Chapter 384: Chapter 85: Number 1 in the Bundesliga! A Sky-High Contract! Advance, Dortmund! The Shadow of Bayern’s Great Comeback Reappears

A top student from the London School of Economics and Political Science, indeed!

Just as Watzke and the others were at their wit’s end, not knowing what to do, Shen Qinghe offered them a slight smile, as warm and pleasant as a spring breeze.

"Of course, before I came to Westfalen Stadium, Wang Shuo made a point to call me. He asked me to be sure to convey his gratitude to Dortmund."

"While his growth since coming to Dortmund from Mainz is certainly a result of his own hard work, it wouldn’t have been possible without the club’s support and development. It’s a two-way street, and for that, he has always been grateful."

After Shen Qinghe spoke, the tense, almost hostile atmosphere in the conference room largely dissipated.

Watzke and the others felt a weight lift from their shoulders.

This young woman clearly held all the advantages in the negotiation, yet she didn’t press her advantage. Instead, she made her point and then pulled back, knowing when to quit while she was ahead.

Watzke and his colleagues knew full well that this was a gesture of goodwill, a sign of Wang Shuo’s sincere desire to continue working with them.

A gesture of sincerity shown before the negotiation carried a completely different weight and had a completely different effect than one shown now.

Watzke and Zorc exchanged a look, and both could see the admiration in the other’s eyes.

The young woman was not old, but she was sharp and professional, completely unfazed by the situation.

They were currently negotiating a contract worth over ten million euros.

In Chinese Yuan, that was over one hundred million.

Yet she remained elegant and composed, completely in control of the negotiation’s pace and atmosphere.

Even seasoned veterans like Watzke and Zorc, who had been through countless battles, had to admit they were outmatched.

"Actually, Mr. Watzke, Thomas has told us a lot about the Bundesliga and Dortmund’s situation. We do understand the club’s difficulties."

But before Watzke and the others could even nod, Shen Qinghe’s tone shifted.

"But what I want to say is this: you have completely underestimated, and even wasted, the immense commercial value and influence that Wang Shuo possesses."

With that single sentence, Shen Qinghe made the atmosphere tense once more.

"Miss Shen, what do you mean by that?" Watzke asked, his tone genuinely inquisitive.

Shen Qinghe was well-prepared. With a few clicks on her laptop, she brought up another presentation.

But this one wasn’t from some official authority; it was information she had gathered online.

"As of right now, in all of the Five Major European Leagues, there is one and only one Chinese player getting regular playing time: Wang Shuo."

"You always say that behind Wang Shuo stands over a billion Chinese people and the vast market of China."

"That’s not wrong, but it’s not entirely correct, either."

"Since Wang Shuo joined Dortmund, you haven’t launched any corresponding marketing initiatives, completely wasting his immense influence in China."

"Did you know that in China, the viewership for every Bundesliga match featuring Dortmund far exceeds that of the Premier League and other events? Even the DFB-Pokal gets incredibly high ratings."

"Back when Wang Shuo was playing for Mainz, even without an official television broadcast, we would stream the matches from German websites and still attract tens of thousands of fans."

"Because of Wang Shuo, Dortmund has become the most-followed team from the Bundesliga—and even the entire European Football Scene—in China!"

Hearing this, Watzke and his colleagues couldn’t help but nod.

Dortmund had indeed done a poor job in this respect.

"And why did I say that you’re not entirely correct in thinking that Wang Shuo only has China behind him?"

"According to media reports from countries like Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Australia, ever since Wang Shuo arrived in the Bundesliga—and especially since he joined Dortmund—viewership for the league in Southeast Asia has been catching up to and even surpassing that of the Premier League!"

Here, Shen Qinghe employed a little sleight of hand.

Bundesliga broadcasts in many of those countries were on free-to-air channels, a fact she conveniently omitted.

"My point is, Wang Shuo is more than just a professional football player. He has immense influence in China, across all of Asia, and within the global Chinese community. This represents an enormous, untapped commercial value."

"But Dortmund has done absolutely nothing to capitalize on this!"

As she said this, Shen Qinghe’s tone shifted once more, softening considerably.

"Mr. Watzke, please forgive my forwardness just now. On behalf of Wang Shuo, I sincerely hope that during his contract period, Dortmund can work closely with us. We could go to China, to Asia, and even across the world to develop the market together. That would be far more meaningful than us sitting here haggling over a small bump in his annual salary!"

Hearing her final words, Watzke looked up, staring in disbelief at the young Chinese woman sitting across from him. There was a newfound respect in his eyes.

’He knew perfectly well that Shen Qinghe’s objective was to negotiate Wang Shuo’s salary.’

’But he couldn’t help but admire and agree with her argument.’

’He even felt an urge to applaud her.’

’Haggling over his annual salary now would, at most, mean a difference of a few million euros.’

’But developing the market in Asia and China together? How big was that pie?’

More importantly, Shen Qinghe had shown Dortmund—had shown Watzke and his team—a region they had never paid attention to before.

Southeast Asia.

That region was an absolute stronghold for the Premier League.

Forget the Bundesliga; even La Liga couldn’t make a dent.

But because of Wang Shuo, the Bundesliga’s viewership in that market was surprisingly high.

This far exceeded anything Watzke and his colleagues could have expected.