Chapter 434: Ambitions in Motion

Wednesday afternoon, North Building classroom.

The ‘Network and New Media’ course.

Xu Chen sat in the back row, looking fully engaged, even taking notes.

Besides Xu Chen, his nearby friends Qian Xin and Hong Xiaoqiang were also listening intently.

They had no choice; final exams were coming up soon.

What the teacher was covering now was right in the exam’s key scope, so they paid close attention.

Though in university, failing a course meant you could retake or resit, it still wasted time—better to pass it outright and be done.

……

These past two days, Xu Chen hadn’t made it to the company; instead, he stayed in the classroom and library, hitting the books hard.

Last week’s trip to Kun City had set him back two days of classes, and with finals looming, there were heaps of assignments and exams to prepare for.

Luckily, Xu Chen had won two ‘University Advertising Competition’ awards, exempting him from assessments in two courses.

After weighing his options, he chose Communication Studies and Consumer Psychology as his ‘exempt subjects’.

These two involved written exams that required memorizing dry, tedious material, which took a lot of time.

The flower cakes and coffee he’d sent from Kun City had arrived yesterday.

Everyone at the company had probably enjoyed them by now.

Also, yesterday afternoon, Sun Lingfeng and Tang Xiaowei helped carry a box of flower cakes to the classroom, and Xu Chen handed one to each classmate.

It was a souvenir from his Kun City trip and a way to share his award-winning joy.

A crowd of classmates gathered around Xu Chen, offering congratulations; he played humble but secretly relished it.

The appearance of Sun Lingfeng and Tang Xiaowei, his ‘subordinates’, surprised some classmates.

Especially how they called him ‘boss’ and ‘Young Xu Chen’ in front of him, their respectful demeanor didn’t escape notice.

Coupled with Xu Chen’s ‘Great Wall Award’ win, it confirmed the rumors that his company was legitimate, with employees, business, and real scale.

At eighteen, as first-year students, while everyone else wrestled with academics and finals, Xu Chen already had a solid company—it was enviable.

Yet, envy or jealousy changed nothing; for these classmates, even with startup funds, they couldn’t build something like that.

……

……

Afternoon break.

Baidu Group’s assistant Miao Xiaoyu contacted Xu Chen privately, asking about ‘East Morning Star Advertising’s project intentions.

She’d already asked Xu Chen twice in the past two days.

Xu Chen played it cool, saying his team was still evaluating.

Clearly, Vice President Zhao Ling was eager for ‘East Morning Star Advertising’ to join this project.

Xu Chen checked his calendar and reviewed his commitments before replying:

[ ‘East Morning Star Advertising’ will prepare a proposal, expected by the 8th. ]

Miao Xiaoyu: [ Great! Thank you so much, President Xu!

Let me check your schedule for the proposal trip and book your travel to Beijing. ]

Xu Chen thought it over and decided he didn’t want to make a special trip.

Besides the hassle of travel, finals were near, and he had plenty of assignments to handle.

He hesitated, then replied:

[ The company is pretty busy with projects early in the year……

We’ll get the proposal done first. Let’s decide next week—whether we come for the pitch or do it online. ]

Miao Xiaoyu: [ Okay, whatever works for you, President Xu!

I’ll update Vice President Zhao right away! ]

……

As evening class ended, Xu Chen’s phone buzzed again.

It was an email from ‘Procter & Gamble’.

Opening it, he saw it was a thank-you note.

That morning, Nie Fei had taken Sun Aimi and Gu Xinxi to present the ‘Head & Shoulders’ creative plan.

Xu Chen hadn’t asked for feedback yet, but receiving a thank-you email meant it went smoothly.

The email came from brand manager Jiang Peng, expressing approval of ‘East Morning Star Advertising’s plan and sincere thanks.

It included the follow-up commercial contract and project timeline.

Brand director Sun Yashi, or Sia, also replied separately, praising ‘East Morning Star Advertising’s expertise and thanking ‘President Xu’ specifically.

Reading the email, Xu Chen felt a cold smirk rise.

He still remembered Sia’s arrogance from last time.

Xu Chen didn’t want to deal with her directly, so he’d sent Fei Jie to lead the presentation.

For this project, Xu Chen had quoted three million in creative service fees—high for the industry.

But with Xie Bingran’s collaboration and connections through Director Li Yue at the General Bureau, ‘Head & Shoulders’ had to accept it.

It was a small payback to Sia.

Securing this three-million project at the year’s start still thrilled ‘Young Xu Chen’.

After all, you don’t mess with money.

……

Meanwhile.

Procter & Gamble office.

Brand manager Jiang Peng organized a document and handed it to Sun Yashi:

‘Sia, here’s the project timeline I just went over with Gu Xinxi. Take a look.’

Sun Yashi took it and scanned through:

‘Looks good. Let’s get this project rolling!

‘Since the creative plan is set, hurry up and arrange shooting and production.’

Jiang Peng: ‘Got it. I’ll contact Director Li Yue right away to confirm the endorser’s shooting schedule.’

Sun Yashi sipped her coffee and let out a long sigh of relief.

Seeing his boss in a good mood, Jiang Peng added:

‘I didn’t expect ‘East Morning Star Advertising’s plan to be surprisingly solid.

‘Especially the ‘Help Me Win Clean and Neat’ concept—it’s even better than what Ogilvy proposed……’

Sun Yashi sighed:

‘I really underestimated them. This President Xu has real talent.

‘Them handling Jeep and Vanke projects wasn’t just luck.’

Jiang Peng: ‘Their Vanke Rancho Santa Fe ad is live now—I saw it on the subway today.

‘It’s really well done!’

He paused briefly:

‘And the ‘Afraid of Getting Heated’ project just won the Great Wall Award’s top prize!’

Sun Yashi turned with surprise:

‘Really? I hadn’t noticed.’

Jiang Peng: ‘It was announced a couple of days ago……

‘The Great Wall Award’s top prize usually goes to foreign 4A agencies like Ogilvy or JWT, so a local company like ‘East Morning Star’ taking it stirred up a lot of talk in the ad world.’

Sun Yashi thought for a moment:

‘We should have congratulated them in the email.’

Jiang Peng: ‘Oh… my bad, I overlooked that.’

Sun Yashi: ‘No worries……

‘When we shoot the ad, that young President Xu will probably come by. We can thank him in person then.

‘Later, maybe find a chance to visit ‘East Morning Star Advertising’.’

Jiang Peng: ‘Understood. I’ll build a good rapport with Gu Xinxi in the meantime.’

He recalled something else:

‘Sia, what about the budget?

‘They quoted three million—over budget……

‘And now, we can’t negotiate it down.’

Sun Yashi: ‘Don’t worry, I’ll shift funds from other projects. Let’s just ensure this one lands smoothly.’

……

……

North Building classroom.

As class ended, Xu Chen received a message from Professor Ni Zhi:

[ Dean Lin has scheduled a sharing session for this Friday.

It’s mainly for analyzing cases from the ‘University Advertising Competition’ and ‘Great Wall Award’.

Dean Lin specifically wants you to speak and give the juniors and seniors a lesson!]

Professor Ni Zhi added:

[Don’t try to dodge this!]

Xu Chen smiled helplessly and replied:

[Okay, got it. I’ll cooperate fully!]

Ni Zhi sent a laughing emoji and said:

[I’ll have Zhao Siting from the third-year advertising class contact you for details.]

Xu Chen: [Great! I’m already familiar with senior Zhao Siting. I’ll reach out to him soon!]……

In less than two minutes, Zhao Siting messaged him.

[Hi Xu Chen, Professor Ni asked me to get in touch about Friday’s sharing session!]

He ended with a ‘please’ emoji.

Very polite.

Xu Chen asked about the session’s requirements and details; Zhao Siting replied:

[Dean Lin wants you to share the specifics of the project that won the Great Wall Award’s top prize.

Attendees will be first- to fourth-year advertising students, so aim for some professional depth……]

Xu Chen thought it over:

[Then I’ll bring someone along.

‘Afraid of Getting Heated’ is more than just an ad success—it’s a full market case.]

The person Xu Chen planned to bring was Nie Fei.

As the one who handled the ‘Wang Laoshun’ herbal tea project, Nie Fei had plenty to share.

Plus, having Fei Jie help on stage let Xu Chen take it easy.

Zhao Siting: [No problem, you handle it.

Professor Ni allocated an hour for your share; you can manage the time.

If you need equipment or other help, just let me know.]

Xu Chen: [Thanks a lot, senior!]

……

……

Evening, Xueyuan Cafeteria.

Xu Chen and his roommates sat around eating.

They discussed heading to the library together after dinner to study.

With finals’ exams and assignments looming, everyone was in full crunch mode.

Huang Hao scrolled his phone while eating, suddenly exclaiming with excitement:

‘Boss Xu is lecturing on Friday?’

Xu Chen: ‘Huh?’

He quickly figured it out.

The others were curious too and glanced at the phone.

It was the announcement for Friday’s sharing session in the Lecture Hall, already posted in the college group.

The schedule highlighted Xu Chen’s segment.

‘Boss Xu is so impressive—teaching third- and fourth-year seniors!’

‘And not just them—lecturers and associate professors will be there too!’

‘That top prize Boss Xu won is something even our department teachers haven’t achieved!’

Xu Chen didn’t pretend to be modest; he just smiled along.

‘Jiang Zhe Little Prince’ Qian Xin arrived late.

He didn’t get food; instead, he carried a mysterious package.

‘Qian, what’s that good stuff?’ Huang Hao asked.

Qian Xin grinned smugly and set the unopened package on the table.

Everyone turned to look, but couldn’t tell what it was.

Once Qian Xin ripped off the plastic wrap, they all lit up with surprise.

Xu Chen chuckled—it was a pair of ‘Ran Bing 001’.

Starting from New Year’s Day, the first batch of ‘Ran Bing 001’ had begun shipping.

Qian Xin had just received his.

‘Stock Guy’ Pei Qian seemed restless and said:

‘This shoe is reselling for a thousand yuan now.’

Hong Xiaoqiang: ‘A thousand? That expensive?’

Pei Qian: ‘Mainly because the first batch was only a thousand pairs, but reservations hit over three hundred thousand……

It’s just too scarce.’

Huang Hao: ‘What a shame we didn’t snag any.’

Pei Qian: ‘Officially, the second batch drops in February—keep an eye out.’

As the behind-the-scenes boss of ‘Ran Bing Sports’, Xu Chen found listening to his friends’ genuine discussions and feedback quite useful.

While talking, Qian Xin opened the shoebox.

‘These shoes look sharp!’

‘Yeah, even better in person than on a screen!’

Qian Xin, full of pride, slipped one on and stepped around:

‘It’s super soft and bouncy! No wonder they call it ‘stepping in shit’ feel?’

Huang Hao: ”Stepping in shit’ feel? What a weird term?’

Qian Xin: ‘It’s an online metaphor—means the shoes are really soft and responsive!’

Xu Chen couldn’t help but smile inwardly.

‘Stepping in shit’ feel was a PR tactic he’d arranged in advance.

Jiang Yuze had seeded some discussion topics from a third-party angle, hyping up those three words.

Originally Adidas’s thing, but Xu Chen had snatched it early for ‘Ran Bing 001’.

With ‘Ran Bing 001’ focusing on its soft, bouncy midsole, spreading ‘stepping in shit’ made it catch on fast and spark talks.

Like with Huang Hao and Hong Xiaoqiang right now—they remembered the phrase and grasped the feature instantly.

That was effective marketing.

……

Wearing his fresh ‘Ran Bing 001’, Qian Xin beamed with satisfaction:

‘If only it had Xie Bingran’s autograph…’

‘Stock Guy’ Pei Qian looked on enviously, regretting not grabbing one.

Xu Chen watched Qian Xin’s real-user reaction and nodded approvingly.

Clearly, once early buyers got their shoes, positive buzz would build again.

That set a strong base for the next sales wave.

Later, with endorsements from business bigwigs like Wang Shi and Yu Liang, ‘Ran Bing 001’s hype should surge.

Nie Fei had returned from the Fujian Province factory, but Xu Chen hadn’t caught up with her yet.

He wondered if production was on track.

Plus, the other lines ‘Ran Bing X’ and ‘Ran Bing Lite’ needed checking.

……

……