Chapter 268 Continued popularity and investment in football?

After being busy for nearly half a month, Liu Zhou finally arranged the work.

The design plan for the Martian landscape has now been preliminarily finalized, and the space agency is working with artists to draw panoramas and three-dimensional stereograms.

Liu Zhou could finally take a few days off.

But he won't be able to rest for long, because in two days he will have to leave for Venice as the film festival is about to begin.

Liu Zhou had no problem traveling to Venice this time, but Zeng Li was a bit difficult.

Liu Zhou agreed to let Zeng Li go on such a long journey, but the two elders might not want her to go.

But this rare opportunity may also be Zeng Li's only chance, and Zeng Li really wants to go to Venice with them.

Although there is no unspoken rule in the three major European competitions that you cannot win the award if you are not present, it will still have some impact if you are not present.

Moreover, Zeng Li had been staying at home for the past two or three months and she also wanted to go out and get some fresh air.

So these two days Zeng Li has been pestering Liu Zhou, asking him to persuade the two elders.

Faced with Zeng Li who was acting coquettishly and cute all the time, Liu Zhou finally softened his heart and agreed to talk to them.

After Liu Zhou reasoned with them, appealed to their emotions, and repeatedly assured them that there would be no problems, the two of them finally gave in and agreed to let Zeng Li go to Venice with them.

Zeng Li was so happy that she wanted to jump up. Fortunately, Liu Zhou was quick to catch her in advance. If the child had died, not only would they not be able to go to Venice, but Liu Zhou would also have been killed.

Zeng Li also reacted at this time, and then felt a little scared, and couldn't help touching her stomach.

Liu Zhou didn't blame her either. He knew Zeng Li was just feeling bored at home.

Then, Zeng Li sat in Liu Zhou's arms, hugged his neck and said:

"Zhou Zhou, thank you."

"Silly, why are we still saying thank you to each other?"

The two of them hugged each other quietly, enjoying the long-lost tranquility.

After a while, Zeng Li couldn't help but feel something pressing against her. She immediately realized what it was, stood up and left Liu Zhou's arms, her face slightly red.

Seeing this, Liu Zhou couldn't help but laugh and said:

"Well, I've been holding it in for too long."

"Actually, it's been three months now. As long as it's not too intense, the doctor said it's okay." Zeng Li said with a blushing face.

Hearing this, Liu Zhou couldn't help swallowing, but he still resisted the urge, as now was not the time.

"No, I can still hold it in. The baby in your belly is the most important."

Hearing Liu Zhou's words, Zeng Li also smiled, but even though Liu Zhou said so, she still decided to reward him well in the evening.

But she couldn't let herself be depressed. She knew very well that there were many slutty women out there who wanted to pounce on Liu Zhou.

Zeng Li stepped forward, put her arm around Liu Zhou's arm, and changed the subject:
"Who are you going to cast as the heroine of The Martian?"

"It's OK as long as she's a woman. There aren't that many requirements for this role. As long as she's calm, has an above-average appearance, and doesn't look stupid, there's basically no problem."

"How can you select actors like this?" Zeng Li was amused.

"It's just like that. If men weren't too awkward, there would be no gender requirement."

There aren’t many requirements for the role of captain. The biggest requirement is that the captain must be a woman.

It’s not like Hollywood must have positive black characters. There is no so-called female boxing in mainland China now.

Because there is a scene in the movie where the captain uses a tow rope to rescue the male protagonist who is floating in space, and then the two of them float in the sky together.

This scene, with space as the background, is quite beautiful.

If the captain is replaced by a man, it will feel a bit awkward and it is not appropriate in this era.

Unless it's ten or twenty years later, then fujoshi will still be able to support male-male couples.

"You don't want to act, do you?" Liu Zhou reacted and asked.

"How could that be? By the time the movie is filmed, my belly will be so big, how can I act? There is no way my mother and aunt will allow me to go out and act."

"Did someone find you here?"

"No, I just saw that there was a lot of heated discussion about the heroine online," Zeng Li said with a smile.

Although Liu Zhou had been busy recently, he had heard of Zeng Li.

The popularity of China's first hard-core science fiction blockbuster exceeded many people's imagination.

Although almost half a month has passed since the project launch and press conference of "The Martian", it is still a hot topic online.

From the movie plot at the beginning, to the special effects, and finally to the cast, netizens have been discussing it and some even offered suggestions.

It seems that this movie has awakened most science fiction fans.

Even though they didn't know what the specific roles were, it didn't stop them from discussing it.

Especially when some popular actresses were asked about "The Martian" in interviews, they all expressed their willingness to participate.

Some female stars even directly stated that they would not ask for any pay in order to contribute to mainland China's domestic science fiction films.

This also sparked heated discussions online about the heroine of "The Martian".

In fact, Liu Zhou and Han Shanping received many requests for actors during this period, but neither of them paid any attention.

Han Shanping completely focuses on Liu Zhou and positions himself in a logistical role. Whatever Liu Zhou needs, Han Shanping will find a way to give it to him.

In order to successfully complete the first science fiction blockbuster in China, Han Shanping invested a lot of energy, but he was also very self-aware and did not interfere with any decision made by Liu Zhou for the crew.

As for Liu Zhou, he simply didn't have the heart to think about actors.

He plans to wait until the early preparations for "The Martian" are completed before finalizing the actors.

"Then you have read the script, who do you think is suitable for the female lead?"

"I don't know. I haven't thought about it. But if possible, I think it would be better to find a popular actress. This would also help the success of the movie."

"Okay, so you don't believe that The Martian can be successful?"

"Haha, no, isn't it safer to choose a popular one?"

"This role doesn't have many scenes, I'm just afraid those people will dislike it."

"You're overthinking it. Not to mention that they don't have many scenes, even if they were just for a cameo role, they would definitely agree if you invited them. What's more, this movie is getting so much attention right now."

“Am I so popular now?”

"What do you think?" Zeng Li rolled her eyes at him and said unhappily.

"Haha, then I'll try inviting you then."

After two days of rest at home, Liu Zhou and Zeng Li were ready to leave for Venice. However, the day before Liu Zhou left, two very unexpected people came to visit, and Liu Zhou had to meet them.

"Mr. Liu, I'm sorry for disturbing you by coming to visit me this time."

"Leader Li, Leader Wang, what is the matter that brought you here to see me?"

Liu Zhou had no intention of beating around the bush with them and asked directly about their purpose.

Because these two people are none other than the leader of the Yangcheng Sports Bureau and the other is the chairman of the Yangcheng Football Association.

Looking at their identities, Liu Zhou could probably guess the purpose of the two men coming to find him.

The two did not expect Liu Zhou to be so direct, which made them a little uncomfortable. However, after all, he was a veteran who had been in the system for many years, so they adjusted quickly.

Leader Li pondered for a while, organized his words and said:

"Mr. Liu, you are the most famous entrepreneur from Yangcheng. When we Yangcheng people mention you, everyone gives you a thumbs up."

"Leader Li, why don't you tell me what you want from me?"

Liu Zhou had heard too many compliments, and he really didn't want to engage in business flattery with him.

"Okay, Mr. Liu, let me be frank. This year our Yangcheng Football Team successfully won promotion to the Super League. Are you interested in taking over the Yangcheng Football Club?"

After Leader Li finished speaking, he looked at Liu Zhou expectantly.

Although Yangcheng Football Club successfully won promotion to the Chinese Super League this year and returned to the top football league, its current sponsor, Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Group, is no longer willing to invest money.

In the 1990s, Yangcheng Football Club was sponsored by the Sun God Group, which was very popular in selling health products and land. Later, the Sun God Group went bankrupt and Geely Group took over.

But Geely Group stopped playing after one year and finally handed it over to Guangdong Pharmaceutical Group, a large state-owned enterprise in eastern Guangdong. It has been five years now.

During this period, Yangcheng Football Club's performance has been up and down, and it has never won a top league championship.

This year, Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Group explicitly informed the Guangzhou Football Association that it would not invest money in the club, and even asked them to find a new owner, in an attempt to withdraw completely.

This incident caused the Guangzhou Football Association to be extremely anxious.

Guangdong Pharmaceutical Group no longer sponsored the business, and they looked around but no one was willing to take over.

Until recently, the news that Liu Zhou donated 100 million yuan to his alma mater made headlines, which made them see the light.

Isn't Liu Zhou a native of Guangzhou? He is also the second richest man in the mainland. It would be a piece of cake for him to take over the club.

So when they couldn't find anyone to take over the club, the two finally decided to visit Liu Zhou and ask him to take over.

When Liu Zhou heard what Leader Li said, he secretly said in his heart, "As expected."

Regarding the two people's visit, Liu Zhou felt that they were either here to beg for alms or to invite him to play football.

Playing football in the country?

That's like throwing money into the fire!
Even if you throw it into a fire, at least you can see some bright flames or light a cigarette, but if you invest in football, you won't hear any sound and you will most likely end up getting angry.

It’s not like there are people in the entertainment industry who have been involved in football. Two years ago, Zhao Benshan took over the Liaoning Football Club and started playing football.

Don’t think that Zhao Benshan is just an actor in sketches. Not only does he make TV dramas himself, he also invests in theaters, minerals, hotels and real estate in the three northeastern provinces.

Uncle Benshan is a famous entrepreneur in Northeast China with a net worth of over 10 billion.

In the mainland entertainment industry, the first person to buy a private jet was Zhao Benshan.

At present, information on the Internet has not yet developed to the level of transparency like in later generations. In addition, Zhao Benshan basically operates in the Northeast and has been relatively low-key before.

If you haven't dealt with him or searched for him deliberately, many people don't know the net worth of this Spring Festival Gala sketch king.

The last combination with Liaoning FC made Zhao Benshan famous across the country and made everyone realize that he is not a simple person.

But even Zhao Benshan, who is not an ordinary person, became a little embarrassed after playing football.

He paid tens of millions, but he had no say at all, and even the football club had nothing to do with him.

This is equivalent to Zhao Benshan paying tens of millions of real money, then having fun for a few days, and getting nothing in the end.

So he ran away less than half a year after taking over Liaoning FC. If he hadn't run fast, he would have continued to be cheated.

In addition to Zhao Benshan, the deeds of another famous person, Wang Jianlin, are even more well-known.

Lao Wang really loves football. He has not only invested a lot of money in the Dalian Club, but also spent a lot of effort.

But in the end, he was so angry that he publicly expressed the darkness of football in front of reporters and announced his withdrawal from the football field.

Therefore, although Liu Zhou is rich now, how could he possibly spend his money to suffer? Moreover, Liu Zhou always feels that investing in football is a bit unlucky.

Evergrande's Xu Bei built a Chinese Super League dynasty, but ended up being saddled with huge debts. Not only did he run away, but the company also went bankrupt.

Suning's boss Zhang was also increasingly in trouble, so much so that the club disappeared just after winning the Chinese Super League championship, creating a miracle in the football world.

Shenhua’s predecessor, Mr. Zhu, played football for a few years, and The9 went from being a top Internet gaming company to almost going bankrupt.

Of course, these corporate troubles are actually mainly caused by the economic and industry environment, or the company's internal development problems.

In fact, it has little to do with football, but Liu Zhou still believes in Feng Shui a bit and always feels that football is a bit weird.

So for the sake of his own fortune, Liu Zhou does not want to get involved in the muddy waters of football.

It would be better for Yangcheng Football Club to be handed over to Xu Bei. No matter what, the money-driven football he started still led the club to achieve unprecedented brilliant results.

Transform Yangcheng Football Club from a mid-to-lower-level team into the top club in the Chinese Super League.

"Leader Li, I have to be honest. I have no interest in football. I prefer basketball. So I'm sorry, I may not be able to take over the Yangcheng Football Club."

If Liu Zhou is asked to take over the Yangcheng Basketball Club, he might consider it. The current basketball environment is much better than it will be ten years later.

When Leader Li saw Liu Zhou's straightforward refusal, he realized that the other party really had no interest at all, and he couldn't help feeling a little bored.

The Football Association leader Wang next to him seemed to want to say something else, so Liu Zhou spoke first:

"Leader Li, although I cannot invest, I can show you a way. You can go find those bosses who are mainly engaged in real estate.

Not only do they have money, but the publicity from football is also very helpful to their real estate business, so you can give it a try.”

"Thank you, Mr. Liu. We won't bother you for now."

"You two walk slowly."

Looking at their departing backs, Liu Zhou couldn't help but wonder why they suddenly came to him.

But no matter what the reason is, as long as you don't get involved in football, you don't have to worry about any problems.

However, domestic football cannot be touched, but foreign football can be touched. For example, the appreciation rate of Premier League football clubs is higher than that of NBA teams.

But these are still too far away. I can try it when I have some spare money in the future.

(End of this chapter)