Chapter 482: Business on the Rise

The meeting room.

“Ran Bing X” was set to make its first public reveal and hype during Bing Ge’s competition in April.

As for the actual sales, Zhou Junjun needed to finalize the product plan and production schedule within the next two weeks.

Xu Chen remembered something else and spoke to Nie Fei:

“Over the weekend at an Anta store, I saw Chen Lan promoting a pair of running shoes.

It’s a premium jogging shoe, basically a competitor to ‘Ran Bing 001.'”

Nie Fei: “That’s something I was about to update you on. We’ve noticed it too, and Jiang Yuze has gathered some competitor data.”

Jiang Yuze was prepared and quickly shared a document on the screen.

The document was a competitive analysis of that Anta running shoe, covering product design, pricing, and promotion aspects.

Xu Chen listened carefully, but found it unremarkable. It didn’t seem like it would significantly impact ‘Ran Bing 001.’

He couldn’t help but add:

“This product is pretty average. If Bing Ge had endorsed it, it would’ve been a real letdown for him.”

Nie Fei took a drag from her slim cigarette and said:

“I checked around in the industry. Anta has been planning this running shoe line for a year.

It was supposed to be a key launch this year, so they even considered Bing Ge for promotion…

Now, with ‘Ran Bing 001’ launching first and getting Bing Ge’s official backing, plus it’s much stronger in quality, Anta has pulled back their investment in this line.

They probably don’t have much confidence in it anymore.”

She paused:

“And I heard privately that Chen Lan’s endorsement fee was pretty low.

Even lower than the industry standard.”

Xu Chen stayed silent.

That was the harsh reality of competitive sports.

Silver and gold medals might seem just one spot apart, but they made a world of difference in every way.

Before Xie Bingran burst onto the scene, Chen Lan had been the top female hurdler in the country. A year ago, she must have been confident about winning that Asian Games gold.

This situation was probably a huge mental blow for Chen Lan.

Luckily, Bing Ge was in Shanghai, and Chen Lan was in Beijing.

Though they were both on the National Team, they weren’t in the same training system, so they didn’t cross paths much.

That kind of resentment was almost inevitable…

“Oh, and one more thing—Anrui Investment has been asking about us again,” Nie Fei said, taking another puff.

“Oh?!”

“Anrui Investment” was that major capital player hiding behind sports brands.

They had previously tried to buy out Xie Bingran’s commercial endorsements and even proposed investing in and controlling ‘Ran Bing Sports’.

Xu Chen had turned them down flat and played up the ‘rich kid hobby’ angle to keep them off guard for now.

Nie Fei continued:

“It’s hard to avoid them circling back, especially since ‘Ran Bing 001’ sales are picking up.

Their competitors in similar running shoes are starting to feel the hit.”

Xu Chen nodded: “No worries, we’ll just keep doing our thing.

Fame brings trouble, and you can’t hide from it forever.”

Nie Fei: “Anrui hasn’t made any big moves yet.

They probably won’t bother with Xie Bingran’s commercial deals anymore, now that ‘Ran Bing 001’ is officially out.

But they’re likely still eyeing investment or even control of ‘Ran Bing Sports’.

These investors focused on sports won’t let a brand grow without getting a piece.

Once they see clear growth, they’ll want to grab a share and pull ‘Ran Bing’ into their system.

We need to think ahead on this.”

Xu Chen didn’t respond, just nodded.

Nie Fei glanced at Xu Chen, hesitated, then said:

“This is a decision you need to make soon, Young Xu.

Getting funded by Anrui and joining their system has perks—you could tap into more resources through them.

But the downside is less freedom in decisions and competition; you’d face a lot of restrictions.

In the worst case, if they take control, they could suppress, shelve, or even kill ‘Ran Bing.'”

Xu Chen nodded, understanding Nie Fei’s point.

He frowned and thought for a moment but didn’t say more.

‘Ran Bing’ was Xie Bingran’s exclusive brand, and ‘Ran Bing Sports’ was Xu Chen and Xie Bingran’s company. He wanted to keep the ownership pure and maintain full control.

So, he absolutely wouldn’t allow outside investors to take over.

If Anrui came back, no matter the offer, it would be a firm no.

Nie Fei knew that too.

“Another thing—the department planning and hiring we discussed before the new year is moving along. We’ve interviewed some people, including from ‘East Morning Star Advertising’.

There’s a group who passed the first round that needs you to interview, Young Xu.”

With that, Nie Fei had Sun Lingfeng help pull up a document on the screen—it was the current staffing overview for each department.

Xu Chen skimmed it and said:

“For functional departments like Admin, HR, and IT, you handle the decisions, Fei Jie. I don’t need to interview them.

“For Finance, once you’ve interviewed, pass them to Fang Jun—he’ll vet them.

After hiring, they need to go to Tiancheng headquarters for about two weeks of finance process training…

“For business roles, including Ran Bing Marketing, E-commerce, East Morning Star Client team, and Creative, I’ll meet them all.”

Nie Fei: “Got it. I’ll have Nana coordinate with you and set up the interviews.

There are about ten candidates, so it’ll be a bit of work for you, Young Xu.”

Xu Chen: “No problem. I can do one or two each evening—just treat it like a chat.”

…

Once the meeting wrapped up, Xu Chen was pulled aside by Gu Xinxi and Sun Aimi.

The plan for ‘Red Star Erguotou’ was set earlier, and Sun Aimi had assigned Tang Xiaowei and three interns to work on proposal drafts.

At that moment, Sun Aimi showed Xu Chen the current progress drafts.

Xu Chen flipped through them and smiled:

“No surprise from you, Aimi. You’ve got such great style!”

Sun Aimi adjusted her round glasses and smiled shyly.

Xu Chen’s idea of a ‘retro nostalgic + youthful melancholy + brotherhood’ theme had been executed by Sun Aimi with standout style and a strong atmosphere.

“It’s mostly because the boss’s concept and script were spot-on. I just put extra effort into the visuals.

I couldn’t let your idea fall short…”

Xu Chen flipped through a bit more:

“This is perfect. Just refine it a little more—I have no issues.”

Sun Aimi: “Great, we can wrap it up in the next couple of days.”

Gu Xinxi chimed in:

“The travel for the Beijing trip is all set by Nana—flight leaves Thursday evening.

The hotel’s arranged with Yue Jie; it’s the same as President Xu and General Manager Guo’s.”

Xu Chen chuckled: “This is my first time going on a business trip with my dad. It feels a bit weird.”

Xu Chen’s first project with Old Xu was the acquisition of Bright Factory.

Back then, Xu Chen worked with Director Yang and Fang Jun to revise the plan and even pitched at the bid site, leaving Old Xu impressed and proud.

This ‘Red Star’ project, along with the linked ‘Morning Wind’ dealer expansion, was their first real father-son business trip—still felt fresh.

Gu Xinxi added:

“Friday’s the pitch at ‘Red Star Spirits,’ and Saturday’s the indoor shoot for the Cadillac ad.

The rest of the filming schedule, Aimi and I will handle.”

Xu Chen: “Appreciate it, you two. This shoot will be tough—take some extra time off when you get back.”

“Thanks, boss!”

Xu Chen thought of something:

“About the interviews Fei Jie mentioned—how’s recruitment going for your teams?

Especially you, Xinxi—you’re swamped.”

Gu Xinxi: “I’ve done first interviews for three people; Fei Jie helped cross-interview and cut one. Now, two are left for you to meet.

I’ve passed them to Nana; she’ll schedule.”

Xu Chen: “Tell Nana to set up yours first.”

Gu Xinxi: “Will do.”

She remembered something else and continued,

“Boss, your return flight is Sunday. We talked about visiting McCann in Beijing to see Mo Kangxun, but it might not fit this time.”

Xu Chen: “No big deal. We’ll catch up later!”

……

……

Thursday arrived quickly—the day of the trip.

Xu Chen got leave from Class Monitor Min Siyang, who was used to his busy schedule as ‘President Xu.’

He jokingly promised to treat her to milk tea when he returned…

After classes ended in the afternoon, he hurried to the company and squeezed in an interview before heading to the airport.

When Young Xu arrived, the sharp-looking candidate was already waiting in the meeting room.

Xu Chen took a solid half-hour to chat seriously with the guy named Fang Ruikai.

After the interview, Xu Chen didn’t have time to give feedback; he left it to Nana and grabbed his bag to head downstairs.

Gu Xinxi and Sun Aimi were waiting in the parking lot.

……

They drove straight to the airport, aiming to beat the evening rush or risk getting stuck on the expressway.

This hurried vibe reminded Xu Chen of his past corporate grind.

Luckily, as ‘Young Xu’ now, he only dealt with time crunches occasionally.

Xu Chen thought about the interview and said to Gu Xinxi:

“Today’s candidate, Fang Ruikai, isn’t quite right. He’s clever, but he’s got too many angles in his communication.

For a Client Department role, building trust is key.

He comes across as insincere, which won’t win over clients…”

Gu Xinxi: “Understood, boss. I’ll turn him down.”

Xu Chen: “Get Pan Mengting started ASAP—she’s reliable, and her background checks out.”

Gu Xinxi: “Okay, I’ll touch base with her online tomorrow.”

Pan Mengting was the candidate from yesterday’s interview—a Shanghai Foreign Languages University master’s grad and Wu Feifei’s senior.

She’d been a client manager at a Shanghai foreign trade company, with a warm and approachable style that fit East Morning Star Advertising perfectly.

Plus, in ad agencies, client manager roles often suited women well.

Xu Chen reflected that the company’s gender balance was decent overall.

Moving forward, with Jiang Yuze and Sun Lingfeng’s teams, they’d add more men, especially for Sun Lingfeng’s gritty online operations.

For Sun Aimi’s group, besides Tang Xiaowei, they might hire another male designer.

Some clients and projects were more male-oriented, so pairing guys with ‘Aimi’ would work better.

As for Gu Xinxi’s Client Department, it was fine with mostly women…

In the back seat, Gu Xinxi and Sun Aimi exchanged glances, like they had something on their minds.

Xu Chen caught it in the rearview mirror and smiled:

“Spit it out.”

Gu Xinxi smiled awkwardly:

“This is our first time on a business trip with President Xu… Anything we should watch for?”

Xu Chen smiled:

“Nothing much—you’ve both met my dad.

He’s easygoing, always cheerful.

Hanging with him is way more relaxed than with me.”

Xu Chen paused: “Wait, did I just shade myself?”

Sun Aimi: “You’re easy to get along with too, boss.

But you’re so detail-oriented at work; we always worry about messing up.”

Xu Chen: “You two make things effortless for me. I hand off tasks and don’t think twice.”

Sun Aimi and Gu Xinxi shared a look, both beaming.

……

……

They landed at Capital Airport after 10 p.m.

They’d planned to grab a cab to the hotel, but Guo Liang was waiting with a van.

Seeing Young Xu and the team, General Manager Guo was warm and welcoming.

Gu Xinxi felt a bit shy around her industry mentor.

As they walked to the parking lot, Xu Chen said:

“Didn’t expect you to drive out for pickup, Guo.”

Guo Liang: “We’ve been in Shimen City for a few days, scouting markets, so we rented a car for convenience.”

Xu Chen: “Drove from Shimen City? That must’ve been tough!”

Guo Liang: “We got in yesterday. I brought a couple of guys, and we’ve been taking turns driving, so it’s not too bad.”

Xu Chen: “What about my dad? At the hotel?”

Guo Liang: “President Xu found a spot for dinner and is waiting to treat you all!”

……

‘Red Star Liquor Factory’s headquarters is in Huairou District, far from Beijing’s city center.

But tomorrow’s meeting is at Red Star Tower on Jianguo Road in Chaoyang District—their office spot in the city.

Tonight’s hotel is nearby, and Old Xu picked a dinner place close by too.

Around 11 p.m., they finally met the smiling Old Xu in a cozy private room at a Beijing-style restaurant.

“Dad!”

Old Xu stood up, all smiles, gave his son’s shoulder a squeeze, but turned first to greet Sun Aimi and Gu Xinxi.

“You’ve got to be working hard!”

The two young women felt a bit awkward and shyly said, “Not at all.”

“Come on, sit down! Food’s coming soon!

It’s late, so think of this as a late-night snack.

Once we’re done tomorrow, I’ll throw a proper feast for you!”