Chapter 120: The Proposal Showdown
by xennovelAround 3:50 PM, the coffee shop in the lobby of Yuanmao Building.
Xu Chen and Fang Jun were still seated in their morning spots; Xu Chen was flipping through the documents for the upcoming proposal.
Three companies would present this afternoon.
Black Duke Marketing should be wrapping up soon. The Nanyue Advertising team took the elevator up to wait over ten minutes ago.
Xu Chen was the last—his slot began at 5 PM.
…
A group of four emerged from the elevator hall: the Black Duke Marketing proposal team.
In the center strode the portly, narrow-eyed Li Fengfeng.
Li Fengfeng puffed out his stomach, a smug grin spread across his chubby face.
“Director Li, the clients seemed really pleased with our pitch. It’s practically in the bag!”
“Congratulations, Director Li! With this project locked in, you’re officially promoted to director of marketing!”
“Your presentation was outstanding, Director Li. I’m pretty sure the bosses think our plan is the best.”
Li Fengfeng smiled and said,
“With me presenting in person, how could we lose? Now that I’m director and new projects are rolling in, we should expand our team.”
“Congratulations, Director Li!” …
Surrounded by compliments, Li Fengfeng waddled out of the lobby, patting his belly.
Fang Jun glanced at Xu Chen.
“Looks like their pitch went really well.”
Xu Chen nodded but replied, “No worries.”
He didn’t underestimate Black Duke Marketing or Li Fengfeng—they were familiar competitors.
Li Fengfeng had real skills in medical and health product advertising.
Their pitch was “pretty good,” as expected.
But Xu Chen wasn’t worried—after all, he held the “standard answer.”
Creative ad proposals only prove their worth after launch when sales data shows the real impact.
During pitch competitions, it all comes down to the judges’ and clients’ subjective impressions.
Success often hinges on guessing what the judges and clients will favor.
Yet Xu Chen hardly needed to worry about judge preferences—his “standard answer” was what the client had chosen in his past life.
Of course, he still prepared thoroughly, polishing logic and persuasive phrasing.
Otherwise, the client might deem him unprofessional and reject the “standard answer.”
Securing a medical expert to review and refine the PPT was part of that strategy.
…
Around 4:30 PM, Xu Chen’s phone buzzed.
It was a message from Gu Xinxi in Renhe Pharmaceuticals’ marketing department:
【Mr. Xu, are you here? The pitch starts at 5. You can come up when you arrive.】
Xu Chen looked at Fang Jun.
“Time to get ready to go up…”
Fang Jun: “Hold on—Teacher Yu is on her way. She just sent a message, she’ll be here in a few minutes.”
Xu Chen: “No problem. We’ll wait.”
…
A few minutes later, “Teacher Yu” entered the lobby. Fang Jun stood and hurried forward.
The woman had silver-white hair, gold-rimmed glasses, and a gentle smile.
Xu Chen was surprised—he hadn’t expected Teacher Yu to be so elderly, maybe in her fifties or sixties.
He stood as well and walked briskly over.
“Hello, Teacher Yu. I’m Xu Chen—we spoke on the phone yesterday.”
The three exchanged quick greetings. Xu Chen and Fang Jun thanked her again.
Teacher Yu had been introduced by Fang Jun’s mother, but today was Fang Jun’s first meeting with her.
Xu Chen asked, “Teacher Yu, how should I introduce you to the client?”
“Yu Mei, physician at Huashan Hospital—just like that.”
Xu Chen nodded, a thrill rising in his chest.
Being from Huashan Hospital and in her fifties or sixties meant she was likely a chief physician—quite impressive.
Teacher Yu smiled and said,
“Fang Jun told me yesterday. I can’t endorse products or give promotional remarks—that’s not responsible for a physician.”
“But don’t worry. I can share professional medical knowledge, as we discussed on the phone.”
Xu Chen said, “Thank you, Teacher Yu. Just having you here is enough.
We’ll make sure clients know we consulted an expert.
During the pitch, I’ll avoid directing questions to you.
If they insist, just answer what you can. If something’s inappropriate, give me a signal and I’ll handle it.”
Teacher Yu smiled warmly, “You’re so young—why are you so professional already?”
Xu Chen smiled sheepishly, “We should head up—the pitch starts soon!”
With that, the three headed to the elevator hall.
The elevator shot up to the eighth floor. Xu Chen texted Gu Xinxi:
【Ms. Gu, we’re on our way up.】
【Got it—I’ll meet you in the elevator lobby!】
…
The elevator doors opened and the three stepped out.
They were greeted by a young man and woman.
Xu Chen looked at the petite girl.
“You’re Ms. Gu? I’m Xu Chen.”
Gu Xinxi stared at Xu Chen, her expression strange.
Her male colleague frowned in confusion.
After a pause, Gu Xinxi said,
“Mr. Xu… I’m sorry—I didn’t expect you to be so young.”
Xu Chen felt helpless.
Looking eighteen would surely undermine the client’s trust.
Fortunately, he’d anticipated this and taken steps to mitigate it.
Once he presented the proposal, any doubts would vanish—it all comes down to the work.
Xu Chen smiled and didn’t dwell on it. He introduced the two behind him.
“This is our Strategy Director, Fang Jun, and this is our medical advisor, Teacher Yu Mei.”
“Hello, everyone. I’m Gu Xinxi, and this is my colleague Liu Huachun.”
They exchanged brief introductions when Gu Xinxi said,
“The previous pitch is ending soon. I’ll take you to the meeting room!”
She led them through a crowded office area and settled them in a small office to wait.
Liu Huachun politely brought them bottled water.
“Please make yourselves comfortable…”
…
Gu Xinxi and Liu Huachun left, closing the meeting room door behind them.
As they walked away, Liu Huachun remarked,
“That Mr. Xu looks too young—like a student!”
Gu Xinxi said nothing, but her expression was conflicted.
Liu Huachun chuckled,
“This East Morning Star Advertising was your recommendation to Director Zhao Nan.
If their pitch flops, and with the VP here, Zhao Nan will lose face.”
Gu Xinxi’s cheeks flushed with anxiety.
She had indeed brought East Morning Star Advertising into this pitch.
Her mentor, Guo Liang, had recommended the company when she entered the industry.
Hearing they’d created the HuiShuang Shenbao ad, she’d reported it to Marketing Director Zhao Nan.
No one knew East Morning Star Advertising then, but the “It Helps Me, It Helps You” campaign had become a classic in pharma circles.
Many brands were asking who made it.
Zhao Nan was thrilled and invited East Morning Star Advertising to pitch.
She’d even praised Gu Xinxi for the recommendation.
But seeing Xu Chen today, Gu Xinxi panicked.
He looked seventeen or eighteen—how could he handle this pitch?
And for a feminine wash product! A boy who looked under twenty…
She even wondered if HuiShuang Shenbao’s ad wasn’t by East Morning Star Advertising at all.
Why would her mentor Guo Liang set her up like this?
…
Gu Xinxi hurried toward the meeting room.
She needed to brief her boss, Marketing Director Zhao Nan, before the VP arrived—no big mishap today.
Liu Huachun paused with a sneer.
He thought for a moment, then headed to the admin area and approached a colleague, saying,
“Wu, you booked the flights and hotel for the marketing pitch participants, right?”
“Yes.”
“My boss wants to check the list—two people seem missing. I need to verify it.”
“One moment.”
Wu opened a document on her screen,
“Here—check it yourself.”
Liu Huachun scrolled through the spreadsheet.
He quickly found Xu Chen’s name with an ID number in the notes.
Liu Huachun studied it and sneered.
Under his breath, he muttered,
“Eighteen years old—that’s just a high schooler…”
…
…
In the main conference room,
the Nanyue Advertising team had just finished their pitch and been escorted out.
The judges were on their intermission break.
“That last pitch wasn’t great.”
“I still prefer Black Duke’s plan.
Their choice of spokesperson and overall concept fit perfectly.”
“Shengshi Great Wall’s proposal was strong too—their high-end approach suits our brand.”
…
The conference room door swung open. Gu Xinxi burst in, panic on her face.