"Goodbye. Dad, Mom, don't worry. I'll call you when I get Vance home safely." Lu Ke sat in the driver's seat, made sure the seat belt was fastened, and looked towards the window. Lu Zhengze and Jiang Youning waved goodbye.
Vance also expressed his gratitude with a smile on his face, "I really appreciate the reception today. Don't worry, Bambi won't just sell me off. I'm still very confident about this."
A simple joke successfully made everyone chuckle.
Lu Ke started the car and left slowly. From the rearview mirror, he could see that Lu Zhengze and Jiang Youning were still standing by the road at the door, watching them go away. After the car turned, everyone in sight The scene was obscured by the shadowy shadows of the houses.
Lu Ke's eyes left the rearview mirror, shifted slightly, and fell on the bright smile at the corner of Vance's mouth through the refraction of the rearview mirror. He said with a smile, "Mr. Jacobs, if I didn't guess If it’s wrong, you should come to me alone for trouble, right?”
Vance's expression was slightly stunned, and then he looked at Lu Ke meaningfully, showing a trace of consideration and exploration. He seemed not to understand what Lu Ke meant, and seemed to be thinking about how to answer. That ambiguity/ambiguity/unclearness His expression was hard to describe clearly for a moment. After a pause of about three seconds, he finally said, "Why do you say that?"
"Because the title you just used was not Lu Ke, but Bambi." Lu Ke said with a smile still on his face, as if he was just talking about tonight's dinner, "At home, my father and mother are not would call me 'Bambi'; neither would the Newmans, only when Logan was around."
Vance couldn't help but open his mouth slightly. Not only did he not panic, but he became more and more interested, "How are you sure that I didn't hear it from other places? Although I am not a football fan, there is a lot of news about you. Social media There are countless online platforms, I have no idea at all, is this abnormal?"
The same goes for Lu Ke. He was not angry, angry, or excited, but began to analyze it unhurriedly.
"Because of coincidence. There are too many coincidences." Lu Ke kept the speed of the car at a steady state, and still conscientiously followed the instructions of the navigator and drove to the destination. "The first meeting between you and my father, and the follow-up From my friendship to my preference for movies and records, there are so many coincidences.”
"Today is Monday. You should know the working hours of my father and mother. They don't get off work that early, but you still got here early. Assuming that you just came here to put down the vinyl record and leave, then there is no need for you to knock on the door. It’s as if…as if you already knew I was at home.”
Lu Ke could catch Vance's expression from the corner of his sight. He still didn't panic. His smile became brighter and brighter, as if Sherlock Holmes was listening to an amateur policeman/rookie analyzing the case in a rudimentary manner, with a confident look. , did not retreat at all because of Lu Ke's analysis.
Just when Vance was about to speak, Lu Ke raised his right hand to stop Vance from speaking, and then said, "I am a reporter. I believe in coincidence, but I believe in calculation even more."
"Once may be a coincidence, twice may be a coincidence, but three or four times is not. Of course, so far, all the clues are just self-conjecture. There is no direct evidence and no inevitable connection, which is simply untenable. But..." Lu Ke deliberately paused here for a moment, and then he could catch the anticipation and inquiry in Vance's eyes, which further confirmed Lu Ke's thoughts.
Later, Lu Ke revealed the answer, "But, I just asked tentatively, and your reaction is the best answer."
A normal person's first reaction may be surprise, anger, or confusion, but Vance's conditioned reflex is thinking, and his subsequent answers follow the thinking process step by step. This is truly true. Lu Ke's guess was confirmed.
In other words, deep in Vance's subconscious, he was not prepared to keep hiding it. Now that Lu Ke exposed it, he revealed the answer smoothly——
Otherwise, if you miss today, the lies will have to continue, and it will be extremely difficult to change your tone in the future.
Vance paused and thought back to the past, and then he understood. He smiled involuntarily and nodded slightly, but he didn't know whether it meant approval, appreciation, or something else.
But this time Lu Ke did not continue to ask questions, but fell silent and waited quietly for Vance's follow-up remarks.
Active and passive, the conversion has been completed in the blink of an eye.
"If you don't become a professional player, then you are bound to become an excellent reporter." Vance laughed heartily. Although he did not admit it personally, his generous and cheerful attitude couldn't be more calm. It was equivalent to indirectly acknowledging all Lu Ke's guesses.
"Now, let's get acquainted formally. I'm Vance Jacobs, and I work in the marketing department of Nike Group. I am now responsible for professional player management in the West Coast region. To put it simply, I am responsible for signing new players. And manage contracted players." Vance took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, took out a cigarette, and motioned to Lu Ke, "Do you mind?"
"No." Lu Ke shook his head and still focused on driving.
After getting permission, Vance opened the car window and lit a cigarette. "To put it simply, we intend to complete the contract with you. What do you think?"
There were so many key points and shortcomings that Lu Ke didn't know where to start for a while. Disturbing thoughts swarmed in, so much so that the surprise and shock were weakened a lot——
Nike? It’s actually Nike! That's Nike!
But there are too many problems now. Apart from being stunned, Lu Ke had to take a deep breath secretly, trying to hide his excitement and excitement. But this is not an easy task. Being calm and calm on the field is one thing. , the lack of experience outside the arena is another matter. Now Lu Ke is just a rookie who has been out of society for one year.
When he signed with Under Armour, Lu Ke couldn't hold back his excitement, let alone Nike?
Nike in the United States and Adidas in Germany are currently the top two brands in the global sports product market share. They have almost all the top superstars of professional athletes, especially in the United States, and Nike is even more dominant.
Who would have thought that Nike would actually come to your door now?
A surprise, an absolute surprise.
After trying twice, Lu Ke was still unable to hide his emotions, so he simply showed them in a smooth manner, which was more real and simpler, "Wow, I need some time to digest it, Nike? Wow, am I that high now? Directly on Nike’s radar?”
"With your current performance and achievements, it is strange that you have not entered Nike's sight, right?" Vance didn't look surprised at all, and said slowly while puffing away the smoke, "If my source If you're right, Adidas has also contacted you, right?"
Adidas?
When did this happen?
Vance immediately caught the change in Lu Ke's expression, "It seems that your agent hasn't told you yet. But it doesn't matter, we all need to take it slow."
There was too much shocking news, but Lu Ke calmed down, his thoughts gradually became clearer, and he grasped the key point at once, "In this way, you made a special trip to approach my father just to win his trust, and then tried to complete it." Sign a contract?"
Lu Ke's focus is not on Nike's expense, but on Vance's opportunism.
At first, Lu Ke chose to move out alone because he did not want his work to affect his parents' peaceful life; but now, Vance is trying to use Lu Zhengze's friendship and Jiang Youning's kindness to achieve his own business goals.
To be honest, Lu Ke didn't like this, and even hated it.
He knew that in the shopping mall, this seemed to be a normal roundabout method. It was not uncommon to use friends or family members of professional players to achieve the purpose of persuasion; but Vance's method was too realistic and too detailed, and he and Lu Zhengze and Jiang Youning have truly established a friendship. If they learn that all this is false, they will be so disappointed and blame themselves.
Vance could sense Lu Ke's vigilance, rejection, and anger.
In order to successfully sign Lu Ke, Vance has been trying to find a breakthrough, and his family is undoubtedly the best choice. But now it seems that this is a double-edged sword. He can get close to Lu Ke through his family, but he may also offend Lu Ke because of his family.
"Jack and I are indeed friends." Vance stated his position first, "The friendship between Jack and Annie is an unexpected gain. If the contract can be successfully completed through them, it will be the best thing; but even if it doesn't work, We are still friends. That will not change."
"I hope you can stick to your promise. My father and mother will never need to know your real job." Lu Ke's voice became cold and he expressed his position firmly. Nike is very important and may bring a steady stream of wealth to his career; but family is more important, and Lu Zhengze and Jiang Youning are always the first people Lu Ke needs to consider.
Facing Lu Ke's seriousness and sincerity, Vance took a long breath and said with a smile, "Oh, regarding this, Jack already knew about my work, about Nike, and about the players, but I have never known about it. I haven’t mentioned it before, but Nike hopes to complete the signing with you.”
In other words, Vance chose conspiracy, not conspiracy.
He openly disclosed his identity, but concealed part of the truth, paving the way for potential follow-up opportunities early on. Even if Wan Tan finally stated his intentions and thoughts frankly, Lu Zhengze and Jiang Youning would not be hurt, but would suddenly realize.
Lu Ke was stunned for a moment, and the smile gradually raised at the corner of his mouth, "It seems that you are well prepared."
