I'm just trying to ride the wave of popularity!

Chapter 232 Damn it! Everyone's rushing to give him money!

The noisy clamor finally subsided into silence at that moment.

However, Lin Guodong caught a glimpse of the media convoy relentlessly pursuing them through the window of the van.

These people were acting like madmen, carrying cameras and filming their car relentlessly...

“Mr. Zhou, the whole of China is speculating about the details of your deal with Paimon…” He handed Zhou Yang a contract: “But what I want to discuss is something much more far-reaching…”

"President Lin, 5500 million for an endorsement?" Zhou Yang glanced at the contract and was somewhat stunned when he saw the 5500 million RMB on it.

Lin Guodong's Adam's apple bobbed, seemingly a little nervous. He suddenly pressed down on the contract: "This is just the first draft! We can adjust the specific amount at any time!"

His voice suddenly rose, seemingly tinged with excitement, and his eyes grew increasingly fervent. He took a deep breath: "Mr. Zhou, money is not an issue... I mean, this has never been about money; it's a story about dreams! Mr. Zhou, I have a dream!"

As soon as the word "dream" came out of Lin Guodong's mouth, Zhou Yang trembled slightly and subconsciously looked at Lin Guodong, who straightened his chest slightly!
Why does this sentence feel so familiar?
and many more!

Isn't this the same opening line I used to use to fool people?
"Mr. Zhou, I've seen your 'The Lord of the Rings: The Two Rings'!" Lin Guodong's voice grew increasingly excited, and his eyes shone with even more fervor. "I know very well that it's not just a movie; it ignited the spark that set the racing dreams of the entire nation in China apart!"

The scenery outside the car window reflected on Lin Guodong's excited face. He took out a series of data from beside his assistant: "Do you know what happened in the past month? The number of users on the racing forum has increased 40 times! Training ground reservations are booked three months in advance..."

He suddenly grabbed Zhou Yang's hand: "President Zhou, it's all because of you!"

Zhou Yang subtly withdrew his hand, looking at the documents with a slightly complicated expression: "President Lin, you flatter me."

"No! How could I be exaggerating? I'm stating the facts, Mr. Zhou!" Lin Guodong pulled a stack of photos from his briefcase: "Do you see these photos?"

Zhou Yang glanced down at the photo.

He saw in the photo that a huge crowd was packed around the racetrack, and a big screen was playing a racing scene from "The Lord of the Rings: The Second Ring"—the scene was incredibly lively!

“Last week’s exhibition match drew 20,000 spectators! But at the same time last year!” He then showed a photo of empty stands: “Only 300 people!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than his assistant in the front row chimed in, "Mr. Lin is a big fan of your movies. He's personally led the team for the past two weeks to turn the 'drainage ditch bend' scene from your film into a real-life experience!"

"We're not talking about business; this is about the most sincere and passionate dream!" Lin Guodong's voice suddenly choked up as he pointed to the F1 China Grand Prix logo on the contract: "President Zhou! Actually, I've had a racing dream for a long time. When I was little, I longed for speed and passion. When I saw those racing cars speeding by, I kept telling myself that this was my destiny in this world..."

"..."

“But, Mr. Zhou, perhaps you don’t know the current state of F1 racing in China… Mr. Zhou, do you know how much the electricity bill was for the Shanghai F1 training circuit last year?” He held up three fingers: “Three hundred thousand! To maintain that international standard track, we burn through eight thousand yuan every day, and last year’s total ticket revenue wasn’t even enough to cover the lawn mowing costs.”

The sunlight outside the car window was gradually obscured by the clouds, and his voice trembled slightly: "When the FIA ​​came to inspect, the stands were full of hired extras. President Wilson asked me, 'Lin, where are your audience?' I could only point to the big screen and say, 'They're in the future...'"

Looking at the emotional Lin Guodong, Zhou Yang subconsciously wanted to say something, but was quickly silenced by Lin Guodong's actions.

He saw Lin Guodong tear open his shirt, revealing a scar: "President Zhou, do you see this? This is from when the race car driver crashed three years ago. Blood stained his white shirt completely, but the next day the sports section of the newspaper only gave two lines of text, and we even paid for those two lines..."

The assistant handed over a prepared laptop at the right moment: "The peak number of online searches for the 2003 China F1 racing series was 12,000, of which 8,000 were for the free gifts!"

He smiled wryly and clicked on a video. In the video, a few spectators were yawning: "Did you see that? In this China-Japan competition, when the Japanese driver crashed off the track, the cheers from the crowd weren't even as loud as the sound of his engine. Most of the spectators were brought in by us through various giveaways. There was no so-called sponsorship at all. In the eyes of many young Chinese people, racing is just a niche game, not a real competition..."

"The worst was last October when we spent two million to hire a German champion driver to perform drifting..."

The assistant handed Zhou Yang a photo, in which Zhou Yang saw a blond, blue-eyed racer standing on an empty podium.

"There were nearly three times more media than spectators that day... Many of our staff paid people to sit in the seats in order to create a lively atmosphere for the event... Mr. Zhou, this is a painful memory, and I have rarely spoken about these things to anyone..." Lin Guodong wiped away his tears slightly.

"Mr. Lin, your dedication to racing has truly moved me, but I think we could be a little more direct. Actually, I'm not that kind of person..." Seeing Lin Guodong's expression, Zhou Yang, who is usually eloquent, suddenly became "introverted"!

"Mr. Zhou, please let me finish!"

"You said..." Zhou Yang really wanted to say that 5500 for an endorsement deal was perfectly fine. They were all adults, and there was no need to talk about dreams so hard!
What is a dream?!
He understands so well!
But the other party didn't give him a chance at all!

He felt Lin Guodong suddenly grab his wrist again, his expression becoming even more agitated!

Zhou Yang subconsciously tried to pull it out, but couldn't.

“But it’s different now!”

The assistant pulled up a set of data and a series of soaring curves: "Since the release of 'The Lord of the Rings: The Two Rings'... this movie has completely broken down the niche barriers of racing culture. Keywords such as 'drifting' and 'drainage cornering' have become trending topics online, even attracting the attention of a large number of non-racing enthusiasts. They have started to constantly ask us about racing-related details, and every one of our shows these past few days has been packed!"

"More importantly... this is not just about an endorsement, but a life-or-death commitment for Chinese racing!"

He finally released his grip, then turned to the last page of the contract's appendix. Inside, circled in red, was the FIA's approval document: "From the year 2000 until this year, we've been applying to the international authorities for an F1 racing series in China, but we've consistently failed… This is a nation's racing dream! Previously, because of our limited audience, we didn't have much attention, which prevented us from going international. But now… the international organizing committee has relented! As long as we can maintain the buzz, we can secure this year's race!" "This isn't just a simple endorsement; it's fuel for a dream… If you sign, you'll be the one who breaks into the mainstream for Chinese racing. We've been negotiating various business opportunities; Audi has agreed to a co-branding deal, and we're in talks with Ferrari and Porsche for sponsorship… We will get better!"

"President Zhou! I've said all I have to say!"

After Lin Guodong finally finished speaking.

A brief silence fell over the van.

Zhou Yang was completely stunned for a moment. After seeing Lin Guodong's excited eyes, he was even more bewildered!

He used to be the one who tricked others into giving him money, but this was the first time someone had ever tricked him into giving him money with the promise of "dreams."

He was completely unprepared!
Zhang Jingya was also a little confused!

She glanced at Lin Guodong and Zhou Yang...

I don't know why, but I always feel like the two of them have suddenly switched roles!

She was also somewhat dazed...

"Mr. Zhou, how about this, 6000 million!"

"Actually, I think..." Zhou Yang wanted to say something.

"6500 million!"

After a brief silence, Lin Guodong took a deep breath, then stared at Zhou Yang: "6500 million, that's my personal limit..."

Upon hearing the figure of 6500 million and observing Lin Guodong's expression, Zhou Yang finally nodded, his voice complex, and gazed into the distance: "President Lin, your dream and dedication to racing have deeply moved and inspired me. You're right, this isn't about money; it's a journey about dreams, about national glory and speed. So, I'll send this agreement to the company first, let the legal team review it, and if there are no problems, we'll sign it!"

"it is good!"

Seeing Zhou Yang agree, Lin Guodong nodded excitedly!
It took about an hour.

The van was parked in the exclusive parking lot of [Xuan Shi Entertainment].

Just after Zhou Yang came down...

The entire parking lot erupted in a deafening roar, as countless people surged towards the group...

Fortunately, Zhang Shun had made preparations in advance and blocked these media outlets...

Zhou Yang led Lin Guodong into the office.

The legal team quickly came over, nodded at Zhou Yang, indicating that there were no problems with the contract.

Seeing this, Zhou Yang smiled and led Lin Guodong into the office to sign the contract.

The moment the contract was signed...

Lin Guodong seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, and then immediately gave his assistant a wink.

The assistant quickly understood and left the office.

A few minutes later, the assistant knocked on the door and nodded to Lin Guodong.

"Mr. Zhou, we've transferred the money. Please check it..."

"okay!"

Zhou Yang asked Zhang Jingya to check the accounts in the finance department.

But Zhang Jingya had only been gone for a few minutes...

Then, shocked, he walked over again.

"President Zhou, the company account has received several hundred million more today. Some brands that we have no dealings with at all have inexplicably transferred money to us..."

"???"

(End of this chapter)