Chapter 512: Business Moves and Campus Celebrations

Director Li messaged about Omega’s interest in partnering, naturally starting by asking Young Xu Chen for his thoughts first.

Xu Chen replied quickly:

[I’m fine with this business deal.

These old European luxury watch brands are all about their image and rarely stir up trouble.]

Li Yue: [With that from Young Xu Chen, I’m set. I’ll handle the coordination and push it forward.]

Xu Chen thought for a moment and casually asked:

[I heard from Coach Cheng Hong that Bing Ge will be in closed Olympic training for the next year. Will that make scheduling future commercial projects tough?]

Li Yue: [That’s right. I’ve got notices from the General Bureau and the team.

Any future outings for Xie Bingran, especially commercial ones, will face strict reviews to avoid disrupting Bing Ge’s daily training and competitions.

We were still talking with Kunlunshan Mineral Water about inviting Bing Ge to an offline event, but I just turned them down flat.

The You Le Mei project is on track, expected to wrap up by late May or early June.

For Omega, I’ll need to discuss internally, but I don’t see major issues.

Still, new projects coming in later might not get much cooperation from Bing Ge’s side.]

Xu Chen: [I see that as a good thing. For one, it won’t interfere with Bing Ge’s training and competitions…

And on the other hand, more endorsements aren’t always better.

What we have now fits Bing Ge’s well-rounded public image just right.

Adding more could wear out the audience and fans in the short term.]

Li Yue paused briefly before replying:

[Young Xu Chen makes a solid point! Though we handle commercial projects, we’re part of the system and must prioritize the national team’s and athletes’ interests and image!

So, I’ll hold off on reviewing new projects at least until after next year’s Olympics.]

Xu Chen: [Of course, theoretically, it won’t stop you from talking with brands.

Plus, after next year’s Olympics in August, Bing Ge’s commercial value will soar even higher.

We can sign new endorsements then, boosting earnings for both Bing Ge and the national team!]

Li Yue: [That’s a great way to put it. If pressure comes from above, I’ll use that line.]

He remembered something else and replied a bit hesitantly:

[Omega is like Louis Vuitton in that regard…

These luxury brands usually stick with their in-house ad teams.]

The implication was clear: East Morning Star Advertising couldn’t get involved in this order.

Xu Chen: [No problem there. Just ensure the ad materials are top-notch and avoid any red lines.]

Li Yue: [Don’t worry, Young Xu Chen. Once the partnership is set and they submit the ad content, I’ll send it to you for review first!]

……

……

A new week began.

With Tonghai University’s centennial celebration approaching on May 20th, the whole campus buzzed with excitement.

Cherry Blossom Avenue at Tonghai University was a sea of white and pink petals, drawing clusters of students for photos.

As Xu Chen and his roommates headed to class along Cherry Blossom Avenue, he noticed the celebration posters on the lampposts—produced by East Morning Star Advertising.

This was from the design request Professor Ni Zhi had passed on earlier.

Xu Chen took a closer look and thought he’d mention in the group chat later to praise Aimi; the posters had real style.

Most of the celebration designs came from professors and students in the creative and architecture colleges.

They’d outsourced the overflow to East Morning Star Advertising through Professor Ni Zhi.

Sun Aimi, as a seasoned commercial designer, outshone the undergrads and grad students on campus.

This batch of designs brought an unexpected bonus: the per-poster fees were higher than typical external commercial orders.

It surprised Young Xu Chen, especially since Professor Ni Zhi had hinted the pay might be lower than outside jobs.

When Gu Xinxi tallied the project costs, Xu Chen was taken aback—public sector money was easier to come by than he thought.

It even beat the budgets for Tang Xiaowei’s ongoing Kunlunshan designs.

Of course, it also showed his alma mater had deep pockets.

……

During a morning break, Xu Chen got a friend request on his phone from someone claiming to be a Tonghai University Student Union officer handling the centennial celebration.

After adding them, he learned the award his college had nominated him for was confirmed.

[Hello, Xu Chen. You’ve been selected as an ‘Outstanding Undergraduate’.

Please attend the Centennial Celebration Awards Ceremony in the Grand Auditorium on May 20th.

I’ll forward the details and guidelines via email soon.

Also, note that awards like ‘Outstanding Undergraduate’, ‘Outstanding Graduate Student’, and ‘Outstanding Alumni’ haven’t been announced publicly yet, so keep it confidential.]

[Thanks, senior…]

Xu Chen felt a mix of amusement and resignation; it was like the Matthew effect at work—the good things just kept coming without him even trying.

He decided to send thank-you messages later to Dean Lin Ruyang and Professor Ni Zhi.

After all, Professor Ni Zhi had mentioned that Dean Lin Ruyang personally recommended him for the award.

……

On Tuesday, You Le Mei held a three-way meeting with the client, East Morning Star Advertising, and the director’s team to finalize the execution plan.

They locked in the detailed shot scripts and set the filming location at the small studio in Minhang District.

Director You Yuhui’s team was already arranging sets and preparations.

Xie Bingran’s schedule wasn’t finalized yet, but based on Young Xu Chen’s inside info, they planned for late May or early June.

This was a major project for East Morning Star Advertising, especially with Xie Bingran involved, so Sun Aimi and Gu Xinxi were overseeing it personally.

Xu Chen also learned about Bing Ge’s upcoming arrangements; by June, Xie Bingran would head to Beijing for training.

Joining the national athletics team to prepare and adapt to the summer climate there.

The Beijing session would run through August or September.

And next year’s Olympics in August made that month’s training crucial.

There might be one or two competitions in between, but nothing was set yet.

In the coming year, there were plenty of domestic and international events, but with Xie Bingran’s world championship win, they weren’t pushing for more races.

Everything pointed to next August’s home Olympics.

This was no longer just Xie Bingran’s personal journey; it involved the entire coaching staff, support team, national athletics squad, Sports Administration, and even higher authorities…

……

……

Friday evening.

Nie Fei organized a dinner because the team had welcomed a few new colleagues.

When Young Xu Chen arrived at the Hunan restaurant, everyone was already there.

Xu Chen glanced around and saw the team had grown so much that two tables barely fit them.

They saved the best spot for Young Xu Chen, who didn’t hesitate and sat next to Nie Fei and Zhou Junjun.

Vice President Zhou looked thrilled and pulled Xu Chen into promising a few drinks…

Xu Chen had already met the new colleagues during interviews, so they all greeted Young Xu Chen warmly.

For Ran Bing Sports, Sun Lingfeng’s operations department added two new subordinates.

Lü Yang, a 26-year-old guy, switched from an e-commerce platform.

He had solid experience running online stores and had worked with other sports brands on Taobao.

Lei Qidong, a year younger than Lü Yang, came from Hui Cong Net in Beijing doing e-commerce operations.

Hui Cong Net had made its mark in China’s e-commerce history as a B2B leader.

In 2007, it was still thriving.

But Xu Chen, with his reborn knowledge, knew Alibaba and Taobao would soon overshadow it, leaving it in the dust years later.

So, Lei Qidong’s move from Hui Cong Net was a smart one.

He understood e-commerce operations and traffic, making him perfect for handling Taobao.

Over at East Morning Star Advertising’s creative department, they finally brought in two assistants for the overworked Sun Aimi.

Zhuang Lei, a 29-year-old, was slightly older than Sun Aimi.

He had long hair and a neatly trimmed beard, giving off a very artistic vibe.

Zhuang Lei previously worked at J. Walter Thompson in Shanghai and briefly handled Nike accounts.

Xu Chen hired him partly to support future design needs for Ran Bing.

Plus, Zhuang Lei had experience with Audi and Dodge, so he knew male audiences well.

That would help balance things with Sun Aimi on gender-focused projects.

The other new hire was Ma Lingyao, a fresh grad with a year of experience from a French design studio.

Xu Chen picked her for her creative spark and bubbly personality.

Ma Lingyao was outgoing and full of jokes, which would liven up the team atmosphere.

Xu Chen hadn’t thought much about this before, but seeing Zhou Junjun and Wu Feifei’s energy at work, he realized such colleagues were key.

Beyond skills and hard work, team vibe was crucial.

These four new employees were recruited by the new HR director, Tang Mo.

Having a pro HR lead made hiring smoother.

Tang Mo refined the job requirements, sifted through over a hundred resumes, and after several interviews, landed these four.

……

Besides the business staff, a sturdy, straightforward guy sat quietly, chuckling at the younger folks’ jokes.

He was Ho Guolong, a 35-year-old ex-military man, the new administrative hire.

Interestingly, Young Xu Chen had personally brought him on board.

Administrative had only Nana before, and she couldn’t handle all the grunt work alone.

Nana often had to ask Sun Lingfeng or Jiang Yuze for help, but they got swamped.

Xu Chen first thought of Zhao Feng’s brother, Zhao Kai, who drove taxis in Shanghai.

He checked with Zhao Feng and learned Zhao Kai had returned to Tiancheng for business.

But Zhao Kai recommended Ho Guolong after hearing the needs.

Ho Guolong, a veteran, had driven trucks, cabs, and done construction work.

He knew Zhao Kai from their taxi days.

He was ideal for the company’s heavy lifting and driving duties.

Xu Chen hired him without hesitation.

Since Xu Chen knew Zhao Feng and Zhao Kai well, their recommendation was trustworthy, especially with Ho Guolong’s military background.

……

With lively Zhou Junjun around, the dinner stayed upbeat.

Young Xu Chen was in high spirits, downing drinks from his new subordinates until he felt a bit tipsy.

An interesting tidbit came up when Sun Aimi and Zhuang Lei chatted and realized they both knew Li Fengfeng from Black Duke Marketing.

That former ‘bad boss’ of Xu Chen’s from his past life had been ‘punished’ last year and was out of the ad world.

Zhuang Lei had worked with Li Fengfeng on a project four years ago and got burned.

He brought it up not just because Sun Aimi was from Black Duke Marketing, but because he’d recently heard about Li Fengfeng’s situation.

After Li Fengfeng’s money-skimming schemes between clients and agencies were exposed, he faced charges.

Clearly, the amounts he’d pocketed were substantial, and Black Duke Marketing’s boss went all out against him.

It was no surprise; after last year’s scandal, Black Duke Marketing’s reputation tanked, losing several long-term clients.

Xu Chen couldn’t help but reflect: in the end, whether in the workplace or as a boss, it’s all about integrity.]