After the show ended, Cheng Che did not go straight back to the hotel.
As the event ended, the LV president leaned over and whispered something in French:
"Mr. Cheng, if you're not in a hurry, would you like to come to headquarters? There are some things I'd like to discuss with you."
Cheng Che glanced at him.
An invitation of this caliber wouldn't be just for a cup of coffee.
He roughly guessed what they were going to talk about.
He didn't reply in French, but instead glanced at Qin Lie and said in Chinese, "He invited us to headquarters, saying he has something to discuss."
Qin Lie nodded, then waved behind him.
A middle-aged woman wearing glasses walked over from the back row.
This was the translator Qin Lie had arranged in advance. His surname was Zhou, and he had spent more than ten years in France, specializing in interpreting for business negotiations.
" Sister Zhou, follow along."
Interpreter Zhou, nodded and stood next to Qin Lie.
The motorcade drove from the fashion show venue to LV headquarters.
The old building on Avenue Montaigne has a classic Paris stone facade, and two uniformed receptionists stand at the entrance.
The president personally led them through the corridor and into a conference room.
The conference room was bigger than Cheng Che had expected.
A long table with eight chairs, on which are placed bottled water, coffee, and a stack of documents.
Two people were already seated at the other end of the table: a middle-aged man in a dark gray suit with a laptop in front of him, and a young woman sitting next to him with a laptop and a voice recorder in her hand.
After the president sat down, he introduced himself in English:
"This is Mr. Dupont, our General Counsel at headquarters. This is Ms. Lin, our Brand Director for the Asia Pacific region."
Cheng Che nodded to the two of them.
Qin Lie nodded as well. Interpreter Zhou, sat between him and Cheng Che, towards the back, his notebook open and pen in hand.
The CEO spoke, this time in French.
"Mr. Cheng, let me be frank. Headquarters is very satisfied with your performance in the Asia-Pacific region. Currently, our global brand ambassador contract expires at the end of this year. After it expires, we hope you will take over."
Before Cheng Che, the Interpreter Zhou, could speak, Cheng Che replied in French, "Thank you. I'm honored."
The CEO paused for a moment, then smiled with delight.
He was speaking French, at a fairly fast pace, and used some common expressions used in business settings, but Cheng Che responded naturally with clean pronunciation, without any awkwardness.
"Your French..." the CEO changed his words, "Is excellent."
"I spent some time in Paris," Cheng Che said modestly.
The CEO's expression became even more enthusiastic than before.
He turned to Mr. Dupont, smiled, and said, "Then we can start talking now," before turning back to continue speaking in French.
Cheng Che listened attentively, occasionally asking a question or two about the details.
His French is fluent and his vocabulary is precise; he can even point out imprecise wording in certain clauses.
Mr. Dupont was flipping through documents beside him, occasionally throwing in a legal term or two, Cheng Che was able to handle. The questions he asked forced Mr. Dupont to stop and flip through two pages of documents before he could answer.
Qin Lie sat beside him, unable to understand.
But he didn't need to understand. Interpreter Zhou in his ear, translating everything simultaneously, without missing a single crucial detail.
"... Global brand ambassador, to be announced at the end of the year... handover to begin in October... compensation tripled compared to the Asia-Pacific region..."
Qin Lie straightened his back when he heard the words "global spokesperson".
He didn't move or interrupt, but his hands, resting on his knees, gripped the fabric of his trousers tightly.
As Interpreter Zhou, his breathing became shallower and shallower, and a vein in his neck throbbed.
When the president and Cheng Che finished their last conversation and stood up to shake hands, Qin Lie also stood up, his face calm.
But when he shook hands, he gripped the handle a little harder than usual.
As soon as they left the headquarters and the door closed, Qin Lie turned around and patted Cheng Che on the shoulder.
"Global Brand Ambassador." His voice was low, but couldn't hide the excitement within. "The global brand ambassador for LV. You're the first Xia Country artist to be so ambassador. The very first."
Cheng Che felt a slight thud on his shoulder from the pat, and smiled, "I know."
"You know nothing." Qin Lie patted him on the shoulder again. "Do you know how much I almost couldn't hold my breath while Sister Zhou was translating for me just now? Three times. Three times that of the Asia-Pacific region. Do you know what that means?"
"That means I'll earn more next year."
"That means you'll earn more next year than I would in my entire career playing basketball." Qin Lie took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly, as if something had been pulled from his body. "Back when I was playing basketball, I barely made any money in a year. Now, one of your endorsements is worth more than I could in decades of playing."
Interpreter Zhou, chuckled behind him and put his notebook into his bag.
Cheng Che got into the car, Qin Lie followed, sitting in the passenger seat, still muttering to himself:
"We need to get our legal team ready when we get back. Global contracts are different from those in the Asia-Pacific region; the terms are much more complex. There's also the tax aspect; the structure of cross-border income needs to be redesigned. And..."
" Brother Qin," Cheng Che interrupted him, "Let's go back to the hotel first."
Qin Lie closed his mouth, but the corners of his mouth remained turned up.
After driving two blocks, he couldn't help but turn his head again. "Global spokesperson."
Cheng Che leaned back in his chair, ignoring him.
Back at the hotel that evening, Qin Lie and Chen Wei went into the room and went over the rest of the itinerary.
"After returning to China, go straight to the Northwest China. The exterior sets for ' The Realm and Old Friends ' are already built, Director Zhou is waiting for you to go. Filming will take about a week." Qin Lie flipped through his tablet. "After filming in the Northwest China, return to Capital City. The Porsche commercial is scheduled for the end of June, in both Capital City and Magic City. The Apple commercial is simple, just one studio shoot, which can be done in half a day. Then, London at the end of June. You need to go to Wimbledon three or four days in advance to acclimatize to the grass."
Cheng Che leaned back on the sofa, listened to him finish speaking, and then opened his mouth.
"I want to buy a house in Capital City."
Qin Lie was taken aback.
"Buying a house?"
"Hmm," Cheng Che said, "Renting all the time isn't a good solution. We're accumulating more and more stuff, and moving things around is such a hassle."
Qin Lie thought for a moment and nodded:
"Buying a house now is indeed not as cost-effective as it was a few years ago, but if you're buying to live in, you can't go wrong with it. Besides, we live in Capital City, so having our own place is really convenient."
"Have someone look for one," Cheng Che said. "It doesn't need to be too big, but it needs to have a study where I can put my books and documents."
"Okay." Qin Lie noted this down. "I'll have Chen Wei contact a few agencies to review a batch first, and then I'll approve your application after that."
Qin Lie said a few more words, then packed up his tablet, stood up, and said, "You must be tired today, get some rest. We're going back to China tomorrow; Director Zhou is waiting for you in the Northwest China."
"Um."
Qin Lie and Chen Wei left, closing the door behind them.
Cheng Che sat on the sofa, not in a hurry to move.
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened the system panel.
[ Charisma Trial - Phase One: Global Visibility. Completed!]