"Mr. Lin, here's the situation."
In the room, Zhang Xiaodong was on the phone reporting the latest developments to his company's leader.
"How is the online public opinion now?" Mr. Lin's voice came through the phone.
Zhang Xiaodong thought for a moment and said, "Not too good. Wu Li's slap has made many people on the internet think that Ren Donglai is scared and doesn't dare to fight."
"Uh-huh," Mr. Lin responded indifferently.
Zhang Xiaodong understood that his superior was not satisfied and quickly added, "However, regarding the police showing up, I've had someone guide the narrative already, and so far, not too many people are saying that we arranged it deliberately."
"What remedy do you have for Ren Donglai now?" Mr. Lin asked.
Zhang Xiaodong replied, "Given the current situation, I suggest we stall. As long as Wu Li can't get the competition approved, once the heat dies down after a while, there won't be any issues."
Mr. Lin asked, "What if another company signs Wu Li?"
Zhang Xiaodong said, "Even if the other side tries to hype it up using this incident, as long as the two of them don't actually fight, it's still good for us."
Mr. Lin said, "Uh-huh, the likelihood of Wu Li getting the competition approved is not high."
Zhang Xiaodong cautiously spoke, "Mr. Lin, just in case, could you see if you could reach out to someone from the sports bureau?"
There was silence on the other end of the phone for a moment.
Mr. Lin said, "I'll consider it."
Zhang Xiaodong quickly responded, "Thank you, Mr. Lin!"
Mr. Lin said, "There were some commercial activities looking for Ren Donglai before, right?"
Zhang Xiaodong confirmed, "Yes."
Mr. Lin instructed, "Have him start accepting them."
Zhang Xiaodong said, "Okay, I'll arrange it right away."
After hanging up, Zhang Xiaodong wiped the sweat off his forehead. He knew Mr. Lin was displeased with Ren Donglai and had lost confidence in Ren Donglai's future. Therefore, he started to exploit Ren Donglai's commercial value in advance.
"Damn it!" Zhang Xiaodong kicked the sofa hard. Ren Donglai had really screwed him over this time, and he must have lost a lot of face with his leader.
Just then, his phone rang. It was Jia Li. Zhang Xiaodong answered with irritation.
"Hello?"
"Xiaodong, how did it go? What did Mr. Lin say?"
"Mr. Lin said he would consider contacting the people from the sports bureau."
"Does that mean he agreed?"
"Pretty much."
"That's great, Xiaodong, you're the best!"
Hearing Jia Li's coquettish voice, on top of just having been vented at by Mr. Lin, Zhang Xiaodong felt a fire rising in his lower abdomen. He said viciously, "Come see me this afternoon. I've got a billion-dollar project to discuss with you!"
...
In the office building of the TY Bureau, Director Hu, who was in charge of Qi City combat sports events, hung up the phone with a smile.
Lin Dongsen, the boss of Sky Entertainment, had called to voluntarily sponsor the upcoming 'Extreme Martial Arts' competition in Qi City, which greatly improved Director Hu's mood.
Normally, the TY Bureau was considered a rather "clean and simple" government office, and the Martial Arts Association was even more laid-back within it. Director Hu didn't have many corporate CEOs in his contact list, and the reason he knew Lin Dongsen was because Sky Entertainment wanted to invest in the boxing sector, so they had made a point of getting to know Director Hu.
As for the small favor Lin Dongsen had asked Director Hu, he felt it was not a big deal at all. Rejecting an application for a match that was solely aimed at settling personal grievances seemed completely normal.
Director Hu pondered for a moment and picked up the office phone.
"Xiao Zhang, have there been any applications for competitions recently?"
"Director Hu, there haven't been any so far."
"None?"
"…Oh, right, there was someone who came by before."
"Did he want to apply for a competition?"
"Yes, but he applied in his personal capacity, and it was only for a match between two people, just a single bout."
"Just two people, one bout?" Director Hu's voice rose, "What's the purpose of the competition?"
"He said it was to exchange knowledge with his opponent, but he was stopped by the police. They required him to apply for an official competition. I think it's probably due to personal grievances."
"Personal grievances? That's ridiculous!" Director Hu chided, then softened his tone, "Xiao Zhang, if that person comes back, you just tell him no directly, no need to report it to me. In the future, when this kind of situation arises, you tell those people that the competitions we organize here must have a positive significance, and are for positive promotion in Qi City, not just for anyone to apply."
"Yes, Director Hu, I understand."
"Good."
...
On the afternoon of November 27th, Wu Li, carrying a document bag, returned to the TY Bureau building, to the same general office on the third floor.
Zhang Wei was surprised to see Wu Li so soon again – why was this kid back so quickly?
Wu Li saw Zhang Wei and walked up to his desk, handing over the document bag.
"Hello, I've prepared all the materials and have written the plan. Please take a look."
With skepticism, Zhang Wei took the document bag, questioning internally, how could he have gathered all of these materials since taking them away just yesterday – is he joking?
However, as he opened the document bag and skimmed through one document after another, his expression changed.
He really got everything together?
Zhang Wei looked up at Wu Li, who had bloodshot eyes – probably from staying up all night working on the plan. It was too bad, really.
"Here," Zhang Wei patted Wu Li on the shoulder, "young man, to tell you the truth, our leaders emphasized again today that competitions must have a positive meaning and be able to promote a positive image in Qi City. Your match has ulterior motives, even if I submit it for you, it certainly won't get approved."
Wu Li wasn't bothered and pointed to the documents in Zhang Wei's hand, "Who says my competition has ulterior motives? Take a closer look."
"Huh?"
Zhang Wei flipped directly to the page about the purpose of the competition. It read:
1. Promote Traditional Martial Arts
2. Encourage national culture
3. Enhance cultural confidence
...
But these were not even the key points. The key was a few handwritten lines at the bottom of the page.
"The intent behind the competition is admirable. Traditional Martial Arts need to be re-acquainted by the masses."
— Jiang Peng
"Traditional Martial Arts is an important part of national culture. I hope it can be carried forward by later generations."
— Liu Xiaochuan
"Reviewed."
— Qi Jianwei
Sweat appeared on Zhang Wei's forehead. The three individuals who signed their names above all held significant positions in the Qi City Martial Arts Association. One was the former head coach of the Qi City Sandboxing team, one was the current head coach, and the last one, Qi Jianwei, was the vice president of the Qi City Martial Arts Association – his status even higher than Director Hu's.
"Do you, know our Chairman Qi?" asked Zhang Wei, looking at Wu Li.
Wu Li smiled but didn't answer. Instead, he said, "Can this plan be approved now?"
Zhang Wei swallowed and gathered the documents.
"Please take a seat. I'll take this to our leader for review."
(Next chapter fight begins)