Chapter 796
The Naked Lamb
"Adam, it's a good idea for you to buy shares in the Lakers. The Lakers have a good ability to attract crowds; wherever they play an away game, the arena is packed."
"Is there a 'but'?"
"Of course, the NBA's overall influence is too weak. Pallas's basketball jerseys sell only so-so, and the Lakers' jerseys aren't selling well; only the number 99 jerseys are selling a few. I suggest cutting back on basketball and shifting the funds to football."
"No need to rush. Basketball is still very young and needs time to grow. Pallas hasn't invested much in basketball. The money he injected into the Lakers is my personal money."
"Anyway, my opinion is that I don't have a good view on basketball. If there is any basketball marketing next time, I will not vote in favor."
"OK, if so, I'll try to persuade you."
Jane shrugged helplessly. "What should I do next?"
Xian Yaowen wiped his mouth with a napkin and said slowly, "You have a lot to do. July is the best month to travel to Finland. I suggest you go to Helsinki at your own expense and write 'Jane and Pallas were here' in a prominent place."
"Next year's Olympics?"
"Hmph, I don't care what method you use, you have to make sure everyone participating in the Olympics knows about Pallas, and the American team must wear Pallas's uniforms when they appear on stage."
Jane said with difficulty, "I can find a way to accomplish the second point, but I don't know how to do the first one."
Sin Yiu-man shrugged. “It’s okay. You don’t need to go it alone. The company has a shrewd general manager, Jason Foster, a capable marketing team, and my suggestions. Feasible solutions have already been developed. You just need to execute them.”
Jane gave her a reproachful look. "We already have a feasible plan, why did you say that just now?"
“I want to see more initiative from you, my partner.”
"Okay, what other plans do you have?"
Sin Yiu-man picked up his coffee cup and took a sip. "I like football and I care about football news. This year, there have been more frequent sports exchanges among Asian countries. Some people have proposed the idea of establishing an Asian Football Confederation and hosting the Asian Cup, based on the experience of the Copa America."
This is just a small-scale idea and hasn't been discussed. I guess we might take the opportunity to discuss it during Helsinki, but it will probably take several years to actually implement it.
Without a doubt, football is the world's number one sport, now and in the future, because of its competitive nature and because the sport has a relatively low barrier to entry. Regardless of wealth or poverty, even if you are so poor that you can't afford shoes, as long as you have both legs, you can play football.
Due to cultural traditions, most Asian countries have high birth rates, and I believe Asia's population will continue to lead the world.
"So, you want to cultivate the Asian market?"
“Hmm.” Sin Yiu Man nodded. “I want to integrate Asia, football, and Pallas into an AFP plan, making the Pallas brand an integral part of Asian football.”
"What are the details of the plan?"
"Right now, I only have some scattered ideas and haven't formed a plan yet, but I've written them down and given them to Jason. You can ask him for a copy to take a look. In any case, it will be a plan that spans a long period of time. Pallas has accompanied several generations of Asian footballers as they grow up."
"Doing the same thing for decades?"
"Yes."
Are you sure Pallas can last for decades?
"If you became the world's most famous cellist, would you worry that a child who has just started learning the cello would surpass you in the future?"
Jane shook her head. "Of course not."
“I will,” Sin Yiu-man said firmly. “That’s why I’ve invested in almost all sports brands and will continue to pay attention to new sports brands. Once they have the potential to grow, I will have someone negotiate an investment. If we can’t reach an agreement, we will strangle them and not give them a chance to grow.”
Jane chuckled and said, "You want to monopolize the sports brand market?"
"No, my goal is for Pallas to become the father of sports brands, and I am the father of Pallas."
"Ha, what a grand ambition." Jane laughed loudly, then fell silent for a moment before asking, "Is it possible?"
"Of course, the sports brand market is huge, but compared to energy, automobiles and other fields, the market is very small. Even if it is monopolized, the profit may not exceed that of an oil field, not to mention the implicit power of discourse."
Once Pallas matures, defeating it would require a massive investment of resources. The same resources could be invested in other areas to create greater value. A mature capital market wouldn't consider Pallas a competitor.
"If big capital doesn't want it, there's still small capital, isn't there?"
Sin Yiu-man said with a faint smile, "If Pallas is defeated by the weak, then it has a big problem. I will reflect on myself and then look for the answer. I will make a list of all those who need to take responsibility, starting with you. I will ask you a question, 'Jane, where is my money?' If you can't give me a satisfactory answer, I will kill you, bang~"
"Is this a joke?"
"Declaration: Pallas cannot lose, my shareholder lady."
Jane said wistfully, "Adam, I originally invested in Pallas just because I liked sports and didn't intend to get involved in management, but it turns out I not only have to do things, but also have to take on a lot of responsibility."
“Jane, hard work pays off. I will always see your contributions, and they will be reflected in your shareholding in the future.”
"That's not what I need."
"Want a hug?" Sin Yiu-man opened his arms, as if to hug.
Jane rolled her eyes, picked up her crossbody bag, and walked out.
Sin Yiu-man placed a banknote and a few coins on the table as a tip, then walked out, his eyes fixed on his fanny pack.
This bag is his design, the initial version of the crossbody waist bag that appeared in history. It is not very compatible with sports, but is more suitable for use in daily life scenarios, such as street vendors or paper collectors wearing one on their waist, which makes it convenient to receive and give change, and is not easy to be stolen.
In terms of brand strategy, Pallas considered whether to focus on apparel or expand the entire brand. Ultimately, he decided to focus on apparel but did not want to give up on sports equipment and the outdoor sector.
As a result, Juliet Brand Management added a subsidiary called "ALL-Round," which means all-rounder in Chinese. This company will operate a one-stop sports goods supermarket in the future. If you need to buy sports-related items, you can just go to ALL-Round.
The basic development strategy is to purchase cheap land in the suburbs and build commercial complexes that include a comprehensive sports goods supermarket, a people's supermarket, a hamburger shop, and several stores of Juliet's brands tailored to the local conditions.
In countries where the law allows it, such as the United States, there might be a gun shop whose idea is not for profit, but purely for the purpose of making it more convenient and affordable for the owner to collect firearms. As a major distributor, it is not unreasonable for him to ask the brand to customize a high-quality gun for free.
To put it simply, "All-Round" is an upgrade based on the Decathlon model, a development plan involving cooperation among multiple companies, which expands outward from the core of real estate thinking.
His gaze lingered on the bag for a moment before he quickened his pace, joining Jian in asking, "Have you come up with any ideas for developing running shoes?"
"We already have the idea, incorporating many runners' thoughts, but we're stuck on the materials. Adam and Pallas need to set up their own laboratory to develop materials."
"Research and development is certainly necessary, but the most urgent task is to develop the best running shoe under the current conditions. In Helsinki's track and field events, Pallas's footprints account for half of the total, especially the footprints of the champions."
How do I know who will win the championship?
"Why wouldn't you know? You're a semi-professional runner, so you know it's hard to improve your running performance. Just look at your results from the last race and your usual training results, and you can roughly guess whether you can win the championship."
I can predict that the 4x100m relay champion at next year's Olympics will be the United States, and the 110m hurdles champion will be Harrison Dillard. Find him; I want him covered in Pallas's armor.
Jane hesitated before saying, "He's Black."
“Even if he’s a dog, he has to be full-body pallas. Jane, I don’t want a champion wearing pallas, I want someone who is a champion while wearing pallas, at least America has to be like that.”
"Isn't the goal to have every athlete wear Pallas?"
“No, only athletes with medal-winning potential can wear Paras. I'm talking about running shoes, not clothes. Jane, I think you should join the IOC. As a condition for joining, I can privately fund a chartered plane for the athletes going to Helsinki next year.”
Jane smiled and said, "You're too late. The IOC has already decided to hold a public fundraising event. However, I'm very interested in joining the IOC."
In 1951, the United States Olympic Committee was a non-profit organization composed of volunteers. It had no so-called financial appropriations, no power over athletes, and no salary subsidies. Its main function was to raise funds for the U.S. delegation participating in the Olympic Games and to organize and manage the delegation to the Olympic Games.
In short, the Olympic Committee is a group of people's leisure time, and the same goes for athletes. There is no concept of professional Olympic athletes. They are all amateur enthusiasts with regular jobs and cannot obtain direct monetary benefits from the sport itself.
"You could try to get the position of IOC president."
“The chairman’s responsibility is too great. I just want to be an ordinary volunteer.” Jane paused and said, “Adam, Jacob proposed to me, and I said yes.”
When are you planning to hold the wedding?
"Next February."
"You've picked a good season; I hope you won't freeze to death on that day."
Jane rolled her eyes. "I'm an athletic girl, I won't freeze to death. Adam, we want to install a central air conditioning system in our new house."
“Wow, my California girl, you usually need to carry a gun when you rob someone in New York.” As he spoke, Sin Yiu-man deliberately looked Jane up and down, as if trying to find where the gun was hidden.
"Do you need it?" Jane asked with a half-smile.
“Okay, no need.” Sin Yiu-man shrugged. “Send me the bill, you’re welcome.”
"Oh, thank you."
"Let's say goodbye while I still have enough money for the bus."
"what."
After returning home and washing up, at nine o'clock, Sin Yiu-man called Soong Tse-ven's residence to inform him that he would visit at two o'clock in the afternoon; he also called Nathan Burke to arrange to have lunch together at noon.
In the United States, there are agencies that publicly solicit manuscripts, then select works with publishing potential from a large number of submissions, and then sign agency contracts with the authors to handle their publishing business.
Those who work in this industry are often referred to as literary agents.
In the morning, Sin Yiu-man met with Doug Collins, a top agent at Harold Ober, a leading company in the industry. After a conversation, he encouraged Collins to start his own business and offered to take him on as a co-founder of JBT (Just Beat It) in exchange for a 20% stake.
JBT will have two main businesses: publishing and talent agency. The talent agency business will be launched first. Taking advantage of the "Beat Generation's" difficult living conditions, they will sign contracts with them with a higher share of the profits, but will provide them with basic living expenses and a creative environment. Once some of them successfully become writers, the contracts will be changed.
Noon, Le Pavillon.
Sin Yiu-man and Nathan Burke sat facing each other.
“Mr. Burke, the CIA is still monitoring me.”
Old Burke gently twirled the cigar in his hand. "I'm already working on it and making progress. It will be resolved soon. I'll give you a few names afterward, and you'll need to do something yourself."
"Thank you."
"You only asked me out for this one thing?"
"Mr. Burke knows T.V. Soong?"
Old Burke nodded. "Go on, I'm listening."
"I'm expanding my business in Taiwan, and I need to get in touch with Soong Mei-ling. Currently, we're in a phase of mutual testing; she's taking the initiative, and I'm being passive..."
Old Burke raised his hand to interrupt, "Why are you being passive?"
“I don’t want to be a medieval moneylender, but in the Chinese world, merchants are the Jews of that time.”
"The 'Chengma: Scholars, Farmers, Merchants, and Artisans' section in the Guanzi?"
"Yes, businessmen can only be appendages of power. At best, they can only get a meager share of the profits, but they have to bear all the bad consequences. This is not what I want. What I want is equal trade."
"Adam, the first step to equal exchange is equal status."
“I know.” Sin Yiu-man nodded. “I’m currently working on resolving this issue. This afternoon I’m going to visit T.V. Soong and hope to borrow your identity.”
Old Burke smiled faintly and said, "Are you planning to announce to the outside world that you are my son?"
Sin Yiu-man said expressionlessly, "Don't make any unnecessary connections. It's just because I need it, that's all."
Old Burke said nonchalantly, "Whatever you want, I'm happy to go along with it. If you need, I can throw a party to officially announce our relationship."
“We’ll talk about it later.” Sin Yiu-man shrugged. “There’s a question: Does T.V. Soong know you?”
Old Burke smiled faintly, "Soong Ai-ling must know."
"May I inquire about your relationship with Soong Ai-ling?"
"Business relationship; she is a client of Burke Rothschild."
"How much capital was entrusted?"
"$2000 million, you can't disclose that number to the public."
"Hmm, that's enough for me."
Old Burke paused for a moment, took a few puffs of his cigar, and then asked, "Where did you learn Hebrew?"
"When people face the threat of death, they unleash unimaginable potential. When it was over, I survived. Looking back on the four years after I turned ten, I have gained a lot, learned a lot, and mastered the method of rapid learning."
Sin Yiu-man gave a calm, irrelevant answer.
Old Burke looked at Sin Yiu-man with a kind expression and said softly, "I've died once."
"I've done it more times than you."
"Do I need to apologize to you?"
“I don’t need it, you can tell God.”
Old Burke chuckled and said, "I have repeatedly disobeyed the teachings; God will not listen to my confessions. May we order now?"
Sin Yiu-man didn't speak, but simply gestured for him to make himself at home.
When the waiter brought the menu, Old Burke flipped through it and quietly asked Sin Yiu-man for his opinion, "The American-style baked lobster is their signature dish, would you like one?"
"I only have two hours."
"Since you don't have time to try the duck with orange sauce, how about the crispy roast beef instead?"
"can."
"I'll decide on the side dishes?"
"OK."
Sin Yiu-man felt himself being watched. He looked away from the menu and turned his gaze in the direction from which the gaze was coming. It was Rachel, standing in the aisle, her eyes fixed on his face.
"excuse me."
Xian Yaowen stood up and quickly walked to Rachel. "Alone?"
"one person."
Rachel's gaze did not avoid the burning intensity in Sin Yiu-man's eyes, but her eyes were filled with excitement and trepidation.
"My time in New York is almost over. Would you mind if we talked about our business now?"
Rachel turned to look at old Burke, "Aren't you and Mr. Burke talking business?"
"you know?"
"Most of the Jews in New York know Mr. Burke."
“I didn’t know he was so famous.” Sin Yiu-man deliberately gave Rachel a complicated look. “I wasn’t talking to him about business. A few days ago, he found me in Los Angeles and said I was his…”
He hesitated, then asked, "If you don't mind, would you like to sit with me?"
Rachel listened carefully and noticed subtle similarities and striking resemblances between Old Burke and Xian Yaowen. Combined with Old Burke's reputation regarding women, she had her answer.
She was withdrawn as a child, and as she grew up, she was busy with her studies and career, never having tasted the flavor of love. However, the scent of love she received from various sources had long since filled her body. Her body was like a sealed jar, and when a screwdriver that she didn't dislike pried open the lid, love flowed out like a gushing pipe.
Sin Yiu-man was that screwdriver. They had common ground, he was a bit bad, a bit roguish, and full of aggressive hormones. She had already lost herself in the bar that night.
Although reason told her to stay away from this man, but...
"May I?"
To Sin Yiu-man, Rachel was a naked little lamb. Her naive emotional experiences were laid bare in his eyes. If it were before he met Burke, he wouldn't have provoked her too much and would have just developed a business partnership.
Firstly, based on his experience, he judged that a woman like Rachel would be very serious about relationships. Once he got too involved, he would have to face a problem: Rachel, who was raised on the system of monogamy, would definitely lash out at the issue of polygamy. Even if he could suppress it, he would still have to deal with Rachel's nameless anger rooted in the "polygamy" problem at all times.
The idea of a harmonious harem and everyone sleeping together is just wishful thinking. Deeply ingrained beliefs formed from childhood are not so easily changed; there will only be endless troubles to put out and messes to clean up.
Secondly, he originally planned to marry a Jewish woman from a more powerful family, but he figured that with the help of the old Burke, he might be able to establish himself in the United States, and being a "phoenix man" might not be necessary.
Therefore, the most suitable marriage partner for him would probably be the daughter of a Jewish business family of Rachel's caliber. Everything is in place, and it is not difficult to cultivate her. She would be able to hold her own in the future, and she would be just as shrewd as Cen Peipei. He and Cen Peipei could continue their partnership, saving him the trouble of having to share power with her.
The separation of power will not happen in the near future, but only when Cen Peipei and the "First Madam" both have young children, a time when mother and child are of one heart and would do anything for their children.
He chuckled foolishly at Cen Peipei, "Well, for that woman's son to smoothly take over my position in the future, why don't you hand over the family's intelligence and military power to her? Hehehe!"
Cen Peipei has been largely molded by him, and for the sake of her own son, she might very well consider placing him under house arrest, ruling from behind the curtain, and sending her son to the throne.
He was confident he wouldn't fall into that situation, but if things went wrong, disloyalty and alienation were inevitable. If Cen Peipei's de facto status as the first wife was maintained, many things would fall into place naturally.
Of course, according to his original plan, if he could find a woman whose intelligence far surpasses Cen Peipei's, it wouldn't be too difficult to divide power. However, such a woman is hard to come by. His original backup plan was to do all the dirty work himself and be the bad guy, so that Cen Peipei would suffer a loss in secret.
Now, perhaps not; the situation may be moving in a positive direction.
"Let's go there."
Xian Yaowen naturally put his arm around Rachel's waist, calculating in his mind the probability of him and Rachel having a genius son.
Everything is still uncertain. He might not necessarily seek out a woman of Rachel's caliber, nor is it necessarily Rachel who is indispensable to him. But the unknown can be considered later; the immediate issues need to be addressed first. (End of Chapter)