Chapter 355: Airport Meetings and Corporate Maneuvers

Pengcheng Bao’an Airport.

Xu Chen and Wu Feifei cleared security and headed to KFC for a quick break.

Xu Chen checked a few messages on his phone and said with a smile:

“Zhou Kai mentioned there’s a meeting in Shanghai tomorrow afternoon, and he’s inviting us to join!”

Wu Feifei: “It’s not another trap, is it?”

Xu Chen: “No, tomorrow afternoon Boss Wang and Zhou Kai will both be there…”

The afternoon meeting’s outcome has probably already been reported to Boss Wang.”

Wu Feifei frowned: “With the meeting going like that this afternoon, won’t it cause issues?”

Xu Chen: “It doesn’t really matter to us.

I said we’d just go through the motions in the afternoon.

Boss Wang knows we’ll face clear resistance or even dismissal, and Zhou Kai already warned him about it.

So whatever Sun Man and the others reported, it doesn’t change a thing…”

“Zhou Kai said Vanke has a quarterly summary meeting in Shanghai tomorrow, and all the key people will attend.

That’s why Boss Wang suggested handling the ‘Lan Qiao Sheng Fei’ matter at the same time.”

He glanced at Wu Feifei: “Are you coming tomorrow?”

Wu Feifei: “Of course! This sounds exciting—I want to see what a big company’s ‘internal power struggles’ look like firsthand.

It’s my first time witnessing something like that!”

Xu Chen shook his head, at a loss for words:

“Yeah…”

We’re somehow caught up in this ‘internal fight’—it’s pretty wild.

But as long as there’s money in it, who cares?”

He paused:

“Then I’ll drive over to pick you up at noon tomorrow.”

Wu Feifei: “Sounds great!”

Suddenly, she remembered something:

“The Asian Games are coming up soon!”

Xu Chen: “Yeah, it’s right around the corner.”

Wu Feifei: “I wonder how Bing Ge is doing with her training.”

Xu Chen: “She’ll be fine.”

Wu Feifei: “How do you know? You haven’t even seen her lately.”

Xu Chen: “I have total confidence in Bing Ge!”

Wu Feifei: “Well, she was incredible at the Osaka competition last time…

A lot of my classmates who never cared about sports or track and field started following it just because Bing Ge won in Osaka!

The Asian Games will definitely generate tons of buzz this time!”

……

……

Monday morning, higher mathematics class, before it started.

As soon as Xu Chen entered the classroom, he heard a buzz of discussions.

He walked to the back and sat with the guys, listening in to figure out what was going on.

It turned out the draw results for the ‘Bai Miao Senior Cheer Squad’ for the Doha Asian Games had been announced.

To ensure fairness and safety for the whole trip, the college had reviewed and debated it over two rounds before finalizing.

The results came out ages ago, but they waited until Monday morning to release them along with the follow-up plans.

In their class, three students got selected.

Among the guys, it was Bai Miao’s little fan Huang Hao.

On the girls’ side, it was the local Shanghai girl Chen Qiong and another one named He Sisi.

The three winners were over the moon, while the others gathered around with looks of envy and jealousy.

Students from Shanghai generally had better family finances than out-of-towners.

But self-funding a trip abroad for the Asian Games still put a strain on things.

So everyone had high hopes for getting drawn.

Huang Hao, a local from Shanghai, was clearly thrilled to be picked.

The thought of cheering for Bai Miao Senior in person had this little fan buzzing with excitement.

Plus, it was a school-organized event, so he didn’t have to explain much to his strict parents.

“The Jiang-Zhe Prince” draped an arm over Huang Hao’s shoulder:

“Awesome, finally someone to hang with me!”

Huang Hao joked:

“Get out of here! Aren’t you supposed to be with Su Rong?”

Qian Xin clearly didn’t want to go there, especially with Chen Wenyi sitting nearby, so he quickly changed the subject…

“Stock Guy” Pei Qian seemed really down; he’d gotten stuck in his investments and didn’t get drawn for the Asian Games either.

Xu Chen felt a bit helpless inside.

This trip to Doha had quite a few familiar faces.

From their class: Qian Xin, Huang Hao, Chen Qiong, He Sisi…

And the class rep Su Rong would probably buy her own ticket.

Jiao Tianbo had heard Wu Feifei was going and clearly wanted to tag along to ‘look after’ her.

Not to mention a bunch of seniors from the same college…

Xu Chen thought it over—it could actually be a good thing.

When it came time to cheer for Bing Ge, he could rope in these classmates to help.

He remembered something and asked Huang Hao:

“When are you all heading out? The competition has prelims and finals, right?”

Huang Hao: “Not sure yet. I think it’s just for the finals to save costs.”

Qian Xin teased: “Hey, is Bai Miao Senior even guaranteed to make the finals?”

Huang Hao looked annoyed:

“What are you saying? Bai Miao Senior will definitely make it!

This is the Asian Games, not the Olympics…

We’re all in the same boat here.”

Qian Xin just chuckled and didn’t push it.

Huang Hao: “Last time at the East Asia Youth Games in Osaka, Bai Miao Senior had a bad start in the prelims.

At her normal level, getting to the Asian Games finals would be easy!”

Getting serious about the competition, Huang Hao continued:

“The previous Asian Games gold medalist Feng Youping has officially retired.

This time, three Chinese athletes are locks for the finals.

Chen Lan, who got bronze last time, has a shot at gold now.

Then there’s Xie Bingran and Bai Miao Senior…”

He paused: “Xie Bingran could go for gold.

Bai Miao Senior is a bit behind, but finals are a sure thing!

And she has a real chance at a medal!”

Qian Xin smirked:

“Xie Bingran isn’t just ‘could go for gold’—she left the Japanese competitors in the dust in Osaka!”

Xu Chen: “……”

Huang Hao: “Xie Bingran is strong, no doubt.

But Bai Miao Senior is from our college, so we’re cheering for her!”

He paused again: “Chen Lan and Xie Bingran winning gold still has some uncertainty…

At that top level, it’s all about performance on the day.

Plus, in the last six months, India and South Korea have some rising stars in women’s short track…

And those two from Japan, even though they lost to Xie Bingran last time, are still Asia’s best!”

……

……

Xu Chen didn’t join the conversation; he just listened quietly and got a sense of Bing Ge’s opponents at the Asian Games.

He thought he’d check in with Yue Jie about the arrangements soon.

Xu Chen, Nie Fei, and Wu Feifei’s passports were already sent to Yue Jie; she’d handle the visas and travel through a agency.

As for the Asian Games tickets, Xu Chen had contacted Coach Cheng Hong earlier—she said they’d arrange them closer to the event through the team.

Xu Chen had asked his father Xu Zhiquan if he wanted to come, but he was swamped with the Chenfeng Ice Power listing and couldn’t make it.

Still, he mentioned he’d visit Shanghai once things settled to see his son and Xie Bingran.

……

Xu Chen remembered the Vanke meeting that afternoon and quickly messaged Class Monitor Min Siyang for leave.

Min Siyang replied:

[You’re taking so much leave—are you really not worried about failing classes?]

Before Xu Chen could respond, she added:

[Okay… You still have two first prizes from the ‘Da Guang Sai’ that can cover two major courses.]

Xu Chen just sent back a cheeky smiling emoji.

……

……

At noon.

Xu Chen was rushing to the Vanke meeting when ‘Scholar Bro’ Jiao Tianbo stopped him.

After a quick chat, it turned out Jiao Tianbo was updating him on the Yichun promotion project.

The project was already handed to Gu Xinxi, so Xu Chen didn’t need to worry much.

Still, he listened patiently until Jiao Tianbo finished, then said:

“Thanks for the hard work, Tianbo. Just coordinate with Gu Xinxi from now on.

She’s really professional—you’ll learn a lot working with her.”

Jiao Tianbo hesitated but finally asked:

“Do you have any other projects? Could I join to learn more?

I don’t need the internship pay; I just want to improve.”

Xu Chen thought to himself, not likely…

The Yichun project came through Jiao Tianbo, so he had to keep him involved, but for others, he didn’t want to.

Mainly, ‘Scholar Bro’ didn’t bring much to the table skill-wise.

Xu Chen’s company wasn’t a charity or a school; no obligation to train people.

As for Wu Feifei, it made sense to look after her since she was the boss’s daughter.

She was sharp and socially savvy, actually helpful on projects.

Like on the last two Vanke trips, with Gu Xinxi and Sun Aimi unavailable, bringing Wu Feifei helped represent East Morning Star Advertising.

Of course, Xu Chen didn’t reject Jiao Tianbo outright and said politely:

“Sure, I’ll see if there are any fitting projects later.”

Jiao Tianbo: “Great, thanks so much!”

……

……

Xu Chen went downstairs to get the car, and Sun Aimi was already waiting with her laptop bag.

Since the ‘Lan Qiao Sheng Fei’ project would likely move forward today, he needed to bring her along.

Sun Aimi had flown in early that morning and probably just arrived at the office; she was still in her windbreaker.

“You’ve been working hard, Aimi!”

Xu Chen said with a smile.

Sun Aimi beamed: “Not at all, boss!”

Xu Chen: “So, is Boss Wang arriving in Shanghai this morning?”

Sun Aimi: “He got here last night.

He wrapped up shooting yesterday and flew straight out…”

She paused: “Boss, did things go sideways with Vanke’s presentation yesterday?”

Xu Chen chuckled: “Why do you ask?”

Sun Aimi: “Zhou Kai took a call, then Boss Wang set up a conference call and seemed pretty upset.

It was about the ‘Lan Qiao Sheng Fei’ project.”

Xu Chen stayed calm: “It’s not on us.

We’ll just attend the meeting as planned and keep pushing forward!”

Sun Aimi adjusted her round glasses: “Okay!”

They got in the car, with Sun Aimi in the back, and headed to pick up Wu Feifei.

Xu Chen gripped the wheel and said:

“Aimi, have you been swamped lately?”

Sun Aimi: “Projects are piling up, but it’s manageable!”

Xu Chen: “More will come in soon.

‘Ran Bing Sports’ and ‘Chenfeng Ice Power’ stuff will ramp up too.

I’m thinking of adding a couple of people under you for design, planning, and copywriting—you can decide.

Start scouting candidates and send me anyone good for interviews.

I’ll keep an eye out too.”

Sun Aimi lit up: “Awesome, thanks boss!”

Xu Chen grinned: “As our creative director, you need a team!”

Sun Aimi blinked her round eyes: “But I’ve never led a team before—I don’t know how…”

Xu Chen: “You’ll pick it up. Fei’s at the company now, so ask her for advice.”

Sun Aimi: “Will do!”

At the north gate of Shanghai Foreign Languages University, Wu Feifei was already waiting by the road.

She wore her usual sharp, professional outfit today.

Wu Feifei jumped in and was thrilled to see Sun Aimi, peppering her with questions about the Sichuan West and Snow District shoots.

Sun Aimi mentioned she had some altitude sickness, but landing in Shanghai fixed it right up.

……

In 2006, Vanke’s headquarters in Shanghai was in the MH District.

Xu Chen checked the map and saw it was fairly close to the Xin Zhuang Training Base.

Too bad Bing Ge was in full lockdown training, or he could’ve dropped by to see the little rich girl…

An hour later, they pulled up at the Vanke office park.

With time to spare, Xu Chen took the two young women to a nearby American fast-food spot for a quick bite—salads, burgers, wings…

After wolfing it down in fifteen minutes, he messaged Zhou Kai.

……

Once he got Zhou Kai’s reply, Xu Chen led the two women toward the Vanke building.

A few luxury cars sat out front—Mercedes S, Maybach, Audi A8, and a couple of Toyota Alphards.

Xu Chen lingered on a Maybach with its Zhejiang plate; it looked oddly familiar.

Zhou Kai greeted them with a warm smile, exchanged pleasantries, and guided them to the elevators.

“Sorry for the trouble, President Xu. And about yesterday, let me apologize on behalf of the company.”

In the elevator, with no one else around, Zhou Kai said quietly.

Xu Chen: “No worries, you warned me ahead of time, so I was prepared.”

Zhou Kai: “Boss Wang is still meeting some friends; he’ll join us shortly.

All the bigwigs are here today to finalize the ‘Lan Qiao Sheng Fei’ project.”

Xu Chen: “Great, East Morning Star Advertising will fully support whatever Boss Wang needs.”

……

……

On the 16th floor.

Zhou Kai led Xu Chen and the others into a large conference room where a few people were already seated.

Xu Chen glanced around and smirked inwardly.

Vice President Sun Man and Marketing Director Wu Xiao Ding, whom he’d met yesterday, were there.

They spotted Xu Chen and clearly looked displeased.

Yesterday’s run-in had left them sour.

Zhou Kai said politely:

“Sun, this is President Xu from East Morning Star Advertising—I’m sure you two know each other?”

Sun Man said nothing and just sipped her water; Wu Xiao Ding kept up appearances with a slight nod.

Zhou Kai then pointed to someone else:

“This is Cao Qiyuan, the product-side lead for ‘Lan Qiao Sheng Fei’!”

Cao Qiyuan, in his forties with a navy suit and a paunch, stood up courteously, introduced himself to Xu Chen, and exchanged business cards.

He explained he oversaw the villa product’s planning and execution, basically handling the whole ‘Lan Qiao Sheng Fei’ build-out.

Zhou Kai gestured to the three at the back:

“These are from Black Crane Advertising; they handled the full promotional campaign for ‘Lan Qiao Sheng Fei’ before…

This is their executive creative director, Fang Yu.”

Xu Chen couldn’t help but smile—they’d brought in the rival agency.

It felt like a direct showdown.

Black Crane Advertising was a mainland firm based in Beijing.

From 2000 to the 2010s, they nailed several big real estate campaigns and specialized in that area.

They had some clout in the industry.

But after 2020, with real estate slowing down, Black Crane didn’t adapt and faded away.

The Black Crane team had been briefed by Sun Man and Wu Xiao Ding, so when Fang Yu introduced himself to Xu Chen, he showed clear wariness.

Xu Chen stayed polite and swapped cards with him.

Fang Yu had a square, stern face and sized up Xu Chen.

“Didn’t expect President Xu to be so young?”

Xu Chen just smiled politely without elaborating.

Fang Yu sneered:

“At your age, how can you relate to villa buyers?”

Xu Chen smiled back calmly:

“A multimillion villa? I could buy one if I wanted.

I’m the target customer myself—no need to force empathy.”

……

That shut Fang Yu down.

He’d tried to provoke, but Xu Chen’s response caught him off guard.

Fang Yu’s subordinates looked awkward.

Sun Man and Wu Xiao Ding exchanged surprised glances.

They wondered if this young ‘President Xu,’ personally endorsed by Boss Wang and able to afford such villas, had some serious backing…

……

Truth be told, for the current ‘little President Xu,’ a multimillion villa was a stretch.

He’d said that just to deflate Fang Yu.

Since the guy was throwing shade, why play nice?

Bragging cost nothing, and it clearly irked the other side.

Seeing Fang Yu’s deflated expression, it worked perfectly…

Wu Feifei and Sun Aimi shared a knowing grin.

Their boss was bold as ever!

……