Chapter 288: Gifts and Goodbyes

A bottle of wine and a few packs of cigarettes still felt heavy in his hand.

Xu Chen asked the clerk and learned there was an international shipping point at the airport, so he dragged Xie Bingran there to send the items.

He originally planned to ship directly to Tiancheng, but international logistics from the airport weren’t that straightforward back then, so he sent everything to his office in Shanghai first.

He packed the two sets of cosmetics for Fang Jun and Wu Yue along with the rest.

The cost of international shipping was steep, but compared to the hassle of carrying it all, ‘Little President Xu’ didn’t mind the expense and happily swiped his card.

……

Xu Chen held Xie Bingran’s hand as they walked out of the shipping point.

He glanced at the time—they had some free time to wander around.

Xie Bingran looked at Xu Chen and said:

“What do you want? I’ll buy it for you…”

She acted like a total big spender, full of confidence.

Xu Chen smiled and thought seriously about it.

He pointed to a cute toy store ahead:

“Get me a lucky cat! I can put it in my office to bring in more business!”

Xie Bingran laughed and pulled Xu Chen toward the shop.

All the lucky cats looked the same, just in different sizes from small to large.

The biggest one in the store sat on the floor, over a meter and a half tall—no one could carry that home.

The smallest was a delicate keychain…

Xu Chen looked around and picked a small one about a dozen centimeters tall. It was easy to carry back and perfect for his desk in the East Chen Advertising general manager’s office.

“Too bad they don’t have a lucky dog,” Xu Chen joked.

Xie Bingran blinked her big eyes, not getting the reference.

Xu Chen pinched her cheek: “You’re my lucky big wolf dog.”

“Oh.”

……

In the end, they had to say goodbye.

They found a secluded spot in the rest area and held each other tightly for a while longer.

Xie Bingran looked upset and resentful, so Xu Chen comforted her:

“It won’t be long now. Once you’re in Hu City, it’ll be the weekend, and I’ll come over to help move your mattress.”

Xie Bingran murmured in agreement and threw herself back into his arms.

……

……

After a tiring journey, Xu Chen got back to his dormitory in the Southwest Building at Tonghai University around nine o’clock that evening.

He yawned as he went upstairs and caught a glimpse of the neighboring 3104 dorm in the hallway, rolling his eyes.

He walked over for a closer look and confirmed that on ‘Jiangsu-Zhejiang Little Prince’ Qian Xin’s bookshelf, there was a poster of Xie Bingran stuck up.

……

As soon as Qian Xin saw Xu Chen come in, he got excited:

“Boss Xu, you’re back! You missed something huge and exciting in the lecture hall yesterday!”

Xu Chen stared at the poster in front of him—it was from yesterday’s match on the 18th.

If he remembered right, this photo was taken by the CCTV photographer and had been spreading across major media the past couple of days.

“Where’d you get the poster?”

Qian Xin said proudly: “I printed it myself!

From now on, I declare Xie Bingran is my goddess!”

Xu Chen: “……”

Qian Xin turned to Huang Hao with a hint of challenge:

“This is way cooler than Senior Bai Miao!”

As a loyal fan of Senior Bai Miao, Huang Hao looked a bit defiant.

But then he seemed to recall how Bai Miao got completely outshone by Xie Bingran and quickly fell silent.

Xu Chen eyed the poster, feeling a bit odd, and said seriously to Qian Xin:

“How about we make a deal? Why not go back to liking Min Siyang?

Min Siyang’s great! She looks quiet and pure, with a strong, stubborn edge—that kind of girl is rare!”

Qian Xin waved his hand:

“No, no… Min Siyang’s in the past now!

In my heart, she’s been dethroned by Xie Bingran!”

He pointed at the poster:

“Did you see the videos going around in the group?!

Did you watch her two matches?!

What a cool lady! She’s got skills, looks, and an unstoppable vibe!”

Xu Chen thought to himself:

As if I need you to tell me…

……

……

With a strange mix of irritation, Xu Chen headed back to his own dorm.

His three roommates were all there.

The computer whiz Hong Xiaoqiang, the artsy guy Chen Wenyi, and of course, the top student Jiao Tianbo.

They greeted Xu Chen politely as he entered.

Xu Chen reflected that compared to the noisy 3104 next door, 3103 was relatively calm.

Chen Wenyi was mostly quiet and a bit introverted.

Plus, because of that first encounter with Xu Chen, he was still a little intimidated and always spoke respectfully.

“Top Student” Jiao Tianbo kept to himself, as if talking to others might lower his IQ.

The only outgoing one was Hong Xiaoqiang—he kept the room’s energy up.

In the next dorm, ‘Jiangsu-Zhejiang Little Prince’ Qian Xin was a lively character, often arguing with Huang Hao and Pei Qian over weird stuff.

Huo Dashan was the smooth talker, getting along with everyone, and now he was busy with the student council, always out and about.

……

Xu Chen found all these classmates interesting, each with their own charm.

As an older guy, he couldn’t help but envy their youthful, naive ways.

Xu Chen was about to grab his toiletries for the bathroom when “Top Student” Jiao Tianbo quietly sidled up, startling him.

“What?” Xu Chen asked.

Jiao Tianbo hesitated before saying:

“Xu Chen, I saw you chatting with Wu Feifei on QQ a couple of days ago…”

……

Xu Chen looked speechless—why was he still on about that?

He thought for a moment and said straight up:

“Wu Feifei and I are just friends.

You know, we’re from the same place and knew each other from high school.

Now we’re both in Hu City with some mutual friends, so we keep in touch now and then.

There’s nothing special between us, so don’t overthink it…”

Jiao Tianbo listened carefully to Xu Chen’s explanation and nodded:

“Thanks for telling me, Xu Chen.”

Xu Chen gave a simple, honest smile:

“If that’s all, I’m heading to shower?”

But Jiao Tianbo added:

“Wu Feifei went to Osaka, right? You know about that?”

Xu Chen wasn’t sure where this was going, so he just said, “Ah?”

Jiao Tianbo: “She posted on QQ Space with photos from the matches in Osaka…”

Xu Chen: “Oh…”

Jiao Tianbo: “I thought you knew! I was wondering if you took leave to go with her.”

Xu Chen pondered—this was tricky to explain.

If he admitted being in Osaka with Wu Feifei at the same time, this guy might spin wild stories.

And if his imagination ran too far, who knows what trouble it could cause.

Xu Chen stayed quiet and just gave an awkward, honest smile.

Jiao Tianbo frowned, as if he’d figured it out, and muttered to himself:

“A girl like her going abroad alone is too risky.

She should’ve told me—I could’ve taken leave to go with her!”

Xu Chen: “……”

Jiao Tianbo: “She never replies to my messages.

You seem to chat with her sometimes—could you tell her that if something like this comes up again and she needs help or company…”

“She can reach out to me.”

Xu Chen: “I don’t chat with Wu Feifei much,

but I’ll pass on what you said when the time’s right…”

Jiao Tianbo nodded seriously:

“Thanks, Xu Chen!”

Xu Chen smiled, grabbed his toiletries, and made a quick exit.

……

……

The next day at noon.

After his morning classes, Xu Chen grabbed his bag and headed to the East Chen Advertising office.

The lucky cat Xie Bingran gave him was already on his desk.

It was adorable, waving its little fist.

He washed some fruit, ate it, and opened his computer to chat with Sun Aimi.

Sun Aimi had sorted out all her onboarding paperwork, mostly thanks to Fang Jun’s remote help.

Having his father’s company resources made things easier—finance, HR, legal, admin—they could all use Chenfeng Technology’s setup without hiring extra people.

Sun Aimi’s official start date was September 28th, and she was busy moving from Yangcheng these days.

Even as a single woman, a girl’s stuff adds up to a lot.

In Hu City, she had two college besties in the YP District, so she was crashing with them for now.

“Teacher Aimi’s” workstation was all set up.

Xu Chen even printed a nameplate for her that said “Sun Aimi”.

He did one for Fang Jun too.

He texted Fang Jun about his English name, and Fang Jun replied:

“Dionysus”.

Xu Chen couldn’t help but roll his eyes—Dionysus was the ancient Greek god of wine, after all.

……

Xu Chen thought it through—once Sun Aimi started, the Kunlunshan Mineral Water and Chenfeng Electric Vehicles projects would kick into high gear.

Luckily, she’d already been involved, so she could jump right in without needing to get up to speed.

Plus, he and Sun Aimi discussed taking the National Day holiday to visit the Chenfeng Technology Park in Tiancheng.

Sun Aimi was a bit excited—it could double as a fun trip.

Xu Chen had two main goals.

First, to show Sun Aimi the parent company behind East Chen Advertising, like Dongchen Co. and Chenfeng Technology.

He wanted her to feel more confident in the company’s strength.

After all, East Chen Advertising was just him right now—if Sun Aimi thought it was too small and bailed early, that’d be a hassle.

Second, to give her a real look at Chenfeng Technology and their electric vehicle product, Chenfeng Ice Power.

That way, she’d handle promotion materials more effectively later.

The first wave of promotion for Chenfeng Ice Power was targeting Tiancheng and the Provincial Capital.

Consumer habits and awareness varied a lot—people in Tiancheng and the Provincial Capital were different from those in Yangcheng or Hu City.

Xu Chen planned to have Guo Liang take Sun Aimi for some user research in Tiancheng and the Provincial Capital to meet real customers.

It’d help with ad creation and material production.

……

Another key thing was Guo Liang’s apprentice, Gu Xinxi, who’s currently in the marketing department at Renhe Pharmaceuticals.

Xu Chen figured it was time to bring her on board.

With more projects coming up at East Chen Advertising, just him and Sun Aimi wouldn’t cut it.

Sun Aimi was mainly a designer, not great with client dealings or third-party suppliers.

But Gu Xinxi, with her sales background like Guo Liang, was perfect for that.

Xu Chen had worked with her on the Fuyan Jie project and found her quick-witted and good with people.

Plus, as Guo Liang’s apprentice, he knew she had solid skills from what Guo Liang said.

Among the people Xu Chen knew, she was the ideal fit.

She was already in Hu City.

Bringing her in would give Sun Aimi some company too, so she wouldn’t feel isolated in the office.

……

Xu Chen munched on grapes, thinking about the best way to approach this.

It’d probably work best if Guo Liang handled it first.

Their mentor-apprentice trust was strong—they still kept in touch.

Xu Chen didn’t hesitate and called Guo Liang right away…

Guo Liang answered “Little President Xu’s” call with clear enthusiasm.

Xu Chen chatted with him briefly before getting to the point about Gu Xinxi.

Guo Liang chuckled and replied:

“Fang Jun mentioned this to me a couple of days ago.

I’ll take care of it—I’ll chat with Gu Xinxi first.

I can speak to the company’s strength, situation, and future…”

“And since I’m her mentor from the start, she’ll listen to me!”

Xu Chen: “Thanks, General Manager Guo. It’s all about what Gu Xinxi wants—my door’s wide open for her.”

Guo Liang: “Got it. I’ll talk to her.

Once it’s mostly sorted, I’ll update you, Little President Xu.”

Xu Chen: “Come on, Brother Liang, no need to be so formal with me!”

Guo Liang laughed: “Heading back for National Day? Let’s grab a drink!”

Xu Chen: “I’m not much of a drinker—you should have that with my dad. I’ll just join for some barbecue!”

Guo Liang: “Sounds good! I’ll wait for you!” …

With that, East Chen Advertising was officially on track!

……

……

On Friday morning, in the Introduction to Communication Studies class.

During a break, ‘Jiangsu-Zhejiang Little Prince’ Qian Xin scrolled through his phone, sighing repeatedly.

His buddy ‘Stock Guy’ Pei Qian asked: “What’s with the sighs?”

Qian Xin: “My goddess Xie Bingran’s arriving in Hu City today—there’s a welcome event at Pudong Airport, but I can’t go.”

Huang Hao said dismissively:

“You wouldn’t get near her anyway!

They’ve got tight security—only officials and reporters can get in!”

Qian Xin: “How do you know?”

Huang Hao: “Senior Bai Miao’s part of it—I saw it in her fan group.”

Qian Xin: “Senior Bai Miao has a fan group? Then my goddess Xie Bingran must have one too!”

Xu Chen sat in the back, feeling helpless.

He thought he’d need to find a new goddess for ‘Jiangsu-Zhejiang Little Prince’ to obsess over.

It was weird having him fawn over his own Xie Bingran…

Tomorrow, he’d go deliver that mattress to her.

Exciting.

……