Chapter 248: True Fragrance Alert

As September progressed, Li Xian realized that his main theme for the month had become "hustle and bustle."

The month wasn't even over yet, and he had already been constantly shuttling between Bangye, Harbin, and Beijing. Now, he had to head to Shanghai.

Li Xian didn't have any particularly strong impressions of Shanghai.

During his university years, as a homebody, the furthest he had traveled was to Beijing twice. Strictly speaking, he had never crossed the Yangtze River. He never imagined that, after returning to the underdeveloped 1990s, he would be roaming all over the country. He had gone as far north as Russia, almost reaching the Arctic Circle. Now, he was on a plane heading to Shanghai, a city in the south that would later become an economic center and be nicknamed "Magic City."

Life's encounters are indeed strange.

Xu Maohe had never been to Shanghai either. As a hustler from the Northeast, he had his own limitations. On the plane, Xu Maohe excitedly chattered about the local customs and culture he had heard of.

What he didn't know was that Li Xian was even more curious about Shanghai in its current state. For Xu Maohe, it was simply a new place he had never been to before. But for Li Xian, it was like crossing an era, witnessing the starting point of a future prosperous city.

This contradiction and conflict made the trip particularly significant.

"Brother Xu, I heard that the dance halls in Shanghai have a special flair."

On the plane, Li Xian clasped his hands together and, looking at the clouds outside the window, made a serious comment to Xu Maohe, who was sitting beside him.

Xu Maohe raised his eyebrows and immediately stopped his chatter. "I was just about to mention that. I've heard that if you spend enough money there, you can even drink with celebrities."

…

When Li Xian and his companions arrived at Hongkou Airport, they encountered chaos at the arrival area.

"What the heck is going on here?"

Seeing the commotion, Xu Maohe stood on tiptoe, craning his neck to get a better look. After a while, he exclaimed, "Wow! Li Xian, it's the Ma Family Army, the Ma Family Army!"

Li Xian hadn't planned to join the excitement, but when he heard it was Ma Renjun and his team, he stopped and glanced at the crowd.

Sure enough, the crowd consisted of enthusiastic locals holding banners or large cardboard signs welcoming the Ma Family Army. The signs read things like "Bring Glory to the Nation, Ma Family Army" and "Shanghai Welcomes the Ma Family Army for Exchange."

The 7th National Games had just ended, and the entire nation was in a state of euphoria. The reason was simple: the Ma Family Army had once again made history, achieving world-shaking results.

If their performance at the Stuttgart World Championships in August had stunned the world, then their record-breaking performances at the 7th National Games held within the country were nothing short of a spectacle. In the women's marathon, Wang Junxia, Qu Yunxia, Zhang Linli, and Zhang Lirong took the top four spots. On September 8, Wang Junxia broke the 10,000-meter world record in Beijing with a time of 29:31.78, cutting the previous record by a staggering 41.99 seconds. In the following days, the Ma Family Army went on to break world records in the women's 1,500 meters, 3,000 meters, and 10,000 meters.

During the days of the 7th National Games, the eyes of the global athletics community were fixed on China.

After the Stuttgart Championships, where the world thought the Ma Family Army had already reached the pinnacle of Chinese athletics, it became clear that the World Championships had merely been a warm-up for them!

After the 7th National Games, the Ma Family Army became national idols.

Amidst the crowd, Li Xian spotted Ma Renjun.

The coach, who had recently been in the limelight, looked particularly spirited, his crow's feet deepening as he smiled broadly, waving his hands and speaking animatedly to the reporters.

The crowd was too large and noisy for Li Xian to hear what was being said.

After looking at the slightly shy girls standing behind Ma Renjun, Li Xian patted Xu Maohe. "Let's go, we won't be able to get through."

"Hey? Li Xian, didn't your sanitary pad factory use the Ma Family Army for branding? Can you get me an autograph if you get a chance? You don't know, my sister has gone crazy. She watches the Ma Family Army's competitions on TV every day and doesn't even go to the market stall when there's a live broadcast."

Xu Maohe knew they couldn't get any closer to the crowd and looked disappointed.

Hearing this, Li Xian chuckled but said nothing.

In the crowd, Ma Renjun's hand gestures became even more exaggerated. The leaders of the Liaoning Provincial Sports Bureau had previously reminded him to tone down his heavy Liaoning accent when speaking in public, especially after the Stuttgart World Championships. He had followed this advice for a few days, but after the 7th National Games, he had completely abandoned any restrictions on his speech.

"Our Ma Family Army is the best! What world records? There are no records in front of us! Those records were made for us to break. Watch out, wherever our Ma Family Army goes, records will be broken. If we want to break a record, we'll break it. If we want someone else to break it, we'll let them break it!"

His boundless confidence inspired everyone present.

"Coach Ma! People are saying the reason the Ma Family Army's girls run so fast is because you've studied the running patterns of deer and ostriches. Is that true?"

"That's all nonsense!" Ma Renjun burst out laughing and waved his hand. "Can deer and ostriches run faster than our Ma Family Army girls? If anything, they should be learning from us! Right?"

"Is there a special secret to the Ma Family Army's success? Some say that during training, you give the girls ginseng, deer meat, sea cucumbers, and turtle blood. Is that true?"

Just like when people first discovered fire thousands of years ago and revered it as divine, the miracles created by the Ma Family Army over the past two months had quickly mythologized everything related to this amazing athletics team.

In the streets, countless rumors had sprung up about the Ma Family Army's success: finding running patterns in animals, practicing running while holding their breath underwater, mastering qigong, and even bizarre claims like using a specific brand of sanitary pad during their menstrual cycles to enhance physical fitness.

The Ma Family Army's every move had become a national focus, with every detail being magnified.

So, when a reporter asked this question publicly, the crowd fell silent, as if waiting for an ultimate answer or listening for divine insight, eagerly awaiting Ma Renjun's response.

"Well…" When asked this question, Ma Renjun paused for a moment. "I do have… a secret recipe."

Hearing this, Li Xian, who had just approached the scene, slightly tilted his head and glanced through the crowd. Seeing Ma Renjun's hesitant expression, he chuckled.

Fame and fortune.

They really are something.

He recalled a recent call from Hengyuan Company, saying that Ma Renjun had come to them, dissatisfied with the previous sponsorship fee of one million yuan per year, and wanted the company to "make appropriate adjustments." He had also proposed using Wang Junxia as the spokesperson for the "Only You" brand, demanding a five million yuan endorsement fee. Li Xian shook his head, dragging his suitcase towards the exit.

When someone who has nothing suddenly gains everything they ever dreamed of, it's often the moment they begin to go mad or face their downfall.

Whether it's turtle essence or life energy, let them go find someone else to play with.

As for me, I'll continue to pursue my own extraordinary journey.