Claire kept replaying Chen Shijun's words in his mind as he stared at the hastily scribbled letter of recommendation in his hand. A sharp pang of disappointment shot through him.
The reason was simple—the Nike and Adidas endorsements he had been longing for had slipped through his fingers once again.
Costa, standing beside him, seemed to sense what was troubling Claire.
When Chen Shijun excused himself to the restroom, Costa seized the moment to lean in and whisper, "I've seen Mr. Chen around the boss before—this is just how he is. Don't take it personally."
"Sure, you might've lost out on a sponsorship deal this time."
"But think about it—getting the chance to study at both the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Hawaii at the same time is incredibly rare."
"If you play your cards right, this could be the opportunity that completely transforms your future."
Claire understood exactly what Costa meant.
The world of football had its own circles.
The world of business had its own circles.
And Claire was already part of those circles.
His path to Manchester United wasn't just due to his talent—it was also because of his uncle, Denis Irwin, who had spent over a decade embedded in United's inner circle. That connection was Claire's golden ticket.
Though he wasn't yet a first-team regular, it was only a matter of time—assuming he kept honing his skills.
As for the business world, Claire had heard of all kinds of trade associations and chambers of commerce.
But in his eyes, none compared to the "academic elite."
Just look at the powerhouse companies founded by alumni of the University of Illinois:
Delta Air Lines, General Electric, Playboy, AT&T, Netscape… and, of course, Chen Shijun himself, who was currently sitting in Claire's living room.
The academic elite had a unique advantage—they could cultivate and retain talent within their own networks. And when someone stumbled, the system was there to lift them back up.
Take Delta Air Lines, for example. When Pan Am collapsed in 1991, Delta—eager to expand—secured a $160 million loan from General Motors (whose president was a U. of I. alum) to acquire nearly half of Pan Am's routes.
What Chen Shijun had given Claire wasn't just a recommendation letter—it was an advanced studies admission, a program designed for high-profile figures in business and society.
This wasn't something money could buy. These programs operated on invitation-only or elite recommendation systems, with a handful of spots reserved for top-performing students and researchers.
"Education really can change your destiny."
Even during his youth training at United, Claire never neglected his studies—partly due to his uncle's foresight, and partly because of his late parents' unfulfilled aspirations.
"I never said I wasn't going."
"School is good. Learning changes lives. I believe in that. This is worth more than any Nike or Adidas deal."
Early fame was what worried Costa Mayoral the most about Claire.
Hollywood was full of cautionary tales, and Costa strongly disagreed with the trend of younger and younger celebrities in recent years.
But the tide of capitalism couldn't be stopped by one man's opinion.
What impressed Costa was that Claire Lee knew exactly what he should be doing at his age.
He hadn't been blinded by sudden fame or wealth.
He kept his nightlife in check and, through a stroke of luck (a very public "good Samaritan" moment), became the poster boy for wholesome celebrity culture in the UK.
If not for Claire's football career at United, Costa would've already booked him for a Dutch EDM festival tour—just one performance of "The Nights" had an offer of $1 million per show.
When organizers learned Claire wasn't available, they settled for licensing the song—netting him $700,000 for a single festival appearance.
"Don't obsess over the money. There'll be plenty of chances to earn later. Focus on finishing your album first."
Just then, Chen Shijun returned, casually holding an ice-cold Coca-Cola.
"Yeah, get that album out," he chimed in. "Warner Music's streaming platform is ahead of the curve right now. If things go well, they might even partner with Google. You could ride that wave to another level of fame."
Lucy, who had somehow changed into an evening gown (completely out of place but utterly unbothered), handed everyone a Coke.
"Is Google investing?" Claire took a swig, suddenly intrigued.
Costa, however, stayed silent, his expression unreadable.
"Yep. He was supposed to come with me today to talk to you."
"But Larry Page happened to be in L.A., so they met up instead."
"Enough about him—let's get back to our discussion. If you had the chance to secure funding, what kind of platform would you build?"
The moment Chen Shijun mentioned "startups," Claire perked up—he had a commercial real estate project hungry for investment.
"Have you looked into the cross-border tourism market?"
Chen gave a thoughtful nod.
"Since you're familiar, I'll cut to the chase. I've built a customized cross-border travel platform—just a skeleton right now, but I've already set up a UK-focused luxury travel route."
"tourists are now the world's top spenders abroad, but Europe still lacks a dedicated platform catering to them."
"My plan is simple: leverage my uncle's Premier League connections to secure match tickets, then invite fans to experience games in person."
"The initial market might be niche, but as we establish our brand, we can expand into diversified travel packages."
"Oh, and we've already acquired a fourth-division club and their stadium. If all goes well, we'll turn a profit in Year One—light-asset model, fast returns!"
Chen listened, then cut straight to the chase: "You're planning an IPO? Selling the dream?"
Success leaves clues—and Chen Shijun's sharp instincts proved why he was where he was.
Claire had pitched the "customized cross-border travel" idea precisely because there was no successful precedent for it in the U.S. or Europe.
Plus, regulatory hurdles made it uncertain whether such a platform could even operate there.
Customer acquisition would be an uphill battle.
So Claire's real plan?
Use the first year's profits and data to lure investors—then cash out.
After all, making quick money wasn't easy these days.
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