On the first day of school, the school beauty in black stockings took me to a hotel.

Wang Li continued taking notes: "Ten pairs of basketball shoes, too. Got it. Anything else? Like water for training, medicine, nutritional supplements, and do we need to hire a coach?"

Du Peng and Liu Yu exchanged a glance, both seeing shock in each other's eyes.

"No...no need! We'll just play a school tournament..."

"That won't do. President Su specifically instructed that if we're going to do it, we have to do it to the best of our ability. Here's what we'll do: I'll list out all the common sponsorship projects, and you can see which ones you need."

He swiped around on the tablet a few times, then turned the screen toward the two of them.

Liu Yu leaned closer to take a look, and his eyelids twitched.

The table lists:

Team uniform (professional competition grade)

Sneakers (Professional Basketball Shoes)

Training uniform (for daily training)

Sports accessories (wrist supports, knee pads, headbands, etc.)

Drinking water (during competitions and training)

Functional beverages and nutritional supplements

Sports injury medications and emergency medical kits

Meal allowance (during training)

Prize pool (based on competition results)

Each category has further subcategories, such as team uniforms with "basic," "mid-range," and "high-end custom" options, and sneakers with "domestic brands," "entry-level international brands," and "professional international brands," etc.

Du Peng looked at the form and felt like he was dreaming.

"How much does the basic model cost approximately?"

Wang Li glanced at it: "The basic model costs around two or three hundred yuan. But I don't recommend using this one. The material is average, and it's not very breathable. It will be uncomfortable if you sweat a lot during a competition."

"This one! This one will do! Two or three hundred is already very good!"

"Du Peng, you might not have understood what I meant. President Su said that this sponsorship isn't just for show; it's a genuine effort to support you in playing well. So you don't need to worry about the budget."

He asked the crucial question: "How many people are in your team in total?"

"Ten people!" Du Peng replied immediately.

"Okay. Then give me a rough budget range per person so I have an idea. How much funding do you think each person needs? Don't be shy, just tell me the truth."

Du Peng swallowed.

He glanced at Liu Yu, who replied with an emoji that said, "Don't look at me."

Du Peng quickly calculated in his mind: team uniforms three hundred, shoes... even ignoring the shoes, what about all the other miscellaneous items like water and medicine, one hundred per person? That's four hundred...

He gritted his teeth, mustered his courage, and stretched out one hand.

Spread your five fingers.

He meant five hundred. Five hundred each, ten people, five thousand. That was an astronomical figure for him.

Wang Li looked at the five fingers and nodded thoughtfully.

"Five thousand?" he confirmed.

Du Peng was taken aback.

Liu Yu was also taken aback.

"Ah, no..." Du Peng quickly tried to explain.

Wang Li smiled knowingly: "Five thousand per person, fifty thousand for ten people. No problem, I can approve this amount directly, no need to ask President Su again."

Liu Yu almost choked to death on the lemonade.

"Wait, Manager Wang! You've misunderstood! Du Peng meant five hundred per person! Five hundred!"

Wang Li paused for a moment, then smiled, his eyes saying, "The kids are still too young."

"Liu Yu, you may not be familiar with the standard practices for commercial sponsorships. For a company, a sponsorship of 50,000 yuan is a very small project. If you only give 5,000 yuan, the financial process might be more complicated than the amount itself."

He took a sip of coffee and continued, "Moreover, President Su specifically instructed that this sponsorship should reflect Su's Real Estate's sense of social responsibility and its support for youth sports. So 50,000 is a very appropriate number."

Du Peng was petrified, muttering to himself as if his soul had left his body: "Fifty thousand... fifty thousand... I can hear my great-grandmother calling me..."

Liu Yu remained relatively calm, but his temples were throbbing: "Manager Wang, this is too much. It's just a student competition; we don't need this many..."

Wang Li interrupted him: "It's enough. A pair of professional basketball shoes costs more than a thousand yuan, a good team uniform costs five or six hundred yuan, and protective gear, medicine, nutritional supplements, training meals... all these added together, fifty thousand yuan might be just right."

Seeing the two stunned people, he dropped another bombshell: "Oh, by the way, President Su also said that if you can win the championship, each of you will receive an extra cash bonus of 10,000 yuan. That's 100,000 yuan for ten people."

"Clang!!"

Du Peng slid off the chair and landed on his bottom on the floor.

"Du Peng!" Liu Yu quickly went to pull him up.

Wang Li also stood up: "Are you alright, classmate?"

Du Peng was pulled up, and he grabbed Liu Yu's arm: "Boss... pinch me... am I dreaming...?"

Liu Yu pinched him.

"Aww!"

"It hurts! It's real! It's real! Fifty thousand! And a hundred thousand in bonus! Aaaaaaahhhhhh!!!!"

His shout startled everyone in the coffee shop.

Liu Yu quickly covered his mouth: "Calm down!"

Wang Li couldn't help but laugh as he looked at the two clowns.

He took out two business cards from his briefcase and then opened a WeChat QR code: "How about this, let's add each other on WeChat, and I'll add you two to the project group. The sponsorship funds will arrive today. If you need to purchase anything, just contact me directly, and I can arrange for the company's purchasing department to assist you and get the channel price."

Du Peng added the WeChat account with trembling hands.

"By the way, do you have any design requirements for the logo and GG phrase printed on the team jerseys?"

"No, no! You can order it!" Du Peng quickly replied.

"Okay, that's all for today. I have a meeting, so I'll be going now. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions."

He stood up and straightened his suit: "Play well in the game, and don't let President Su down."

After saying that, he casually pushed open the door and left.

The coffee shop was quiet for a few seconds.

Du Peng suddenly grabbed Liu Yu's shoulders and began shaking him frantically: "Boss! Boss, did you hear that! Fifty thousand! It's in my account today! And a hundred thousand in bonus! One hundred thousand! I've never seen so much money in my life!"

Liu Yu was being shaken around: "I heard you, I heard you... Let go, I'm going to throw up..."

"I won't let go! I'm so excited! Is my sister-in-law's family a money printing factory?! They talk about 50,000 yuan like it's only 5 yuan! If I had known, I would have held up ten fingers! Would that have made 100,000?!"

"Even if you stick out a hundred, it won't make a difference; they have basic judgment. But it really is... too exaggerated."

"What's with the exaggeration! This is skill! This is vision! Do you know what this means? It means we can wear the best jerseys! The best shoes! We can eat barbecue and drink Red Bull after practice! We can use the best spray if we get injured! We're not here to compete, we're here to reap the rewards!"

Looking at him like this, Liu Yu shook his head helplessly, but the corners of his mouth also turned up slightly.

Indeed, with this sponsorship, their class's basketball team was upgraded from a militia to a regular army.

Just as the two were about to leave the coffee shop, Du Peng's phone pinged.

It's a bank newsletter.