Chapter 502: The Tipping Point of International Triumph

The suspense has finally settled.

In just two days, Xie Bingran will face a true international showdown, competing head-to-head with the world’s top multi-ethnic athletes.

The outcome of the event two days from now now hangs in the balance.

Can she, as a representative of China, Asia, and the yellow race, secure a medal?

Even though the final twist remains unresolved, having advanced to the nine-person final, Xie Bingran has already achieved an unprecedented record in the history of Chinese athletics.

This feat is truly without precedent.

As CCTV sports anchor Tong Kexin put it, advancing from the preliminaries and making it to the finals in so many respects is a complete victory in itself for Xie Bingran.

……

The atmosphere in the meeting room was one of ecstatic celebration.

Su Rong patted Xu Chen’s shoulder vigorously, boasting:

“I told you packing my suitcase early would pay off! Even the gods heard my determination!”

Xu Chen was momentarily speechless before giving Miss Su a thumbs-up.

In the earlier preliminary race, the man who finished first, Lopez Schlip, turned out to be that ‘devil of a muscle man’ from North America and Canada.

Following Xie Bingran, the American athlete Damu Cheli—the one previously suspended for a positive drug test—finished third.

Together with these two Black athletes, Xie Bingran secured her place in the finals.

Senior Bai Miao failed to appear, ending up in eighth place in the nine-person preliminary rankings.

This outcome was almost expected since, in terms of raw athletic prowess, Bai Miao still lags far behind the world’s top competitors.

Her participation in this preliminary round was partly due to luck.

It seems Bai Miao maintained reasonable expectations; after the race, she didn’t show too much disappointment on camera and even happily embraced Bing Ge to congratulate him.

……

……

Excitement still lingered in the air.

At Ran Bing Sports, Jiang Yuze and Sun Lingfeng hurried to get things moving.

Riding the wave of the race’s excitement, they had already prepared several items.

Sun Lingfeng glanced at the online store’s backend data and cheered:

“Natural traffic to the store has just doubled, and it’s still climbing!”

Nie Fei walked over to take a look, then turned to Jiang Yuze:

“The pre-launch for ‘Ran Bing X’ is set—teaser goes live tomorrow and pre-sales start the day after!”

They had mulled over the release of ‘Ran Bing X’ several times before finally deciding to ride the momentum of the European competition for its debut.

Although production currently can’t supply large volumes at once, it would be a pity not to capitalize on Bing Ge’s current hot streak.

That’s why they chose the two days when the topic was hottest for the public debut of ‘Ran Bing X’ and the online pre-sale.

Fortunately, the earlier ‘Ran Bing 001’ had followed the same launch path, so fans and consumers already had the right expectations.

The anticipation created by the need to ‘reserve’ and ‘rush orders’ only made ‘Ran Bing X’ seem even more scarce and precious.

Jiang Yuze joked:

“Previously, ‘Ran Bing 001’ was hyped up to 1100, so I wonder how high ‘Ran Bing X’ can go.”

The debut page for ‘Ran Bing X’ goes live tomorrow, and Jiang Yuze has already coordinated external PR, media releases, community content, and more.

……

Xu Chen returned to the table and dug into a big slice of pizza.

With Bing Ge’s spot in the finals secured, a weight seemed to have lifted from their hearts.

Xu Chen smiled wryly, thinking that there was no way to doubt Bing Ge’s strength.

After all, when she said he’d ‘go straight to the finals,’ it meant a 100% guarantee.

Su Rong and Wu Feifei huddled together, excitedly discussing plans to travel to Europe to watch Bing Ge compete.

Xu Chen overheard a bit and felt oddly unsettled:

“Those Black athletes all smell so strong! And they just finished running, drenched in sweat…”

“They were hugging Bing Ge just a moment ago—I really feel for him.”

“Exactly! Sharing a changing room with Bing Ge? That’s even more concerning!”

Xu Chen: “?”

……

Nie Fei dragged Jiang Yuze and Sun Lingfeng to the meeting room for a session to plan the next steps.

They’d originally called on ‘Young Xu Chen,’ but Xu Chen had slacked off. Since she already knew the details, she let Fei Jie handle all the decisions.

Aside from upcoming promotional marketing and store operations, Nie Fei even had a call with Zhou Junjun.

With the sales of ‘Ran Bing 001’ on the rise—and with production of ‘Ran Bing X’ underway—the pressure shifted back to Vice President Zhou.

Currently, all production for both ‘Ran Bing 001’ and ‘Ran Bing X’ is scheduled at Lifeng Footwear.

Zhou Junjun had suggested an alternative plan: allocating some orders to local OEM factories for outsourcing.

But after a brief debate, Xu Chen and Nie Fei decided against it.

Outsourcing, even with strict quality controls, can hardly guarantee absolute uniformity of the products.

Ran Bing Sports is still building its reputation and customer base, and with the current high profile, a single pair of ‘bad shoes’ reaching consumers could spark a backlash.

The quality standards for ‘Ran Bing 001’ leaving the factory are among the strictest in the industry.

Although Zhou Junjun initially hesitated, seeing the sales rise, the positive word-of-mouth, and steady profits, she happily continued with the rigorous standards.

……

……

At Pengcheng, in the home of Xi Zhilang Chairman Li Yongjun.

Li Lizi turned around in front of the TV, legs spread and hands on her hips, exuding an air of arrogance.

She looked at Li Yongjun, who was seated on the sofa, and declared:

“Aren’t I just amazing?”

Li Yongjun was taken aback for a moment and replied:

“A girl should really mind her words…”

……

At the headquarters of Datuo Car Dealership in Shimen City,

Chairman Jiang Huaqin was in a large conference room holding a meeting with several regional managers.

On the big screen, the impressive preliminary race had just finished playing.

Jiang Huaqin lit a cigarette and glanced at an X Stand by the window – a striking poster featuring Chenfeng Electric Vehicles and spokesperson Xie Bingran.

“Good thing we pushed extra stock to President Xu’s side! I have a feeling this batch is going to fly off the shelves…”

One subordinate added:

“Ever since the marketing materials for Chenfeng’s spokesperson hit the store, customers have been inquiring more frequently. Originally, few had heard of ‘Chenfeng’ Electric Bikes, but with this surge attributed to the spokesperson’s popularity, brand recognition and sales could exceed our expectations!”

“Boss, one more thing.

I heard that Aixing Car Dealership is also reaching out to Chenfeng Technology, hoping to negotiate a distribution deal.”

Jiang Huaqin smiled and nodded:

“President Xu has already given me the green light on that.

Xu Zhiquan is a man of his word—loyal, principled, and dependable. Once he promises anything, Datuo Car Dealership won’t be left empty-handed!”

He took a drag of his cigarette and continued:

“We were worried that Chenfeng’s brand recognition wouldn’t support long-term sales.

But with the momentum from the spokesperson’s current popularity, there’s nothing to fret about.”

……

……

On Friday the 27th, early in the morning, Xu Chen drove to the Southwest Tower to pick up the impeccably dressed, rosy-cheeked Su Rong.

She set off light, carrying only a small backpack since yesterday’s suitcase was already loaded in the car.

Both had already secured leave with the Class Monitor for their holiday.

After the European competition, they’d enjoy a continuous five-day holiday for May Day, after which Xu Chen would fly straight home.

Xie Bingran would spend a day with Xu Chen in Zurich after her race, but the next day she would fly back to the Capital City with the team.

With Bing Ge breaking into the finals, even though the final results were still pending, celebrations, receptions, and commendations were already on the horizon.

After the May Day break, Xie Bingran would return to the Xin Zhuang Training Base in Shanghai.

Xu Chen had confirmed with Coach Cheng Hong that Bing Ge would be granted a special two-day leave—a rare opportunity to spend some quality time with the affluent woman.

Before the 2008 Olympics, Bing Ge’s training was highly secluded, and even a single day off was a rare luxury—truly pitiful.

……

Xu Chen drove to Shanghai Foreign Languages University to pick up Wu Feifei. The two young girls, sitting in the back, ignored ‘driver’ Xu Chen and excitedly discussed their upcoming European itinerary.

“Switzerland’s chocolate is amazing! We should get Bing Ge to try some!”

“Can Bing Ge even eat chocolate?”

“Sure can! I asked her last time. As long as the chocolate is clean, it’s just sugar and calories.

We might gain weight, but with Bing Ge’s huge energy expenditure, there’s nothing to worry about!”

“Switzerland even has cheese fondue—it sounds absolutely delicious!”

……

……

Over an hour later, at the VIP Lounge of the airport,

the two young girls went off to grab some fruit while Xu Chen lounged on a soft sofa, texting Director Li Yue.

He inquired whether Li Yue would be available in Europe for a chat.

Xu Chen was, of course, still thinking about the cooperation between Chenfeng Technology and the Olympics.

Director Li Yue quickly replied and then called.

After a few warm greetings, Li Yue added:

“I won’t be heading over this time—the General Bureau has meetings these days, all revolving around the Olympics.

Everyone in the system is pitching in!

Once I finish up, I’ll pay a visit to the little Chenfeng company in Shanghai!”

Xu Chen retorted, “How can you come here, Director Li! Better wait until I’m in the Capital City!”

They then discussed Xie Bingran’s upcoming commercial collaborations.

The negotiations for a partnership with You Le Mei were nearly finalized, and with the race over May Day, official signing could proceed as soon as Xie Bingran returned.

Additionally, Director Li mentioned that more brand owners were approaching—though most failed General Bureau scrutiny, so he hadn’t informed Young Xu Chen.

“One potential client from Switzerland seems quite promising,” Li Yue elaborated.

They were one of the official sponsors of the International Athletics Grand Prix.

If Bing Ge clinched a medal, this sponsor would even host an interactive segment with him, as has been pre-approved by both the General Bureau and the National Team…

Xu Chen asked, “Which brand are we talking about?”

Director Li replied, “Omega—a Swiss watch brand.

They are promoting in China while scouting for the right ambassador. In fact, they’ve had their eye on Xie Bingran since last year.

The collaboration with Jeep and Louis Vuitton played a role in Omega’s interest.

They prefer athletes over celebrities for a more positive, active image.

With the Olympics set to be hosted domestically next year, they’re considering a top Chinese athlete.”

Xu Chen mused with a smile, “Not bad at all!”

Director Li added, “With your endorsement, I can move forward with absolute confidence!”

Xu Chen chuckled, “Director Li, you flatter me!”

Li Yue continued, “Their initial interest will ultimately depend on Bing Ge’s performance—especially in tomorrow’s final.

If he can win a medal at an international event, Omega will be chasing him for a contract.”

Xu Chen couldn’t help but feel overjoyed for Bing Ge.

While the endorsement fee was just one aspect, signing with a high-end brand like Omega would greatly enhance Xie Bingran’s commercial image.

Although the fee from Omega might not match that of You Le Mei, the overall boost to her image is far superior, lending her an exclusive high-end allure.

Xu Chen couldn’t help but reflect on how the affluent women were becoming more sophisticated.

If you add Jeep and Louis Vuitton into the mix along with a premium watch brand, Bing Ge would become the envy of all top celebrities in the country.

This is not only due to Xie Bingran’s athletic achievements and personal image but also a blessing of the Olympic year.

Xu Chen recalled the wise words of his father, Xu Zhiquan:

“It’s all about timing, circumstances, and the alignment of forces…”

Xu Chen then asked, “What form will the brand interaction take tomorrow?”

Director Li replied, “Omega, as the official partner of the competition, will gift watches to all medalists during the awards ceremony.

During the subsequent media session, Omega’s materials will also feature on camera, all arranged by the event organizers…

Of course, this is all on the condition that Bing Ge finishes in the top three to secure a medal.”

Xu Chen responded, “Great — now let’s see what Bing Ge can do tomorrow.”

After a brief pause, Li Yue laughed and said:

“Originally, Omega had planned to invite Xie Bingran and some National Team members for a visit to their headquarters tomorrow afternoon,

but I’ve already nixed that plan.

I doubt Bing Ge would agree anyway—tomorrow he’ll have some free time to hang with Young Xu Chen.”

……

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