Chapter 457: Gathering Ambitions

That noon, Nie Fei, Zhou Junjun, and Jiang Yuze returned from their business trip to Sanya, so Xu Chen arranged a get-together.

By coincidence, Wu Feifei and Su Rong, the two young ladies, also showed up at the company.

Wu Feifei had just finished her finals and was on winter break, but she planned to hang out in Shanghai for a couple more days before heading back.

Xu Chen asked a few more questions and learned that Wu Feifei’s mother, the leader’s wife, was coming to Shanghai to spend a few days with her daughter.

Su Rong was eager to attend the event on the 1st to watch Bing Ge film the commercial.

As an advertising major, she wanted to see something new and gain some professional insights.

Of course, her main goal was just to spend another day hanging out with Bing Ge.

The meal was at a Shanghai-style restaurant on Miyun Road, near the school’s west gate, where they’d eaten a few times before.

With the six or seven interns along, the group suddenly grew larger.

They filled three tables, giving off vibes of a growing company scale.

Vice President Zhou spotted the new girls in the company and happily chatted with each one.

But once he learned they were Young Xu Chen’s seniors, he toned it down a bit.

He still had his eye on the Korean lady Nana and tried to sit next to her during the meal.

Fei Jie caught on to his intentions and pulled Nana over to sit beside her.

Xu Chen watched it all unfold and found it amusing.

Once the food arrived, Young Xu Chen, as the ‘boss,’ invited everyone to raise their glasses.

He welcomed the new colleagues, the visiting Vice President Zhou, the guiding presence of Wu and Su, and wished everyone a happy new year.

The six or seven seniors still seemed a bit awkward, like fresh-faced newcomers in the workplace.

But with Zhou Junjun’s lively spirit and Wu Feifei’s cheerful, high-EQ banter, the atmosphere quickly warmed up and relaxed.

Zhou Junjun steered the conversation toward Jiang Yuze, asking about his experiences in Sanya.

She was hoping he’d talk about bikini-clad beauties, but he stuck to work matters, leaving Vice President Zhou a bit disappointed.

The Sanya trip for ‘Ran Bing 001’ was a huge success, evident from the content spreading online.

Besides the endorsements from bosses Wang Shi and Yu Liang, ‘Ran Bing 001’ drew plenty of attention and buzz from runners on site.

Zhou Junjun joked,

‘You guys should tone down the promotion a bit—the hype’s getting too high…’

‘My factory’s machines are already smoking from the workload!’

Nie Fei puffed on a slim cigarette, smiling as she listened to the chatter.

She remembered something and turned to Xu Chen beside her, saying:

‘The design plan for ‘Ran Bing X’ from Chen Youjian Studio is almost ready.

I’ve scheduled the project report for the 2nd, right after your Head & Shoulders commercial shoot.’

Xu Chen: ‘Sounds good! That gives me time to head home first.’

Fei Jie arranged it with Young Xu Chen’s winter break in mind.

Xu Chen added:

‘In February, if you have time, come to Tiancheng, Fei Jie.

Guo Liang wants your advice on setting up ‘Chenfeng Ice Power’s distribution channels.’

Nie Fei thought for a moment:

‘You go ahead; I’ll follow in a couple of days.

Once the ‘Ran Bing X’ design is sorted, I’ll tie up the product development with Vice President Zhou.’

Xu Chen: ‘Great, thanks for the hard work, Fei Jie!’

Nie Fei smiled, raised her glass, and clinked it with Xu Chen’s…

Wu Feifei sat next to Xu Chen and said a bit shyly:

‘My mom is coming to Shanghai and wants to visit your company, Young Xu Chen!’

Xu Chen paused—this was serious business:

‘We’re thrilled to have her! When’s she arriving? I’ll make arrangements.’

Wu Feifei: ‘No, no, don’t bother.

I don’t even know when she’ll get here, so you just focus on your stuff.

I’ll just show her around casually.’

Xu Chen glanced at Nie Fei:

‘On the 1st, I have to be at the shoot, so if Wu’s mom comes, Fei Jie, could you host her?’

Nie Fei knew Wu Feifei’s family background and nodded:

‘No problem, we’ll treat her right.’

Wu Feifei looked a little embarrassed:

‘It’s kind of awkward imposing on you all, but my mom is curious about Young Xu Chen’s company…’

Xu Chen: ‘Don’t say that—her visit would light up the place.’

Wu Feifei tilted her head and teased with a ‘tsk.’

…

After the meal, they walked back to the company, chatting and laughing.

Zhou Junjun stopped to grab a package and called Sun Lingfeng to help carry a box.

Vice President Zhou acted all mysterious, like the box held something amazing.

Back in the office, opening the box brought the biggest excitement to Su Rong.

Inside were four sample baseball jackets that Su Rong had designed for ‘Ran Bing Sports.’

Everyone crowded around, saying how great they looked.

Hearing they were Su Rong’s work, even Sun Aimi praised the design’s quality.

Nie Fei was thrilled too:

‘Vice President Zhou, let’s order a batch—these could be new year giveaway prizes for users.

And check the feedback; if people love them, we could sell them as standalone items.’

‘These samples cost a bit, so if we’re making more, we need to watch the production costs,’ Zhou Junjun added.

…

In the afternoon break, Su Rong pulled Wu Feifei along and secretly found Xu Chen.

It turned out both girls had their eyes on those baseball jackets.

Xu Chen grinned and said:

‘It’s all set, don’t worry.

Vice President Zhou will handle the first batch and save some for you two!’

‘Yes!’

…

As evening approached, ‘little manager’ Gu Xinxi came to find Xu Chen:

‘Boss, the shooting schedules for Baidu and LV are confirmed.’

Xu Chen noticed Gu Xinxi’s troubled expression:

‘What’s up? They don’t conflict, do they?’

Gu Xinxi: ‘No conflicts, but it’s going to be a hassle.

Baidu’s shoot is on the 13th in Beijing.

LV’s is the next day, the 14th, in Shanghai…”

If you attend both, you’ll have to fly back that night—it’s going to be tough.’

Xu Chen: ‘No big deal, I’ll just lose a few hours of sleep. I have to see Bing Ge’s LV shoot.’

Gu Xinxi added:

‘The LV schedule follows Bing Ge’s, so we couldn’t change it.

I tried shifting Baidu’s, but Miao Xiaoyu said it was already adjusted for their boss’s wife, Melissa, so it’s fixed on the 13th.’

Xu Chen: ‘So the boss’s wife is coming to the shoot herself…’

Gu Xinxi smiled:

‘Miao Xiaoyu told me privately that their boss’s wife, Melissa, really loves our creative idea!’

…

…

In the blink of an eye, it was the 1st, the day for the Head & Shoulders and ‘Chenfeng Ice Power’ commercials.

Early that morning, Xu Chen drove with Sun Aimi to pick up Su Rong from the girls’ dormitory.

But when they reached Southwest Tower, Su Rong and Wu Feifei were already waiting.

Xu Chen rolled down the window:

‘What’s Wu Feifei doing here to oversee things?’

Wu Feifei: ‘I just found out it’s Bing Ge’s shoot—I have to tag along!’

She looked thrilled, grabbed Su Rong, hopped in the car, and leaned forward from the back:

‘Don’t worry, I won’t cause any trouble!

I’ll just chat with Bing Ge and snag a signed poster for my mom.’

Xu Chen: ‘Why didn’t you say so earlier? I could’ve gotten you a poster in advance.’

Wu Feifei patted her bag:

‘I already sorted it with Aimi!’

…

The studio was pretty far out, in Qingpu, almost leaving Shanghai behind.

Luckily, the road was clear with no traffic, and they arrived right on time.

It was in a suburban creative park, where most domestic ad studios cluster for cheaper rent and a bit of artistic vibe.

Xu Chen parked, and Sun Aimi called the production team.

The four got out and saw ‘Head & Shoulders’ brand manager Jiang Peng rushing over with a big smile.

As a ‘noble’ client, he was overly eager welcoming Young Xu Chen.

‘Welcome, Young Xu Chen! Our Sia is already in the studio overseeing things!’

Sia was Procter & Gamble’s group director, Sun Yashi, who had been arrogant before but now was all politeness.

Xu Chen greeted Jiang Peng and headed to the studio.

The shoot had several setups in a large space across three floors.

Jiang Peng led them to the third-floor set first.

‘This is for the first scene—a simple track.’

‘Sia and the director’s team are here…’ he explained in the elevator.

They stepped out into the studio and saw the mock race track, about ten meters long, looking professional with green screens for later effects.

Staff buzzed around, adjusting lights and scenery.

Sun Yashi and director Woody stood together; spotting Xu Chen, they hurried over.

Sun Yashi was extra courteous now, no trace of her old arrogance, and exchanged friendly words with Xu Chen.

After a quick chat, Jiang Peng introduced the director.

‘This is our director, Woody.’

Woody looked lean and sharp, with short sides and a slicked-back top.

‘Nice to meet you, Young Xu Chen! You can call me Woody.

I know Paul from the industry, and he’s mentioned you.’

Paul was Hong Kong director Bao Jun Sen, who would handle the later ‘Chenfeng Ice Power’ shoot.

Clearly, Woody and Bao Jun Sen had coordinated.

Woody brought over the key crew—the cinematographer and the storyboard artist—and introduced them to Xu Chen.

They’d been working with Aimi and knew her well.

Xu Chen briefly introduced Su Rong and Wu Feifei as young team members.

Wu Feifei, though young, was outgoing and chatted easily with the director’s team without a hint of shyness.

Su Rong stayed close behind, looking sweet and reserved.

With Bing Ge not yet there, an assistant director showed Xu Chen the setups on the third and second floors.

Then they went to the second-floor west studio for the ‘Chenfeng Ice Power’ shoot.

A shiny new electric bike sat ready, surrounded by props for a sleek, high-tech feel against the green screen.

Sun Aimi updated Xu Chen on the shot plans and added:

‘The team for ‘Chenfeng Ice Power’ starts at 4:30, so Bao Jun Sen’s crew will arrive midday to set up lights and gear.’

The assistant director’s walkie-talkie crackled:

‘The spokesperson is here—reception and makeup teams, get ready…’

…

Back on the third floor.

As they arrived, they spotted Bing Ge from afar, with assistant coach Liu Shengnan by her side.

Bing Ge was all in black, her athletic build giving off major star vibes.

Sun Yashi and Woody were greeting her.

Nearby staff snuck photos of Bing Ge, buzzing with excitement.

Woody eyed her cool short hair, probably planning close-ups.

In the crowd, Bing Ge stood tallest, impossible to miss.

She kept her usual cool demeanor, exchanging hellos but not much chit-chat.

Xu Chen cleared his throat and walked over with a smile.

Bing Ge turned, saw him, and couldn’t help smiling back.

Wu Feifei and Su Rong lit up at the sight of Bing Ge.

Su Rong even called out to her in a playfully affectionate tone.

Sun Yashi and Woody, knowing Xu Chen and Bing Ge were close, stepped aside to give them space.

Wu Feifei and Su Rong linked arms with Bing Ge, chatting away.

Xu Chen greeted Liu Shengnan first.

Liu Shengnan, already familiar with Xu Chen, skipped the formalities:

‘Coach Cheng was supposed to come, but she’s on a team duty today.’

Xu Chen joked:

‘Next time, I’ll bring Aimi to visit Coach Cheng.’

Liu Shengnan smirked:

‘Aimi’s going to the LV shoot too, right? Coach Cheng mentioned she’d drop by.’

Xu Chen caught on: ‘Then I definitely have to bring Aimi along!’

Liu Shengnan remembered something:

‘Oh, and Director Li Yue is in Shanghai—he’ll stop by later and wants to talk to you.’

Xu Chen replied:

‘Perfect, I haven’t seen Director Li Yue in ages. We can catch up.’

He wondered what Li Yue wanted to discuss.

…