Chapter 281: Victory and Connections

Stands seating.

Xu Chen’s phone buzzed. He opened it and checked the message; it was from Coach Cheng Hong.

“Fei Jie, let’s go meet the Sports Administration leaders.”

Nie Fei was still caught up in the competition’s excitement. She quickly composed herself, smiled, and nodded.

Wu Feifei was still buzzing with energy, standing and watching Bing Ge on the podium draped in the national flag, clapping happily.

Xu Chen nudged her arm:

“Fei Jie and I need to discuss something. Why don’t you come with us?”

Wu Feifei paused, then smiled and nodded.

Xu Chen stood and led the two women toward the exit.

Nie Fei murmured quietly:

“I should have listened to you earlier and signed Xie Bingran right away.”

“Now, with everything that’s happened, the fees will probably be sky-high.”

Xu Chen just smiled and didn’t say anything.

In his mind, he thought that once this endorsement deal was sealed, even if the national team took most of it for sports development…

Xie Bingran would still end up with at least a million or two.

Plus, as Coach Cheng Hong mentioned, there were other business opportunities in the works with Director Li Yue.

And then there were the bonuses and rewards from various competitions…

His once-struggling desk mate was now a full-fledged little rich girl!

Xu Chen felt a bit of pressure building inside.

He realized his earning pace might soon lag behind Bing Ge’s.

Xu Chen couldn’t help but wonder which brands, besides Kunlunshan Mineral Water, had the vision to already discuss partnerships with Bing Ge through the national team…

Xu Chen thought back carefully.

In his previous life, Xie Bingran’s commercial breakthrough came after her 2010 Asian Games win.

If his memory served right, she collaborated with dairy brands, financial products, and even car companies…

But now, thanks to Xu Chen’s influence, Xie Bingran had hit the track and gained fame four years earlier.

This meant she could compete in the 2006 Asian Games and the 2008 Olympics.

Given her current performance, stepping onto the scene earlier might lead her to even greater achievements than in his memories.

…

Xu Chen snapped back to the present as they reached the ground floor.

Following Coach Cheng Hong’s directions, he hurried to an exit.

In a roped-off area, Coach Cheng Hong was already waiting.

Xu Chen waved through the barrier with a smile and introduced Nie Fei and Wu Feifei to her.

Nie Fei was very polite, offering her business card with both hands.

Cheng Hong glanced at it and smiled. “Nice to meet you, President Nie!”

She handed over two special access badges to Xu Chen:

“Wu Feifei can wait in the rest area. You and President Nie should wear these and enter through the front gate.”

Xu Chen acknowledged and passed one badge to Nie Fei.

Wu Feifei said, “I’ll go wander around up front. I can still see the field. Call me when you’re done!”

Xu Chen nodded and headed with Nie Fei toward the entrance.

…

…

Inside the stadium, in a quiet athletes’ lounge.

Cheng Hong pushed the door open to find two middle-aged men inside.

One of them stepped forward with a smile—it was Director Li Yue from the Sports Administration, handling business collaborations.

Xu Chen said, “Director Li, it’s been a while!”

Li Yue chuckled warmly, “Not that long, but I didn’t expect such quick results from you, young President Xu.”

His comment on “quick results” referred to how Xu Chen had secured commercial deals for Xie Bingran in record time.

Xu Chen smiled and introduced:

“This is Nie Fei, Vice President of Market Channels at Jiaduobao Group.”

“And this is Director Li Yue from the Sports Administration.”

Nie Fei smiled confidently and naturally, extending her hand to shake Li Yue’s.

Li Yue quickly introduced the man behind him:

“This is An Jin Xiong, our Sports Administration’s lead on external commercial collaborations…”

As Cheng Hong had mentioned earlier, Director An was Li Yue’s direct superior.

They held the same rank but with a reporting structure.

Essentially, An Jin Xiong was the main director, and Li Yue was the deputy.

Xu Chen and Nie Fei politely greeted An Jin Xiong.

An Jin Xiong had a square face and wore gold-rimmed glasses. He looked at Xu Chen with surprise:

“No wonder Director Li calls you ‘young President Xu’—you’re quite accomplished for your age.”

Xu Chen replied, “You’re too kind, Director An. I’m honored to learn from you and Director Li!”

An Jin Xiong smiled, clearly pleased with Xu Chen’s tact.

Xu Chen got straight to the point:

“For the collaboration details, President Nie can discuss them with you and Director Li. I’ve done my part as the connector!”

Nie Fei added with a smile, “Thank you, Teacher Xu.”

Xu Chen smiled, exchanged polite goodbyes, and left the lounge.

As a third party, he didn’t want to meddle in the business talks between Jiaduobao and the national team.

His involvement struck the right balance, helping both sides.

It built goodwill with Nie Fei and Li Yue alike.

…

Coach Cheng Hong waited by the door and said as Xu Chen emerged:

“Your Bing Ge has two more interviews to finish.”

“You can come with me, but we can’t enter the interview area.”

Xu Chen smiled, “I get the rules. Thanks, Coach Cheng.”

Cheng Hong smiled and led the way quickly.

…

At the sidelines, a barrier blocked the path.

Athletes and coaches in national team gear clustered there, watching the field.

Xu Chen peered over the crowd and finally spotted the Bing Ge he missed.

Off to one side of the podium.

She stood with head coach Sun Mouping, doing interviews for two media outlets.

Xu Chen noticed that one included the CCTV Sports Channel crew he’d seen outside the stadium.

In front of the cameras, Coach Sun Mouping did most of the talking.

Xie Bingran stood beside him, quietly listening.

She seemed to sense something and glanced over.

People shifted in the front rows, blocking Xu Chen’s view.

He leaned sideways, locking eyes on Xie Bingran through the gaps.

In that moment…

Their gazes met.

Xie Bingran paused briefly, then bit her lip and sneaked a smile in front of the interview cameras.

…

A short while later, Xie Bingran and the coach were led to the other side of the podium.

Local Japanese media waited there for interviews.

The seven Japanese athletes and their coach were also being interviewed.

As Xie Bingran and Sun Mouping approached, the seven Japanese competitors turned and bowed slightly, showing great respect.

Xu Chen recalled the bold words Xie Bingran had mentioned a few times:

“A bunch of defeated foes”…

…

In the final race, the electronic timer stopped at 12.58 seconds—that was Xie Bingran’s time, smashing her personal best again.

It beat Feng Youping’s 12.93 from the previous Asian Games by a significant margin.

At just eighteen, Xie Bingran had firmly claimed Asia’s top spot.

Reaching the pinnacle in track is tougher than climbing the heavens, and her improvement in just over a month was astounding.

…

Akabane Kaoru took silver with 12.90 seconds, not beating her personal best of 12.89.

Tajimi Yukiji claimed bronze at 13.01 seconds, staying out of the 12-second range…

Both twenty-year-old athletes had reached Asia’s elite level.

By the last Asian Games standards, they would have won gold and silver.

This East Asian Youth Games served as a warm-up for the year-end Asian Games.

They never expected to be dominated by an unknown eighteen-year-old.

In earlier heats and semifinals, her times weren’t standout; she barely advanced each time.

Yet, from lane eight, that red figure left them in the dust.

For Akabane Kaoru, it was especially disheartening.

It meant a formidable rival for the Asian Games gold at year’s end.

And she was only eighteen.

For the next five or ten years, that short-haired girl would haunt the track.

No matter what Akabane Kaoru dreamed of achieving…

She’d face that shadow for years to come.

The thought filled the proud Japanese athlete with a deep sense of despair.

…

…

Cheng Hong patted Xu Chen’s shoulder from behind, smiling mysteriously:

“Follow me!”

Xu Chen, puzzled, hurried after her.

Cheng Hong led him to a changing room door.

The door was half-open, with a few resting team members inside.

Cheng Hong knocked with her knuckles, her presence commanding:

“I need this changing room. Everyone out for now!”

The members quickly stood and left, greeting her as “Coach Cheng.”

Once they were gone, Cheng Hong pulled Xu Chen inside:

“Wait here and don’t go anywhere.”

Xu Chen replied obediently, “Thanks, Coach Cheng!”

Cheng Hong turned and closed the door behind her.

…

Xu Chen sat waiting for five or six minutes.

A strange unease settled in him.

When the door opened again, he saw the face he’d been thinking about day and night.

Cheng Hong whispered, “You’ve got five minutes…”

With a sly grin, she shut the door.

…

Xie Bingran still wore her track top and shorts. She bit her lip, a shy smile creeping in.

Xu Chen said nothing, strode over, and wrapped her in a tight hug.

Xie Bingran stiffened briefly, then hugged him back just as firmly.

“Are you tired?” Xu Chen asked softly.

“A little,” she replied.

He felt the sweat on her shoulders.

“Congratulations on another win,” Xu Chen said with a smile.

“You smell amazing,” Xie Bingran said instead.

Xu Chen paused, then whispered,

“I miss you.”

“I miss you too.”

…

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