Chapter 339: Campus Deals and Creative Pursuits

Monday morning computer class.

They were learning VB programming, a basic introduction that barely scratched the surface, and it wasn’t all that tough.

A group of students sat facing their computers, while up at the lectern, the professor with the surname Gong—a middle-aged woman dressed simply, with a modest appearance and straightforward speech—delivered the lecture.

At the start of the semester, no one paid much attention to this unassuming teacher, until someone noticed that the textbook for the course, ‘University Computer,’ was edited by Professor Gong herself.

And most universities across the country used this very textbook.

That’s when the wide-eyed freshmen realized that this plain-looking auntie was actually a big name in academia.

So, even for this dull and boring class, they put in a bit more effort.

……

Xu Chen finished his in-class programming assignment early and opened a document to start writing the creative ideas for the two award-winning ‘Big Ad Contest’ entries.

This was what Department Head Ni Zhi had requested—to use as case studies for juniors and seniors—so he took it seriously.

Xu Chen didn’t go into a long essay; he pulled out the core strategies and creative logic, jotting down a single page of plain text before sending it to Professor Ni Zhi’s email.

……

During the break, Jeep brand manager Yan Chuan messaged that he’d booked the flights for Xu Chen and Wu Feifei for Wednesday.

A morning flight to Pengcheng, landing in time for a 2 p.m. meeting at Vanke headquarters with founder Wang Shi.

Then an evening flight back.

BBDO’s Liu Wenqin and director Fang Jun’s team would head over a day early, keeping their schedule separate from East Morning Star Advertising.

Xu Chen received the itinerary and immediately forwarded it to Wu Feifei.

Wu Feifei was clearly thrilled about her first business trip:

[Got it, boss!]

[Do I need to wear formal clothes? Or prepare some documents…]

Xu Chen: [Dress a bit more formally, but don’t overdo it.]

[We’re a creative ad agency, so no need to be too stiff…]

[No extra prep needed—just come along to the meeting. I’ll let you know if anything specific comes up.]

Xu Chen wasn’t worried about bringing Wu Feifei along.

This trip was mainly for director Fang Jun’s team to present their proposal, with East Morning Star Advertising just observing.

Plus, Wu Feifei was outgoing and sharp, unlikely to cause any trouble.

The young woman was pretty and quick-witted, helping East Morning Star Advertising put on a good front.

Wu Feifei messaged again:

[I’ll head over after my afternoon class. Do I need to prep for the Yichun meeting?]

Xu Chen: [No need to prep. Today we’re just discussing their needs.]

Wu Feifei: [Great! I confirmed that the ‘friend of Jiao Tianbo’s dad’ is actually a former subordinate of my dad.]

[Her name’s Lou Ting, and she’s currently working in Yichun’s Publicity Department…]

Xu Chen: [Will she feel awkward meeting the daughter of her old boss?]

Wu Feifei: [Probably not…]

Xu Chen thought to himself, Oh, she’d definitely feel awkward.

The government sector and corporate world were quite different.

Even as a ‘former boss,’ if they’re in different provinces, you still had to show respect and caution, and keep the relationship going.

In that system, ‘former bosses’ were key connections.

Especially someone like Wu Yongming, who’d risen high with potential for more.

……

……

Noon.

On his way to the cafeteria, Xu Chen got called out by Jiao Tianbo from behind.

“I’ve set up the conference call. Let’s grab an empty classroom after our afternoon class,” Jiao Tianbo said.

Xu Chen: “Let’s just go to my company. I have a colleague who wants to join in.”

Jiao Tianbo: “A colleague?”

He was genuinely surprised.

He’d heard Xu Chen had a company, but figured it was just a casual setup, nothing serious.

He never imagined there’d be actual colleagues.

If Xu Chen was the boss, then these were his employees…

But he was just a freshman—who’d work for him?

Xu Chen smiled mysteriously: “You know this colleague!”

Jiao Tianbo looked puzzled.

When Xu Chen mentioned Wu Feifei’s name, Jiao Tianbo’s jaw nearly dropped.

He swayed on his feet, not knowing where to put his hands.

“The top student” never expected the elusive goddess Wu Feifei to be working at Xu Chen’s company as an intern…

Xu Chen saw through Jiao Tianbo’s thoughts and, not wanting any misunderstandings, explained with a smile:

“Wu Feifei was looking for an internship, so she reached out to me.”

“It only happened last week—I haven’t had a chance to tell you yet…”

Jiao Tianbo muttered “Oh, oh,” slowly calming down.

But thinking about meeting Wu Feifei that afternoon, he grew nervous again:

“Does she know I’ll be there?”

Xu Chen: “I told her.”

Jiao Tianbo: “Good, good…”

“Should I find a place for us to eat?”

Xu Chen: “No need. We’ll grab something from the cafeteria and eat after the call.”

Jiao Tianbo: “Alright… Then I’ll cover Wu Feifei’s meal.”

“……”

Jiao Tianbo still looked tense, so Xu Chen asked:

“Who’s on the call this afternoon?”

Jiao Tianbo snapped out of it and replied:

“It’s Yichun City’s Publicity Department.”

“Attending today is Lou Ting, Director Lou, who’s in charge of this project.”

“Her superior, Secretary Ding Guoqiang, won’t join this afternoon’s meeting.”

Xu Chen: “So, your dad’s former colleague is Director Lou?”

Jiao Tianbo: “Yes.”

Xu Chen paused, seeing Jiao Tianbo hadn’t caught on, and hinted:

“Since Wu Feifei will be at the meeting, should we let Director Lou know ahead of time?”

Jiao Tianbo paused, then realized the point: “Right… I should call Director Lou first.”

“This needs mentioning.”

This Director Lou Ting was naturally a former subordinate of Wu Yongming.

Having Wu Feifei, the ‘boss’s daughter,’ in the meeting was all part of Xu Chen’s plan.

With her presence, Lou Ting would take East Morning Star Advertising more seriously and give their proposals a thorough review.

All the info on this project so far came from Jiao Tianbo, so the real details were still unclear.

Xu Chen worried that Lou Ting might only be going along with it out of obligation.

Jiao Tianbo was smart, sure, but he came off as unreliable…

Lou Ting might not even trust Jiao Tianbo’s suggestions, and by extension, dismiss East Morning Star Advertising.

But with Wu Feifei there, that casual attitude would fade.

At least, Lou Ting would give their proposal a proper look instead of brushing it off.

Though Xu Chen wasn’t overly invested, just doing this as a side thing…

If they were putting in the effort, might as well land it.

Jiao Tianbo composed himself and said:

“I’ll call Director Lou now.”

Xu Chen smiled: “Go ahead, take care of it!”

……

……

The afternoon had two major courses in their department, conveniently in the South Campus’s Little Yellow Building, closer to the company.

Xu Chen strolled into the classroom and noticed his classmates staring, many with odd expressions.

He was puzzled, but once he sat down, he figured it was probably about those two national first prizes from the Big Ad Contest.

Clearly, his awards had put some pressure on his peers.

The afternoon classes were photography and new media theory; the teachers called roll and lingered a bit longer on Xu Chen’s name, as expected.

“The prodigy Xu’s” two national first prizes had already buzzed around the department faculty.

……

During the break.

Xu Chen sought out class monitor Min Siyang to apologize in person for missing the weekend class committee meeting.

“How much was the afternoon tea on Saturday? I said I’d cover it!” Xu Chen said with a smile.

Min Siyang: “No need, prodigy Xu. You can get it next time!”

Xu Chen felt a bit helpless—”prodigy Xu” seemed to have stuck as his nickname.

He flashed a compliant smile and added:

“Next class committee meeting, I’ll treat everyone to a meal and milk tea!”

Min Siyang looked pleased: “Deal, you promised!”

……

……

Evening, Xueyuan Cafeteria.

Xu Chen and Jiao Tianbo lined up to pack dinner.

Jiao Tianbo insisted on getting Wu Feifei’s meal, picking carefully with a serious face.

They came out of the line, each carrying two big bags of food.

Jiao Tianbo asked curiously:

“Why’d you get more than me? I already got Wu Feifei’s.”

Xu Chen: “For the other two colleagues—I grabbed theirs too.”

Jiao Tianbo widened his eyes, surprised again.

Xu Chen’s company had two more employees?

Was he really running a proper business?

……

……

Tonghai Creative Design Building, 8th floor.

As soon as Xu Chen entered the office, Sun Aimi and Gu Xinxi, who were busy working, greeted him with a smile: “Boss.”

Xu Chen set a bag of food on the rest area table:

“You two eat first!”

Gu Xinxi: “No rush, boss. We can wait until after your meeting.”

Xu Chen smiled: “That works!”

He turned and pointed: “This is my classmate, Jiao Tianbo.”

Gu Xinxi and Sun Aimi stood up and politely introduced themselves to Jiao Tianbo.

Jiao Tianbo, still holding the food, looked flustered and stammered a bit.

The usually confident “top student” was stunned by Xu Chen’s office and his respectful employees.

Xu Chen wasn’t joking about running a company—he had this spacious, upscale office and experienced staff calling him boss.

The proud “top student” suddenly felt a wave of inferiority.

And realized his earlier dismissal of Xu Chen seemed foolish.

……

“Where’s Wu Feifei?” Xu Chen asked.

Before Sun Aimi or Gu Xinxi could answer, Wu Feifei’s voice came from the meeting room:

“I’m in here!”

She poked her head out, smiling sweetly.

Jiao Tianbo froze, then looked awkward and tense.

Wu Feifei, ever confident, greeted him warmly:

“Long time no see, Jiao Tianbo!”

“Top student” managed a shy smile:

“Hey, Wu Feifei. I brought dinner for you…”

Xu Chen: “Let’s get to business first.”

……

……

In the meeting room.

Besides Jiao Tianbo and Wu Feifei, Xu Chen brought Gu Xinxi along.

If the project moved forward, having Gu Xinxi’s help would be reassuring.

Jiao Tianbo had already dialed Yichun City’s Publicity Department.

“Top student” steadied himself and made the introductions.

On the line were Director Lou Ting and two other colleagues from the department, though they seemed less senior.

Jiao Tianbo specifically introduced “East Morning Star Advertising’s general manager” Xu Chen, “client director” Gu Xinxi, and “client manager” Wu Feifei.

He read straight from their business cards.

Director Lou Ting politely greeted Xu Chen and Gu Xinxi first, then warmly chatted with Wu Feifei.

“Hello, Wu Feifei. Do you remember Aunt Lou?”

“We met at a work event during Spring Festival one year, but you were just a kid back then…”

Wu Feifei: “Hello, Director Lou. Of course I remember. Dad’s mentioned you too…”

Lou Ting: “Really? How’s Director Wu these days?”

“Wait, no—it’s Mayor Wu now!”

……

……

Lou Ting laid on the flattery without being obvious, and Wu Feifei handled it gracefully, staying straightforward.

Xu Chen listened quietly, smirking at “Miss Wu.”

Wu Feifei looked a bit helpless but politely responded to Director Lou.

After a long exchange of pleasantries, they finally got to the point.

Director Lou outlined the project background and promotion needs, starting with a bunch of official jargon.

Responding to various directives, under certain guidance, led by so-and-so, launching a major propaganda push…

It had Xu Chen fighting to stay awake.

Wu Feifei and Xu Chen shared a knowing glance and smiled wryly.

Jiao Tianbo, though, listened intently, even taking notes.

Once Lou Ting finished the preamble, she dove into details.

This project was a joint effort between Yichun City’s Publicity Department and Tourism Bureau, overseen by a municipal deputy secretary in charge of promotions.

The main goal was to boost Yichun’s profile and promote its tourism spots.

The focus was Mingyue Mountain.

Director Lou described Mingyue Mountain’s scenery and a few other attractions in detail.

Beyond tourism promotion, there was an underlying need for attracting investment.

And that was likely the real priority.

With economic development in mind, Yichun needed to draw in investors.

But the reality was, outside Jiangxi Province, almost no one had heard of Yichun, let alone investors from Hong Kong, Taiwan, or abroad.

So this campaign was crucial for raising the city’s visibility.

……

From Lou Ting’s description, Xu Chen got the picture.

No wonder in his past life, Yichun went with that controversial slogan ‘A City Called Spring’—they were desperate to get noticed.

And from her hints, the final decision-maker was probably that deputy secretary, who was big on visibility and investment.

With that in mind, Xu Chen felt confident.

The ‘Spring’ idea would likely fly, but it needed careful packaging to tone down the controversy.

Still, some thought would be required to refine it.

Finally, Director Lou added:

“We’ve budgeted thirty to fifty thousand for the planning.”

“The key is a slogan for Yichun’s promotion—if we use it, it’s thirty thousand.”

“We also want a full promotional plan; if selected, it’s up to fifty thousand.”

This matched Xu Chen’s expectations perfectly.

“Director Lou, no problem. We’ll put together a solid plan,” Xu Chen said.

Lou Ting continued:

“Provide a few slogan options.”

“We haven’t been upfront— we’ve collected over a hundred, and other agencies helped, but the leadership hasn’t liked any.”

“The slogan’s the main thing.”

Xu Chen: “Got it. We’ll come up with several.”

“Any timeline on your end?”

Lou Ting: “The sooner, the better. This has dragged on for half a year, and they’re pushing hard.”

“With the New Year coming, we want everything finalized.”

“What do you think, Xu—can we get it in a week?”

Before Xu Chen answered, Jiao Tianbo looked anxious, glancing at him.

Clearly, a week seemed too tight for Jiao Tianbo.

But Xu Chen wanted to strike while the iron was hot and wrap this up.

He’d delayed other projects to build hype, but with “the boss’s daughter” Wu Feifei involved, there was no risk of being overlooked.

At least, they’d give the proposal a serious review.

“A week’s fine. We’ll submit by next Friday,” Xu Chen said.

“Great, thanks so much, Xu!”

……

Once business was done, Lou Ting chatted with Wu Feifei again before hanging up.

Xu Chen frowned, pondering how to package the proposal.

Then he noticed Jiao Tianbo and Wu Feifei staring at him.

Wu Feifei said: “Boss, how are we going to handle this?”

Jiao Tianbo: “Xu Chen, is a week too rushed?”

Xu Chen smiled: “A week’s plenty. It’s just a thirty-thousand project anyway.”

Wu Feifei: “……”

Jiao Tianbo: “??!”

Wu Feifei sort of understood—after all, Xu Chen was dealing with big clients like Vanke and Jeep.

But Jiao Tianbo was totally baffled.

Thirty thousand and he calls it small?!

……

Xu Chen added:

“The budget’s modest, and the project’s not huge. Let’s treat it as practice…”

“In a week, we can whip up a few proposals.”

“It’s just promoting a prefecture-level city—nothing too complex.”

Wu Feifei: “……”

Jiao Tianbo: “??!”

Wu Feifei smiled: “Alright, boss. Assign the tasks—I’m new to this, so I’ll follow your lead!”

Xu Chen thought for a moment: “Let’s brainstorm like in advertising—everyone pitches an idea, then we discuss.”

“Since they want options, we’ll make extras…”

“Each of us works on it solo this week. We’ll meet Thursday to review, then polish for Friday’s submission.”

Jiao Tianbo frowned, thinking it seemed hasty.

But soon, he got excited: “Perfect—we can even have an internal competition with our ideas!”

Wu Feifei: “……”

Xu Chen: “Sounds good. Looking forward to your pitches!”

Wu Feifei still felt unsure: “Xu Chen, I’ve never done this. Not sure how to brainstorm or structure a proposal…”

Xu Chen: “For Thursday, just think of a slogan—no full proposal needed yet.”

Wu Feifei pondered: “A slogan in one sentence…”

“That makes it easier.”

Xu Chen glanced at Gu Xinxi: “Team up with Xinxi on this—you two can collaborate on a proposal.”

Wu Feifei: “Awesome!”

Gu Xinxi: “Sure, I want to learn more about ad creatives.”

Xu Chen slapped the table and stood: “Let’s get Sun Aimi in here—we’re eating!”

“Right away, boss!”

……

The food from Tonghai University cafeteria was still warm.

Xu Chen grabbed some soda and juice from the fridge.

Everyone ate and chatted lightly.

Jiao Tianbo stayed mostly quiet, stealing glances at Wu Feifei now and then.

Wu Feifei, while eating, said to Xu Chen: “Your cafeteria food is really good—not far off from outside restaurants.”

Xu Chen: “I’m getting tired of it.”

Wu Feifei: “You’re taking it for granted…”

Jiao Tianbo wanted to join the conversation but hesitated, too nervous to speak.

……

Once dinner wound down and dusk settled, they cleared the trash and turned off the office lights before heading downstairs.

Sun Aimi and Gu Xinxi caught a cab and left first.

Jiao Tianbo turned to Wu Feifei, looking like he wanted to say something but held back.

He paused, then asked: “Wu Feifei, how are you getting home?”

Wu Feifei hesitated, glanced at Xu Chen with a plea in her eyes, and replied: “Xu Chen, didn’t you say you’d drive me back?”

Xu Chen was caught off guard—when had he mentioned that?

Jiao Tianbo froze, feeling instantly deflated.

Xu Chen gave an awkward laugh, made an excuse, and bid Jiao Tianbo goodbye.

……

“Young President Xu’s” white Grand Cherokee was parked right downstairs.

Wu Feifei followed Xu Chen, looking sheepish: “Sorry, I just jumped on your offer for a ride. I didn’t want Jiao Tianbo offering…”

Xu Chen laughed: “No problem!”

“But how’d you know I got a car?”

Wu Feifei: “Fang Jun told me.”

Xu Chen: “She shares everything with you?”

Wu Feifei stuck out her tongue.

At the car, Xu Chen opened the back door.

Wu Feifei paused, confused, but got in.

Xu Chen went to the driver’s seat, buckled up, and started the engine.

Wu Feifei eyed the passenger seat and said: “So, only Bing Ge gets the front?”

Xu Chen grinned: “Who else?”

……

……

The tall white Grand Cherokee pulled out of the parking lot.

Jiao Tianbo stood on the roadside and caught sight of it…

He pulled out his phone, probably checking the car’s price, then wore a defeated expression.

“No wonder he calls a thirty-thousand project small…”