Chapter 472: Whispers of Business and Family

Xu Chen: “Dad, what’s really going on?”

Xu Chen knew that Chenfeng Technology was facing major hurdles expanding in the northern market, mainly with finding reliable dealers.

And the ‘Datuo Car Dealership’ that Xu Zhiquan had just mentioned was the biggest electric bike dealer in the north, covering nearly three-quarters of the northern provinces.

In short, if they could seal a deal with Datuo, that would pretty much open up the northern market channels.

But the two big electric bike companies up north, as rivals, had already put pressure on dealers to block Chenfeng Electric Bikes from their networks.

With little faith in this new Chenfeng brand, northern dealers including Datuo were still sitting back, watching and waiting for the right move…

Xu Zhiquan took a drag from his cigarette and said:

“If we’re going to do this, I need to double-check the info first.”

Xu Zhiquan puffed on his cigarette and laid out the situation.

“Datuo Car Dealership’s boss is Jiang Huaqin. He started out in car sales back in the day.”

Later, he branched out on his own, but without enough capital for cars, he dove into electric bikes instead.

Who’d have thought he’d build it into the top dealer in the north and one of the biggest in the country…

Xu Zhiquan and Guo Liang wanted to lock in Jiang Huaqin directly, so they dug into his background through various channels.

One key piece was that Jiang Huaqin was dealing with some issues and needed to connect with someone in the Beijing State-owned Assets Commission.

Under the Beijing State-owned Assets Commission, there’s a liquor factory called Red Star, which makes Red Star Erguotou.

And in that Red Star factory, there’s a key person Jiang Huaqin is trying to win over…

Xu Zhiquan took another puff and continued:

“This key person has a tough advertising project on their hands.”

If we can help land the Red Star project, we might just win over that key figure at the factory.

That way, Jiang Huaqin would owe us a big favor, and the rest would fall into place.

“But if you want in on this, son, I need to clear it with him first—mainly Jiang Huaqin.”

Do we have any intro materials for East Morning Star Advertising? Something with solid projects, big ones.

“I’ll visit Jiang Huaqin after the New Year and bring this up.”

If he’s interested, I’ll pitch East Morning Star Advertising.

Xu Chen: “Sure, I’ll send over a company intro document.”

Xu Zhiquan: “I don’t know the exact budget for the Red Star project.”

Whatever it costs, I’ll cover the difference for you, son.”

Xu Chen: “Dad, what are you saying?”

I’d do this project for free if I had to!”

Xu Zhiquan chuckled:

“Can’t let my son work for nothing!”

Xu Chen joked back:

“President Xu, you’re something else—figuring out Jiang Huaqin’s hidden needs like that.”

Xu Zhiquan: “That’s just how business works.”

To get things done, you nail the people involved.

And to nail a person, you figure out their problems and urgent needs.

For anyone, offering help in a pinch is the fastest way to build trust.

If you can land the Red Star project, we’ll be doing Jiang Huaqin a solid…”

Xu Chen glanced at his glass of wine and said:

“Red Star Liquor Factory… that’s the one for Red Star Erguotou, right?”

He thought it over:

“If it’s an ad project for Red Star Erguotou, it shouldn’t be too tough.”

On New Year’s Eve morning, the father and son shared breakfast.

Today, Xu Zhiquan would drive back to their hometown village for the family reunion dinner.

It was a long-standing tradition—his siblings took turns hosting the New Year’s feast.

This year, it was Xu Chen’s eldest uncle, Xu Zhishan, organizing it, so Xu Zhiquan was heading to his brother’s place.

In past years, Xu Chen would tag along, though he wasn’t that keen; this year, he found an excuse to skip it.

After breakfast, they stepped out together.

One hopped in his car for the village, the other for the provincial capital airport.

In the afternoon, at the Media Center Hotel in Beijing, Xu Chen settled into his room and lounged on the spacious sofa, scrolling through his phone.

He’d upgraded to the latest iPhone, ditching his old Nokia flip phone, and couldn’t help but marvel at the leap in tech.

CCTV was right next door, so he’d walk over that evening to meet Xie Bingran.

Xu Chen turned on the TV; CCTV was airing Spring Festival Gala previews.

The host was that veteran, Grandpa Bi.

Amid the show, ads rolled in, and Xu Chen spotted ones for Kunlunshan Mineral Water, Jeep, and Head & Shoulders—all featuring Xie Bingran.

Clearly, those big brands had gotten wind of her Spring Festival appearance and were riding the hype.

He wondered if any had splashed out to sponsor the gala directly.

Xu Chen texted Xie Bingran, asking when she’d take the stage.

After waiting over twenty minutes, he got her reply—probably caught up in rehearsals.

She sent a program schedule; Xu Chen opened it and whistled—it was the real deal, straight from the source.

On TV, host Bi Fujian was interviewing the audience about their wishes for the night, but Xu Chen already had the lineup.

For the 2007 gala, having lived through it once before, Xu Chen didn’t remember much, but the schedule showed Zhao Benshan’s sketch was called ‘Planning’.

He couldn’t recall the details—just had to wait and see.

Back then, audiences online always complained the gala was disappointing, like it got worse every year.

But to Xu Chen, now reborn, they had no idea how good they had it.

At least there was Zhao Benshan to enjoy, without awkward bits like ‘First Photo Studio’…

Xu Chen scanned the schedule again.

The theme was ‘Joy and Harmony’, linked by song and dance segments.

Under that, sub-themes included ‘National Spirit’, ‘Pop Colors’, ‘Hometown Beauty’, ‘Olympic Dreams’, and ‘Celebrating Spring’.

Xie Bingran’s part was definitely in ‘Olympic Dreams’.

According to the schedule, around 10 p.m.

Xu Chen called room service for a lamb hotpot with sides and a bottle of red wine to be delivered later.

He pushed open the window to feel Beijing’s New Year’s Eve vibe.

The sky had darkened, the city glowing red with lights.

Fireworks echoed from all directions, layered and faint.

Beijing probably had new rules for fireworks by now, but he wasn’t sure where the main spots were.

At 8 p.m., the gala kicked off with a song and dance number, followed by hosts Zhu Jun, Zhou Tao, Li Yong, and Dong Qing appearing on screen.

Seeing them, Xu Chen felt a wave of nostalgia.

Zhu Jun was still the undisputed gala king, though a decade later he’d face that scandal and never recover.

And Li Yong with his curly hair reminded Xu Chen of his wife, Ha Wen.

The galas got duller after she directed, with that motto ‘meaning before fun’, and boy, did it show…

Xu Chen sipped his wine and suddenly froze.

The ‘Black Three Minutes’—that was this year!

He drew in a sharp breath, wondering if that embarrassing mishap from his past life would happen again.

If it did, Li Yong might leave CCTV and his career would tank, leading to his death from illness a decade on…

The stories of Li Yong, Zhu Jun, and Bi Fujian stirred a strange mix of time-slip regret in Xu Chen, sending a chill down his spine.

Xu Chen lowered the TV volume and called his father, Xu Zhiquan.

Xu Zhiquan was likely several drinks in, his voice buzzing with cheer.

He put it on speaker so Xu Chen could greet the family elders for the New Year.

Xu Chen played the dutiful son, wishing everyone a happy New Year.

The gathering included his eldest uncle, fourth uncle, aunt, fifth uncle, and their families.

His third uncle’s family was in the south this year, so they weren’t there.

The elders joked with him, and Xu Chen promised to visit after the holiday for red envelopes.

After hanging up, ‘Young Xu Chen’ got a flood of New Year’s texts.

He replied to and sent out a bunch, mostly for business—like East Morning Star Advertising, Ran Bing Sports, and key clients.

People like Vice President Zhou from Lifeng, Wang Shi and Yu Liang from Vanke, Pang Ming and He Da Chang from Jeep.

Of course, he included friends like Wu Feifei, Su Rong, Nie Fei, and company colleagues…

Xu Chen thought for a moment and sent New Year’s greetings to Cheng Hong, Li Yue, and Liu Shengnan from Xie Bingran’s side.

The gala wasn’t mind-blowing, but it beat anything from later years hands down.

The comedy acts with Feng Gong, Pan Changjiang, Huang Hong, and Guo Donglin had everyone laughing.

Sure, there were a few cringy moments, but nothing like the trainwrecks to come.

Xu Chen paid more attention to the songs and dances, especially since Xie Bingran was in the ‘Joy and Harmony: Olympic Dreams’ segment.

After ‘National Spirit’, ‘Pop Colors’, ‘Hometown Beauty’, and ‘Military Soul’, ‘Olympic Dreams’ finally hit.

Han Hong, Sun Nan, Tan Jing, and Lin Yilun led the singing, followed by star athletes.

The camera zoomed in on champions like diver Guo Jingjing, badminton player Lin Dan, table tennis star Wang Liqin, and gymnast Yang Wei…

And of course, Xie Bingran, the Asian Games women’s hurdles gold medalist.

Though they didn’t sing, everyone knew these athletes were the real stars of ‘Olympic Dreams’.

The singers were just the backup.

The live feed kept cutting to the champions, with Xie Bingran standing out—stunning as any celebrity there.

Xu Chen stared at the TV, a grin creeping on his face.

His Xie Bingran looked amazing on screen…

She stood between Guo Jingjing and Lin Dan, all in matching red-and-white national team uniforms.

The camera caught her feet—a pair of eye-catching Ran Bing 001 shoes…

Xu Chen felt a surge of excitement.

He’d talked to her about wearing them, but figured the event might require standard gear; turns out, she pulled it off.

In the Ran Bing Sports group chat, Nie Fei messaged:

[Who knew she’d wear them on the gala!]

@Jiang Yuze, get the promo rolling.

Jiang Yuze replied right away:

[On it! We’ve got the PR team on this.]

[Xie Bingran in Ran Bing 001 on the gala—time for a big buzz!]

Xu Chen had tipped off Nie Fei and Jiang Yuze privately to prep for the hype.

The rest of the group just found out and were thrilled.

[Xie Bingran on the gala? Awesome!]

[She’s incredible!]

[Prettier than Guo Jingjing and sharper than Lin Dan!]

Wu Feifei and Su Rong chimed in too, buzzing with excitement.

Wu Feifei: [Xu Chen, you’re sneaky! You didn’t tell me about Xie Bingran’s gala spot!]

Su Rong: [What a surprise! This year’s gala just got fun!]

Meanwhile, Xu Chen’s high school and college groups were exploding.

People were snapping TV shots and sharing them everywhere to confirm.

[Is that our schoolmate Xie Bingran on the gala?!]

[Unbelievable! Never thought we’d see her there!]

[Proud moment! I went to school with her!]

The ‘Olympic Dreams’ segment wrapped up in about ten minutes.

Xu Chen finished watching, threw on his coat, grabbed his phone, and headed downstairs.

The CCTV studio was just next door, so in no time, Xie Bingran would go from the screen to his arms.

He felt a rush of joy.