Chapter 447: Unexpected Pitches in the Capital
by xennovelIn Zhongguancun, just below Baidu Headquarters, at a Beijing noodle shop.
Coming to Beijing meant enjoying authentic old Beijing zhajiang noodles.
Xu Chen ordered three large bowls and added some braised beef and beef tendon on the side.
Su Rong was already digging in with gusto, her cheeks puffed up like a little squirrel.
Sun Aimi still looked uneasy, clearly anxious about the recent pitch presentation.
Xu Chen took a big bite of the braised beef and thought it was slightly less flavorful than what his father Xu Zhiquan made.
Old Xu really knew his way around braised beef; his version rivaled any restaurant’s.
In fact, Old Xu once mentioned that before working in the village factory, he had considered opening a shop in the city specializing in braised beef.
Xu Chen’s phone buzzed; he opened it to see a message from his assistant Miao Xiaoyu.
Xu Chen frowned and drew in a sharp breath.
Sun Aimi glanced at Xu Chen and asked timidly:
“Boss… has there been feedback on the pitch already?”
Xu Chen hesitated, realizing he couldn’t hide it, so he said:
“Yes, Li Yanhong didn’t go for our proposal.”
Sun Aimi froze for a moment, then burst into tears of frustration.
Seeing Sun Aimi cry, Xu Chen panicked, unsure how to handle the situation.
Su Rong set down her chopsticks, pulled Sun Aimi into a hug, and gently stroked her head like she was comforting an injured kitten.
Xu Chen thought for a second and said:
“Pitches like this always have a lot of uncertainty.”
Sun Aimi sniffled, “But Young Xu Chen has never lost a project before…”
“And today I went and messed it up!”
Xu Chen: “I told you, it’s not your fault.”
He pondered a bit more and added:
“The reason’s pretty clear, though…”
Su Rong perked up: “What reason?”
Xu Chen had already figured it out and said:
“Today’s decision-maker is Li Yanhong, a typical tech guy. He probably didn’t vibe with our overly creative and humorous idea.”
He paused briefly and told Sun Aimi:
“So it’s not that our proposal was bad, or that you presented it poorly. We just weren’t on the same wavelength as the decision-maker today.”
Still, Xu Chen felt a bit frustrated inside.
He had brought what he thought was the ‘standard answer’ from his past life, which should have been Baidu’s obvious choice.
Was Li Yanhong’s appearance just a random twist?
…
Right then, Xu Chen’s phone buzzed again.
He picked it up—it was Zhao Ling calling.
“Young Xu Chen, I’m really sorry about today…”
“You haven’t left yet, have I? Let me treat you to a meal!”
Xu Chen politely replied: “Zhao Ling, you’re too kind!”
“We’re already at the noodle shop downstairs.”
Zhao Ling: “Okay, Young Xu Chen, just hang on—I’m heading down now!”
…
In her words, Zhao Ling still sounded apologetic.
After all, she had invited East Morning Star Advertising specifically, and their proposal got rejected in the first round, which made her feel bad.
…
A few minutes later, Zhao Ling arrived at the shop.
Spotting Xu Chen and his group, she smiled and approached.
“Young Xu Chen, you’re already eating…”
“This is on me—I should have mentioned treating you earlier.”
Xu Chen: “Zhao Ling, no need to be so formal. We have a flight to catch soon, so we’re just grabbing something quick.”
“We’ll catch up another time; I’ll treat you then!”
Zhao Ling sat down and said quietly:
“Honestly, I really liked East Morning Star Advertising’s proposal. It was the most fun compared to the others.”
“But our Robin—Li Yanhong—prefers things that are logical and data-driven.”
“That’s why we didn’t go with yours…”
Sun Aimi listened and couldn’t help looking disappointed again.
Xu Chen turned to Zhao Ling with a smile: “Mind if I ask which proposal got Robin’s approval?”
“Sure, it was Dentsu’s proposal.”
Xu Chen said “Oh” and nodded.
So it was Tif Wu’s proposal from Dentsu.
No wonder a pure local ad guy like Wu Tianfu made it to partner at Dentsu—he’s got real talent.
Zhao Ling looked apologetic again and explained more:
“Dentsu’s proposal focused heavily on user data, which hit right where Robin cares most.”
“They even built a data crawler to analyze domestic search user preferences and needs in detail.”
“That led to their final concept.”
“Robin, being a tech guy, values data and user feedback a lot.”
“So when Dentsu presented that user big data report, they basically won him over…”
Xu Chen nodded, thinking, “I see.”
“Wu Tianfu and his Dentsu team came fully prepared.”
“And Wu Tianfu knows how to play to preferences—he nailed Li Yanhong’s tastes and tailored the content just for him.”
“Like Zhao Ling said, their idea might not be groundbreaking, but that data from the crawler was a huge convincer for a tech-focused Robin.”
“No surprise they landed the project.”
…
Xu Chen: “Can I ask about Dentsu’s specific proposal?”
Zhao Ling thought for a moment and smiled: “Of course, but keep it under wraps since it hasn’t launched yet.”
Xu Chen nodded with a smile: “Absolutely.”
Maybe out of guilt, Zhao Ling gave Xu Chen the rundown on the other three proposals.
Dentsu’s was straightforward: their concept was ‘Baidu Search: One Net to Catch It All, Steady, Accurate, and Ruthless.’
Wu Tianfu’s team did their homework, using web crawlers to compile tons of data on Chinese search users’ preferences and insights, all in a neat report for the pitch.
They built their concept around user needs, landing on ‘One Net to Catch It All, Steady, Accurate, and Ruthless.’
In a way, it fit what netizens were looking for in searches.
For the creative side, they kept it simple—pitched Baidu’s strengths with a ‘hawking’ style, wrapped up in ‘steady, accurate, and ruthless.’
It was straightforward, efficient, and easy for a tech guy like Li Yanhong to grasp.
…
McCann’s proposal had that classic big-agency feel, all about emotion and style.
Their concept: ‘We’re all people with problems—have a problem, ask Baidu.’
It reminded Xu Chen of some future internet campaigns.
McCann got creative, gathering dozens of real user questions from search engines.
They linked them with phrases like ‘attitude problems, angle problems, height problems, progress problems…’ tying back to ‘have a problem, ask Baidu.’
It was clever and thoughtful.
…
Blue Focus’s proposal was pure PR style.
They planned events like releasing an ‘Internet Search White Paper’ or hosting a ‘Search Summit.’
Essentially, they were showing off their PR muscle, lining up spots on CCTV and getting bigwigs to endorse Baidu.
…
…
After Zhao Ling’s overview, Xu Chen had a clear picture.
Honestly, Dentsu’s proposal didn’t have any overwhelming edge.
They just played to Li Yanhong’s likes with that crawler-based user report, boosting their pitch’s appeal.
East Morning Star’s was too out-there and creative, which didn’t sit well with a straight-tech guy like Li Yanhong.
So the issue boiled down to the person in charge.
This confirmed Li Yanhong was the wildcard that tanked their ‘standard answer.’
…
Zhao Ling looked at Xu Chen with regret: “I really loved East Morning Star’s proposal.”
“It’s perfect for online spread—it could go viral and spark discussions.”
As they talked, Xu Chen’s phone buzzed.
It was Gu Xinxi in the group chat: 【How’d it go? Pitch smooth?】
…
Seeing Gu Xinxi’s message, Xu Chen paused.
He remembered the docs Gu Xinxi compiled, including tidbits and gossip about Baidu’s founder Li Yanhong.
Suddenly, Xu Chen figured out the core issue.
He smiled at Zhao Ling and asked: “I recall from news that Baidu’s marketing usually reports to Melissa Ma, right?”
“How come Robin’s handling it now?”
Melissa Ma was Li Yanhong’s wife.
She held a powerful position at Baidu, overseeing several divisions, while Li Yanhong focused on tech.
Rumor had it he was a bit of a ‘henpecked husband.’
Back when Li Yanhong worked in Silicon Valley, he loved gardening in his backyard.
One day, Melissa Ma pulled up his plants and said: “I don’t want my husband to be just a California farmer.”
That pushed him to return and start Baidu.
Xu Chen recalled this and had a hunch.
Bringing the ‘standard answer’ only to get shot down meant something unexpected happened.
Clearly, Li Yanhong’s involvement was that surprise.
Maybe in his past life, Melissa Ma influenced the choice?
…
Zhao Ling was taken aback by Xu Chen’s mention of Melissa Ma.
She gave an awkward smile: “Didn’t expect you to know our internal stuff, Young Xu Chen.”
Xu Chen made up an excuse: “I think I saw it in some news—Robin’s wife Melissa is a powerhouse.”
“She manages marketing and a few other lines…”
Zhao Ling nodded: “Yeah, marketing reports to her.”
“But she’s on leave right now, and this promo is crucial, so Robin stepped in.”
Xu Chen: “Why not still report to Melissa?”
Zhao Ling: “The chain’s still with her.”
Xu Chen chuckled: “So, did you send today’s proposals to Melissa too?”
Zhao Ling blinked, then inhaled sharply.
“Young Xu Chen, that’s a solid point—it should go to her.”
A flicker of panic crossed her face.
Though Melissa was on leave, she was still Zhao Ling’s boss, and not updating her on this project was a big slip-up.
Li Yanhong might be the founder, but Melissa often called the shots.
Zhao Ling suppressed her urgency and said to Xu Chen: “Thanks for the reminder…”
“I have a meeting to rush back to. Next time I’m in Shanghai, I’ll visit properly!”
Xu Chen: “Zhao Ling, you’re too kind! I’ll set up the welcome when you’re there.”
Zhao Ling hurried upstairs, looking flustered.
Sun Aimi and Su Rong exchanged confused glances.
Su Rong asked Xu Chen: “Why bring up Melissa? Who’s she?”
Sun Aimi: “Melissa’s Baidu’s boss’s wife, right?”
Su Rong: “Huh?”
Xu Chen bit into a piece of beef tendon and said with a smile: “Let’s just wait and see!”
…
…
Meanwhile, nearby in Zhongguancun, at another Beijing eatery.
Wu Tianfu was a foodie too, and on this trip to Beijing, he ordered a full table of local dishes.
His young team surrounded ‘Tif Bro,’ all chatty and great at boosting his mood.
Wu Tianfu sipped his sour plum soup, looking pleased.
The young employee named Sandy checked her phone and suddenly exclaimed.
“What is it, Sandy?” a colleague asked.
Sandy, excited, turned to Wu Tianfu: “Congrats, Tif Bro—the Baidu project is ours!”
The colleagues around them lit up with joy: “Really, Sandy?”
“It just finished—results already?!”
“It’s confirmed—Baidu chose our pitch!”
“We nailed it!”
“This is amazing!”
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