Chapter 385: Office Setup and Team Excitement

Friday afternoon.

Once the class meeting ended, it was time for the welcome party’s program rehearsal.

With the 30th just days away, the rehearsal had entered its final stage, and the programs were mostly taking shape.

Su Rong had already arranged leave for Xu Chen, so he finally got to escape.

Still, he went to say goodbye to Su Rong and Class Monitor Min Siyang in person, bringing along a big bag of milk tea and a big bag of snacks.

…

Tonghai Creative Design Building.

On the 6th floor, in the new office, Nie Fei was showing Xu Chen around for the final check.

The renovation was complete, and a few cleaning ladies were tidying up.

“Overall, Fang Jun gave plenty of input on the renovation.”

Nie Fei said with a smile.

Xu Chen: “Let her have her way.”

“Our money goddess has just two passions—one is drinking, the other is renovating.”

He glanced around and felt very satisfied.

The three offices connected seamlessly, perfectly wrapping around the building’s corner.

With two companies sharing the space, they set up two reception areas, but the inner office zones were all open.

“East Morning Star Advertising’s reception is on the north side, with a simple and elegant design overall.”

It closely matched the visual identity Sun Aimi originally created for East Morning Star Advertising.

“Ran Bing Sports’ reception is on the south side, and its style is much more fashionable and lively.”

It used the new logo Pearl Cat designed for ‘Ice On Fire’, and the background wall incorporated elements from ‘Ran Bing 001’.

Nie Fei led Xu Chen through the office area again.

Compared to upstairs, it was definitely more spacious.

“For now, we don’t have enough people to fill the workstations. Once Ran Bing scales up, we’ll need to hire more.”

Nie Fei said with a smile.

“Anyway, with the current team, people from both companies can just mix and sit together.”

Xu Chen: “No problem, this works great!”

Xu Chen wandered through the workstation area; the nameplates were already in place.

Besides Jiang Yuze, Sun Aimi, and others, there were also spots for Wu Feifei and Su Rong.

Nie Fei pointed to an empty section:

“The workstations from upstairs will move down here eventually.”

Xu Chen nodded.

He hadn’t canceled the 8th-floor office; he planned to keep it as his personal space.

Once everyone moved down, he’d think about how to rearrange it…

“This is the tea and rest area—it’s roomier than upstairs.”

“From now on, we can eat lunch here instead of crowding the meeting room.”

“Over here are two meeting rooms, one large and one small…”

“We originally planned for three, but I turned one into a reception room…”

Xu Chen stepped into the reception room; it had sofas and a tea table, feeling quite cozy.

“This setup is perfect.” Xu Chen said with a smile.

“This one’s the dedicated finance room.”

“It’s mainly for filing cabinets and safes to store important contracts, financial documents, and such.”

“If Fang Jun comes for a business trip, she can work here too.”

On either side of the finance room were two more private offices.

Nie Fei: “You can pick one of these offices.”

Xu Chen smiled: “You take one, Fei Jie!”

“I’ll probably mostly use the one upstairs anyway.”

Nie Fei smiled: “Alright, I won’t hold back then!”

Xu Chen looked around:

“We can move in soon, right?”

Nie Fei: “They’ll finish cleaning today.”

“Over the weekend, we’ll handle the formaldehyde removal, air it out for a couple of days, and we can move in by Tuesday.”

Xu Chen: “Great!”

…

…

On the 8th floor, in the meeting room.

Besides Xu Chen and Nie Fei, Jiang Yuze and Sun Lingfeng were there too.

They were discussing the future product line planning for Ran Bing Sports.

With just the ‘Ran Bing 001′ product, they couldn’t sustain larger revenue, so expanding the product line was essential.

Jiang Yuze had broken down and analyzed the major domestic and international sports brand product lines.

Afterward, Nie Fei summarized briefly:

“For now, Ran Bing Sports should focus on the sports shoe category.”

“As for clothing, accessories, and other sports gear, we shouldn’t jump in too early.”

“Besides cost considerations, we want to establish brand recognition in the sports shoe category first.”

…

They discussed for another half hour, and finally, Jiang Yuze picked up a marker and wrote three words on the whiteboard—the conclusions from their talk.

“Ran Bing 001”.

“Ran Bing X”.

“Ran Bing Lite”.

These were the three core product lines Ran Bing Sports would build in the sports shoe category for now.

“Ran Bing X” would be a step above “Ran Bing 001”.

It would use the industry’s top technology and materials, aimed at professional runners.

Its positioning could reference Asics Kayano…

The price range would be roughly 550 to 650 yuan.

Compared to international brands, it offered nearly the same quality at half the price.

But for Ran Bing Sports, with its streamlined operations, they could still maintain profit margins.

“Ran Bing X”, with its higher price, wasn’t expected to sell in large volumes; it was more about bolstering Ran Bing Sports’ professional and technical image…

“Ran Bing Lite” could be seen as a youth version of “Ran Bing 001”, the real volume seller going forward.

It would use downgraded materials to control costs, with prices under 200 yuan.

“Ran Bing Lite” would be positioned as an entry-level option, turned into the ‘people’s jogging shoe’.

Whether “Ran Bing 001” or “Ran Bing Lite” would drive future revenue would need market testing.

With that, Ran Bing Sports’ core product planning for the short term was set.

The overall push wouldn’t be too rushed; they’d take a steady, low-key approach.

…

Xu Chen said with a smile:

“Then we can send the requirements to Chen Youjian Studio right away.”

“They’re waiting for it!”

Nie Fei nodded:

“Let’s start with the requirements for ‘Ran Bing X’.”

“It’s a separate product line…”

“As for ‘Ran Bing Lite’, it should mostly follow ‘Ran Bing 001’s design style.”

“We can coordinate with Pearl Cat to make adjustments based on what’s already there.”

She paused, then continued:

“I’ll be heading to Lifeng for a business trip at the end of the month, and I need to check in with Zhou Junjun on production.”

“For the three products, we’ll need to differentiate the feel and experience, so Zhou Junjun’s team will provide specific plans for production and materials…”

…

…

Laughter and chatter echoed from outside.

Xu Chen turned and saw Wu Feifei and Su Rong had arrived.

Miss Wu, with her cheerful personality, livened up the office as soon as she walked in.

Nie Fei: “Let’s eat! Xinxi’s takeout has arrived.”

…

Gu Xinxi ordered tacos, pizza, fried chicken, and of course, Coke and Sprite.

Guilty pleasures, but delicious.

Everyone gathered in the meeting room, chatting and laughing.

When Gu Xinxi mentioned the new office downstairs, Wu Feifei smiled and said:

“Do we have workstations for Su Rong and me?”

Xu Chen: “Of course!”

“I just checked—they’re in the best spots for good vibes!”

Nie Fei remembered something and smiled:

“This week, the first batch of ‘Ran Bing 001’ has started production.”

“Next week, Vice President Zhou will send over a few pairs.”

“Feifei and Su Rong will get theirs then!”

The two young women lit up with excitement:

“Really?!”

Nie Fei: “But you can’t wear them yet…”

“Official sales start on the 20th, and shipping is on New Year’s Day.”

Wu Feifei: “Then we’ll start wearing them on New Year’s Day!”

…

…

Xu Chen received a message from Yan Chuan about Jeep and quickly turned on the meeting room’s big screen.

After fiddling with it, he pulled up the CCTV live broadcast, which was showing ads.

Everyone was puzzled, wondering why he suddenly tuned into CCTV ads.

Tonight was the Asian Games closing ceremony, but it wouldn’t start until midnight, so it was still early.

Xu Chen stared at the screen without explaining much.

When the Jeep ad appeared and Xie Bingran showed up looking cool, everyone got excited and leaned in.

Desert winds, spinning wheels, sunset.

Then came the striking Xie Bingran.

Su Rong blinked her big eyes: “Bing Ge looks so handsome!”

Wu Feifei: “That off-road vehicle suits Bing Ge perfectly!”

Nie Fei smiled: “This ad really matches Bing Ge’s vibe.”

Sun Lingfeng: “It’d be better without Wang Shi—just Bing Ge.”

Xu Chen explained with a smile:

“Ads have to appeal to different audiences, and having two endorsers is part of the brand strategy…”

He picked up a can of soda from the table and clinked it with Sun Aimi’s:

“This spot was tough—thanks for the hard work, Aimi!”

Sun Aimi smiled shyly:

“The boss worked hard too!”

…

Gu Xinxi said:

“That’s CCTV Channel One’s ad slot…”

Wu Feifei: “Bing Ge is amazing—now on CCTV!”

Su Rong chuckled softly: “Actually, he was on earlier!”

Wu Feifei: “Huh?”

Su Rong: “On the 15th, when Bing Ge won gold, it was live on CCTV.”

“Later, it made news on CCTV Channels One and Five…”

“There’s a ‘Doha 24 Hours’ highlights reel with Bing Ge in it, playing on loop every day!”

Wu Feifei laughed: “Su Rong’s the biggest Bing Ge fan!”

…

…

The Asian Games closing ceremony started right at midnight.

Before that, they caught the Jeep ad rotating on CCTV Channel Five.

Xu Chen opened a bottle of red wine, along with beer, juice, and soda.

But since he had to drive Wu Feifei and Su Rong home later, he stuck to his usual soda.

The meeting room filled with laughter and anticipation.

…

“They’re entering!”

Wu Feifei called out, and the group, who had been chatting, instantly focused on the big screen.

“Look at Bing Ge!”

Xu Chen couldn’t help but say with a smile:

“Bing Ge’s getting a lot of camera time at this closing ceremony!”

Wu Feifei: “He won gold, so of course!”

As the China team entered, the cameras cut back several times.

Surprisingly, four or five shots lingered on Xie Bingran.

There was even a full-angle close-up.

Xu Chen recalled that at the opening, Xie Bingran had only flashed by for half a second.

If you weren’t paying attention, you’d miss it…

Clearly, winning gold and breaking records changed the camera treatment.

The CCTV host announced:

“We see in the shot the athlete Xie Bingran from the State Athletics Team.”

“She won gold in the women’s 100-meter hurdles and broke the Asian Games record.”

“This is the best result for Chinese athletes in that event and for Asians overall…”

For the closing ceremony, the women’s outfits were red-and-white suits with long pants, not the skirts from the opening.

On screen, Bing Ge still had that cool, effortless vibe.

Bai Miao was right beside her, looking affectionate as she held onto Bing Ge’s arm.

…

As the ceremony wound down.

A group of actors in traditional opera attire appeared, signaling China’s Yangcheng segment.

This was a preview for the next Asian Games.

The next one would be in Yangcheng in 2010.

The performance featured all Chinese elements—opera, calligraphy, martial arts, painting…

They even added Yangcheng’s local Lingnan music.

Finally, Chinese singer Tan Jing performed an uplifting Asian Games theme song.

…

Xu Chen couldn’t help but think back to his past life.

Back then, Xie Bingran only gained huge fame after winning at the 2010 Yangcheng Asian Games.

Xu Chen vaguely remembered.

He had just graduated and was job-hunting in Yangcheng, wandering around.

While eating at a place called ‘Da Xi Hao’ fast-food joint, he caught the Asian Games broadcast on TV.

He watched Xie Bingran win and learned about her after all those years.

But by then, their lives had diverged completely, with no chance to reconnect.

…

Thinking about it, Xu Chen felt a wave of emotion.

Reborn, he had changed Xie Bingran’s path and his own.

She rose to fame earlier, and now they were together.

“Is Bing Ge coming back tomorrow?”

“She’ll head to Beijing first for the national team’s celebration and other events.”

“You said you’d take us out with Bing Ge—does that still hold?”

“Of course!”

Nie Fei suddenly remembered something and said:

“We’re planning the company year-end party for Christmas Eve, the 25th…”

Everyone perked up with excitement.

Wu Feifei: “Any special events?”

Nie Fei smiled:

“There’ll be a raffle, thanks to Xu Chen sponsoring the funds!”

Xu Chen laughed:

“Don’t thank me—thank our money goddess Fang Jun. She’s coming too.”

Nie Fei added: “And an interactive segment.”

She glanced at Gu Xinxi.

Gu Xinxi cleared her throat and said happily:

“Since it’s Christmas, let’s do a gift exchange.”

“Keep gifts under 200 yuan—that’s Fei Jie’s rule.”

“We’ll draw names randomly.”

“Then swap gifts with whoever you get.”

Wu Feifei: “That sounds fun!”

Xu Chen checked the dates and said with a smile:

“Theoretically, Bing Ge should join in just in time.”

“Really?” Everyone’s interest spiked.

Jiang Yuze and Sun Lingfeng, who hadn’t met Xie Bingran yet, were clearly thrilled.

Jiang Yuze couldn’t hold back: “Wow… am I finally meeting my idol?”

Su Rong said shyly:

“I really hope I draw Bing Ge…”

“Good wish…”