Return to 2002: Freestyle Superstar

Chapter 296 Tribute to two MJs?

PS: Is it okay for the protagonist to collaborate with Faye Wong on a single? After all, even Jack Ma did it. But the targets here are two MJs, Michael Jordan and Michael Jackson.

……

Agent Xue Peng came to Chen Ran and talked about something: "Have you seen Faye Wong? How popular is she?"

After all, at his age, a large proportion of people like Faye Wong.

In particular, Faye Wong is a girl who came out of Yanjing. When Hong Kong and Taiwanese artists almost monopolized the resources of the entertainment industry, she was like a sudden rise, which was also an important reason why mainland netizens liked her.

"Isn't it normal to be popular?" Chen Ran looked at the agent who was hesitant to speak, with a puzzled look on his face.

If someone of her level is no longer popular, then the Chinese music scene will be ruined, and she deserves to be beaten and killed by the Korean Wave.

But think about the time when he was reborn, even though the country had restricted Korea, there were still so many enthusiastic fans.

But when you look back, there are people in the Chinese music scene who are lip-syncing, plagiarizing, and even practicing music while singing. What are these things?

"I was wondering, have you ever thought about collaborating with Faye Wong on a single? It could be based on tennis, and it can also better promote tennis." Xue Peng gave his own thoughts.

Singing, dancing, rapping, tennis?

For some reason, this idea suddenly flashed through Chen Ran's mind.

After all, the memory of this past life is too profound.

"There are also many foreign sports stars who have released singles. Michael Jordan and Michael Jackson have collaborated. If you and Faye Wong can collaborate, it will be equivalent to the Chinese version of 'Michael Jordan and Michael Jackson'!" Xue Pengyue The more excited he said, "I believe IMG will definitely be willing to make this a match made in heaven."

Indeed, Chen Ran often wants to compete with his idol Michael Jordan.

As for Faye Wong, Chen Ran did not think that the other party would not agree.

This is 2003, not 2023. Faye Wong is 34 years old, which is exactly twice as old as Chen Ran. She still has a sense of professionalism, and she won’t want to stop doing business so quickly.

The two people straddle the two circles of culture and sports, and they are both top figures in their respective circles. The media in the sports and entertainment circles will also hype it up and compare their cooperation to the cooperation between the two "MJs" back then. Think about the sensational effect .

You can also elevate your status from another angle.

From an agent's point of view, although Jay Chou is currently popular, he is still too young, his status is not yet stable, and he has not yet become a god. However, Faye Wong has already become a god, and his godhood is unbreakable.

She could even shout out a domineering declaration at the Golden Melody Awards ceremony, "I know I can sing, and I fully affirm the Golden Melody Awards judges' affirmation of me," without being as coy as those Taiwanese female singers. Pinch, cry and cry, excited and incoherent.

So different, no wonder Jackma is so obsessed with her and wants to collaborate with her on a single at any cost.

"Michael Jordan and Michael Jackson..."

Chen Ran whispered silently, and then replied: "You can figure it out yourself."

Although this was not directly agreed, it was considered as acknowledgment that the brokerage company could do this, and it also left Chen Ran enough room for maneuver.

The agent immediately nodded knowingly.

He is a smart man, and he also knows that Chen Ran, who regards "Michael Jordan" as his idol, will compete with him in many places.

When he mentions Michael Jordan, Chen Ran is likely to be moved and agree.

Michael Jordan promoted NBA and basketball to the world and even became a cultural symbol in the United States. As for Chen Ran, will he also push tennis to a higher level?

After the dinner, Chen Ran also got to know Faye Wong under the recommendation of the organizing committee. The two parties shook hands and took a group photo together.

"This guy is quite interesting."

"Only seventeen? He's only half as old as me."

"You won two Grand Slams, you are so popular now."

Faye Wong was also joking with a smile, looking very frank, and there was a kind of calmness in her eyes.

"As an artist in the entertainment industry, especially one at this level, it is true that there is no scheming." Chen Ran muttered in his heart. At the same time, he seemed to have thought of something and glanced at Li Yapeng in the distance, "No wonder he can …”

"My business skills are not very good, but I have a really good eye for women."

After all, any female star who can get along with even a third-tier female star in the entertainment industry is a capable person who can make both ends meet, and how can she be easily deceived.

But for singers, sometimes talent can really crush everything. Faye Wong's ethereal voice is like God chasing after her to feed her, like Yao Ming's height, it is difficult to replace.

Especially at the charity dinner just now, she sang "Red Bean" a cappella without any accompaniment, which made Chen Ran sigh that this is a gift, you can't accept it.

"I am seventeen years old now. I started listening to pop music when I was about ten years old, so I grew up listening to your songs." Chen Ran also said humorously, which made the other party laugh a little.

This statement would not be new in later generations, but it still sounds quite innovative today.

"Well, I don't wish you to win more championships or make more money. I hope you can be healthy and stay away from injuries." Faye Wong also replied immediately, like an enthusiastic Yanjing elder sister.

While the two were chatting, the sports reporters and entertainment reporters were climaxing with excitement.

They pressed the shutter frantically and kept taking pictures of them. This time there are headlines on the front page, and they will span the literary and sports circles.

……

Although Chen Ran's business activities have continued during these days, his professionalism prompted him not to neglect training. After all, there are still games to play.

With so much appearance fee, he can't really go home after just one or two rounds, right?

You must know that the first prize of the Magic City Heineken Tennis Open is only 6 US dollars, and Chen Ran's appearance fee is a full 106 million US dollars.

Fortunately, he didn't slack off and after training for a few days, he also regained some form.

The goal of becoming a goat is still too far away, but becoming the number one at the end of the year is the current top priority.

In fact, the Magic City Organizing Committee was also worried that Chen Ranxie would be unpopular because of his age, so he was assigned a player ranked around 100 in the first round.

As for the other two Chinese players, they did meet in the first round. This was probably Chen Ran's suggestion, which also ensured that one of them could advance to the second round.

In addition to entertainment stars, the well-connected Magic City Organizing Committee also called over some well-known athletes from Shanghai.

For example, the Shanghai Shenhua football team and the Shanghai Sharks basketball team, as well as Liu Xiang, the famous 110-meter hurdles player, and General Fan, who is no longer on the Shenhua team, but is a famous player on the Shenhua team.

The interactive activities before the game are also rich and colorful.

For example, the organizer of the event got some tennis balls that were about the same size as footballs and basketballs and asked Chen Ran to shoot and shoot.

Finally, Chen Ran signed these big tennis balls and gave them to the audience.

Today's Qizhong Sports Center is packed with seats, which is a huge difference from the sparse seats two years ago.

It is said that at the Magic City Heineken Open two years ago, the final tickets were once as low as 20 yuan, and none of them were sold out, and there were a lot of empty seats. Now, because of Chen Ran, his games have already been sold out. .

The Heineken Open is hosted by the famous Jiushi Group in Shanghai.

It will also involve F1, Chinese Super League, CBA, and even a tennis team in the future. Zhang Zhizhen and Wu Di are employees of their company.

Only a company with such deep pockets can bear the huge losses caused by hosting the Heineken Open.

However, according to rumors, because of Chen Ran’s relationship, the Heineken Open is very likely to be profitable this year.

In the shooting session, Chen Ran used his "exquisite" footwork to shoot a tennis ball the same size as a football into the gate guarded by General Fan, causing the latter to complain repeatedly: "Will this ball be scored? I am a professional player. It’s really shameless.”

Chen Ran was very successful in the pre-game interactive session, but fell into a hard battle after the game started.

In the end, he defeated the opposite qualifier with a total score of 2-1, especially in the final set with a difficult 7-5, and advanced to the second round.

During the competition, Chen Ran was not very nervous, but the Shanghai Organizing Committee was extremely nervous, fearing that Chen Ran would make Agassi's mistake again.

When it came to the final set, the leaders were too nervous to even watch.

Chen Ran even doubted that if he really played a tie-break in the final set, would the leaders faint to the ground nervously and be sent to the hospital for rescue?

Sin, sin!

Of course, he actually didn’t want to lose. After all, it was his first local show on the tour, especially in front of more than 1 enthusiastic Chinese fans.

Chen Ran was even thinking that if he was really eliminated in the first round, General Fan, who was watching the game in the box at the moment, would yell: You are the best in the world, do you have no face?

Fortunately, he finally won the game without any danger.

Perhaps it was the tough competition in the first round that allowed Chen Ran to regain a lot of feelings.

He faced South Korean star Lee Hyung-taek in the second round.

The former Asian second brother has now been reduced to the third Asian brother.

This is the second time the two have met. The last time they met was in Shanghai, in last year's challenge.

However, a year later, things have changed.

Chen Ran has unlimited fame, while Li Hengze's status and ranking have declined compared to last year.

Chen Ran, who had recovered part of his form, took away the game with two scores of 6-3, locking in his spot in the quarterfinals.

Unfortunately, Zeng Shaoxuan, another Chinese player who entered the top 16, lost the game due to lack of strength.

In the quarterfinals of the Heineken Open, Chen Ran once again became the only Chinese player and the only Asian player.

On the day of Chen Ran's quarterfinals match, Chinese media broke a big news: Chen Ran and Faye Wong will collaborate on a tennis-themed single.

Who did you think of last time for cross-disciplinary collaboration between cultural and sports superstars? Two MJs, Michael Jordan and Michael Jackson!

……

(End of this chapter)