Chapter 370: Echoes of Ambition

Monday morning.

During a break in PE class, Xu Chen sent a message specifically to Director Li Yue at the General Bureau.

The Asian Games ‘VIP stands’ tickets were arranged by Director Li Yue, so he wanted to express his thanks.

Xie Bingran’s commercial collaborations with the national team were also handled by Director Li Yue, so maintaining that relationship was key.

He had to handle these social niceties with care.

He quickly received a reply from Li Yue:

[No need to be polite, Teacher Xu Chen! I just did a small favor on my end.

Besides, those seats are meant for ‘important clients’ anyway.

You and Fei Jie are our top clients!]

……

After exchanging a couple of pleasantries, Li Yue asked specifically:

[How’s the preparation for ‘Ran Bing Sports’ coming along on your side?]

Xu Chen thought it over and updated Li Yue on the current status of ‘Ran Bing Sports’ preparations.

He also shared the core progress on ‘Ran Bing 001’.

The teaser site launches on the 10th, and online stores with marketing campaigns will kick off soon…

Even if Xu Chen didn’t tell Li Yue now, he’d see the news from outside sources anyway.

Li Yue replied:

[As long as you’re pushing it forward, Teacher Xu Chen…

In the lead-up to the Asian Games, a couple of sport brands reached out to me, but I turned them down…]

[Still, there’s something I need to mention to you, Teacher Xu Chen.

After I turned them down, those two sport brands asked around about the investment and team behind ‘Ran Bing Sports’…

I didn’t say anything, but if they dig, they could find out from other angles.]

Xu Chen paused, wondering if competitors were already eyeing them.

But that was inevitable…

In fact, ‘Ran Bing Sports’ securing the TPU Foam Cotton from Wanrong Materials probably got noticed in the industry already.

After all, that material from Wanrong was on the watchlist of several key companies.

And now that it went to ‘Ran Bing’, it was bound to draw extra attention from rivals.

Xu Chen and Nie Fei had planned to launch ‘Ran Bing Sports’ quietly and build up sales for the first product, ‘Ran Bing 001’, before making waves…

But now, it seemed rival companies had already caught on.

‘Little President Xu’ wasn’t too bothered—meet force with force, handle what comes.

‘Ran Bing’s’ solid foundation was the name ‘Xie Bingran’, plus solid product planning and brand building.

Xie Bingran, the products, the brand.

As long as those three pillars stayed strong, they could face any competition.

Xu Chen had no doubts about Xie Bingran’s track performance or her commercial value.

On the product side, Vice President Zhou and the team at Lifeng had it covered.

And for brand building, Xu Chen and Nie Fei’s partnership was unmatched in the industry.

……

……

That Monday evening, they held another online meeting with ‘Pearl Cat’ in London.

The discussion focused on optimization plans for ‘Ran Bing 001’.

When the iteration plans appeared on the big screen…

Xu Chen didn’t say a word, just exchanged a glance with Nie Fei and nodded with a smile.

With that, the final design for ‘Ran Bing 001’ was set.

It drew from ‘Ice and Fire Patterns’ plus ‘Great Wall Motifs’ to embody the ‘national trend sports’ brand concept.

……

The online meeting with ‘Pearl Cat’ ended, and everyone was buzzing with excitement.

Zhou Junjun even said over the phone:

‘I’ll arrange for samples first thing tomorrow.

Theoretically, we can get them done before you head to Doha!’

……

……

In the blink of an eye, it was Friday the 8th—the day before departure to Doha.

It was also the day of the Asian Games women’s 100-meter hurdles preliminary round.

The college group chat had been buzzing since morning.

The main topic was Senior Bai Miao’s preliminary race, of course.

In the morning class, Bai Miao’s devoted fan, Huang Hao, was clearly restless, constantly checking his phone.

But he played it cool, repeating confidently:

‘Senior Bai Miao is solidly in the domestic top three; qualifying from preliminaries is a sure bet, no sweat!’

Xu Chen casually scrolled through updates too.

Doha sits on the western shore of the Persian Gulf, where temperatures were about ten degrees hotter than in Shanghai—pretty steamy.

But Xie Bingran had been there over a week, so she should’ve adjusted to the heat and climate.

Xu Chen had no worries about Xie Bingran qualifying for the finals from preliminaries.

After all, she’d already clocked the national and Asian top times at the National Games.

He checked the preliminary schedule and factored in the time difference.

Results would come out around evening here.

……

Tomorrow, he’d head to Doha to see Bing Ge, and Xu Chen felt a mix of emotions.

Mostly, he missed his ‘little rich girl’.

Last month, before she left, Xu Chen had rushed to Xin Zhuang Base for a quick meetup, sharing a hometown yellow apple…

That brief encounter only made him want to hold her more.

……

During the break, Huang Hao and Qian Xin chatted excitedly about the Asian Games.

In the class, besides Huang Hao and Qian Xin, two girls, Chen Qiong and He Sisi, had also won spots in the Doha cheer squad.

Chen Qiong was a local from Shanghai and, along with another girl named You Li, known as the ‘Shanghai Duo’ for their fiery looks and stunning figures.

He Sisi kept a low profile, seeming introverted and quiet—Xu Chen didn’t have much of an impression of her.

These three lucky ones were heading to Doha with the group tomorrow, drawing envy from classmates.

Tonghai University’s cheer squad totaled thirty students, with twenty from Bai Miao’s Creative and Media College.

Leading them was a PE teacher from the school’s sports department, who used to coach Bai Miao.

The squad had already organized activities to build momentum for Bai Miao.

Apparently, Huang Hao had helped make posters, banners, and flags just days ago.

……

At noon, in the Xueyuan Cafeteria.

Xu Chen sat with his dorm mates, digging into lunch.

Huang Hao was glued to his phone, looking tense.

Qian Xin teased:

‘Think Senior Bai Miao can pull it off?

If she doesn’t even make it out of preliminaries, your trip’s pointless!’

Huang Hao shot back, annoyed:

‘Unless there’s some disaster, Senior Bai Miao’s finals spot is locked in.

Plus, her group doesn’t have any tough competition…’

Once on the topic of races, Huang Hao opened up, analyzing athletes from various countries.

Xu Chen leaned in, curious to listen.

Huang Hao rattled off details like an expert, giving Xu Chen a crash course on the opponents Bing Ge might face in finals.

‘The Asian Games is a full-spectrum event.

China always dominates the medal table.

After China, it’s Japan and South Korea.

In women’s 100-meter hurdles specifically, China, Japan, and South Korea each have two to three top Asian athletes.

For China, it’s mainly Xie Bingran, Chen Lan, and Bai Miao.

There were a couple of senior national team members before, but their form dipped in the last few months.

Among the younger ones, Xie Bingran and Bai Miao stepped up.

Xie Bingran and Chen Lan both have a shot at the gold…

For Japan, it’s Akabane Kaoru and Tadashi Taguchi, whom Xie Bingran faced at the East Asian Youth Games.

Akabane Kaoru has the stronger times…

South Korea has two rising stars: Kim Sang-cai and Jang Mi-na.

Beyond them, there’s a tough competitor from India, the hurdling legend Rohana.

Rohana rose from Indian slums and won silver at the last Asian Games.

At twenty-five, like Chen Lan, she’s at her peak.

Just six months ago, before Xie Bingran emerged, the gold favorites were Rohana from India and Chen Lan from China.

They were silver and bronze from the previous Games and both hitting their primes.

Without Xie Bingran, the gold would’ve likely gone to one of them.

Her rise adds excitement and uncertainty to the race.

……

……

Late afternoon, in the East Morning Star Advertising meeting room.

They were in an online meeting for the Jeep ad delivery review.

Only Xu Chen and Sun Aimi were in the room.

Director Bao Jun Sen showed the final cut, waiting for feedback from Jeep’s bosses, Pang Ming and He Da Chang…

Xu Chen had already reviewed the footage and given his notes to the director’s team.

What they were seeing now was the revised version.

Bao Jun Sen explained some changes, focusing on shot language and adjustments…

The clients stayed silent for a moment, then Pang Ming’s voice came through:

‘Thanks to Paul Vincent, and especially to President Xu!

The ad’s good to go—release it on the 15th as planned!’

From the other end of the line, the director’s team and BBDO team erupted in laughter and applause.

The clients were thrilled; Pang Ming and He Da Chang thanked East Morning Star Advertising, BBDO, and the director’s team again.

East Morning Star handled the creative and planning, while BBDO and the director managed production.

With the final delivery, their work was done.

Next up was the clients’ media rollout.

He Da Chang quickly outlined the follow-up: launching the ‘Jeep annual ad’ on TV and online platforms on December 15th, after the Asian Games.

Endorsers are Wang Shi and Xie Bingran, timed to ride the Games’ wave.

It also lines up with Jeep Grand Cherokee’s year-end deals and Wrangler’s pre-launch hype.

They’ve got in-store events and online campaigns to match…

In Xu Chen’s view, this Jeep promo would boost Xie Bingran’s fame even more.

It’s a high-quality car ad with another business mogul as co-endorser.

For East Morning Star Advertising, this Jeep deal netted 2.45 million in fees—a solid win.

Meanwhile, news from Jiaduobao said Kunlunshan Mineral Water would hit shelves post-Asian Games.

Xie Bingran’s endorsement materials would roll out simultaneously.

The Games’ buzz, plus exposure from Jeep and Kunlunshan, would skyrocket her profile and buzz.

And that would feed back into Xu Chen’s upcoming ‘Chenfeng Ice Power’ and ‘Ran Bing 001’ launches.

Everything was falling into place perfectly.

……

……

The meeting just wrapped up when cheers erupted from the office area.

Xu Chen and Sun Aimi stepped out to see Nie Fei, along with Wu Feifei and Su Rong, huddled around a computer, all excited.

‘What’s up?’ Xu Chen asked with a smile.

Wu Feifei: ‘Bing Ge qualified from preliminaries!’

Su Rong grabbed Wu Feifei’s arm, beaming with thrill.

Xu Chen shrugged it off: ‘Figured as much—nothing surprising.’

He said it casually.

‘What about Senior Bai Miao?’ Xu Chen asked offhand.

Su Rong said shyly:

‘She made finals too.’

Xu Chen laughed: ‘That must’ve lifted a huge weight off Huang Hao’s shoulders!’

……

The college group chat exploded with hundreds of messages, all celebrating Senior Bai Miao’s qualification.

Official news reports hit major sports sites:

‘Asian Games women’s 100-meter hurdles preliminaries wrapped up in Doha…’

‘National Athletics Team’s Chen Lan, Xie Bingran, and Bai Miao all advanced to finals the day after tomorrow!’

‘Chen Lan took bronze last Games and is a top gold contender this cycle…’

‘Rookie Xie Bingran burst onto the scene this year, beating Chen Lan at the National Games for the national title…’

……

‘Little President Xu’ felt great and said:

‘Let’s go—I’m treating everyone to barbecue!’

Wu Feifei clapped: ‘Yes! Thanks, Boss Xu!’

……

……

Twenty minutes later, at the Miyun Road street stall.

Barbecue on the table, beers cracked open, laughter everywhere.

Su Rong scrolled her phone, grinning ear to ear.

She looked at Xu Chen and said:

‘There’s a fan group for Bing Ge on Catpunch—they’re already in Doha and will cheer her on the day after tomorrow!’ ……

Nie Fei stepped out to take a call and came back to sit by Xu Chen, whispering:

‘Vice President Zhou’s on his way over.’

Xu Chen nodded, his face showing eager anticipation.

Wu Feifei caught the hint:

‘Vice President Zhou?’

……

Half an hour later, Zhou Junjun arrived, a bit windswept from his flight and ride.

Xu Chen and Nie Fei stood quickly, ushering him to the prime seat in the middle.

Nie Fei got him fresh utensils, and Xu Chen poured a full glass of beer.

Zhou Junjun looked smug, smiling broadly.

He slipped off his backpack and carefully pulled out a rectangular box.

Everyone else realized what was happening and crowded around excitedly.

Zhou Junjun played it up, taking a slow sip of beer before opening the box.

Qingci Ice Crack Patterns, Dunhuang Flame Patterns…

Ice and Fire designs, Great Wall motifs…

The national trend ‘Ran Bing 001’ finally revealed itself.

……

……