Chapter 348: Whispers of Strategy

In the evening, at the East Morning Star Advertising office.

Xu Chen was alone in the ‘General Manager’s office’, pouring himself a glass of red wine and comfortably working overtime on a proposal.

The project he was working on was naturally the Vanke ‘Rancho Santa Fe’ advertising plan, which he needed to present to the founder, Wang Shi, so he took it seriously.

Luckily, he already had the concept mapped out in his mind; today, he just needed to write it down.

Tomorrow, he’d hand it off to Sun Aimi to whip up a few stylish flat schematics, and that would pretty much wrap it up.

…

“Scholar Bro” Jiao Tianbo suddenly sent a message:

[Xu Chen, I’ve compiled a batch of news and speeches from Vice Mayor Cheng of Yichun City. I’ve sent them all to your email.]

[Thanks a ton, Tianbo!]

Xu Chen logged into his email and downloaded the documents Jiao Tianbo had sent.

“Scholar Bro” always handled things meticulously, organizing everything by category and even adding web links.

It was kinda funny having the proud “Scholar Bro” gather materials and assist him like this.

As Xu Chen skimmed through, he started to get a clear picture.

This Vice Mayor Cheng, named Cheng Yumin, was a bit like Wu Yongming back in the day—overseeing duties related to economic development.

So, attracting investment and promoting tourism in Yichun City fell under his purview.

And since the Publicity Department reported to him, that’s how this Yichun City promotion project came about.

In Cheng Yumin’s recent speeches and news appearances, he heavily focused on promoting Yichun’s latest investment policies, clearly showing a strong drive to boost economic growth and reform.

Overall, though, Yichun City didn’t have particularly strong economic resources, so they pushed tourism assets like Mingyue Mountain to the forefront.

Reading through these news articles, Xu Chen gained a deeper understanding of the goals behind this promotion project.

At the same time, if Vice Mayor Cheng had any concerns or objections about the ‘Calling Spring’ plan, Xu Chen already had some general talking points ready for discussion.

Jiao Tianbo sent another message:

[Director Lou hasn’t given any feedback all day. Do you think the project might have issues?]

Xu Chen felt a bit speechless; “Scholar Bro” was such an anxious type.

[Don’t worry. We only submitted the plan last Friday, and we just had the phone chat yesterday…

They need time to report to the leaders and discuss in meetings—it could take a few days.]

[Okay, I’ll wait for Director Lou’s reply and let you know if there’s any update.]

[Great, thanks again, Tianbo!]

Xu Chen was about to close the chat when he noticed Jiao Tianbo was “typing” for a while.

Curious, he waited, and finally got another message from “Scholar Bro”.

[Xu Chen, are you and Feifei heading out on a business trip together this weekend?]

Seeing the message, Xu Chen felt a headache coming on.

He hoped Jiao Tianbo wasn’t getting the wrong ideas about him and Wu Feifei going on the trip.

But Xu Chen was straightforward and had nothing to hide:

[Yeah, there’s a project, and Wu Feifei was involved in the early stages, so we’re going together.]

Jiao Tianbo hesitated for a bit before replying:

[Will you two be staying in separate rooms?]

…

Xu Chen rolled his eyes internally and responded:

[We’ll be at the same hotel but in different rooms.

Our company’s Sun Aimi will be joining the trip too, and she’ll room with Wu Feifei.]

[Oh, okay…

Thanks, Xu Chen!]

Xu Chen took a sip of red wine and chuckled helplessly.

These young guys, these eager admirers, could be so amusingly awkward sometimes.

…

After finishing up for the evening, Xu Chen wandered back to his dormitory alone.

November nights in Shanghai were already quite chilly, so Xu Chen pulled his jacket tighter.

He couldn’t help but think of Xie Bingran, wondering if she was feeling the cold too.

Luckily, he’d bought her a few sweaters and coats last time, so she should be set for winter.

…

…

Wednesday morning.

During the break, Xu Chen bumped into Jiao Tianbo in the hallway of the teaching building.

He looked excited and said to Xu Chen:

“Director Lou said Vice Mayor Cheng wants to have another phone chat with us.”

Xu Chen: “Sure, no problem.”

Wanting another call meant things were pretty much settled.

If the vice mayor wasn’t interested in the plan, there probably wouldn’t be any follow-up.

Jiao Tianbo: “I scheduled it for the evening.”

Xu Chen: “That works. Feifei will be coming by today too.”

Wu Feifei had lighter classes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, so she often dropped by the company.

Truth be told, Xu Chen didn’t have a ton of work lined up for her. Mainly, she seemed to enjoy hanging out with Sun Aimi and Gu Xinxi.

Yesterday at lunch, Wu Feifei had even said:

“It’s so much fun being with those two sisters. I learn something new every day.

Hanging with my classmates, it’s all about nails, makeup, boyfriends…

It’s just not interesting at all.”

…

Xu Chen remembered something and quickly messaged Gu Xinxi:

[Push the afternoon interviews back by half an hour to an hour.

We’ve got a phone meeting for the Yichun project, but it won’t take long…]

The interviews were for the ‘Ran Bing Sports’ e-commerce marketing lead position.

Last week, Nie Fei had phone-screened two candidates, and now it was up to Xu Chen to decide which one to hire.

Xu Chen had Gu Xinxi schedule both for that evening, but with the Yichun call popping up, they needed to delay.

Nie Fei had already briefed Xu Chen on the candidates.

Both were interested in the ‘Ran Bing Sports’ job, which is why they were flexible with the timing. Of course, their reasons for interest varied…

Xu Chen set both interviews for the evening on purpose.

He wanted them to know there were other candidates competing for the same spot, so they’d take the opportunity more seriously.

…

…

At noon, in Tonghai University’s international student cafeteria.

This place was farther from where Xu Chen lived in the southwest district, and he rarely came here.

Today, he and a few classmates came for a change of scenery.

The international cafeteria was a bit pricier, but still way cheaper than eating out.

Many international students at domestic universities hailed from the third world.

But as a globally top school in architecture, transportation, and mechanics, Tonghai University attracted some from Europe and America, especially exchange students from Germany.

So, in the international cafeteria, you could spot some tall, blonde foreign girls.

…

Xu Chen and his roommates grabbed their food and found a seat.

Surprisingly, Jiao Tianbo tagged along, which was rare.

The old “Scholar Bro” used to keep to himself, looking down on mixing with these roommates.

With steak, burgers, and pizza on offer, the prices were indeed higher than at Xueyuan or West Garden cafeterias.

As the guys ate, they couldn’t help but glance at the foreign students coming and going in the cafeteria.

Of course, they were mostly scouting for attractive girls…

Groups of international students chatted and laughed as they passed—some white Europeans, others with dark skin…

“Why do they all wear so much perfume?” Hong Xiaoqiang asked.

Xu Chen smiled: “To cover up body odor.”

Hong Xiaoqiang: “Huh?”

Pei Qian: “Body… odor?”

Xu Chen just smiled and didn’t elaborate.

Hong Xiaoqiang: “Now you’ve got me… totally not interested in those blonde girls anymore.”

…

On the way back to the teaching building, Jiao Tianbo sidled up to Xu Chen and said:

“Xu Chen, for our meeting with Vice Mayor Cheng this afternoon, how are you planning to handle it?”

Xu Chen: “Huh?”

Jiao Tianbo paused: “You asked me to collect the leaders’ speeches so you could study and prepare your talking points…

I just wanted to get some tips from you.”

Xu Chen felt a bit helpless but patiently replied:

“I still need to digest it and think it through.

Plus, we won’t know what the leaders ask until the call, so we’ll have to improvise.”

Jiao Tianbo thought for a moment and nodded:

“Alright… I’ll learn from you during the meeting then.”

Xu Chen: “…”

The proud “Scholar Bro” was stubbornly earnest, a bit clumsy but hardworking.

…

…

In the evening.

Xu Chen and Jiao Tianbo grabbed some takeout from the cafeteria and headed to the East Morning Star Advertising office.

As soon as they entered, they saw Wu Feifei had already arrived.

They set down the food and went straight to the meeting room.

Gu Xinxi said:

“I’ve pushed the two interviews back by half an hour.

I just checked with Aimi; if they show up early, she’ll handle them first.”

Xu Chen nodded: “Good!”

Wu Feifei: “So, Young President Xu’s company is hiring again?”

Xu Chen: “With Fei Jie on board, we need to build out that business line, so she needs some subordinates.”

Wu Feifei teased: “Young President Xu is so accomplished—it’s enviable.”

Jiao Tianbo stayed quiet, a flicker of melancholy crossing his face.

…

After a short wait, the call from Yichun City came through.

Director Lou Ting was hosting the meeting and introduced the participants on both sides.

On their end, besides Publicity Department Secretary Ding Guoqiang and Tourism Bureau Chief He Jie, there was Vice Mayor Cheng Yumin.

After some polite exchanges, Cheng Yumin personally connected with ‘President Xu’ to get acquainted.

Xu Chen remained very cautious and polite:

“We should really visit Yichun City to meet you all, but since the project communication is urgent, we discussed a phone presentation with Director Lou first…”

From the other end came Secretary Ding Guoqiang’s warm voice:

“No worries, President Xu.

Our promotion project is indeed time-sensitive, just as you wrote in the plan—we’d like to get it rolling before the Lunar New Year.

We’re thinking the same; there’s an investment promotion event at the start of the year.

Vice Mayor Cheng tasked us with boosting Yichun’s profile and promoting our tourism resources before that…

If there’s follow-up collaboration, we’ll have a chance to meet in person, and we’d welcome your company to visit Yichun for exchanges.”

After more small talk, they dove into the main topic.

With the big leader present, Xu Chen succinctly went over the plan again.

He focused on the overall concept of ‘A City Called Spring’ and the steps for implementing the activities.

Once Xu Chen finished, Secretary Ding Guoqiang and Chief He Jie asked a couple of minor questions, which Xu Chen answered one by one.

Wu Feifei and Jiao Tianbo looked puzzled, as these questions had come up in the previous call.

They centered on potential risks with the ‘Calling Spring’ plan and the countermeasures outlined.

Xu Chen explained smoothly, repeating the same responses and details from before.

Xu Chen knew Ding Guoqiang and He Jie were asking again so he could address it directly for Vice Mayor Cheng.

Sure enough, after Xu Chen wrapped up, Ding Guoqiang said:

“Vice Mayor Cheng, do you have any questions?”

Vice Mayor Cheng Yumin cleared his throat and began:

“Thank you for sharing, President Xu—it’s been very insightful.

Among all the plans I’ve seen or heard lately, East Morning Star Advertising’s is the most impressive…”

He paused briefly, seeming to weigh his thoughts:

“But as you mentioned, the ‘Calling Spring’ plan is quite controversial and does carry some risks.

So, personally, I’ve been hesitant to decide.

Whether to go with ‘A City Called Spring’ or ‘Planning for the Year in Yichun’…”

As his words fell, Gu Xinxi, Wu Feifei, and Jiao Tianbo all turned to Xu Chen.

Xu Chen quickly organized his thoughts, drawing from the speeches and articles he’d studied on Vice Mayor Cheng:

“Risk and reward go hand in hand.

You can’t have it both ways—can’t be afraid of fame and growth…”

Cheng Yumin: “So, it’s a tough choice.”

Xu Chen paused slightly:

“Based on our discussions with the leaders, the core goal of this promotion is to raise Yichun’s profile to support investment attraction and economic development.

If that main direction hasn’t changed, then choosing the ‘Calling Spring’ plan shouldn’t require hesitation.”

Cheng Yumin: “How so?”

Xu Chen: “For attracting investment, what do outside entrepreneurs and investors value?

Location, resources, prospects…

And one very important thing: whether the local government is open and innovative.

All external businesses fear local conservatism or protectionism.

We’ve studied Yichun’s investment policies, which is why we boldly proposed the ‘Calling Spring’ plan.

Yichun is aggressively pushing economic development and investment with a series of innovative and open support policies!”

“This promotion needs to show outside enterprises and entrepreneurs Yichun’s innovation, openness, boldness, and drive.

A conservative, outdated city would never dare use a slogan like ‘Calling Spring’.

Only an innovative, open, bold, and dynamic city—one that’s progressive, youthful, and full of vigor—would confidently express it this way!”

“Telling outsiders a bunch of theories or issuing news releases won’t compare to ‘performing’ it for them.

Openness, innovation, inclusivity, and drive aren’t just slogans for Yichun!

We’re open and innovative enough to dare ‘call spring’!

That’s the essence of ‘Spring-Calling Yichun’!”

…

Xu Chen spoke calmly, his words naturally carrying an emotional undertone.

Once he finished, the room and the other end of the line fell silent for a moment.

Jiao Tianbo furrowed his brow slightly, jotting notes on his pad.

“So that’s how it is!”

“Who knew you could use those leaders’ speeches and articles like that…”

Wu Feifei blinked at Xu Chen, her eyes sparkling with admiration.

Gu Xinxi beside her looked equally moved.

“You’re incredible at this!”

“I’m practically convinced myself!”

“Does this slogan really have such deep value and meaning?”

“What grand ideas—but they fire me up!”

…

…

After a brief silence on the other end, applause erupted.

Followed by Vice Mayor Cheng Yumin’s hearty laughter:

“Excellent! Spot on!”

“That’s Yichun—that’s our openness, innovation, and inclusivity!”

“It’s because of our innovation and boldness that we dare ‘call spring’!”

“What a brilliant interpretation! Absolutely clever!”

With the leader’s words, the other officials chimed in agreement.

“It’s fantastic! This promotion can really make outside enterprises feel Yichun’s innovative spirit and youthful energy!”

“Yes, youthful energy!”

…

…

Xu Chen let out a breath and smiled, leaning back in his chair.

The overtime last night studying the vice mayor’s speeches had paid off.

His prepared remarks were tailored to the leader’s deeper needs—a custom pitch just for Cheng Yumin…

Winning over the vice mayor in charge of Yichun’s investment and economic development was no surprise.

Wu Feifei, Jiao Tianbo, and Gu Xinxi all gazed at Xu Chen with undisguised respect.

Especially Miss Wu, who flashed a playful smile as if to say:

“You’ve got skills—impressive!”

On the other end, Yichun’s leaders excitedly discussed further.

Vice Mayor Cheng Yumin cleared his throat and said:

“Secretary Ding, Chief He, I think we can reach a consensus.

East Morning Star Advertising’s plan is the best I’ve seen or heard!”

Ding Guoqiang laughed: “Thank you for your oversight, Vice Mayor Cheng. With your approval, we can move forward confidently.”

Cheng Yumin pondered briefly and added quietly:

“Innovation always involves risks, but this one’s worth it!

For Yichun’s reputation, economic growth, and the well-being of our people…

Any criticism we’ll face is worthwhile!

History will vindicate us!”

“Well said, leader!”

“Such high vision, leader!”

…

Cheng Yumin cleared his throat again, cutting off the flattery, and spoke into the phone:

“President Xu, thanks for making time today.

We’ll count on you to oversee the project’s implementation.”

Xu Chen: “You’re too kind, leader!

East Morning Star Advertising is honored to contribute to Yichun’s development…”

And so, with that, the project was sealed.