Chapter 481: Luxury Encounters and Daily Adventures

On Sunday, Su Rong and Wu Feifei invited Xu Chen to check out Louis Vuitton.

Over the past couple of days, news and buzz about Bing Ge endorsing Louis Vuitton had hit all the major media outlets.

Online discussions were everywhere, of course.

Beyond the brand’s own PR push, it was Bing Ge’s natural star power driving the hype.

For fans who loved Bing Ge, his endorsement of a luxury brand was a huge thrill.

And Louis Vuitton picking a sports star like Xie Bingran as their face sparked widespread talks in fashion, entertainment, and sports circles.

Back in early 2007, luxury and fashion brands mostly tapped actors and singers for endorsements; using an athlete was a fresh, groundbreaking move.

But once people saw Xie Bingran’s promo materials, everyone agreed it was a perfect fit.

First off, his image and vibe perfectly matched the spring-summer collection’s style.

Second, his built-in fame and buzz rivaled that of many A-list actors and singers.

Plus, as an Asian Games champion who brought glory to the nation, Bing Ge’s positive, inspiring image made him an idol for countless young people—something no entertainer could top.

Xu Chen drove to the base of the Southwest Tower at school and picked up Su Rong and Wu Feifei.

Xu Chen turned to Wu Feifei and said:

“Why’d you come all the way here? I could’ve driven over to get you!”

Wu Feifei: “I came to grab breakfast with Su Rong—your school’s cafeteria is amazing!”

Xu Chen: “You’re quite the charmer.”

Forty minutes later.

Xu Chen slowed his Grand Cherokee on Nanjing West Road.

In the back seat, the two young women rolled down their windows and shouted with excitement:

“Wow! Bing Ge’s ad is massive—it covers the whole building!”

“This ad is so cool! Who knew Bing Ge could rock red and look that tough and stylish!”

“And that building over there has his ad too! So dominant!”

Xu Chen circled the area a few times until the two were finally satisfied.

Ten minutes later, the trio arrived at the Louis Vuitton flagship store in Henderson Plaza.

This was currently the largest Louis Vuitton store in the country.

As soon as they stepped in, the first thing they spotted was Bing Ge’s poster featuring the same outfits from the campaign—the key pieces for Louis Vuitton’s spring-summer line.

A sales associate approached them right away and recognized Xu Chen:

“Mr. Xu, welcome.”

Xu Chen paused, suddenly remembering his last visit when he bought some flashy clothes to deal with Anrui Investment.

He hadn’t expected the associate to remember him so clearly.

That big-logo jacket he’d bought was basically a gift to Bing Ge now, still hanging in his wardrobe at the Xin Zhuang Base.

Truth be told, Bing Ge looked way sharper in it than he did…

The two young women headed off to check out the clothes from Bing Ge’s poster series.

The ad featured designer concept pieces, which differed a bit from the actual store items.

Inside the glittering Louis Vuitton store, everything screamed high-end, but luckily, both women had the means to afford it.

“Boss Xu?!”

“Su Rong?” …

As they browsed, someone called out from behind.

They turned to see Jiang Zhe Little Prince, Qian Xin, with two guys trailing him.

They all had that same flashy vibe—messy styled hair and outfits that were loud but clearly expensive.

“Qian, what a coincidence!” Xu Chen said, genuinely surprised to run into him on the weekend.

“Haven’t seen you around the dorm lately—didn’t expect to bump into you here,” Qian Xin said with a grin.

These past few days, Xu Chen had been staying in Tonghai New Village and hadn’t returned to the dormitory, but he just brushed it off:

“Work’s been crazy—non-stop overtime at the company!”

“Boss Xu’s got a big empire to run—always chasing that cash!”

Qian Xin turned and said, “Let me introduce my friends to you!”

The two guys behind him were Qian Xin’s buddies, all from Zhejiang Province and from wealthy families—just like him. They went to the same high school and were now studying in Shanghai.

Qian Xin was the type to exaggerate, so when introducing Xu Chen, he made him sound like he owned multiple listed companies, leaving Xu Chen a bit speechless.

The other two guys lit up with interest and eagerly chatted with Xu Chen to build a connection.

From their talk, it was clear their families ran businesses in Zhejiang Province.

Su Rong and Wu Feifei joined in, and everyone exchanged introductions.

The two guys perked up at the sight of the pretty women, but Qian Xin shot them a quick warning glance.

Qian Xin and Wu Feifei had crossed paths during the Asian Games in Doha, but this was their first proper introduction.

After a bit more chat, Qian Xin suddenly recalled something:

“Oh, right—last year at the start of school, you came to our dorm building looking for Xu Chen.

Back then, Jiao Tianbo stormed down like he’d been cheated on, but you still ditched him and went off with Xu Chen for a meal…”

Xu Chen: “…”

Wu Feifei: “?”

Su Rong: “!”

A little more conversation revealed that Qian Xin had come here after seeing Bing Ge’s endorsement ads and dragged his friends along for the weekend fun.

“Didn’t expect Boss Xu to be here supporting Bing Ge too!” Qian Xin seemed thrilled.

Xu Chen joked, “I’m just the security and driver for these two ladies on their shopping spree.”

An hour later, they all left the store together, arms loaded with bags—everyone except Xu Chen.

Su Rong and Wu Feifei had gone all out on Bing Ge’s lookalike items.

Xu Chen caught a glimpse of the bill and couldn’t help but admire their spending power once again.

Qian Xin and his friends seemed to be showing off, especially in front of the women, acting all generous.

But when it came to paying, they looked a tad reluctant, which amused Xu Chen.

As ‘Young Xu Chen,’ he didn’t feel that youthful pressure; he was just there as the driver and bodyguard for the ladies.

Thanks to Qian Xin’s suggestion, they all grabbed lunch together.

They were all young people around the same age, so it felt natural and easy.

Over the meal, Qian Xin was his usual boisterous self, bragging away, and even hyping up ‘Boss Xu’ in front of his friends about how awesome running his own company was.

Qian Xin’s personality was upbeat and straightforward, if a bit over-the-top, and Xu Chen enjoyed how he kept the vibe lively.

Wu Feifei was sharp and sociable, chatting effortlessly without being too flashy or distant, winning everyone over.

Su Rong, sitting with strangers, turned inward and focused on her food, barely saying a word.

She’d glance at her new Bing Ge-inspired buys and smile to herself, looking utterly adorable.

One of Qian Xin’s friends seemed really into Su Rong and kept trying to impress her, but she ignored it all.

After lunch, the group wandered around the nearby shopping area.

For Xu Chen, it was a rare outing, and he found it kind of fun.

When they passed an Anta store, Xu Chen paused.

Wu Feifei spotted the huge poster at the entrance:

“That’s Chen Lan, the silver medalist from the Asian Games who lost to Bing Ge!”

Su Rong sipped her warm bubble tea, blinking as memories of the Doha competition flashed back.

Xu Chen had heard that after missing out on Xie Bingran, Anta signed Chen Lan, and here was the ad already up.

It didn’t seem to be getting much widespread promotion, though.

Xu Chen studied it closer; Chen Lan was promoting a premium running shoe.

It was basically a direct rival to Ran Bing 001.

At first glance, from the endorser to the shoe’s quality, it fell short of Ran Bing 001 by a long shot.

On the way back.

Xu Chen drove with Su Rong and Wu Feifei in the car, and the radio played ‘Chrysanthemum Terrace.’

“Curse of the Golden Flower” was still screening in some theaters after its Lunar New Year run, and Jay Chou’s ‘Chrysanthemum Terrace’ had caught on big time.

Xu Chen recalled from his past life that in 2008 Olympic news, director Zhang Yimou was already involved in the opening ceremony while filming that movie.

He’d squeeze in meetings with the ceremony team between shoots.

Thinking about it, the 2008 Olympics felt right around the corner.

That thought made Xu Chen feel a bit tense for Bing Ge.

With the Olympics in Beijing, it would be a national spectacle for 1.3 billion people.

Xu Chen couldn’t imagine what it would be like to race under that kind of scrutiny.

Probably only someone with Bing Ge’s cool demeanor could handle it without batting an eye…

In the back seat.

Su Rong and Wu Feifei shared a sponge cake they’d picked up while shopping, careful not to mess up Xu Chen’s car.

Su Rong’s cheeks were puffed out as she chewed.

She glanced at Xu Chen in the front and mumbled, “You seem like such a grown-up.”

Xu Chen blinked: “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Su Rong thought for a second while chewing: “I didn’t feel that way at first, maybe because I’m so used to you.

But today, with Qian Xin and those other guys around…

They looked like kids next to you—you’re like the adult in the room.”

Xu Chen: “…”

Wu Feifei whispered, “Fang Jun and I think the same privately.”

Su Rong: “See?!”

She narrowed her eyes, as if she’d uncovered some secret: “Something’s off!”

Xu Chen chuckled awkwardly: “I’m just good at pretending…”

Wu Feifei pondered: “Other guys act like adults, but you’re acting like a kid.”

Xu Chen: “Oh… So from now on, call me the old man.”

On Tuesday.

After classes in the afternoon, with nothing else on, Xu Chen headed to the company.

He saw Nie Fei in a meeting with Jiang Yuze and Sun Lingfeng; spotting him through the glass, she waved him over.

Xu Chen entered the meeting room and noticed two shoe boxes on the table, simply labeled ‘Lifeng Footwear.’

“What’s this?” Xu Chen asked.

Nie Fei smiled: “Sample pairs of ‘Ran Bing X’ that Zhou Junjun just finished and sent over.”

“Oh?!”

Xu Chen’s face lit up; he set down his backpack and opened the boxes.

The ‘Ran Bing X’ design came from Hong Kong designer Chen Youjian, one of the top in the Chinese community.

It followed the ‘Phoenix Seeking Phoenix’ concept, with a men’s and women’s version.

Men’s was the ‘Phoenix edition,’ women’s the ‘Phoenix’…”

Nie Fei said:

“The design pretty much matches the original plans.

We’ll tweak materials and craftsmanship to balance costs.

Right now, using full premium materials would double the cost of ‘Ran Bing 001,’ which might be too steep.

We think pricing it that high won’t sell well.

Zhou Junjun’s still working on options to cut costs further.”

Xu Chen nodded and joked:

“Even if it costs double, I’d still want a pair looking like this!”

Of course, that was just a joke.

‘Ran Bing Sports’ aimed for an accessible, everyday brand and wouldn’t overcharge customers.

Though ‘Ran Bing X’ was positioned as a premium running shoe, it would still offer great value compared to those overseas rip-offs.

Nie Fei: “We’ll wait for Zhou Junjun’s update; should have the final product plan in about two weeks.

That’ll pin down costs and pricing…”

She paused: “Also, we need to plan the launch, teaser, and initial rollout for ‘Ran Bing X’.

The key is timing it with something hot.”

She looked at Xu Chen: “How about Bing Ge’s April competition?”

Xu Chen nodded:

“April’s perfect for the launch.

It’s Bing Ge’s first real international event.

She’ll face top global athletes, all Olympic contenders.

With her up against those elite runners, the attention and buzz will be huge.”

Jiang Yuze raised an eyebrow, looking like he wanted to speak but held back.

Xu Chen: “What’s on your mind?”

Jiang Yuze hesitated, then said: “Do you think Bing Ge can win a medal?”

Whether she medals makes a big difference.

Her first matchup with top Western competitors will draw eyes, but getting a top-three spot or even into the finals is the real question.

Even as Asia’s best, events like hurdling are still dominated by black athletes.

Xu Chen: “I actually asked Bing Ge about it over the holiday.”

Nie Fei: “What did she say?”

Xu Chen: “She said… she hadn’t thought about it at all.”