Chapter 105: All Fear Comes from Insufficient Firepower

Zhong Lifei arrived by car at a place with a sign that said "Yuhe Reservoir." After getting off, Zhong Lifei saw that it was quite noisy here, and there was even a small construction team busy here.

"Editor-in-Chief Zhong, I'm really sorry to have kept you waiting!"

After being brought in, Zhong Lifei saw quite a few fishing rods cast by the river, and some people were grilling meat and having a picnic on the side.

"I've long heard of Li Zong's great name, and today I've finally met you!" Zhong Lifei shook hands with Li Dongling. Although this was his first meeting with Li Dongling, he had seen Li Dongling's photos many times in the newspaper.

"This is Dongling High-Tech General Manager Ren Yuefeng, Feiyan Technology General Manager Yao Luoying, Dongling High-Tech Finance Manager Hu Zixian..."

After Li Dongling shook hands with Zhong Lifei, he introduced the people on the side to Zhong Lifei. Zhong Lifei hurriedly shook hands with everyone one by one. For Zhong Lifei, these were all big figures in the technology industry.

Since the launch of Shenzhou phones, everyone at Dongling High-Tech had been busy. After the Shenzhou European market side stabilized, today they could finally relax slightly. Li Dongling, Yao Luoying, and a host of Dongling High-Tech executives came here to fish and have a picnic.

While Li Dongling and Zhong Lifei were talking, Gao Peng came over and handed a contracting agreement to Li Dongling, "Brother Li, it's done!"

Li Dongling opened it and looked at it for a few times. This small reservoir no longer undertook water storage tasks and was in a semi-abandoned state. It was contracted together with the small hills around it by Li Dongling. For fishing enthusiasts, this kind of place was a fishing holy land that couldn't be more suitable.

However, Li Dongling contracted this reservoir not just to catch those few fish. This place was about half an hour from Pingyang main urban area and about an hour from the Hanxi provincial capital. People coming from either the provincial capital or Pingyang could stay and rest here.

After the Yuhe Reservoir was transformed into the Yuhe Leisure Resort, various leisure and entertainment facilities would be added here. It would not only be for Dongling High-Tech staff to come here to relax during their rest, but could also be used as Dongling High-Tech's reception place.

After all the facilities, including hotels, restaurants, gyms, bowling alleys, badminton courts, etc., were built, it would also be open to the outside world. In the future, it could be self-financing. As long as Dongling High-Tech didn't fall, it's estimated that this place wouldn't lose money!

Just like the Moutai Hotel in Moutai Town, during its peak period, it became the only hotel in the world with an occupancy rate of 100%, because after checking in, one could buy Moutai liquor. When Moutai was being hyped the hottest, after getting a bottle of liquor, it could be sold for several times the price.

This Yuhe Leisure Resort wouldn't have an occupancy rate of 100% like the Moutai Hotel, but as long as Dongling High-Tech could maintain its current momentum, the companies, distributors, and agents who wanted to cooperate with Dongling High-Tech would also continuously stay here. Coupled with the consumption of Dongling High-Tech's own internal staff, it was enough to maintain the operation of this resort.

"Editor-in-Chief Zhong, would you like to cast a rod?!"

Seeing the fishing rod handed over by Li Dongling, Zhong Lifei took it, "I'll respectfully obey your command!"

Li Dongling and Zhong Lifei came to the simple fishing platform pushed out by the construction team just now. Zhong Lifei set up the bait and cast a rod. After turning his head, he saw Li Dongling, with a serious face, throwing bait in one scoop after another, which made Zhong Lifei's eyelids jump.

Until the 5-jin bag of bait in his hand was emptied, a look of slight regret appeared on Li Dongling's face, feeling that the bait brought today was still too little. For a veteran fishing enthusiast, the saying "bait-casting immortal" was something Li Dongling couldn't listen to. If you don't spare the bait, you can't catch the fish. All fear comes from insufficient firepower. If you can't catch fish, it's because the bait wasn't thrown enough. As long as the firepower coverage is fierce enough, even the "Turtle Immortal" will take the bait!

Li Dongling always firmly believed that if you can't catch fish, it's either because the bait was put in too little, or the quality of the fishing rod was problematic—the sub-line was too thick, the rod was too short, etc. Perhaps it could also be that there were no fish in this reservoir, or even related to the wind force, sunlight intensity, and feng shui of the fishing position on that day. Anyway, it couldn't be the fishing enthusiast's technique; it was absolutely impossible!

Seeing Li Dongling finish scattering the bait and casting the fishing rod, Zhong Lifei took the opportunity to ask Li Dongling, "Does Li Zong like football very much?"

Spending 8 million USD to find a product endorser, Shenzhou phones opened a precedent for domestic advertising endorsements. Zhong Lifei felt there was little hope for anyone to surpass it in the future. According to normal logic, Li Dongling should be a fanatical football fan. Zhong Lifei asking this was also human nature.

"I..." Li Dongling looked at Zhong Lifei, words reached his lips, and he shook his head again, "When I was at Hanxi University, I played for a period of time."

"Li Zong is being modest. Spending 8 million USD to find Ronaldo for endorsement, this move was absolutely earth-shattering, creating a new record for the global football world. Ronaldo's performance this year also lives up to this endorsement fee. If you weren't a veteran football person, how could you find a player like Ronaldo?" Zhong Lifei was full of admiration for Li Dongling finding Ronaldo for endorsement.

"If I say it's because of Editor-in-Chief Zhong, because of 'Football Club' magazine, would you believe it? Your magazine had Ronaldo's name in the selection of the new generation of European football stars!" Li Dongling said with a smile.

Zhong Lifei's eyelids jumped again, and he could only follow with a laugh, "Li Zong is really joking!"

Li Dongling didn't speak, just looked at him meaningfully. This look made Zhong Lifei's heart, which had finally calmed down, lift again. He didn't dare to imagine if what Li Dongling said was true, if it was really chosen according to the new generation of stars selected in "Football Club," what kind of storm it would cause if it spread out. If Ronaldo hadn't played out and fulfilled his talent, what would be the consequences? Zhong Lifei didn't dare to think about it anymore. The more he thought, the more flustered he became...

"Choosing Ronaldo as Shenzhou's endorser indeed had the reason of 'Football Club' magazine, but in fact, no matter who was chosen, for Shenzhou, that endorsement fee had already brought enough returns to Shenzhou!"

Li Dongling moved the fishing rod and said to Zhong Lifei. Regardless of whether Ronaldo fulfilled his talent or not, the 8 million USD endorsement fee made Shenzhou phones known to football fans in Europe and globally before they were even sold. The popularity was established. This advertisement was already worth it. As for the results Ronaldo played later, that could only be said to be the extra income Shenzhou phones got.

This was the same as those luxury brands choosing celebrity endorsers. Could those luxury brands really bet on an endorser and bring how much improvement to their sales? Think about it with your toes; it's impossible.

This is the same as those luxury brands choosing celebrity spokespeople. Do those luxury goods really bet on a spokesperson and can it bring much improvement to their sales? If you think about it with your toes, it's impossible.

Zhong Lifei nodded. He felt this was the only explanation that could make sense. Spending 8 million USD to do an advertisement, expensive is expensive, but looking at the sales of Shenzhou series phones now, 8 million USD exchanged for over 100 million USD, isn't this account cost-effective?

After asking Li Dongling a few more questions—which football star Li Dongling liked most, which team, which match left the deepest impression—he suddenly asked Li Dongling, "Li Zong, will you let Dongling High-Tech also sponsor a domestic team, or acquire a team? Now many companies and rich people in the country have established their own football teams!"

"No!"

After listening to Zhong Lifei's words, Li Dongling said categorically. The fishing rod in his hand shook for a while. A big fish that looked like it was at least 5 or 6 jin swam past under Li Dongling's fishing rod, making Li Dongling almost slap his thigh. Not to mention investing in football, just hearing these two words made him feel unlucky. How could such a big fish not be caught?

"What domestic football lacks is not money," Li Dongling put the fishing rod back on the rack, "In the future, there will be an upright person who will bring changes to the domestic football world!"

Hearing these strange words, although Zhong Lifei was a bit strange, he still wrote down everything Li Dongling said. The next issue of "Football Club" was going to publish it.

Li Dongling's unwillingness to invest in domestic football clubs made Zhong Lifei a bit regretful. He felt that if a company like Dongling High-Tech in the technology industry entered the market, it might be able to set off a big wave in the domestic football world.

"Li Zong, I have an uninvited request. I don't know if 'Football Club' magazine can cooperate with Dongling High-Tech to hold some activities and invite Ronaldo to come to the country for activities during the off-season!"

Zhong Lifei looked at Li Dongling with full expectation. If this matter could be done, "Football Club" would truly be able to do it. Letting Ronaldo come to the country for activities and interact with fans, Zhong Lifei didn't dare to imagine the scene.

"No problem!"

Li Dongling agreed directly. According to the endorsement contract agreement signed between Shenzhou phones and Ronaldo, every off-season, Ronaldo had to follow the itinerary arranged by Shenzhou to go to markets around the world to do a wave of publicity and promotion for Shenzhou. Coming to the country to promote for Shenzhou—wasn't that a matter of course? Did he really think that 8 million USD was taken for nothing?!

Football is the world's number one sports activity, including in the country. No matter how rotten it is, every time a match is broadcast live, the viewership is still far higher than any other sports event, especially in the "gold football" era set off by a certain company, the viewership is even more crushing than a host of competitions including the NBA in the country. As for the World Cup every four years, it goes without saying. As time goes by, the influence brought by Ronaldo's endorsement for Shenzhou will become more and more obvious, and it will be on a global scale.

"Many thanks, Li Zong!"

A look of wild joy couldn't help but appear on Zhong Lifei's face. In the past few years, no international football superstar had come to the country for activities. He was confident that "Football Club" could turn Ronaldo's arrival into a grand gathering of the domestic sports industry.

"However, Editor-in-Chief Zhong, I also have one thing I hope your magazine can help with!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 106 =====

(End of this chapter)