Chapter 293: First Day in the Advertising World

Thursday at noon.

Xu Chen wrapped up his morning classes and hurried toward the Tonghai University Business Tower.

He took the elevator straight to the 8th floor and stepped into the office, where he spotted Sun Aimi right away.

“Xu Chen!”

Sun Aimi stood up to greet him, flashing a sweet smile.

She still wore her hair in a neat bun and round glasses.

“You’ve worked hard!”

Xu Chen smiled and said, “I haven’t gotten you a computer yet, and I’m not too familiar with what designers need.

Write up a list for me this afternoon with the model and specs you want, and I’ll have it delivered and set up by tomorrow.”

“Sounds good!” Sun Aimi replied with a sweet smile.

Xu Chen led Sun Aimi around the small office first.

He opened the fridge door: “Help yourself to the fruit inside; I’ll restock it every couple of days!”

Then he took her to the ‘General Manager’s Office’ and opened the bottom cabinet:

“Feel free to grab any of these red wines; we’re pretty casual here, so drinking during the day is fine.

Just leave the Moutai and Guojiao on the right—those are Fang Jun’s treasures, and I don’t even touch them.”

Sun Aimi gave an awkward smile: “I don’t drink alcohol!”

Xu Chen said, “Come on, let’s go grab some lunch!”

……

Xu Chen took Sun Aimi to the street full of small eateries on Miyun Road.

“This street is packed with places to eat; you can come here anytime.”

“Okay!”

He led her to a simple, clean spot serving Shanghai dishes.

Sun Aimi clearly loved food, so Xu Chen ordered extra dishes.

Braised pork, Hu Jiang ribs, drunken chicken… and the signature Shanghai-style pan-fried buns.

Sun Aimi’s eyes lit up with delight, and she dug in with enthusiasm.

They chatted about Gu Xinxi; turns out, she had reached out to Sun Aimi yesterday.

Hearing that Sun Aimi had joined East Morning Star Advertising surprised Gu Xinxi, so she asked a few questions.

For the National Day holiday, Xu Chen invited both to visit Chenfeng Technology; since the two women already knew each other, they were excited to go together.

That’s how Sun Aimi learned that Gu Xinxi had a mentor in the pharmaceutical industry and had already joined Chenfeng Technology.

……

“We’ve got a client visit tomorrow—you’ll come with me,” Xu Chen said.

Sun Aimi replied, “Sure, what client?”

Xu Chen: “Jeep.”

Sun Aimi paused, clearly surprised:

“Do we really have an automotive brand as a client?”

Having worked at Black Duke Marketing for two years, she knew how rare foreign auto brands were.

Domestic ad agencies like Black Duke could only bid on local brands, and even then, winning was a struggle.

Mid-to-high-end imported models rarely used domestic firms at all.

Sun Aimi couldn’t fathom how East Morning Star Advertising had gotten a chance with Jeep.

Xu Chen: “It’s tied to a collaboration with Xie Bingran; we’ll chat about it first.”

From the Kunlun Mountain pitch last time, Sun Aimi had picked up on Xu Chen’s connection to Xie Bingran.

But landing a Jeep invite because of her was still unexpected.

Xu Chen explained further:

“I feel confident about securing the Jeep account.

But the first meeting tomorrow might not go smoothly.”

Sun Aimi adjusted her round glasses: “Why not?”

Xu Chen didn’t elaborate much, just said:

“They’re not keen on working with East Morning Star Advertising, but due to Xie Bingran, they have to hear our pitch.

I’ll handle the proposal, so don’t worry too much.”

Sun Aimi thought for a moment and said seriously:

“With you leading, Xu Chen, I think we can land even an imported auto brand no problem.”

Through projects like Fuyan Jie and Kunlunshan Mineral Water, Sun Aimi had full faith in Xu Chen’s expertise.

She’d seen his pitch skills in action, and among the ad pros she’d met, he stood out.

That was the main reason she joined East Morning Star Advertising.

Working with Xu Chen meant steady projects and plenty to learn.

Though East Morning Star seemed like a small firm, it had Chenfeng Technology backing it.

A real tech company as support gave it an edge over pure ad agencies.

In Sun Aimi’s view, East Morning Star’s stability rivaled mid-sized firms.

With Chenfeng Technology around, projects were guaranteed—like how an electric vehicle company would need a marketing department eventually.

Sun Aimi didn’t mention to Xu Chen that yesterday, during her chat with Gu Xinxi, she’d said the same things.

She was glad Gu Xinxi had joined East Morning Star Advertising too.

After all, they’d collaborated on Renhe projects before, so they knew each other’s work well.

“Xu Chen, I’ve gathered some reference images for the Kunlunshan Mineral Water and Chenfeng Electric Vehicles print creatives. We can discuss them this afternoon or evening,” Sun Aimi said with a smile.

Xu Chen: “No rush on that. It’s your first day, so take time to settle in and explore.

We’ll talk after our client visit tomorrow morning—back at the office is fine!”

Sun Aimi smiled sweetly:

“Okay…

For tomorrow’s Jeep visit, do I need to prepare anything in advance?”

Xu Chen thought for a second: “Help design a new business card this afternoon with your East Morning Star Advertising logo on it.

There’s a print shop downstairs in our building; get them to handle it.”

Sun Aimi: “No problem, I’ll take care of it this afternoon.”

Xu Chen smiled: “Remember to get a receipt; I’ll set up a work group later. You’ve met Fang Jun in Yangcheng…

She’s our financial wizard—anything with finances or reimbursements, her team will handle it.”

Sun Aimi: “Got it. For tomorrow’s client meeting, do I need any materials ready?

Like company introductions or something?”

Xu Chen: “No need; I’ll give a quick verbal overview of our company.

They know we’re just a small domestic ad agency, so putting together a fancy company PPT won’t make a difference.

Winning this client comes down to the proposal we offer; everything else is secondary.

Tomorrow’s just an initial chat to understand their ad needs.

I figure we’ll need a proposal ready during the National Day holiday and pitch it after.”

Sun Aimi: “Alright, just let me know if there’s anything I can do.”

Xu Chen: “No need to be so formal with me!”

……

……

Friday.

He had a PE class and a photography class in the morning, but Xu Chen skipped out.

Luckily, the photography teacher was lax with roll call, and his dorm mate Hong Xiaoqiang would cover for him.

Xu Chen met Sun Aimi at the South Gate of the school on Chifeng Road, then hailed a cab toward Lujiazui.

……

The taxi weaved through the towering buildings of Lujiazui.

Sun Aimi, who graduated and started in Yangcheng, seemed to be visiting Lujiazui for the first time and peered out with keen interest.

Xu Chen glanced up; the Oriental Pearl Tower and Jinmao Building loomed tall and striking.

In 2006, the Shanghai World Financial Center wasn’t topped out yet—its glass facade was only halfway up.

That supertall building, designed with Japanese architect input, had stirred controversy over its top wind tunnel design.

It started as a circular shape, but due to backlash from the public over its foreign origin, they changed it to square.

Later, the even taller Shanghai Center Tower in this Lujiazui area hadn’t even begun construction in 2006.

……

The taxi pulled up at a upscale office building on the edge of Lujiazui’s core. Xu Chen paid the fare in cash.

Though he’d gotten used to this ‘cash life’ for a while, it still felt like a hassle.

They got out.

Sun Aimi carried her laptop bag and followed her ‘boss’ quietly.

Xu Chen pulled out his mobile phone and contacted the Jeep client.

“Let’s head into the lobby first!”

The elevator hall had security, so they had to wait there.

After a short wait, a young man with slicked-back hair and a sharp look came down.

Xu Chen stepped forward: “Manager Yan Chuan, right? I’m Xu Chen.”

Yan Chuan was Jeep’s marketing manager—a lean, polished guy in a crisp white shirt.

He eyed Xu Chen with surprise:

“Sorry, I didn’t expect you to be so young.”

Xu Chen smiled without responding and introduced Sun Aimi behind him:

“This is our colleague, design director Sun Aimi.”

Sun Aimi smiled politely and gave a slight bow.

They exchanged business cards, and Yan Chuan led them upstairs.

“Our office is on the 17th floor. Our director, Andy, is here today, so we can chat with him too.”

……

The elevator shot up to the 17th floor, and as soon as they stepped out, a large, sleek Jeep logo greeted them.

Following Yan Chuan into the office, it was spacious and bright.

The background wall displayed classic Jeep models from history.

A big cultural wall in English chronicled Jeep’s origins, from World War II military needs and beyond.

The office decor had an automotive vibe—for instance, a bar in the corner made from stacked tires.

Yan Chuan guided them through the workspace to a meeting room.

The room was clean and simple, like any standard one, except the big TV screen saver looped posters of the Wrangler in the wilderness.

“Please have a seat, you two; our director Andy is still in a meeting.”

Xu Chen: “No problem, we’ll wait.”

Yan Chuan smiled, handed them two bottles of water, and left.

……

Xu Chen and Sun Aimi waited quietly, but nearly half an hour passed with no sign of anyone.

Sun Aimi checked the time and frowned:

“Making us wait this long… even as the client, that’s pretty rude, isn’t it?”

Xu Chen remained unfazed, as if he’d anticipated it: “Jeep’s brand side is resistant to East Morning Star Advertising taking this ad job.

Keeping us waiting like this is their way of sending a message…”

Sun Aimi: “So, should we still pursue this project?”

Xu Chen smiled: “It’s a budget of at least two or three million—why leave money on the table?”

Sun Aimi blinked, feeling a bit uneasy.

If the client was already resistant, the pitch might face pushback.

But Xu Chen seemed completely at ease, like he had it all figured out.

For the Jeep ad project, he knew the ‘standard answer,’ so he wasn’t worried about the proposal itself.

More than that, he trusted Xie Bingran’s business value—Jeep wouldn’t easily pass it up.

This wait was just them throwing a tantrum, maybe hinting that East Morning Star could bow out.

Xu Chen wasn’t bothered at all—in the business world, emotions were worthless.

……

……