Chapter 1021: A Combined Offensive

Shaun Carlo, Under Armour’s West Coast Market Manager.

When Lu Ke signed with Under Armour, it was Shaun who personally handled all the paperwork. It was Lu Ke’s first contract, and he remembers it very well. Although they hadn’t seen each other since, Lu Ke still recognized him instantly.

However, Lu Ke never expected Shaun to personally come out and greet him. This was a grand gesture. If it were just a small matter like designing a shoe series, a high-level manager like Shaun wouldn’t need to show up. It would be a waste of his time. Furthermore, Shaun lowered his status and introduced himself again. Such treatment was truly rare.

That’s why Lu Ke had joked: Was Shaun demoted because he decided to sign Lu Ke, and the profits were lower than expected, which angered the company’s senior management?

In fact, Shaun was not demoted but promoted. He is now the Vice President of the North American Market Operations Department.

When he came this time, Shaun didn’t mention his new title because he knew that even if Lu Ke didn’t notice, Leigh would. If he had deliberately highlighted it, the sincerity of his personal visit would have seemed cheap.

Ultimately, Under Armour sent Shaun in person to show their sincerity. When facing a powerful opponent like Nike, this was their biggest advantage.

But Shaun had underestimated Lu Ke. Without Leigh’s explanation, Lu Ke could already feel Under Armour’s seriousness from Shaun’s attitude and tone. Although Lu Ke had been a little out of the loop and knew nothing about the fierce competition, he could vaguely sense the tension from their brief meeting.

"It’s always a happy thing to reunite with an old friend," Lu Ke replied simply but politely.

Shaun didn’t say anything else. He turned and gestured for Lu Ke to follow him, saying meaningfully, "Really? It seems we have another thing in common. I’m sure this will be a wonderful morning. Please allow me to lead the way."

The studio they came to today was located in the suburbs, outside downtown San Francisco. Following this direction, you can reach the famous Silicon Valley and Stanford University. The area is filled with small studios or new tech companies, and the clean streets, tall trees, and neat bushes give off a peaceful, middle-class neighborhood vibe.

The studio in front of them looked like a greenhouse. The alternating white and mint green color scheme looked elegant and natural among the evergreen bushes. The large, tidy skylights were completely open, embracing the sunlight. Even though it was winter, you could still catch a faint hint of summer in the air. It was dry and warm.

Inside the studio, every office partition was made of large pieces of transparent glass. You could see all the way to the back. Some studios had lowered their blue blinds to hold meetings and work in a more private setting, while others hadn’t. The entire space had a bright and refreshing feel.

Then, Lu Ke saw Stephen Curry.

The office to the right didn’t have its blinds lowered, so Curry, who was sitting in the corner of a round conference table, came into view. He was buried in a thick sketchbook, and several other people were sitting on the other side of the table, talking in low voices with relaxed expressions.

Lu Ke turned his head and saw the cheerful look in Shaun’s eyes. This was the real meaning behind Shaun’s "wonderful morning" comment.

Shaun nodded and smiled, "Well, I won’t disturb your work. Today’s occasion is not my area of expertise. I think I’ll leave the work to the professionals. After the meeting, if you’re not in a hurry, we can grab a cup of coffee. Wait, can you still not drink coffee? I’ve always been curious, can professional athletes drink coffee?"

He said all of this in one breath, stopping occasionally to add to his own questions. It was a friendly gesture that wasn’t too forced and made people smile.

"I can’t, at least," Lu Ke joked. "But I can have bottled water."

Just then, Curry looked up and saw Lu Ke. A happy smile appeared on his face. He quickly stood up and waved his hands, gesturing. Even though they were less than 20 meters apart, Curry’s exaggerated movements made it seem like they were standing on two different mountaintops. It was a funny sight.

Shaun led Lu Ke to the door of Curry’s office. He opened the door for Lu Ke and called out, "Chris, it’s all up to you now! The one and only Lu Ke has arrived." Then, Shaun said hello to Lu Ke again and left.

As he spoke, a middle-aged man stood up. His large build was attention-grabbing, and he had a typical basketball player’s physique. He was even slightly taller than Lu Ke. Plus, his bald head lit up the room like a lightbulb.

"Chris Stone, I’m now in charge of player management at Under Armour. Leigh and I have talked on the phone many times, but I’ve never visited you. Today, I finally get to meet the legendary Skywalker. My God, you’re much more handsome than I imagined. After all, you usually wear helmets, like superheroes, so it’s hard for me to tell."

This was just their first meeting, but Chris didn’t give Lu Ke any time to talk. He went from introducing himself to talking to himself, rambling on and on with his own distinct style—he was a chatterbox.

"Oh, right, look at me. I forgot. Stephen is also here today. If I remember correctly, you and Stephen are friends, right? I vaguely remember seeing a photo on the news or social media proving that you’re friends. Wait, was it Facebook? So, you guys know each other, right?"

Without waiting for Lu Ke to answer, Chris had already answered his own questions.

"Hey, Stephen, why don’t you come over and say hi to Lu Ke? We have to work together today. Oh, Stephen’s already coming. See, that means my memory is correct. You guys are indeed friends. That’s great! We can combine our meetings and save time and improve efficiency."

Amidst Chris’s non-stop rambling, Stephen gave Lu Ke a big, warm hug but didn’t get a chance to say a word. He just kept winking and bumping Lu Ke’s shoulder, as if to say, "Hey, man, you’re here too! How’s it going?"

"Today, we’re going to create your own shoe series for you two. We don’t just want to name a series after you; we also want you to incorporate your hobbies and styles into the design so that the shoe truly has your mark on it, like an extension of your image."

"We’ve already finished some design concepts and ideas. You can look through them and share your thoughts with the designers. We want to get as close to your needs as possible while still maintaining Under Armour’s style. Oh, right, these are the designers, Alexander and Victoria. They will be working together, and that’s the main thing we need to accomplish in our meeting this morning."

"Great. Now you guys can let your imaginations run wild. And if you have any questions, feel free to ask. I’ll be here with you."

Of all the people Lu Ke knew, Chris was the biggest chatterbox. He could answer all his own questions as if his cells were self-dividing, going on and on until he had explained everything and answered every question. Since Lu Ke entered the office, Chris had not stopped talking. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Finally, Lu Ke intentionally raised his right hand, like a student asking a question in class. That simple gesture made Stephen burst out laughing.

Chris understood Lu Ke’s humor but didn’t mind. He smiled and motioned for Lu Ke to ask his question.

"A shoe series for me? I can understand a Curry series, but... football cleats? Are you serious?" Lu Ke didn’t hide his surprise and asked the question directly.

Chris was stunned. He had not expected a question like this. Not because the question itself was surprising, but because Lu Ke was the one who asked it. Most of the time, players are grateful for such an opportunity and would accept it with open arms. After all, they are the ones who benefit, and the brand takes on all the risk. There was no reason for a player to question it.

But Lu Ke was clearly not a typical player.

"Ha! I heard you got a perfect score on the Wonderlic Test, and now I know why. Wait, I mean, there’s a direct connection between the two, right? A perfect Wonderlic Test means a higher IQ and keen observation skills, right? I’m not sure, but I can say with certainty that you’re not just any ordinary player."

Before answering, he went on another rambling tangent.

"Of course, of course, that’s a valid point. The professional football market is very limited, and the market for exclusive series is even more so. But we’re designing an entire series of shoes for you, covering all aspects of your training and daily life. Our first step is to create a running shoe and a cross-training shoe. And, of course, a pair of professional football cleats!"

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