Chapter 109 Lifelong Career
The Comet Club organized by He Hui met everyone in the summer of 2020 and became big news in the off-season.
It is worth mentioning that He Jianmu kept his word about this club and did not invest a penny.
He Hui was not surprised that the idea of raising the start-up capital for the club came to her mind when she had it. Commercial advertisements, notice invitations, and remuneration for ice performances gradually built the foundation of He Hui's dream castle.
But He Jianmu was still not optimistic about He Hui's career until the day of the opening ceremony: "I hope you don't go bankrupt and regret it because you can't make money in the future."
As expected, her father was stubborn! Although he was worried about her, it was uncomfortable to hear him say it.
"First of all, I won't fail to make money," He Hui responded earnestly, "and secondly, I won't regret it either."
He Jianmu was choked by He Hui's answer.
"...Then I'll wait for the wave behind to knock me, the wave in front, onto the beach."
There was indeed a hint of expectation in his eyes as he looked at his ambitious daughter.
"Don't worry, this day will come." He Hui raised the corners of his mouth and smiled.
But when you actually start a new business, difficulties always come one after another, which are both realistic and cruel.
The club hired a professional agent to manage the club, but He Hui will also participate in daily decision-making.
"It may be because it is newly opened, the first batch of enrollment is not ideal." The other party said to He Hui distressedly, "We have also opened social media accounts, and your fans are still very powerful, but it seems that parents are still on the sidelines about unfamiliar institutions."
"It's normal to have doubts. We can recruit a small number of students at present. During the holidays, I will invite some foreign teachers to come and hold some master classes to expand our reputation."
He Hui patted his agent on the shoulder and said: "The commercial sports environment in China is quite different from that in Europe and the United States. We have to cross the river by feeling the stones and overcome difficulties one by one."
From the day she decided to make figure skating her lifelong career, He Hui was ready to take on the challenge.
The road to commercialization is certainly difficult, but if it can really help talented children lay a solid foundation and truly enter the international arena, then that is her original intention for starting this business.
There were only six students in the first batch, aged between ten and twelve. They had the foundation, but were still a step away from becoming a professional.
It was Tan Ling’s first time teaching a class and she wasn’t very confident, so she asked He Hui to attend the first class with her.
"So, you just let me watch from the side?" He Hui asked with a smile, looking at the special seat on the sidelines that Tan Ling had arranged for him, a small bench used exclusively in the classroom.
"I feel more at ease when you are by my side." Tan Ling rarely acts like a spoiled child.
He Hui shook his head helplessly, but finally agreed: "Okay."
So, when the six children saw the current world No. 1 women's singles player appearing next to the ice rink as a supervisor, their eyes widened and their mouths dropped open.
I saw a little kid excitedly pulling his friend's sleeve and said, "I told my mom that I wanted to come here because I wanted to see He Hui. I didn't expect to see him in the first class. Ahhhh."
"My mom said this place is closer to home and can save me some commuting time. I didn't expect that I would get lucky!"
Among these six pairs of eyes, there were a group that were particularly bright and sparkling, staring closely at He Hui who was standing beside them.
During the entire training process, these eyes would occasionally look in He Hui's direction, blinking, with light flashing under the brown pupils, as if they had something to say to He Hui.
He Hui naturally noticed something unusual, and after class, she deliberately stayed on the field for a while longer.
Sure enough, the little girl walked towards her. Because she was nervous, she didn't realize that her hands and feet were in sync, and the fingers in front of her were entangled nervously.
The little girl in black training clothes took a deep breath before she mustered up the courage to ask, "Idol, don't you remember me?"
He Hui looked at the little girl's face carefully, his mind turning over and over again, but he still had no clue.
"I'm sorry, who are you?" she asked.
"My name is Gao Yueyi. During the China Cup, you, my idol, hugged me and caught me! I almost fell off the stands!" Gao Yueyi pointed at herself with anticipation in her eyes.
The memory finally passed through the palace of his mind and came before He Hui's eyes.
"It's you." He Hui looked at Gao Yueyi and raised the corners of his mouth. "It seems that we are destined to be together."
"Hehe." Gao Yueyi touched the back of her head sheepishly, and continued hesitantly, "Actually, I came to the Comet Club on purpose because I wanted to see my idol again."
He Hui: "That's also a kind of fate. I'm glad to see you here."
Gao Yueyi was very excited and hurriedly continued to express her determination: "Um, idol! I saw your performance and I want to become a great figure skater like you!"
The scene of today's six-person group training appeared in He Hui's mind. To be honest, Gao Yueyi's performance was indeed superior.
"How old are you this year?" He Hui asked.
"Twelve years old!" Gao Yueyi was so happy that she wanted to spin around on the spot just to be able to say one more word to He Hui.
He Hui's eyes flashed with appreciation. According to the training just now, the quality of Gao Yueyi's triple hook was very good. What's more rare is that her skating has a solid basic skill. It is estimated that she had a lot of training when she was young.
"Is there a triple jump?" He Hui asked.
"Yes! I can do both 3Lz+3T and 3F+3T."
"Then show me a 3F+3T."
He Hui pointed out some difficult moves on the spot, which made Gao Yueyi instantly nervous and she paused for a moment.
"What's wrong? You don't dare to do one in front of me?"
"No, no!" Gao Yueyi was afraid of upsetting her idol, so she immediately turned around and walked back to the ice rink.
Her steps were neat and powerful, and she quickly increased her speed. The wind from the ice rink blew Gao Yueyi's ponytail.
Gao Yueyi did a simple triple turn and then jumped off the ice.
He Hui raised his eyebrows. This jump sequence had a very good beginning.
The clear inner edge was obviously different from the hook just now. The extra height made Gao Yueyi's three circles easy. The sliding speed of landing on the ice was maintained very well, and the second jump took off immediately.
When they got back on the ice, He Hui couldn't help but applaud Gao Yueyi for her outstanding performance.
Gao Yueyi patted her chest in fear, slid back to He Hui, and looked up at He Hui with expectant eyes, her eyes were wet, like a puppy waiting for praise.
"Well done!" He Hui praised generously.
Gao Yueyi felt like she was hit in the heart. She covered her chest with her hands and looked at He Hui with blinking eyes.
"Really?" She couldn't believe her ears.
"Of course." He Hui couldn't help but touch the furry head of the child in front of him, "But I think you should be able to change 3T to 3Lo."
"Ah? I can't do it?" Gao Yueyi pointed at herself again, looking embarrassed. "Actually, I have tried it before, but it was not perfect. I feel like I am not very good at blade jumping."
“There is no such thing as being good or bad at triple jumps.”
He Hui's answer was like being struck by lightning, and Gao Yueyi stood there in a daze.
Could it be that her idol wanted her to try a quadruple jump? Well, although quadruple jumps are an unstoppable trend in figure skating today, Gao Yueyi still feels that it is out of reach.
"Try the quad jump, too."
Sure enough, He Hui’s next sentence was even more arrogant.
It took Gao Yueyi almost a minute to think through everything that happened today.
"Okay, I will definitely work hard!" Gao Yueyi's answer was so loud that it echoed on the ice rink and reached He Hui's heart.
*
Gao Yueyi's growth rate was even faster than He Hui had expected, so fast that Tan Ling came over and said that there seemed to be a genius among the first class of students she taught.
"I'm telling you, Gao Yueyi definitely has world-class potential." In the office, Tan Ling's tone was cheerful and excited. "She has a very strong comprehension ability. Many things can be done directly for you even if you tell her twice."
"Did she complete the 3Lo combo?" He Hui asked about the progress curiously.
"Yes it worked, but how did you know?" Tan Ling asked inquiringly.
"I'm concerned about the situation of the club's students." He Hui answered seriously.
Tan Ling narrowed her eyes and curled her lips, obviously not believing this statement. But she did not ask any more questions, just patiently waiting for He Hui's next words.
"You can consider having her focus more on edge jumps, and it would also be nice to try quadruple ice jumps."
He Hui's plan was more radical, causing Tan Ling's words of praise to choke in her throat.
"...Okay, I'll try to arrange it."
If He Hui dares to speak, Tan Ling will dare to respond.
Gao Yueyi made rapid progress and soon received invitations to compete in two races in her first season in the youth group.
Before she officially participated in the competition, He Hui invited a well-known foreign coach to provide a one-week training camp, which raised the reputation of the Comet Club to a higher level.
What surprised Chinese ice fans was that Gao Yueyi won two consecutive championships with her top three-week routines. If it weren't for the current situation in the youth group where no championship can be won without four weeks, Gao Yueyi would have had a chance to win a gold medal.
"By the way, I found out that Gao Yueyi is a member of the Comet Club founded by He Hui!"
"By the way, I've seen Gao Yueyi's performance in the national competition. She was only at the provincial level before, but she's improved significantly since joining Comet! He Hui and Tan Ling are indeed members of the Olympic team gold medal team, and they're good at leading people too!"
"Let me correct the above statement. Actually, He Hui is not a coach. After all, she is still skating professionally, so it is Tan Ling who leads the team! Wow, it feels like the Chinese team is being passed down from generation to generation."
Gao Yueyi's performance has earned the Comet Club a good reputation in the figure skating world.
He Hui took the initiative to offer Gao Yueyi the option of an agency contract, and the contract was signed in the presence of her parents and the provincial team.
Gao Yueyi's agent was hired by He Hui from a well-known American sports agency, but it is more accurate to say that it is a cooperative relationship rather than an employment relationship, because in addition to Gao Yueyi, she has several other sports stars.
When Tan Ling heard about this, she said in a series of clicks: "You are worthy of signing a potential stock at a reasonable price. I think your uncle's idea that you don't make money is still too conservative."
"But Gao Yueyi is still in her rising stage and can't take on too many jobs. It would be bad for her to be out for four weeks."
"Tsk, you know what, we recently tried fishing around the rod, Gao Yueyi got used to it and managed to get 4T several times."
"That's right, success is just around the corner."
The two of them sorted out the information of other students and made targeted arrangements.
The club is gradually getting back on track.
*
After that, He Hui not only continued to win gold medals in figure skating, but also set her sights on business exploration in the off-season before the Beijing Winter Olympics.
It is already the end of February, and if she wants to hold the show, He Hui must complete all the arrangements without stopping. In addition, she must learn new choreography and practice new configurations in the midst of her busy business schedule.
Other things are easy to solve, but what ice performances lack most is probably financial investment.
Therefore, if you want to hold a long-term ice show, you must find some sponsors.
He Hui looked at the address book in his mobile phone, his finger paused on a familiar name, and then he pressed the call button with determination.
Toot--
The phone was answered after three rings.
"Lin-san, how are you doing lately?"
Lin Sang's laughter reached He Hui's ears through the phone.
"Not bad. I've been interning at the family business since my freshman year, and now I have some decision-making power. But you're not looking for me just to show your concern for me, right?"
Since Miss Lin Sang confirmed that making money is what she wants to pursue in her life, she has been moving towards this goal.
"Yes, there is something. Does your company want to get more exposure?" He Hui's voice was clear.
"for example?"
"For example, sponsoring my ice show?"
"Are you planning to make this an ice performance brand for a long time this time?" Lin Sang had heard about He Hui's previous actions.
He Hui agreed frankly: "Yes, after all, I believe that figure skating is my lifelong career."
"Then can you tell us about the invited guests?" Lin Sang keenly asked several details about the ice show, and He Hui answered them one by one.
After listening to this, Lin Sang nodded repeatedly, showing more interest in the ice performance.
“As expected of an heir who studied at a top American business school,” Lin Sang exclaimed.
"As the heir, I didn't inherit any funds." He Hui corrected.
After hearing this, Lin Sang burst into laughter.
*
After three months of intense preparation, Lin Sang signed a contract with He Hui on behalf of Lin’s Food Group, becoming the largest sponsor and title sponsor of the ice show.
Thanks to the efforts of He Hui and the national figure skating team after the Pyeongchang cycle, more and more people have learned about this sport, watched figure skating programs, and are willing to pay to watch ice performances.
Three hours after the tickets for the 10,000-seat stadium went on sale, they were sold out.
Netizens requested for more shows, and after discussing with others, He Hui thoughtfully set up ice shows in two other cities.
What’s exaggerated is that the two additional ice shows were held in a small hall with a capacity of about 5,000 people, and the tickets were successfully sold out within an hour.
Lin Sang: "It seems that the ROI of our advertising campaign is good."
He Hui: "After all, you have to trust me~"
Lin Sang: "By the way, we might be drawing two free tickets on the social platform. Is that okay with you?"
He Hui: "Of course."
Everything is moving in the right direction.
He Hui carefully plans the theme of the ice show, invites internationally renowned contestants, and then coordinates the stage design, props, and live music, treating each show as a work of art.
The audience can feel whether the work is done with care or not.
Therefore, after the first ice show, positive reviews came flooding in. As a direct result, the scalper prices for the next two ice shows doubled.
"Ah, they are all well-known contestants, and the stage effects are top-notch! Moreover, they even invited a symphony orchestra and a pop band to perform accompaniment!! It really cost a lot of money!"
"Thank you to the Lin Group for having the foresight to sponsor He Hui's ice show and for giving each audience member a snack pack as a souvenir. I immediately ordered several more flavors!"
"Tickets for the next two shows are out of stock again~"
Three consecutive ice shows were sold out.
The atmosphere in the venue was warm and bustling.
Finally, the last ice show before the Beijing Winter Olympics season came to an end.
The audience waved goodbye to the players on the field and agreed to meet again in Beijing in half a year.
He Hui looked at the empty ice rink and surprisingly felt no melancholy, only an overflowing sense of accomplishment.
She did it!
Miss He did not inherit the family business, nor did it go bankrupt, nor did she regret it.
Miss He is moving forward step by step towards her dream career.
This is the first year of the annual ice show founded by He Hui, and I believe it must be the beginning of the next decade.
(End of text)
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