Check out advanced chapters on P@treon: [email protected]/CosmicKaminari
----------
The advertisement shoot for LeTV was pure torture.
Fortunately, Lance had a knack for acting, and the commercial was mostly done in one take.
Cristiano Ronaldo was still on set, but Lance had already left, which made the competitive Cristiano Ronaldo grit his teeth.
"Today's advertisement was fantastic, Mr. Lance, thank you for this opportunity to collaborate."
LeTV CEO and Chairman, Jia Yueting, was truly complacent these days, feeling like a winner in life.
Under 40 years old, he had just become the richest person on the ChiNext board, and LeTV's market value quickly exceeded 20 billion due to Lance's collaboration during the World Cup.
This allowed Jia Yueting to develop LeTV's content matrix with great fanfare, signing copyrights for American and Korean dramas, and initiating an early battle for TV series copyrights.
At the same time, LeTV Box and LeTV Super TV were launched, with low-priced, large-screen smart TVs at 1999 quickly dominating the mid-to-low-end consumer market.
The signing with Lance and Belgium was undoubtedly the most crucial step, leveraging the momentum of the World Cup to soar, subtly hinting at a challenge to Tencent.
Looking at Jia Yueting's fawning smile, Lance, who was about to return to his country next week, hesitated to speak.
He really wanted to give this person a heads-up about the future but was worried about triggering a series of butterfly effects.
The butterfly effects caused by Lance were already numerous enough; he didn't want to create more complications.
Whether Jia Yueting returned to his country or not was irrelevant to him, and building cars had nothing to do with him.
Moreover, during the period when Jia Yueting was abroad, with LeTV seemingly "leaderless" and on the brink of a debt crisis, approaching bankruptcy, the actual employees were living quite comfortably, working 4.5 days a week with industry-leading salaries, and their happiness level had increased instead of decreased.
Lance had only one request, and since the LeTV chairman was right in front of him, he spoke bluntly.
"I usually enjoy watching videos and dramas; subscribing to a membership isn't a big deal, and paying for copyrights is understandable. However, I really dislike the flashy interfaces on TV, needing to watch ads when using a set-top box, and having to go through complicated operations just to open a TV channel."
"Also, I hate having ads even after becoming a member, and there are other paid features… So, Mr. Jia, you understand."
"As users, we don't want to be treated as tools for you to make money. In the future, if similar situations occur that damage the user experience for members and consumers, we will have every reason to terminate our cooperation at any time."
???
Jia Yueting was stunned.
Just a 17-year-old kid, yet he could say so much and even point out some of Jia Yueting's future intentions.
This sent a chill down his spine.
Jia Yueting's original intention was to treat the TV as an advertising screen and users as his resources to make money; otherwise, what was the point of selling a large-screen TV at such a low price?
With Lance pointing out the problem so incisively, Jia Yueting's expression was very awkward.
But he couldn't offend Lance.
According to future strategic cooperation needs, Lance would be a long-term endorser and partner.
Many young people chose LeTV products because of Lance.
Otherwise, they could completely buy competing products and watch games on other websites.
With Lance's future development, his influence would certainly not be limited to the current level; he would inevitably become a cultural icon like Michael Jordan in the NBA, Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal, and Lionel Messi of Argentina.
If he offended Lance, and Lance went to a competitor, LeTV could fall as quickly as it rose.
Jia Yueting, who was good at hyping things up, understood this principle very well.
"Of course, of course, we will definitely optimize the user experience and are committed to giving users…"
"Enough, you don't need to tell me the specifics, I'm just a football player. In short, you weigh it yourself."
Initially, considering LeTV's future reputation, Lance didn't want to cooperate with them.
However, Jorge Mendes and the Belgium Football Association both chose to cooperate, and the money offered was substantial: a 30 million RMB endorsement fee for one year, with room for future premium.
During his free time in the World Cup, earning 30 million by just shooting a few commercials, Lance saw no reason to turn down the money.
Many of his future plans for the Chinese National Football Team required a significant amount of money, so cooperating to earn money was not a problem, and LeTV's brand image was still positive at the moment. (T/N: Don't worry, I will warn you guys when this becomes a "China Numba One")
When negative public opinion emerged, he wouldn't mind cutting ties at light speed.
...
Advertisement shoots and commercial interactions were just minor interludes during the World Cup.
Lance spent more time sweating profusely in the training ground and gym, preparing for the upcoming knockout stages with his Belgium teammates.
If nothing unexpected happened, Lance could lead the team to defeat Portugal, and they would then face one of the biggest favorites to win this World Cup, the future World Cup runner-up, Argentina!
In plain language, after playing against Cristiano Ronaldo, it would be Lionel Messi's turn next!
In the original timeline, in the 2014 Brazil World Cup quarter-final, Argentina defeated Belgium 1-0 to advance to the semi-finals.
The first World Cup for Belgium's golden generation ended in the quarter-finals, laying a certain foundation for their semi-final appearance in 2018.
With Lance joining this time, he wasn't sure if he could lead the team to rewrite established history.
"Phew…"
After completing a training set on the treadmill with a respirator and monitoring equipment, Lance breathlessly removed the devices, grabbed the sports drink prepared by the nutritionist, and gulped down a few mouthfuls.
"Lance, you've been working too hard these past two days!"
Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard, who were nearby, were stunned.
The World Cup schedule itself was intense, posing a huge test to players' physical and mental endurance.
Yet, Lance went all out in training, pushing himself to the limit, which made his teammates secretly marvel.
"It's alright, we're playing Portugal next, and then there's the Argentina match, we need to push harder."
"This…"
Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard exchanged glances.
The Belgium Football Association, including the coaching staff and team leader, hadn't given any specific tasks.
The team's passing grade was simply to get out of the group stage.
As for how far they went in the knockout stage, Belgium could accept it.
The 2014 World Cup was more about training for them.
Most of the main players were in their early 20s, primarily to gain experience in major tournaments.
2018 was their true peak period, and the entire Football Association and national team were aiming for 2018.
Unexpectedly, 17-year-old Lance was so ambitious that it made Kevin De Bruyne want to do an extra training session.
"No problem, Lance is right! Why don't we give it our all and fight for that World Cup trophy!"
The starting goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, seemed very excited, his words full of agreement with Lance.
However, Lance merely gave Thibaut Courtois a faint glance.
"Let's go, Kevin, let's go for a cold bath to relax our muscles."
"Alright."
Kevin De Bruyne also ignored Thibaut Courtois and left directly with Lance.
"This…"
Thibaut Courtois stood awkwardly in place.
They used to play together as kids, he also played for KRC Genk, and he and Lance were once good brothers.
Why did it turn out like this?
"Brother, forget it, there's no need to force it."
Eden Hazard knew about their relationship, simply patted Thibaut Courtois's shoulder, and turned to leave.
In 2012, Thibaut Courtois and Kevin De Bruyne came to Chelsea from KRC Genk, and they were still close friends.
At that time, Thibaut Courtois was on loan at Atlético Madrid, while Kevin De Bruyne was still waiting for an opportunity at Chelsea.
Kevin De Bruyne's girlfriend, Caroline, went on vacation to Madrid and got involved with Thibaut Courtois.
After this incident was exposed by the media, the former good brothers broke up.
As a mutual friend, Lance naturally stood by Kevin De Bruyne and also cut ties with Thibaut Courtois.
The Belgium coach even considered expelling Thibaut Courtois from the national team for team harmony.
Fortunately, Kevin De Bruyne, considering Thibaut Courtois's outstanding ability as Belgium's best goalkeeper, personally pleaded with the coach, and Thibaut Courtois was ultimately allowed to stay.
Everyone in the locker room was generally aware of their relationship.
Thibaut Courtois, knowing he was in the wrong, dared not speak to Kevin De Bruyne.
He could only repeatedly try to talk to Lance, but Lance still hadn't forgiven him.
With a major battle imminent, as they were about to face Portugal led by Cristiano Ronaldo, Thibaut Courtois could only put these matters aside and vent all his emotions on the gym equipment.
Marc Wilmots and his coaching staff passed by, watching Thibaut Courtois sweating profusely, and nodded in satisfaction.
"Next match against Portugal, I feel the team is in good shape, what do you think?"
"Of course, if Lance, Kevin, Eden, they can all perform normally…"
The forward coach, Thierry Henry, was full of confidence.
"A mere Cristiano Ronaldo is no problem!"