Chapter 495: Boardroom Alliances

The Xi Zhilang headquarters office.

Zheng Wan led Xu Chen and his team on a tour, then guided them to the corner rest area.

“Let’s take a break here…”

Zheng Wan glanced at her phone and said with an apologetic tone:

“Lily’s just finishing a meeting. She asked me to apologize to Young Xu in advance.”

Xu Chen: “No problem. We’ll wait.”

The rest area had two rows of sofas where Xu Chen, Su Rong, Sun Aimi, and Gu Xinxi settled in side by side.

Zheng Wan called over a pretty admin assistant who brought tea.

“The bar has snacks and coffee you can grab yourselves. Young Xu, please wait here a moment.

I’ll check on the meeting room and be right back.”

With that, she hurried off.

Xu Chen looked around and spotted the pantry table in the rest area, stacked with Xi Zhilang’s own snacks.

Mostly various jellies and seaweed snacks—it seemed employees could help themselves freely if they got the munchies.

Working at a snack company must be fun for some people.

Xu Chen paused suddenly, feeling a bit speechless.

Su Rong had already drifted over, happily grabbing a handful of jellies from the bar and bouncing back.

She ignored Xu Chen and first handed out the jellies to Sun Aimi and Gu Xinxi.

Noticing Xu Chen’s exasperated look, she finally passed him the biggest one.

“……”

They sat for a bit while Xu Chen sipped his tea and relaxed.

He glanced up and saw a young girl approaching, which made him do a double-take.

She was wearing a striking pair of Ran Bing 001 shoes.

Xu Chen shifted his gaze upward; the girl looked about fifteen, clearly not a company employee.

She wore a neat plaid skirt and a British-style blazer, her high ponytail swishing behind her as she walked.

Xu Chen had a hunch and glanced at her chest.

On her blazer was a badge that resembled a school emblem.

Xu Chen’s mind raced with possibilities, and he felt a spark of excitement.

Earlier, Zheng Wan mentioned that Xi Zhilang’s chairman Li Yongjun’s daughter was studying in Hong Kong and had just arrived.

Was this school-uniformed girl the boss’s daughter?

And she was wearing Ran Bing 001 shoes.

Xu Chen drew in a sharp breath, already plotting his next move.

He thought for a second, then turned to Su Rong beside him.

Too bad Wu Feifei, the social butterfly, wasn’t here; he’d have to send the somewhat shy Su Rong instead.

Luckily, the girl and Su Rong seemed around the same age, and they both wore the same Bing Ge shoes.

Su Rong was munching on a jelly, her eyes twinkling as she eyed the girl.

Following her gaze, it landed on the girl’s Ran Bing 001 shoes.

Su Rong glanced down at her own identical pair.

With a spark of delight, she turned to Xu Chen.

Xu Chen leaned in and whispered a few instructions in her ear.

Su Rong furrowed her brows slightly as she listened.

She swallowed her jelly, hesitated for a moment, then muttered:

“Even though I don’t like starting conversations with strangers, I’ll handle this!”

Sun Aimi and Gu Xinxi exchanged glances, wondering what “Young Xu” had planned.

Su Rong stood and approached the girl in the British school uniform.

They chatted briefly, both glancing down at their matching shoes.

Soon, the two girls were giggling and chatting excitedly.

Su Rong pulled out her iPhone, showing off its Bing Ge cartoon case to the girl.

From afar, Xu Chen thought the two young ladies looked like long-lost sisters.

Who knew Su Rong, their unexpected tag-along on this trip, would play such a key role?

……

A few minutes later, Zheng Wan returned.

“Young Xu, let’s head straight to the meeting room. Lily’s meeting just ended, and she’s on her way down…”

……

The meeting room was in another corner of the building, with floor-to-ceiling windows letting in plenty of light.

On the long conference table sat several large boxes filled with Xi Zhilang’s jellies and seaweed snacks.

Clearly, if meetings got hungry, you could snack right there.

Zheng Wan got everyone settled, then stepped out again.

Sun Aimi and Gu Xinxi pulled out their laptops and started setting up the projector on the table.

Su Rong sat next to Xu Chen and flashed a mysterious “OK” sign, then leaned in and whispered:

“You were right—she’s the chairman’s daughter, named Li Lizi.”

Xu Chen: “Li Lizi… what a whimsical name.”

Su Rong: “I’ve already become best friends with Lizi. She loved my phone case, so I’ll send her a couple when we get back.”

Xu Chen teased: “I didn’t think you were that shy after all, making friends so quickly.”

Su Rong narrowed her eyes: “It’s all to help you out.”

Xu Chen: “Thanks a lot, Miss Su!”

Su Rong beamed and chuckled happily:

“It’s not just for you—it’s mainly for Bing Ge!”

Su Rong paused, then added:

“Lizi’s a big fan of Bing Ge too. She even watched the Asian Games in Doha but didn’t run into us.”

……

The meeting room door opened, and in walked a group of four or five people.

“Young Xu, sorry to keep you waiting!”

The leader was all smiles, and Xu Chen had already stood up.

Zheng Wan handled the introductions:

“This is our group market director, Lily!”

“Kuang Lili, but you can call me Lily.” The woman introduced herself.

“Nice to meet you, Director Kuang!”

Xu Chen shook hands with Kuang Lili, keeping things formal for the first meeting.

Kuang Lili seemed friendly and polite, though a hint of surprise flashed in her smile.

Before entering, Zheng Wan had mentioned Young Xu was very young, but seeing him in person still caught her off guard.

Running an ad agency so successfully, and sounding so experienced in their phone meeting—yet here he was, so young. It was hard to believe.

But Kuang Lili didn’t dwell on it; she just exchanged pleasantries with Xu Chen.

They chatted briefly, introduced their teams, and swapped business cards.

Sun Aimi and Gu Xinxi came over to shake hands, while Su Rong played her part as a creative team member, complete with her own business card.

From Xi Zhilang’s side, besides Kuang Lili and Zheng Wan, there were a few young staff from marketing.

Two of them looked a bit pudgy—probably from all the office snacks; it might even count as a job hazard…

“Shall we get started?”

Everyone sat down, with Zheng Wan moderating.

They’d already had a phone meeting last week, so the project background was clear—no need to repeat it. They dove straight into presenting the proposal.

Sun Aimi had the screen set up, and East Morning Star Advertising’s proposal cover was projected.

Xu Chen was about to start when the meeting room door suddenly opened again.

In came three people, including the girl they’d just met—the chairman’s daughter, Li Lizi.

Leading them was a short, middle-aged man in a navy suit; no guess needed, it was Xi Zhilang’s founder and chairman, Li Yongjun.

Xu Chen had arranged for Su Rong to befriend Li Lizi precisely to draw Li Yongjun into the meeting.

Pitching directly to the chairman would save a lot of hassle.

And with the boss’s daughter knowing and liking Bing Ge, it was a stroke of luck today.

Xu Chen had been mulling how to replace Zhou Jielun with Xie Bingran as the endorser, and having Li Lizi here would make the persuasion much smoother.

As a father, Li Yongjun had probably heard of his daughter’s favorite athlete, right?

Even if not, Li Lizi would eagerly vouch for him.

That was Xu Chen’s clever plan.

……

“Chairman Li, what brings you here?” Kuang Lili quickly stood as her boss entered.

This presentation was something Li Yongjun had planned to attend, but with his daughter Li Lizi back from the mainland, he was thinking of taking her out later.

Yet here he was, pulled along by his own daughter.

The young staff behind saw the big boss and instantly looked tense, standing up too.

“Lizi insisted I sit in. Plus, this project’s crucial—I should hear it myself…”

Kuang Lili paused, glancing at Chairman Li’s daughter, Li Lizi, unsure of the situation.

Xu Chen noticed Su Rong and Li Lizi exchanging secretive smiles and knowing looks.

Kuang Lili jumped in with introductions:

“Let me introduce— this is Xu Chen, Young Xu from East Morning Star Advertising.

And this is our Xi Zhilang Group founder and chairman, Li Yongjun…”

Li Yongjun shook hands with Xu Chen while sizing him up.

Naturally, he was surprised by how young Xu Chen was.

Before anyone else spoke, Kuang Lili smiled and said:

“I was shocked too by how accomplished Young Xu is at such a young age!”

Li Yongjun said seriously:

“Youth is a good thing! Young people understand other young people.

Our products are for youth, so having them handle the ads makes perfect sense!”

Xu Chen smiled back, impressed by the chairman’s smooth and considerate words.

He carried no airs and made everyone feel at ease with just a few lines.

……

Introductions wrapped up quickly, and they returned to the meeting topic.

Chairman Li Yongjun sat next to Kuang Lili, with Li Lizi by her father’s side, looking quite well-behaved.

He didn’t formally introduce his daughter.

But up close, Xu Chen got a better look.

He spotted the school badge on Li Lizi’s chest, reading ‘St. Paul’s Co-educational School’ in traditional characters—likely her high school in Hong Kong.

At seventeen or eighteen, she was probably in her junior or senior year.

She still had that fresh, high-school innocence about her.

……

Xu Chen cleared his throat and began the presentation.

A simple opening: “We’re honored to be part of the You Le Mei project.”

Without much background or strategy buildup, he jumped into the creative content.

The project was straightforward—they needed a simple ad idea, so no point dragging out the details.

Xu Chen spoke steadily, first outlining the TV ad plan with Zhou Jielun as endorser.

“Our creative theme is ‘Sweet Love’.

‘Sweet Love’ matches Zhou Jielun’s music style and image, appeals to high school and college users, and ties into You Le Mei’s product vibe.”

“This project needs Zhou Jielun’s team’s approval, so focusing on ‘Sweet Love’ links to his past music easily.

The style aligns with his previous MVs, boosting approval chances…”

“The challenge lies in the clever integration…”

Xu Chen paused deliberately, seeing Kuang Lili nod in agreement.

“The concept is ‘Held in the Palm’.

Love’s affection means ‘Held in the Palm’.

And our cup of You Le Mei fits perfectly in the palm too.

That’s the core of our idea.”

After laying out the key concept, Xu Chen stopped for effect.

Kuang Lili pondered it, her eyes lighting up with excitement.

As a seasoned marketer, she quickly grasped the concept’s ingenuity and potential.

Chairman Li Yongjun looked thoughtful, his expression neutral.

Xu Chen used the page-turner to dive into the TV script details:

“—What am I to you?”

“—You’re my You Le Mei.”

“—So I’m just a milk tea?”

“—That way, I can hold you in my palm.”

……

The script was simple; he wrapped it up in a few minutes.

Xu Chen kept it straightforward, conveying the core idea plainly.

Gu Xinxi and Sun Aimi exchanged glances, a touch of nerves showing.

Presenting and waiting for client feedback was always tense.

Kuang Lili looked at Xu Chen, her eyes full of delight.

She didn’t rush to speak but glanced at Chairman Li Yongjun beside her.

Li Yongjun stroked his chin, his face unreadable.

Next to him, Li Lizi blinked at Su Rong, looking puzzled.

Su Rong responded with a mysterious glance, as if sharing some secret info.

Kuang Lili thought for a moment, then turned to her team behind her:

“Share your thoughts.”