Chapter 325: Shadows of the Spotlight

A little after 1 PM in the afternoon.

Xu Chen, Sun Aimi, and Gu Xinxi caught a ride with Bing Ge and headed straight to the Jeep ad shoot studio.

They stepped out and spotted the brand reps—Pang Ming, He Da Chang, and Yan Chuan—chatting and smoking by the roadside.

The Jeep team took the ad shoot more seriously than the Jiaduobao side; even Vice President Pang Ming showed up.

From the execution difficulty and material importance, Jeep’s campaign was indeed more intensive.

As soon as ‘Teacher Xu Chen’ got out, they all greeted him with smiles.

But when Xie Bingran stepped out too, they quickly stubbed out their cigarettes and approached with serious, welcoming grins.

Xu Chen introduced Xie Bingran and Cheng Hong to everyone.

Bing Ge kept his cool demeanor but played along, shaking hands and making introductions.

Coach Cheng Hong was more warm and polite, adding with a smile:

“Director Li Yue will be joining us shortly.”

Pang Ming replied, “That’s great. I was hoping to chat with Director Li and pick his brain some more.”

……

……

The studio was in a massive converted factory building.

Inside, a big crew was buzzing with activity.

Against a wide green screen, they set up two shooting areas.

In those areas sat the two star models from Jeep’s promotion: the Grand Cherokee and the Wrangler.

The Grand Cherokee was pure black, its huge frame exuding a commanding presence, like the big boss of the bunch.

The Wrangler sported a Sahara yellow finish, with rugged, muscular lines that even caught Xu Chen’s eye for a second glance.

In 2006, the Wrangler hadn’t officially hit the domestic market yet, so it wasn’t well-known here.

But in the next decade or two, as China’s auto industry boomed, many local off-road models drew inspiration from the Wrangler’s design.

……

The group approached with smiles, led by Liu Wenqin, the creative director at BBDO Tianlian Advertising.

He introduced everyone to the endorsers, then specifically to the director and photographer.

The director, Paul Bao Junsen, had already chatted with Xu Chen over several phone conferences; his Cantonese was pretty rough.

He looked to be in his forties, with a straight, lean build and a neatly trimmed slicked-back hair, giving off that classic Hong Kong guy vibe.

The photographer, Leslie Kuang Chunlei, was in his thirties, with a soft face and a precisely trimmed beard.

Xu Chen shook his hand and, from his gestures and that faint scent of cologne, figured he was probably gay.

In the ad creative world, the community was quite prominent.

In his past life, Xu Chen had spent years in the industry, made friends in that circle, and got good at spotting it.

Beyond clothes and style, certain mannerisms just gave it away.

……

Leslie took Xie Bingran to get made up and changed; they had a set of still ads to shoot, plus driving scenes, so time was tight.

A young, attractive director’s assistant and a BBDO account manager handled the hosting duties, escorting Pang Ming and his team, Coach Cheng Hong, and Xu Chen to a lounge.

The lounge had monitors to watch the shoot, plus fruit platters, snacks, and drinks laid out.

Sun Aimi and Gu Xinxi joined the director’s team to help out.

Sun Aimi had already been assisting with storyboards and knew the crew fairly well.

……

Soon, Xie Bingran entered the studio proper.

She wore a custom outdoor jacket from Jeep, perfectly suited to her.

Paired with her natural cool vibe, she looked right at home in front of the Wrangler.

Pang Ming and the others watched the monitors and couldn’t help but nod in approval:

“She fits perfectly…”

“Absolutely! She’s got that tough, off-road edge mixed with stunning looks. We nailed it with our endorser!”

Xu Chen smiled and said, “Leo and Andy really have an eye. Choosing a woman for an off-road vehicle is rare and unique.”

He Da Chang nodded. “We first noticed Xie Bingran at the National Games.

Her spirit and champion status match our rugged, youthful vibe perfectly.

Plus, for this promo, we wanted to do something different.

Athletes and women as labels—they’re fresh and intriguing in the industry.”

……

Under the director’s guidance, shooting kicked off smoothly.

First up, a series of still ads with Xie Bingran posing from various angles with the vehicles.

They adjusted lights, colors, and angles against the preset backgrounds—it was tough work.

Luckily, Bing Ge didn’t need to force any expressions; her natural cool look was spot-on.

The shoot went well, though setup took time.

……

Someone knocked on the lounge door, and a director’s assistant ushered in Director Li Yue.

Li Yue said with a grin, “Sorry, a meeting ran long and held me up…”

Pang Ming and He Da Chang jumped up, all politeness, and guided him to a seat.

To them, Li Yue was a National Team leader they needed to keep happy.

Cheng Hong and Li Yue were clearly old pals with a good rapport, just exchanging easy smiles.

Xu Chen stood and greeted Li Yue warmly.

Li Yue had spotted Xu Chen earlier and beamed back, respectfully calling him ‘Teacher Xu Chen’.

They didn’t chat much; everyone just focused on the monitors.

……

The shoot proceeded on schedule.

The director assigned an assistant to the lounge so the brand team or Xu Chen could give feedback anytime.

Both the BBDO crew and Director Paul’s team were pros, keeping everything on track.

They were from international 4A agencies and Hong Kong, so their expertise shone through.

Hong Kong and Taiwan’s ad scenes had a head start on the mainland, building up serious skills and experience.

As they watched the monitors, the group made small talk.

Pang Ming and He Da Chang subtly flattered Li Yue.

Li Yue wasn’t high up in the Sports Administration, but to companies, he was still a key figure.

In his role, he controlled resources.

Future collaborations for Xie Bingran and the National Team would go through him.

So Pang Ming and He Da Chang kept him sweet.

What surprised them was how deferential Li Yue was to ‘Teacher Xu Chen’.

In conversation, he kept seeking Xu Chen’s input, almost like he was trying to impress him.

This left Pang Ming and He Da Chang baffled.

Did Xu Chen and East Morning Star Advertising have some hidden connections?

Li Yue’s caution around Xu Chen stemmed from the An Jin Xiong incident.

He’d taken Xu Chen’s hint and pushed for an internal probe into Wang Laoshun’s deals with the State Athletics Team.

It uncovered An Jin Xiong and Chen Jinru’s shady dealings.

The investigation revealed they’d sold off deals worth tens of millions for just a couple million.

An Jin Xiong got fired immediately, and the higher-up who placed him there faced scrutiny too.

Once it all came out, Li Yue finally got his promotion to full director, now overseeing all external business for the team.

Li Yue’s feelings toward ‘Teacher Xu Chen’ were mixed.

He was grateful; Xu Chen’s nudge helped him rise.

But he also felt wary, even fearful.

Recalling those phone calls, Xu Chen’s subtle hints…

It made Li Yue suspect some unseen power was behind the fallout.

……

……

Xu Chen watched the cool Xie Bingran on the monitor and liked what he saw more with every glance.

Since becoming a champion and sports star, her whole presence had sharpened.

Success really polished a person’s aura.

Thinking about it, ever since Old Xu took over Bright Factory, his ‘business tycoon vibe’ had leveled up too.

They’d wrapped the still ads and were now filming Xie Bingran pretending to drive.

Originally, they only needed shots for the Wrangler, but for backup material, they added the Grand Cherokee too.

Overall, Bing Ge’s style suited the Wrangler best.

The Wrangler targeted a younger, trendy crowd.

The Grand Cherokee’s image fit their endorser Wang Shi better.

From Xu Chen’s perspective, with his current mindset, he preferred the Grand Cherokee.

In his past life, Xu Chen had rented a Wrangler for a road trip that lasted half a month.

It was a solid ride, but too focused on tough off-roading.

The view was narrow, interior basic, seats uncomfortably firm…

On city roads, it just wasn’t comfortable.

And in China, the Wrangler’s price tag was a rip-off compared to the US.

Versatility-wise, the Grand Cherokee as a full-scene SUV was more practical.

It had a luxurious interior, smoother suspension, and balanced comfort with capability.

It didn’t sell well later in China purely due to poor value.

Being imported with brand premiums made it too expensive.

It couldn’t compete with Benz, BMW, or Audi on prestige.

After all, people here swore by the German big three.

And repairs? Even a single imported part cost a fortune.

The classic ‘you can buy it, but good luck maintaining it’.

……

On the monitor, Xie Bingran sat in the Grand Cherokee, hands on the wheel.

Xu Chen thought, getting a Grand Cherokee wouldn’t be a bad idea.

Tough looks, plush inside, powerful engine—just pricey.

But as ‘Little President Xu’ now, he wasn’t sweating the cost.

Plus, for East Morning Star Advertising’s GM, car expenses could be written off as business.

He was heading to the northwest for filming soon; might test-drive one there.

Since he knew Pang Ming and He Da Chang, he could probably snag an insider deal—a mid-range model for around 500,000 yuan.

The money Old Xu gave him for a car was still sitting in the account.

With a 500,000 budget, SUV options were limited, but solid.

The Grand Cherokee was a strong pick.

……

Around 4 PM, Director Li Yue excused himself for a meeting and left.

Pang Ming, He Da Chang, and Xu Chen politely saw him off.

Coach Cheng Hong joined them.

As Li Yue got in his car, he turned to Xu Chen and said:

“Teacher Xu Chen, if Chenfeng Technology or Ran Bing Sports hits any communication snags, just reach out to me.

I can handle some things directly, and my superiors fully back your projects!”

Xu Chen shook his hand firmly: “Thanks, Director Li. That puts my mind at ease.”

After seeing Li Yue off, Cheng Hong sidled up with a grin and whispered:

“You and Director Li seem to have some little secrets going on?”

Xu Chen feigned innocence: “Huh?”

……

……

……

By around 6 PM, the studio shoot wrapped up.

Director Paul called out, “That’s a wrap on the studio scenes!”

Applause erupted.

Pang Ming stood and said to Xu Chen:

“I was supposed to go to the northwest, but I’ve got a dealer conference tomorrow. Andy and Yan Chuan will head over though…

Sorry to burden you, Teacher Xu Chen, but could you keep an eye on this shoot?”

Xu Chen shook his hand: “Don’t worry, Leo. It’s all part of my job!”

Pang Ming thanked the director’s team and Liu Wenqin’s crew sincerely, then a bit sheepishly asked for a photo with Xie Bingran.

It wasn’t a big ask, so they obliged.

Coach Cheng Hong ran over to tell Xie Bingran, and photographer Leslie quickly adjusted the lights.

Pang Ming shook her hand and posed for shots in front of both the Grand Cherokee and the Wrangler.

Then they snapped a big group photo.

Xie Bingran stood in the center, naturally.

Xu Chen was off to the side, but Cheng Hong pulled him to the middle next to Xie Bingran.

With the client around, it felt a tad awkward, but since it was Cheng Hong’s call, no one objected.

……

They had a flight to catch that evening, so they wrapped up quickly.

First, they escorted the brand’s big boss out, then arranged transport to the airport.

Gu Xinxi wasn’t going to the northwest, so Xu Chen had an assistant call her a cab.

Three vans pulled up, carrying the director’s team, BBDO Tianlian Advertising crew, and clients He Da Chang and Yan Chuan—a full entourage.

Xu Chen and Sun Aimi were about to squeeze into Liu Wenqin’s van, but Coach Cheng Hong said:

“Xu Chen, you and Aimi ride with us!”

“Honored, thanks Coach Cheng!”

They climbed in.

Cheng Hong took the passenger seat, Sun Aimi the back.

So Xu Chen and Xie Bingran ended up side by side again.

The van hit the highway toward Pudong Airport.

Xu Chen stretched out, quietly taking Xie Bingran’s hand.

……

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