Chapter 487: Campus Rhythms and Business Beats

Friday morning, PE class.

This semester, Xu Chen signed up for badminton, along with his roommate Hong Xiaoqiang and the guy from the next dorm, the ‘Jiang Zhe Little Prince’ Qian Xin.

Having them in the same class made things easier; they could rotate playing during practice.

Xu Chen had to admit, after the morning runs and PE classes last semester, his physical fitness had improved a lot.

Compared to his high school days, he felt lighter and more built.

Tonghai University emphasized PE and morning runs from undergrad to grad level—it was a solid tradition worth keeping.

After finishing a round, Xu Chen swapped out for the ‘Jiang Zhe Little Prince’ and headed to the sidelines to rest.

He pulled out his phone from his bag and scrolled through the endless messages in various group chats.

Glancing through them, he saw it was all about the Baidu ad that launched yesterday, with discussions and feedback in the company group.

Baidu’s campaign was a massive effort, covering major portals like Sina and NetEase, popular communities such as Tianya and Mop, video sites like Tudou and Youku, and platforms like Xiaonei and Sohu blogs.

Essentially, it hit all the spots where mainstream netizens hung out, plus Baidu’s own channels.

It was an all-out blitz.

But that made sense—Baidu and Google’s market battle had reached the point of no return.

Whoever grabbed more search market share would dominate completely.

The rollout was aggressive, and they’d need Baidu’s official data review to see the full impact.

From what people were saying on major communities and video sites, though, the goals were pretty much met.

The ad’s key point about ‘Baidu Search’ had gotten through to users.

Gu Xinxi had put together a wrap-up report for East Morning Star Advertising and sent it to Xu Chen for a quick look.

Xu Chen skimmed it, saw no issues, and told Gu Xinxi to send it out.

Not long after, he got a reply from the Baidu client side.

Besides Baidu’s marketing VP Zhao Ling, the ‘boss’s wife’ Ma Dongmin herself responded directly, praising East Morning Star Advertising’s expertise and expressing sincere thanks.

Xu Chen couldn’t help but chuckle, remembering how this boss’s wife, Melissa, was still pushing for him to become Zhao Ling’s superior.

On top of that, Guo Liang sent a long message updating Xu Chen on his business trip to Shimen City.

Today, Xu Zhiquan and Guo Liang finished their visit to Datuo and were finally heading back to Tiancheng.

Over the past week or so, at Jiang Huaqin’s invitation, Xu Zhiquan and Guo Liang had been discussing and touring at Datuo Car Dealership’s headquarters in Shimen City.

Guo Liang had been keeping Xu Chen in the loop with real-time updates.

Besides checking out Datuo’s HQ, Jiang Huaqin arranged for people to take Xu Zhiquan and Guo Liang on a deep dive into the electric bike markets in nearby Tianjin and Lang City.

They even had Old Xu and Guo Liang disguise themselves as dealership staff to sneak into the headquarters production lines of competitors Aibang and Shenbiao for a look.

It was like infiltrating enemy territory.

Xu Zhiquan mentioned he should’ve brought Yang Congxin along; he’d have gained more from seeing the rival production lines.

Still, Guo Liang had snapped some secret videos and photos, so they could share those with Director Yang back home.

The distribution partnership between Chenfeng Technology and Datuo Car Dealership was now officially sealed.

Xu Zhiquan signed the agreement with Jiang Huaqin last evening and had Fang Jun and Si Daqing rush through the follow-up contracts back in Tiancheng.

Starting in April, Chenfeng Ice Power bikes would gradually hit Datuo’s channels and start selling across the northern market.

The news would have everyone at Tiancheng HQ celebrating.

Guo Liang had already requested a new marketing budget to push Xie Bingran’s endorsement ads hard in the north.

Chenfeng Electric Vehicles was a fresh brand, unlike Aibang and Shenbiao with their established user base.

But with Asian Games champ Xie Bingran as the face, they could quickly build recognition and trust.

Xu Chen thought the whole process took too long to nail down the deal, so he asked about it in the project group.

Xu Zhiquan saw the message and replied:

[Jiang Huaqin had some calculations of his own.

This week, he deliberately arranged for me and Guo Liang to go on these tours, wining and dining us—it was all to buy time.

He put in the effort to check out my reputation as Old Xu and the situation with Chenfeng in Tiancheng.

Once he was sure there were no issues, that’s when he finally signed off.]

Xu Chen: [Jiang’s that cautious— no wonder he built Datuo into such a big operation.]

Xu Zhiquan: [In the business world, anyone who makes it big isn’t to be underestimated.]

Shimen City, Datuo Electric Vehicle Sales Company headquarters.

In the chairman’s office, Jiang Huaqin was in a meeting with a few key subordinates.

His attractive secretary Wei Xinyao was there, serving tea and being attentive.

The operations VP looked grim as he spoke:

“Boss, Aibang’s already restricting our supplies, and Shenbiao will probably follow suit soon.

This partnership with Chenfeng Electric Vehicles might end up more trouble than it’s worth…”

Jiang Huaqin lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and then said:

“Don’t panic.

We expected this when we signed with Chenfeng.

Next month, once their bikes are in the stores, sales will pick up gradually.”

“Boss, why do we have to bring in ‘Chenfeng’ at all?

We could just stick with selling Aibang and Shenbiao—that’s steady profit for the dealership.

Now, introducing Chenfeng might alienate the other two, and we can’t even be sure if it’ll sell better.

Aixing Car Dealership’s already jumped in to grab stock from Aibang and Shenbiao.”

Jiang Huaqin waved it off:

“That’s not up for discussion—just push it forward.

Xu Chen from Chenfeng did me a huge favor; if we shut him out, I couldn’t show my face in the industry anymore.”

He took another puff:

“I’ve seen Chenfeng’s bikes—they’ll sell well once they’re out there. The product quality beats Aibang and Shenbiao’s main models.

Better motor tech, more appealing design, and a fair price.

Plus, they have a sports star endorser, and we wrote the ad promotions into the contract…

Trust me, sales will take off.”

Jiang Huaqin paused, then smiled and added:

“I dragged my feet for a week before signing because I wasn’t fully at ease, so I sent someone to Tiancheng for a check.”

“Ah? Tiancheng?”

“Tiancheng is Chenfeng’s headquarters.

I had people go there to scope things out, ask about Xu Zhiquan’s character and background, and even sneak into their factory.

The production line’s solid—better than Aibang’s, and they imported tech from Zhejiang based on Japanese origins.

Their government and business ties are strong; Xu Zhiquan knows his stuff, and he’s got Tiancheng and Shandong Province connections locked down tight.

The guy’s background is clean—he made his money from a seedling nursery, no shady risks.

Basically, we can partner without worries.”

Jiang Huaqin took another deep drag.

A subordinate noticed him looking thoughtful and asked:

“Boss, what’s up?”

Jiang Huaqin: “Oh, nothing…

I’m just envious of Xu Zhiquan for having such a great son!”

With that, he let out a heavy sigh.

Behind him, secretary Wei Xinyao’s lips parted as if she wanted to say something, but she held back.

In the afternoon, with the computer exam coming up, Xu Chen grabbed lunch with his roommates at the cafeteria and then hurried to the computer lab to study.

This frantic cramming for exams gave Xu Chen, back from his rebirth, a strangely fun and enjoyable vibe.

At 2 p.m., Xu Chen entered the exam room with his admission ticket right on time…

When he emerged, it was already 4 p.m., dusk settling in.

Stepping out, he ran into a group of classmates from his class, all guys and girls crowding around Hong Xiaoqiang with questions.

As the ‘computer whiz,’ this basic programming test was a breeze for Hong Xiaoqiang, so everyone swarmed him to compare answers.

Hong Xiaoqiang relished the attention and eagerly explained the exam questions to the group.

Su Rong spotted Xu Chen down the hallway and dashed over, leaving her roommates behind.

Xu Chen jumped back in surprise, but luckily, Su Rong stopped short instead of barreling into him, her face lit up with excitement.

“What?” Xu Chen asked, puzzled.

Su Rong leaned in close and whispered: “Bing Ge just won another gold medal!”

Xu Chen played it cool: “What’s the big fuss?”

Su Rong giggled happily: “It’s not that big, but it’s so exciting!”

Xu Chen tried to act nonchalant, but he couldn’t hide his joy and quickly pulled out his phone to check the latest news…

While Xu Chen was taking his exam in the lab, Xie Bingran was competing in the finals at Rongcheng Sports Center for the National Athletics Championships.

As expected, Xie Bingran claimed another domestic gold medal, solidifying her spot as the top female hurdler in the country.

Xu Chen scrolled through his phone while walking briskly toward the exit.

He suddenly noticed Su Rong tagging along like a little shadow, her short legs hustling to keep up, almost jogging.

Xu Chen slowed down, not wanting to leave her behind.

“We’re having a company dinner tonight to celebrate Bing Ge’s win—want to join?”

Su Rong beamed: “Yes! Absolutely!”

Xu Chen: “I’ll let Feifei know too!”

News of Bing Ge’s victory had already hit the front pages everywhere, especially in Shandong Province and Shanghai media.

Xie Bingran was registered with Shandong Province for domestic events, so they were quick to share the good news.

Shanghai media jumped on it too, since she was a registered university student there and trained in the city.

Xu Chen checked the Shanghai news and learned that Bai Miao had snagged a bronze medal—another reason to celebrate…

“Bai Miao’s on fire too!” Xu Chen said with a smile.

Su Rong: “You haven’t seen the school group chats? The university and department officials have already posted congrats!”

Xu Chen: “Bai Miao’s come a long way—finally breaking into the national top three.”

He glanced at the department group; it was exploding with news and photos of Bai Miao’s race, and of course, Bing Ge.

A few shots showed Bai Miao and Bing Ge hugging in celebration, with Bai Miao’s twin braids and tear-streaked face.

In this National Athletics Championships, Xie Bingran took gold, Chen Lan got silver as usual, and it was Bai Miao’s first major domestic medal.

For Bai Miao, this was a historic breakthrough.

She was now truly among the country’s top three, and her excitement was palpable.

The company group was buzzing with the same energy.

Sun Aimi had turned Bing Ge’s latest win into fresh promotional posters for Ran Bing Sports.

Xu Chen opened one and couldn’t resist saving it to his album.

Nie Fei was assigning tasks in the group, mainly telling Jiang Yuze to capitalize on the buzz for some PR for Ran Bing Sports.

Sun Lingfeng chimed in: [Right after Bing Ge’s race this afternoon, our official store’s traffic shot up—it’s already doubled…]

Xu Chen got a message from Wu Feifei and turned to Su Rong: “Let’s go pick up Miss Wu first.”

Su Rong nodded eagerly: “Sounds great!”

“At the ongoing National Athletics Championships in Rongcheng, Xie Bingran once again beat star athlete Chen Lan with a time of 12.43 seconds to win the women’s 100m hurdles gold.”

“Before this, Xie Bingran had already claimed gold in the National Games and Asian Games for the women’s 100m hurdles…”

“Head coach Sun Mouping: Xie Bingran’s in top form, consistently running under 12.50 seconds—she’s got the potential to medal in international events.”

“The seventeen-year-old prodigy who burst onto the scene and reached Asian peaks by eighteen, Xie Bingran adds another win at the Rongcheng Championships!”

“Chen Lan, taking silver, expressed regret: Competitive sports are brutal.”

“Both gold and bronze went to athletes under twenty—the national athletics team is seeing a faster generational shift…”

“Young athlete Bai Miao set a personal best of 13.01 seconds, just shy of breaking the 13-second barrier.”

“Bai Miao in an interview: I share a dorm with Bing Ge…”

Xu Chen picked up Su Rong and headed to Shanghai Foreign Languages University to get Wu Feifei.

Su Rong, settled in the back seat, said cheerfully:

“Is tonight’s dinner just to celebrate Bing Ge’s race?”

Xu Chen: “A few things to celebrate.

‘Ran Bing 001’ sales hit over 80,000 pairs, Chenfeng Technology’s made big strides in channel expansion, we’ve landed a new ad project, and we have new team members joining…

Of course, the main thing is Bing Ge’s gold medal.”

Su Rong blinked and said timidly:

“New colleagues… I’m a bit nervous about meeting strangers…”

Xu Chen: “…”