Chapter 266: Office Schemes and Campus Surprises

Friday afternoon in the East Morning Star Advertising office.

After 4 p.m., with no classes left, Xu Chen headed back, relaxing in the air-conditioned room, listening to music, snacking on fruit, and sketching out proposals.

His main focus was the Kunlunshan Mineral Water campaign.

Xu Chen pondered a bit and came up with a new plan.

First, he needed to sell Xie Bingran’s endorsement. He could convince Nie Fei to join him on a trip to Osaka to watch Bing Ge’s game.

Xu Chen was confident in Bing Ge’s skills and his magnetic presence on the track.

If Nie Fei saw it firsthand, she’d be easier to persuade.

The timing worked out perfectly—pitch to Nie Fei in mid-September, then arrange the Osaka trip. That should wrap things up nicely.

If Li Yue from the Sports Administration happened to be in Osaka, they could chat along the way.

Second, for the Kunlunshan proposal, Xu Chen planned a trip to Yangcheng.

He’d also sort out recruiting Sun Aimi while he was at it.

Xu Chen intended to bring Sun Aimi on board for the Kunlunshan project and take her along for the pitch.

That way, she’d get a real sense of the company’s strength and future clients.

With Chenfeng Technology and Kunlunshan Mineral Water on the table, plus a hint about Wang Laoshun’s Shenbao project, Sun Aimi would see the power and potential behind East Morning Star Advertising.

Then, he could extend an invitation for her to join.

As a newcomer in advertising, Sun Aimi’s salary fit easily within East Morning Star’s budget—no issues there.

Once she agreed, Fang Jun’s sister could handle the details smoothly.

As for Ran Bing Sports and Nie Fei, Xu Chen hadn’t found the right angle yet.

Nie Fei’s salary was in the millions—way out of Xu Chen’s reach for now.

Plus, for Ran Bing Sports, he needed a solid strategy to convince her.

As Nie Fei said, launching a sports brand these days wasn’t as simple as it looked.

Xie Bingran could be a trump card, but Nie Fei’s points about promotion, distribution, and stores required careful planning.

Overall, Ran Bing Sports wasn’t ready to launch just yet.

Luckily, there was no rush in the next day or two.

By evening, Xu Chen wandered out of the Tonghai Creative Design Building.

He decided to grab dinner at the Xueyuan Cafeteria.

Tonghai University’s food scene was still fresh and exciting—at least for now, eating there felt fun.

Entering through the South Gate, he headed toward the cafeteria.

Passing by the Zhongde College building, Xu Chen paused at the sight of three classmates.

Chen Wenyi, Su Rong, and He Sisi were crouched by the roadside, looking oddly out of sorts.

Curious, Xu Chen turned and approached them.

“What’s going on here?” Xu Chen asked.

The three turned, their faces showing panic and confusion.

Xu Chen glanced at the big bags in front of them—seemed like raw food items.

He recalled they must have bought ingredients for tomorrow’s barbecue outing.

The group had assigned shopping tasks internally.

In their subgroup, Su Rong and Chen Wenyi led the charge, so Xu Chen hadn’t paid much attention.

Chen Wenyi looked at Xu Chen with frustration and said:

“We got some fresh crabs for tomorrow’s barbecue…”

“But as soon as we brought them back to campus, they all died…”

Xu Chen stepped closer and took a look, barely hiding his disbelief.

These three seemed clueless about basic life stuff.

In this sweltering weather, they hadn’t even put ice in the bags.

Now they’d bought them and had to leave them overnight…

Chen Wenyi was a ‘artsy type’—probably spoiled at home.

Su Rong looked like a ‘rich girl’ who never lifted a finger.

He didn’t know He Sisi well, but she probably lacked practical experience too…

Xu Chen said, “In this blazing heat, those crabs will not only die but probably stink by tomorrow…”

He noticed other items too—raw beef, pork belly, beef balls—all just tossed in plastic bags from the store, no ice packs anywhere.

Xu Chen added, “If you leave this food in the dorm overnight, it’ll go bad by morning.”

He couldn’t help but shake his head.

Were these 985 university students really that sheltered—no chores at home?

Never touched a kitchen or fridge?

Xu Chen thought for a moment and said:

“Didn’t we agree to buy everything early tomorrow?”

He Sisi replied:

“We’re heading out first thing, so we worried about not having time and decided to shop tonight.”

Chen Wenyi added, “Yeah, the nearby Wumei Supermarket doesn’t open till 9 a.m., and we’re leaving at 8.”

Xu Chen: “…”

Okay, that did create a problem.

He couldn’t fully blame them.

But he wanted to point out there was a market on Quyang Road that opened at 5 a.m.…

They could’ve grabbed fresh stuff there—heard Huang Hao’s group did just that…

Xu Chen sighed but kept quiet.

Su Rong hesitated, looking upset, her eyes even turning red:

“What are we going to do…?”

Chen Wenyi said, “We might have to toss this and buy new tomorrow.”

He Sisi: “That’s such a waste, and we’re on a group budget…”

Su Rong paused: “I’ll cover the cost personally. We’ll get fresh ones tomorrow.”

Chen Wenyi quickly objected: “No, no… it’s on me.”

“I suggested we go today.”

Xu Chen stepped in:

“Come with me!”

He grabbed one of the big bags.

Chen Wenyi: “Where to?”

Xu Chen: “My office has a fridge. We’ll store it there tonight.”

Su Rong: “Office?”

He Sisi: “Huh?”

Chen Wenyi blinked: “A fridge?! You… really have an office?”

A few minutes later, Xu Chen led them to the eighth floor of the Tonghai Creative Design Building.

The other three stared in surprise at the actual office.

Especially Chen Wenyi, his dorm mate.

Earlier, when Xu Chen mentioned starting a company and renting an office, Chen Wenyi hadn’t fully believed it.

But seeing the ‘East Morning Star Advertising’ sign hit him.

Su Rong and He Sisi followed inside, glancing around in disbelief.

A first-year classmate running a company with a proper office?

They noticed the ‘East Morning Star Advertising’ plaque and realized the ‘Chen’ was from Xu Chen…

Xu Chen opened the fridge and organized the ingredients inside.

Some needed freezing—leaving them out overnight could’ve caused food poisoning.

The fridge was packed with fruit, but apples and pears could stay out fine.

Xu Chen eyed the dozen or so dead crabs…

In this heat, they weren’t just dead—they were starting to turn red.

Xu Chen thought and smiled:

“Haven’t had dinner yet, right?”

Su Rong nodded, a bit surprised.

Xu Chen grinned mischievously:

“These crabs are on their last legs—let’s cook them up here.”

“I’ll even crash the party and snag some!”

Chen Wenyi and He Sisi exchanged glances, puzzled.

Su Rong laughed: “Sounds great!”

She seemed genuinely cheered up.

Chen Wenyi and He Sisi thought about it and agreed with smiles.

Xu Chen: “We’ll split the crab cost four ways—like it’s our group dinner!”

The others had no objections.

Chen Wenyi even said: “Xu Chen, you skip paying—we’ll cover it.”

He Sisi: “Yeah, you’ve already helped a ton.”

“Without your fridge, we’d have wasted all this.”

Xu Chen chuckled:

“Then I’ll run downstairs and grab some rice vinegar, drinks, and such—my treat!”

Ten minutes later, a dozen crabs steamed in the electric steamer.

Xu Chen found it amusing— he’d just bought the steamer days ago, and here it was in action.

He returned with rice vinegar, disposable bowls, plates, and chopsticks, then handed them out.

“Too bad we don’t have ginger shreds, but vinegar dip will still hit the spot,” Xu Chen said with a grin.

Chen Wenyi took the vinegar bottle and poured for everyone.

Xu Chen opened the fridge and pulled out a few cans of iced cola and soda water, setting them on the table.

He paused: “Oh, and we have red wine. Want some?”

The three hesitated, curious.

Xu Chen laughed and went to the manager’s room, fetching a bottle of South American red wine.

He Sisi smiled: “Xu Chen, you’re so good at this living thing!”

Su Rong glanced at the bottle and casually said:

“Red Devil Riesling.”

Xu Chen was surprised—the girl knew her wine at a glance.

He uncorked it and poured a small half-glass for each in disposable cups.

“No time to let it breathe, but New World wines go down easy anyway,” Xu Chen said, smiling.

They let the crabs steam a bit longer.

When the lid lifted, the aroma filled the air.

It was peak crab season—full of rich roe and yellow fat.

Each grabbed a steaming crab and set it down.

Xu Chen raised his glass, and the others quickly clinked theirs.

He Sisi laughed: “Who knew a mess would turn into a fun crab feast!”

Chen Wenyi: “Yeah, lucky we ran into Xu Chen.”

Su Rong grinned: “And with red wine too—perfect!”

They each devoured four or five crabs and felt satisfied.

Xu Chen joked: “Good thing we’re not Feng Zikai, or we’d need eight or nine bowls of rice each…”

Chen Wenyi, munching a crab leg, asked: “What’s that mean?”

The other two girls looked confused too.

Xu Chen realized they didn’t know the reference.

He chuckled self-deprecatingly and shared the story of how the old master Feng Zikai paired crabs with bowls of rice.

“Xu Chen, you know so much…”

“Just showing off a bit—don’t mind me.”