Chapter 335: Surprising Wins in the University Ad Race

Tonghai University, Creative and Media College.

In the main conference room, they were holding the quarterly teaching and research meeting.

Attendees were the core members of the college’s teaching and research team.

This included all professors, associate professors, department heads, and homeroom teachers from each major.

Presiding over today’s meeting was Professor Ni Zhi, the head of the advertising department.

The meeting lasted over an hour, with each department offering concise summaries of their quarterly teaching and research work.

The agenda had wrapped up, but Ni Zhi glanced at his phone and smiled before speaking:

“Vice Dean Chen is on his way and has something to announce to everyone.

Let’s wait a bit longer…”

The ‘Vice Dean Chen’ Ni Zhi mentioned was Chen Daxing, the deputy dean in charge of teaching and research at the college.

Originally, Chen Daxing should have hosted this quarterly meeting, but he was still en route from a business trip, so Professor Ni Zhi stepped in first.

…

…

A dozen minutes later, Chen Daxing pushed open the door and entered the meeting room.

He looked cheerful, carrying a suitcase, and seemed full of energy.

All the teachers stood up, highlighting Chen Daxing’s influence and status in the college.

Chen Daxing waved casually, signaling everyone to sit.

“Sorry, the flight was delayed, so I’m just getting here now.”

The group felt puzzled; the meeting schedule had ended, so why had the vice dean rushed over? Was there something important?

…

Chen Daxing took his seat at the center of the table and quickly settled in.

Then, with a warm smile, he began:

“I’ve just returned from Beijing, and the results of the advertising competition are out.

I hurried back to update everyone on the details.”

As his words sank in, the group realized he meant this year’s National University Advertising Competition.

“The Big Ad Race” was a top-tier national event for colleges, with high prestige and significance.

Advertising was the college’s flagship discipline, so they always paid special attention to the Big Ad Race each year.

Seeing Chen Daxing’s relaxed demeanor, one teacher joked:

“From that bright smile on your face, Dean Chen, I can tell our college did well in the Big Ad Race this year!”

Chen Daxing chuckled heartily:

“It went pretty well, and there’s even a surprise.”

His words sparked interest among the professors, associate professors, department heads, and homeroom teachers.

The awards in the Big Ad Race represented not just the college’s overall honor, but also pride for each department and class.

There was a bit of friendly rivalry among them all.

Everyone hoped their department, class, or students they mentored would win awards.

Student awards also factored into teaching evaluations.

Chen Daxing took a sip of tea, glanced at Ni Zhi, the advertising department head, and said with a smile:

“Professor Ni was a judge in the Big Ad Race preliminaries, so he can give a quick overview of this year’s situation.”

Ni Zhi nodded and spoke:

“This year’s Big Ad Race was more competitive than ever.

Over 1,800 universities nationwide participated, submitting nearly 900,000 works in total…

That’s a new record for the competition’s history.”

He paused, glanced at Chen Daxing, and continued:

“I only handled the entry reviews for the Shanghai region…

We’ve already shared that with everyone.

Since the final results are still under confidential review, I only have the numbers for national awards and entries…

Our college secured 2 first prizes, 4 second prizes, 10 third prizes, and 23 excellence awards in the Shanghai region.

In terms of numbers, it’s about the same as last year.

But with two first prizes in Shanghai this time, that’s an improvement over last year.

The national awards details will come from Dean Chen…”

With that, he handed the floor back to Chen Daxing.

Chen Daxing smiled and said:

“I’ll cut to the chase.

This year, our college won two national first prizes!”

His announcement triggered a wave of excited murmurs.

“Really, Dean Chen? That’s a huge surprise!”

“Our school hasn’t snagged a national first prize in two years…”

“And we got two—out of just seven total!”

“Dean Chen, which classes won those two first prizes?”

…

All the teachers present understood the weight of those two national first prizes, which explained Chen Daxing’s beaming face.

With over 1,800 universities and nearly 900,000 entries nationwide, only seven national first prizes were up for grabs…

And Tonghai University’s Creative and Media College claimed two of them!

Ni Zhi stayed quiet but couldn’t hide his delight.

This was a major boost for Tonghai University’s advertising program.

Still, he felt a twinge of anxiety; what if those two first prizes didn’t go to advertising students? That would be embarrassing.

After all, the Big Ad Race was open to all majors, with students from various departments and classes participating actively.

Ni Zhi looked inquiringly at the composed Chen Daxing, who just smiled mysteriously.

Chen Daxing caught Ni Zhi’s glance and gave him a secretive nod.

Ni Zhi paused, then burst into laughter.

Chen Daxing’s look confirmed that both national first prizes went to advertising students.

As the advertising department head, Ni Zhi relaxed immediately.

…

Chen Daxing took a drink of tea and cleared his throat.

The room fell silent as everyone waited expectantly for the full national award results, especially the first prize winners.

The biggest concern was which departments or classes the winners came from—securing a national first prize basically locked in this year’s evaluations.

Chen Daxing built suspense again, checking his phone before saying:

“I’ll share the latest results; the competition organizers will make them public tomorrow.

Our college took home 9 national awards this year, up from 8 last year—that’s progress.

Of those, 5 were excellence awards, 2 third prizes, 0 second prizes, and 2 first prizes.”

He continued, “In terms of distribution, the advertising department claimed the most awards—six in total, including those two first prizes.”

As he finished, Ni Zhi smiled proudly.

The other department heads and homeroom teachers felt a mix of disappointment and congratulations:

“Congratulations, Director Ni!”

“And to the homeroom teachers of the advertising classes!”

…

Ni Zhi remained modest and replied:

“The Big Ad Race is really our advertising department’s main event; hitting this level is just our responsibility!”

He glanced at the four teachers beside him—the homeroom teachers for the first through fourth-year advertising classes, including Shi Dinghai for the first year.

With 9 national awards and 6 going to advertising, the suspense now was how they were divided, especially those two first prizes among the classes.

The first- and second-year homeroom teachers looked calm, while the third- and fourth-year ones showed clear signs of anticipation and nerves.

Based on past trends, Big Ad Race awards usually came from third- and fourth-year classes.

First- and second-year students hadn’t delved deeply into their courses yet, so quality work was tougher.

Plus, this year’s submission deadline was in September, right after freshmen started, making it even less likely for them.

In Shi Dinghai’s class, two works had made the entry list, which he’d announced to his students.

But Shi Dinghai figured those two entries would probably only snag an excellence award in the Shanghai region.

…

Chen Daxing chuckled again and said:

“Don’t blame me for the suspense; the results are just that unexpected.”

“?” This piqued everyone’s curiosity even more.

Chen Daxing sipped his tea, then smiled:

“This year’s two national first prizes both came from the 2006 first-year advertising class.”

“?”

“Ah?”

“!”

The room erupted in confusion, especially Shi Dinghai, the first-year homeroom teacher, who was completely stunned.

Once it hit them, everyone congratulated him:

“Congratulations, Teacher Shi!”

“That’s incredible! Did you give your students extra coaching, Shi?”

“Two first prizes from freshmen? Unbelievable!”

“How will the third- and fourth-years feel about that?”

…

The group showered Shi Dinghai with praise, while the third- and fourth-year homeroom teachers looked awkward.

Shi Dinghai still couldn’t believe it and turned to Chen Daxing:

“Dean Chen, is this… confirmed?”

Chen Daxing: “I’ve double-checked; it’s accurate.”

Ni Zhi added with a smile:

“So, which two students are they? I might recognize the names.”

Several teachers who taught first-year advertising were curious too.

Chen Daxing scrolled through his phone:

“Xu Chen—who’s this little genius?”

The teachers frowned, thinking:

“Xu Chen… that name rings a bell; must’ve called it during roll.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard it, but can’t picture him. Probably doesn’t speak up much in class.”

“Sounds like a quiet, talented type…”

…

The ones who knew Xu Chen were just homeroom teacher Shi Dinghai and department head Ni Zhi.

They exchanged glances and chuckled.

Ni Zhi said, “Who would’ve thought—it really is him!”

Chen Daxing hadn’t taught first-year classes, so he had no idea about Xu Chen.

Shi Dinghai explained to the vice dean:

“Our college had a ‘Star Admission Scholarship’ spot that Professor Wang Jian applied for during recruitment in Shandong Province.

That’s Xu Chen.”

The group murmured in realization:

“So it’s not a fluke; Professor Wang Jian really brought in a gem!”

“What was the basis for that ‘Star Admission Scholarship’?”

Ni Zhi explained:

“I was involved in approving Professor Wang’s scholarship application.

From what I remember, Wang noted that Xu Chen already had strong advertising skills and creativity, plus his own advertising company and successful project examples…”

“Ah? An advertising company and projects? But he’s just a first-year!”

“So he was running ads in high school…”

“This kid’s a real prodigy.”

“What company and projects? I’m dying to know!”

…

This all seemed too far-fetched, stirring up doubt.

Ni Zhi paused and said:

“Over the past few months, there’s been that mind-bending ad in the medical field that’s stirred controversy—Xu Chen made that one…”

“Which one?”

Ni Zhi smiled: “Wash Well for Health…”

“Ah?!”

“…”

An awkward silence fell, quickly turning to lively discussion.

“He’s only eighteen, right?”

“Creating ‘Wash Well for Health’? That’s wild!”

“More than wild—it’s mind-blowing.”

Clearly, the teachers’ surprise mixed with skepticism.

A first-year with barely any classes under his belt winning a first prize?

And he’d started an ad company in high school with successful campaigns?

On top of that, the campaign was ‘Wash Well for Health’?

Each detail sounded more unbelievable than the last.

Ni Zhi frowned, trying to make sense of it, and added:

“A few days ago, I discussed the ‘Wash Well for Health’ ad in class and had Xu Chen explain it…

From his strategy breakdown and creative analysis, his professional insight is top-tier—not just among students, but in the industry too.”

With Ni Zhi’s endorsement, the skeptical chatter quieted down.

Chen Daxing pondered his phone, and Shi Dinghai cleared his throat:

“Dean Chen, you said our class has two first prizes.

Besides Xu Chen, who’s the other student?”

Chen Daxing put down his phone with a mischievous grin:

“The other one is also Xu Chen!”

“??”

“!!”

The teachers were speechless, even more stunned.

What? Both first prizes went to him?!

Who was this Xu Chen—a total phenomenon delivering surprise after surprise!

Shi Dinghai looked surprised and glanced at Ni Zhi.

Ni Zhi chuckled: “One win might involve luck or a flash of inspiration,

but two, both first prizes, speaks volumes.”

The room fell silent as the doubters processed this logic.

The third-year advertising homeroom teacher asked Chen Daxing:

“Dean Chen, what were the creative ideas behind Xu Chen’s first-prize works?

Could we take a look?”

Chen Daxing, still on his phone, smiled: “I just got them from the organizers; let’s all learn from them…”

…

A few minutes later, the ‘Bite Through It and Move On’ ad—with its theme of ‘Strong as Teeth’—was projected on the screen.

The professors, associate professors, and department heads studied it closely before nodding in admiration:

“That’s clever!”

“This concept is unique; it elevates strength to ‘resilience’ instead of just toughness or durability.

And it ties perfectly with ‘bite through it’—brilliant!”

“No wonder it won first prize.”

“Impressive; he can do viral stuff like ‘Wash Well for Health’ and deep concepts like this.

As Ni Zhi said, his expertise runs deep.”

“Even third- and fourth-years got outshone by this freshman.”

Chen Daxing and Ni Zhi exchanged nods, both judges in the early rounds but unaware the works were from their own university until now—a real shock.

The third-year homeroom teacher, now convinced, said with a laugh:

“Let’s check out the other first-prize work?”

Chen Daxing grinned and switched the screen.

Next up was the copywriting first prize: Xu Chen’s slogan for Baidu Knows—

[Empowering Everyone Equally]

…

“Dean Chen, our college really hit the jackpot!”

“Yeah, big thanks to Professor Wang Jian!”

“That slogan is outstanding; it doesn’t even feel like student work.”

“The angle is sharp yet spot-on—excellent!”

“Teacher Shi, I have to visit your class tomorrow and meet this amazing Xu Chen!”