In the subsequent draft of the public relations statement, the wording was polished to be extremely clean, official, and full of commercial warmth.
[To allow the Boston Celtics to enter a new phase of development that is more stable, transparent, and respectful of the city's traditions and fan culture, the Gaston family has decided...]
In this framework agreement, which is more than ten pages long, not a single word mentions "escape," and not a single sentence describes the "burning house."
Of course, not a single word was mentioned about Matt Damon, the Academy Award winner who was currently dominating television.
1 a. m.
Lin Qi straightened his suit, picked up his black briefcase in one hand, and strode out of Gaston's CEO office.
The heavy rain outside had quietly stopped sometime ago, and a damp sea breeze filled the air.
The protest march that had originally gathered hundreds or even thousands of people in the plaza outside the FleetCenter Arena has now dwindled to just a handful of a dozen or so.
This group of passionate, hardcore fans, wrapped in dirty green raincoats, huddled under the dim streetlights, holding up cardboard signs that read " Gaston out of Boston," which were already soft and deformed from being soaked in the rain, with the words on them blurred and illegible.
Lin Qi glanced at the group of people, but instead of leaving through the main entrance where the media were blocking the way, he skillfully turned towards the dimly lit VIP side entrance and quickly got into the black Lincoln sedan that was already waiting there.
The wheels rolled over the empty, damp, and cold street corner, making a dull tire noise.
Lin Qi leaned back in the spacious back seat, and under the dim reading light in the car, slowly pulled a neatly folded piece of paper from his pocket.
On it, in neat handwriting, were several names that were household names in Boston and even throughout the United States.
[Red Auerbach the Cardinal ]
[ Matt Damon ]
[Ben Affleck ]
Mark Wahlberg
Below these names, a long list of retired jersey numbers representing the Boston Celtics' iron-blooded history is densely arranged.
Twenty-one jerseys. Twenty-one great chapters of history worthy of being written into the annals of the NBA.
The legendary players behind these numbers, some of whom are still contributing to the world today.
Some of them have long since passed away, leaving behind only their widows, sons, daughters, or heads of their family charitable foundations.
Lin Qi silently calculated in his mind that he would give an irresistible gift to everyone on this long list.
The share is not large. Each person owns 0.01% of the team's shares.
Within a massive $180 million portfolio, the actual cash value of these shares is extremely limited; their symbolic significance far outweighs their actual economic value.
Lin Qi did this, of course, not to try and gain even a single vote from them at future board meetings.
His true purpose was to let all the media in Boston and all the passionate individual fans witness a breathtaking scene on the broadcast of next week's press conference: this was absolutely not another instance of a ruthless, unfamiliar super-rich man from New York or Wall Street devouring the Celtics. This was a great redemption initiated by the people of Boston themselves, a joint effort by all the legendary heroes in the history of the Boston Celtics, who personally and step by step lifted this drowning team out of the fire of greedy capitalists.
Of course, Lin Qi offered a completely different deal to the elderly man who held a supreme position in Boston. In the new consortium's internal shareholding agreement, he reserved a full one percent of the shares for Auerbach the Cardinal. This wasn't because the aging Auerbach really needed the money for retirement, but because, in front of the Celtics' newly repainted doors, there had to be a white-haired old man, a symbol of the Boston Celtics' totem and unwavering spirit, sitting firmly in that chair.
The next morning, the sky over Boston remained somewhat overcast.
Lin Qi first secretly met with Auerbach the Cardinal at an old-fashioned private club in the city center.
The old man, his face wrinkled and his eyes cloudy, sat by the fireplace and listened quietly to Lin Qi's entire business plan and media manipulation techniques, which lasted for half an hour.
Finally, Auerbach slowly raised his head, his brows furrowed, but a hint of a smile in his eyes.
"Lin, you came all this way today, are you planning to use this one percent equity certificate to buy over my old face as well?"
Lin Qi smiled and pulled up a chair to sit down.
" Arnold, look at what you're saying. I'm here to put the keys to the Celtics' gate back in the hands of those who truly belong to them. In all of Boston, besides you, who can keep things in check?"
Auerbach tapped the ground lightly with his long-handled umbrella and chuckled as he cursed.
"Stop giving me that nice talk. Now that we're so familiar, tell me the truth... Whose money is that behind you? Goldman Sachs? Or those New York conglomerates?"
"It's clean money, and it'll definitely obey." Lin Qi blinked, giving a vague answer.
"Don't try to fool me, kid." Auerbach rolled his eyes, his smile fading, and his tone became serious. "When I was dealing with capitalists in the league, you weren't even born yet. I need to know who's really in charge. If it's some bastard who just wants to make a quick buck and treats the Celtics like a financial toy, I'm definitely not going to stand up for him."
Lin Qi paused for a second, his joking expression vanishing, and looked at the old man sincerely.
"Due to certain business confidentiality agreements, I can't publicly reveal his name yet. But the permissions he's given me are unlimited. Arnold, the owner of this money is not only wealthy, but will also give the new team ample respect."
Lin Qi paused, lowering his voice slightly. "And to be honest, if you don't step up, Matt Damon and his Hollywood cohorts will be the sole protagonists of this drama tomorrow morning. Damon is a good fan, but he's just a movie actor; he doesn't represent the Celtics ' tradition. Do you really want to see the future direction of the team handed over to a Hollywood actor?"
This statement struck a chord with the old man.
Auerbach stared at the shareholding confirmation document bearing the green shamrock logo on the table, lost in thought once more. After a long while, he gently placed his cigar on the edge of the ashtray.
"Lin, we've known each other for so long, I only have one question for you today." Auerbach looked directly into Lin Qi's eyes, "After the guy behind you takes over the team, will he let it embarrass itself in front of the entire nation like Gaston did?"
Meeting the gaze of this legendary the Godfather, Lin Qi answered without the slightest hesitation, his answer resolute and decisive.
"Absolutely not, sir. I assure you, the Celtics spirit will be restored."
Auerbach took a deep breath, a relieved smile finally appearing on his face, and pointed to the pen on the table.
"Alright, for your sake, I'll stand up for you guys. But once this storm passes, you have to buy me the most expensive cigars and take me to meet the guy behind it all."