Chapter 811: Different Standards
"Goodbye. Dad, Mom, don't worry. I'll call you when I've safely dropped Vance off at home." Lu Ke sat in the driver's seat, made sure his seatbelt was on, and waved goodbye to Lu Zhengze and Jiang Younning outside the window.
Vance also smiled and repeatedly said thank you. "Thank you for the hospitality today. Don't worry, Bambi probably won't sell me off. I have a lot of confidence in that."
A simple joke made everyone laugh.
Lu Ke started the car and drove away slowly. In the rearview mirror, he could see Lu Zhengze and Jiang Younning still standing at the side of the road at the door, watching them leave. They watched until the car turned a corner and everything in their view was hidden behind the shadows of the houses.
Lu Ke's eyes left the rearview mirror and shifted slightly. Through the reflection of the mirror, they landed on the bright smile on Vance's face. Lu Ke said with a smile, "Mr. Jacobs, if I'm not mistaken, you want to talk to me alone, don't you?"
Vance's expression froze for a moment, and then he looked at Lu Ke meaningfully, revealing a hint of scrutiny and exploration. He seemed to not understand what Lu Ke meant, or he seemed to be thinking about how to answer. His ambiguous expression was difficult to describe. After a pause of about three seconds, he finally spoke. "Why do you say that?"
"Because the name you used just now was not Lu Ke, but Bambi." Lu Ke said with a smile, as if he was just talking about how good dinner was tonight. "At home, my father and mother wouldn't call me 'Bambi.' The Newmans wouldn't either. Only when Logan is around would they."
Vance's mouth dropped open slightly. Instead of being flustered, he became more and more interested. "How are you sure that I didn't hear it somewhere else? Although I'm not a football fan, there's a lot of news about you. There are countless social media platforms. It would be abnormal if I didn't know anything, right?"
Lu Ke was the same. He wasn't angry, furious, or agitated. Instead, he analyzed it unhurriedly.
"Because of coincidence. There were just too many coincidences." Lu Ke kept the car at a steady speed, still conscientiously following the GPS instructions to the destination. "Your first meeting with my dad, the subsequent friendship, and then the love for movies and records. There are just too many coincidences."
"Today is Monday. You should know my mom and dad's work hours. They don't get off work that early, but you still arrived here early. Assuming you were just here to drop off the vinyl record and leave, you didn't have to knock on the door. It's like... it's like you knew I was at home."
The corner of Lu Ke's eye caught Vance's expression. He still wasn't flustered, and his smile became even brighter, like Holmes listening to an amateur rookie cop's wild analysis of a case. His confident demeanor didn't falter in the slightest because of Lu Ke's analysis.
Just as Vance was about to speak, Lu Ke raised his right hand to stop him and continued, "I'm a journalist. I believe in coincidences, but I believe in calculations even more."
"Once might be a coincidence. Twice might also be a coincidence. But three or four times is not. Of course, so far, all the clues are just my own guesses. There's no direct evidence or a necessary connection, so it doesn't hold water. But..." Lu Ke deliberately paused for a moment here. He then caught the expectation and curiosity in Vance's eyes, which further confirmed Lu Ke's thoughts.
Then, Lu Ke revealed the answer. "But your reaction to my probing question was the best answer."
A normal person's first reaction might be surprise, anger, or confusion. But Vance's reflex was to think. His subsequent responses followed the train of thought step by step, which truly confirmed Lu Ke's guess.
Or perhaps, deep down in Vance's subconscious, he wasn't prepared to continue hiding it. Now that Lu Ke had exposed him, he just went with the flow and revealed the answerโ
Otherwise, if he had missed today, the lie would have had to continue, and it would have been incredibly difficult to change his tone in the future.
Vance paused, thought back along the timeline, and then understood. He couldn't help but smile and nodded slightly, but it was unclear whether he was showing agreement, appreciation, or something else.
But this time, Lu Ke didn't press further. He remained silent, quietly waiting for Vance to speak.
The active and passive roles had been switched in an instant.
"If you hadn't become a professional athlete, you would definitely have become an excellent journalist." Vance laughed heartily. Although he didn't admit it, his candid and generous attitude was as honest as it could get, which indirectly confirmed all of Lu Ke's guesses.
"Now, let's officially re-introduce ourselves. I'm Vance Jacobs. I work in the marketing department at Nike. I'm currently in charge of managing professional athletes on the West Coast. Simply put, I'm responsible for signing new players and managing the players we've already signed." Vance took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, took one out, and gestured to Lu Ke. "Do you mind?"
"No." Lu Ke shook his head, still focused on driving.
After getting permission, Vance rolled down the window and lit the cigarette. "Simply put, we're interested in signing you. What do you think?"
There were so many key points and things to comment on that Lu Ke didn't know where to start. His thoughts came rushing to his mind, which weakened his surprise and shock.
Nike? It's actually Nike! That's Nike!
But there were too many questions now. Beyond the shock, Lu Ke had to take a deep breath to try to hide his excitement and thrill, but this was not an easy thing to do. Being calm on the field was one thing, but being inexperienced off the field was another. Lu Ke was just a rookie who had been working for a year.
When he signed with Under Armour, Lu Ke couldn't contain his excitement. How could he with Nike?
Nike in the US and Adidas in Germany are the top two brands in the global sports product market. They have signed almost all of the top athletes, especially in the US, where Nike is in a league of its own.
Who would have thought that Nike would come knocking on his door?
A total surprise.
After two tries, Lu Ke still couldn't hide his emotions, so he just went with the flow and showed it. This was more authentic and simpler. "Wow, I need some time to digest this. Nike? Wow, have I reached that level already? Did I get on Nike's radar?"
"With your current performance and achievements, it would be strange if you didn't get on Nike's radar, wouldn't it?" Vance didn't seem surprised at all. While exhaling smoke, he said calmly, "If my sources are correct, Adidas has also contacted you, haven't they?"
Adidas?
When did that happen?
Vance immediately caught the change in Lu Ke's expression. "It seems that your agent hasn't told you yet. But it's okay, we all need to take it slow."
There was so much shocking news that Lu Ke calmed down. His thoughts gradually became clear, and he immediately caught the key point. "So, you purposely approached my father to win his trust and then try to get a contract?"
Lu Ke's focus was not on Nike's elaborate plan, but on Vance's opportunistic behavior.
Lu Ke chose to move out on his own because he didn't want his job to affect his parents' peaceful life. But now, Vance was trying to use Lu Zhengze's friendship and Jiang Younning's kindness to achieve his own business goals.
To be honest, Lu Ke didn't like this, and he even hated it.
He knew that in the business world, this seemed to be a normal indirect approach. It was common to use a professional athlete's friends or family to achieve a goal. But Vance's method was so realistic and detailed. He had truly built a friendship with Lu Zhengze and Jiang Younning. If they found out that it was all a fake, they would be so disappointed and blame themselves.
Vance could sense Lu Ke's vigilance, rejection, and anger.
To successfully sign Lu Ke, Vance had been trying to find a breakthrough, and family was undoubtedly the best option. But now it seemed like a double-edged sword. He could get close to Lu Ke through his family, but he could also anger Lu Ke because of his family.
"I am friends with Jack." Vance was quick to state his position. "The friendship with Jack and Annie was an unexpected gain. If I can successfully complete the contract through them, that would be great. But even if I can't, we will still be friends. That won't change."
"I hope you can keep that promise. My father and mother never need to know your real job," Lu Ke's voice became cold, and he expressed his position firmly. Nike was important and could bring him endless wealth for his career. But his family was more important. Lu Zhengze and Jiang Younning were always the first people Lu Ke had to consider.
Facing Lu Ke's seriousness and sincerity, Vance let out a long breath and said with a smile, "Oh, about that, Jack already knew about my job before. About Nike and the players. It's just that I never brought up that Nike was hoping to sign you."
In other words, Vance chose an open strategy, not a secretive one.
He was upfront about his identity but just hid a part of the truth, laying the groundwork for future possibilities. Even if Vance were to openly state his intentions and thoughts in the end, Lu Zhengze and Jiang Younning would not be hurt; they would just have a moment of realization.
Lu Ke was slightly stunned, and a smile gradually appeared on the corner of his mouth. "It seems you came prepared."
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