Chapter 333 - 215: Domineering CEO Don Quixote
After a split-second transition, the broadcast feed switched to a massive close-up on the giant domed screen.
"Oh! And look where we found him!" Joe Buck’s voice was tinged with a hint of amusement. "He’s not in a VIP suite! He’s actually sitting in the 15th row of the lower stands!"
On the big screen, the governor of Florida, Ronald DeSantis, was wearing a Tampa Bay Buccaneers jersey and holding a half-eaten stadium hot dog.
When he saw the camera on him, he cocked his head, shrugged, and took a huge bite of the hot dog before confidently showing off his Tampa Bay Buccaneers jersey to the camera.
"Let’s go, Bucs!" he roared at the camera.
"That’s a truly brilliant PR stunt," Jin Heon said, her fingers flying across her keyboard. "I need to make a note of this in case it comes in handy someday."
She was perched on the edge of a large sofa, a massive floor-to-ceiling window to her right.
Through the glass, one could clearly look down upon the entire field and the more than sixty thousand spectators. From their perspective, the players on the field looked as tiny as ants.
This was the visiting team’s VIP suite. Don Quixote had just emerged from the dressing room, changed into a respectable formal suit, while Chen Haisheng sat near the suite’s entrance.
The moment she saw Don Quixote come out, Jin Heon immediately shot up from the sofa and reported loudly to him:
"Mr. Don Quixote," she said, "I’m monitoring the public sentiment on Twitter and the search trends on Google. Everything is normal so far, in line with the start of the game and our expectations!"
"Mm," Don Quixote said, adjusting the cufflinks on his sleeves in front of a mirror. "Good work."
"It’s my job," Jin Heon said loudly, then sat back down.
She picked up the large, nearly empty cup of iced americano beside her. After glancing at Don Quixote, she carefully lifted the lid, removed the straw, and drank straight from the rim of the cup.
That way, she wouldn’t make any slurping noises with the straw.
Chen Haisheng watched Jin Heon from a distance and suddenly felt like he should have stood up too, or at least complimented Don Quixote on how handsome he looked or something.
"Mr. Don Quixote," he also stood and began to speak, "You... you..."
The words died on his lips as he suddenly felt it was a bit awkward. Complimenting his male boss on his looks seemed a little too gay.
Don Quixote shot Chen Haisheng a surprised glance.
Just then, a sharp whistle blew from the broadcast on the large screen in the VIP suite.
Immediately after, the roar from the more than sixty thousand spectators below the suite erupted, a deafening cheer that shot straight to the heavens.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ special teams kicker executed a powerful kickoff. The football carved a high arc through the air, heading straight for the Giants’ end zone.
"The game has started," Chen Haisheng said quickly, then sat back down.
"Thank you for that special update," Don Quixote said with a nod, then turned to Jin Heon. "Have they arrived?"
"Five minutes ago, they replied that they’d already arrived in the suite next door," Jin Heon said rapidly. "They could come over at any moment."
"Very good," Don Quixote nodded. "Nervous? This is the first potential commercial endorsement you’ve contacted."
Jin Heon flashed a sweet smile, pressing down on her constantly shaking legs.
"Not nervous," she said. "I’m ready."
’I really have to pee,’ she thought.
After she started as a public relations intern, a smart sports watch company called Apex Dynamics contacted her, wanting to gauge Li Wei’s preliminary interest.
To Jin Heon’s dismay, however, they had stalled on moving things forward and hadn’t requested a meeting—until the public opinion on Li Wei flipped last week.
After the narrative shifted, they immediately flew to Florida and requested a meeting with her and Don Quixote to try and finalize a partnership.
This was the first deal she had sourced herself. If it was successful, she would get 1% of the contract fee, while Don Quixote, as her supervisor, would get 3% of the total deal.
For endorsement deals that started at millions of US dollars, even 1% was an astronomical sum for Jin Heon. It was the largest amount of money she had ever received, aside from scholarships.
Given her family’s financial situation, she wouldn’t have even been able to afford college without scholarships.
Just then, the door to the suite was gently pushed open.
Led by an attendant, three Caucasian men in suits with visitor badges on their chests walked in.
The one walking in front wore a highly recognizable carbon-fiber smart sports watch. Jin Heon recognized him; he was the Executive Vice President of North America for the sports watch company.
Jin Heon took a deep breath, closed her laptop, and stood up, positioning herself behind Don Quixote.
’You can do this, Xiaojin,’ she told herself.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Don Quixote," the lead VP said, extending his hand. "That’s quite a scene down there. I hope we aren’t disturbing your enjoyment of the game."
"Not at all, Mr. Martin," Don Quixote said, shaking his hand. "My time isn’t nearly as valuable as my client’s."
"After all," he shrugged, "he can make millions of US dollars from a single game, right?"
Hearing this, Martin and his two assistants exchanged a look and sat down.
Jin Heon also sat down beside Don Quixote.
"Let’s cut to the chase, Mr. Don Quixote."
As soon as Martin sat, he pulled an elegantly bound document from his exquisite briefcase and gently pushed it two-thirds of the way across the glass coffee table.
Don Quixote suddenly raised an eyebrow.
"Apex Dynamics greatly values the explosiveness Mr. Li Wei has recently shown on the field and is willing to offer a five-year global endorsement contract at 5 million US dollars per year." Martin clasped his hands, leaning forward slightly. "For a rookie Quarterback, this is an unprecedented guarantee. We’ve come with the utmost sincerity."
Don Quixote glanced at the side of the document, then back at Martin.
He casually lifted his chin, signaling to Jin Heon beside him. "Xiaojin, tell them what we think."
’What do I think? From this deal, my cut would be two hundred fifty thousand US dollars. That’s almost my entire yearly salary!’
Her name being called so suddenly, Jin Heon’s mind went blank for a quarter of a second, but her four years of college and her last month of working like an absolute grinder hadn’t been for nothing. She snapped open her laptop and began speaking at a rapid clip:
"Uh, Mr. Martin, ahem, um," she cleared her throat. "This offer does not match Mr. Li Wei’s current true commercial potential. According to our data monitoring with the Giants, ever since the charity incident took off last week, Li Wei’s public image has been completely transformed. He’s—"
"Miss Jin, is it?" Martin interrupted her, quite assertively. "Have we not communicated online before?"
Jin Heon forced a smile, her hands still resting on her slacks, trying to still her shaking legs.
"Social media buzz is one thing, but real business logic is another," Martin said. "The NFL has the highest injury rate of any league in the country. If Mr. Li Wei were someone like Shohei Ohtani in the baseball league, we could offer a higher price. But if he suffers a career-ending injury on the field tomorrow, our investment in him would be a total wash. By offering a long-term contract, we are assuming a massive premium risk on your behalf."
Jin Heon paused, then continued to reel off, as if from memory, Li Wei’s achievements, like how he powered through and knocked over players from the Dallas Cowboys.
But the other party refused to budge an inch, and the negotiations reached a stalemate.
Don Quixote suddenly spoke up. "Gentlemen, since we can’t seem to reach an answer right now, why don’t we watch the game for a bit?"
Martin and his two assistants frowned but patiently turned their attention to the big screen.
On the field, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ defensive line was crashing toward the Giants’ frontline like a red tsunami. It was an extremely dangerous all-out blitz. Two defensive ends, each weighing over 280 pounds, had already broken through the protective pocket and were closing in viciously on Li Wei from both the left and the right.
"Danger! The Buccaneers’ defensive front has completely blown through the Giants’ pocket!" Commentator Joe Buck’s voice echoed inside the suite.
Jin Heon nervously clenched her fists.
Just as the two behemoths were about to crush Li Wei, the blue No. 1 figure on the screen suddenly dropped his center of gravity and forced his way out from the tiny gap between them.
Then, facing a strong safety who came up to cover, Li Wei didn’t even try to sidestep. Instead, he brutally lowered his shoulder and crashed right into him!
"BANG!"
Even through the bulletproof glass, the people in the suite could almost imagine the sickening thud of bone and muscle colliding. The strong safety flew backward like a sandbag hit by a heavy truck, while Li Wei’s speed didn’t decrease in the slightest. He tore a bloody path through a sea of scarlet defenders, sprinting forty yards to slam the ball firmly into the end zone with one hand!
"TOUCHDOWN!!!!"
Joe Buck’s roar, accompanied by the frantic cheers of over sixty thousand fans, swept through the entire stadium like a physical tsunami.
"The King of Metropolis, the God of the NFL, has once again dominated an away game! He is unstoppable!"
"YES!"
Jin Heon suddenly pumped her fist with a small cheer.
Then she quickly remembered she was in a negotiation. She rapidly scanned the others in the room, and only when she saw she wasn’t the only one watching the big screen did she secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
"What do you think?" Don Quixote suddenly said, breaking Martin out of his trance as he poured them both a glass of whiskey. "Quite a spectacle, isn’t it?"
Martin also snapped out of it, still reeling from Li Wei’s stunning forty-yard touchdown run. Faced with Don Quixote’s teasing question, he laughed awkwardly.
"We have no doubt about Mr. Li Wei’s dominance and performance," he said. "That’s why we’re only concerned about his physical condition and injury risk."
"If you’re so concerned about his physical condition, you could just sign for fewer years," Don Quixote said with a wave of his hand. "But this five million US dollars... you’re lowballing us way too much."
"Mr. Don Quixote, we—"
"I’m not finished, Mr. Martin," Don Quixote said, his eyes narrowing. "If you don’t even have that much patience, then please leave now."
’Awesome...’ Jin Heon thought, watching Don Quixote effortlessly dominate Martin with an authority that required no anger. She found herself fantasizing about when she could become someone like that.
Interrupted by Don Quixote, a flash of impatience crossed Martin’s face, but he suppressed it well.
"I didn’t mean to offend you, Mr. Martin."
Don Quixote set down his glass and leaned back slightly, sinking into the expensive leather armchair.
He didn’t rush to talk about the contract. Instead, as if making small talk, he stared at Martin’s slightly tense face with a profound gaze.
"Judging by your style, you must have spent some time on Wall Street, right? Which firm?"