"Ah?" He Ximeng was taken aback. "Isn't she just the child of a rich family?"
"No, no, no! 'Rich family' isn't enough to describe her. She's the daughter of the Zhang Group! You know the Zhang Group, right? The biggest enterprise in the Zhuji region. Her dad is worth over a hundred million! The absolute richest man in Zhuji..."
"Even if her family is the richest, what does that have to do with the basketball team?"
"The Zhang Group is donating to the school..."
"How much did they donate?"
Zhang Yide held up one finger.
"Ten million?"
Zhang Yide almost choked.
"Are you crazy? Who would donate that much? It's 100,000!"
"Tch~" He Ximeng looked disdainful. In his past life, when he returned to his alma mater, donations started in the tens of millions...
However, 100,000 in 1995 was indeed different from 100,000 in 2015.
The Zhang Group had invested quite a bit to create a comfortable learning environment for their two heirs.
"Last night, the principal himself called me and asked me to create this position of basketball manager for this little girl, Zhang Tianai. What could I do but agree?"
"It's not just the principal's order, is it?" He Ximeng asked shrewdly.
"Uh... there's also a VIP discount card... for purchases at Zhang's Department Store, everything is 30% off..."
He Ximeng patted Zhang Yide's shoulder and said earnestly, "Third Master, one VIP card is a bit little... You should try to get some sponsorship from the Zhang Group. For example, have the Zhang Group sponsor a set of sportswear and a pair of sneakers for each player..."
"But the jerseys and sneakers will be uniformly distributed by the sponsor for the national competition, Nike Company?"
"That's just the basics. What about training suits? Jackets? The sneakers can be upgraded too... And if you add a sports bag and a basketball, that would be even better... Of course, what the players get, the head coach should also get! What the teammates don't have, the head coach should also be equipped with..."
Sports and capital are always two inseparable sides. With capital sponsorship, athletes can get better training conditions, and with better training conditions, athletes can achieve better results, thereby increasing the sponsor's brand awareness... It's a mutually reinforcing relationship.
He Ximeng was no naive bunny. After being tempered by the wicked Wall Street capital circles, He Ximeng was no longer unfamiliar with the operation of capital. In He Ximeng's eyes, the Zhang Group's current move was merely the most basic combination of capital and sports. Perhaps the Zhang Group itself did not realize how much benefit this sponsorship of the Zhuzhong basketball team could bring to the Zhang Group's brand if Zhuzhong managed to reach the national finals.
"That makes sense!" Zhang Yide slapped his thigh. "I'll find an opportunity to talk to Secretary Wang of the Zhang Group again..."
"The team's benefits are up to you..."
"Don't worry, I'll handle it properly..."
In a daze, Zhang Yide suddenly felt the illusion of a subordinate facing a superior.
"An illusion, it must be an illusion!"
Fortunately, He Ximeng had already turned and left.
Because He Ximeng also realized that his tone had been a bit much just now. That was the tone He Ximeng often used when assigning tasks to old Curry, and it felt awkward in a conversation between a high school student and a teacher...
So, He Ximeng decided it was best to make a quick exit.
After understanding why Zhang Tianai became the manager of the Zhuzhong basketball team, He Ximeng calmly accepted the fact.
Although He Ximeng felt in his heart that Zhang Tianai would be a troublemaker for the team, her parents had donated to the school, so what could he, as a student, say?
He just had to do his best and play his basketball well!
After changing his clothes, He Ximeng returned to the court.
Today was the basketball team's recruitment day. A crowd of freshmen from the first year had come to the gymnasium, just like two years ago when He Ximeng first reported to the Zhuzhong basketball team...
In the center of the court, veteran teammates like Yan Hui, Feng Chen, Wang Xian, Tang Chenfeng, and Chen Feng were working separately, testing the basic data of the newcomers applying to join the basketball team.
Height, weight, wingspan, standing vertical jump, shuttle run, dribbling test, passing test, shooting test...
"How is it? Any promising talents?"
He Ximeng asked Cui Tianci, who was responsible for recording the data.
Cui Tianci said excitedly, "Besides Zhang Zhenpeng, who already showed his considerable skill yesterday, there are three other youngsters with good talent..."
Before Cui Tianci could finish, Zhang Tianai directly interrupted.
"Huangfu Yanlin from Class Eight, Year One. Height 1.88 meters, weight 80 kilograms..."
"Fu Xinyuan from Class Nine, Year One. Height 1.89 meters, weight 81 kilograms..."
"Zhu Ningzhen from Class Five, Year One. Height 2.01 meters, weight 90 kilograms..."
Zhang Tianai spoke all the data off the top of her head without looking at the registration materials.
He Ximeng took the resumes and physical test results of the four individuals from Cui Tianci. A simple comparison showed that what Zhang Tianai said was exactly correct.
"Not bad! It seems this sister of Zhang Zhenpeng isn't just a pretty face! In terms of memory, she seems to have extraordinary abilities..."