Chapter 330: Morning Deals in the Desert
by xennovelMorning in the hotel restaurant.
Xu Chen wandered in for breakfast and spotted Sun Aimi from afar, with a small wad of tissue stuffed in one nostril.
“What’s going on?”
Sun Aimi looked embarrassed: “The climate’s too dry; I’ve started having nosebleeds.”
Xu Chen looked exasperated: “Good thing we’re heading back today…”
You should have filled the bathtub with water. That room humidifier is too small and useless.”
Sun Aimi: “It’s fine, boss; we’re leaving anyway.”
The two grabbed some buffet items and sat by the window.
As a southerner, Sun Aimi preferred light flavors; she wouldn’t touch the local beef and lamb dishes at all.
She only picked up some plain congee, corn, and fruit, not even daring to try the eggs.
Xu Chen dug into lamb-filled baked buns with gusto.
Too bad they had to catch a flight that morning; no time for another round of stewed lamb pot.
Xu Chen remembered something and asked: “Is the flat layout for Chenfeng Ice Power all done?”
Sun Aimi: “All finished. Gu Xinxi already sent it to General Manager Guo Liang.”
General Manager Guo has some size adjustment requests. I was going to handle it, but he said to let the suppliers do it.”
Xu Chen nodded: “Send me the latest two key visuals too; I still want to show them to Director Li Yue.”
Sun Aimi adjusted her round-framed glasses and asked with some expectation:
“Is Chenfeng Ice Power about to launch soon?”
Xu Chen smiled: “Probably soon.”
The first mass-produced model will roll off the line any day, and then we can start full production.”
Sun Aimi raised her red date tea and clinked cups with Xu Chen:
“Congratulations, little President Xu!”
Xu Chen: “Ran Bing Sports is about to kick off too!”
Sun Aimi lit up with surprise: “Really?”
Xu Chen: “Really. And we’ll need product design; you can join in on that.”
Sun Aimi perked up excitedly: “Awesome! I topped my university class in fashion design!”
Xu Chen: “Ran Bing Sports will have another executive joining to manage that side.”
Sun Aimi blinked her round eyes, looking a bit worried.
It sounded like a new boss; Sun Aimi felt a little uneasy.
After all, she preferred working with Xu Chen…
Xu Chen smiled: “The executive is someone Teacher Aimi knows, and I think you’ll like them.”
Sun Aimi looked puzzled: “Who is it?”
Xu Chen gave a mysterious smile and didn’t say more.
Sun Aimi blinked, racking her brain but couldn’t figure it out.
……
Another group entered the restaurant—it was the director’s team and crew.
He Da Chang from the Jeep brand, Yan Chuan, and Liu Wenqin from BBDO walked in together.
They spotted Xu Chen from across the room and nodded with smiles.
He Da Chang, Yan Chuan, and Liu Wenqin grabbed some food and brought their trays over to Xu Chen.
After this tough shoot, everyone had bonded like comrades; they were all quite familiar now.
Liu Wenqin had felt a bit sore about losing the order to Xu Chen and the big project profits…
But working together on this, he found ‘Teacher Xu Chen’ not only highly professional but also great with people—easy to get along with.
In work, Xu Chen was objective and straightforward, without any ego-tripping; he even spoke up for BBDO in front of clients.
All of which made Liu Wenqin really like ‘Teacher Xu Chen’s’ style.
For Xu Chen, whether it was Liu Wenqin from BBDO, Director Paul Bao Junsen, or photographer Leslie Kuang Chunlei, they were all key contacts in the industry.
Who knows, they might come in handy for future projects.
These ad pros from Hong Kong and Taiwan were top-notch in execution, way beyond what mainland small production companies could match.
No wonder foreign brands like Jeep insisted on Hong Kong and Taiwan teams.
……
Xu Chen suddenly thought of something and said to He Da Chang:
“Andy, if I want to buy a Grand Cherokee, can I get some discount?”
He Da Chang paused, then grinned:
“Absolutely! I’ll get you the internal discount rate.”
He turned to Yan Chuan:
“Chuan, help Teacher Xu with this.”
Yan Chuan: “No problem, I’ll contact the Shanghai dealer later.”
Xu Chen: “My budget’s only five hundred thousand; I might not afford the top model.”
Yan Chuan thought for a moment: “With the internal discount and a chat with the dealer, we should get pretty close.”
Xu Chen: “That’d be great! Thanks, Andy and Yan!”
He Da Chang: “I’m surprised; at your age, Teacher Xu, you’d like the Grand Cherokee.”
As in the strategy Xu Chen presented earlier, the Grand Cherokee targeted ‘successful middle-aged men’.
And Xu Chen, looking in his twenties, clearly wasn’t the typical user.
Xu Chen laughed: “Maybe I’m old at heart…”
Plus, I just prefer bigger cars with luxurious interiors.”
He Da Chang beamed and gave a thumbs up: “Good taste!”
……
As breakfast wound down, Director Paul Bao Junsen arrived with his attractive assistant director and sat with a smile:
“Folks, we need to finalize the shoot for spokesperson Wang Shi.”
Yan Chuan checked his phone and said:
“Per the plan, we need to lock in the shot list and schedule for Wang Shi’s part this week; next week, we’ll start shooting…”
We’re aiming for the ad to go live in December promotions.
The key is to ride the wave of Xie Bingran’s Asian Games buzz…”
Xu Chen jumped in: “East Morning Star Advertising will fully cooperate with you and Aimi.”
The director smiled: “Working on the script with Teacher Aimi was a real pleasure before.”
Sun Aimi sat there, smiling shyly.
Liu Wenqin: “Once we’re back in Shanghai today, we’ll refine the script based on East Morning Star Advertising’s concept framework…”
He glanced at Xu Chen and added with a grin:
“Teacher Xu Chen, you must join the PPM meeting with Wang Shi when it’s time.
Wang Shi specifically wants to meet you!”
The ‘PPM meeting’ is a pre-shoot session to confirm all details.
For Xie Bingran’s part, they handled it via video call…
And Yan Chuan had already mentioned that Wang Shi wanted to meet Xu Chen after reading his Jeep script and loving it.
He was keen to know the creative mind from East Morning Star Advertising.
Xu Chen wasn’t surprised; he’d tailored the script, from strategy to copy, for ‘successful older men’ like Wang Shi.
To win him over, he’d even tweaked the language specifically.
A script that hit the mark naturally got the thumbs-up.
Yan Chuan also hinted that Wang Shi’s interest in Xu Chen likely meant Vanke real estate projects heading East Morning Star’s way.
For opportunities like that, Xu Chen welcomed them:
“No problem; I’ll make time for the PPM meeting once it’s set.”
Liu Wenqin: “It might involve flying to Pengcheng for a face-to-face with Wang Shi. That okay with you, Teacher Xu Chen?”
Xu Chen thought about it; that probably meant another day off school.
But networking with a bigwig like Wang Shi and landing real estate business was way more valuable than classes, so he smiled:
“Of course; just let me know the date in advance.”
Liu Wenqin: “Excellent! With you on board, Teacher Xu Chen, the meeting with Wang Shi should go smoothly!”
……
……
After breakfast, they headed back to pack and rush to the airport for the return to Shanghai.
Xu Chen returned to his room, gathered his clothes and luggage.
He glanced at the neat bed and chuckled.
These past two days, he’d snuck into Xie Bingran’s room; his own bed hadn’t been touched.
Leaving his room, Xu Chen slung his backpack over his shoulder and headed straight for Xie Bingran’s door.
Room 506.
Xu Chen knocked.
The door opened, and there was Bing Ge.
She’d clearly just finished a workout, sweat covering her face and hair.
Wearing a black sports tank and shorts…
Even on a business trip, Bing Ge kept up her routine training—dedicated as ever.
“Time to pack up and check out,” Xu Chen said with a smile.
“Oh.”
Xie Bingran let him in and closed the door behind.
She went back to the room, grabbed a towel from the bed, and wiped the sweat from her face and neck.
Xu Chen sat in the chair, eyeing her defined arms and those long, shapely legs—he couldn’t help but feel tempted.
Before she could react, he stood up and pulled her into his arms.
“I’m all sweaty…” Xie Bingran murmured, a bit embarrassed.
Xu Chen held her tight:
“I like you all wet like this…”
Xie Bingran shot him a shy, annoyed look but wrapped her arms around him.
A large mirror stood nearby, and Xu Chen caught a perfect view of her smooth back, waistline, and those stunning legs.
His hands wandered, unable to resist.
Xie Bingran didn’t stop him much and tilted her head up to plant a soft kiss on his lips.
“Don’t get carried away…” she whispered.
Xu Chen was struggling to hold back:
“What if I really want to?”
Xie Bingran flashed a playful grin and reached down, giving him a light squeeze.
Xu Chen yelped, feigning anger.
“Stick out your tongue,” he ordered.
“Why?”
“I want to taste it!”
Xie Bingran looked annoyed but obediently poked out her tongue.
Xu Chen grinned and kissed her deeply.
……
……
As a small northwestern city, Dunhuang wasn’t large.
The airport was just over ten kilometers from downtown.
The Mogao Caves were near the airport, but with their flight to catch, no one could stop to visit.
Xu Chen drove, still carrying Xie Bingran, Coach Cheng Hong, and Sun Aimi.
As they passed the Mogao Caves, everyone turned for a quick look.
As an art student, Sun Aimi felt a special connection to the Mogao Caves.
She shared some stories about the cave murals, her expression turning melancholic.
Especially when mentioning a famous modern painter who damaged the Thousand Buddha Cave murals just to copy them, she couldn’t hide her outrage.
“Those centuries-old art treasures ruined by that idiot old man—it’s enough to keep me up at night!”
Teacher Aimi was fuming, even dropping a curse.
Coach Cheng Hong leaned over and patted her chest: “Take it easy, Teacher Aimi; don’t stoop to that idiot’s level.”
Probably because Aimi’s feel was so nice, Cheng Hong lingered a bit longer comforting her.
……
At the airport.
While waiting for the flight, Xu Chen got a message from Nie Fei:
[Are you in Shanghai today?]
Xu Chen: [I’m at the airport; landing in Shanghai this afternoon.]
Nie Fei: [I’ll get there later in the afternoon; I’ll head straight to your company. We can talk then.]
Xu Chen: [Great! Welcome, Fei Jie!]
Nie Fei: [The factory stuff—your dad has it pretty much sorted…]
Xu Chen: [Ha, that’s just like him.]
Nie Fei: [You two are quite the pair; no wonder you’ve both built successful businesses.]
Xu Chen: [So, Fei Jie… does that mean you’re joining Ran Bing Sports?]
Nie Fei: [With your dad buying the factory, I’d be letting you both down if I didn’t.]
Xu Chen: [Welcome aboard, Fei Jie! I’ll treat you to drinks tonight!]
Nie Fei: [I can’t handle more; these past days have been all booze. Your dad’s a bottomless pit, and Fang Jun’s got quite the tolerance too…]
……
……
They lined up to board.
Only Xie Bingran was in first class, being the celebrity spokesperson.
Even the client boss He Da Chang was just in business class…
Xu Chen glanced at the ‘Little Rich Lady’ beside him and said with a smile:
“Go on; first class boards early.”
Xie Bingran looked at him with a hint of resentment, not seeming happy.
Once they reached Shanghai, they’d have to part ways, and that thought left them both a bit down.
……
Xu Chen watched Xie Bingran’s reluctant back and felt a pang.
When it was his turn in line, he asked:
“Can I upgrade to first class? Is there time?”
The flight attendant smiled: “Of course; seats are available.”
He handed Xu Chen a card: “Once you’re on board, give this to a flight attendant, and they’ll handle it.”
……
……
Xie Bingran settled into first class, where a polite attendant knelt to offer slippers and pour water.
She wasn’t used to being waited on and shifted uncomfortably.
First class was sparse; a middle-aged man in a suit and gold-rimmed glasses nearby glanced at her several times.
Xie Bingran asked for a glass of warm water and rested her long legs on the footrest.
The man adjusted his glasses and leaned over with a sleazy vibe: “Miss, could I get to know you?”
Xie Bingran turned slightly, her eyes flashing with a cold glare.
The sleazy man flinched and sat back quietly.
……
Just then, someone walked up and took the seat next to Xie Bingran.
She tensed up but then lit up when she saw who it was.
Xu Chen sat down with a grin and reached over to hold her hand: “I switched to here.”
Xie Bingran bit her lip, smiling happily.
Xie Bingran settled into first class, where a polite attendant knelt to offer slippers and pour water.
She wasn’t used to being waited on and shifted uncomfortably.