Chapter 428 Introducing a Partner to Liu Xiang

October 9th, Mid-Autumn Festival.

It was He Zhongqiu’s 24th birthday. It was a rare day that he did not have any training arranged. The family first went to pay their respects to Yang’s parents, had lunch there, and then returned to Qiuxue Garden.

Many people from the company came to celebrate the festival and also to celebrate He Zhongqiu's birthday. Tang Yan and Bai Bingbing called from New York and they had a lively Mid-Autumn Festival.

On the 26th, various products of He's Sporting Goods Company were officially sold to the public.

The overwhelming advertising had an immediate effect, and at 27 a.m. on the 9th, the first day's sales data came out.

For basketball shoes alone, 78 pairs were sold on the first day, of which low- and mid-range shoes had the largest sales volume, accounting for 7%, but the Tianwang series brand alone accounted for % of the sales volume. The total sales revenue of basketball shoes was nearly million yuan.

In Yanjing alone, 11 pairs of basketball shoes were sold, of which 6 were from the top generation.

This surprised He Zhongqiu. Basketball shoes that cost thousands of dollars on average are actually not cheap, but they still have such large sales volumes. This shows that the current domestic consumption capacity is actually not low.

In addition, the sales volume of other sports shoes No. 26 reached 225 million pairs a day, with sales revenue reaching 4.5 million yuan.

The sales of all products reached 12 billion yuan in one day, which is amazing.

Yang Xue said to He Zhongqiu, "Sanjin, according to relevant statistics, in 06, the domestic sports shoe production line, including basketball shoes, was close to 10 billion pairs. Last year's output was 7 million pairs, and % of them were foreign brands."

"7 million pairs produced in one year? This market is really huge."

"The sales volume of domestic sports shoes reached 185 billion yuan last year, with sales of 3.8 million pairs, mainly low-end sports shoes that cost a few dozen yuan a pair. This is a huge market."

"180 billion? That's more than 20 billion US dollars, which is really not a small amount."

"Sanjin, this market is growing rapidly now. In 07, that is, this year, it is expected to be a 200 billion RMB market."

"A 10% increase?"

"Not only that, as long as my country's economy continues to grow and GDP maintains an annual growth rate of 10%, it is expected that within ten years, annual sports shoe sales will reach 10 billion yuan, and billion pairs of sports shoes will be sold in China each year."

"Hundreds of billions? Then we have to increase it by 100 billion every year. But yesterday, hundreds of thousands of pairs of basketball shoes were sold in one day. The domestic consumption capacity is really not small. It is indeed possible."

"Sanjin, if the prediction is correct, within the next ten years, there will be a market for athletes worth tens of billions of RMB in China alone. This is our opportunity."

"Sister Xue, although the profit margin of ultra-low-end shoes is small, the market is huge. We need to pay special attention to this area."

"This is very important now, but you have to know that as long as the economy grows and people's incomes increase, they will definitely have higher material pursuits, and the same goes for shoes."

"Yes, the low-end and mid-range segment is also very important."

"Well, high-end shoes require technology. The importance of this area is to promote our brand quality, and sales will only account for a small part. Mid- and low-end shoes are our main products."

Next, Yang Xue asked his subordinates to send orders to the OEM factory one by one, asking them to work overtime because there were not many goods left in the warehouse.

In terms of basketball shoes, the largest OEM factory is Daxing Group, but Daxing Group only has eight factories, which is far from enough. Yang Xue has already signed contracts with eight other companies, with a total of 8 factories, and now all of them have placed orders.

However, based on sales volume, these 28 factories are definitely not enough, because Adidas has signed contracts with 40 factories in China, and Nike has signed contracts with 120 factories.

But last year, there were 1.5 shoe factories of all sizes in China, and there were many OEM factories. The company has already selected a group of factories and only needs to sign contracts.

On the 27th, He Zhongqiu and his track and field team, along with Li Hong and four others, arrived in Shanghai.

This is his second time in Shanghai. The first time was in March 01 when he came here to film a movie and he stayed for two weeks.

There were many reporters following him every day, and the news could not be concealed. When he arrived at the airport, there were many fans to greet him.

He was officially received at the Shanghai station, and his accommodation, food and lodging were arranged, and he received the best treatment.

The Shanghai station started in 05 and has been held for two years. It was previously a special IAAF event. Simply put, it was a competition specially organized for Liu Xiang.

But now with He Zhongqiu's sudden appearance in the track and field event, just a week ago, the IAAF has officially approved the upgrading of the Shanghai Station franchise race to a tour race.

At the same time, the athletes' results in the Shanghai station will be included in the annual points, and only the top 40 athletes in the annual ranking will be eligible to participate.

In fact, the ICIA finals will be held in mid-September. Not long ago, the finals were held. He Zhongqiu did not participate, but Liu Xiang also participated. The athletes' points for the year have been settled.

Therefore, the IAAF finals will count the Shanghai station as the first stop of the new year's tour, and the points will be counted into the new year.

It usually takes five years for a chartered tournament to be eligible to be upgraded to a tour tournament, and the IAAF's decision is also a special one.

The one-day Shanghai Station has a total of 16 events, 8 for men and for women.

It starts at 7:40 pm and ends at 10:10 pm, followed by a 50-minute closing concert, which will be broadcast live on CCTV-5.

This is He Zhongqiu's last track and field competition this year. He has signed up for five events: 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters, long jump and triple jump.

In the evening, Liu Xiang treated everyone to a meal.

There were many people on He Zhongqiu's side, including Li Hong and four other people from CCTV, a total of ten people. Liu Xiang also called Dayao, so the table was full.

"Dayao, long time no see!"

When they arrived at the private room, Liu Xiang and Dayao were standing at the door, and He Zhongqiu greeted them with a smile.

"You kid, 9.69 seconds, 9.16 meters, that's awesome." As soon as they met, Yao Ming punched He Zhongqiu.

"How is it? You have been secretly practicing for an offseason. Now your three-point shots are more accurate, right?" He Zhongqiu asked.

"Of course, I'll go after you in the new season. Damn it, you scored 101 points on my head. I'll remember this for the rest of my life." Yao Ming said unhappily.

"Haha..." He Zhongqiu laughed triumphantly.

Then he introduced his team and Li Hong, and asked, "Liu Xiang, why didn't Dongri follow you?"

"How would I know? I'm not very familiar with her and we don't have much contact normally." Liu Xiang said in a muffled voice.

Li Hong said: "It should be her with you."

He Zhongqiu advised: "Liu Xiang, you must maintain a good relationship with the media. If you don't perform well one day, they can still say a few words on your behalf.

I think you should call her over and have dinner together to improve your relationship.

You see, Li Hong and I had a very good relationship with Zhang Heli when we were in the United States and they were coached by him.”

Liu Xiang glanced at Li Hong and thought, if it were Li Hong, I would definitely treat her, but I won’t treat Dong Ri. It’s stressful to be with her, and her question is too nonsensical.

"Okay, stop joking and let's talk about business." Dayao said at this time.

"Isn't this the real business?" He Zhongqiu said.

Dayao said unhappily, "Liu Xiang doesn't have a girlfriend yet, how about you introduce one to him?"

Liu Xiang smiled and said, "Come on, sit down first, and then we can talk."

He Zhongqiu asked his team to sit down and teased, "Liu Xiang, you really don't have a girlfriend? You are about one or two months older than me. My child is already half a year old. You have to work harder! You have to focus on both your family and your career."

Liu Xiang said: "Alas, all I do all day is training and competing. I don't have the chance to get in touch with the outside world. I can't find it!"

He Zhongqiu thought for a moment and said, "There are a lot of girls in my company. If you're willing, I'll have someone introduce one to you. Just tell me what you want."

Liu Xiang smiled and said hesitantly: "I don't have any requirements. It depends on fate."

He Zhongqiu said unhappily, "What do you mean by fate? That's just excuses. Don't you want me to introduce you to someone?"

"Yes, I do." Liu Xiang said hurriedly.

"Isn't that okay?"

He Zhongqiu said this, and then said helplessly: "Some of my brothers around me, Wu Jing, Zhang Jin, and Wang Baoqiang, I urged them to find girlfriends. It seems that I have the potential to be a matchmaker." "Haha..." Dayao and others laughed.

He Zhongqiu added: "Are you looking for actors? They are prettier than them. After all, they are all picked from thousands of people."

Liu Xiang smiled and said, "It doesn't matter what your profession is."

"That's fine."

He Zhongqiu nodded and said, "There are a lot of actresses in the company. I'll have someone introduce you to a good one. I'll pick one based on her temperament and character."

"Okay, it's settled." Dayao made the decision for Liu Xiang, and then said, "Can we get down to business now?"

"Tell me, what's the urgent matter?" He Zhongqiu asked.

Yao Ming asked, "Are you really going to retire after winning the championship next season?"

He Zhongqiu nodded and said, "Yes, that's what I imagined. Why, do you feel sorry for me?"

Yao Ming shook his head and said, "Why should I feel sorry for you? You have won four consecutive championships in five seasons. If you win one more championship, it will be five consecutive championships. If I can achieve this result, I will also retire at the peak of my career."

"What do you mean?" He Zhongqiu asked.

Yao Ming said, "I just want to confirm it. After you retire, will you focus on track and field? Oh, and movies."

He Zhongqiu nodded and said, "It's mainly track and field. One movie a year is enough. With my height, there are only so many movies I can shoot."

Dayao praised again, "Now your sporting goods company has also launched products. The media said that the sales on the first day were amazing. The martial arts school is also going to be listed. Big boss, you may be the richest person in the Forbes China region next year."

Everyone's face was filled with envy. He Zhongqiu quickly waved his hand and said, "How can I be the richest man in China? Not to mention the few in Hong Kong, there are many wealthy people in China now."

"This is still the number on the surface. There are countless hidden rich people who are even richer than those on the list."

"How about I introduce to everyone a way to make money!" Dayao said with a chuckle.

He Zhongqiu thought for a while and said, "Penguin's current development momentum is very strong, and its stock price is rising rapidly. The future market is promising. I suggest you open a Hong Kong-Shenzhen Stock Connect or something like that, and you can consider buying some of its stocks."

“There is also Taobao. Online shopping is developing very fast now. Maybe it will be listed on Taobao someday. If it is listed on Taobao, you can buy it.

But if you list in the U.S., you have to go through a domestic brokerage firm’s subsidiary in Hong Kong, which is an extra procedure. Of course, you can also open an account directly in the U.S., which is also convenient.”

"Penguin, a certain treasure?"

Dayao, Liu Xiang, Li Hong and other people present secretly kept it in mind.

At this time, He Zhongqiu's cell phone rang, and he saw it was a call from Chenglong.

"Hey, Brother Cheng?"

"It's Mid-Autumn Festival. I'm in Shanghai."

"Are you here to film?"

"No, I'm here to watch you compete!"

"Haha, OK, I'm having dinner. Liu Xiang and Dayao are treating. Do you want to come over?"

"Forget it, I just got off the plane and need to go to the hotel first. You guys eat."

"Okay, then I'll treat you tomorrow at noon."

"Ok, Ok."

On the 28th, He Zhongqiu hosted a lunch party at noon. He invited six tables and asked Wu Jing to prepare them. Wu Jing and a large group of celebrities from the company came to watch his game.

"Master, long time no see."

He met Liu Yifei, whom he hadn't seen for a long time. He had forgotten how long it had been, but maybe it had been two years. Liu Yifei, who had just turned 20, no longer had the baby fat she used to have. She wore light makeup and was still as charming as an immortal.

He didn't want to provoke Liu Yifei, but he still had to greet her, so he asked casually, "Old Liu, what have you been busy with in the past two years?"

"It's a play arranged by Sister Xue."

Liu Yifei stared at He Zhongqiu and said.

"Why did you think of coming to watch the game today?"

"I came if I wanted to."

"Oh."

In the evening, the Golden League Shanghai Station kicked off.

At seven o'clock in the evening, before it got dark, He Zhongqiu arrived at the Shanghai Stadium.

This stadium can accommodate 80,000 people. It was built ten years ago and has hosted many competitions and concerts.

Jay Chou, Zhang Xueyou, Mayday, and SHE have all held concerts here.

Zhang Xueyou, in particular, held three concerts here this year.

Despite being a very busy Friday, the stadium was already packed early in the morning.

Due to the huge attention, tickets are hard to come by. Scalper tickets are ten times more expensive than regular tickets, but they are still hard to come by.

A large number of domestic celebrities also appeared at the stadium, including dozens of stars signed by He’s agency, including Wu Jing.

These newly launched products of Hays Sporting Goods, which are all star-studded, from sportswear to shoes, socks, and hats, seem to be helping to advertise.

A closing concert was prepared and some singers were invited, such as Wang Fei, Naying, Zhang Liangying, Han Lei, Adu and so on.

When Wang Fei saw He Zhongqiu, his mood was so complicated that it was hard to describe.

After the divorce, Xie Tingfeng died in Hong Kong, while He Zhongqiu became more and more popular, from the basketball court to the track and field, and his popularity reached no limit.

After He Zhongqiu arrived, he changed into his competition uniform and spikes and prepared to warm up.

"Hey, Mid-Autumn Festival."

When we arrived at the exit, Chenglong who was waiting there ran up with a smile on his face.

"Brother Cheng."

He Zhongqiu and Chenglong bumped fists, said hello to Wu Jing and others, and walked out.

Chenglong had just said hello to Li Hong when he fell three or four meters behind He Zhongqiu. He quickly trotted after him and shouted, "Zhongqiu, I didn't ask you at noon, can you break a world record today?"

"How can you say for sure? Breaking a world record depends on chance." He Zhongqiu said with a smile.

"Oh oh oh……"

As he walked out of the stadium exit, there was a huge cheer that immediately rang out, and as he moved forward, the cheers grew louder.

Liu Xiang was already warming up. The two walked together and waved to the audience at the same time, making the stadium with 80,000 people boil. The earth-shaking cheers swept across the Xujiahui area.

This was He Zhongqiu's first time playing in a stadium that seats 80,000 people. The previous World Championships and three Golden League events were all in small stadiums that seat 20,000 to 30,000 people.

The shouts of eighty thousand people were so deafening that he could no longer hear any other sounds.

"Now, I'd feel embarrassed if I didn't break a record," he murmured.

(End of this chapter)