Chapter 393: Echoes of Evening Plans

The gathering went on until after eight in the evening before the drinking party finally settled down.

Gu Xinxi and a few guys brewed some tea to help sober up those who’d had too much to drink.

Xu Chen carried a cup of hot water to his brand-new General Manager’s office.

He wandered over and sank into the chair.

He glanced around; this office was even larger and more spacious than the one on the 8th floor.

It had bookshelves and cabinets just like that one.

In the cabinets, he could naturally hide some liquor for Teacher Fang Jun…

Xu Chen propped his legs up on the desk and lounged back comfortably.

Maybe it was the alcohol, but his mood turned a bit sentimental.

He’d see Xie Bingran over the weekend, and he couldn’t quite hold back the longing.

Xu Chen pulled out the cartoon nameplate from his pocket and looked at it; those fierce, adorable big eyes were spot-on.

Miss Su Rong really had a touch of talent.

…

Xu Chen sat alone for a while until the buzz from the alcohol faded, then he pushed the door open and left.

He sat back down next to Nie Fei and said:

“We need to hire an admin assistant…”

“Right now, Xinxi’s handling it on top of everything else, and we keep bothering Yue Jie in Tiancheng—it’s just not convenient.”

Nie Fei took a drag from her slim cigarette and nodded with a smile:

“Sure, I’ll take care of it.”

Then she remembered something else:

“Should we arrange accommodation and reception for President Xu and Teacher Fang Jun?”

Xu Chen: “No need.”

“I’ve already sorted it out…”

“They’re our own people; it’s all straightforward.”

…

…

By the time everyone dispersed, it was past nine.

Xu Chen checked on the group; the girls had been drinking, so it wasn’t safe, and as the ‘little president,’ he made arrangements to escort them.

Jiang Yuze would take Fei Jie home.

Sun Lingfeng and Tang Xiaowei would escort Sun Aimi and Gu Xinxi.

As for the two young ladies, Wu Feifei and Su Rong, Xu Chen would handle that himself.

…

A dozen minutes later.

Downstairs at the company, they hailed a taxi and got Xu Chen and the two young ladies in first.

Xu Chen settled into the passenger seat and told the driver:

“Head to the southwest area of Tonghai University first, then go to Shanghai Foreign Languages University…”

He glanced back; the two girls in the back were leaning on each other, looking a bit silly.

Suddenly, Su Rong said:

“Bing Ge, you’re so lucky…”

Xu Chen paused:

“Huh?”

“Why do you say that?”

Su Rong seemed too tired to respond, so Wu Feifei chimed in with a laugh:

“Because you’re so good at taking care of people…”

Xu Chen: “…”

Thinking of Xie Bingran, Xu Chen fell silent.

Had he ever really taken good care of Xie Bingran?

Back in middle school when they were desk mates, at least he made sure she had enough to eat…

Xu Chen’s mind wandered back to that rundown old Xie family house in South River Village.

From a young age, Xie Bingran had to take care of herself.

A wave of heartache and regret washed over Xu Chen.

He regretted those years they were like strangers; she must have gone hungry and cold more than once…

…

Xu Chen dropped off Su Rong and Wu Feifei at their school dorms before heading back to Tonghai University.

He grabbed a drink from the school supermarket and walked off some of the alcohol before heading to the Southwest Building dorm.

Xu Chen made his way up to the third floor and saw that room 3103 was already dark.

It was past eleven at night, and his roommates Jiao Tianbo, Chen Wenyi, and Hong Xiaoqiang all had early bed habits.

He looked over and noticed that the room next door, 3104, still had lights on and sounded rowdy.

Xu Chen knocked on the door of room 3104 and stepped inside.

“What’s going on here… staying up so late?”

Inside, Qian Xin, Huang Hao, Pei Qian, and Huo Dashan were all still up.

“The Jiang Zhe Little Prince” Qian Xin looked excited and grinned at Xu Chen:

“Tonight’s the midnight shoe drop!”

He pointed to his computer screen.

Xu Chen glanced at it; it was the reservation page for “Ran Bing 001”.

He felt a strange twinge.

“Your whole room’s in on this?” Xu Chen asked.

Deputy monitor Huo Dashan looked innocent:

“The Little Prince dragged me into it…”

“He’s making me help grab one, says it boosts the chances.”

“Stock Guy” Pei Qian laughed:

“I’m grabbing one for myself; these shoes are hot.

If I get one, I can flip it for a profit!”

Hmm…

No surprise from the “Stock Guy”; he was already eyeing the shoe-flipping game.

Qian Xin quickly added:

“If you get one, sell it to me!”

Pei Qian said seriously: “Business is business; we’ll go by market price.”

“I’ll give you a nine percent discount at most…”

Qian Xin chuckled: “Deal!”

Huo Dashan scratched his head: “I’m helping you for free; feels like I’m losing out.”

Huang Hao laughed:

“Let’s just get one first!”

“There are only a thousand pairs, and it’s first-come, first-served based on reservations!”

Qian Xin looked up at Xu Chen:

“Boss Xu, help me grab one too!”

“If you get it, I’ll buy it at a premium!”

“…”

Xu Chen looked helpless, not sure how to explain.

The main issue was, he couldn’t even get his own pair now.

He wanted to hook up his buddy Qian Xin with a pair but couldn’t…

Xu Chen stared at the page for a moment and pointed to the text at the bottom:

“See, it says here…”

“There’ll be more stock later; no need to rush this batch.”

Qian Xin glanced up at the Xie Bingran poster on the cabinet and said seriously:

“No way!”

“I have to get the first batch of Xie Bingran’s shoes!”

“…”

Xu Chen scratched his head, feeling oddly twisted inside.

…

…

Twenty minutes later.

Xu Chen came back from a shower and heard the noise from room 3104.

He pushed the door open to see Qian Xin laughing excitedly.

“Did you get one?” Xu Chen asked.

Qian Xin was thrilled: “Heaven rewards the persistent!”

“I snagged one!”

For some reason, Xu Chen felt a sense of relief.

He glanced at Huang Hao, Pei Qian, and Huo Dashan, who looked disappointed…

Clearly, the “Jiang Zhe Little Prince” was the only lucky one tonight.

As the first buyer of “Ran Bing 001,” once Qian Xin got his shoes, Xu Chen could check out the real consumer feedback.

…

…

On Wednesday morning, Xu Chen took leave from school.

He had to visit the Head & Shoulders client; this involved Xie Bingran’s endorsement ad, and it was serious business.

Meeting these self-proclaimed ‘high-end’ foreign clients, Xu Chen dressed a bit more formally.

He left through the south gate of the school and went straight to the parking lot downstairs at the company.

Next to his white Grand Cherokee, Nie Fei and Gu Xinxi were already waiting.

“Let’s roll!” Xu Chen said with a smile.

…

Once in the car, Gu Xinxi quickly updated them on the previous contacts.

“For today’s meeting, the other side has two main people.”

“One is the brand manager for Head & Shoulders, named Jiang Peng, or John.”

“The other is the brand director at Procter & Gamble, named Sun Yashi, or Sia.”

“Sun Yashi oversees several brands, including Head & Shoulders, Pantene, and Safeguard.”

Nie Fei added:

“Managing multiple brands at Procter & Gamble puts her among the top Chinese executives.”

“And Head & Shoulders and Pantene are some of their strongest brands.”

Gu Xinxi: “So Sun Yashi is probably the key decision-maker for this project.”

Nie Fei: “For foreign fast-consumer brands, they really value data and user research in their marketing decisions.”

“Especially Procter & Gamble…”

“Even though Sun Yashi is high up, specific project choices might ignore personal factors and stick to user feedback.”

“Signing Xie Bingran for Head & Shoulders must have been based on data and research.”

Xu Chen nodded slightly.

In his previous life working at an ad agency, he’d dealt with these foreign fast-consumer brands.

They focused heavily on user research and data to avoid personal bias in decisions.

That often meant their ads lacked creativity, sticking to the same old routines.

For example, ads for Tide or Safeguard typically followed a three-part structure.

First, a housewife faces a problem, like dirty kids’ clothes or germy hands, and she’s stressed out.

Second, the product shows up as the ‘hero,’ highlighting its amazing features and clear results.

This part usually includes lab simulations or comparisons with competitors…

Third, the housewife solves the problem, goes from stressed to happy, and recommends the product.

…

Ads for shampoos like Head & Shoulders follow pretty much the same formula.

Though it’s repetitive, the research shows it drives consumer purchases effectively.

It’s a proven winner.

But lately, with so many similar ads, consumers are getting tired of them.

So they’re looking for changes.

Using celebrities as endorsers has become a go-to strategy for big brands.

Yet even with endorsers, patterns emerged.

Stars usually play the role of product users, acting as ‘witnesses’ to vouch for the benefits.

In this formulaic setup, it’s tough to get creative.

Over the past couple of days, Xu Chen had thought about ideas for the Head & Shoulders ad.

Drawing from his past experience and checking industry classics, he quickly identified the key issue.

The most important thing was finding a ‘connection point’ between the product and the endorser.

In other words, a creative link between Head & Shoulders and Xie Bingran.

On the surface, keywords like short hair, dandruff, and freshness came to mind.

But how to tie them together just right would determine the ad’s impact.

…

In his mind, Xu Chen had a vague concept for the idea and felt fairly confident.

Even against a giant like Ogilvy Advertising, he wasn’t intimidated.

After all, this was for Xie Bingran’s project, and he wanted to win it.

Plus, Procter & Gamble is known as the ‘Whampoa Military Academy’ in domestic marketing.

They trained the first wave of marketing and brand experts in China.

Xu Chen vaguely remembered that in his previous life, top marketing leaders at Tencent and Alibaba came from Procter & Gamble.

“Procter & Gamble alumni” hold significant influence in top Chinese companies.

They were the ones who brought advanced Western marketing systems to the mainland…

In the ad industry, handling a Procter & Gamble case is a badge of honor.

If Xu Chen landed the Head & Shoulders ad, it would be a huge boost for East Morning Star Advertising.

…

…

In Pudong Lujiazui, on a building along Shupu Road.

That’s where Procter & Gamble’s marketing headquarters in Shanghai is located.

Xu Chen parked the car, checked the time—it was perfect—and the three headed upstairs.

…

The front desk was on the first floor, with a simple white background wall featuring the blue ‘P&G’ logo.

Gu Xinxi registered at the front desk, and a pretty admin led them to the nearby rest area.

…

A few minutes later, a lanky young man approached with enthusiasm.

Gu Xinxi stood up.

“Jiang Peng, right? I’m Gu Xinxi!”

The man in front was Jiang Peng, the brand manager for Head & Shoulders.

He looked young, probably just a year or two older than Gu Xinxi.

“Let me introduce…”

Gu Xinxi introduced Nie Fei and Xu Chen to Jiang Peng.

Jiang Peng was warm and polite, speaking efficiently with that sunny foreign-company vibe.

“Just call me John…”

“I’ll take you to the meeting room; our director Sia is ready, and we can start the meeting soon.”

Jiang Peng led the three quickly through the office area toward the meeting room.

As they walked, Jiang Peng chatted enthusiastically:

“Our headquarters is based in Yangcheng, but here in Shanghai, it’s our brand marketing office.”

“We’ve been working from here for the past six months, so it’s convenient for you to come today…”

Xu Chen and Gu Xinxi followed behind, while Jiang Peng walked with Nie Fei, explaining to the ‘boss.’

Nie Fei sensed something off and glanced back at Xu Chen.

Xu Chen just smirked without a word.

Clearly, Jiang Peng had mistaken Nie Fei for the boss.

They’d only done brief introductions and hadn’t exchanged business cards yet.

Jiang Peng probably saw the youthful Xu Chen as just another subordinate like Gu Xinxi.

Nie Fei’s brows furrowed, as if she wanted to correct the enthusiastic Jiang Peng and properly introduce the ‘little president.’

But before she could, they reached the meeting room.

Jiang Peng: “You three wait here…”

“I’ll go get Sia, and we’ll start the meeting right away.”

With that, he turned and hurried off.

Nie Fei looked helpless and turned to Xu Chen:

“I shouldn’t have come with you.”

Xu Chen laughed:

“That’s exactly why I brought you!”

Gu Xinxi scratched his head, looking a bit awkward.

From Jiang Peng’s view, the commanding ‘Fei Jie’ did seem more like the leader.

Xu Chen didn’t mind at all; in fact, he seemed pleased.