Chapter 488: Celebrations and Homecoming

The evening team dinner Nie Fei arranged was at an American restaurant near the company.

Steak, burgers, fries, fried chicken, and fish—plus a few beers and some live band performances.

The group had already toasted several rounds, with plenty of reasons to celebrate tonight.

It was a promising start to the year, and ‘Young Xu Chen’ was in high spirits.

The turnout was big today, including the existing team members and interns, plus two new colleagues.

The new HR specialist, Tang Mo, was gentle and unassuming, a stark contrast to Fei Jie’s commanding presence.

She greeted everyone and somehow remembered all their names right away.

She was truly warm and attentive.

The other newcomer, finance guy Ruan Zihau, seemed a bit shy and reserved in front of the group.

Xu Chen tested his tolerance by setting a few beers in front of him.

Ruan Zihau had already downed a bottle during his self-introduction as the new guy, earning cheers from everyone.

Su Rong got a little quiet around strangers, but after half a beer and a mouthful of steak, she livened up quickly.

Wu Feifei kept her cheerful and optimistic vibe, chatting and laughing with everyone.

Everyone loved this lively ‘Miss Wu’—she made the atmosphere buzz with laughter and good vibes.

Sun Aimi, Gu Xinxi, and Tang Xiaowei huddled together, whispering about the follow-up on ‘Red Star Erguotou’ work arrangements.

Xu Chen overheard and joked, interrupting them:

“Let’s not talk shop when we’re out having fun…”

Nana sat nearby with a sweet smile, cradling a bottle of beer but not drinking much.

The elegant and popular Nana drew attention from the guys, but Fei Jie kept them at bay.

Over at the ‘Ran Bing’ team, Jiang Yuze and Sun Lingfeng were under immense pressure—finally, ‘Ran Bing 001’ sales had hit a major milestone, and these two were nearly in tears of relief.

Nie Fei raised her beer bottle in a toast to the ‘misery-loving brothers’.

…

Xu Chen had just been toasted by his subordinates and was feeling pretty buzzed.

He lounged on the sofa, scrolling his phone, unable to resist checking out Ice Bro’s latest news and photos.

Thinking about it, Ice Bro had been making waves in the sports world for almost exactly a year.

It was back in March last year that Xu Chen pulled Xie Bingran, who’d been expelled from First High School, into the city sports meet qualifiers, kickstarting his meteoric rise.

The past year’s events flashed through his mind, and with a bit of alcohol in his system, Xu Chen felt a wave of emotions.

Xie Bingran had finished his afternoon competition and was probably already flying back to Beijing.

Xu Chen had never visited Ice Bro’s dorm in Beijing; Bai Miao mentioned in an interview that she and Ice Bro still shared one, but he wondered if the conditions were decent.

…

…

In the blink of an eye, April arrived.

On the 5th, Qingming Festival, Xu Chen took special leave from Class Monitor Min Siyang and flew home a day early.

Sure enough, the locust flowers in the village had bloomed; Xu Zhiquan grabbed two long bamboo poles and led his son to the woods in their hometown village.

The branches were laden with locust flowers, a snowy white tinged with golden hues, like soft clouds draped over the treetops.

Father and son hoisted their poles and quickly filled several large bags with fresh flowers.

Xu Chen grabbed a handful and inhaled deeply—the familiar scent was refreshing and invigorating.

The weather was warming up, and a little activity left them sweating.

Old Xu sat on a fallen tree trunk, lighting up a cigarette for himself.

Xu Chen lugged another bag of flowers over and sat next to his father.

A gentle breeze swept through the woods, making the branches sway and leaves rustle pleasantly, carrying a faint floral aroma.

Old Xu exhaled a puff of smoke and said:

“This patch of woods was supposed to be cut down for housing.

But I talked to the village and bought it outright—so we can come back every year for the flowers.”

Xu Chen: “President Xu, you’re so bold—must’ve cost a pretty penny to secure this spot?”

Xu Zhiquan chuckled: “Not really much at all.

I fixed up the village roads and donated some money to the primary school. When I make requests to the Village Committee, they take them seriously.

Mainly, this woods has been here since I was a kid, and the thought of chopping it down just breaks my heart.”

Xu Chen stayed quiet and handed his father a bottle of water.

Xu Zhiquan took it and gazed up at the swaying locust branches:

“When your mom was pregnant with you, I used to walk her around these woods.

And now, look how grown you are.”

As he spoke, he reached out and ruffled his son’s hair.

…

The next morning, when Xu Chen woke up, Old Xu was already bustling in the kitchen.

He was preparing locust flower meat filling.

Xu Chen washed his hands and jumped in to help.

The two worked for over two hours, wrapping up several trays of dumplings.

They boiled a small pot first, and Xu Chen enjoyed them dipped in vinegar.

“Xie Bingran loves these too!” Xu Chen said with a smile.

“Then pack extra when you leave—freeze them for the road.”

Xu Chen: “Just some flowers will do—I can freeze them and make dumplings later.”

Xu Zhiquan thought for a moment: “Is Ranran still in Beijing?

Wait a couple of days; once she’s back, I’ll pick fresh flowers and ship them to you.

The woods will keep blooming for a while.”

Xu Chen: “Sounds great, thanks, Dad!”

…

Taking advantage of the morning, Old Xu whipped up a proper meal and drove them to the graveyard.

They were paying respects to Xu Chen’s mother, of course.

Xu Chen finished his tribute and headed back to the car, while Old Xu lingered at the grave, smoking for a while.

Xu Chen had almost no memories of his mother—she passed away too early.

Back then, Old Xu was still struggling, and they never even got a proper wedding photo.

The only picture Xu Chen had of them together was from his one-month birthday.

In it, the woman smiled with such happiness, familiar yet strange to him.

He’d looked at it countless times as a kid, spinning all sorts of dreams about his mother.

But as he grew up, those childhood fantasies faded, and he pieced together bits from his father’s stories.

After honoring his mother, they visited Xu Chen’s grandparents’ graves too.

They set out some offerings.

Xu Zhiquan glanced at them and muttered quietly:

“Didn’t expect the third uncle to sneak back for a visit.”

…

That evening at dinner, Xu Zhiquan cheerfully turned on the TV.

Xu Chen was puzzled until he saw the latest ad for ‘Chenfeng Ice Power’ and couldn’t help snapping a few photos with his phone.

This Shandong Provincial TV spot was arranged by Old Xu and Guo Liang.

Xu Chen joked:

“Hoping our ads hit CCTV’s main channel soon.”

Old Xu straightened up, lit a cigarette, and said:

“I’ve actually been thinking about that…

But we’ll wait until we’ve locked down the northern market and start pushing south.”

Xu Chen gave him a thumbs-up:

“Big moves, President Xu!”

President Xu lit his cigarette, kicked back on the sofa, and added:

“Is Ranran going for the Olympics?”

Xu Chen paused: “Dad, what are you scheming?”

Xu Zhiquan: “Do you think ‘Chenfeng Electric Vehicles’ could team up with the Olympics somehow?”

Xu Chen froze for a second, then drew in a sharp breath:

“You know, don’t say it… actually, you’re onto something.”

Old Xu’s idea had beaten him to the punch.

This was worth checking with Director Li Yue—he’d have the connections and resources others couldn’t touch.

“Official Olympic partner” might be out of reach, but something like “Olympic Committee designated electric vehicle” could be possible.

Xu Chen thought it over and said:

“Great call, Dad! I’ll take this on and chat with Director Li Yue at the Sports Administration to see if it’s feasible.”

He paused:

“If we pull off a partnership with the Olympics, it could boost ‘Chenfeng Electric Vehicles’ recognition and sales nationwide.

Most importantly, we could tie it into Xie Bingran’s Olympic buzz.”

He’d considered Olympic tie-ins for ‘Ran Bing Sports’ last year and even sounded out Director Li Yue, who said it was nearly impossible.

The Olympics were a global event, with major sports brands locking down deals years in advance.

Now, ‘Ran Bing Sports’ squeezing in would need huge investments and perfect timing—which they lacked.

But ‘Chenfeng Electric Vehicles’ might still have a shot.

As a tech company, not a sports brand, the competition wasn’t as fierce.

Landing something like “Olympic Village official vehicle” could work, and the costs wouldn’t be outrageous.

Plus, Xu Chen started pondering ‘Ran Bing Sports’ again.

Even without official ties, they could ride the Olympic hype.

He’d need to discuss this with Nie Fei, Jiang Yuze, and Sun Lingfeng to plan it out.

With over a year left, including pre-Olympic buzz, they should start soon.

This was big—back in Shanghai, he’d call a project meeting right away.

…

Old Xu remembered something else, took a drag, and asked with a grin:

“Ranran won gold at the Asian Games—what do you think she’ll place at the Olympics?”

Xu Chen: “Honestly, I have no idea.”

In his past memories, Xie Bingran took gold at the 2010 Asian Games, but that was his peak before retiring.

He competed in the 2012 Olympics without a medal, as far as Xu Chen recalled.

Now, with Xu Chen altering the timeline, Xie Bingran had gold four years early.

So, what he’d achieve next year was anyone’s guess.

…

…

Xu Chen extended his leave by a day and stayed in Tiancheng longer.

Old Xu was swamped, so Xu Chen tagged along to a meeting at the park.

Guo Liang was on a business trip but joined via video call to update on the current situation and plans.

Xu Chen listened in—it all seemed to be progressing smoothly.

‘Chenfeng Electric Vehicles’ had sealed a deal with ‘Datuo Car Dealership,’ and batches of vehicles were heading to northern outlets.

With limited stock, they focused on key cities first.

The main targets were Shimen City and Lang City in Hebei Province.

Shimen City, as ‘Datuo’s headquarters, made resource coordination easy.

Lang City, between Beijing and Tianjin, served as a strategic stronghold.

Securing it would be a game-changer.

Once Shandong and Hebei were covered, the next big push would be Henan Province.

A populous province with lower electric vehicle adoption, it was a prime untapped market.

‘Chenfeng Electric Vehicles’ could pair with ‘Datuo’s stores there for maximum impact.

The partnership with ‘Datuo’ was driven by Chairman Jiang Huaqin top-down, so there were no internal hurdles.

Externally, rivals like ‘Aibang’ and ‘Shenbiao’ caused minor disruptions, but nothing significant—they could be ignored.

Jiang Huaqin had deep roots in the north with solid connections, and ‘Datuo’s regional heads were influential locals, so any small issues fizzled out.

As for ‘Aixing Car Dealership,’ they were still watching and waiting.

Old Xu had sent Guo Liang to pitch a collaboration, but now they weren’t rushing.

With ‘Datuo’ locked in, they lacked extra vehicles anyway.

Once ‘Datuo’s sales picked up, ‘Aixing’ would likely come knocking.

After the call with Guo Liang, the meeting room was just father and son.

Xu Chen’s curiosity about Jiang Huaqin got the better of him, so he asked:

“What’s the deal with Jiang Huaqin using Meng Huiyang to connect with the Beijing State-owned Assets Commission?

He’s going all-in with us, so this favor we’re doing must be pretty major?”

Xu Zhiquan took a drag and pondered before saying:

“It’s more like one of Jiang’s old secrets.

He wouldn’t bring it up himself, but Guo Liang dug up some info—we can piece together what’s going on.”

Old Xu didn’t spell it out fully, but Xu Chen got the gist…”