Super Wingstorm

It wasn’t until nearly noon that the Ajax players started to wake up, but they were soon fooling around again.

The first problem on everyone’s mind was, who would get to bring the championship trophy back to Amsterdam?

Van der Vaart had secretly slept with the trophy in the conference room all night, so he was naturally excluded from the list of candidates. The others fought tooth and nail for the privilege.

After finishing what could be considered either breakfast or lunch at the Beg Hotel, the team finally set off for the airport.

On the way back to Amsterdam from Gelsenkirchen, Yang Yang was somewhat listless. He didn’t "sleep" like he usually did, but instead stared out the window with his eyes open, silently lost in thought.

Van Gaal was leaving. Ibrahimovic, Van der Vaart, and Talabesi were leaving too. And now, even Van Basten was going to leave. This was what his idol had told him personally when Yang Yang ran into him after returning to the hotel that morning.

The current head coach of the Dutch National Team, Edvoekate, would be stepping down after the European Cup, and the Dutch Football Association wanted Van Basten to take over the team. For Van Basten, who was eager to prove himself in the world of coaching, it was an offer that was hard to refuse.

Of the legendary "Three Dutchmen," Rijkaard was coaching Barcelona, and Gullit, who had previously coached the Dutch Youth Team, would officially take over the Feyenoord first team in the new season. And now Van Basten was set to take charge of the Dutch National Team.

All three were legendary superstars renowned throughout European Football. Their brilliant playing careers had laid the foundation for them, allowing them to start their coaching careers at a much higher level than others.

Their conversation that morning was essentially Van Basten’s farewell to Yang Yang. Besides advising Yang Yang to keep training hard and solidify his fundamentals, he also hoped Yang Yang would continue his studies—a piece of advice that was completely different from what others told him.

Van Basten believed that studying helped a player think and analyze better. It also enabled them to plan more effectively and gave them superior learning abilities—qualities that many players who only knew how to kick a ball from a young age, but didn’t know how to learn, lacked.

Yang Yang agreed on the spot. Even if Van Basten hadn’t said anything, he would have continued his studies anyway; it was a promise he had made to his parents.

After a boisterous flight back from Germany to Amsterdam, the club’s planned victory parade officially kicked off.

An open-top bus carried all the players of the Ajax first team, along with the three prestigious championship trophies—the Champions League, the Eredivisie, and the Dutch Cup. It moved slowly along its route, from the airport to Ajax’s old Olympic Stadium, then south to the Amsterdam Arena in Southeast New City.

All along the route, throngs of Ajax fans spontaneously took to the streets, creating a magnificent spectacle.

Yang Yang also temporarily set aside the sadness of the impending departures and threw himself into the celebration and revelry.

He knew this was a normal part of professional football. He could accept it; he just needed some time.

...

...

"Dad! Mom!"

As soon as the team’s victory parade was finally over, Yang Yang rushed to a high-end hotel not far south of the stadium, where he had arranged for his parents and his uncle Shen Ming’s family to stay after their return from Germany.

Reunited after so long, seeing Yang Yang filled both Yang Yongqiang and his wife with complex emotions. Shen Lifang, in particular, was so happy that tears streamed down her face nonstop; after all, they hadn’t seen him in two years.

It was different from watching him from afar at the AufSchalke last night. Now her son was standing right in front of her. One moment she was touching his arm, praising how muscular he’d become; the next she was pinching him and saying he was too skinny, reminding him to eat more. She endlessly asked about his life in the Netherlands.

Yang Yang’s mood improved, and he patiently answered all his parents’ questions.

"The team is organizing a celebratory banquet tonight. I heard even the Dutch royal family and the Prime Minister will be there," Yang Yang explained with a smile. He then asked if his parents wanted to go, as family members were allowed to attend.

But Yang Yongqiang and his wife hesitated for a moment before ultimately declining. They couldn’t communicate with foreigners, so there wouldn’t be much point in going. Instead, they were more interested in Yang Yang’s home and were eager to go see it.

So, his uncle Shen Ming and cousin Shen Yuzhu drove the group to his home in Oude Kerk.

They were very satisfied with the place. The only thing that made his parents’ hearts ache was hearing that Yang Yang often had to cook for himself. After all, back home, he had been a young master who never had to lift a finger, but now that he was living abroad, he had to do everything himself.

While his mother and the others went to tour the rental house, Yang Yang sat in the living room chatting with his father, his uncle, and the two Wei brothers.

Yang Yang already knew his cousin Shen Yuzhu and Wei Zheng were returning to China. What surprised him was learning they both planned to work for his family’s company.

"Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot and have talked to many people to learn more. I think Wei Zheng is right. Our country is hosting the Olympics in ’08, and the years surrounding it will be a golden age for the sports industry. That’s why I’ve decided to create my own brand," his father, Yang Yongqiang, announced decisively.

Yang Yang was naturally supportive. "But, Dad, creating a brand requires a huge investment."

His hometown, Quanzhou Jinjiang, was known as the "Capital of Brands," especially for sports brands, of which there were countless. Although Yang Yang was young, he had grown up surrounded by it, so he wasn’t a stranger to the concept. He had some understanding of how to build a brand.

"That’s the traditional approach," Wei Zheng said with a faint smile.

"How so?" Yang Yang asked, his interest piqued.

"Over the past year, I’ve specifically studied this industry. Most of the sports brands in Quanzhou follow the same basic model: find a celebrity endorser, advertise heavily, attract distributors, and rapidly scale up to build the brand. Naturally, this model requires a massive investment, easily tens of millions, or even over a hundred million."

Yang Yang nodded. That was indeed the case. For a long time, the National Television’s sports channel was jokingly called the "Quanzhou Jinjiang Channel" precisely because these sports brands were advertising on it all day long.

"This model is rather crude. It’s easy to get started in the early stages, but the company lacks control over its distributors and retailers, and it places high demands on the company’s own operations. It’s a classic case of high investment, high risk. If the market doesn’t accept the brand, you can easily lose everything."

"So what’s your plan?" Yang Yang asked curiously.

"Wei Zheng and I have discussed it and decided to take a more prudent, slower approach. We’ll walk on two legs. On one hand, we’ll continue with foreign trade and traditional wholesale. On the other, we’ll promote our brand, but we won’t follow the model of other manufacturers. We’re going to take a low-cost marketing route. Moreover, we plan to build our core strengths, control our sales channels, and focus on independent product research and development."

As they spoke, Yang Yongqiang and Wei Zheng shared many of their ideas on brand marketing and sales channel development, but Yang Yang only half-understood most of it. The one thing he did grasp was that many of the major, established brands in China were currently focused on the basketball shoe market, using it as a springboard into other areas. Wei Zheng, however, suggested they focus on the running shoe market.

"More and more cities in China are hosting marathons now, and public enthusiasm for running is steadily growing. But this sector isn’t yet valued by domestic brands. Many marathon events struggle to find sponsors. I think that’s our opportunity: to become China’s professional running shoe brand."

Wei Zheng had clearly done extensive preparation on this subject and had already presented a complete feasibility plan that had convinced his father. Business wasn’t Yang Yang’s forte, so as long as his father approved, he would naturally give his full support.

"So what do you need me to do?" Yang Yang asked with concern.

Since it was the family business, Yang Yang definitely wanted to contribute.

"Nothing," Wei Zheng said, laughing and shaking his head. "The best way you can help us is to just focus on playing well."

Seeing Yang Yang’s confusion, Yang Yongqiang explained from the side, "Did you know? After you became famous, business at our factory got even better. The city leaders have also shown great concern for our company’s development. Not long ago, we bought two hundred mu of land in the city’s key economic development zone for a very low price, and several banks have agreed to give us low-interest loans to invest in expanding our facilities."

"Over the years, your mother and I have saved up a bit of money. We originally planned to leave it for you, but now that you’ve made a name for yourself here in Europe, we don’t have to worry about your future anymore. Now that we have this opportunity, we’re going to take a shot. Our son has become successful, so his parents can’t afford to fall too far behind, right?" After speaking, Yang Yongqiang let out a hearty laugh.

Yang Yang was actually very happy to see his father with such ambition. He also trusted that his father was prudent by nature and never took big risks in business. He must be confident in this investment, which gave Yang Yang even less reason to object.

Wei Zheng had been studying marketing in Amsterdam, and Shen Yuzhu had previously studied fashion design in the Netherlands. Since Quanzhou was famous throughout China for its footwear and apparel, they both felt that going to work for Yang Yongqiang in Quanzhou was a good move. They would be returning to China in a day or two.

Yang Yang, on the other hand, would stay in Amsterdam for a few more days. He would wait for the National Youth Team to fly from China to France, and then he would travel to Toulon to meet up with them for the Toulon Cup held in France.

This was a traditional annual youth warm-up tournament with a certain degree of influence in World Football.

Wei Zhen would be traveling with Yang Yang. This time, he was representing National Television to report on the National Youth Team and would be following them throughout the entire Toulon Cup until they returned to China.

When his mother returned, she casually mentioned a girl named Su Ye during their chat. She said the girl was a long-time neighbor of the Wei Zhen and Wei Zheng brothers and had even gone to Gelsenkirchen to watch the Champions League final live. However, she had left for Berlin early on the morning after the final.

"She’s truly a rare and wonderful girl. She looks like a fairy, has a gentle temperament, and when she saw me crying, she kept comforting me. I hear she’s very talented, too—not only is she a good student, but she can also dance ballet and act in plays. I just think, any family with a daughter like her is truly blessed."

Hearing this, his uncle Shen Ming chuckled. "Lifang, why don’t you and Yongqiang try again and give Yang Yang a little sister?"

Everyone burst into laughter, but Yang Yang nodded eagerly.

"That’s a great idea, Uncle."

Shen Lifang’s face instantly turned red. She swatted her precious son in mock anger, telling him not to talk nonsense, as she was already in her forties.

But then she thought about it again. Given the current situation, it looked like Yang Yang would be playing in Europe for many years to come, and she and her husband would be lonely without any children at home. Still, she dismissed the thought of having a second child. She was just hoping to hold a grandchild soon.

In China, it wasn’t at all strange for a young man of eighteen or nineteen in nominal age, like Yang Yang, to be married and have children.