Chapter 523: Racing Against Time

The next morning, Xu Chen headed out early to catch a flight from the Provincial Capital Airport back to Shanghai.

Coincidentally, Guo Liang was also traveling to Henan Province in the north for a business trip, so they shared a ride with Young President Xu.

Fang Tao was driving, still his usual blunt self with a gruff voice.

Over the past couple of days, Guo Liang had been drinking a lot since returning, now half-lying in the back seat looking completely drained.

Xu Chen joked, “Need some Shenbao to recharge?”

Guo Liang paused, then burst out laughing.

Their first meeting traced back to the Shenbao project.

Looking back, it was a strangely fated connection.

During the drive, Guo Liang updated Young President Xu on the current promotion efforts for Chenfeng Electric Vehicles in the north.

The two main electric bike brands up there, Aibang and Shenbiao, had predictably made some competitive moves and defenses, but nothing serious.

Earlier, those two had tried to block the partnership between Datuo Car Dealership and Chenfeng Electric Vehicles by pressuring Datuo and cutting their supply.

But once Chenfeng Electric Vehicles hit the shelves at Datuo, they quickly filled the gap left by Aibang and Shenbiao, even boosting sales beyond previous levels.

This proved the real appeal of Chenfeng Electric Vehicles to consumers.

Now, Aibang and Shenbiao were begging Datuo for deeper collaboration, offering exclusive deals and consumer discounts, but Datuo was playing hard to get.

The partnership between Chenfeng Technology and Aixing Car Dealership was already signed, and apparently Aibang and Shenbiao had tried to pressure them too.

Yet Aixing saw how much Datuo was raking in and ignored the pressure completely.

Recently, to counter Chenfeng Electric Vehicles’ market share, Aibang and Shenbiao launched promotional discounts in the north.

The discounts were huge, but they didn’t match up with the marketing effort needed to boost sales.

As Guo Liang put it:

“They made money too easily before, so their bikes haven’t been updated in two or three years.”

Whether in design or internal components like motors, batteries, and controls, they’re way behind Chenfeng Ice Power.

Consumers aren’t fools; they can see which bikes are better and more worthwhile!

Xu Chen thought for a moment: “They’ll probably start developing new products by the end of this year.”

Guo Liang replied: “President Xu has that covered; Director Yang is already on it!”

“We’ll stay a generation ahead!”

He paused again: “It’s all thanks to President Xu and Young President Xu’s foresight in planning ahead.”

Last year’s collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Physics Institute and the exclusive brushless motor license gave our electric bikes a huge edge.

Add in the stylish design and Xie Bingran’s star power…

“If we still can’t sell well, that would be surprising!”

Xu Chen said: “It’s also because you’ve expanded the distribution channels so well, Guo. Without those markets you’ve opened, even the best product might stay hidden.”

…

…

For the next two weeks, Xu Chen immersed himself in memorizing vocabulary and listening to English lessons.

It was all for the university English Level 4 exam on June 23rd.

His roommates were studying hard too, with listening exercises playing in the dormitory every day.

Xu Chen assessed himself; passing wouldn’t be a problem. With his high school English level, acing Level 4 was straightforward.

Plus, after his rebirth, he had experience working at a foreign company, so listening and reading comprehension were no issue.

Still, he didn’t want to rely on luck; since he was taking the exam, he’d put in the effort to pass and aim for a good score.

…

At the company, Young President Xu didn’t worry much about projects; Fei Jie handled Ran Bing Sports, and Gu Xinxi and Sun Aimi managed East Morning Star Advertising without major issues.

The You Le Mei ad was in rough cut stage these days.

Even without color grading, the overall vibe impressed Young President Xu.

In fact, it was even better than the one featuring Zhou Jielun that Xu Chen remembered from his past life.

Bing Ge in the ad footage looked more charismatic than in person, thanks to lighting and composition.

The client showed it to Marketing Director Kuang Lili first.

She decided to revise it once more before presenting to boss Li Yongjun and his ‘little princess’ Li Lizi.

She was playing it safe.

Kuang Lili praised the footage of Bing Ge endlessly.

The ‘female disguised as male’ concept surprised and delighted her.

“Full of sexual tension.”

“Thanks for the creative idea, Young President Xu! This ad will hit big once it’s out!”

Kuang Lili did offer some specific feedback on details.

Xu Chen glanced over them; they were all about Li Lizi’s scenes.

The main goal was to make the ‘little princess’ look stunning, fixing or replacing any flawed shots.

…

Soon, June 23rd arrived, a Saturday.

Xu Chen walked out of the exam room in the North Teaching Building, feeling relaxed.

Just a simple English Level 4 exam.

He had it under control.

Xu Chen suddenly remembered Bing Ge mentioning fixed English classes even at Xin Zhuang Base.

Especially after Xie Bingran won the Asian Games and International Athletics Grand Prix, her classes intensified.

It was for more international interactions.

Xie Bingran was in intensive training in Beijing now, and he missed her a bit…

On the way, he bumped into his dorm mate, computer whiz Hong Xiaoqiang, and top student Jiao Tianbo, so Xu Chen invited them to the cafeteria.

Jiao Tianbo seemed hesitant at first, but since it was Xu Chen’s invite, he tagged along awkwardly.

Right at the entrance, they ran into guys from the next dorm, Qian Xin and Huang Hao, turning it into a lively group meal.

Chatting about the exam, everyone felt pretty easygoing about it.

After all, getting into Tonghai University meant solid high school English; Level 4 was a breeze.

In casual talk, Qian Xin casually crossed his legs, clearly showing off his shoes.

Xu Chen had noticed earlier; the Jiang Zhe Little Prince was wearing the newly released Ran Bing X.

“Those new shoes look sharp!” Huang Hao said.

Qian Xin grinned smugly, tapping the shoe with his hand as he added:

“This pair is the men’s version of Ran Bing X, also called the ‘Phoenix edition’.”

“I just got the women’s version, the ‘Seeking Phoenix edition!”

“But it’ll arrive next week.”

Hong Xiaoqiang asked: “Why buy the women’s version?”

Qian Xin: “You don’t know?”

“Ran Bing X is all about mixing them up!”

“Guys wear ‘left foot Phoenix, right foot Seeking Phoenix,’ and girls do the opposite!”

Xu Chen inwardly drew a sharp breath.

As the boss of Ran Bing Sports, he felt a bit out of the loop; users’ creativity was endless.

Jiang Yuze’s marketing team must have played a part; next week, Young President Xu would reward them.

Plus, Ran Bing X was priced high, so expected sales were lower than Ran Bing 001’s.

But if core users like Qian Xin bought two pairs at once, it could really boost numbers.

“The Phoenix Seeking Phoenix design from Chen’s Studio turned out to be a clever twist!”

…

…

With the afternoon free, Xu Chen wandered to the company.

The sixth-floor main office was empty, so he went to his eighth-floor studio.

He’d added more comforts, making it cozier.

A new soft, sound-absorbing carpet covered the floor, and he added two empty bookshelves along the wall.

No rush; he could build it up slowly.

The fridge held a few watermelons; Xu Chen cut one in half and dug in with a spoon.

It was Shanghai’s local ‘Nan Hui 8424’ variety, pricey at the time.

One bite, and it was sweet and refreshing.

He thought it would be perfect to share with a little foodie.

Xu Chen sat at his computer, idly browsing websites and news.

He stuck to the popular communities of the era.

Tianya, Mop, Xici Hutong…

As for the student-favorite ‘Xiaonei,’ he couldn’t muster interest.

He knew it would fade in a few years, never matching the original Facebook’s lifespan.

Xu Chen wasn’t completely aimless; he searched for posts on Xie Bingran and discussions about Ran Bing 001 and Ran Bing X.

He quickly found some.

In threads about Xie Bingran, Ran Bing always popped up here and there.

Xu Chen knew this was Jiang Yuze’s marketing at work.

They were already using ‘online armies’ back then, pioneers of internet marketing.

Browsing Sina’s sports channel, he stumbled upon Anta’s ad for their running shoes collab with Chen Lan.

Xu Chen knew Anta had originally wanted Xie Bingran for that line.

Rejected, they settled for Asian Games silver medalist Chen Lan.

From Nie Fei and Zhou Junjun, he heard Anta’s xRun line was getting outsold by Ran Bing 001, far below expectations.

It was inevitable.

Chen Lan faced off against Xie Bingran, and Anta against Ran Bing.

Ran Bing Sports lacked the burden of extensive offline stores and heavy promotions, letting them maximize shoe value.

With Xie Bingran as the face, it didn’t compromise the brand’s image.

This gave it a strong edge over foreign brands like Nike and Adidas, or domestic ones like Anta and Li Ning.

…

On Tianya forums, Xu Chen spotted a post that made him frown.

[Kids Drinking Domestic Milk Powder: Urine Turning Colors, Now Particles Appearing—Is This Normal?]

He clicked in; it was a concerned mom’s plea.

Scrolling comments, someone asked the brand, and ‘Sanlu’ came up as expected…

Xu Chen leaned back in his chair, thinking: it had finally surfaced.

From memory, Sanlu’s scandal broke in 2008, so they had about a year left.

What worried him was how many innocent kids would suffer in that time.

Xu Chen wasn’t one for heroics, but recalling the shocking reports from his past life weighed on him.

As he pondered, the page refreshed and went to a 404 error.

“They’re already on damage control, deleting posts…”

He remembered from before that Sanlu got exposed when Fonterra alerted Beijing officials.

Earlier complaints and hospital reports were suppressed.

If Xu Chen wanted to act, going through Fonterra in New Zealand might be safest.

At this point in 2007, domestic channels could be risky—like getting ‘fished out to sea.’

He still recalled the news of a doctor exposing a medicinal wine and getting targeted across provinces.

Any move to help those families and kids had to ensure his own safety first.

Xu Chen mulled this over, searching for more Sanlu-related posts.

After digging around, he found no other complaints like that one.

Clicking Sanlu’s official site, he saw Chen Lan’s endorsement ad right on the homepage.

Like Anta, they approached Xie Bingran first; rejected, they went for Chen Lan.

Xu Chen suspected Director Li had a hand in it.

From Li’s view, landing deals for Chen Lan boosted his record.

Thinking back, Xu Chen felt a chill; if he hadn’t stopped it, Bing Ge signing with Sanlu could have wrecked her image next year.

And with the Olympics coming, it might have affected her mentally…

Now, if Xu Chen exposed Sanlu, would it drag Chen Lan in?

He frowned, realizing even if he did nothing, it would blow up next year.

Those involved would face consequences anyway.

Bringing it out sooner might help, avoiding the Olympics and protecting Bing Ge indirectly.

…

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