Chapter 498: Endorsements and Expansions

On the phone, Director Li was still exchanging pleasantries with Xu Chen.

Getting Xie Bingran an extra commercial endorsement in the first half of the year was exactly what Director Li wanted.

Director Li handled the external business collaborations for the State Athletics Team, including Xie Bingran, so her endorsement deals counted toward his performance record.

Though in an organization like the Sports Administration, he wouldn’t get direct financial rewards, it would significantly impact his future career advancement.

Director Li expressed his surprise for a good while before finally asking about the specific brand and client.

Xu Chen briefly updated him on the projects for ‘Xi Zhilang’ and ‘You Le Mei’.

Director Li thought for a moment and then smiled as he spoke:

‘Xi Zhilang’ is a major domestic snack brand, mainly targeting teenagers and children, with a pretty positive overall image.

The initial corporate review from the General Bureau shouldn’t have any issues…

This project has no risks at all—go for it!

Xu Chen: “I only recommend projects to you, Director Li, after careful consideration.”

“I wouldn’t let Bing Ge touch anything unreliable.”

What Xu Chen didn’t say out loud was, “like Sanlu.”

Xu Chen hadn’t expected that after Xie Bingran turned down Sanlu, Director Li would recommend his senior Chen Lan instead.

In the months after the New Year, Chen Lan’s endorsement ads for Sanlu milk powder aired on various TV stations, and Xu Chen had caught glimpses of them several times.

Xu Chen knew Sanlu was bound to explode with scandal—it was just a matter of time.

When Sanlu’s issues finally came to light, who knew if it would affect Director Li.

Director Li had helped Xu Chen in many ways, so Xu Chen didn’t want him to get into trouble.

Earlier, when Xu Chen had stopped Xie Bingran from endorsing Sanlu, it was already a clear warning, but Director Li hadn’t taken it to heart.

Now that Chen Lan’s collaboration with Sanlu was underway, Xu Chen figured it was best to stay quiet and watch how things unfolded.

If any fallout happened later, they’d deal with it then.

Luckily, it wouldn’t touch Xie Bingran, so there wasn’t major risk involved.

Still, thinking about the harm Sanlu would cause in his previous life made Xu Chen uncomfortable—it involved so many innocent kids and families.

Xu Chen had even wondered if he could interfere with that karma without exposing himself or inviting trouble…

…

Xu Chen pulled his thoughts back and pondered a bit more.

Of course, he needed to ask about Chenfeng Technology and the Olympics, but he didn’t rush to bring it up.

He was waiting for Director Li to speak first.

Sure enough,

Director Li paused and then said seriously over the phone:

“Young Xu, since you’re helping so sincerely, I’ll do everything I can to assist with Chenfeng Technology and the Olympics matter.”

“Leave it to me!”

“At the very least, I’ll secure an official collaboration from the Sports Administration— that’s something we can control internally.”

“Then, I’ll see if I can arrange something with more Olympic ties through the Olympic Committee.”

“I’ve found someone I can talk to, but I haven’t found the right opportunity yet.”

Xu Chen: “Thank you so much, Director Li!”

On the other end, Director Li chuckled:

“Working with you, Young Xu, always puts a bit of pressure on me!”

“Mainly because you’re so capable and get things done—I struggle to keep up!”

His flattery was smooth and impeccable.

Director Li paused, then asked about the current specifics of Chenfeng Technology, including its development plans and expectations for the next six months to a year.

He wasn’t just making small talk; when negotiating with the Olympic Committee’s external business leaders, they’d want to know about the partner’s strength, scale, and reputation, so Director Li needed to hype up Chenfeng Technology.

Xu Chen had already submitted a company introduction document for Chenfeng Technology to Director Li, which Guo Liang’s team prepared, and Xu Chen polished it before Sun Aimi gave it a high-end layout.

It made Chenfeng Technology look impressive, but it focused more on future visions and less on solid achievements.

Xu Chen understood the challenges Director Li faced in internal discussions and said:

“Director Li, just keep an eye on collaboration opportunities—there’s no rush for results in the next month or two.”

“We’re currently expanding Chenfeng Electric Vehicles into the northern market.”

“Once we conquer the north, we’ll go nationwide— that’s a given…”

Director Li: “I’ve visited Tiancheng and had meals with your father, President Xu, so I’m not worried about your company’s future development.”

He paused briefly and added:

“But I have a request—could you check if it’s possible to arrange something internally, Young Xu?”

Xu Chen: “Go ahead, Director Li.”

Director Li: “It’s about getting Chenfeng Electric Vehicles’ ads on Beijing’s TV stations to boost visibility.”

“CCTV ads are too expensive and not worth it.”

“But Beijing TV and some local channels and radio stations are affordable.”

“If you run ads on Beijing media, it would make my discussions smoother.”

“For example, if you’re on Beijing TV, some leaders might see it and help with future promotions…”

Xu Chen: “That’s a great and timely suggestion, Director Li!”

“I’ll sort that out right away—I’ll contact headquarters in Tiancheng and get it done.”

He thought for a moment:

“Besides Beijing TV, are there any other specific media you recommend?”

“You can just send me a list.”

Director Li: “Sure, I won’t suggest too many—just the key ones covering Beijing. I’ll text you the details soon!”

…

After hanging up with Director Li, Xu Chen contacted Guo Liang and filled him in.

Coincidentally, Guo Liang was with Xu Zhiquan, who said over the phone:

“That’s easy to arrange—we’re just starting to stock our electric vehicles in the Beijing suburbs!”

In the background, Xu Chen heard Xu Zhiquan talking to Guo Liang:

“Squeeze out some budget for ads on Beijing TV—that’ll help our brand image!”

Hearing his father Xu Zhiquan’s voice, Xu Chen felt a surge of delight.

After sorting things out, Xu Zhiquan laughed and said:

“I hear my son just landed another ad project! Congrats from your old man!”

Xu Chen: “News travels fast—how did you all find out?”

Xu Zhiquan: “Fang Jun mentioned it—she saw it in the East Morning Star Advertising group chat!”

Taking the opportunity, Xu Zhiquan and Guo Liang updated Xu Chen on Chenfeng Electric Vehicles’ northern expansion.

“Datuo Car Dealership” is fully supporting Chenfeng Electric Vehicles’ distribution.

Currently, in Datuo’s home base of Hebei Province, Chenfeng Electric Vehicles’ sales are taking off quickly.

With the vehicles selling well, Datuo’s boss Jiang Huaqin is thrilled and keeps urging Tiancheng to increase supply.

Meanwhile, another northern dealer, “Aixing Car Dealership,” has started approaching Guo Liang behind the backs of Aibang Electric Vehicles and Shenbiao Electric Vehicles.

But with all production going to Datuo Car Dealership, they can’t handle Aixing yet.

It’s a complete shift in dynamics.

Additionally, the new production line from Japan is in the implementation phase.

Under Fang Jun’s financial wizardry, they’ve mortgaged existing production lines and park assets to the bank, freeing up funds for investments.

This includes introducing new lines and building new facilities.

With Chenfeng Electric Vehicles’ sales booming, future revenue and profits are predictable, making bank financing smoother.

After rebirth, everything was unfolding as Xu Chen had hoped.

All his earlier setups were starting to pay off.

As the 2008 Olympics approached, Xie Bingran’s commercial value would peak.

Both Chenfeng Technology and Ran Bing Sports would ride the Olympic wave and Xie Bingran’s popularity to leap forward.

…

…

In the blink of an eye, a new week arrived.

“You Le Mei” was progressing smoothly.

Xu Chen had connected Director Li and Kuang Lili, and they were now formally discussing Xie Bingran’s endorsement.

Kuang Lili was surprised at how polite Director Li, a leader from the General Bureau and national team, was to Young Xu…

Director Li kept Xu Chen updated on the latest developments.

“You Le Mei” had originally budgeted a lot for Zhou Jielun, so switching to Xie Bingran was no problem.

From Director Li’s tone, the other side hadn’t haggled at all—it sounded generous.

Of course, that was likely due to Director Li’s negotiation skills—he was a seasoned pro.

Director Li was very polite with Young Xu, but tough in external deals, as Xu Chen had heard from Jeep and Kunlun Mountain.

The official signing for “You Le Mei” and Xie Bingran was set for May, mainly waiting for her to return from Europe.

Director Li had his own plan—to let Xie Bingran’s value rise after April’s competitions, boosting the endorsement fee.

That meant more income for Xie Bingran, which Xu Chen was happy to see.

“You Le Mei” had no issues on their end, since Zhou Jielun’s team quoted a sky-high price anyway.

An interesting tidbit came from Gu Xinxi, who learned from Zheng Wan during talks with “You Le Mei”:

Zhou Jielun’s once-arrogant management team, after being sidelined by the brand, reached out again, even asking about progress.

When told “You Le Mei” had dropped interest in Zhou Jielun, they hemmed and hawed, wanting to “discuss further.”

In the end, no one could resist money.

But “You Le Mei” had already locked in with Director Li.

Though the contract wasn’t signed, for deals involving the national team and official elements, the brand wouldn’t dare back out.

So, Xie Bingran’s backing from the national team and Sports Administration provided invisible protection.

Plus, there was input from the chairman’s daughter, Li Lizi, so Kuang Lili wouldn’t dare interfere.

…

…

In his free time between classes, Xu Chen checked out more news on Bing Ge’s competitions.

The Zurich leg of the International Athletics Grand Prix was underway, with new medals awarded daily.

China and other East Asian groups didn’t have much natural edge in athletics, so professional events never got huge domestic attention.

But this Grand Prix still had plenty of reports and discussions in the media.

A key reason was the participation of last year’s Asian Games 100-meter hurdles gold and silver medalists, Xie Bingran and Chen Lan, which sparked a lot of hype.

In Xu Chen’s circle of classmates, the competition news was buzzing.

It was all because Bai Miao had suddenly secured a spot in the preliminaries.

The International Athletics Grand Prix was a top-tier global event, especially with the 2008 Olympics nearing, so world-class athletes wouldn’t miss this training opportunity.

Based on past results, only Xie Bingran and Chen Lan had qualified from China, but as the Zurich event approached, several European and American athletes withdrew for various reasons.

That’s how Bai Miao, ranked third in China and in the Asian top ten, lucked into a preliminary spot.

The school had organized events to cheer for Bai Miao, including a live broadcast on the 26th.

As Bai Miao’s biggest fanboy, Huang Hao was over the moon and seriously explained to everyone what this meant for her.

“Though the Grand Prix doesn’t get as much buzz as the World Championships or Olympics, it’s still one of the world’s premier athletics events, with top global competitors.”

“For Xie Bingran, Chen Lan, and Bai Miao to even make the preliminaries and race against those European and American athletes is groundbreaking.”

“Plus, Bai Miao is only nineteen—this is unprecedented in China’s women’s hurdles history!”

Qian Xin, the Jiang Zhe Little Prince, wasn’t impressed:

“Xie Bingran is a year younger than Bai Miao and got her spot earlier.”

Huang Hao was at a loss for words.

He muttered:

“Xie Bingran is on another level…”

“Without her, Bai Miao’s achievements would still be unmatched in domestic athletics.”

Qian Xin grinned: “Too bad there are no ‘what ifs’—but there is Bing Ge.”

Huang Hao stewed for a bit, seeming unsatisfied, but finally said:

“Fine… Xie Bingran is just that extraordinary—I can’t argue.”

…

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