Chapter 119: An Unlikely Encounter

Fang Jun cradled a cup of coffee and glanced out the window.

The three people from Meigao Creative were standing outside, chatting.

A few steps behind them, Xu Chen stood scrolling through his mobile phone. He looked like he was waiting for someone, but in reality he was eavesdropping.

A few minutes later, the suave middle-aged leader from Meigao Creative stubbed out his cigarette and left with his two subordinates.

Xu Chen turned and walked back into the café.

“So?” Fang Jun asked.

Xu Chen smiled. “Once again, I have to thank you, Teacher Fang Jun.”

Fang Jun said, “Why’s that?”

Xu Chen replied, “I heard them complaining. During the pitch, one of the judges—a ‘medical expert’—challenged them right to their faces.”

That medical expert had questioned their ad copy, saying it didn’t match the product’s selling points and even contradicted basic medical knowledge.

It looked like Meigao Creative was probably out of the running this time…

“Sounds good,” Fang Jun said. “One less competitor for us.”

Xu Chen was a bit surprised by this.

Although Meigao Creative wasn’t a huge agency, they’d handled many medical clients before. They shouldn’t make such a basic mistake.

Maybe they were overconfident, or perhaps the director leading the team this time didn’t have a healthcare background.

Advertisers need to be versatile, but there are still barriers between different industries.

Some creatives focus on specific sectors and can stumble when they cross over.

Xu Chen glanced at Fang Jun and said with a grin:

“Luckily we have the ever-resourceful Teacher Fang Jun, who introduced a professional medical expert for us to consult.”

Fang Jun thought for a moment, then shook her head and said earnestly:

“Actually, it’s not really because of me.

You were the one who first checked who the judges were, anticipated the issues, and set up preventative measures.

Those three from Meigao didn’t do that investigation or find a solution in advance.

I just happened to be here and provided a resource for you.

So… you’re the real star.”

Xu Chen laughed and packed up his laptop.

“Let’s go grab lunch nearby.”

…

There’s a place called Yaxin Plaza just a few hundred meters away. It’s where local white-collar workers come for lunch, filled with restaurants big and small.

Xu Chen and Fang Jun walked there.

Xu Chen didn’t care what they ate, so he let Fang Jun decide.

As someone from a well-off family, she was a bit picky.

She scanned the area quickly, chose a Huaiyang cuisine restaurant, and led the way inside.

Once seated, Fang Jun browsed the menu and casually ordered the house specialties.

Crab Meat Lion’s Head, Squirrel Fish, Pingqiao Tofu…

When the dishes arrived, the portions were small but looked exquisitely delicious.

Xu Chen couldn’t help laughing:

“Eating with you, Teacher Fang Jun, really opens your eyes!”

Fang Jun remained unfazed and said offhand:

“National banquets are usually Huaiyang too. This place is just decent. I’ve had better in Beijing.”

Xu Chen shook his head with a complex expression:

“Teacher Fang, what kind of family do you come from, anyway?”

Silent showing off is the most deadly.

…

…

Their afternoon pitch didn’t start until three, and East Morning Star Advertising went to present at five. They had plenty of time at lunch.

They ate unhurriedly, savoring each bite.

Xu Chen ate a bowl of dessert while scrolling through the news on his phone.

The National Youth Athletics Championships were being covered intensively these days.

Local Shanghai media were all promoting the track athletes representing their city.

Two women competing in the 100-meter hurdles were both freshmen from Shanghai colleges—and they’d be Bing Ge’s rivals on the track.

Clearly local media were already touting them as the gold and silver medal favorites.

Xu Chen found it amusing and looked forward even more to seeing Bing Ge breeze past them.

He scrolled through more articles but found no news directly related to Xie Bingran.

But that made sense—so far Bing Ge had only competed in the Tiancheng City Games.

And Tiancheng was really just a small county town.

The competition the day after tomorrow would be Xie Bingran’s first national-level event.

…

Just then, an angry male voice came from behind:

“Are you dumb or what?! How many times do I have to tell you, no sugar in my coffee!”

“Sorry, Mr. Li… the staff grabbed the wrong cup. I’ll get you another right away…”

Fang Jun frowned and turned to look. It was the neighboring table’s customers.

The furious “Mr. Li” was a chubby, middle-aged man with a greasy face.

The young staff member who’d made the mistake looked embarrassed and had dashed out to reorder the coffee.

Two other young people sat with him—obviously Mr. Li’s subordinates—both looking tense.

Xu Chen didn’t turn around, but at the sound he thought to himself:

“I never expected to run into an old nemesis…”

That chubby “Mr. Li” was Li Fengfeng, the project director from Black Duke Marketing who’d come here for the pitch.

In his past life, Xu Chen had worked at Black Duke Marketing for about a year under Director Li Fengfeng.

Li Fengfeng was the epitome of a terrible boss with awful character.

Just like how he treated his staff a moment ago, he took pleasure in bullying and exploiting subordinates.

The more timid and obedient the junior, the harsher his abuse.

Xu Chen, headstrong in his past life, had ignored Li Fengfeng, so Li had given him the cold shoulder.

But he’d still made things difficult for Xu Chen, docking most of his year-end bonus.

Li Fengfeng’s professionalism wasn’t spotless, either.

Advertising is a creative industry.

Whenever a classic ad came out, the circle would debate whose work it was—who the creative director was, who wrote the copy, who designed it.

In his team, Li Fengfeng would strip subordinates of credit and sign everything in his own name.

He even submitted his team’s work for awards.

When he won, both the prestige and the prize money went straight into his pockets.

Xu Chen had quit Black Duke in anger after two of his ad pieces were plagiarized by Li Fengfeng.

Of course, Li had some business talent.

He got results, pleased clients, and occasionally produced decent pitches.

That was why, despite his rotten character, he’d risen to director back then.

But poor character eventually catches up.

In Xu Chen’s past life, four or five years after Xu Chen left, he heard news of Li Fengfeng again.

By then Li Fengfeng, promoted to group director, was exposed for embezzling funds on projects. The company fired him, and he became infamous—no one in the ad industry would hire him.

According to the pre-rebirth timeline, Xu Chen wouldn’t meet this awful boss for another four or five years.

Now, after rebirth, here they were face to face.

Xu Chen sipped his tea and glanced back.

Li Fengfeng ate alone while his two subordinates didn’t dare touch their chopsticks.

One young man by his side put on a fawning smile and said,

“Mr. Li, once you land this project, you’ll be promoted from deputy director to full director, right?”

Li Fengfeng snorted coldly:

“I should’ve been director ages ago. It’s all Mr. Wu holding me back!

Once I nail this pitch, let’s see who talks!”

Xu Chen listened silently and couldn’t help a cold laugh inside.

“That’s too bad. Looks like you’ll have to wait a bit longer for that promotion.”

He wondered if this chance to trip up Mr. Li might save some young creatives from his cruelty…”