Chapter 152: Boardroom Ambitions

In the comprehensive building’s reception room.

A few people from Fengrong Commerce checked the time and murmured among themselves.

“The previous company has been in there a while…”

“Yeah, the first one, Changsheng Chemical, only took half an hour. The second has been over an hour—that’s overtime for sure.”

“Which company is the second one?”

“I think it’s that East Morning Star company, the one that deals in local seedlings. They don’t have much clout.”

“Not much clout… so why are they taking so long?”

“Hold your horses. I got the inside scoop from up top—it’s basically just us and Changsheng Chemical in the running.”

Changsheng Chemical is clearly out, so the mechanical factory is ours!

“Let’s hope there are no surprises… Should we bump up our acquisition offer?”

“No need! My info is solid. Stick with the current bid.”

…

…

In the large conference room.

Xu Chen glanced at his phone; Xu Zhiquan’s report had been going for about an hour.

Of course, a few questions had come up, eating into the Q&A time.

The core of Xu Zhiquan’s report was now complete.

As the judges paused their quiet discussion, Xu Zhiquan showed the ‘Project Plan Timeline’.

This chart was Xu Chen’s last-minute addition, outlining key project milestones to build confidence among the judges.

It showed that East Morning Star Co. could push the electric vehicle factory forward in a planned, step-by-step manner.

…

Next came the Q&A session.

The judges huddled in a small group for another discussion.

Xu Zhiquan sat back down and smiled at Fang Jun, Yang Congxin, and Xu Chen.

A couple of minutes later, a city official spoke up:

“Thank you, President Xu, and the East Morning Star team, for that report. It had some unexpected surprises!”

“Honestly, we didn’t expect East Morning Star Co.’s acquisition and construction plan to be so thorough…”

“We’ve discussed it, and we only have one concern.”

“Please go ahead, sir,” Xu Zhiquan said.

“Your report on the electric vehicle factory’s construction is detailed, including the specific rollout plan.”

“But our question is, how will East Morning Star Co.’s ‘Chenfeng Electric Vehicles’ hit the market without any name recognition? How can you guarantee sales?”

“What impressed us most is your vision of building a real enterprise that creates jobs, taxes, and influence for Tiancheng.”

“So, whether the electric vehicles sell is the key issue…”

“Do you have a plan for that?”

Xu Zhiquan smiled and glanced at Xu Chen.

This question was right in line with what ‘Teacher Xiao Xu’ had anticipated.

Xu Chen checked his phone and sent a quick text.

He nodded at Director Yang, who caught on immediately and slipped out quietly.

Xu Zhiquan stood up and began:

“We’ve got a plan for that part too.”

“It wasn’t on the original report list, so we didn’t include it earlier…”

“East Morning Star Co. has a subsidiary, East Morning Star Advertising, that handles branding and marketing.”

“Let me hand it over to our East Morning Star Advertising lead, Xu Chen, for a quick overview.”

Xu Chen stood with a smile and flipped the finished PPT back a couple of slides.

The judges noticed there was more content after all.

The city and provincial leaders looked at Xu Chen with a hint of confusion—he seemed so young.

Xu Chen ignored the stares and smiled as he spoke:

“Thank you, everyone, for that great question!”

“Chenfeng Electric Vehicles aims to be Tiancheng’s star company.”

“Creating jobs, profits, and influence for Tiancheng…”

“And our first product hopes to represent Tiancheng on the national stage!”

After a brief setup, the screen showed a concept sketch of an electric vehicle.

[Chenfeng Electric Vehicles’ first model: Chenfeng Ice Power]

Xu Chen checked his phone before continuing:

“In our long-term vision, Chenfeng Electric Vehicles will become Tiancheng’s signature.”

“As we sell across the country, we’ll spread Tiancheng’s influence nationwide!”

Xu Chen’s words linked Chenfeng Electric Vehicles tightly with Tiancheng.

The city leaders clearly appreciated this.

If Tiancheng had such a company with real impact, it would be a major win for them…

Xu Chen paused and went on:

“Tiancheng needs many signatures and stars.”

“And right now, one is rising.”

“Chenfeng Ice Power will team up with this Tiancheng star to take on the national market and boost Tiancheng’s profile.”

The PPT slid to the next page.

It showed the ‘Chenfeng Ice Power’ electric vehicle alongside a figure.

Everyone in the room recognized the figure, especially the city leaders.

Over the past month, reports on ‘Tiancheng’s Champion, Tiancheng’s Pride’ had flooded the media in Tiancheng.

Making Xie Bingran into ‘Tiancheng’s Signature’ was already a city-wide consensus.

Seeing Xie Bingran paired with ‘Chenfeng Ice Power’, the leaders thought it over and smiled.

“Are you suggesting Xie Bingran endorse Chenfeng Electric Vehicles?”

“You know, that could work…”

“It’s a solid idea! With her potential, she’s heading for a national title.”

“The city is already planning to make her Tiancheng’s signature.”

“Using her for promotion is clever!”

As the leaders chatted, Fang Jun in the audience looked surprised.

Xu Chen hadn’t mentioned using Xie Bingran for promotion before; these PPT slides were added last night.

With the city’s heavy promotion of Xie Bingran lately, Fang Jun knew exactly who she was.

Only now did she realize why the first product was named ‘Chenfeng Ice Power’…

Xu Chen picked up the thread:

“Turning Xie Bingran into Tiancheng’s signature represents the city’s image and boosts its influence.”

“But truthfully, her success stems more from her own talent and hard work in the public eye, beyond just Tiancheng’s support.”

“Meanwhile, Chenfeng Electric Vehicles, as a local Tiancheng company, truly embodies the city’s economic growth.”

“A successful local business highlights the provincial and city leadership’s role in development.”

Xu Chen’s point was clear: Getting Chenfeng Electric Vehicles off the ground would truly shine a light on the leaders…

After this winning follow-up, the leaders murmured a bit more.

One leader said:

“Xie Bingran has joined the National Team and will represent the country soon…”

“She rarely comes back to Tiancheng. We couldn’t even schedule her for a city promo video recently.”

“Will she agree to endorse you?”

“Plus, any endorsements now would need National Team approval, right?”

Xu Chen smiled and replied:

“Actually, we’ve already signed Xie Bingran as our spokesperson—that’s why our first product is ‘Chenfeng Ice Power’.”

“And we’ve registered the ‘Chenfeng Ice Power’ trademark already.”

The judges were stunned—another surprise.

Even bigger than learning Fang Jun and Yang Congxin were Mechanical Factory veterans…

“We signed the endorsement contract early, before she joined the National Team.”

“So legally, it’s not affected by her national status.”

He glanced at his phone and added with a smile:

“As for whether Xie Bingran wants to endorse us, you can ask her in person now…”

With that, Xu Chen turned and opened the conference room door.

He looked outside, smiled warmly, and said softly:

“Thanks for coming.”

Stepping aside, a figure walked in.

It was Xie Bingran.

…

Everyone turned to Xie Bingran in shock.

Especially one city leader on the panel, who handled promotions and had been trying to book her for city videos without success…

Yang Congxin followed her in; he’d gone to fetch her earlier.

During the meeting, once Xu Chen confirmed Xie Bingran could make it, he quietly briefed Director Yang.

As for Bing Ge, she was back in Tiancheng these past couple of days to handle her official graduation from First High School and clear out her dorm.

Not many knew about it, but Xu Chen did.

In this presentation, he wanted to add some ‘ceremonial’ and ’emotional’ surprises for the judges, and with Xie Bingran in town, she fit perfectly.

In persuasion, solid logic matters, but emotional touches can amplify impact and seal the deal.

Xie Bingran had flown in that morning from Beijing to the provincial capital, then driven to Tiancheng, stuck on the road the whole time.

It was only just now that Xu Chen got her message confirming she could arrive.

The earlier questions and Xu Zhiquan’s improvisations had bought them extra time…

Xu Chen smiled and guided Xie Bingran to the projector screen.

On it was the concept sketch for ‘Chenfeng Ice Power’.

Nothing could be more convincing or impactful than this moment.