Chapter 362: Campus Skits and Corporate Ties

After afternoon classes, on the large lawn outside the library.

Seven or eight students from the advertising class gathered, rehearsing for the year-end ‘Welcome New Year’s Party’ class performance.

Today’s rehearsal involved the main actors; tomorrow, Friday, the whole class would join in.

Xu Chen played the part of ‘a tree,’ so he wasn’t a lead role.

As a class committee member, and after skipping a few rehearsals before, he made sure to show up today.

Of course, another reason was to build a good relationship with the arts committee member Su Rong and subtly show his gratitude.

He’d bought a bunch of milk teas and snacks, and the rehearsing classmates all thanked ‘Boss Xu.’

It was also a way to help out the event organizer Su Rong with some side tasks.

Xu Chen sat on the lawn, holding a cup of hot milk tea and the script, feeling relaxed and content.

Usually busy with company projects, this was a rare chance to soak in the youthful campus vibe with his peers…

The program was put together by the arts committee member Su Rong and class monitor Min Siyang—a light-hearted, funny stage play with ‘Three Kingdoms’ characters as leads.

Originally, Chen Wenyi was set to play Zhou Yu, but due to his earlier ‘disappearance,’ the role went to the ‘study whiz’ Jiao Tianbo.

Jiao Tianbo joined rehearsals twice but wisely bowed out on his own.

The straightforward and serious ‘study whiz’ just didn’t have the talent for acting.

Su Rong, playing Xiao Qiao, was frustrated as her scene partner kept changing.

Finally, Chen Qiong, who played Diao Chan, suggested having class monitor Min Siyang cross-dress for the role…

And it turned out to have an unexpected effect.

Min Siyang was a fair-skinned, attractive girl who seemed pure and lovely at first glance, but with her strong, warrior-like personality from Sichuan, she oddly fit the role of Zhou Yu in drag.

…

The rehearsal went smoothly, with the main actors quickly getting into the rhythm and emotions.

Laughter echoed all around.

Xu Chen sipped his milk tea and hung around ‘just being there,’ idly scrolling through his phone.

…

Suddenly, he received a message—it was from Director Li Yue of the Sports Administration.

[Teacher Xu Chen, I’ll be in Shanghai next week to visit East Morning Star Advertising. Are you available?]

Xu Chen frowned slightly, wondering if Li Yue was only reaching out for a reason.

Li Yue oversaw the national athletics team’s commercial deals, including Xie Bingran’s.

After the Jiaduobao incident with Chen Jinru, Li Yue’s superior An Jin Xiong got taken down, allowing Li Yue to step up…

Overall, Xu Chen didn’t worry much about Li Yue anymore.

In fact, after the previous events, Li Yue was extra polite, even cautious, toward Xu Chen.

Xu Chen had heard that as long as Li Yue didn’t make big mistakes, his position was secure.

He was supposed to get promoted earlier, but An Jin Xiong was parachuted in instead.

Once An Jin Xiong and his backers fell, Li Yue’s path cleared…

Xu Chen set down his milk tea and typed a reply:

[Hello, Director Li, I’ll be in Shanghai all next week. Come whenever suits you—I’ll handle the arrangements!]

Xu Chen suddenly thought of Nie Fei and added:

[Vice President Nie Fei from Jiaduobao Group is now with our company, so we can meet then too!]

Nie Fei had handled the Kunlunshan Mineral Water project with Li Yue before, so they knew each other.

Li Yue replied:

[Great! I heard Coach Cheng Hong mention it briefly. Didn’t realize Nie had joined you…

Congratulations—your business is booming, little Xu!]

Li Yue was clearly very polite, with a touch of flattery.

This made ‘little Xu’ feel even more at ease.

They exchanged a few more pleasantries, and Li Yue said he’d visit next Monday at noon.

Xu Chen agreed and mentioned it in the group chat with Nie Fei.

Nie Fei quickly responded:

[Got it! I’ll arrange the lunch spot!]

…

…

As evening approached, the rehearsal wrapped up smoothly—the performance was shaping up well.

As the main organizer, Su Rong clearly breathed a sigh of relief.

Everyone started to disperse.

Dorm mates Pei Qian and Huo Dashan invited Xu Chen to grab dinner.

Xu Chen apologized:

“You guys go ahead; I’ve got some company stuff to handle!”

Once the crowd left, Xu Chen waited for Su Rong.

They had a phone meeting with the London design company that evening, and Su Rong needed to join.

“Ran Bing Sports” involving Su Rong was a good move.

After all, the core midsole material still relied on her father’s company…

On the lawn, only Min Siyang, Su Rong, and Xu Chen remained.

Xu Chen helped pack up the things, being thorough.

Class monitor Min Siyang noticed something odd and grinned at the two:

“You two have something going on…”

Xu Chen: “…”

Su Rong froze, quickly explaining:

“Xu Chen’s company has a project I’m helping with…

We have a phone meeting tonight.”

She looked flustered, as if worried about starting rumors.

Girls tended to gossip more than guys.

Maybe the earlier thing with Chen Wenyi had already caused some awkwardness in the girls’ dorm.

Guys usually discussed this stuff with a joking attitude, without much malice…

But girls’ chats often brought out weird hostility, jealousy, or disdain.

Xu Chen spoke up casually:

“We’re really just talking about a project—Su Rong’s helping us out!”

Min Siyang smiled:

“Okay, I get it!”

…

…

Ten minutes later, at the East Morning Star Advertising office.

As soon as Xu Chen and Su Rong walked in, it was buzzing with activity.

Turns out, Vice President Zhou and Wu Feifei had shown up.

Zhou Junjun was a real lively character, always bringing laughs.

Wu Feifei was naturally outgoing and had already hit it off with Zhou Junjun.

Seeing Xu Chen with Su Rong, Zhou Junjun grinned:

“This must be Su Rong? I’ve heard so much!

What a stunning beauty with an amazing presence!”

Vice President Zhou always talked in an exaggerated way, dropping fancy phrases…

Su Rong looked uneasy, sticking close to Xu Chen without speaking.

Xu Chen muttered quietly:

“Don’t worry, he’s not a bad guy.”

Wu Feifei came over and introduced herself to Su Rong:

“Hi, I’m Wu Feifei!”

“Hi, I’m Su Rong…”

Su Rong and Wanrong Materials—Wu Feifei probably knew the basics.

Xu Chen smiled and said:

“Feifei is from the same hometown as Xie Bingran—we all grew up in the same place.”

Su Rong thought for a moment and lit up:

“Oh right! I’ve seen your photos with Xie Bingran!”

Xu Chen pointed to Zhou Junjun:

“This is Zhou Junjun, our Vice President Zhou.

The shoes we designed for Xie Bingran at Ran Bing Sports are produced by his factory!”

Zhou Junjun walked over, toning down his theatrics, and said seriously:

“I’m from Fujian Lifeng Footwear. We’ve actually done some procurement with Wanrong Materials before…

But you might not know about it!”

Su Rong still seemed reserved:

“Hello, Mr. Zhou—just call me Su Rong.”

Nie Fei smiled and suggested:

“Let’s eat first! Gu Xinxi booked us some tacos!”

In the meeting room.

With so many people, the room felt a bit cramped.

Several boxes of tacos were on the table, and everyone dug in, eating with their hands.

This South American wrap never really caught on in China, but it’s way better than burgers and fries.

…

Laughter filled the air.

Mainly because Zhou Junjun, the ‘life of the party,’ kept things lively.

Xu Chen worried he might crack some inappropriate jokes and scare the girls, but today he was holding back.

Su Rong was still a bit shy, so Wu Feifei sat next to her.

The two girls quickly bonded, looking like they’d become close friends.

That’s just Wu Feifei’s style—outgoing and easy to get along with.

Su Rong was thrilled to learn Wu Feifei was a freshman at Shanghai Foreign Languages University.

Wu Feifei said with a smile:

“Come visit our campus this weekend—I’ll show you around!”

Su Rong: “Sounds great! I’ve always wanted to check it out—your school is supposed to be beautiful…”

Wu Feifei glanced at Xu Chen:

“Next time I go to your school, I won’t have to just find you!

I can hang with Su Rong!”

Xu Chen chuckled:

“You could always find Jiao Tianbo!”

Wu Feifei pouted, pretending to be annoyed.

Su Rong blinked:

“You know Jiao Tianbo too!”

Xu Chen whispered:

“Tianbo’s really into Feifei!”

Su Rong said “Oh,” like she understood.

Wu Feifei took a big bite of her taco, clearly avoiding the topic of the ‘study whiz.’

She remembered something and smiled at Su Rong:

“I heard you’re going to the Asian Games too—we could share a room!”

Su Rong: “Really? That’d be awesome!”

She was still a timid girl and felt uneasy about staying alone, especially abroad.

Pairing up with Wu Feifei made her genuinely happy.

Wu Feifei turned to Xu Chen:

“For the Asian Games, is Bing Ge heading over early?”

Xu Chen: “Bing Ge flies to Beijing next week…

The national team has a rally and send-off event, like a pre-battle pep talk.

Then it’s straight to Doha.

He’ll be at the opening ceremony on the first!”

Wu Feifei: “That’s awesome! We can catch him on the live broadcast!”

…

Nie Fei wasn’t eating much, just sipping a diet Coke while replying to messages on her phone.

She leaned toward Xu Chen and whispered:

“I’ve talked to Jiang Yuze and Sun Lingfeng—they’re both on board.”

Xu Chen paused:

“That’s fantastic!”

Jiang Yuze and Sun Lingfeng were the ones from the earlier interviews for Ran Bing Sports’ e-commerce distribution.

Nie Fei nodded:

“Having them both join will work out well.

Sun Lingfeng can handle the short-term online stores.

Jiang Yuze has the skills for long-term distribution planning.”

She added:

“With Gu Xinxi handling executions, we can let Jiang Yuze and Sun Lingfeng take some off her plate.

Like coordinating the official websites for Chenfeng Technology, Ran Bing Sports, and East Morning Star Advertising—Sun Lingfeng can manage that.”

…

Xu Chen glanced toward the meeting room entrance and said to Nie Fei:

“As we add more staff, our office is getting too small…

I’ve asked Aimi to hire another designer.”

Nie Fei understood:

“Gu Xinxi and I will check for space in the same building, or nearby offices if needed.”

Wu Feifei overheard:

“Moving offices?”

Xu Chen: “New colleagues are joining, so we need a bigger space.

Plus, we’re running two companies from here!”

Wu Feifei: “Save a spot for me!”

Xu Chen: “Of course!”

…

…

At eight in the evening, the call with the London team started on time.

Su Rong and Wu Feifei were just observing, sitting quietly to the side.

Nie Fei led the meeting, with Gu Xinxi having prepared some materials.

The international call connected, and Nie Fei jumped straight into English discussions.

Foreigners didn’t waste time on small talk—they got to the point.

Both sides introduced their attendees.

For Ran Bing Sports, Nie Fei highlighted Xu Chen and Zhou Junjun.

On their end was the client development director from PearlCat Design Studio, the chief designer, and a few team members.

The chief designer, Leon Chu, was the Chinese artist Nie Fei had mentioned, who had worked in America and Europe.

Leon Chu introduced himself in Chinese—his original name was Zhu Yunang.

“Just call me Leon…

Since my colleagues here are all local Londoners, we’ll need to use English.

I can translate if anything’s unclear.”

From his voice alone, you could picture him as refined and polished.

The meeting focused on Nie Fei’s outline of requirements.

She first covered the background of Ran Bing Sports and the brand ideas for ‘Ran Bing—Ice On Fire.’

Naturally, she gave a detailed intro to the key figure, Xie Bingran.

She shared some photos and video clips of Xie Bingran competing.

As Nie Fei spoke, Gu Xinxi uploaded the relevant files to the MSN project group in real time.

Once the other side watched Xie Bingran’s victory videos, waves of exclamations and admiration came through the line.

The thrill of sports competition transcends borders.

…

Xu Chen had two years in a foreign company back in his past life and handled overseas projects at Penguin in Pengcheng, so English meetings like this weren’t a problem for him.

“Vice President Zhou” scratched his head, looking a bit lost.

The other girls were listening intently, but this was basically like a listening test for them—pretty tough.

…

Then, Nie Fei went over the design needs for ‘Ran Bing 001.’

This had been discussed with Xu Chen beforehand.

First, she explained the ‘Chinese trend’ concept and how Ran Bing Sports wanted a unique ‘Chinese sports’ brand image.

Next, the core product positioning: lightweight, cushioned soles for professional running shoes.

…

During Nie Fei’s presentation, the other end stayed quiet, listening carefully.

Once she finished, Leon Chu’s voice came through in Chinese, full of emotion:

“‘Chinese trend’—those two words are perfect.

The clash of Chinese design elements with fashionable sports…

‘Ran Bing’ is even better—Ice On Fire—everything’s spot on!

I’m really excited about this!”