Chapter 304: Mid-Autumn Gathering

On Mid-Autumn Festival evening, the fun-loving Old Xu threw together a massive feast at the factory grounds in town.

Besides the family already at the factory—his maternal uncle and fourth uncle, along with fourth aunt—there was Yang Congxin and Guo Liang, who were spending the holiday alone in Tiancheng.

Naturally, there were also Sun Aimi and Gu Xinxi, who had traveled from afar, plus Li Rui and Fang Tao, the two young buddies who hadn’t left yet.

The table overflowed with food and drinks, stacked high in a chaotic pile.

For the two southern girls, Sun Aimi and Gu Xinxi, this wild and hearty eating scene was completely new—they pulled out their mobile phones and snapped photos nonstop.

Xu Zhiquan cracked open a bottle of Guojiao and started cheerfully pouring drinks for everyone.

Xu Chen couldn’t resist taking a photo of the feast and sending it to Fang Jun, who was still in the Provincial Capital.

Fang Jun seemed a bit annoyed and replied:

[Tell President Xu that when I get back, he owes me a feast!]

……

With Guo Liang around, the conversation never lagged.

After a couple of rounds of drinks, only Guo Liang and Xu Zhiquan could still hold their glasses steady.

Sun Aimi and Gu Xinxi each raised a glass and came over to toast the ‘boss,’ Xu Chen.

Xu Chen had been sipping cola, but he poured himself two full glasses and downed them with a laugh.

Yang Congxin had downed a few cups and was getting sentimental.

He walked up to Xu Chen with his glass and said:

“I never imagined, in my whole life, that I’d get to tinker with electric cars—and finish building the first one so quickly…”

“Besides thanking President Xu, I have to thank you, young Mr. Xu!”

Xu Chen raised his glass politely:

“You’re too kind, Director Yang. You’re the real tech backbone of Chenfeng Technology—without you, we couldn’t have built that electric car.”

Yang Congxin sighed some more, then tossed back his full glass.

……

The sky darkened gradually.

The drinks kept flowing, and everyone who needed to toast had done so—even Guo Liang was starting to slur his words.

Xu Zhiquan lit a cigarette, grabbed his son’s arm with a big hand, and said:

“Come on! Let’s go watch the moon!”

Father and son stepped away from the table and climbed onto the roof of the north house.

In the eastern sky, a bright full moon was slowly rising…

The two sat cross-legged on the roof.

Xu Zhiquan pulled out a cigarette and stuck it in his mouth.

As he reached for his lighter, Xu Chen took it first.

With a click, the flame lit up Old Xu’s smiling face.

“Will I have to wait until winter break for you to come back next time?”

“Dad, you could come to Shanghai to see me! East Morning Star Advertising is your business too—you haven’t even visited the office yet!”

Xu Zhiquan laughed and gave his son’s shoulder a squeeze.

Xu Chen added:

“I’ll look into some MBA courses at Shanghai’s universities and see which one suits you best.”

“Once Chenfeng Technology is running smoothly and you have free time, come to Shanghai and study with me!”

Xu Zhiquan took a drag and chuckled heartily:

“Sounds good! I’ll follow your lead, son!”

……

……

On the afternoon of the 7th, Xu Chen, Sun Aimi, and Gu Xinxi landed in Shanghai.

Gu Xinxi had decided to join East Morning Star Advertising but hadn’t started the resignation process at her current company yet.

It would likely take at least ten days or so before she could officially start.

Luckily, the project workload wasn’t heavy, and Xu Chen and Sun Aimi could handle it between them.

Since they were all in the YP District, Xu Chen hailed a cab.

The next day was a workday after the holiday, but as an East Morning Star Advertising employee, Sun Aimi showed no signs of work anxiety.

Compared to her old job at Black Duke Marketing, East Morning Star Advertising felt much freer and more relaxed.

Not in terms of workload, but the overall vibe.

The office only had Xu Chen and Sun Aimi, and Xu Chen was clearly an easygoing boss with no desire to micromanage her.

Sun Aimi loved this laid-back atmosphere.

Yet, she stayed just as dedicated—maybe even more so than at her previous company.

In the cab, she double-checked the work schedule with Xu Chen for the coming days.

Xie Bingran’s photo shoots in the Provincial Capital would take about a week for photographer Tan Changqiao to edit and send over.

Meanwhile, Sun Aimi needed to touch up the base images for Chenfeng Ice Power.

That would be their main task for the next few days.

The creative draft for Kunlunshan Mineral Water was already done, but Xu Chen suggested holding off for a couple of days before pitching it to Jiaduobao.

His reasoning was to avoid making it seem too casual—they’d let it sit a bit to show they were taking it seriously.

This was different from the Jeep project, which was essentially a pitch battle against BBDO Tianlian Advertising.

For that one, speed was key to demonstrate East Morning Star Advertising’s capabilities and catch the competition off guard.

……

……

On the 8th, Xu Chen was back in class.

The morning lecture on Introduction to Communication Theory was a bit dry, and many students, probably worn out from the holiday, were dozing off.

Only the top student, Jiao Tianbo, sat in the front row, as straight as ever, taking diligent notes.

The lecturer was Chen Weilun, the department head of Journalism and a seasoned professor in the college.

As the class wrapped up, Chen Weilun announced:

“Before the National Day holiday, I represented our school at the preliminary judging for this year’s University Advertising Competition in Beijing.”

“What surprised me was that as freshmen, over twenty students from our class submitted entries.”

“The initial results are in, and I can share that two works from our class have made it to the final review.”

“Though I’m not on the final judging panel, I estimate that at least one of our entries has a good shot at winning!”

“That’s quite an achievement.”

“In past years, it was mostly juniors and seniors who advanced.”

“Having two freshmen entries this year is truly remarkable…”

His words sparked a wave of excited whispers.

After all, with over twenty submissions, everyone was buzzing, wondering if theirs had made the cut.

“Writers are a competitive bunch,” as the saying goes in creative fields.

Anyone who pours effort into their work tends to see it through rose-tinted glasses.

The guys in the back row joined in the lively discussion.

They started asking around about who had entered and joking about treat if someone won.

In dorm 3103, besides Xu Chen, there was the confident Jiao Tianbo and the artistic Chen Wenyi.

Chen Wenyi seemed unsure—or maybe just pretending to be—and said quietly:

“I only joined for fun; I probably didn’t make it.”

Hong Xiaoqiang turned to Xu Chen: “What about you, Xu?”

Xu Chen grinned boldly: “Of course I made it!”

“If you win, you have to treat us!”

Laughter and teasing erupted.

But most people probably took it as a joke.

Xu Chen’s casual attitude made it seem that way.

In dorm 3104, the deputy class monitor Huo Dashan, the local Shanghai guy Huang Hao, and the stock-trading enthusiast Pei Qian had also entered.

Huang Hao talked humbly, but he seemed pretty confident in his submission…

As Xu Chen chatted with his classmates, he couldn’t help wondering:

Were both finalists his own entries?

It wouldn’t bother him, but the ambitious Jiao Tianbo might be disappointed.

……

……

That afternoon during the break, Xu Chen got a message from Yan Chuan, the Jeep Marketing Department’s brand manager, confirming the proposal arrangements for tomorrow morning.

At 9:30 a.m., Xu Chen and Sun Aimi would arrive at the Jeep office for the pitch.

Yan Chuan added a reminder:

[Besides Andy He Da Chang, whom you met before, our domestic marketing department’s vice president, Leo Pang Ming, will also attend…]

Seemingly out of goodwill, Yan Chuan shared more details privately with Xu Chen:

[Leo Pang Ming is Andy He Da Chang’s superior, so he’ll be making the final decisions tomorrow, though he’ll still consider Andy’s input…]

[Of course, the core will still reference Andy’s opinion…]

[From our pre-holiday talks, Andy was very impressed with your ideas.]

[He’s really looking forward to tomorrow’s pitch.]

[Most importantly, Andy is keen on signing Xie Bingran…]

[The BBDO Tianlian Advertising team, led by Vincent Liu Wenqin, has their creative plan ready, so tomorrow will be a head-to-head competition…]

This was exactly what Xu Chen had expected.

He planned to research Vincent Liu Wenqin later that evening.

Know your enemy to ensure victory.

Xu Chen replied to Yan Chuan with a polite thank-you.

It seemed Yan Chuan was acting on Andy He Da Chang’s cue, urging Xu Chen to take the pitch seriously…

Soon after, Xu Chen received a formal meeting invitation email.

It covered the agenda, schedule, and attendees, with copies sent to everyone involved.

Xu Chen scanned the list and saw that BBDO Tianlian Advertising was sending five people—quite the lineup.

They were clearly going all out.

It made sense; Xu Chen was the unexpected challenger.

This deal was practically Vincent Liu Wenqin’s already, and now with this pitch-off, he must be frustrated.

From his past experience in ad agencies, Xu Chen knew that directors like Liu Wenqin adjusted their teams based on projects.

Losing Jeep could mean losing staff and bonuses for the team.

Xu Chen felt relaxed, but Liu Wenqin, the creative director from Taiwan, was under immense pressure.

……

……

That evening, in the Tonghai Creative Design Building, at the East Morning Star Advertising office.

Sun Aimi had already headed home, leaving Xu Chen alone in the general manager’s room, fine-tuning tomorrow’s pitch.

Though confident overall, Xu Chen took it seriously and didn’t let his guard down.

This project involved Xie Bingran, so it demanded his full attention.

For a star like her, endorsing certain brands reflected her status and market value.

Luxury and auto brands were the most prestigious.

Securing a car endorsement would boost Xie Bingran’s image.

Sometimes, endorsers and brands elevated each other.

Whether Xie Bingran landed this deal hinged on Xu Chen’s pitch tomorrow.

Jeep had made it clear that they’d only move forward with her if East Morning Star Advertising’s plan impressed them.

Plus…

If Xu Chen dropped the ball, he’d feel awkward facing Xie Bingran.

She was already a national champion and had just won in East Asia…

“The little rich girl” was on a roll, and Xu Chen needed to keep up.

In their partnership, they had to stay on equal footing to mutually thrive.

The proposal was written in a straightforward style, no unnecessary fluff.

But he still needed to polish the presentation script a bit.

He also researched tomorrow’s opponent, BBDO’s creative director, the Taiwan-based Liu Wenqin.

Liu Wenqin was a copywriter who had handled fast-moving consumer goods in Taiwan before.

After moving to the mainland, he stuck with fast consumer products, including food, beverages, and even women’s care items.

That gave him some common ground with Xu Chen, who had worked on Fuyan Jie.

Three years ago, Liu Wenqin started on auto clients, beginning with Mitsubishi’s Pajero, and last year, he handled Chevrolet’s market entry in China.

His track record likely helped him land the Jeep account.

With experience on classics like Pajero and Chevrolet’s launch, it was no surprise.

Xu Chen reviewed Liu Wenqin’s past ads and took note.

He wasn’t underestimating anyone.

Anyone at the table had their tricks.

After studying his opponent, Xu Chen looked into tomorrow’s big boss, Leo Pang Ming…

Gathering all the info, Xu Chen made some tweaks to his pitch script.

Now, he felt even more assured of success.

……

……

By the time he finished, it was nearly 10 p.m.

As Xu Chen was about to shut down and leave, he suddenly remembered the issue with An Jin Xiong and Chen Jinru.

He opened the Sohu Blog page.

Logging into his messages, he found one from Wen Cha Zhu Jiu:

[Hello, fellow netizen!

I’ve sent all the complaint letters to the addresses you provided via registered mail!

Also, for those two departments needing phone complaints, I called them this afternoon with my real name and got official case numbers!

Thanks again for your kind help!]