Chapter 310: University Life and Emerging Ventures

Tonghai University, at the bubble-tea shop next to Music Square.

Xu Chen and Sun Aimi each held a cup of bubble tea, still chatting casually.

Sun Aimi glanced around and said:

“Isn’t Tonghai University a tech school? How come the buildings here have such an artistic vibe?”

Tonghai University’s overall architecture followed the German Bauhaus style.

Yet, each college building had its own unique features and quirky elements.

Xu Chen smiled and explained, “The school has a top-notch architecture department, so whenever a college needs a new building, those ‘masters’ from the department jump in to show off their skills.”

Sun Aimi: “They can do that?”

Xu Chen’s phone buzzed. He pulled it out and saw that Yan Chuan from Jeep had added him as an MSN friend.

[Hello, Teacher Xu! I’ll push the project forward in the next couple of days, especially with BBDO—I’ll urge them to connect with the director team.]

[Then I’ll set up a follow-up project communication group…]

[Great, East Morning Star Advertising is ready to respond anytime!]

[There’s one more thing I didn’t mention earlier, Teacher Xu…

The endorser Wang Shi wants to meet you. Vincent mentioned it might lead to future projects and collaboration with East Morning Star Advertising.]

Xu Chen paused, then confirmed:

[Are you saying Wang Shi might have projects and wants to work with East Morning Star Advertising?]

Yan Chuan replied:

[In the phone meeting with Vincent this morning, he didn’t spell it out clearly.

But from the tone, it seems Wang Shi is genuinely interested.]

Mainly, Wang Shi really appreciates and likes the proposals and copy we sent from East Morning Star Advertising.

I suspect Vanke might reach out for real estate projects soon!]

Xu Chen couldn’t help but smile at this unexpected project opportunity.

From 2006 onward and into the following decades, China’s real estate industry was booming.

In advertising, this led to the rise of companies and professionals specializing in real estate projects.

After all, new real estate projects launched every month, each needing advertising promotion.

At its peak, those firms focused on real estate made a fortune.

Securing a project from Wang Shi with Vanke would open a solid new business line for East Morning Star Advertising.

Plus, real estate ad projects usually weren’t too stressful.

Especially for popular developments from big companies—they sold out fast.

Even without ads, they flew off the shelves.

And listed companies had to spend their budgeted funds, so they turned to ad agencies to use it up.

Of course, some shady folks took advantage to skim off the top…

In this setup, a lot of real estate ads were just about creating hype, disconnected from actual sales.

That meant creatives could get more playful with ideas.

Another reason Xu Chen wanted more projects was his plans for Ran Bing Sports.

Launching Ran Bing Sports would need a decent amount of startup capital.

His father, Xu Zhiquan, was still pouring money into Chenfeng Technology without returns, and Xu Chen didn’t want to add to his burden.

By combining income from his current projects and taking on a few more, he could scrape together a few million.

That would cover Ran Bing Sports’ startup funds.

If it fell short, he could ask his father later—Xu Zhiquan could always free up some cash.

Of course, Xu Chen could look into external financing, with Fang Jun helping find channels and handle processes.

But most importantly, he didn’t want to dilute Ran Bing Sports’ shares.

He and Xie Bingran needed absolute control.

It was freeing when just the two of them called the shots.

Outside investors or institutions would meddle, demanding financial reports and oversight—it gave Xu Chen headaches just thinking about it.

From past business cases, he’d seen plenty where funding led to losing control.

Even simple suggestions from outsiders felt like a hassle…

Better to keep it all in his hands.

For Xu Chen and his now-comfortable life, money wasn’t the main issue anymore.

So, with Ran Bing Sports, it wasn’t just about scaling up or profits.

He wanted to build a solid brand for Xie Bingran.

…

…

As Xu Chen pondered this, Yan Chuan messaged again:

[From what Vincent said, Wang Shi is just floating the idea for now—it’s an initial interest.

If East Morning Star Advertising is interested, you can connect with him during the ad shoot.]

Xu Chen thought for a moment and replied:

[Got it.

Thanks for the heads-up, Yan. I’ll keep an eye out and reach out to Wang during the Wang Shi ad collaboration!]

[You’re too kind, Teacher Xu! It’s all because East Morning Star’s proposals are top-notch. It’s natural they’d attract more clients.]

…

Xu Chen pocketed his phone and grinned at Sun Aimi:

“Feels like our projects are about to keep rolling in.”

Sun Aimi: “Huh?! Boss, do we have new projects?”

Xu Chen smiled mysteriously: “Not yet, but there’s interest.”

He thought for a second and added:

“Once Gu Xinxi joins, the three of us will handle it more easily.

We’ll see how it goes. If it gets too busy, we can expand the team.

But I don’t want East Morning Star Advertising to grow too big—more people means more headaches.

If projects keep pouring in, we can just pick the best ones.”

He paused and looked at Sun Aimi:

“We’ll only take the ones that pay well, are fun, and we actually want to do!”

Sun Aimi: “Sounds perfect!”

Xu Chen joked, “With these projects lined up, I can give you a hefty year-end bonus, Teacher Aimi!”

Keeping projects flowing meant promising and delivering for the team—to hold onto good people.

Sun Aimi blinked, then laughed:

“Boss, next time we eat or grab bubble tea, it’s on me!”

Xu Chen chuckled, feeling upbeat.

“One more thing—we need to design a website for East Morning Star Advertising.

I have a classmate who can handle the tech side; you just design the pages.”

Sun Aimi: “What modules and content do we need? And when’s the deadline?”

Xu Chen: “Keep it simple, mostly for show.

List our current partners: Wang Laoshun, Renhe Pharmaceuticals, Kunlun Mountain, Jeep… and Chenfeng Technology too.

No need for detailed cases—just their logos.

Once Gu Xinxi starts, add his email and phone. That way, potential clients can reach us directly.

No rush on the timeline.

Work on it when you have time. Once it’s ready, let me know, and I’ll get someone to build it.”

Sun Aimi: “Okay! I’ll sketch a few design drafts for you to choose from.”

…

…

In the afternoon.

Xu Chen attended a required Marxism-Leninism politics class, then hurried to the computer lab in Little Yellow Building for his major’s ‘Computer Graphic Design’ course.

The course covered basic design software operations, like Photoshop and CorelDRAW.

It was essentially what Sun Aimi did now.

Thanks to his past work experience, Xu Chen was already familiar with the basics, making it easy.

The advertising department wasn’t purely design-focused, so the software training was light—nothing too in-depth.

Besides, the instructor teaching Photoshop wasn’t nearly as skilled as Sun Aimi.

If he really wanted to learn, picking Sun Aimi’s brain might be faster.

…

During the break.

Xu Chen sat in the back row, still finishing the class assignment, when a few guys suddenly surrounded him.

He looked confused, unsure what these grinning guys were up to.

“Jiangsu-Zhejiang Prince” Qian Xin slung an arm around Xu Chen’s neck and laughed:

“Who was that girl at lunch?”

Xu Chen blinked: “Huh?!”

Qian Xin: “We all saw you—grabbing lunch in the small cafeteria and then bubble tea together!

Nice one, Xu Boss…

Curvy girls are the best, especially the sweet and cute type!”

“Stock Guy” Pei Qian chimed in:

“Who knew you’d be the first in our class to couple up.”

Xu Chen felt speechless—they meant Sun Aimi.

“Computer Whiz” Hong Xiaoqiang grinned:

“Introduce us, man. Which department? She looks like a senior!”

Qian Xin nodded: “Seniors know their stuff!”

Xu Chen sighed: “She’s a colleague at my company.”

Qian Xin waved it off: “Come on, you really have a company with employees?”

Xu Chen grew frustrated but didn’t want to argue—just brush it off quickly.

“Artsy Guy” Chen Wenyi raised his hand slightly: “Xu Chen does have a company—I visited it!”

A clear, pleasant voice came from behind:

“I’ve been there too— he really has a company.”

The guys froze and turned, suddenly acting shy.

Pei Qian and Chen Wenyi looked especially awkward.

Xu Chen glanced up and saw the class rep, Su Rong.

He remembered—the last fall outing involved food, and Chen Wenyi and Su Rong had visited the Tonghai Creative Design Building office, even sharing a crab meal.

Later, when he needed to move a mattress, he asked Chen Wenyi for help.

…

As “goddess” Su Rong approached, the rowdy guys turned timid.

She seemed to sense the odd atmosphere, dropped her comment, and headed back.

Qian Xin stared, then grinned at Xu Chen: “Wait, you actually have a company? What does it do?”

Xu Chen shrugged: “Just advertising projects—I’m doing it for fun.”

Qian Xin laughed: “My family’s business needs promotion. Can you give me a discount?”

“Sure, as long as I can handle it for you, Qian Boss.”

Xu Chen brushed it off casually, and just then, the second half of class started.

As the teacher walked in, the guys scattered.

Xu Chen shook his head with a wry smile.

The next session continued with computer assignments, everyone hunched over their screens.

Xu Chen finished his quickly and logged into QQ and MSN to handle some work.

His roommate, the “computer expert” Hong Xiaoqiang, leaned over from the next seat and whispered:

“Someday, take me to check out your company!”

Xu Chen grinned: “Sure, I actually have a project for you.”

Hong Xiaoqiang: “What is it?”

Xu Chen: “I mentioned it before—building a website for my company.

The designer’s working on it now. Once the front end is ready, I need help turning it into a simple site.”

Hong Xiaoqiang smiled confidently: “Send it my way—I’ve got it covered!”

He felt a bit surprised—Xu Chen was serious about this company website.

Last time Xu Chen brought it up, he thought it was just talk.

Hong Xiaoqiang frowned slightly—Xu Chen’s setup sounded legit: an office, colleagues, and now a website?

…

…

Xu Chen scrolled through messages and remembered the issue with An Jin Xiong and Chen Jinru.

It was a big deal, no wonder it stayed on his mind.

It involved endorsements for Xie Bingran’s Chenfeng Technology and Ran Bing Sports, plus his plan to poach Nie Fei…

If things didn’t move, he’d have to find another way—An Jin Xiong’s obstacles needed clearing soon.

Xu Chen opened the browser and logged into his Sohu Blog.

In the private messages, nothing new showed up.

He clicked on the chat with “Wen Cha Zhu Jiu” and hesitated before asking:

[Hey, any updates on your end?]

To his surprise, “Wen Cha Zhu Jiu” was online and replied instantly:

[There’s progress… but I’m still verifying.]

Xu Chen didn’t pry, keeping it casual as a helpful netizen:

[That’s great! I’m glad if I could help. Best of luck!]

This was to avoid seeming too invested, for his own protection.

“Wen Cha Zhu Jiu” responded directly:

[I have two former colleagues I know well in the company…

They told me the big boss hasn’t shown up lately, even skipped a key executive event.

I think my report worked—he’s probably under investigation!

I was just searching for news, but nothing’s out yet!]