Chapter 283: Dining with a View

Self-service restaurant, window-side spot.

From the thirty-seventh floor, you could overlook Osaka.

You’ve got to say, the urban landscape of Japan is pretty recognizable at a glance.

Aside from Kyoto’s mostly ‘Tang-style’ ancient charm, modern districts like Tokyo and Osaka look strikingly similar.

Put nicely, they’re neat and refined; straight up, they’re crowded and stifling.

Setting aside the national pride we all feel from birth, this modern cityscape still evokes thoughts of a ‘tiny island nation’.

It’s worlds apart from the vast, expansive imagery we associate with it.

Yet the deep blue sky and massive clouds do have a dreamy, comic-book vibe.

Paired with the blocky street layouts, it’s like ‘comics brought to life’.

Xu Chen and his three companions grabbed their meals and dug in, the atmosphere casual and relaxed.

Having ‘Young Miss’ Wu Feifei around helped a lot; she’s outgoing and sociable, quickly livening up the conversation.

Even with Bing Ge’s naturally reserved demeanor, the meal didn’t feel awkward at all.

But Bing Ge was the star of the day, so the other three raised their glasses in toast.

Xie Bingran lifted her cup of tea in a cool, distant reply.

Wu Feifei knew Xie Bingran well by now and understood that chilly attitude was just her style.

Nie Fei had figured it out too and actually liked Bing Ge’s cool vibe.

Wu Feifei beamed with excitement and said,

“My dad just messaged me—says the Publicity Department is planning a ‘Xie Bingran Spirit’ campaign in the city…”

Xu Chen felt a bit speechless, thinking this was probably Secretary Xia Gang’s idea, with Director Feng Siliang jumping on board to flatter.

…

During a break in the meal, two silver-haired Japanese grannies from the next table approached, smiling warmly and chattering in rapid Japanese.

Wu Feifei translated with a grin:

“These ladies saw the news and are asking if Bing Ge is the champion—they want a photo…”

One granny, all smiles, pulled out a large-screen Sony phone and held up the screen.

Xu Chen glanced at it—it was the news report of Xie Bingran’s recent win.

Clearly, Bing Ge’s victory over seven Japanese competitors had made headlines here.

The Japanese media had hyped up Akabane Kaoru, Tadashi Taguchi, and the others so much, putting them under the spotlight.

Now, with the unexpected results and all the buzz, they couldn’t ignore follow-up coverage.

So Xie Bingran’s triumph ended up on major Japanese media and online channels.

Who knew the news had even reached these two silver-haired grannies.

The grannies looked kind and polite, bowing slightly with a pleading expression.

Xie Bingran stood up and gave a small smile.

The grannies kept saying ‘Arigato’ as they moved beside her for a photo.

Wu Feifei took the phone and snapped the picture.

…

Just a minor interlude.

Wu Feifei munched on her salad and said excitedly:

“Back at school, all the group chats are buzzing about Bing Ge’s match!

I just posted a photo of me and Bing Ge, and it’s totally exploded…”

Xu Chen remembered his own phone getting bombarded with messages, so he pulled it out for a quick look.

Sure enough, the class and college groups were full of heated discussions.

Photos from the lecture hall viewing parties were everywhere.

Old news clips, photos, and posters of Xie Bingran’s past races were being shared nonstop.

The groups were basically turning into Bing Ge fan clubs.

You could see some of Bai Miao’s dedicated fans switching allegiance to Xie Bingran.

Even a few girls in his class were showing major interest in Bing Ge.

Like the beauty Chen Qiong—one of Shanghai’s ‘dynamic duo’—who posted a bunch of Bing Ge’s cool shots in the group, adding starry-eyed emojis.

Through the shared news, Xu Chen got a sense of just how popular Xie Bingran was back home.

Everything was playing out as expected.

“September 18th,” “one against seven siege,” “Chinese fans’ long-distance charge”—these topics had the event trending hot.

The boos during the race and the fans’ mysterious chants added even more hype and debate.

In the end, Xie Bingran burst onto the scene, dominating the track and crushing the seven Japanese competitors, wrapping up this topic feast with a bang.

Exaggerated terms like ‘national hero’ or ‘anti-Japanese heroine’ were even popping up in online chats.

After that powerful win, plenty of viewers and netizens were still riding the high, reluctant to let go.

By the logic of buzz, this topic would linger for at least a week or two.

After that fermentation, Xie Bingran’s fame and popularity would skyrocket compared to before.

Lots of people who didn’t know her were discovering her through this craze.

And with her striking looks and icy demeanor, she naturally drew in a wave of fans.

You’ve got to admit, Bing Ge is almost the perfect sports star.

There are plenty who win national, Asian, or world titles, but few become real stars.

It’s all about results, looks, charisma, and buzz…

Timing, location, and people—all lined up for her.

No doubt, Bing Ge has it all.

She deserves the spotlight.

…

Xu Chen reined in his proud feelings, picked up a piece of fried shrimp tempura, and placed it in Xie Bingran’s bowl.

“Little foodie” chomped away, seemingly unaware or unbothered by the outside world’s fuss.

Xu Chen added a big chunk of grilled fish to Bing Ge’s plate:

“Champion, eat up and build your strength.”

Xie Bingran’s cheeks were already puffed out; she blinked and softly said, “Oh.”

Messages kept popping up in the group chats on his phone.

What made Xu Chen chuckle was that several people were tagging him directly.

[@Xu Chen, you missed the big show by taking the day off!]

[Not being at school today, you totally missed that epic live event!]

[@Boss Xu, your Shandong Province hometown girl is absolutely awesome!]

[Oh right, she’s your local celeb… @Xu Chen, are all the girls from your area this fierce?]

…

Xu Chen shook his head, amused.

He thought, if he posted a photo of him and Bing Ge in the group, it’d probably shock them silly.

Xu Chen hesitated but decided against it.

If a bunch of people started asking him for autographs or begging introductions to Bing Ge, it’d be a mess.

Even if he didn’t mind the hassle, he didn’t want to bother Bing Ge with it.

Bing Ge’s time was precious—most of it went to training and their little duo world, with none left for hordes of fans.

…

…

Xu Chen remembered the main thing and turned to Nie Fei:

“Fei Jie, how’d your chat go with Director Li and Director An?”

Nie Fei smiled: “Smoothly. I covered our group’s details and Kunlunshan Mineral Water’s background. Director An and Director Li had no major questions—next up is the official business talks.”

She glanced at Xie Bingran and added with a smile:

“But for this partnership, we still need Xie Bingran’s personal okay and authorization.

Technically, Director An, Director Li, and the General Bureau can’t decide everything for the athlete.”

Xie Bingran might look cold and unapproachable, but she was a sharp, clever girl.

Xu Chen hadn’t gone into details about the Kunlunshan endorsement, yet she grasped the basics.

She looked at Nie Fei and said:

“I’m fine with any business deals Xu Chen’s involved in.”

Nie Fei chuckled: “Thanks for the trust.”

She turned to Xu Chen:

“With Xie Bingran’s current popularity, negotiating the price might get tricky.”

Xu Chen laughed: “Jiaduobao’s a big company; they can handle the budget.”

Nie Fei: “I messaged the CEO earlier, and he wants to lock this in with Xie Bingran ASAP. He figures her commercial value will climb after the Asian Games, so signing now is a win.”

Xu Chen raised his glass and clinked it lightly with Nie Fei’s, thinking this would pad the ‘little rich girl’ fund by more than a million or two.

Nie Fei continued:

“Some sports brands have probably already reached out to Xie Bingran’s team, right?”

Xu Chen: “Director Li mentioned a few have contacted them.”

Nie Fei nodded: “Based on what I know about the industry, Xie Bingran’s a high-value partner. Pretty much every major sports brand is doing internal assessments, even if they haven’t hit up the National Team yet. She’ll likely get a flood of endorsement offers soon.”

She paused, then added:

“These deals usually involve exclusivity, so you can only pick one. I bet Director An and Director Li will share the General Bureau’s thoughts, but it’ll come down to Xie Bingran’s call.”

Xu Chen smiled casually:

“What if Bing Ge skips them all?”

Nie Fei blinked in surprise: “Skip them? Brands like Nike or Adidas, or even the top domestic ones, offer huge exposure. Landing an endorsement or annual deal would boost her profile even more.”

Xu Chen glanced at Nie Fei as if tossing out an idea:

“What about creating our own sports brand for Bing Ge?”

Nie Fei laughed: “Launching a new sports brand in today’s market? That’s no small feat.”

She sipped her red wine, furrowing her brow slightly as if pondering it, then looked at Xie Bingran.

“If it’s for Xie Bingran, it might not be entirely impossible…”