"Buy Avala Adal as our youth academy. At the same time, we'll acquire one of those two traditional powerhouse clubs as the ultimate stage for our players to hone their skills!"
Miško's pupils contracted sharply. A two-pronged operation? This grand scheme left him momentarily stunned.
"Now, put away your surprise and show me your professional eye." Lin Qi looked at the Yugoslavia trembling with ambition and threw out the ultimate test, " Red Star or the Partizan? Tell me, which of these two messes is more suitable for us to acquire?"
Miško took a deep breath and regained his composure. He picked up a napkin from the table, drew two circles with a pen, and then slammed his pen on one of them.
"Red Star."
"Why not the Partizan?" Lin Qi asked with interest. "Their basketball tradition seems better."
"Precisely because of its stronger foundation, the waters run deep. Partizan is currently controlled by a group of 'basketball politicians.' Divac is still in the NBA, but he'll eventually take power, and there are too many obstacles," Miško pointed out incisively. "But Red Star is different. Red Star is currently a bottomless financial black hole. They not only owe players more than half a year's salary, Pionir Main Arena, and they even owe security fees to several local gangs. The management has long been driven mad by debt; they're willing to hand over all power at any time if someone is willing to pour money into filling the hole! Moreover, Red Star possesses the largest, even somewhat semi-military, extreme fan organization in the entire Balkan Peninsula, ' Delije,' which is its most fanatical commercial foundation."
Miško stared intently at Lin Qi and unveiled his boldest plan. "You'll arrive at Red Star as a 'white Cleveland Cavaliers,' bringing dollars to pay off their debts and reshuffle the team. Meanwhile, we'll secretly transform Avala Ada into a youth training base, separate from the elite teams. Once the talents make a name for themselves with Red Star and reach the highest stage in Europe, we'll completely monopolize the city's basketball ecosystem! One overt, one covert, a two-pronged approach."
"A perfect plan." Lin Qi smiled with satisfaction, personally pouring Miško half a glass of red wine. "However, as you said, Red Star's fans are extremely xenophobic. To avoid inciting them, we need a local 'savior.' To avoid conflicts of interest, the existing structure also needs to be adjusted."
Lin Qi threw out his newly prepared ultimate bargaining chip.
"I will register a sports holding group through an offshore account in Cyprus, and incorporate Red Star, Avala Ada, and your small agency called BeoBasket into it. You, Miško Ražnatović, will directly serve as the chairman and nominal owner of this group. In this parent company that oversees everything, I will give you 5% of the shares."
Hearing the name "BeoBasket" casually uttered by Lin Qi, Miško felt a cold sweat break out on his back. He then realized that his supposedly clever tricks and trump cards had already been thoroughly investigated by the man in front of him.
"Don't think 5% is a small amount, Miško. It not only includes Red Star Star's commercial value and Avala Ada's youth academy network, but it also means you will have an exclusive monopoly on the agency rights for all the players in this system." Lin Qi's tone carried the absolute confidence of someone in a position of power. "You won't have to spend a single penny. Just this 5% stake and your status as the group's owner will be enough to instantly place you in the top echelons of Eastern Europe. Every future talent you discover will bring you a continuous stream of profits from every transfer and buyout."
Miško was completely stunned by this masterful financial maneuver. Merging his small company into the group in exchange for 5% of a vast basketball empire—anyone with a brain could see how this was calculated. Within this perfect structure, he wielded immense power in the public eye, enjoying the adoration of local fans. Meanwhile, Lin Qi remained firmly behind the scenes, controlling the entire operation with absolute stake and reaping the greatest profits.
"Lin... aren't you afraid that one day I'll become powerful enough to start my own business?" Miško raised his head, his eyes filled with a hint of probing.
Lin Qi smiled. He raised his glass, his tone calm yet carrying an all-encompassing pressure.
" Miško, you're a lawyer, you should know best what a perfect contract is. Our cooperation agreement will include comprehensive non-compete clauses, share buyback mechanisms, and pre-emptive rights. Of course, I never expect to use the law to restrain an ambitious person."
Lin Qi leaned forward slightly, staring intently at him.
"In this world, there may be many sources of wealth. But the only one who can provide you with endless money, disregard the rules of those old-school Europe vampires, and pave the way to the highest echelons for your poor underlings, is me."
Lin Qi paused, then his tone shifted from authoritative to gentle and persuasive.
"I will not only hand over the youth training of Avala to you, but also make you, as the owner of Red Star, the undisputed godfather of Eastern Europe basketball. With my capital as your trump card, you no longer need to fear the whims of any politician or gang. By following me, you will only lose your past life of picking up scraps at the bottom, and what you will gain... will be a basketball empire of your own."
The restaurant was so quiet that the only sound was the wind outside the window.
Miško stared at the Asian tycoon in front of him.
As a shrewd lawyer accustomed to meticulously negotiating every detail in contracts, he felt a profound and unfathomable tremor for the first time.
The other party didn't need to pay attention to the quagmire of interests in Belgrade; instead, they used overwhelming capital to clear away all obstacles. They not only offered an irresistible price but also precisely bought out Miško's entire ambition with absolute power and benefits.
The so-called room for negotiation has long since vanished.
Betrayal had become a foolish option with no cost-effectiveness. Faced with this cold yet generous scheme, he didn't even have the slightest thought of struggling before willingly handing over all his cards. Because he knew better than anyone that wholeheartedly following the man before him was his only chance in this life to reach the clouds.
"Boss," Miško looked up, his eyes gleaming with unprecedented fervor, "Soon, Belgrade's business registry will have another sports conglomerate controlling the city's basketball lifeline. And that century-old powerhouse will soon welcome its true owner."
Two wine glasses clinked gently in mid-air, producing a clear, long sound.