Chapter 365: Corporate Ascendancy

Noon.

Xu Chen drove with Nie Fei in the back seat, heading back to the company.

They had just finished lunch with Director Li Yue from the Sports Administration; he had more clients to meet in Shanghai, so they parted ways.

“If Xie Bingran lands a luxury brand deal, it will boost Ran Bing Sports’ image too…”

Nie Fei said.

Xu Chen nodded. “So, it’s a big surprise.”

Nie Fei continued, “But luxury brand endorsements take a lot of scrutiny…

They’re all about protecting their image.”

…

Having a top luxury brand interested in Xie Bingran is a huge win for her and Ran Bing Sports.

The brand in talks with Director Li Yue is Louis Vuitton.

According to Li Yue, they’re mainly interested in Xie Bingran’s image and charisma…

It matches perfectly with one of their design lines next year.

Of course, they’re also considering the endorser’s fame.

Louis Vuitton’s endorsers are always global superstars.

Even in China, they go for top-tier celebrities.

So, they’re assessing Xie Bingran’s potential.

It’s all about how far her fame, reputation, and influence can go.

The Asian Games will be a key factor in their decision.

Her performance and the buzz it generates will influence their judgment.

Director Li Yue reached out to Xu Chen early because it involves a designated ad agency.

As Li Yue put it, luxury brands like Louis Vuitton often don’t even use ad agencies.

They have their own elite content teams with the best global artists.

Even top international ad firms don’t impress them.

So, the chances of Louis Vuitton working with East Morning Star Advertising are slim to none.

Xu Chen understood that perfectly.

If he had to choose, he’d sacrifice East Morning Star’s contract to secure Xie Bingran’s deal.

Of course, neither Xu Chen nor Li Yue had closed the door; Louis Vuitton hadn’t started formal talks yet.

Li Yue was just giving a heads-up.

They could keep things moving without rushing.

…

Besides Louis Vuitton, Director Li Yue mentioned a few other brands in early discussions.

And all of them wanted to talk about Xie Bingran.

At lunch, Li Yue couldn’t hide his amazement:

“Out of all the athletes in the State Athletics Team, everyone asks about Xie Bingran.

I’ve handled commercial deals for years, and with her, my workload has skyrocketed…”

This world values talent and looks.

Xie Bingran’s skills on the track are undeniable, but her appeal to brands comes from her looks and presence too.

…

…

The white SUV pulled up at the company building, and they got out.

Nie Fei said:

“Jiang Yuze and Sun Lingfeng started this morning. Want to go up and say hi?”

Xu Chen checked the time:

“I need to get back to class…

I’ll swing by around four or five once I’m done.

Let’s set up a dinner tonight—there’s a lot to celebrate…

It’s Monday, so Wu Feifei should join too.”

Nie Fei smiled. “Sounds good, I’ll book a spot.

We also need to discuss the Ran Bing 001 preparations this afternoon.”

…

…

It was Monday afternoon, and after classes, it was time for the class program’s rehearsal.

With the weather turning cold, they’d moved it to the main conference room in the South Campus’s Little Yellow Building.

Xu Chen played his usual role as the milk tea and snacks supplier, earning a wave of thanks as ‘Boss Xu.’

He sat in the corner, sipping hot milk tea and scrolling his phone.

…

The rehearsal wrapped up smoothly.

As Xu Chen helped pack up, he said to Su Rong:

“We’re having a company dinner tonight—if you’re free, come along!”

Su Rong looked surprised. “Really?”

Xu Chen replied, “Of course.

We have new colleagues starting, and Wu Feifei will be there…”

For someone like ‘Miss Su,’ Xu Chen wanted to keep her involved, especially with Ran Bing Sports.

Their midsole material supply relied on her connections, so maintaining that was key.

…

…

A few minutes later, Xu Chen brought Su Rong to the office.

They walked in to hear laughter and chatter.

Wu Feifei had arrived early and was getting to know the new hires, Jiang Yuze and Sun Lingfeng.

Spotting Xu Chen and Su Rong, Wu Feifei hurried over and linked arms with Su Rong.

Jiang Yuze and Sun Lingfeng stood up quickly:

“Hello, President Xu!”

Xu Chen smiled and approached:

“Welcome…

No need for ‘President Xu’—just call me Xu Chen.”

Nie Fei grinned. “Or ‘Little President Xu’ works too—after all, there’s another President Xu.”

Jiang Yuze, more outgoing, switched to: “Hello, Little President Xu!”

He still looked sharp and professional, his hair neatly slicked back.

Sun Lingfeng followed suit, in his hoodie and jeans, seeming a bit reserved.

By now, Jiang Yuze and Sun Lingfeng had figured out what ‘Little President Xu’ meant.

All day, they’d heard stories from Gu Xinxi and Sun Aimi about him.

Both were stunned, finding it almost unbelievable.

Jiang Yuze, a Fudan grad and former elite in foreign firms, had always thought highly of himself…

Even during his interview, he’d been a bit dismissive of this young interviewer.

But after hearing the tales, he was truly amazed.

Turns out, Xu Chen was the major shareholder of Ran Bing Sports and Nie Fei’s actual boss.

He even ran an ad agency handling auto, real estate, and consumer brands…

Most importantly, everyone from Nie Fei to Gu Xinxi and Sun Aimi respected him as the boss.

…

Wu Feifei pulled Su Rong over and introduced her to Jiang Yuze and Sun Lingfeng.

Before they could chat much, Wu Feifei dragged Su Rong to the back, pointing at two empty desks:

“These are our spots!

See, the nameplates are already up!”

Xu Chen followed and said to Su Rong with a smile:

“You can come here to study or browse the web anytime.

We’re looking for a bigger office soon, so for now, make do here!”

Su Rong blushed a little: “Thanks… Little President Xu.”

…

…

In the meeting room.

Besides Xu Chen, Nie Fei, Jiang Yuze, and Sun Lingfeng, they also called Zhou Junjun.

Wu Feifei and Su Rong were listening in.

As Ran Bing Sports’ general manager, Nie Fei took the lead, while Xu Chen sat with the two young women.

Project management for Ran Bing Sports had been handled by Gu Xinxi until today; now it was all passed to Jiang Yuze.

Going forward, Jiang Yuze would manage Ran Bing Sports’ internal projects.

Sun Lingfeng’s main task was to get the online store for Ran Bing Sports up and running.

Jiang Yuze kicked off the meeting by updating on the London Pearl Cat progress.

The collaboration with Pearl Cat was confirmed.

The contract was in process, but design work had started.

They’d submit the first design draft by November 30th.

Based on feedback, they’d provide a second version within a week.

Under the verbal agreement, there’d be three rounds of design adjustments.

On the call, Zhou Junjun said:

“I’ve arranged everything at the factory. Just wrapped up a batch of orders, so workers and lines are free.

Core materials are lined up…

Once the design’s set, I can start production right away!

Of course, we’ll need to do prototypes and tech checks first…”

Sun Lingfeng adjusted his black-framed glasses and asked:

“I’m new to manufacturing—could you explain our production timeline?”

Zhou Junjun replied, “The shoe production process is streamlined.

With designs locked and materials ready, I can deliver in a week!”

Sun Lingfeng nodded. “Got it.”

He turned to Nie Fei: “So, our online channels are urgent.

We also need warehousing, logistics, and customer service.”

Nie Fei nodded. “Let us know if you need resources.”

Sun Lingfeng said, “I’ll get the online store set up fast.

But for warehousing, logistics, and service, it depends on order volume.

Small scale? We can handle it in-house. Bigger? We’ll need partners or a team.”

Jiang Yuze added, “I’ll discuss this with Sun Lingfeng privately.

We talked about it this morning—hiring a store operations service might be the way to go.”

…

They kept discussing various details, all practical execution stuff.

Xu Chen listened quietly without interrupting.

Everything so far seemed solid and well-planned.

Jiang Yuze and Sun Lingfeng clearly had experience in e-commerce setup.

As the general manager, Nie Fei was in charge, so Xu Chen let her handle it.

He’d only step in for major decisions.

Nie Fei, Jiang Yuze, Sun Lingfeng, and Zhou Junjun on the line wrapped up more details.

Then Nie Fei paused and glanced at Xu Chen before saying:

“It looks like Ran Bing 001 won’t be ready for the Asian Games deadline.

But missing this hype would be a shame.”

Xu Chen nodded but didn’t say more.

Nie Fei turned to Jiang Yuze and Sun Lingfeng: “Any ideas?”

Wu Feifei raised her hand eagerly, like she was jumping in.

Nie Fei smiled and nodded for her to go ahead.

“Let’s do a teaser and pre-order campaign!

Ride the Asian Games wave and hype up Ran Bing 001!”

Xu Chen looked at Wu Feifei and nodded to himself.

He couldn’t help saying, “Miss Wu, I feel bad not paying you an internship wage!”

Wu Feifei grinned. “Just save me a pair of Ran Bing 001!”

Xu Chen turned to Nie Fei: “That’s what I was thinking too.”

The Asian Games buzz was too good to pass up.

Even if Ran Bing 001 wasn’t ready, they could tease it first.

Get fans and customers excited about Xie Bingran’s official sports brand and its awesome new shoe…

Sun Lingfeng thought it over: “Xie Bingran’s event is December 10th, right?

If I start now, I can set up a teaser site with pre-orders—that’s doable!

But we need to finalize the content fast, or we’ll run out of time.”

Xu Chen said, “Get Sun Aimi on this.

We have footage from Chenfeng Ice Power with Bing Ge.

Pick one as the main promo…

By then, Pearl Cat’s designs should be shaping up.”

Nie Fei planned it out: “For December 10th, keep it mysterious—just a silhouette with stylish copy…

Then, after about ten days, update the site with the full shoe design and details.

Add pre-order perks and events…

In between, run some online promos to drive traffic.

Finally, set a launch date.”

As Nie Fei outlined the plan, Jiang Yuze and Sun Lingfeng jotted notes.

That settled Ran Bing 001’s first tease tied to the Asian Games.

They brought Sun Aimi into the meeting and quickly briefed her on the teaser site needs.

“I’ll whip up a few designs in the next couple of days for Nie Fei and Little President Xu to review!”

Xu Chen smiled at Sun Aimi: “Time to hire some help!”

He looked at Jiang Yuze and Sun Lingfeng: “If you know any talented designers, recommend them to Sun Aimi—she can pick.”

…

…

That evening, they gathered at the barbecue spot on Miyun Road for a lively meal.

Jiang Yuze and Sun Lingfeng could hold their liquor, toasting Little President Xu with beer bottles.

Sun Lingfeng seemed shy at first, but with drinks, he turned bold and fun—a real contrast.

The girls shared a couple of beers, their faces flushing.

Nie Fei lit a slim cigarette and raised her glass to Xu Chen:

“Tomorrow, Chenfeng Ice Power officially launches, right?”

Xu Chen downed his beer: “Yeah! Here’s hoping it goes smooth!”

Nie Fei said, “I visited the production line and heard the launch strategy—it’ll sell big!”

She took a drag: “Still, expanding to other cities and provinces will have challenges.

I mentioned it to Guo Liang…

The northern electric bike market is dominated by two Tianjin brands.

Chenfeng Technology might face some pushback trying to break in.”

Xu Chen nodded: “My dad will come to Shanghai mid-December; we can discuss it with you then.”

Nie Fei replied, “No need to be so formal with me, Little President Xu…”

…

After a few rounds, Xu Chen raised his glass to Sun Aimi and Gu Xinxi:

“Aimi, Xinxi!

Fang Jun sent me a message today—East Morning Star Advertising’s revenue has hit ten million!”

Wu Feifei lit up: “Really? That’s amazing!

Your company’s only been around less than half a year, right?”

Jiang Yuze looked impressed: “That’s incredible—especially with just you, Xinxi, and Aimi on the team!

Hitting ten million in six months is top-notch!”

Nie Fei added, “Absolutely impressive!

Ten million in under six months beats most local ad firms…

And you built it from scratch with no prior resources.”

Gu Xinxi and Sun Aimi clinked glasses with Xu Chen.

Gu Xinxi said, “Truth is, Boss landed all these projects himself!

So, it’s all thanks to him!”

Sun Aimi agreed: “Yeah! Jeep, Vanke, Kunlun Mountain—all won on his pitches!”

Xu Chen laughed heartily: “Can’t take all the credit—your hard work shows!

Without you two, I couldn’t pull this off.”

He paused and smiled: “Thanks for the effort, Aimi and Xinxi!

With year-end coming, I’ll bump your salaries in January.

And don’t worry about bonuses—they’ll beat what you got at your old jobs!”