Chapter 1878: Women's Football

In the end, Zhao Dad was convinced by Zhao Fusheng.

After all, there were so many people relying on him for their livelihoods; putting himself in danger would be a loss outweighing the gain.

But Zhao Dad didn't wash his hands of it as Zhao Fusheng suggested; instead, he invested thirty million, lending it to the papermaking group, and said that if the group wanted to restructure, he could take over.

Unfortunately, the Ninghai officials dared not agree to Zhao Dad's request, saying that the workers at the papermaking group reacted strongly, and in the end, the matter fizzled out.

Zhao Fusheng sneered at this; he knew all too well the tricks behind it.

The workers reacted strongly?

Not necessarily.

Zhao Fusheng felt that the workers, who couldn't even get their wages, would rather have the chance to earn money, even if it meant no longer making paper.

But the problem was, once Zhao Dad took over the papermaking group, he would certainly reshuffle the leadership; where would those leaders go then?

That, perhaps, was the real reason hindering the restructuring of the papermaking group.

Of course, Zhao Fusheng couldn't say this to Zhao Dad; he could only mutter a few words privately with Fan Baobao.

"Just let it go."

Fan Baobao advised Zhao Fusheng. She knew he disapproved of his father-in-law's actions, but the problem was, some things couldn't be changed just because you disapproved.

Moreover, the older generation had their own ideas, just as they didn't understand the younger generation's thoughts, and vice versa.

That was the so-called generation gap.

"I can't control it even if I wanted to."

Zhao Fusheng shook his head helplessly and said to Fan Baobao, "The old man is just too soft-hearted."

That was the truth. If he had handled things his way, many matters wouldn't have been so troublesome; he could have cut through the knot and solved them directly.

But unfortunately, his father had his own considerations. As a son, Zhao Fusheng could only choose to accept.

...

...

Future Group, Chairman's Office.

Zhao Fusheng sat at his desk, looking at Zheng Yao before him: "How's the sponsorship going?"

"Not bad."

Zheng Yao replied, "We've already negotiated several projects, all with good prospects of winning medals at the Olympics."

Winning medals?

Zhao Fusheng frowned and looked at Zheng Yao: "Do you have some misunderstanding about what I meant by sponsorship?"

"What?"

Zheng Yao was taken aback, looking at Zhao Fusheng strangely.

Zhao Fusheng smiled wryly: "I thought you'd understand; the projects we sponsor don't necessarily have to be Olympic ones."

"..."

Zheng Yao's expression instantly became interesting. She really hadn't expected that Zhao Fusheng genuinely wanted to support China's sports industry.

In Zheng Yao's thinking, sponsorship was definitely for advertising, and the best way to advertise was undoubtedly the upcoming Olympics.

So, seeking Olympic project sponsorship was the plan Zheng Yao had given her subordinates.

Clearly, she had misunderstood.

How awkward.

"Look again."

Zhao Fusheng didn't blame Zheng Yao; after all, he hadn't made himself clear, so it was natural for her to misunderstand.

He wasn't the kind of boss who shifted blame, nor did he ever blame his subordinates for his own mistakes.

"Give me a direction."

Zheng Yao said to Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng smiled: "No specific direction. As long as it's a domestic sports team with a healthy image, it's fine."

"Alright, I understand."

Zheng Yao thought for a moment and finally nodded, indicating she understood.

A few days later, Zheng Yao submitted the list of teams to sponsor.

Zhao Fusheng looked at it and found it quite good.

"Women's football, beach volleyball, rowing..." Zhao Fusheng read them one by one and nodded: "Good, just like this."

Then he looked at Zheng Yao: "This is how it should be."

Zheng Yao rolled her eyes. She realized that to communicate with Zhao Fusheng, she needed a different approach; following normal thinking, she could never keep up with his unconventional ideas.

Perhaps that was the difference between ordinary people and geniuses.

"Do you want to go see?"

Zheng Yao suddenly remembered something and asked Zhao Fusheng.

"Sure."

Zhao Fusheng nodded, quite interested in Zheng Yao's suggestion.

"Then I'll arrange it." Zheng Yao said to Zhao Fusheng.

Three days later, Zhao Fusheng was on his way to the training base of the Chinese women's football team.

"We've already agreed to sponsor them five million annually." Zheng Yao explained to Zhao Fusheng: "The women's football team doesn't have many sponsors now. Although they performed well back then, after many years, they've started to decline..."

Zhao Fusheng nodded; he was naturally aware of the situation Zheng Yao described.

The Chinese women's football team was once known as the "Steel Roses," a top-tier team in world women's football, even invited to perform at the CCTV Spring Festival Gala.

But times had changed. After that batch of top athletes retired, due to limited conditions, their successors couldn't uphold the banner of Chinese women's football.

The reasons were complex. As a fan, though Zhao Fusheng hadn't followed women's football for long, he felt the main issues were twofold.

First, they easily gave up on veteran players, letting talent slip away, as if they thought cultivating talent was easy.

Take the Athens Olympics, for example. There was a veteran player on the team, but she wasn't even given the chance to compete, and even her jersey number was changed.

The role of veterans seemed insignificant in the eyes of the Chinese Football Association leaders.

In contrast, strong teams like the US and Germany kept their veterans. Those who had played in three or four World Cups were valuable assets to the team. They might not be at their peak on the field, but they could provide spiritual support to younger players.

In many major competitions, what matters isn't tactics, but whether you have a strong heart.

Another reason was that women's football focused too much on results in one or two tournaments, frequently changing head coaches.

According to statistics, from 2001 to now, in just seven years, the Chinese women's team had changed coaches eight times!

It was almost unheard of!

A team must go through a growth period, a development period, and a maturation period; it's a necessary process.

Asking a coach to instantly transform the team was quite irresponsible to the players.

Without continuity, one coach brings one training method, another brings a different one, and understanding the players takes time and process.

Over the years, alternating between foreign and local coaches, and even men's football coaches, the results were poor. If a coach was good, there should be continuity.

But unfortunately, what the Chinese women's football team lacked most was continuity.

Thinking this, Zhao Fusheng said to Zheng Yao: "Find out if we can have a say in the head coach matter if we're willing to fully sponsor all expenses for the women's football team."

Zheng Yao frowned, looking at Zhao Fusheng with some surprise: "What are you up to?"

Her intuition told her that Zhao Fusheng was likely planning something!

Zhao Fusheng laughed heartily and waved his hand: "Don't overthink it. I just think that if we sponsor the women's football team and they achieve results, it would be very beneficial for us."

Zheng Yao chuckled but didn't respond.

After knowing each other for so many years, who didn't understand whom?

Zheng Yao didn't believe that Zhao Fusheng would bring this up for no reason.

Having known Zhao Fusheng for years, whenever he said something seemingly meaningless at the time, as time passed, you'd find he was laying the groundwork.

Zhao Fusheng, having been snubbed, smiled, touched his nose, and said to Zheng Yao: "Was it that fake?"

"Very fake."

Zheng Yao pursed her lips and nodded: "It couldn't be faker."

"Alright."

Zhao Fusheng laughed and said to Zheng Yao: "Actually, I just think the women's football players have it too hard. You know the Chinese Football Association's character—they only care about men's football and ignore women's football. I thought, if I have the ability, I'd try to help them."

Dong Chenxi finally nodded. If that was the case, she could understand Zhao Fusheng's behavior.

After thinking for a moment, Dong Chenxi said: "I'll arrange for someone to negotiate. Whether we can reach an agreement depends on whether the Football Association cares about women's football."

A smile appeared on Zhao Fusheng's lips; his mood improved, and he looked forward to this inspection even more.