Chapter 93: Thunder on Flat Ground

“Ten years?!”

Martins shook his head like a rattle, repeatedly saying “no,” “Too long—maximum five years. Ronaldo will definitely become a star. Five years is more than enough!”

Martins naturally wanted to sign Ronaldo to a big contract; a short-term endorsement deal would allow him to raise the price again if renewed later.

Martins wanted to raise the price, but for Lu Chao, there was no room for negotiation—this was eight million U.S. dollars. Once the news broke, it wouldn’t just shock European football—it would shake the entire global sports and celebrity industries.

“This offer is already high, Mr. Martins. Pepsi’s endorsement deal with music superstar Michael Jackson was only three million U.S. dollars, and that was after Jackson was already a global icon.”

“When Jordan was a rookie in the NBA, Nike gave him just two and a half million U.S. dollars over five years. Ronaldo is now getting eight million U.S. dollars—he’ll be on the front pages of every sports and media outlet worldwide, proving his value to everyone!”

“Also!”

Lu Chao looked at Martins, “Nike’s treatment of Jordan—Dongling High-Tech can offer the same.”

“Some say his playing style is as mysterious and unpredictable as an alien’s—no opponent on the field can guess his next move. Let’s make ‘Alien’ his nickname. Dongling High-Tech can launch an ‘Alien’ brand. As long as he cooperates with promotions and endorses our products, and sales reach a certain level, he’ll receive corresponding bonuses!”

Hearing this, Martins was genuinely swayed. Jordan’s partnership with Nike had become the gold standard in sports—Jordan helped Nike crush its rivals Adidas and Converse in basketball, and Nike built Jordan’s personal brand, AJ, giving him annual royalties—now his shoe royalties far exceeded his salary.

If Dongling High-Tech builds a brand for Ronaldo, whether it turns a profit is secondary—this alone elevates Ronaldo’s fame to the same level as basketball legend Jordan!

“‘Alien’?” Martins pondered the nickname. “It’s actually a great moniker.”

“I need to call and inform my player about this.”

After calling Ronaldo to notify him, Martins also summoned another person.

Ronaldo had two trusted agents: Martins, and another named Pita. When Ronaldo was still in the slums and playing for a minor team, Martins and Pita personally paid to buy him out and trained him, paying his salary. Ronaldo was deeply grateful and placed absolute trust in both men.

Pita arrived quickly. After a few minutes of discussion with Martins at the café, he bluntly told Martins, “Accept it. Don’t care about the contract length—even if it’s longer, say yes!”

Unlike Martins, who was eloquent, Pita was quiet and reserved, but decisive. Together, they controlled the fates of over a hundred players, including Ronaldo—one handled the public face, the other the behind-the-scenes.

“Eight million U.S. dollars will make Ronaldo the center of attention in football. This is just an endorsement for a digital cordless phone—it won’t affect his other contracts, especially his shoe deals, which are the real key!”

Pita said shrewdly, “This endorsement will draw attention to Ronaldo from Europe and the entire world. If he performs well, maybe in two seasons—or even this season—some European giant club will snatch him up!”

Hearing this, Martins nodded in agreement. The eight-million-dollar endorsement was absolutely beneficial to both Ronaldo and Shenzhou Digital Cordless Phone—both sides needed this publicity. There was almost no reason to refuse.

As for the “Alien” brand, Pita didn’t care much. There was only one Jordan, only one AJ brand. If it were that easy to replicate, it wouldn’t be the endlessly discussed legend it was.

“Let’s make a deal. You’ll soon see Ronaldo performing his goal celebration for Shenzhou Digital Cordless Phone on the pitch!”

Lu Chao shook hands with Martins, nodded to Pita beside him, and with the contract signed, the partnership was officially established.

After signing the agreement with Ronaldo and his agent Martins, Lu Chao hired an advertising company to film Ronaldo’s commercial and began registering the “Alien” brand across Europe, the Americas, Asia, and other regions.

The registered “Alien” brand wasn’t limited to electronics or digital products—it also included shoes, jerseys, and more!

In the future, if Ronaldo truly becomes a superstar, whether he signs with Adidas or any other brand for shoes, if he wants to launch a shoe line named after his nickname “Alien,” he’ll have to go through Dongling High-Tech.

———

“Cut!”

“More exaggerated expression—have you seen Stephen Chow’s movies? Be absurd.”

“It’s the boss’s requirement. This is a twelve-ten-thousand-yuan commercial—viewers must remember the brand!”

Yao Luoying, Zhang Ao, Gao Peng, and others followed Li Dongling into a house where an advertising crew was busy filming.

“Boss!”

Seeing them arrive, the director Sang Tian immediately stood up and greeted Li Dongling and Dongling High-Tech’s executives.

He looked at the lavishly decorated room used for filming, along with all the equipment: lights, tripods, microphones, recorders, and more.

“This is filming!”

Yao Luoying, Gao Peng, Zhang Ao, and others stared curiously at the scene before them.

“This is just an ad—filming a movie is far more complicated,” Sang Tian explained upon hearing Yao Luoying’s remark.

The client for this ad was extremely generous—he had flown him, his entire crew, equipment, and even actors all the way from Guangdong.

A large portion of the 120,000-yuan ad budget went into this very room, which was furnished like a Hong Kong tycoon’s home. The entire commercial portrayed the Shenzhou Digital Cordless Phone as part of modern household life.

“That guy’s the lead? He doesn’t even look as handsome as me—I can’t help laughing just looking at him!”

Gao Peng stared at the lead actor, Xu Xiaoli, and rubbed his chin. The actor chosen for the domestic version of the Shenzhou ad wasn’t conventionally good-looking.

“It’s Boss Li’s decision. We originally wanted a celebrity, but Boss Li insisted on an actor with ‘character.’ We brought Xu Xiaoli in last-minute—he used to be a set assistant at a film studio.”

Sensing everyone’s gaze, Xu Xiaoli, who had been reading his script, smiled at them. His smile amplified his comedic aura—even standing still, he radiated humor.

“Is he really suitable for this role?!” Yao Luoying couldn’t help asking Li Dongling.

Li Dongling first nodded to Xu Xiaoli, then said, “The most important thing for Shenzhou Digital Cordless Phone is that people remember the brand—not how the actor looks. Dongling High-Tech is promoting a brand, not a celebrity!”

“He might become an advertising star!”

Li Dongling glanced back at Xu Xiaoli and casually remarked to Yao Luoying, Gao Peng, Zhang Ao, and others.

Hearing this, they all looked at Xu Xiaoli in surprise. How could Li Dongling say that? In any era, advertising stars who drive sales were extremely valuable—even unknowns like Xu Xiaoli, if they made a product popular, would be flooded with brand offers. They could earn as much as, or even more than, celebrities—earning tens of thousands per commercial, far more than most minor stars could get.

“Finish both commercials as soon as possible—don’t delay Shenzhou Digital Cordless Phone’s promotional schedule!”

Li Dongling told director Sang Tian. There were two commercials planned—one for domestic release and one for Southeast Asia—both starring Xu Xiaoli. After filming, they’d be dubbed and broadcast across China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Southeast Asia.

“Don’t worry, Boss Li—I won’t delay a single day,” Sang Tian quickly assured him.

Li Dongling and Yao Luoying and the others watched more filming. Xu Xiaoli’s exaggerated, comedic performance—shouting, “Hey, Xiao Li?”—had Zhang Ao and Gao Peng bursting into laughter.

The Shenzhou Digital Cordless Phone ad was nothing like the old-style propaganda ads that just had celebrities praise the product until viewers only remembered the actor’s face. This ad was humorous and quirky, yet made the brand unforgettable.

At Dongling High-Tech’s electronics park, Tao Zhiliang arrived at the newly built production workshop. Compared to the previous makeshift factory, the new facility was vastly superior—it featured central air conditioning, a brand-new lighting system, a tea room, rest area, medical room, locker room, smoking area, and more—all fully equipped.

But the production line Tao Zhiliang now managed wasn’t for electronic pets—it was the Shenzhou Digital Cordless Phone line.

Today was the official launch day for Shenzhou Digital Cordless Phone production. Dongling High-Tech’s top executives—Li Dongling, Ren Yuefeng, Hu Zi, Gao Peng—and technical supervisor Song Yajun of the workshop were all present.

Raw materials were pulled from storage, moved along conveyor belts, processed and assembled at each workstation, gradually transforming into a complete Shenzhou Digital Cordless Phone. After passing through multiple quality-check stations, Tao Zhiliang followed the entire process. When the final inspector announced the unit passed inspection, Tao Zhiliang exhaled deeply—and applause erupted throughout the new workshop.

“Start production!”

As Li Dongling spoke, two production lines, each capable of manufacturing 450 Shenzhou Digital Cordless Phones per day, began full-speed operation.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in Europe, a shocking rumor exploded—and soon spread like wildfire across the global football world!

“Ronaldo, forward for Dutch powerhouse PSV Eindhoven, has signed an eight-million-dollar endorsement deal with Shenzhou Digital Cordless Phone!”

(End of Chapter)