Chapter 689 Going to Paris
The whole team had a great dinner together and everyone was happy.
The level of Chinese food at Red Chili Pepper is really high.
It can not only satisfy real Chinese stomachs like Hu Lai, but also satisfy foreigners like Charlie Potter and Pete Williams who have never been to China.
This is actually very difficult.
After all, most popular Chinese dishes in the West tend to be sweet and sour, with a twist.
Some of them are not even "magic reforms", but simply "made out of nothing."
For example, "General Tso's Chicken" is a famous Chinese dish. Countless Chinese people had never even heard of this dish, let alone eaten it, before going abroad.
This is completely Chinese food invented by foreigners themselves.
Some dishes that Chinese people particularly like to eat are difficult for foreigners to accept.
Mapo tofu is a dish that is only available in East Asia, which also belongs to the Confucian cultural circle. Many people in the West are not even used to eating tofu.
After dinner, at the kind invitation of the hotel manager, Leeds City players gathered around him and took a group photo.
This group photo will be developed, then framed and hung in a conspicuous place in the restaurant, so that every guest who comes in to dine can know that the entire Leeds City team has dined here before.
What is Pai Noodles?
That's it!
After the group photo, the Leeds City players happily bid farewell to head coach Tony Clark - after this meal, everyone's relationship with the head coach also got closer - and drove away in their respective cars.
Hu Lai didn't have a car, but he had called Uncle Yong to pick him up.
He stood at the door waiting for the bus and saying goodbye to his teammates.
When Clark came out after paying the bill, he grabbed the head coach: "Boss, when is the next meal?"
Clark was confused: "Next meal? What next meal?"
When Hu Lai saw his boss like this, he became anxious - do you still want to default on the bill? !
So he quickly said: "Don't you mean five goals and one meal, boss? I scored eleven goals this season, not counting fractions. Ten goals should be exchanged for two meals, right?"
After Clark and Matt next to him heard what Hu Lai said, they looked at each other, and then the two laughed: "You got it wrong, Hu."
"Did I understand it wrong?"
"Yeah." Tony Clark nodded, "I mean if you can score five goals this season, I'll treat you to a meal at Red Hot Chili Peppers. But I didn't say that every time you score five goals, I'll treat you to a meal." I want to treat you to a meal..."
Hu Lai was stunned: "Is that what you said?"
"Yes. It's pretty good to be able to give you a Chinese meal. Do you know how much pressure I'm under to treat you to this meal? It's not easy for Ms. Schmidt to explain... If you really score five goals and I treat you to lunch, Ms. Schmidt will probably explode on the spot.”
Hu Lai was speechless. Unexpectedly, the treat he had been looking forward to for so long would be a one-time treat...
"So, good things like this will disappear in the future?" He asked with some reluctance.
"No, Hu." Matt smiled and shrugged. "Besides, you are going back to China soon. Isn't it more convenient and delicious to eat Chinese food in China than in Leeds? Why do you still care about one or two meals?"
"That's different, Matt. This is a treat from the boss, and it means something different to me. It's not just a simple meal, it's recognition and encouragement from the boss." Hu Lai shook his head and said seriously.
Hearing what Hu Lai said and looking at the serious expression on his face, Clark suddenly had a thought and couldn't help but said: "Let's do this, Hu. It's obviously not okay to treat you to a meal with five balls. With you The scoring efficiency can really blow up Ms. Schmidt’s mentality. I promise you, if you can win the league’s golden boot, I will invite you to eat red pepper again.”
Hu Lai was stunned for a moment, then asked happily: "Boss, do you mean what you say?"
"Nonsense, of course!" Clark said with a straight face and the dignity of a head coach.
"Okay, I will try my best!"
At this moment, Yong Jun's car arrived, opened the passenger window, let Hu Lai see him, and waved to him.
"Then it's settled, boss. I'm leaving first! See you next season!" Hu Lai said goodbye to Clark and Matt happily.
"Goodbye, Hu."
After the two watched Hu Lai get into the car and leave, Matt said to Clark: "Tony, I have to say... If you want to use the Premier League Golden Boot as a euphemistic excuse to reject him, you may have made the wrong idea. He can score so many goals in just half a season, so if you give him a full season, it is really possible for him to compete for the Golden Boot..."
Clark shook his head and interrupted him: "I'm not rejecting him. How much does it cost to treat him to a meal? I really hope that this can give him the motivation to continue fighting. As you said, it's only half a year. He was able to score so many goals in just one season, and his performance was beyond our expectations. I don’t know if it was also beyond his own expectations. I was worried that his performance would decline due to this half of the season. The requirements for myself...so I need to give him a little stimulation."
After understanding Clark's intention, Matt said with emotion: "If he really can win the Premier League Golden Boot...hell, I can't imagine what that scene should be like, and where our team will rank in the league..."
Clark remained silent and did not answer.
Because he couldn't imagine it either.
※※※
"How was your day today?" Yong Jun asked Hu Lai, who was sitting in the back, while driving.
"Everyone was very happy and had a good meal, Uncle Yong. Red Chili Pepper's Chinese food is really good. Uncle Yong, let me tell you, the taste is a bit like what I feel when I go to a restaurant in China..."< br>
"Yes, I know." Yong Jun nodded.
"Ah? You know? What do you know, Uncle Yong?"
"I've eaten there." Yong Jun replied.
"!" Hu Lai looked at Uncle Yong in the rearview mirror with wide eyes, "Uncle Yong, when did you go to eat?"
"Sometimes, when you are at the training base at noon and I am too lazy to cook, I go to eat..."
Hu Lai: "Uncle Yong, you said it so confidently, I can't even say anything..."
Yong Jun laughed: "Don't be jealous, I'm quite stressed about going out to restaurants every day..."
"Uncle Yong, what pressure can you put on me?"
"The pressure of the scale."
Hu Lai rolled his eyes and was too lazy to pay attention to this old Versailles. He took out his cell phone.
Seeing Hu Lai's movements through the rearview mirror, Yong Jun smiled slightly and reminded: "Go back and rest early. Let's go to Paris together tomorrow."
"Yeah." Hu Lai nodded. In fact, he was looking for Li Qingqing on WeChat.
"Have you signed a management contract with Fatty Song?"
"Signed yesterday. We are now members of the same company, Hu Lai!" Li Qingqing quickly replied.
The Ligue 1 women's football league ended on May 4th. The reason why Li Qingqing stayed in Paris and did not return to China immediately was to sign a contract with Song Jiajia's Champion Legend Sports Agency.
The reason why he didn't sign the contract until now is because Song Jiajia didn't find a reliable female football agent until some time ago.
In the entertainment industry, female agents are not uncommon. But in the generally male-dominated world of football, female agents are too rare.
So during this period, Song Jiajia has been looking for a capable agent with good character.
It was only a month ago that a female agent was finally hired with a heavy salary to be responsible for Li Qingqing's management affairs.
With a female agent, Li Qingqing can also sign a contract with Song Jiajia's sports agency and officially becomes a contract player of Champion Legend Sports Agency.
In fact, there is no rule that female players must use female agents, but in Song Jiajia's view, it always feels weird to have a male agent for Li Qingqing... That's why he spent so much time, energy and money to recruit a man with great business ability. Strong female agent.
It can be said that this female agent will only be responsible for Li Qingqing's affairs. She does not need to be responsible for Hu Lai, Zhang Qinghuan and Wang Guangwei's affairs like Yong Jun.
And in the foreseeable future, Song Jiajia will not sign new female football players for the company, so Li Qingqing enjoys one-on-one service in the company.
The reason why Hu Lai wants to go to Paris is because since Li Qingqing has to stay in Paris and sign a contract with Song Jiajia, just in time for the end of his Premier League, the two of them can meet up and go back together, and they can also have a companion on the way to look after each other.
After Song Jiajia and Yong Jun meet up in Paris, they will not return to China with Hu Lai and Li Qingqing. Instead, they will go to the United States to have a good talk with Feifan Company about Hu Lai and Li Qingqing signing endorsement contracts.
Feifan Company has given the most money, and they also intend to become Leeds City's jersey sponsor, and they are negotiating with the Chinese Football Association, hoping to become the Chinese team's jersey sponsor after the jersey sponsorship contract between the Chinese Football Association and Vaillant expires. Business, these are conducive to the signing of Hu Lai and Fei Falcon.
Li Qingqing was originally the player that Vaillant wanted to sign, because at that time Vaillant was the jersey sponsor of all national-level teams under the Chinese Football Association, so naturally, first come first served. But at that time, Li Qingqing never had a fixed agent, and the matter reached a deadlock.
Now that Li Qingqing has signed a contract with Song Jiajia's company, it is certainly impossible for Song Jiajia to let Li Qingqing and Hu Lai score two sports brands, and they are also sworn enemies. Trying to get Hu Lai and Li Qingqing to sign as spokespersons under the same brand will be of great benefit, both from the perspective of marketing and promotion, and from the perspective of their personal relationship.
So Fei Falcon followed him and had the opportunity to sign the most popular male and female football players in Chinese football together.
At the end of the season, the players who have worked hard all season will take their rare vacation, but the agents will be busy.
Of course, Hu Lai would not return to China with Li Qingqing after arriving in Paris the next day.
On the contrary, they will not leave in a hurry, but will stay in Paris for two more days.
Because he and Li Qingqing had already agreed to go to Disneyland in Paris together.
Mainly because he plays with Li Qingqing. As a straight man, Hu Lai has little interest in Disneyland. But Li Qingqing said she wanted to play, so he agreed to accompany her.
Although he complained about Li Qingqing more than once in his heart:
childish! (End of chapter)