Chapter 407: Campus Intrigues

Su Rong and Bing Ge sat in the back of the classroom, looking every bit the sweet, affectionate couple, which left Xu Chen feeling utterly speechless.

Bing Ge wore a baseball cap and a black mask, with his hands tucked into his jacket pockets…

In front of the girls, this gave him a perfectly cool and ruthless ‘dominant CEO’ vibe, full of magnetic charm.

No wonder people mistook him for Su Rong’s boyfriend.

Well…

Bing Ge’s strong ‘boyfriend energy’ even made Xu Chen feel a twinge of envy.

…

Xu Chen shook his head helplessly and decided to ignore it for now.

Up at the front, the journalism department head’s lecture dragged on, dull as could be.

For ‘Little President Xu’, the material felt pretty light on substance.

But Xu Chen quickly realized that for Xie Bingran, who spent most of his time at the training base and rarely attended cultural classes, this might be a fresh and novel experience.

That helped Xu Chen understand a bit why Bing Ge had slipped into the class.

Maybe it was just to get closer to Xu Chen’s everyday life.

It definitely wasn’t just to sit with Su Rong…

Xu Chen told himself that to feel better.

…

‘Little President Xu’ was bored out of his mind, so he pulled out his phone and checked his messages on the sly.

He remembered something and messaged Gu Xinxi:

[Help me get a safe and install it in the small office on the 8th floor…]

[Any specific requirements?]

[Put it inside the bookshelf in my ‘general manager’s office.

It needs to hold something important, so make sure it’s high quality.]

[Got it, boss! I’ll check with procurement first and report back.]

…

Xu Chen opened QQ and, as expected, a bunch of unread messages popped up.

In the group ‘Kun City Advertising Event’, senior Zhao Siting from the third-year advertising major was confirming the schedule for this week in Kun City.

Xu Chen thought it over…

He wasn’t arriving in Kun City until the afternoon of the 28th, so he really should ask for a leave from his senior.

But he needed a reason that was polite yet hard for them to turn down.

Xu Chen pondered and then sent a private message to Senior Zhao Siting:

[Hey senior, my flight for the evening of the 27th got canceled by the airline due to air traffic control.

They rescheduled me to noon on the 28th, so I’ll only join the group in the afternoon…]

It wasn’t long before he got Zhao Siting’s reply, which sounded clearly annoyed:

[Xu Chen, can you switch your flight back to the evening of the 27th?

Our schedule starts early on the 28th…

And Dean Lin Ruyang and Professor Ni Zhi will be with us.

If you’re late, especially showing up in the afternoon, they’ll definitely ask questions…

You’re a double national award winner, and there’s an award ceremony that afternoon too!]

Xu Chen: [I checked the itinerary; the ‘University Advertising Competition’ awards start at 4 p.m., right?

My flight’s at noon…

I calculated it—I can definitely make it to the venue before 4 p.m.!]

…

Zhao Siting sent a few more messages, clearly still frustrated.

He expressed his dissatisfaction with Xu Chen’s unexpected delay and schedule change.

As the ‘team leader’ for this event, Senior Zhao Siting was shouldering some management responsibilities.

Xu Chen’s lateness and itinerary shift were probably making things tough for him.

Xu Chen had a meeting in Pengcheng on the morning of the 28th to pitch to Vanke’s executives and secure that two-million budget.

There was no way he could postpone that.

Besides, in Xu Chen’s view, the ‘exchange and learning’ session that morning was mostly just interactions between university students—nothing particularly useful.

‘Little President Xu’ wasn’t too keen on it anyway…

Zhao Siting sent a few more messages, but Xu Chen didn’t want to drag it out, so he replied:

[Sorry about the schedule change, senior!

I just got the call from the airline and was caught off guard too…

If this causes any issues with the dean or other teachers, just have them contact me directly.

Or I can message Professor Ni or Dean Lin to update them myself…]

Zhao Siting typed for a while before responding:

[It’s fine, I’ll handle the report…

But make sure you’re there by 4 p.m. on the 28th.

Miss the awards and the teachers will come down hard on you.]

Xu Chen: [No problem, my noon flight on the 28th is solid. I checked the weather and traffic…

Thanks a lot, senior!]

Zhao Siting: [When you arrive on the 28th, you’ll need to explain things face-to-face with Professor Ni.

He’ll definitely ask about the delay.]

Xu Chen: [That’s okay! I’ll message Professor Ni right now. We’re pretty familiar.]

…

After a few more exchanges, he finally calmed down that responsible senior.

Xu Chen thought about it and decided to message Professor Ni Zhi directly.

He gave a simple explanation for the delay and assured him he’d make it before the awards ceremony.

Soon, he got Ni Zhi’s reply:

[Hello Xu Chen, I’ve noted the situation!

Traveling to Kun City alone, stay safe!

If you run into any issues on the way, contact me or the team leader Zhao Siting directly!]

[Got it, thanks Professor Ni!]…

Xu Chen and Professor Ni Zhi were indeed on familiar terms.

After the ‘University Advertising Competition’ national awards were announced, Ni Zhi had come to the first-year advertising class to personally meet and encourage this young talent, Xu Chen.

Plus, Ni Zhi had once analyzed the ‘Wash Well for Health’ ad case in class.

Xu Chen’s insights on the strategy and creativity behind that slogan had left a strong impression on Ni Zhi, sparking a sense of admiration for his talent.

The thing was, Xu Chen was only a first-year, and some of the bigger projects Ni Zhi had in mind weren’t suitable for freshmen yet…

…

…

After class at noon.

Su Rong and Xie Bingran left the classroom without a word, heading toward the cafeteria together.

Xu Chen felt awkward but hurried after them.

“Why didn’t you call me?”

Su Rong stuck out her tongue: “Didn’t want to make you uncomfortable?”

Xu Chen: “What’s there for me to be uncomfortable about?”

…

Behind them, the other students in the class saw Xu Chen catch up and walk with Su Rong and her ‘boyfriend’.

Qian Xin glanced ahead:

“Boss Xu, going to gather some intel?”

Pei Qian patted Chen Wenyi on the shoulder:

“Looks like Su Rong’s really got a boyfriend now…”

Chen Wenyi stayed silent, his disappointment written all over his face.

Hong Xiaoqiang, who shared a dorm with Xu Chen, paused and said:

“I feel like Su Rong’s ‘boyfriend’ looks a bit familiar.”

Pei Qian: “Huh?”

Hong Xiaoqiang thought for a moment and glanced at Chen Wenyi, as if seeking confirmation.

But Chen Wenyi just stared blankly, not recalling anything.

Hong Xiaoqiang spoke up:

“Yesterday at noon, Boss Xu brought his dad to the dorm.

There was also a ‘sis’ and a ‘bro’…

I think Su Rong’s boyfriend resembles the ‘bro’ Xu Chen had yesterday.”

Chen Wenyi thought about it and whispered:

“Yeah, kinda…

That bro yesterday was wearing a baseball cap and mask too.”

Hong Xiaoqiang:

“But I was too busy chatting with Xu Chen’s dad to get a good look at that mysterious ‘bro’…”

Qian Xin nodded thoughtfully:

“No wonder Boss Xu and Su Rong have been so close.

Turns out Xu Chen didn’t end up with her, but his ‘bro’ did!”

Hong Xiaoqiang: “Wait, you can deduce that?”

Pei Qian: “Makes sense.”

Qian Xin: “Boss Xu’s always low-key, but you can tell from his trip to Doha that his family has deep pockets…

That explains it!”

Pei Qian: “Explains what?”

Qian Xin: “Su Rong’s family isn’t ordinary.

They’re a top-tier family business in Jiangsu Province!

If Xu Chen’s ‘bro’ is dating her, they’re clearly a perfect match.

So Xu Chen’s family must be from a similar high-level business background!”

Pei Qian thought about it:

“Xu Chen’s great too—tall, handsome, and all.

Why would Su Rong skip him for his ‘bro’?”

Qian Xin pondered:

“So…

Now I’m even more curious about what Xu Chen’s ‘bro’ looks like!

He must be incredibly handsome to catch Su Rong’s eye.”

Everyone nodded, thinking the ‘Jiang Zhe Little Prince’ had a point.

Chen Wenyi felt a wave of embarrassment and quietly said:

“Let’s go eat…”

With that, he turned and left first.

…

…

In the West Garden Cafeteria, on the second floor in the ‘premium dining area’.

Xu Chen, Xie Bingran, and Su Rong sat by the window with a table full of small dishes.

Today, the meal was on Su Rong, the young miss herself.

‘Little President Xu’ was happy to freeload and felt pretty good about it.

“You two hiding something from me?”

Xu Chen asked while eating a piece of chicken steak.

Su Rong glanced at ‘Bing Ge’ and said timidly:

“No…”

Xu Chen narrowed his eyes, her tone only confirming his suspicions.

Xie Bingran pulled his mask down halfway, munching on a broccoli floret, his mouth moving without a word to Xu Chen.

“…”

Su Rong and Bing Ge quickly brushed off Xu Chen’s questions and started chatting and laughing together.

Xu Chen looked on, speechless, his feeling that they had a ‘little secret’ growing stronger.

As they finished eating, someone approached from behind and sat at the table.

It was Teacher Fang Jun.

“I’m here to pick up Bing Ge. Taking her out for some shopping this afternoon.”

Fang Jun said with a straight face.

Xie Bingran: “Oh… just a minute, I’m almost done.”

Fang Jun immediately switched to a patient, caring expression:

“Take your time, Bing Ge, no rush.”

Xu Chen said, exasperated: “Since when do you talk so gently?”

Fang Jun went back to his neutral face:

“Depends on who I’m talking to.”

Xu Chen: “…”

Su Rong seemed a bit jealous:

“I envy you guys, getting to go shopping. I’ve got class this afternoon…”

Xie Bingran whispered:

“Don’t worry, I’ll join you for class tomorrow.”

Su Rong paused, then broke into a sweet, happy smile.

Xu Chen: “…”

How were they flaunting their relationship now?!

Was there no end to this?!

Fang Jun hesitated, then said flatly:

“Wait, can I do that too? I want to crash a class at Tonghai University tomorrow.”

Xu Chen: “Huh?!

Never heard of that…”

Fang Jun glanced at Su Rong, then back at Xu Chen:

“Bing Ge’s following Su Rong…

So I’ll follow you tomorrow.”

Xu Chen: “That doesn’t even make sense…”

…

After lunch.

Xie Bingran followed Fang Jun downstairs and got into the white Grand Cherokee parked by the cafeteria.

Xu Chen couldn’t help asking:

“Dad’s not going out?”

Fang Jun: “President Xu and Nie Fei have some business to discuss.”

Xu Chen: “Oh…”

Fang Jun added:

“It’s about Chenfeng Technology—expanding distribution channels in East China and South China. President Xu’s getting advice from Nie Fei.”

Xu Chen: “I see.”

…

They watched the white Grand Cherokee drive off, then Xu Chen and Su Rong headed toward the south building for afternoon classes.

Su Rong stayed quiet, like she was avoiding talking to Xu Chen.

She even glanced at him sideways every now and then.

Xu Chen squinted, wondering if Su Rong and Bing Ge really had a ‘little secret’.

He cleared his throat, deciding to ask straight out.

But Su Rong suddenly hopped forward a step and pulled out her phone:

“Hey Xu Chen, let me take a photo of you!”

Xu Chen: “Huh?!”

Was this a way to change the subject?

It felt way too abrupt…

This was clearly to cut him off!

Taking a photo out of nowhere seemed so forced.

“Click” went the phone shutter as Su Rong snapped the picture.

Then she said with a smile:

“I need to head back to the dorm. You take your time, Xu Chen.”

And with that, she jogged away.

Leaving Xu Chen standing there, totally baffled.

…

…

…

In the afternoon.

During Consumer Psychology class.

‘Little President Xu’, busy as ever, squeezed in some work between lectures.

Sun Aimi sent over the Vanke print ad drafts for Xu Chen’s final approval—the ones for the Thursday pitch on the 28th.

[The warmest lights are always on the way home.]

[No tree, no matter how grand, compares to the one in your memories.]

…

The drafts built on Xu Chen’s revisions from last week, so there weren’t any major issues.

Xu Chen reviewed them carefully and couldn’t help but praise Teacher Sun Aimi’s design skills again.

Sun Aimi was thrilled to get the boss’s compliment—it showed in her emojis.

[Print these out for me; we might need them for the pitch.]

[Sure, boss!]

[Don’t forget Bing Ge’s poster—that’s for Wang Shi. Pick good paper and printing quality…]

[On it! I’ll head to the print shop this afternoon!]

…

At the same time, Xu Chen received another email from Zhou Kai at Vanke confirming the itinerary.

He glanced through it—nothing wrong—so he sent Zhou Kai a quick thank-you message.

Zhou Kai replied soon:

[You’re too kind, President Xu!

By the way…

Vanke Lanqiao Shengfei’s ad campaign launches on New Year’s Day, January 1st!

A fresh start for the new year…

Our Wang Shi specifically chose New Year’s Day to roll out your ad and kick off strong for Vanke!]

[Wishing Lanqiao Shengfei huge success!]

Xu Chen felt a surge of excitement.

The Vanke Lanqiao Shengfei campaign, set to influence the real estate ad industry, was finally going live.

…

…

…

…”