Chapter 395: Doubts in the Boardroom

Xu Chen kept his expression unchanged, as if he hadn’t caught the sarcastic undertone in Sun Yashi’s words.

Across from him, Sun Yashi had already pegged ‘East Morning Star Advertising’ as a scam operation, just using other companies’ cases to boast about themselves.

Sun Yashi felt like she had it all figured out…

Truth be told, ‘East Morning Star Advertising’ looked like a classic con artist setup from every angle.

The projects in that PPT she just saw—any one of them was a rare industry standout that took years to produce.

How could they all come from the same company?

And this company was completely unknown…

What made it worse was that they were all supposedly done by this ‘President Xu’ right in front of her?!

He looked no older than twenty, right?

Crafting excellent ad ideas and user insights takes years of experience—how could a kid like that pull it off?!

Sun Yashi was getting genuinely angry.

Did they think she was a fool?

This ‘President Xu’…

He was probably some ‘second-generation’ heir with powerful connections, which is why he became Director Li Yue’s special case.

And that Nie Fei, who seemed so reliable and professional, was she just a hired actor for the occasion?!

…

Sun Yashi could barely hold back anymore; her patience was wearing thin.

She shook her head in resignation and continued,

“Wang Laoshun, Kunlun Mountain, Fuyan Jie, Shenbao…

If your company pulled off these cases, you must be one of the top players in the industry.

But I’ve never really heard of ‘East Morning Star Advertising’ before—guess I’m out of the loop…”

Her tone dripped with sarcasm, no longer hidden.

Gu Xinxi stayed silent, picking up on the odd vibe.

The young woman looked uncomfortable and glanced at her boss.

Xu Chen smiled at Gu Xinxi and whispered,

“Keep going.”

Gu Xinxi pushed down her irritation and pressed on with the presentation.

When the Jeep ad case appeared on the screen, Sun Yashi turned to Jiang Peng, and their expressions turned hilariously skeptical as they both snorted in unison.

On the big screen, after the ad featuring Xie Bingran and Wang Shi finished playing, Gu Xinxi frowned and closed the PPT, turning to her boss.

Xu Chen remained expressionless, not saying a word.

Nie Fei furrowed her brow slightly.

The sarcastic attitude from the two across the table had turned Nie Fei’s expression icy.

She glanced at Xu Chen.

Then she put on a professional smile, though her tone was cool as she said,

“You two are laughing at our cases—what’s the issue?”

The atmosphere suddenly chilled.

…

Sun Yashi cleared her throat and paused before speaking,

“The Jeep ad launched during the Asian Games and sparked a lot of discussion.

I personally loved it.

The ad has great quality, and the copy is stylish.

Especially that slogan ‘Not all Jeeps are called Jeep’—it’s brilliant.”

She looked at Xu Chen with a teasing edge and said,

“This slogan wasn’t your creation too, was it?”

Nie Fei frowned again, her face darkening.

“Nie Fei” was about to speak when Xu Chen said softly,

“I came up with the slogan—what’s the problem?”

Sun Yashi didn’t answer but exchanged a look with Jiang Peng, and they both chuckled again.

Nie Fei furrowed her brow and murmured,

“Sun, we’re here to talk business sincerely.

If you have something to say, just say it…”

…

Sun Yashi’s expression shifted slightly.

But she quickly put on a friendly smile and said,

“We can’t easily verify if you did those earlier cases,

but the Jeep ad definitely wasn’t done by ‘East Morning Star Advertising.'”

Xu Chen smiled, suddenly interested:

“Why not?”

Sun Yashi shook her head with a laugh, as if she didn’t want to waste more time.

She stopped talking and started gathering her things, ready to leave.

Beside her, Jiang Peng cleared his throat and explained,

“We have former Procter & Gamble colleagues in the Jeep Marketing Department.

And they’re connected to Sia…

Jeep’s brand ads are always handled by BBDO Tianlian Advertising—that’s common knowledge for us.

So, for the ad with Wang Shi and Xie Bingran, Sia knows exactly who made it, right down to the creative director.

Procter & Gamble has other sub-brands that worked with the BBDO team before.

The creative director for the Jeep ad is someone we’ve collaborated with.”

As he spoke, Jiang Peng gave an awkward smile and started packing his things too.

…

Xu Chen and Nie Fei exchanged looks, both speechless.

Sun Yashi had lost all patience and didn’t want to tangle with this ‘scam company’ anymore.

She packed up her stuff and forced a polite smile, saying,

“Sorry, I have another meeting.

John, you can continue chatting with the East Morning Star team…”

With that, she made to stand up and leave.

Xu Chen ignored Sun Yashi and turned to Jiang Peng, saying,

“The BBDO creative director you mentioned—is it Vincent Liu Wenqin?”

Sun Yashi was already on her feet.

She paused, then said with a playful smile,

“You actually know Vincent?”

Her tone carried clear mockery,

as if to say, ‘If you know him, how dare you claim someone else’s work…’

Xu Chen didn’t answer directly but asked Sun Yashi,

“John mentioned that Jeep Marketing has a former Procter & Gamble colleague that Sia knows…

Mind sharing who that is?”

Jiang Peng glanced at Sun Yashi, looking uneasy.

Sun Yashi smiled and replied,

“I know the vice president in charge of Jeep’s market branding.

He was my direct superior at Procter & Gamble, and we’re quite familiar.

When Jeep first started working with BBDO, they even asked for my take on Vincent.”

Implying that she knew both the client and the agency inside out—how could they pull a fast one?

…

Xu Chen nodded calmly and said,

“So it’s Leo…”

“…”

Sun Yashi froze, surprised that he knew Leo Pang Ming.

She frowned, then found it amusing—had he done background checks just to fake this?

…

Sun Yashi had no more patience and stood up to leave again.

Just then, Xu Chen pulled out his phone and dialed a number, putting it on speaker.

After two rings, a voice with a Taiwan accent answered:

“Teacher Xu Chen? What brings you to call me…”

It was BBDO Tianlian Advertising’s creative director, Vincent Liu Wenqin.

Sun Yashi had taken a couple of steps but stopped, recognizing the voice, and frowned.

Xu Chen: “Vincent, I need to clear something up…

When I talk to clients about projects, everyone says the Jeep ad with Xie Bingran and Wang Shi was your team’s idea,

and even the latest slogan was your work?”

Vincent hesitated briefly, then quickly said:

“Who’s spreading that nonsense?

Teacher Xu Chen, we’re pretty familiar, right? You know my character.

I’d never steal credit…

The Jeep campaign and slogan came from East Morning Star Advertising—your creation, no doubt about it.

My team just handled the production side…”

Vincent sounded urgent.

In the ad world, claiming someone else’s ideas is a big no-no and could ruin your reputation.

Xu Chen’s words made it seem like Vincent was taking credit, so he was eager to set the record straight.

“Teacher Xu Chen, where did you hear this rumor?

From the agency or the client?

Tell me, and I’ll sort it out!

I can’t afford to lose face in the industry…”

Xu Chen didn’t respond but looked up at the standing Sun Yashi.

Sun Yashi froze, her expression shifting awkwardly.

If Vincent himself said that, what was left to question?

And why was Vincent so polite to this young ‘President Xu’?

…

Nie Fei glanced at Xu Chen and smiled wryly.

Gu Xinxi kept quiet but let a small, triumphant smile slip.

Jiang Peng looked flustered and glanced at his boss.

…

Xu Chen spoke into the phone again:

“Thanks, Vincent!

I just needed to confirm it didn’t come from BBDO…”

Vincent was still worried and rambled on, mainly asking where the rumor started so he could clarify.

Sun Yashi quietly returned to her seat.

She listened to the speakerphone but didn’t dare speak up.

Finally, Xu Chen wrapped up the call with a light laugh, easing Vincent’s concerns.

Vincent added with a smile:

“I heard from the team that your company moved offices?

Congratulations! I’ll drop by to visit soon!”

Xu Chen: “Thanks, Vincent.

The old office was too small, so we leased another floor.

How did you hear about it?”

Vincent: “One of our team members from the northwest got close to your Aimi during a shoot.

She mentioned it over the weekend…”

…

The Taiwan native was chatty, and they bantered a bit more.

Xu Chen finally ended the call and fell silent again.

…

Opposite him,

Sun Yashi looked embarrassed.

But she quickly mustered a friendly smile.

She cleared her throat to speak, but Xu Chen dialed another number and put it on speaker.

A strong male voice answered:

“Little President Xu?”

“Leo, hope I’m not interrupting?”

It was Jeep’s market branding vice president, Leo Pang Ming—the one Sun Yashi knew well as her former boss.

Sun Yashi’s face grew even more awkward at the sound.

Jiang Peng shrank back, not daring to make a sound.

Xu Chen said with a laugh:

“Last week’s banquet you invited us to, I left in a hurry and didn’t properly thank you!”

Leo Pang Ming chuckled heartily:

“You’re too polite, Little President Xu!

I should be thanking you…

Your ad campaign was spot-on; the promotion’s a huge success!

Sales reports show we hit the monthly car order targets in just a week.”

Xu Chen: “It’s all thanks to Jeep’s strong brand and the quality of the Grand Cherokee and Wrangler!”

Leo laughed again:

“Your creative ideas were key!

That new slogan is the best in automotive ads lately!

Our customers love it!”

…

The conversation between Leo and Xu Chen was clear to Sun Yashi and Jiang Peng.

This call was obviously for their benefit.

Sun Yashi felt utterly deflated…

Leo was her old superior,

but now, sitting there, she couldn’t bring herself to greet him.

The call confirmed once more that the Jeep ad was Xu Chen’s work…

Making her earlier sarcasm and doubts seem ridiculous.

…

Xu Chen chatted casually with Leo, ignoring Sun Yashi and Jiang Peng entirely.

Nie Fei and Gu Xinxi exchanged glances, their expressions full of intrigue.

Sun Yashi had boasted about knowing Leo as her former boss…

Yet here, Xu Chen bantered freely with him, leaving her speechless.

…

Sun Yashi shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

What surprised her most was how polite Leo was to this ‘Little President Xu’—

Gratitude for the ad made sense, but this level of respect from a client exec was unusual.

On the call,

Xu Chen continued:

“One more thing…

At last week’s banquet, you asked about inviting Xie Bingran to a release event next year…”

Leo sounded eager:

“Any updates?”

Xu Chen replied with a smile:

“I talked to Xie Bingran privately; she’s open to it.

But you’ll need to coordinate with Director Li Yue for the national team’s schedule and her availability…

There might be a separate quote for off-schedule events.”

Leo: “Thanks so much, Little President Xu!

As long as she’s on board, I’ll handle the details with Director Li.

When I first asked him, he said to check with you first…”

…

Sun Yashi froze.

She finally caught the crucial detail in their conversation.

…

She finally caught the crucial detail in their conversation.

“