a current problem, but also involves the future development of "Burning Ice Sports".

Xu Chen paused for a moment, then spoke again:

"So I'm a little worried because the 'burning ice' incident has implicated Brother Bing."

Cheng Hong:

"Xu Chen, you don't need to blame yourself. This matter has involved Chen Lan, so it's not that simple anymore."

Even if it's related to 'burning ice,' it won't be solely because of 'burning ice.'

She paused:

"It's related to Chen Lan, and those two little hussies..."

This is the matter between the 'north' and the 'south'. No wonder Coach Sun was reluctant to come to Beijing!

There are too many troublesome things here, and too many people trying to trip us up, both openly and secretly!

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, as if Li Yue had stopped Cheng Hong, afraid that she would tell everyone.

Xu Chen remained silent, but this only confirmed his suspicions once again.

The internal factionalism and infighting within the national team are ultimately best left unsaid to outsiders, but fortunately, Xu Chen had already seen and guessed some of it...

Xu Chen then inquired about the follow-up arrangements and whether there was anything he could cooperate with "Ranbing Sports" and "Chenfeng Technology".

Li Yue replied:
"Let's not rush into any rash actions."

Anyway, the higher-ups have already made their decision, so I feel at ease.

Let's wait for the overall inquiry and investigation results to come out, and then see how the leaders arrange things after they make some decisions.

However, later on, we might really need to trouble Mr. Xu.

Xu Chen: "Just call me anytime if there's anything I need you to do!"

He thought for a moment and then added, "Brands that have business collaborations with Brother Bing should have already asked Director Li about this, right?"

Li Yue sighed helplessly:

"Yes! I can't even keep up with all the messages."

Let's appease them first; this matter can only wait.

The brand can't do anything about it; the commercial terms they signed with our national team don't involve compensation or anything like that...

Have any brands been harassing Mr. Xu?

Let's all help to calm them down first.

Xu Chen: "No problem. We've already appeased Jeep, Xizhilang, and Kunlunshan today."

He paused:

"I sent a message to Bing Ge, but she hasn't replied yet."

"They haven't come back yet, have they?"

Cheng Hong said, "She and Coach Sun went to the General Administration office and haven't come back yet."

I guess he doesn't have time to check his phone either.

Xu Chen: "What are the next steps?"

Cheng Hong: "I don't know yet."

However, the team was originally scheduled to fly to the competition venue tomorrow, and this itinerary should remain unchanged.

……

……

Around 8 p.m., Xu Chen received a message from his father, Xu Zhiquan.

Old Xu didn't pay attention to the various messages on the internet, but he still heard the general details of the matter from Hua Shaojie.

He knew that his son had come to Beijing to celebrate Xie Bingran's birthday, and this incident would inevitably affect his mood.

The message was simple and clear:
[Son, don't panic, it's nothing serious.]

[Dad, it's okay! I spoke with Director Li Yue of the General Administration this evening. The matter is being discussed and resolved, but it will take a little more time.]

……

Around nine o'clock, I finally received a reply from Xie Bingran, which was simple and clear:
[It's okay, I just came out. I'm going to training now.]

Xu Chen smiled helplessly:

Happy birthday, silly girl!

【Oh】

[Has it flown away tomorrow?]

【Um】

【I'll celebrate your birthday after your competition.】

【I miss you…】

【Me too…】

……

……

Friday, September 8st.

This morning, Xie Bingran flew with the team to the competition venue, Amman, Jordan.

Senior student Bai Miao, head coach Sun Mouping, and coach Cheng Hong were all on the same flight.

Xu Chen had originally planned to return to Tiancheng today, but received a message from Director Li Yue early this morning:

[Mr. Xu, could you stay in Beijing for a couple more days?]

Xu Chen was puzzled, but still asked for the reason. Director Li Yue replied:
I can't explain it to you right now, but I know I need your help to keep you here.

Don't worry about your business trip to Beijing. I'll have Huang Xueli contact you; she'll take care of it.

Xu Chen: [That's not necessary...]

Then I'll stay put and wait for Director Li's summons.

Li Yue: Thank you, Mr. Xu.

There's also some news that the "other side" might have further developments in the next couple of days.

Xu Chen frowned, naturally understanding what Li Yue meant by "the other side".

It was entirely expected that the other party would have follow-up measures.

Li Yue: [Don't worry too much about Mr. Xu, just wait and see.]

The General Administration leadership has made arrangements, and we will need to trouble Mr. Xu to come and help later.

Xu Chen knew that Li Yue was not in a position to elaborate at the moment, so he did not press the matter further.

……

The hotel restaurant here is so-so, so Xu Chen wandered down to the street and found a place to eat a bowl of braised pork offal.

After enjoying the hot and flavorful traditional Beijing delicacies, my mood brightened up a bit.

I was strolling to the convenience store to buy a drink when I received a call from Nie Fei.

Nie Fei got straight to the point, providing an update on the current situation:
"Hua Shaojie and I each used our connections to get a batch of articles deleted from the four major portals, especially those with some official attributes."

However, some third-party and user-oriented accounts are still reposting or commenting on this content, and these keep popping up, making it difficult to manage.

“Communities like Tianya and Mop, which are purely user-based, are more difficult to manage, mainly because discussions among real netizens have also started.”

Now, we've arranged for Jiang Yuze's online public relations company to guide positive public opinion from the perspective of users.

But it's not good to post too many things at once, otherwise it will look too fake. I need to gradually spread the content over the next two or three days..."

Nie Fei paused for a moment, then continued:
"The person behind the scenes is indeed 'Amrexy'."

There are currently two pieces of supporting evidence.

The first is several major accounts that guide public opinion in several communities, which can basically be identified as a public relations company in Beijing called "Lingyue".

This PR firm had previously collaborated with 'Amway', helping them publish PR content similar to white papers on the sporting goods industry...

Secondly, starting last night, online public opinion has shifted to attacking 'Ranbing Sports'. The focus has shifted from smearing Xie Bingran's image to directly targeting the commercial brands she endorses, with 'Ranbing Sports' being the primary target.

And the one with the strongest motivation to do this is undoubtedly 'Amrexy'.

I asked someone I know to inquire inside 'Amrex,' but I suspect they'll operate very discreetly and may not get any concrete information.

Xu Chen: "No need for definite news, it's basically a done deal."

Nie Fei: "Their previous operation of acquiring a controlling stake in a small sports brand in Italy was a similar operation."

That company is a listed company. They first used negative publicity to drive down the stock price, and then took the opportunity to buy at the bottom to negotiate a stake and controlling interest...

We are not publicly listed, and therefore, without the interference of external capital, we can relatively withstand the pressure.

She paused and added:
"Another situation is that, in addition to guiding user and netizens' opinions, a group of small media outlets in Beijing also participated and were the initial news release providers."

Although they are all small media outlets, given their nature, they are not something that ordinary public relations companies can easily control…

Xu Chen naturally understood what Nie Fei meant and said:
"I have basically confirmed this with Director Li Yue."

Although he didn't explain things very clearly, it was basically as we expected.

It's all inextricably linked to the factions in the north and Chen Lan's gold medal.

As for who exactly is behind this operation, it's actually difficult for us to investigate.

But Li Yue also said that the leaders within the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television and those above them would definitely not sit idly by.

This is an act that smears the reputation of national heroes and violates principles.

He frowned: "But it probably depends on the background of the person involved."

Xu Chen paused for a moment, then spoke again:

"There's another situation, Li Yue just reminded me, that they have further plans."

I don't know the specifics, but it should be soon.

Nie Fei: "Will it be serious?"

Xu Chen: "Judging from Director Li Yue's tone, it shouldn't be too serious."

It seems that the current defamation of Brother Bing is probably the core issue; what follows is simply escalating public pressure.

……

……

as predicted.

Just after lunch, new public pressure began.

Former renowned national track and field coach Meng Qingfeng speaks out regarding the Xie Bingran incident:

This violates national team discipline and the spirit of sports!

"We urge a thorough investigation and severe punishment. National team members should not only be judged by their competition results, but also by their character..."

Former National Games champion and retired star Ji Jiahui said: "We must protect the unity and friendship of the national track and field team, and especially protect the young athletes."

"..."

As expected, Xu Chen still couldn't suppress his anger as he flipped through the so-called "news report".

These baseless accusations are really going too far.

The retired coach and retired player mentioned in the article were clearly chosen after careful consideration.

They deliberately chose two veteran track and field athletes with some past honors.

Xu Chen thought for a moment and then forwarded the news link to Coach Cheng Hong.

Soon I received a reply from Cheng Hong:
I've seen it, so it's not surprising at all.

Coach Meng and Ji Jiahui are both from the 'north'...

Chen Lan's head coach is Coach Wu, and Coach Meng mentioned in the article was Coach Wu's senior.

And then there's Ji Jiahui, who was also Coach Wu's student before and won a national championship once.

But their track performance was just so-so; they never even cracked the top three in Asia.

Xu Chen remained silent, thinking to himself that they really were "one family".

"Have there been any internal conclusions?" Xu Chen replied.

The leaders were in a meeting this morning, and they said they had a conference call with Instructor Wu and Chen Lan.

There's still some resistance to this.

Xu Chen: [What obstacles?]

Cheng Hong probably found typing too troublesome, so she just called directly:

"The people from the 'north' are a bunch of old coaches who come out and spout nonsense, and there are also a bunch of their people on the General Administration side."

Our team from the Shanghai sports system came this time, led by Coach Sun...

However, the Shanghai Sports Bureau is also making arrangements; a high-ranking official will be flying over today.

Furthermore, the General Administration of Sport has made it clear that it will not tolerate smearing meritorious athletes.

The higher-ups won't side with any particular 'provincial team'; they will still consider the issue from the perspective of the overall national team.

However, some power struggles and conflicts are unavoidable at the moment.

Xu Chen: "Director Li Yue asked me to stay, but I don't know what he wants me to do, so I don't want to ask directly."

Cheng Hong: "You're allowed to stay?! That's a good thing!"

This means there's a clear turning point!

Li Yue has probably already heard the commotion.

Xu Chen: "What do you mean?"

Cheng Hong: "Yesterday, Li Yue mentioned to me that the big leader instructed that a whole plan should be developed for the restoration and maintenance of Bing Ge's image."

It also requires the coordination of a series of media and communication channels...

Li Yue kept you here, he's definitely planning to do this!

Xu Chen thought to himself, "So that's how it is."

Actually, it just so happens that he has been thinking about this matter in his mind since last night.

……

After this smear article was published at noon, a lot of public opinion immediately followed suit.

There were even some fierce and direct attacks, which made Xu Chen extremely angry.

"We don't want a world champion like this! Xie Bingran, come out and apologize!"

"This is a stain on the image of national athletes, and a thorough investigation is recommended..."

……

……

Xu Chen's phone kept vibrating and sending messages almost all day long.

He was too lazy to watch it, so he turned on the hotel TV.

After carefully browsing through several TV channels, I even saw news about the "Asian Athletics Championships," which still featured Xie Bingran.

This shows that the current public opinion and debates are still confined to the online context and have not yet generated real global attention.

The online world in 07 was far less vibrant than it would be a decade or two later, given that the total number of internet users was only 1.6 million.

Thinking this way, Xu Chen felt a little more at ease.

However, we still hope to receive news from Li Yue as soon as possible, as well as the General Administration and higher authorities' plans for further progress.

……

As evening approached, Xu Chen received an article from Fang Jun's sister.

Xu Chen was somewhat surprised.

I clicked on it and saw that it was an article published on the "Bunningham Sports Website".

"National Meritorious Track and Field Coach Huang Hua: Xie Bingran is the pride of national track and field, and no one can be allowed to smear her!"

"Xie Bingran, a world champion from Brunei, is a dark horse on the track who has emerged out of nowhere, and a source of pride for Brunei with a strong sense of justice!"

"Former teammate of Wenchuan Provincial Track and Field Team: Xie Bingran is kind and upright, and has always been the one to help her teammates."

If anyone bullies a teammate, Xie Bingran will always be the one to stand up and protect the weak!

"Heavy snow presses down on the green pine, yet the green pine stands tall and straight."

To know the pine's nobility, wait until the snow melts...

……

Xu Chen remained silent.

She brought honor to her hometown.

When she was mired in difficulties, it was people from her hometown who were the first to stand up for her.

Your family will clear your name.

……

(End of this chapter)