Chapter 456: Shadows of Success

Zhang Yuchen and Xu Chen were already quite familiar.

Earlier, when they went to Doha for the Asian Games, Zhang Yuchen had been the team leader in charge. They met again later at the China Advertising Festival in Kun City.

“Senior, I didn’t expect to see you here!” Xu Chen greeted her warmly.

Zhang Yuchen smiled a bit awkwardly:

“Yeah, it’s rare to find an internship opportunity like this at your place.”

She paused for a moment, then smiled enthusiastically and said:

“Let me introduce everyone to you!”

A few seniors gathered around and introduced themselves one by one to “Young Xu Chen”.

In front of this junior, they were all very respectful and polite.

“I learned so much from your presentation on the ‘Afraid of Getting Heated’ case last time!”

“I’m mainly working with Jiang Yuze on the Ran Bing Sports promotion project now. Please guide me more, Young Xu Chen!”

“I’m from the fourth-year advertising class. I plan to dive into the advertising industry after graduation…”

“Getting to work on projects with Gu Xinxi and Sun Aimi is such an honor.”

……

After listening briefly, Xu Chen figured out that three of them were at “East Morning Star Advertising,” working under Gu Xinxi and Sun Aimi respectively.

The other four were at “Ran Bing Sports,” where Fei Jie had assigned them to Jiang Yuze and Sun Lingfeng.

Xu Chen hadn’t interviewed this group of interns himself—it was to avoid any awkwardness, since they were all seniors from the same college.

After a quick chat, he saw they were sharp and capable kids who could handle some of the company’s execution workload.

Both companies had a ton of tasks, and with the policy of not hiring just anyone, these senior interns were a perfect fit to ease the pressure.

The seniors were surprised to learn that “Young Xu Chen” ran not just one ad company but also a sports brand, officially partnered with Asian Games champion Xie Bingran.

This revelation left them amazed and excited, realizing they’d underestimated their junior.

Zhang Yuchen connected it back to their Doha trip and guessed Xu Chen had been there representing “Ran Bing Sports” to watch Xie Bingran compete.

It made perfect sense now that “Young Xu Chen,” with his two companies, had SVIP tickets for the VIP stands.

Two fourth-year seniors, facing graduation and job hunts, couldn’t help thinking joining Xu Chen’s companies was a solid, worth-pursuing option.

“East Morning Star Advertising” might be small, but it handled big clients like autos and real estate.

“Ran Bing Sports” had that official tie with Xie Bingran.

From any angle, both companies had huge potential, definitely worth serious consideration.

Plus, from interactions with Gu Xinxi and Sun Aimi, the team clearly loved working there.

……

……

In the meeting room.

Gu Xinxi kicked off a meeting, with Sun Aimi and Tang Xiaowei in attendance.

Since it involved going over project plans with “Young Xu Chen,” they didn’t invite the other interns.

Sun Aimi quickly reviewed the shooting plan for the “Head & Shoulders” ad.

Bing Ge’s shooting schedule was set for the whole day on February 1st.

“Head & Shoulders” filming would run from early morning on the 1st until 4:30 PM.

After that, they’d shift to the “Chenfeng Ice Power” module, with everything coordinated.

Xu Chen had already glanced over the “Head & Shoulders” plan and saw no major issues.

It was all studio shots with green screen effects added later.

The script followed East Morning Star Advertising’s original proposal, centering on “Head & Shoulders helps me win clean and clear,” highlighting anti-dandruff features tied to Bing Ge’s fresh short hair look.

Even though it was studio-based, they broke it into scenes: arena, podium, press conference, scalp lab…

These scenes would use sets in the studio plus computer effects.

They’d string together Bing Ge’s competition, award moments, and spotlight scenes to show the product’s refreshing benefits.

Overall, it was straightforward, so Xu Chen didn’t add many comments.

They also breezed through the “Chenfeng Ice Power” plan.

Based on Xu Chen’s earlier directions, it wouldn’t be too complex.

It just involved Xie Bingran in a few interactive scenes with “Chenfeng Ice Power,” including static poses and dynamic riding shots.

Post-production would keep it simple with a clean, techy background, focusing on Bing Ge’s image and the product’s design.

Thematically, considering the electric bike’s attributes and audience, they avoided wild creativity and went with “Good-looking and easy to ride—Chenfeng Ice Power.”

As an ad pro, Xu Chen knew what drove sales.

For northern market consumers, straightforward ads packed more punch.

Showcasing Asian Games gold medalist Xie Bingran’s endorsement, making the bike look great, plus product perks and promotions—that’s an effective ad ready for rollout.

……

Additionally, Gu Xinxi updated on a few other ongoing projects.

“Kunlunshan Mineral Water” sent regular design requests each month, mostly handled by Tang Xiaowei.

A design intern would soon join to help out.

The Vanke brand ad campaign “No tree is as precious as the one in your memory” was set for production and media scheduling, launching nationwide in mid-February.

It was originally post-Lunar New Year, but Wang Shi loved Xu Chen’s creative pitch so much he pushed for a pre-holiday rollout.

Before the new year, two more projects needed follow-up: the Baidu ad “Tang Bohu angrily rebukes the foreigners who don’t know” filming, and Xie Bingran’s LV endorsement ad.

Sun Aimi was tracking the Baidu ad execution; it was nearly wrapped up.

Xu Chen hadn’t needed to dive in much—Sun Aimi handled it all flawlessly.

For her, landing this project had its challenges, like a rollercoaster of loss and regain, so she tackled it with extra care.

The filming date wasn’t finalized yet, but it was slated for mid-February.

Xie Bingran’s LV endorsement ad was still waiting on the national team’s schedule confirmation.

Xu Chen was just observing this one, not involved in the creative or execution.

After all, LV was a powerhouse brand; their artists handled everything, and he didn’t want to interfere.

Gu Xinxi was coordinating with Li Yue from the national team; once dates were set, she’d update everyone.

Early estimates put it in mid-February too…

Post-Lunar New Year, another shoot loomed: the Cadillac ad “The regression of masculinity is this era’s tragedy.”

This one was more involved, with beasts and muscular men in the visuals.

Sun Aimi prepped the execution script, and now Gu Xinxi was handling the logistics—they’d locked in the crew and were finalizing plans.

It was a detailed headache.

“Young Xu Chen” felt relieved that Gu Xinxi and Sun Aimi could manage things independently; he didn’t have to micromanage as the projects moved forward.

He wasn’t quite a hands-off boss yet, but the daily grind was off his plate.

Xu Chen thought for a moment and said:

“Among the interns, there are two fourth-year graduates, right?

Over the next couple of months, evaluate them—if they’re capable, consider keeping them on.

If not, Gu Xinxi and Sun Aimi, you’ll need to look into hiring.

Projects are piling up, and with just you three, it’s overwhelming.

We don’t need a huge team, but for handling multiple projects, you can’t be overworked.

After all, our company doesn’t encourage overtime…”

Gu Xinxi: “Got it, boss. I’ll discuss it privately with Sun Aimi.”

……

……

“Young Xu Chen” had no more business, so he wandered around the office.

He’d been buried in studies lately and hadn’t visited much—things had changed.

The office now had a new display area that Sun Aimi had designed—it was all set up.

Besides East Morning Star Advertising’s case studies, there were several large posters of Xie Bingran.

They included endorsement posters for Jeep, Kunlunshan Mineral Water, Ran Bing 001, and Chenfeng Ice Power, plus some high-res shots from her competitions.

Two special display stands caught his eye: one held the original Ran Bing 001 prototype shoes, the other showcased the Chenfeng Ice Power electric bike.

It looked professional.

Fang Jun’s dedicated “Financial Room” was also ready.

Last time Fang Jun visited, he suggested some tweaks, so Gu Xinxi had the renovation team handle it.

Everything was neatly done, mainly adding two safes and some locked cabinets.

Now, besides storing key financial docs, there was a cabinet for archived project materials.

Fang Jun mostly directed from afar, so Gu Xinxi was still managing the finances and receipts.

But Xu Chen knew this wasn’t sustainable; they’d need a proper finance person soon—either Fei Jie could recruit one or Fang Jun could send someone.

……

Xu Chen returned to his “General Manager’s Office” and settled into the large desk.

Gu Xinxi walked over with her laptop and gently knocked on the glass door.

“Boss, Yichun City’s project just received the final 150,000 yuan payment…”

Xu Chen paused:

“Weren’t they stopping the project last week and withholding the payment?”

Gu Xinxi: “Not only did they send the payment, but Director Lou also sent a thank-you email.”

Xu Chen shook his head a bit and took the laptop from Gu Xinxi.

He skimmed Director Lou’s email and quickly pieced it together.

Lou’s message was full of formalities, but Xu Chen spotted the key points.

About two weeks ago, the project got halted from above, and even Lou’s Publicity Department faced some kind of review.

But in the last week or so, Vice Mayor Cheng Yumin pulled some strings and did internal convincing.

Most importantly, after the “Spring Calling” promo, two investors actually eyed the Mingyue Mountain tourism project and started talks.

This proved the campaign’s real impact.

Boosting Yichun City’s profile and landing actual investments meant any risks or backlash could be overlooked.

In the early 2000s, for many places, securing investments solved everything.

“Economic foundations determine the superstructure”—Vice Mayor Cheng took the heat and pushed the promo, turning it into a win as an innovative leader.

In the end, whether it’s a black cat or a white one, if it drives the local economy, it’s a good cat.

“East Morning Star Advertising” got their payment and a thank-you note from Director Lou as expected.

Xu Chen handed the laptop back to Gu Xinxi:

“Great work, Gu Xinxi. That wraps up the project.

The money’s not much, but it was a real hassle.”

Gu Xinxi looked pleased:

“You’re always one step ahead, boss. Everything played out just as you predicted.”

Xu Chen suddenly remembered Jiao Tianbo’s frantic visit and said:

“Quick, tell Jiao Tianbo the good news. He was terrified when the project got paused.”

“On it!”

Gu Xinxi headed back with her laptop.

Xu Chen scrolled through messages on his phone and chuckled.

Turns out, before Gu Xinxi could even update, Jiao Tianbo already knew.

In the “Spring Calling” project group chat, Jiao Tianbo was buzzing with excitement, sending message after message.

“Director Lou just called me—the whole team got recognized!”

“Our promo not only skyrocketed Yichun City’s fame but also brought in Hong Kong investors for the Mingyue Mountain hot spring project…”

“The secretary from Publicity and the Tourism Bureau director issued directives…”

“We’re pushing forward with the original plan to guide and capitalize on the buzz!”

……

Seeing the messages from “Scholar Bro,” Xu Chen replied with encouragement:

“Congratulations, Jiao Tianbo—your first promo project is a total success!”

Jiao Tianbo took forever to type back, finally saying:

“Thanks so much, Xu Chen!

I was so panicked earlier, even though you had it all sorted—I almost messed up.

I really need to just listen to you…”