Du Chan wasn't quite sure how she made it back to the office.
If someone said she was "dizzy with happiness," they wouldn't be wrong—because the £500,000 advertising budget for the Lyme Valley Stadium tourism project was now sitting in her hands.
Converted to RMB? Nearly 3 million yuan.
With a 0.3% commission, that meant $30,000—enough to buy an apartment in London's suburbs!
But what really shocked Du Chan was that Claire Lee himself had drafted the proposal.
The level of detail—targeting only Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen—and the strict CPM (cost per mille) pricing model showed a grasp of China's internet landscape even she, a NetEase employee, didn't have.
Back at the office, Du Chan immediately reported to her station chief, Wu Yongji.
"This is huge! Our first UK ad deal!" Wu exclaimed. "Du, you just solved our biggest problem this year!"
Du Chan forced a polite smile but stayed silent. Wu, however, was already dialing Ding Lei, NetEase's founder.
"Boss! We've hit gold in the UK!"
Ding's calm voice crackled through the phone. "That fast? Our US branch only gets small contracts. What's the angle?"
"Sports! Our new hire, Du Chan, landed a client who knows China's digital ad space inside out. They want our wireless value-added services (WVAS) to help target high-end tourists."
Silence.
Ding Lei knew the power of WVAS—back in 2002, it had saved NetEase from bankruptcy. By 2006, ads made up less than 30% of revenue, but Ding kept the overseas news divisions just to maintain influence.
What Claire really wanted was NetEase's 163 corporate email service—a billion-RMB ad revenue monster that dominated overseas study and immigration ads.
Ding hesitated. "This client wants WVAS ads?"
Wu panicked. "Boss, it's just tourism traffic. They're even open to policy adjustments!"
Another pause. Then:
"Fine. Try it. But if international branches don't turn profitable soon, I'm cutting them."
Click.
Wu's face paled—then snapped back into a smile for Du Chan.
"Keep covering Manchester United. If Claire Lee needs anything, report to me immediately."
Jessica's departure didn't faze Claire—his uncle, Denis Irwin, finally visited.
But Denis didn't ask about his love life. His first question?
"Is Costa Mayol slacking? Why no new endorsements?"
Claire's smile vanished.
"Uncle, you played for United—how many players get three+ deals a season?"
"Ronaldo! Rooney! Park Ji-sung!"
"Ronaldo has Fiat, Rooney has England, Park has SK Group! Who the hell do I have?!"
Denis sighed. "I wanted to push for League Two next season... but I guess not."
Claire softened. "Don't worry. New revenue streams are coming. Just don't overspend—I'll cash out when the time's right."
Denis shrugged. "Maybe a richer owner will take over! Speaking of—when's the first tourist group arriving? My boys at Castle FC are dying to meet United's players!"
Claire tuned out. He had a new company to register.
Claire Holdings Ltd.
Setting up a UK company was easy: just an office address.
Claire Holdings Ltd. Lyme Valley Commercial Real Estate (stadium shops) Claire Cross-Border Custom Tours
For the tour business, Claire's plan was simple:
Charter flights via Cathay Pacific No middlemen—cut costs by handling everything in-house. One bus, one tour guide team, one customer service squad.
But one hurdle remained:
A duty-free shop license near the stadium.
Support me by leaving a comment, review and voting
visit my P****on at belamy20.