Chapter 320: Daily Dealings and Distant Plans

Sunday morning.

Xu Chen stayed in a hotel at Tianhe Tower, specifically choosing the same room he had shared with Xie Bingran before.

It was the same standard double room, but with guests coming and going, any traces of Xu Chen and Xie Bingran’s stay had long vanished.

Fortunately, the memories remained vivid.

Last night with Nie Fei, he had one too many cocktails, and now in the morning, his head still throbbed a bit.

After getting up and freshening up, Xu Chen first called his father, Xu Zhiquan.

Old Xu was thrilled to get his son’s call.

The father and son exchanged caring words, then Xu Chen brought up Nie Fei and the Ran Bing Sports matter.

Xu Zhiquan replied seriously:

This is a serious matter.

I’ll have Wu Yue arrange a reception and chat with her properly.

Xu Chen: Nie Fei knows her stuff in market marketing and channel distribution.

You could also have Guo Liang talk with her more…

Xu Zhiquan: Got it, I’ll handle that.

Xu Chen added with a smile: When you take Nie Fei out to eat, don’t pressure her to drink…

She’s used to working at foreign and Hong Kong firms, not really into the drinking culture.

Xu Zhiquan chuckled heartily:

Don’t worry! Your dad knows what he’s doing!

Xu Zhiquan thought for a moment and said:

You mentioned earlier that Nie Fei wants to check out the production base, right?

Xu Chen: Yeah, she’s planning a sports brand, maybe starting with professional running shoes, so she needs to sort out production first…

There are a few spots in the country where sportswear factories cluster, and Nie Fei has connections there to make introductions.

Xu Zhiquan: Then I’ll go with her, and I’ll bring Fang Jun along.

Xu Chen thought about it: That works, Nie Fei’s on her own and she’s just a woman after all.

With President Xu stepping in, it looks more like serious business.

Xu Zhiquan smiled and said:

Dealing with factories involves some complexities.

Though Nie Fei is a high-level exec at a foreign company, she might not know all the ins and outs of factory relationships and customs…

Plus, this is about you and Bingran, so as your dad, I need to pay extra attention!

Xu Chen laughed: Then I’ll leave it to President Xu!

Xu Zhiquan: Our first mass-produced car is set to roll off the line by month’s end. Can you come back?

Xu Chen: Hard to say, there’s Xie Bingran’s material shoot at the end of the month, and it might conflict.

Xu Zhiquan: No problem, come back for the celebration party later!

From Old Xu’s tone, he was full of confidence and excitement about the Chenfeng Ice Power’s first sales.

Around ten o’clock.

Jeep brand manager Yan Chuan set up a phone conference, mainly for the director team to report on Xie Bingran’s storyboard scripts to the clients.

East Morning Star Advertising, with Sun Aimi involved early in the storyboard discussions, and Xu Chen having reviewed the final script, saw no major issues.

The storyboard report was led by director Paul Bojunsen.

This ad director from Hong Kong Island struggled through the presentation in broken Mandarin, making it quite halting.

Luckily, there were documents to refer to, so it didn’t hinder the report much.

The overall shoot plan revolved around three or four scenes near Dunhuang, wrap-up in a single day.

From Jeep’s side, bosses Pang Ming and He Da Chang raised a few questions but had no strong objections.

After all, the storyboard stuck closely to Xu Chen’s ad concept, so no big problems.

The only hitch was shooting Xie Bingran and Wang Shi’s scenes separately and editing them together later, which made the clients a bit uneasy.

Director Paul Bojunsen responded:

No need to worry too much.

We’ll use the same visual style for shooting, and in post-production, unify the dubbing and color grading to keep the overall look consistent…

After discussing a few more details, the storyboard plan was finalized.

Yan Chuan added:

Tomorrow morning, we’ll have a call with National Team’s Director Li Yue.

To confirm Xie Bingran’s final shoot schedule and go over the plan with Director Li Yue.

He paused, then said:

Teacher Xu Chen, we haven’t reported this project to the National Team before, so we’re not sure what they’ll focus on…

Xu Chen replied:

They mainly care about two things:

First, the athlete’s schedule. Xie Bingran is prepping for the Asian Games, so her training is locked in tight.

Once the shoot schedule is set, no changes, especially no last-minute delays.

Second, the athlete’s safety. She’s the national champion and headed to the Asian Games, so she’s invaluable.

We must ensure her safety throughout the shoot, with medical support and precautions in place.

I suggest the director team put together a simple plan for the entire travel route, safety measures, medical support, and so on, to present to Director Li Yue tomorrow…

BBDO creative director Liu Wenqin responded:

Understood, Teacher Xu Chen! We’ll work with the director on that and have a plan ready today!

Xu Chen added a reminder:

Confirming with Director Li Yue tomorrow, Xie Bingran’s schedule will likely be end of October.

That’s just over a week away, so we need to wrap up all shoot prep next week.

It’s a tight timeline, so BBDO and the director team will have to push hard!

Director Paul Bojunsen responded:

Got it, thanks for the heads-up, Teacher Xu Chen!

We’re already prepping that side.

Next Monday, we’ll send people to the northwest to handle transportation, equipment, and support prep!

The storyboard report went smoothly, and clearly Liu Wenqin and Paul Bojunsen breathed a sigh of relief.

Mainly because Pang Ming and He Da Chang didn’t suggest major changes, so they could dive straight into prep without tweaking the script.

Xu Chen felt no pressure; his role as producer was mostly about giving directions, keeping things light.

At noon, Xu Chen went alone to Yangcheng Restaurant for a meal.

Even though he was by himself, he went a bit overboard, ordering a full table of dishes.

As the young boss out and about, he had to take care of himself.

Plus, at this age where he didn’t gain weight no matter what he ate, he might as well enjoy the food.

During the meal, Wu Yue sent a message asking about Nie Fei’s preferences.

[Young Boss Xu, any special notes for receiving Director Nie? Like dietary restrictions…]

Xu Chen smiled; Wu Yue was always so thorough.

[No need for that level of detail, Sister Wu Yue. Just a standard welcome will do. Remember to include Teacher Fang Jun so they can connect properly.]

[Okay, no problem!]

After eating, Xu Chen stopped by the dim sum shop on the first floor and bought some wife cakes and cured meats, packing them up to ship back home to Tiancheng.

His father, Xu Zhiquan, loved the taste of those wife cakes, and Xu Chen hadn’t forgotten.

By the time he returned to Shanghai, it was already 5 p.m.

Xu Chen missed Bing Ge but didn’t want to disrupt her training.

She was stuck in the training field all weekend, no way out.

But if Xu Chen went and got a hotel tonight, Xie Bingran might sneak out.

Still, after thinking it over, he decided against it.

A round trip for her would mean losing an hour of sleep.

Bing Ge’s daily training was tough enough; better let her rest.

Back at the dorm, hugging that big wolf dog plush toy on the bed would have to ease the longing.

Monday morning.

With two phone conferences and an English class at school, Xu Chen checked his attendance and decided to skip class, heading straight to the office.

Sun Aimi was already waiting in the meeting room, with paper and pen ready, looking fully focused.

The first call was about the Kunlunshan Mineral Water shoot arrangements.

After a short wait, Chen Xinyi’s call came through.

The conference involved three parties: Jiaduobao, East Morning Star Advertising, and the photographer.

From Jiaduobao, besides Chen Xinyi and a few marketing folks, there was a vice president named Gong Ming.

With Nie Fei on leave, Gong Ming had taken over her duties.

The photographer, Tang Shanfeng, was from Jiaduobao’s usual studio and had shot the Wang Laoshun print ads before.

As the client’s boss, Gong Ming gave a brief self-introduction.

He also emphasized:

Push forward the Kunlunshan Mineral Water project as per Nie Fei’s original schedule; no changes needed for now.

Then, Chen Xinyi took over the meeting.

Xie Bingran’s shoot was set for the morning of the 29th.

From 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., a total of six hours.

Just two core key visual pieces, with maybe a dozen poses; six hours was plenty.

Xie Bingran’s makeup and hair were simple, and the background wasn’t complicated, so execution was straightforward.

Photographer Tang Shanfeng went through the detailed plan with Gong Ming and Xu Chen.

Covering makeup, outfits, pose references, lighting, and more.

Sun Aimi had already reviewed it, so Xu Chen had few comments.

This meeting was simple, basically getting everyone acquainted and confirming the 29th schedule.

That day, the National Team would have Xie Bingran at the studio by 7 a.m., and she needed to wrap by 1 p.m.

What Jiaduobao and the photographer didn’t know was that after 1 p.m., Xie Bingran would head straight to the Jeep shoot.

After hanging up, Sun Aimi adjusted her round glasses and asked softly:

Did Director Nie really leave?

Having liaised with Jiaduobao before, Sun Aimi knew Nie Fei.

She’d heard some rumors from Chen Xinyi about recent events at Jiaduobao.

Xu Chen joked:

You’re pretty upset about Director Nie leaving?

Sun Aimi: She’s so capable and beautiful…

I really enjoyed working with her.

Xu Chen smiled mysteriously:

Who knows, there might be chances later.

The Jeep conference started promptly at 11 a.m.

From the brand side, mainly bosses Pang Ming and He Da Chang.

Then, BBDO Tianlian Advertising’s Liu Wenqin team and Paul Bojunsen’ s director team.

Plus, Sports Administration’s Director Li Yue.

Yan Chuan from Jeep’s marketing department hosted, first introducing everyone.

As a leader from the Sports Administration, everyone was polite and greeted Li Yue properly.

Especially Pang Ming and He Da Chang, who were extra courteous to Li Yue.

After all, the whole collaboration deal and rollout were in Li Yue’s hands; his word carried weight.

And when Li Yue learned Xu Chen was on the call, he proactively and politely greeted ‘Teacher Xu Chen’.

Xu Chen responded warmly and familiarly, chatting with Director Li as if they were old friends.

This surprised Pang Ming, Liu Wenqin, and the others a bit.

They hadn’t realized East Morning Star Advertising had such a close tie with the Sports Administration’s Director Li.

Li Yue’s tone with Teacher Xu Chen was so respectful and serious…

After the An Jin Xiong incident, Li Yue felt a strange wariness toward Xu Chen.

All the events made Director Li suspect that An Jin Xiong’s downfall and the forces behind it might link back to this ‘young Teacher Xu’…

The more unclear it was, the more cautious he became.

The meeting covered two topics: first, Li Yue syncing the final confirmed schedule for Xie Bingran; second, the director syncing the script and shoot plan.

Xie Bingran’s schedule, as expected, started from the afternoon of the 29th.

At 2 p.m. on the 29th, Xie Bingran would arrive at the Jeep studio for car interior shots and print ads.

Then, fly to Dunhuang that night.

The whole next day, the 30th, for the TV ad shoot.

On the 31st morning, Xie Bingran would finish and return to Shanghai.

The schedule matched what Xu Chen had anticipated and reminded them about.

The director team’s shoot plan fit perfectly.

Li Yue specifically reminded:

The athlete’s schedule is fixed; especially on the 31st morning, she must fly back unless it’s unavoidable.

Also, ensure Xie Bingran’s safety throughout travel, driving, and shooting—no risks at all.

If anything happens, we’re all accountable…

His points echoed Xu Chen’s earlier advice, surprising Jeep and BBDO’s people.

Clearly, Teacher Xu Chen had a deep connection with the National Team and knew their needs well.

Director Paul Bojunsen said in his awkward Mandarin:

Director Li, rest assured, we have detailed safety and medical plans; we’ll sync them with you shortly.

The director first outlined the 29th afternoon studio shoot plan, which his team would manage.

The photographer was also from Hong Kong Island and would handle the ad filming the next day.

Named Kuang Chunlei, he went by the English name Leslie, same as the famous actor.

Then, they detailed the next day’s TV ad storyboard and shoot plan.

The meeting dragged on until past 1 p.m.

Partly because Paul Bojunsen’s Mandarin was so poor, slowing things down.

And partly because Director Li Yue asked about every shooting detail.

Of course, his main concern was Xie Bingran’s situation.

Above all, guaranteeing her safety, and ensuring she wasn’t overworked.

Xu Chen was quite satisfied with Li Yue’s demands.

This was ideal.

Having Li Yue voice these requirements made the director and clients more compliant…

During the discussion, whether it was brand bosses Pang Ming and He Da Chang, or Liu Wenqin and Paul Bojunsen, they noticed how much Director Li Yue valued Teacher Xu Chen’s input.

He even asked for Xu Chen’s opinions midway, with a deferential attitude…

It almost seemed like Xu Chen was Director Li’s superior.

This left everyone puzzled but pleased.

With Teacher Xu Chen in the middle, coordinating with the National Team was much smoother.