Chapter 334: Conversations Over Tea

Tea restaurant.

Once the serious matters were wrapped up, Xu Chen and Wu Feifei moved on to lighter topics that young people often chat about.

“Jiao Tianbo’s still thinking about you every day. Last time he saw you chatting with me on QQ, he got all worked up and anxious,” Xu Chen teased.

Wu Feifei gave an awkward smile and pursed her lips in resignation.

Xu Chen thought for a moment, then brought up the Asian Games.

“A couple of days ago, Jiao Tianbo asked me to check if you’re going to the Asian Games in December.”

“He seems all set to tag along with you…”

Wu Feifei: “He messaged me, but I didn’t bother replying.”

Xu Chen: “Then I’ll just pretend I know nothing about it.”

Wu Feifei: “Perfect, you do that.”

She took a sip of her milk tea, looking a bit annoyed.

“My dad told me to stay away from his family.”

Xu Chen: “Why?”

Wu Feifei hesitated but then spoke up:

“I’m not entirely clear on my dad’s issues…

Anyway, Jiao Tianbo’s dad used to be my dad’s subordinate. Back then, he was always trying to butter up my dad and even pushed his son to get close to me.

But my dad mentioned I should keep my distance from his son.”

Xu Chen couldn’t help but feel speechless inside.

Though Jiao Tianbo had low emotional intelligence, he probably didn’t have any real bad intentions.

He was just incredibly immature and average in ability.

When Xu Chen first moved into the dorm, Chen Wenyi had introduced Jiao Tianbo as the former top scorer in Shanghai’s arts subjects.

Everyone has their strengths; maybe he was just great at exams…

Wu Feifei suddenly flashed a mischievous smile and said to Xu Chen:

“My dad also said I should hang out with you more!”

Xu Chen was caught off guard and momentarily speechless.

Wu Feifei burst out laughing: “Look how that scared you!”

She remembered something else and said with a smile:

“My dad mentioned something about Bing Ge the other day.

The city, led by the education and sports bureaus, is setting up a scholarship in Xie Bingran’s name!

It’s for outstanding athletes in the city!”

Xu Chen: “That’s a great thing!”

Wu Feifei: “Once it’s finalized, the city will probably invite Bing Ge back for some events.”

Xu Chen: “Bing Ge’s schedule is packed these days; I can barely catch him.”

Wu Feifei: “The city will coordinate through the sports bureau and national team. It’ll depend on Bing Ge’s availability.

He’s a big name now, so the city’s leaders will have to work around his schedule.”

…

After the meal.

Wu Feifei didn’t want a cab, so Xu Chen walked her back to school.

It was late at night, and it felt rude to leave a young woman alone on the street—especially the daughter of a leader.

Luckily, Shanghai Foreign Languages University and Tonghai University were just a couple of blocks apart, so the walk helped digest the food.

“Is Bing Ge at the main campus of Huahai Normal University?” Wu Feifei asked.

“She mostly trains at the Xin Zhuang base. They handle her cultural classes there too, with teachers coming in.

She heads back to Huahai Normal University once a month or so…”

Wu Feifei: “Athletes have it tough; their daily life feels like being locked up.”

Xu Chen stayed quiet, feeling a pang of sympathy.

But then he remembered Bing Ge thrived on the track; from their chats about training and races, she always showed real passion.

No matter how hard it got, loving it made it worthwhile.

As the saying goes, passion makes the long years fly by.

Wu Feifei thought of something else and asked tentatively:

“Does your East Morning Star Advertising need any interns?”

Xu Chen: “Huh?”

Wu Feifei: “If there’s a project, could I join and learn from it?”

Xu Chen was a bit confused.

He wondered if she needed an internship certificate; he could just give her one…

Having the daughter of a leader intern at his company sounded weird.

Wu Feifei smiled and explained:

“I think you and Bing Ge are both amazing…

We’re all around the same age; Bing Ge’s already a national champion, and you’ve started your own company.

Meanwhile, I’m still doing school stuff like debate competitions…

My dad keeps saying I should learn from you.

So, I was thinking of interning at your company—just in my free time to broaden my horizons!”

Xu Chen hesitated before saying:

“‘Intern’ sounds too formal.

Welcome, Miss Wu, to come and guide us!”

Wu Feifei scoffed: “Don’t make fun of me; I’m serious about this!”

Xu Chen laughed: “Of course, it’s fine! My company’s right by the south gate of the school. Drop by when you’re free.

We’ve got a couple of great colleagues I can introduce you to!”

Wu Feifei: “Awesome! That sounds perfect!”

She paused for a moment:

“Do you have any projects coming up? I’d love to join in!”

Xu Chen thought it over: “I’ll check my schedule for upcoming ones. If there’s something starting soon, I’ll loop you in!”

Wu Feifei beamed: “Thanks, Xu Chen! I won’t get in your way!”

Xu Chen: “Your Japanese major must have a packed course load, right?”

Wu Feifei: “Yeah, courses are stacked, but for language majors like ours, as long as we pass the proficiency exams, the rest is flexible…

If you have a project, I’ll skip class to make it.”

Xu Chen: “Alright, I’ll give you a heads-up in advance.”

…

Xu Chen scratched his head, still feeling a bit baffled.

How did he suddenly end up with a ‘ distinguished’ intern for his company?

Still, it was a good opportunity to build more connections and trust with Wu Feifei and her family.

Wu Feifei spoke up again:

“Next time you visit Bing Ge, can you take me along?”

Xu Chen was firm:

“That won’t work.”

Wu Feifei: “Why not?”

“Bing Ge and I don’t get much alone time as it is; I can’t bring you too!”

Wu Feifei: “I feel like I’m just getting shown up by you two!”

…

Xu Chen made sure to walk Miss Wu all the way to the girls’ dormitory at Shanghai Foreign Languages University, being the perfect gentleman.

Wu Feifei felt a little embarrassed and bought a bottle of juice from the downstairs store to thank him.

Xu Chen chugged a few big gulps, grinned foolishly, and said goodbye.

…

Wu Feifei stepped into the dorm and bumped into a few classmates.

“Hey, has our Feifei found someone? Who was that tall, handsome guy just now?”

“Walking you right to the dorm door—how thoughtful!”

“Why didn’t you tell us? We’d have checked him out!”

Wu Feifei sighed:

“You’re all overthinking it! He’s just a fellow townsman and a regular friend!”

With that, she took a big swig of juice, looking exasperated.

…

…

Thursday morning, during the break.

Xu Chen got a message that made him thrilled.

His white Grand Cherokee had arrived at the store…

Yan Chuan even sent a few photos to tease him.

[It’s at the PT district 4S shop. When are you planning to pick it up, Teacher Xiao Xu?]

Xu Chen: [Thanks a lot, Brother Yan Chuan. I’ll get it on Saturday.]

Yan Chuan: [Got it. I’ll coordinate with them and send you the 4S shop address, contact person, and details later.]

Xu Chen: [Cool! Also, pass on my thanks to President Leo and President Andy!]

This was the high-end model, and Pang Ming and He Da Chang had arranged an internal Jeep employee discount, keeping it under a 500,000 yuan budget.

It saved Xu Chen a ton of money, so he needed to show proper gratitude.

Xu Chen decided to send separate messages to Pang Ming and He Da Chang later to express his thanks.

Yan Chuan: [One more thing, Xu Chen.

The PPM meeting for endorser Wang Shi is set for next Wednesday afternoon in Pengcheng at Vanke headquarters…]

Xu Chen: [No problem.

Aimi’s handling the proposal right now. I’ll clear my schedule for next Wednesday and join for the pitch.]

Yan Chuan: [The pitch is Wednesday afternoon. Check your calendar, and I’ll book your travel.]

Xu Chen: [Okay, I’ll confirm today and get back to you!]

…

Pitching to endorser Wang Shi wasn’t stressful.

Xu Chen’s earlier ad concept had already won Wang Shi’s approval; this trip was mainly for Director Paul Bao Junsen to present the storyboard.

Still, Xu Chen needed to do some research and prep.

The main thing was that Vanke might offer a project, but he wasn’t sure what yet.

A project directly suggested by big boss Wang Shi wouldn’t be some minor real estate promo.

Xu Chen figured it could be Vanke’s main brand push or their flagship property, something to set a industry benchmark…

Wang Shi liked the scheme Xu Chen did for Jeep.

So, a company-wide promo for Vanke was possible.

Another option was targeting ‘successful older men’ with high-end projects like villas or penthouses.

Either way, he needed to get a feel for the industry first.

Luckily, Xu Chen had some real estate ad examples in mind and had studied them before.

With the PPM meeting on Wednesday, he had the weekend to review.

…

…

After class at noon, class monitor Min Siyang stepped to the podium and asked everyone to stay.

“I’ve got a super perk to share:

Our college’s Bai Miao is heading to Doha for the Asian Games in December.

The school is organizing a cheer squad of 30 people.

They’ll handle flights and hotels, but meals on site are on you…

Since Bai Miao is from our college, we have 20 spots.

We’ll all go to Doha to cheer for Bai Miao!”

Her words sparked a wave of excitement.

Not only supporting Bai Miao, but going abroad for the Asian Games was a huge win—and with school covering flights and hotels.

Bai Miao’s fanboy Huang Hao was already buzzing: “Class monitor, how do we sign up?!”

…

Min Siyang raised her hand to quiet everyone:

“Later today, our college’s BBS will have a pinned sign-up post. Just register there.

Then, the college will do a random draw…”

That set off another round of chatter.

“So it’s a lottery? With only 20 spots, the chances are slim!”

“Hey, at least it’s a chance—sign up quick!”

“Yeah, our college has way more spots than others; we’ve got to seize it!”

…

Min Siyang smiled and added:

“Good luck, everyone!

Also, if anyone from our class gets picked, the school might organize special cheer events, so there could be some tasks—just a heads-up…”

…

Xu Chen chuckled to himself, finding it amusing.

Who knew so many people he knew would be at the Asian Games in Doha?

He was already planning to take Nie Fei, and Wu Feifei and Qian Xin might go, plus maybe that study nerd Jiao Tianbo.

Now, even classmates from his college and class were joining the mix.

The difference was, they were cheering for Bai Miao, while he’d be rooting for Bing Ge—so he needed to split off early.

Or better yet, go solo from the start.

Plus…

Xu Chen couldn’t help but think mischievously—with Bai Miao’s skills, would she even make it past the group stage?

Unlike his Bing Ge, who was locked in for at least one medal.

…

The class kept buzzing with excitement about the draw.

Min Siyang signaled for quiet and announced another thing.

After classes end Friday afternoon, the whole class would stay for a brainstorming session on the year-end welcome party’s class performance.

Then, over the weekend, arts rep Su Rong would lead the class committee in a meeting to finalize the plans.

Next week, they’d refine and rehearse the acts.

So far, they’d tossed around a few safe ideas, but they were pretty standard without much novelty.

Xu Chen was swamped with company stuff and didn’t want to get too involved, so he’d just go with the flow.

…

…

At noon, in the cafeteria.

A group of guys huddled up, still talking about the Asian Games draw.

As Bai Miao’s biggest fan, Huang Hao was raring to go.

“Jiangsu-Zhejiang Little Prince” Qian Xin had his own plans, but he was there for Bing Ge.

Hearing classmates might join, he was clearly pumped.

“Everyone signing up? If we get picked, let’s go together!

Meals on site are on me!”

“Stock Guy” Pei Qian said:

“I’d love to crash your meals, but with only 20 spots, the odds are tough!”

Huang Hao looked at Pei Qian: “Aren’t you always trading stocks and studying K-line charts?

Is there a way to boost our chances?”

Pei Qian rolled his eyes: “Do you think trading’s just a luck game? It’s about insight and industry analysis—not random probability.”

Huang Hao: “?”

Xu Chen avoided the conversation.

He scrolled his phone, picking out accessories for his new car.

Saturday meant getting his hands on that V8 beast, and he couldn’t wait.

Too bad Xie Bingran was in intensive training; he’d have loved to take her for a drive.

…

…

…”