Chapter 211: Dawn in Yangcheng

The next morning, Xu Chen woke up to his alarm clock, only to find Xie Bingran was already gone.

Xu Chen sat up in bed and reached over to touch the covers on Xie Bingran’s bed; they still felt a bit warm.

She must have left not long ago.

Last night, Bing Ge suddenly got in a “little mood” and wanted to join Xu Chen at the film set today.

But Xu Chen remembered the ad shoot’s content was somewhat “not suitable for minors,” so he politely turned her down.

Even though she’s called Bing Ge, she’s still just a seventeen-year-old girl in terms of age.

The idea of her seeing Xu Chen work on the Fuyan Jie ad made him feel a bit awkward.

So, during the day, Xie Bingran would stick with Wu Feifei and Huang Qianqian for a fun last day in Yangcheng.

…

Xu Chen stood up and stretched, marveling at how great sleep was at eighteen.

In his previous life, by his thirties, life’s pressures and mental stress left him gasping for air; he hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in years.

He might clock eight or nine hours, but his mind raced with worries, waking at the slightest noise.

Not like now—solid sleep straight through to dawn.

…

After a quick wash-up, he packed all his simple luggage into his backpack.

They had to check out in the morning; once the ad shoot wrapped up, they’d head straight to the airport.

In the restaurant, he bumped into Fang Jun grabbing some buffet food.

“Still got a headache?” Xu Chen asked with a smile.

Fang Jun was holding a plate of rice noodles:

“No headache now. I’m not as tough as your dad, but I can hold my liquor okay.”

Xu Chen chuckled, thinking, as long as you’re happy.

They each carried their meals to a window seat and sat down.

As they ate, Xu Chen said:

“Are you pretty close with Wu Feifei?”

Fang Jun: “Yeah, we’ve been tight. She used to come over to my place all the time when she was in diapers.”

Xu Chen: “…”

Fang Jun: “What’s up?”

Xu Chen: “Can you come up with a reasonable excuse so Wu Feifei’s car doesn’t pick us up this afternoon? Let them go straight to the airport.”

Fang Jun paused, then caught on to Xu Chen’s plan.

It was about heading to “Dongshan Mouth” to check out that “Northern Dumpling Shop.”

It was a private matter, better without Wu Feifei and the others tagging along.

“Sure, I’ll handle that. I’ll think of something during the day,” she said.

She added, “Just worried your Bing Ge might kick up a fuss and want to join you.”

Xu Chen: “Don’t worry about Bing Ge; I’ll send her a message to stay put with Wu Feifei and head to the airport.”

…

After going downstairs, the white Honda Odyssey was already waiting.

Client manager Chen Xiaolong looked polite; spotting Xu Chen and Fang Jun, he quickly got out to open the door.

Once in the car, Xu Chen asked:

“Are the two endorsers on their way?”

Chen Xiaolong: “We’ve sent a car for them; they should arrive before us. The endorsers need time for makeup.”

Xu Chen nodded:

“How’s Li Fengfeng’s backside?”

“Ah?!”

Chen Xiaolong froze, then flashed an awkward smile.

Fang Jun glanced at Xu Chen, her expressionless face showing a hint of exasperation.

“Li Fengfeng’s fine…” Chen Xiaolong replied.

…

The morning drive went smoothly, no traffic jams.

Half an hour later, they pulled up to the entrance of “Wujian Film and TV.”

Chen Xiaolong led them upstairs to a small meeting room on the second floor.

Two monitors were set up, showing live feeds from the shooting set.

The camera focused on the staged scene, with staff still bustling around inside.

The changes from yesterday had all been made; in fact, Xu Chen had confirmed them in the group chat during downtime the afternoon and evening before…

“You two wait here; once shooting starts, I’ll come back.

If there are any feedback notes on the shots, I’ll pass them along…”

Xu Chen nodded with a smile.

Chen Xiaolong bowed slightly and left.

Fang Jun, new to this, asked:

“Why are we stuck here instead of on the set?”

Xu Chen explained: “To avoid us meddling on site.”

Fang Jun frowned, thinking it seemed off.

Xu Chen: “It’s the right call.

On an ad shoot, the director needs full control to efficiently direct the actors and crew.

If we jump in with commands or suggestions, it throws everything off.

As the client’s ‘supervisors,’ we have the final say—like no shot gets approved without our nod.

But our input has to go through staff to the director, who then coordinates with actors, cameramen, and everyone else.

It’s about expertise; the director knows the shoot better than we do.”

Fang Jun nodded and said:

“I still can’t figure out how a high school grad like you knows all this practical stuff.”

Xu Chen smiled:

“It’s not real hands-on; it’s all theory.

I’m just pretending to know my way around.”

Fang Jun: “Doesn’t seem like pretending.”

…

They sat for a bit longer before Li Fengfeng and director Zhu Xiaoming walked in.

The director had a walkie-talkie on his chest; he greeted Xu Chen and Fang Jun briefly, then said:

“All the shots will show on the monitors; if you have any thoughts, pass them to Li Fengfeng’s team, and I’ll get them right away!”

Li Fengfeng: “Chen Xiaolong will stay here the whole time.”

Xu Chen nodded: “Appreciate it, both of you.”

Li Fengfeng blinked his small eyes:

“The endorsers are still getting made up. Want me to introduce you?”

Xu Chen thought about it and decided it wasn’t necessary.

Besides, he wasn’t a big fan of Ren Jing or Fu Disheng.

“Let’s not disrupt the shoot; maybe get a few signed photos later!” Xu Chen said with a laugh.

“You got it, easy enough.” Li Fengfeng replied, squinting his eyes.

…

…

About twenty minutes later, Chen Xiaolong came in with a walkie-talkie.

“It’s starting soon, you two.”

The monitors now showed Ren Jing and Fu Disheng, the endorsers.

Makeup artists were still touching up their looks, while lighting crew adjusted the brightness and angles.

They began with shots that didn’t need lines, helping the endorsers get into character.

The shoot wasn’t too tough; it felt like making a music video, and the endorsers handled it like pros.

Xu Chen had few notes; he munched on fruit and quietly oversaw things.

Still, it took forever.

One wrong light setting meant starting over…

By noon, they had only finished half the static shots.

Xu Chen checked the schedule; it was still on track.

Mainly because the endorsers’ time was tight—only eight hours total, and they’d leave on the dot, no negotiations.

Break for lunch and rest half an hour.

Xu Chen and Fang Jun got boxed meals too.

As the client’s overseers, theirs were a step up—proper stir-fried takeout.

While eating, Fang Jun said:

“Didn’t realize making an ad was this grueling.”

He meant the crew on site.

Xu Chen: “It’s even tougher than it looks.

Did you see the director’s dark circles? The whole team, including set and lighting folks, probably pulled an all-nighter here.

They can rest only after today’s wrap.”

Fang Jun: “Is filming movies or TV the same?”

Xu Chen: “Pretty much; it’s all hard work.

High-stress jobs with late nights—sometimes twenty hours straight without sleep.

But once a project’s done, you get to chill for a while.”

Fang Jun glanced at the monitor where staff were still at it.

Yesterday’s designer, Sun Aimi, was chatting with the lighting tech, laptop in hand.

“That young woman is solid—reliable and hardworking.”

Xu Chen: “So, she’s perfect to bring on board.”

Fang Jun: “How will you do that? East Morning Star Advertising is just you right now, and no other projects.”

Xu Chen thought: “Good point; I need to figure that out.

No rush, though—once we’re settled in Shanghai, we’ll sort it.”

Fang Jun: “What about that guy, Chen Xiaolong…?”

Xu Chen shook his head while eating:

“He’s not quite right. As a client manager, he’s too straightforward, lacks flexibility.

Like when I joked about Li Fengfeng’s backside in the car—he couldn’t roll with it, made things awkward.

That’s not up to par for someone handling clients.”

Fang Jun drew in a breath:

“I thought that was just a casual quip; didn’t know you were testing him.”

Xu Chen smiled and mused:

“Still, we’ll need a project or client manager down the line…

We’ll scout for the right person later.”

Fang Jun thought: “Gu Xinxi’s good!”

Gu Xinxi, once Guo Liang’s apprentice, a junior manager in Renhe Pharmaceuticals’ marketing department…

Xu Chen paused: “You know, you’re right!”

He added, “But she’s in the client’s marketing team; might be tough to pull her over. Need the perfect timing.”

Xu Chen turned to Fang Jun with a grin:

“Look at you, Fang, already helping build the team!”

Fang Jun: “East Morning Star Advertising means we’ll need an office in Shanghai.”

Xu Chen: “Exactly; and we’ll set aside a special office for you, Fang!”

…

The afternoon shoot moved fast.

Xu Chen kept an eye on the clock, mainly tracking progress.

The shots went smoothly; director Zhu Xiaoming was a pro, nailing the visuals, on-set flow, and actor guidance.

He handled any surprises on the spot.

The endorsers were professional too—no diva antics or uncooperative behavior.

In his past life, Xu Chen had worked with stars, even A-listers and award winners; he’d seen plenty of headaches.

Some celebrities with perfect public images acted like jerks behind the scenes—bullying staff, showing up late, leaving early… just the basics of bad behavior.

That’s why Xu Chen had no illusions about stars or idols.

The person on camera and off were often worlds apart.

Many fans’ ‘goddesses’ or ‘gods’ had personalities that were shockingly awful in real life.

…

Around three o’clock, Li Fengfeng came in, squinting his small eyes, with two documents in hand.

“Xu Chen, these need your signature to confirm.”

Xu Chen took them with a smile and flipped through:

“I’ll give them a quick look, then get them back to you, Li Fengfeng.”

Li Fengfeng forced a smile:

“Take your time, Xu; I’ll come back for them.”

With that, he left.

Xu Chen scanned the documents and frowned slightly.

He turned to Chen Xiaolong behind him and said:

“Chen, is Sun Aimi free? I need to ask her something.”

Chen Xiaolong: “Oh… just a moment, Xu Chen; I’ll get her.”

He stood up and headed out.

Xu Chen handed one document to Fang Jun.

Fang Jun skimmed it quickly and snapped photos with his phone.

“I’ll check it thoroughly back at the hotel.”

Xu Chen nodded and signed in the ‘Supervisor Review’ section on both.

…

Soon, Chen Xiaolong and Sun Aimi walked in.

Sun Aimi adjusted her round glasses and sat next to Xu Chen.

“You wanted to see me, Xu Chen?”

Xu Chen smiled:

“Here’s the thing: my father runs a tech company.

They’re launching a new brand and products soon.

We need professional help with packaging, logo design, visual identity systems, and more…”

Sun Aimi blinked, looking surprised.

Chen Xiaolong, listening from behind, showed his own shock.

They hadn’t realized this twenty-year-old, Xu Chen, not only had his own ad firm but also a family tech company.

Then they recalled yesterday’s car chat—about factories and bars in industrial areas…

It was all real!

…

Sun Aimi said:

“Black Duke Marketing handles brand packaging projects.”

Xu Chen smiled:

“I don’t need a full team; I’m in the business myself.

I just want a designer with great artistic sense to handle the logo and visuals for our new brand and products.”

Sun Aimi thought for a moment:

“I can recommend some experienced designers; they’re not top names, but they’re solid pros.”

Xu Chen laughed:

“That would be perfect…

Do you have time for it, Sun Aimi?”

Sun Aimi hesitated, glancing at Chen Xiaolong behind her.

“…”