Having worked with several athletes, Dai Li realized that it was difficult to find one with top-level talent. It was like building a pyramid; more bricks were needed at the bottom, but once it reached the top, only one brick was required.
Among all the professional athletes Dai Li had ever met, 95% of them had been C-level, which was good. B- level athletes were hardly ever found. People like Feixiang Lin and Feifei Yu, who were S-level talents, were rarely seen.
With A-level talent and hard work, one could become a world-class athlete, and win a medal in international games. If lucky enough, assuming the other competitors were relatively weak, the athlete may even be able to win a gold medal.
And Haiquan Fang had A-level talent in the long jump!
A gold medal in athletics was hard to get. Asian countries' athletics abilities lagged behind other countries. If one was a world-class athlete, they had to be great. In that case, the coach of said athlete could be promoted.
When Dai Li had detected that Haiquan Fang had A-level talent, he realized that he was a gifted athlete. He decided that, by any means necessary, that he must keep Haiquan Fang on the team.
Dai Li said, "Haiquan Fang, Manager Fang wants you to leave. What do you think?"
"Why should I obey him! I just got here, why should I leave? I will not leave!" said Haiquan Fang firmly.
"No way! You must go back with me!" Manager Fang ordered.
Dai Li could tell another argument was about to break out, so he immediately interrupted, saying, "Excuse me, Manager Fang, but why do you want Haiquan Fang to retreat? Is there anything we have done to disappoint you?"
"Sorry, Coach, don't get me wrong—there is nothing I am dissatisfied with. I just want my son to go back to school instead of jumping around in a sandpit. Everyone else his age is studying at school," said Manager Fang.
Back to school? He is one of those parents who think being a "scholar" is the best thing someone can be. Dai Li sighed. He understood the concern.
Being an athlete was a profession that depended on youth to make a living. In parents' eyes, studying hard, entering a college, and finding a stable job was more realistic than being an athlete. Young athletes had usually just graduated from junior middle schools, so it seemed more reasonable for them to go to high school, then to college.
But an A-level athlete would be a top-class athlete, which was much better than just finding a normal job.
Dai Li said, "Manager Fang, to be honest, being an athlete is not a bad thing. I'm not going to talk about superstars like Feixiang Lin. Ordinary world champions can also get nice jobs after they retire. They can be coaches or work in governmental organizations. They will always have an something going for them. Especially for famous athletes, they can easily earn a living through advertising endorsements, and can earn much more than college graduates. Besides, nowadays it is really difficult to find a job. Even post-graduates cannot find satisfying jobs, let alone college students."
While speaking, Dai Li glanced at Haiquan Fang, then said, "I think Haiquan is gifted in the long jump. If he is willing to train hard, I'm sure that he can be an outstanding athlete. Even if he is not as good as Feixiang Lin, he still has the potential to be a top national long jumper."
Dai Li did not want to say "world-class," so instead he said "top national." He did not want to make Manager Fang feel like he was bragging.
Shattering Dai Li's expectations, however, that father laughed disdainfully. "National best? I will never let him be an athlete, even if he could be the next Feixiang Lin!"
Dai Li was astonished. Feixiang Lin was a national treasure, especially after he had broken the world record again last year. His fame had increased rapidly. It was definitely not an exaggeration to say that Feixiang Lin was a national idol who was full of positive energy.
Dai Li believed that parents would be delighted to hear that their children had become as good as Feixiang Lin. Why did Manager Fang have such a bad attitude?
Suddenly, the studious man stepped forward and introduced Manager Fang more thoroughly, saying, "Our Manager Dalu Fang is the president of the Continental Corporation."
The Continental Corporation? Dalu Fang? He is Dalu Fang! Dai Li finally realized who he had been talking to, as well as why he had disregarded Feixiang Lin. In actuality, Dalu Fang had not meant to disregard Feixiang Lin. But they were in completely different worlds.
If he had only been informed of his name, Dai Li would have needed some time to recall who Dalu Fang was. But the Continental Corporation was a resonant brand.
The Continental Corporation was built off of land sale, and had also recently gotten involved in other trades like entertainment and e-commerce. The chairman, Dalu Fan,g was the richest man in the Hanbei Province. His private property was worth over 20 billion yuan. Although he was not the richest man in the country, 20 billion was an enormous figure to normal people.
Dai Li understood right away why Manager Fang had been indifferent when talking about athletes' futures. As an extremely rich man, why would he care about advertising endorsements and secure jobs? Just as Dalu Fang had said, even if his son became the next Feixiang Lin, he did not care. In Feixiang Lin's career, he could earn no more than one billion yuan; the Continental Corporation could easily earn more than a billion by building two or three estates.
I never thought I would speak to a billionaire one day. That studious man must be his assistant, and the strong man must be his bodyguard. He looks like a retired soldier. But as rich as Dalu Fang is, only one bodyguard is with him. Isn't that modest?
Dai Li looked Haiquan Fang up and down. He had never expected to have a second generation rich kid on his team, let alone a super rich one.
Haiquan Fang was just above 1.80 meters. He was pretty tall compared to his peers. He had inherited Dalu Fang's dark skin, thick eyebrows, medium-sized eyes, and prominent cheekbones, which made his face angular. He was in a common sport suit, and looked no different than other high school students.
He does not look rich! Dai Li thought to himself.
In his mind, rich children were always well-dressed, driving sports cars, showing off everywhere, arrogant, and rude. Those qualities did not describe Haiquan Fang. Dai Li felt that even if Haiquan Fang had told the others that he had a super rich dad, nobody would believe him.
What is going on in his mind? Why does he want to be an athlete? Being an athlete is not an easy job. If I had a super rich father, I would never be an athlete!