I was reborn without dreams

Chapter 101 "Ango Cup", The Great Philanthropist

The curses, insults, and attacks against Zhang Da'an by "street parents" in various media outlets did not affect his mood at all. He was not even disturbed. Instead, he actually started negotiating with the cultural and sports management unit.

The existence of the "Ango Cup" has truly attracted the attention of game enthusiasts, especially those who were players of the first generation of video games in China. They were basically like rats in the sewers, with an extremely low social status. They were even embarrassed to loudly call themselves gamers to their friends and family.

So when two top scorers in the college entrance examination suddenly emerged and clearly stood on the side of video games and gamers, it was as if a flag had been raised.

Even the most disdainful domestic game operation companies, which look down on those who play games poorly, have executives jumping out to hypocritically echo their sentiments.

But the dogs didn't dare bark as loudly as Zhang Da'an.

Domestic game operation companies and game development companies... those are two different things.

If you were to directly take sides like Zhang Da'an, and things went wrong, tens of millions could suddenly vanish with just a rectification notice.

Therefore, in the eyes of many game capital investors, Zhang Da'an, a two-time top scorer in the college entrance examination, is simply talking without understanding the situation.

But the "Ango Cup" is different. The "Ango Cup" is a good thing. Even if Zhang Da'an is not a good thing, it does not prevent the "Ango Cup" from being good.

Because it has a mass base and its social reach is already quite extensive.

This involves a series of communication channels.

Besides the influence of the constant verbal battles and insults, there are also TV programs such as "Top Scholar's Talk," "Dangyang's Talk," and "Dialogue with Talented People," but these are only one aspect of it.

What's truly impressive is the popularity of internet media.

Unlike the booming portal websites, in 2004, there were companies that seriously operated blogs, but they all failed. So most of them were personal webpages, which could not handle a lot of dissemination traffic.

The official blog of "Zhang An Education" is a branch of the "ZA" official website. It was originally a personal blog, but with the strong support of Shazhou City, a large number of parents, students, coaches, potential customers, government and enterprise personnel, etc. have registered their own accounts on the "ZA" official website.

This has created a fairly good small blog community.

Now, with the "Ango Cup" becoming increasingly popular on various forums, especially among gaming enthusiasts, the number of registered gamers is quite substantial.

While adding servers to "ZA", Shazhou City also suggested that Zhang Da'an separate the blog function, which resulted in "ZA.blog".

Then something amazing happened: eleven investment companies wanted to acquire "ZA.blog," and they all made quite a show of confidence, telling Zhang Da'an to make any offer he wanted.

Zhang Da'an quoted a billion US dollars, and then the eleven investment companies left.

Divine gold.

Coach Zhang thought to himself, "You guys said you could quote any price, but you can't afford it even if I quote one. What are you pretending to be if you're poor?"

This was a minor incident. Then, legitimate multinational investment companies came to inquire about acquisition matters, including Glass Shard, which wanted to build a broader and more influential platform for disseminating game content.

Starting from scratch is not impossible, but it seems that "ZA.blog" is more suitable for cultivating core users.

Unfortunately, Zhang Da'an's main goal was to develop "Zhang'an Education," and he couldn't sell the community communication platform. So, in the end, he talked to the domestic representatives of "Glass Shards" about advertising and co-building a game marketing platform.

The total national advertising expenditure in 1946 was approximately 50 to 60 billion yuan, which was already a remarkable achievement. Therefore, it received some praise from several national media outlets last year.

But this year is completely different. Perhaps it's the buzz surrounding China's accession to the World Trade Organization, or perhaps it's the fact that domestic business owners have finally started to make money. In any case, they've made over 60 billion yuan in just three quarters. When Zhang Da'an went to the provincial capital to attend a conference for cultural and media companies, the provincial officials said that the company would most likely break 80 billion yuan this year.

If it breaks, it means that the national advertising expenditure growth rate this year has exceeded 50%.

An incredible growth rate.

However, it also reflects that domestic enterprises are keeping up with international trends very quickly and are making strong adjustments.

Of course, advertising formats and platforms are still mainly television and print media, while internet media is still somewhat lacking due to the low rate of computer penetration.

While the concept of 1,000 pageviews has become popular in Europe and America, its acceptance in China is extremely low. Even portal websites don't make much money from it; they mainly rely on partnerships with telecommunications operators to generate revenue.

Subscription fees and production costs are the main sources of profit.

Zhang'an Media is also in talks with telecommunications operators in Jiangkou Province, including a two-year agreement on educational content for cable television.

The classroom materials that were once sold as DVDs, videotapes, and tapes can now be watched regularly on local cable TV, and the classroom content broadcast on cable TV can be accessed by phone.

This query itself will also incur a subscription fee, which is a service fee charged by the telecommunications operator.

"Glass Shards" conducted a detailed investigation and gave "Zhang An Education" a very high evaluation of its ability in community building.

And it is considered to be an extremely high-quality community.

The logic is simple: those who graduate from "Zhang An Education" will inevitably become college students.

Conversely, the "Ango Cup" has a very high community base, which is indeed the case. Blizzard tried to introduce Battle.net and then promote the "Ango Cup" on Battle.net.

Zhang Da'an didn't know if Blizzard had created a new game development folder for "The Frozen Throne," but he was still very interested in the collaboration because he could use Blizzard and its foreign team to make deals with many other companies.

Even "Master Jing" is acceptable.

At that time, online chat rooms had not yet been phased out, and various battle platforms were not yet fully developed. It wouldn't be a bad idea to create a dedicated battle platform, but Zhang Da'an did not intend to do it himself. Instead, he wanted to sell the title sponsorship of the "Ango Cup".

The fact that I'm interested in "glass shards" is itself a very good bargaining chip.

There are knowledgeable people in Jiangkou Province, but none who can speak with authority. It's different in Beijing and Luzhou. There are knowledgeable people there, and many of them can even appear on CCTV and be interviewed.

Generally speaking, it's not enough for Glass Shards to be interested in a particular domestic company or enterprise. However, if Glass Shards wants to acquire it and there is substantial cooperation to promote it, then it's a different story.

If, on this basis, the domestic side is still unwilling to sell to "Glass Shards," then the domestic companies or individuals must have something special to offer.

Two groups of people arrived in Shanghai and the capital almost simultaneously. They were all highly capable individuals who could predict the timing of future broadband speed upgrades with just a few calculations...

Now they plan to develop a more complete online battle platform, and in the process of building the online battle platform, they have reached a strategic cooperation agreement with "Zhang An Education" and "Zhang An Media".

They have obtained the cooperation authorization for the "Anglo Cup" and will discuss domestic cooperation matters with "Glass Shard".

All you need to do for the "Ango Cup" is to make the "Ango Cup" well.

It's a win-win situation. It's their business if the "Beijing tycoon" or the "Shanghai tycoon" have big appetites. Zhang Da'an basically has no interest in this area. Of course, there are some in Jiangkou Province, whether they are from the government or from the local government, but they can't compete with those two... What good are your big appetites and ideas?
There are many meetings at the end of the year. In the past, Zhang Da'an could turn down some of them, but in order to create a good environment for Uncle Zhang's advancement, Zhang Da'an reluctantly attended some industry meetings, entrepreneur meetings, government-enterprise cooperation meetings, economic development meetings, and so on.

Meanwhile, because Zhang Da'an donated 500,000 yuan to Yuzhang University of Finance and Economics to build a "Zhang'an Hope Primary School", the Jiangkou Provincial Youth Development Foundation also invited him to visit the school at the end of the year.

Instead of sending him to Jiangning City, people from the Jiangkou Provincial Youth Development Foundation personally visited the Mazhou branch of Xindongwei Port Middle School.

"Mr. Zhang, thank you so much! Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to visit us. Thank you so much..."

"Please come in and sit down, everyone. Make yourselves at home. I heard from Section Chief Zhang that the people in the funding and assistance departments are very eager to help. I originally thought it wasn't necessary, but Section Chief Zhang told me about your deeds, and I was very moved. I plan to donate another three million, and also donate twelve volunteer service stations to the volunteer department."

"..."

"..."

Those who came to visit today were indeed from the volunteer department and the funding and assistance department. They are the ones who do most of the work on the front lines; they don't handle the money themselves.

However, when others come to donate money or goods, they can make requests, and they will cooperate.

For example, if you donate to a Hope Primary School in the "Project Hope" field, you can name it.

Zhang Da'an donated 500,000 yuan to build a school. This doesn't mean that building a school only requires 500,000 yuan; the majority of the funding still comes from the government. It's simply to encourage social funds to participate in frontline public welfare activities.

Those with money contribute money, and in return, they gain fame. Zhang Da'an himself doesn't need this fame; he has been a top scorer in the college entrance examination twice and has always been engaged in profitable business. The reputation of a "great philanthropist" is a burden for him.

This is why, even though he was the one who provided the 500,000 yuan, he still dragged Yuzhang University of Finance and Economics into it.

The reason he suddenly says he wants to donate three million and twelve volunteer service stations is because Uncle Zhang's rank will be promoted next year, and he has already reached the level of "promotion without regard to seniority".

There was no way around it; just last week, "The Top Scholar's Handbook: High School Edition" suddenly became a huge hit. In Luzhou, the provincial capital of Jianghuai Province, it probably reached a point of equilibrium in its popularity, and then it just couldn't be stopped.

Previously, sales in Jianghuai Province were only considered good, but now they're a huge hit, equivalent to the sales volume of three or four cities in Jiangkou Province.

Everyone else is rushing to spend money at the end of the year, but the municipal bureau isn't worried at all. Spending money is a piece of cake; our bureau's budget work is progressing steadily...

Next year, all primary and secondary schools in the city will undergo comprehensive improvements to their facilities!
rich!

Of course, they weren't particularly wealthy, but they were completely at ease. If there were any shortages, they could boldly ask the city for funding and then borrow some money from the bank.

I used to be hesitant to take out loans, but now I'm not hesitant at all. I'd dare to lend out hundreds of millions, let alone three or five hundred million.

The revised edition of "Top Scholar's English Treasure Trove" will be launched during the winter break. This book can be sold in large quantities and does not require educational investment companies to help with connections. It can be directly placed at the entrances of major bookstores and bookstores.

The reason for this is that the term "World Trade Organization" has become incredibly popular. By the time even elderly women on the street know the phrase "joining the WTO," the market situation has already begun to change.

Last year, English-related teaching materials had already gained momentum in terms of volume, but it was still in a state of fierce competition, with all sorts of random products available, and no particularly outstanding top-selling products emerged.

The only ones that can be considered top-tier are the English dictionaries used in universities for the CET-4 and CET-6 exams, and the Oxford English Dictionary that English teachers promote.

These have nothing to do with market rules; normal market fluctuations are like a fire that can't be stopped.

Last year, a formidable figure planned to partner with "Zhang An Education" to create an English dictionary, but the provincial government blocked the project because it intended to do it itself.

The platform created by the province itself is Wudu City Shazhou Education Investment Company.

Uncle Zhang is the vice president...

Is it okay not to make progress?

Of course not.

To match Uncle Zhang's noble character, incorruptibility, high moral standards, and exceptional talent... Zhang Da'an, as the head coach of Xindongwei Port Middle School, had no choice but to get up and warm up.

The contact with the Jiangkou Provincial Youth Development Foundation was simply a matter of chance.

There were quite a few people who came to accompany them. Although the Jiangkou Provincial Youth Development Foundation did not send anyone of any high rank, given the special circumstances—two top scorers in the college entrance examination wanting to do public welfare and charity work—it was something that the publicity departments of Shazhou City and Mazhou City would definitely follow up on.

We can't just listen to this guy barking incoherently in the media every day, can we?
So Liu Jingbo from Mazhou City rushed back from a meeting in Yangtai City, bringing people from the Mazhou City Civil Affairs Bureau to support Zhang Da'an.

Of course, it has little to do with Coach Zhang investing in a packaging plant on the north side of the Jiyang Yangtze River Bridge...

"Mr. Zhang, please feel free to share your thoughts with us. To be honest, the amount of your donation this time is the largest single donation since the establishment of our Jiangkou Provincial Youth Development Foundation."

"what?"

This surprised Zhang Da'an for a moment. "Three million is a record?"

“Three million could actually start ten Hope Primary Schools. A complete primary school, including students and teachers, has about a hundred people. More than a thousand people means more than a thousand families, which is already quite a large scale. Public welfare started late, and in the early years, people were generally not wealthy. If it were just about donating old clothes, that would be acceptable, but when it came to making donations, there was generally a psychological barrier. So it was mainly government and enterprises that did it, with individuals from the private sector playing a secondary role…”

The people from the Youth Development Foundation were also very polite. They didn't try to be overly sentimental; they simply explained the purpose of the funds: to build Hope Primary Schools, that's all, and the money wouldn't be used for anything else.

However, Zhang Da'an's acting skills were still up to par. He pretended not to know about the record, and the people from the Youth Development Foundation really thought he was unaware of the situation.

"Donating money is definitely no problem for me. However, as a donor, I certainly hope that the funds will be used effectively. I believe you can understand my concerns, right?"

"I understand, I understand. In fact, there have always been such concerns about individual donations. We're afraid that someone might embezzle or misappropriate the funds at some point in the donation process. There have been some egregious cases that have indeed harmed our work..."

They remained very polite and didn't hold anything back.

Seeing this, Zhang Da'an didn't mince words and said directly, "I'm an impatient person, so I think it's better to do this: prioritize those areas, both inside and outside the province, where it's difficult to get into school and where there's an urgent need to improve teaching facilities. I'll also relay my personal request to the leaders of Shazhou City. If we can establish a counterpart assistance program, the civil affairs bureaus of the two places can cooperate to simultaneously develop school infrastructure and teacher training. I'll definitely don't skimp on the funding; the foundation will have to work harder on supervision, oversight, and matchmaking. If things go well, I'll continue to support the provincial foundation's work next year with the same amount."

"..."

"..."

The words of the provincial foundation members were somewhat taken aback. Although Ma Zhou's deputy mayor, Liu Jingbo, was only listening, he was already pondering the implications.

He immediately concluded that the person he was in contact with in Shazhou City would likely be surrounded by a halo of glory next year.

The one seeking fame in the media is undoubtedly Zhang Da'an, followed by the Jiangkou Provincial Youth Development Foundation, and finally, all those who helped stir up trouble.

However, within Shazhou City, this judgment is certainly not appropriate; Zhang Da'an is Zhang Da'an, and he is one of the masses.

The person who does a good job in providing support is the one who deserves to be learned from, praised, and appreciated.

Of course, whether it's an older or younger comrade depends on Chairman Zhang Da'an's suggestion, since Chairman Zhang Da'an... is also a comrade.

He's still an older comrade in his teens.

As expected, the people from the provincial foundation understood the unspoken meaning and didn't mince words, saying they would give a reply within a week.

After all, an internal meeting was still needed, and given Zhang Da'an's special circumstances, it was also necessary to report the matter to higher-level leadership.

Youth groups, in particular, are eager to recruit Zhang Da'an, but the work done by the Shazhou City authorities has been somewhat rough, and Zhang Da'an remains unaffiliated to this day.

While the provincial foundation was holding internal meetings to discuss the matter, Zhang Da'an also communicated with the city government. The Civil Affairs Bureau readily agreed, expressing their full cooperation with Comrade Zhang Zhengdong in carrying out educational assistance work.

Although Comrade Zhang Zhengdong's relationship with the Civil Affairs Bureau was only slightly intimate when he and Teacher Li Jiawen got their marriage certificate.

However, since we're comrades, let's not make such a clear distinction between "yours" and "mine"; it's all work.

It has little to do with Chairman Zhang Da'an's donation of three million yuan and twelve volunteer service stations, nor with Chairman Zhang Da'an's invitation to the comrades of the Shazhou Civil Affairs Bureau to contribute to public welfare.

While the Shazhou Civil Affairs Bureau was frantically making phone calls and sending letters to its sister units in other places, the clueless Uncle Zhang was still in the office of the Private Education Section signing and stamping documents.

Tuk Tuk.

"Come in."

"Hey, hey, hey, Zhengdong, Zhengdong, is it true? I heard from the Civil Affairs Bureau that they're going to set up some kind of education-specific assistance group office? Directly affiliated with the city government."

"What does this have to do with me?"

Swish, sign; thud, stamp.

Uncle Zhang was busy getting some training courses for his nephew that he couldn't understand approved, and he had no interest in listening to his older sister talking about some "designated education support group".

"The people at the Civil Affairs Bureau said you'd be the office director of the working group?"

"Ah I?"

Uncle Zhang, looking completely bewildered, looked up and pointed at himself. In the older woman's eyes, he looked exactly like a simpleton who had lost the ability to take care of himself...

(End of this chapter)