Feng Yu was in the driver seat for the negotiations for the endorsement fees. Feng Yu had listed a few examples to show that these athletes’ fees should not be compared to the celebrities as not there were not a lot of people into sports.
But Feng Yu also knew that these athletes will be meeting China’s top officials, making appearances on CCTV Spring Festival Gala Night and will receive international media attention for their performances in competitions.
Feng Yu also decided to pay the athletes some filming allowances. The training ground cannot get a share of this allowance. He will not take advantage of these sportsmen who had contributed so much to the country.
……
“Wang Junxia, your competition is around the corner. Where are you going?” Qu Yunxia asked.
“My nephew is having leg pains. The doctor says he has a calcium deficiency. I am going to visit him.” Wang Junxia replied.
“Get some Bing City Pharmaceutical Enterprise Calcium Gluconate oral solution for him. When kids are growing up, they need lots of calcium. My nephew is also taking this calcium supplement now. If kids do not get enough calcium, they will not grow tall.”
“Really? Is it costly? My salary is not a lot.”
“It is not expensive at all. If it is expensive, I will also not be able to afford it. This is a product from a reputable pharmaceutical company. Don’t worry.”
The camera zoomed out, and the screen changed to a bottle of medicine. There was a voiceover: Bing City’s Medicine, Safe Medicine!
……
A group of people was training on the tracks, and Liu Dong slowed down and went to the sides. Wang Junxia walked over and asked out of concern: “Liu Dong, what’s wrong?”
“Sis Wang, I caught a cold.”
“Cold? Take some cold medicine then. Bing City Pharmaceutical Enterprise’s cold medicine is very effective.” Wang Junxia took out a packet of cold medicine from her bag by the side and passed it to Liu Dong. “I also have this cold medicine with me. I have also prepared this medicine for my parents.”
The camera zoomed out, and a box of cold medicine appeared in the foreground with a voiceover: Household backup cold medicine, Feel better without cold. Bing City’s Medicine, Safe Medicine!
……
“Coach Tian, what’s wrong with you?” A group of athletes crowded around Chief Tian, who was bending over clutching his stomach.
“I am having gastric problems. Don’t crowd around me and carry on with your training.”
“Coach Tian, take two gastric pills, and the pain will be gone in a while. All of us had forgotten to take our meals regularly due to our training and also have gastric problems. You should be like me and keep this medicine in your bag along with you. Two pills and you will be fine.” Wang Junxia walked over with a box of medicine.
The camera zoomed out, and a box of gastric medicine appeared with a voiceover: Backup medication in your bag, Remedy for gastric pains. Bing City’s Medicine, Safe Medicine!
……
“Eh, where are the 3 of you going?” Coach Tian was carrying a bag standing at the entrance of Wind and Rain Training Grounds.
“Coach Tian, we are taking this multi-vitamin pills and felt it is quite effective. We want to buy some for our parents.” The 3 athletes looked at the bag Coach Tian was carrying and laughingly asked: “Coach Tian, where are you going?”
“I had also bought this multi-vitamin pills for my nephew. Kids need vitamins when they are growing up. The 3 of you be back early. You still have training.”
The camera zoomed out, and a box of multi-vitamins appeared in the foreground with a voiceover: Multi-vitamin pills, supplement 12 types of vitamins. Bing City’s Medicine, Safe Medicine!
……
Feng Yu watched all these commercials and showed a thumbs up to Baldy Chen: “Teacher Chen, your directing skills is awesome. I am delighted with these commercials.”
Baldy Chen laughed: “What directing skills can you see from these commercials. All I did was to control the timing of the filming. You are the one who thought of the story behind the commercials. You are still paying me so much.”
“Ai….. Teacher Chen, you deserve it. Oh, your movie was launched sometime earlier, but I did not have the time to watch it. How was it?”
This year, Baldy Chen and Zhao Lirong had filmed a movie . Feng Yu remembered about this film from his previous life. He had watched this film on Movie channels and thought it was funny. But he heard that this movie had made losses because of market influences.
“Don’t mention about it. Although the movie was screened, no one is buying tickets to watch it.” When mentioned about his movie, Baldy Chen was apparently upset.
“Teacher Chen, why didn’t you tell me about this? Have you sold the VCD rights of the movie?”
“Ah? VCD rights? I have never sold such rights before.” Baldy Chen replied.
“Then sell it to me. Name me a price. I will not bargain with you.”
Baldy Chen did some mental calculations on his losses from this movie and asked: “100,000 RMB?”
“No problem. In the future, I buy out all your VCD rights to your movies. Just name me the price.” 100,0000 RMB. A VCD disc was selling for 10 RMB, and the cost of the disc was only 1 RMB. How many profits were there in this deal? If over 10,000 VCD discs were sold, Feng Yu would recover his cost. This VCD disc would surely sell more than 10,000 RMB. Furthermore, it would increase the variety of VCD in the market. Wind and Rain Electronics had been buying the rights to lots of movies.
With this 100,000 RMB, Baldy Chen will not make any losses. His film was the first movie that made money since 1990 and will be recorded in history. Baldy Chen was very grateful to Feng Yu and told him that he would direct Feng Yu’s future commercials at half of his usual fees. He will not accept anything more!
Feng Yu thanked him profusely. 100,000 RMB could help Feng Yu save lots of money in the future……
Feng Yu had let Chief Tian, a few other coaches and all the athletes appeared in these commercials. He had also paid all of them some appearance fees. Each of them got 5,000 RMB for starring in the ads and 5,000 RMB of allowances.
This amount belongs to them. All the coaches and athletes had never earned so much money before. This way, when Chief Tian and the rest knew that the athletes would be getting additional allowances from Feng Yu, they would not report to the higher-ups, and they would close one eye.
After Feng Yu issued the allowances to the athletes, he noticed all the athletes were excited and moved. All of them thanked Feng Yu continuously.
Feng Yu also looked at the athletes and said coolly: “I am doing this to thank for the contributions all of you have put in for our nation. I hope all of you would create miracles at this upcoming World Championships!”
Hmmm…. I am only able to recover all my investments when all of you got good results.
After Feng Yu finish speaking, all the athletes swore to put in their best performance at the upcoming competitions and will not let Feng Yu down. Feng Yu was shocked. Don’t let me down? Actually, there was no need for that. If during interviews, these athletes could……
Feng Yu waved those athletes over and told them something. All the athletes nodded and said that this was not a problem. There were even some who said it was their duties to do all these.
……
“Chief Cheng, help me change the advertisements at these slots to these commercials. You can check these commercials now and give the approvals.” Feng Yu passed the commercials films to Cheng Baojun.
“Manager Feng, you kept changing your commercials. You are currently holding CCTV’s record of changing commercials.”
Feng Yu glanced at Cheng Baojun: “That’s right. I am also holding the record of paying CCTV the most advertising fees all these years.”
“Hahaha. Manager Feng, you also own the most advertising slots.”
“Let’s stop talking about these. Hurry up and check the commercials. I had made a reservation at Dong Lai restaurant in the evening. Ask your wife and kids along.”
“You are too generous. How can I let you do this>” Although Cheng Baojun said these, he immediately picked up the phone to call his wife?
After watching the commercials. Cheng Baojun lit a cigarette: “Manager Feng, is there any fake advertising in your commercials?”
Feng Yu was the one who exposed all the fake health products and why would he make the same mistake?
“Of course not. Every sentence in the commercials is real. For example, all the athletes are taking our Calcium Gluconate, and when they say their nephews are taking them, their nephews are really taking them. When they say they are buying for their nephew, they are really buying for their nephew. Everything that was mentioned in the commercials is real!”
All these medicines are approved medicines for the athletes. As long as they do not take in a large amount of these medicines, nothing will go wrong. Chief Tian really has gastric pains and was really taking Bing City Pharmaceutical Enterprise’s Gastric medication.
“Since you dare to say this, then it should not be a problem. Which slots are you changing and do you have any other requests?”
“No other request. Just change the advertisements based on the timings of the commercials.” Feng Yu was changing advertisements of the primetime slots he got from the fake health products.
……
“Eh, isn’t that the world champion Qu Yunxia? Athletes also will catch a cold?” A young woman tapped her husband.
“Huh? Athletes are also human. Why can’t they fall sick?”
“Should we also prepare a box of cold medicine at home? The last time I caught the flu, you had to bring me to the hospital in the middle of the night, and you are scolded by your leader for being too tired at work the next day.”
“Ok. Tomorrow I will buy a box of cold medicine. Which brand should I get?”
“Just this brand will do. Even top athletes are taking this medicine.”
“Alright. Oh, what’s the name of the gastric pills?”
“Bing City Pharmaceutical Enterprise’s gastric pills.”
“Right. I should get a box of that gastric medicine. I can’t stand gastric pains.” The man said.
“Should we get a box of anti-inflammation medicine too? Also, you have been feeling tired recently. Could it be that you lack some nutrients?”
“You still want me to take those health products?” The man looked at the woman.
“What health products? I am talking about the multi-vitamins pills that were advertised on TV. It contains 12 types of vitamins.”
“Is that a real product?” The man asked suspiciously.
“The box had printed they will compensate 10 times the amount if the product was found to be fake. Furthermore, it is manufactured by Bing City Pharmaceutical Enterprise and claims to make safe medicine. It’s settled. I will help you buy a box of the vitamins tomorrow. You must eat it. Your work is so tiring, and you must take care of your health.” The woman said.
“Fine. Buy it then.”
……
“Honey, why did you buy so many medicines back?”
“What do you know? These medicines should be back up at home. In case any of us fall sick, we do not need to go to the hospital. Sister Zhao next door had also bought these medicines. It is not expensive too. All these medicines cost less than 10 RMB and are manufactured by a reputable factory. Don’t worry.”
“Really? Then why didn’t you buy more? We can give it to our parents.”
“Do I still need you to tell me that? I have already sent the medicines to them!”
……
“Madam Wang, why are you buying so many medicines?”
“To keep at home. If I caught a cold or fever, I do not need to go to the hospital. You should also keep some at home. Your kid often got cold.”
“Keep at home? Fine. Tomorrow I will buy two boxes when I pass by the pharmacy.”
As time passes, people start to stock up medications at home, and Bing City Pharmaceutical Enterprise’s sales begin to rise.
Translator’s notes: Here is more information about Zhao Lirong (1927-2000).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhao_Lirong
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0955487/
Baldy Chen was mentioned many times in this novel. His real name is Chen Peisi.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chen_Peisi
Erxiao's Mother/Filial Son and Filial Piety
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0353017/?ref_=nm_knf_t4