Next, Manager James called in his secretary, Lisa, and printed out a brand-new contract according to the previously agreed-upon terms.
"Alright, Mr. Mike, you can go take your poster photos now. There's a professional team waiting for you outside…" After the contract was signed, James hinted that it was time for them to leave.
Just seeing Mike's face now made him feel like a lot of money was leaving him.
Additionally, Secretary Lisa's occasional glances at the other party also made the already jaded Manager James feel a tightness in his chest.
"Well, goodbye, Manager James." Mike, having achieved his goal, didn't care about James's little mood.
After smiling and waving to the other party, he led Connie and the others, who had come to support him, out of the manager's office.
"Phew—"
After Mike's figure disappeared, Manager James, as if exhausted, leaned back in his leather chair and let out a long sigh of relief.
His face was pale, and large beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, making him look more tired than if he had run three kilometers.
It must be said that negotiations for profit can sometimes be physically demanding.
Subsequently, feeling parched, he grabbed the coffee cup on the table, wanting to rehydrate.
But as the coffee reached his lips, James seemed to remember something.
Elegant? Kopi Luwak?… Go to hell!
Whoever wants to drink this cat poop coffee can drink it.
"Lisa, make me another cup of coffee, the most ordinary kind…" After putting the Kopi Luwak back on the table with a displeased expression, Manager James instructed his secretary.
"Are you sure you want regular coffee?" The secretary, who was organizing documents, looked at James in surprise and then asked for confirmation.
It was well known that Manager James, always conscious of his status, only drank high-end coffee.
"Yes, the regular coffee in the employee break room will do." Manager James, still pale, was starting to look annoyed again.
"Okay, I'll go now." Seeing her boss's annoyed expression, the secretary pouted and then turned to leave the office.
…
Mike, after leaving the office, met his old friend, Jack, again.
Apparently, this time the poster photoshoot had also been assigned to him.
It was already past lunchtime, and Jack checked the mechanical watch on his wrist, inviting, "Want to try our employee meal? While the taste is average, it's cheap."
It was clear that Jack had also missed his lunch due to work arrangements.
"Let's try the work meal another time. Today, I'm treating everyone to a meal out." Mike, who was about to receive some extra income, generously offered to treat them.
After all, Connie and the others had accompanied him for half the day, so it was only right to reward them.
Moreover, Jack had previously given him some insider information out of apology, so it was only proper for Mike to treat them to lunch as a return favor.
"That works out perfectly. I know a nearby family-style restaurant that serves large portions and good food, very suitable for now." Jack smiled and didn't decline Mike's kind offer.
Thus, with the addition of Jack's two subordinates, a team of over a dozen people grandly walked out of the state radio station office building.
As a veteran employee, Jack was very familiar with the surroundings of the radio station.
He quickly led everyone to the family-style restaurant. The decor of the place didn't look like much, but the aroma of the food was very rich.
Moreover, because of the affordable prices, even after the peak mealtime, there were still many customers in the restaurant.
Large portions of roasted meat, fruit pizza, vegetable salad…
After skillfully ordering for everyone, Jack also asked the restaurant for a few cans of local specialty beer.
With the presence of Connie and Georgie, those two drinkers, the dining atmosphere was very harmonious.
After a few beers, Jack and his two colleagues quickly hit it off with Cooper.
Jack also took the opportunity during the meal to discuss the upcoming poster photoshoot with Mike.
However, as he drank more and more beer, Jack seemed to get drunk and unconsciously started complaining about his current situation.
He had originally wanted to develop in the TV department but was transferred to the newspaper department for some unknown reason.
Although his position had been promoted to team leader, Jack, who had certain ambitions, still planned to return to the TV department.
Therefore, he didn't hesitate to give up the profits from the poster distribution, focusing solely on making his "star-making plan" a success.
He endured the grievances just to achieve results quickly, to create an opportunity for his return to the TV department.
This situation, where he was physically present but mentally elsewhere, made it easy to understand why he had betrayed James earlier.
"Incompetent and pretentious, I've long disliked that James guy. Now that I can speak my mind, I feel much better…"
As the meal was about to end, Jack, who had vented, sobered up. He promised the two employees beside him, "Don't worry, when I return to the TV department, I'll definitely take you two with me."
The prospects for development in the TV department would undoubtedly surpass those of the newspaper.
With this understanding, the two TV station employees also expressed their willingness to work hard with Jack.
Although regrettable, forming factions is unavoidable when seeking promotion within the system.
And Jack, who had successfully won over some subordinates, seemed to be in a much better mood.
Afterwards, seeing that Mike and the others had finished their meal, he suggested, "Alright, let's go back to work. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can get off work."
…
A lavish lunch for over a dozen people cost less than two hundred dollars.
This family-style restaurant certainly lived up to its name, focusing primarily on affordability.
Later, in the TV station's professional photography studio, Mike tried various poster styles as requested, including sports, student, and Western cowboy themes.
"You're really enviable, even if you don't have a job in the future, you won't starve even if you become a model…" Jack, watching the finished product, said with a smile.
It must be said, professionals are professionals.
At this moment, the camera displayed a set of sports-themed photos.
In the photos, Mike's clean and sunny demeanor made him like a vibrant sunflower, radiating youthful energy.
"My task should be complete now." Seeing the good results of the finished photos, Mike also let out a sigh of relief.
More than an hour of constantly changing clothes and posing was actually quite exhausting.
"OK, these photos of yours will surely captivate a large number of young girls." Jack was in a very good mood, as the work had been completed so quickly and smoothly.
He even suggested afterwards whether Mike and the others would like to tour the state TV building.
After all, it was a rare opportunity—
However, Mike and the others, who had spent half the day there, had no desire to tour the TV building anymore.
So, the group bid farewell to Jack and set off on their way back.
Around six in the evening, everyone finally returned to their homes in Medford Town.
"I should be heading back too." Arriving at the Cooper family's doorstep, Dr. Sturgis, looking somewhat tired, bid farewell to everyone.
Dedicated to scientific research, he wasn't as active as Connie.
Having first watched a football game and then spent half the day at the state TV station with everyone, this level of activity was quite challenging for the old professor.
Before leaving, the old professor looked at Mike, Sheldon, and Paige, and said, "I'm preparing to start an aerospace research project recently, hoping to make another attempt at the Nobel Prize. I wonder if you three are interested in joining my research team."
Well, it seemed Dr. Sturgis had his own agenda in accompanying Mike and the others all day.
With the success of the moon landing program, the fields of aerospace and outer space exploration were currently the hottest projects at the scientific forefront.
Clearly, Dr. Sturgis wanted to ride this wave and make one last push before his retirement.
As a cutting-edge researcher, who could refuse the allure of the Nobel?
"What specific aspect will your aerospace project team research?" Sheldon showed strong interest in joining the Nobel team.
"Researching a brand-new flight formula for spacecraft. It was actually your and Mike's previously published paper, 'Rocket Multistage Propulsion,' that gave me the inspiration." Dr. Sturgis explained with a smile.
"I'm in—" After hearing the explanation, Sheldon eagerly expressed his willingness.
"Very good." Dr. Sturgis nodded with satisfaction, then looked at Mike and Paige, asking, "What about you two?"
"I'll follow Mike's lead…" Paige didn't seem overly excited.
From her demeanor, it was clear she looked to Mike as her leader.
"I need to consider it further." Facing the old professor's expectant gaze, Mike replied conservatively.
Knowing the existence of aliens, he actually wasn't too optimistic about Dr. Sturgis's research project.
After all, compared to certain alien technologies, human research in the aerospace field wasn't particularly outstanding.
This was a disadvantage brought about by the information gap for ordinary people.
On one hand, blocking information about the mysterious side indeed brought stability to society. But on the other hand, it also made ordinary people live in a dream.
This could be considered a kind of alternative "The Truman Show."
"It's alright, my research project will probably not be approved until the second half of the year. You still have plenty of time to consider…" Dr. Sturgis said patiently.
Later, after bidding farewell to everyone once more, the old professor rode his bicycle away from the Cooper family.
…
"Mike, you were so cool today."
In the Cooper family's living room, Georgie, waiting for dinner, discussed the day's events: "That was a contract worth tens of thousands of dollars. If it were me, I might have agreed when that manager offered one tenth of the profit."
Yes, for ordinary people, tangible dollars were much more interesting than researching aerospace projects.
Everyone's focus was different, and Georgie, whose vision wasn't broad enough, naturally focused on different issues than a super genius like Sheldon.
"Mike, I really oversimplified things before. Even with the newspaper's support, we might not be able to secure an invitation match with Houston High School…" George, sitting on the sofa, also reflected on himself.
It was well known that Houston High School, as the state league champion last year, naturally had its pride.
Those players, even if they were to choose opponents locally, would only pick the runner-up team.
As for an unknown team like Medford Team, it was highly likely they had never even entered their radar.
George had just been too excited before, so he hadn't considered things comprehensively enough.
"It's okay, just do your best. If it really doesn't work out, the league in the second half of the year is also our chance to prove ourselves." Ignoring Georgie's uninspired chatter, Mike comforted George.
The truth was, the Medford Team had already gained momentum. With Mike as their trump card, Medford was fully capable of taking the top spot in this year's summer state league.
Looking at it this way, Houston High School wasn't so impressive after all.