Rebirth: My dad is too obedient

Chapter 526: Only Success Allowed, No Failure Allowed?

In the morning, Xu Chen finished his final exam for "Sociology" and felt a sense of relief as he walked out of the exam room.

These large "general education" courses at school are usually not taken seriously, and students cram for the final exams at the last minute.

Xu Chen sat on a bench behind the library because he had a more relaxed "Art Appreciation" class later.

This morning, Xie Bingran was shooting an Omega advertisement in Beijing. Huang Xueli took photos of the scene and sent them to Xu Chen for review.

Because Bing Ge is still in the national team's "closed training", it is difficult to coordinate this filming schedule.

Ultimately, thanks to Director Li Yue's efforts and communication, the filming was arranged at the Training Bureau of the General Administration of Sport.

The production team arranged by Omega set up a small film studio in an empty strength training room.

Fortunately, the shooting plan was not very complicated. It mainly consisted of close-up shots of Xie Bingran and the Omega watch she endorses. As long as the makeup and lighting on set were handled well, there were basically no major obstacles to execution.

Judging from the photos sent by Huang Xueli, the photographer was a foreigner, a white man with a standard American slicked-back hairstyle and a full beard.

Xie Bingran's makeup and styling this time was very stylish. She wore a tight black suit and black leather shoes, with a simple white T-shirt underneath.

Combined with Bing Ge's jet-black short hair and sharp eyebrows, it creates a strong sense of presence.

On her wrist was an Omega Speedmaster 50th Anniversary Edition.

The black and gold color scheme also exudes the aura of a "big boss" or "godfather," which complements Bing Ge's temperament at this moment.

Although the shooting process was hasty, the resulting images were in no way inferior to the original Louis Vuitton footage.

The photographer and production team that Omega hired are of a very high standard.

Huang Xueli sent over the photos from the scene and then politely asked "Little Xu" for his opinion.

Xu Chen checked it and found no major problems, so he didn't deliberately nitpick.

Huang Xueli will be in charge of Xie Bingran's business affairs from now on, which is equivalent to being Bing Ge's personal "agent". This configuration is naturally much better.

Xu Chen had a good impression of Huang Xueli after their last meeting, and his evaluation of her abilities was quite positive, which made him feel more at ease.

……

Xu Chen sent a message to his father, Xu Zhiquan, early this morning to share the new project requirements for "Red Star Erguotou".

After all, Meng Huiyang's matter also involves Jiang Huaqin of "Datuo Auto Shop".

As expected, Xu Zhiquan replied at this moment:

I need to discuss this with President Jiang...

I reckon Jiang Huaqin will definitely be with you when you go to the "Red Star" proposal meeting; he'll be using the opportunity to further cultivate his relationship with Meng Huiyang.

If that's the case, I'll go to the capital with you then.

Son, when are you going to the "Red Star" meeting? I'll make sure to clear my schedule in advance.

Xu Chen: [I can confirm this today. I'll let Mr. Xu know later.]

Meng Huiyang was ostensibly just a director at the state-owned enterprise "Hongxing Winery," yet he was fawned over by Jiang Huaqin, a big boss in the electric vehicle industry, which made Xu Chen feel somewhat wistful.

Of course, Jiang Huaqin's flattery of Meng Huiyang was actually based on his appreciation of Meng Huiyang's "father-in-law" from the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of Beijing.

Xu Zhiquan had previously mentioned to Xu Chen that "all interpersonal relationships are interconnected," and who knows, "Chenfeng Technology" might one day need Meng Huiyang and his father-in-law's help.

Therefore, Xu Chen and Xu Zhiquan are both trying to maintain their relationship with Meng Huiyang.

Of course, from Xu Zhiquan's perspective, he still couldn't jump ahead of Jiang Huaqin; he still had to prioritize "General Manager Jiang."

Meng Huiyang was assigned to "Hongxing Winery" as a director. In fact, his future path was already paved, and he was basically aiming for the position of "vice president of the group".

Even after you've been promoted, you might not stay in the "Red Star" forever. The "Red Star" is probably just a stop on your otherwise peaceful path.

However, after getting to know Meng Huiyang, Xu Chen found that he was very dedicated and serious in his work.

Red Star is a state-owned enterprise, but it is not a monopolistic industry and still has to face fierce market competition.

Although Meng Huiyang has a good father-in-law, he clearly wants to rely on his own abilities and produce solid results.

This left a very good impression on "Mr. Xu".

A short while later, Xu Zhiquan replied with another message:
[My son should have no trouble securing this project, right?]

Xu Chen was slightly taken aback:
[Does Mr. Xu have any instructions?]

Is my son free right now? I'll call you...

As soon as the call connected, Xu Zhiquan's hearty laughter could be heard.

The father and son didn't exchange any pleasantries; Old Xu went straight to the point:

"That postdoctoral fellow from the Chinese Academy of Sciences is going to be our company's chief engineer..."

If it's convenient, I'll bring him along when I go to the meeting at Red Star.

Xu Chen frowned, somewhat puzzled:
"Huh? What's the point of mentoring a 'postdoctoral fellow'?"

Xu Zhiquan paused for a moment, then gave his son a brief explanation.

Xu Chen was still somewhat amused and exasperated after hearing this.

This "Dr. Liu" struggled and weighed the pros and cons for a long time before deciding to join "Chenfeng Technology".

He considered many factors, including salary, career prospects, company environment, and so on.

Despite Xu Zhiquan's repeated visits to Dr. Liu's home, Dr. Liu had not yet finally agreed.

Two months ago, Xu Zhiquan finally learned indirectly that Dr. Liu still had a concern about joining "Chenfeng Technology," which was that he had heard that there was a "Little General Manager Xu" in the company, who was "General Manager Xu's" biological son.

Dr. Liu's concerns are also obvious. He is mainly worried that "Chenfeng Technology" is a traditional family business, and that in ten or twenty years, it will be taken over by his "son".

Of course, there's nothing wrong with "son taking over the business" in itself, but Dr. Liu seems to have a strong prejudice against "second-generation rich" or "second-generation entrepreneurs," believing that they are generally spoiled brats who are ambitious but lack real talent.

Therefore, even though he approves of Xu Zhiquan and is optimistic about the current situation and development trend of "Chenfeng Technology", he is still somewhat worried about the company's future after the "second generation takes over"...

Xu Zhiquan was speechless when he found out.

But once the crux of the problem was understood, things actually became easier to handle.

Old Xu visited again, reportedly bringing Jiang Huaqin, Guo Liang, and even Hua Shaojie, who hadn't yet joined the company.

With the confirmation of these three people, Dr. Liu was given a detailed introduction to the situation of "General Manager Xu".

This includes the important decision-making role of "Little Xu" in the establishment and development of "Chenfeng Technology", as well as the two companies operated by Xu Chen himself.

It is said that Dr. Liu privately and carefully studied the two companies independently managed by "Little Xu," "Ranbing Sports" and "Dongchen Advertising," before he made his own independent judgment and conviction.

That's how they finally accepted the offer from Chenfeng Technology.

Xu Zhiquan briefly explained the background, then said with a smile:

"Dr. Liu learned about his son's situation and was still very curious about 'Little Xu'."

Taking advantage of this 'Red Star' project, I'd like to introduce you two to each other.

Dr. Liu will be our 'Chief Engineer' and will be a 'core pillar' of the company in the future, so you need to get along well with him and build trust.

Furthermore, choosing this occasion involving a specific project was also to let him see my son's abilities firsthand!

Xu Chen was still somewhat amused and exasperated, but could only say:
"Okay, let him come then!"

I'd also like to pay my respects to and observe the scientists who are 'postdoctoral fellows'...

Xu Zhiquan laughed heartily:
"Scientists are different from us; their perspectives and ways of observing the world are ultimately somewhat strange."

But Dr. Liu is a very good person, very frank and direct!

Old Xu paused for a moment:

"I've already told Dr. Liu frankly that my son will definitely take over my company in the future. There's no need to hide this, and there's no way to hide it."

Otherwise, it would be deceiving people.

Dr. Liu doesn't actually care whether his son takes over; what he's really worried about is that the 'second generation' might be unreliable.

"I'll have to show him that my son is much more reliable than me, Old Xu!" Xu Chen shook his head with a wry smile, wanting to say, "I didn't agree to take over the business..."

But after hesitating for a moment, he swallowed his words.

Thus, Xu Chen's first meeting with "Dr. Liu" was determined somewhat inexplicably.

After hanging up Lao Xu's call, Xu Chen wondered why the "Red Star Erguotou" project had inexplicably become so important.
Meng Huiyang's stance was "success is the only option, failure is not an option."

Now, for Mr. Xu, success is the only option; failure is not an option.

……

……

In the afternoon, there was a "Practical Advertising Planning" class taught by the class teacher, Shi Dinghai.

There is no exam for this class. Everyone has submitted their final assessment projects beforehand, which must be "practical" advertising projects.

Xu Chen organized the information about "Cadillac" and "Red Star Erguotou" and submitted it, which was quite easy.

The advantage of running your own advertising company is that you can conveniently handle some course assessments in your studies, saving you a lot of time compared to others.

Shi Dinghai stood on the podium:
"Today is the last 'Advertising Planning Practice' course of this semester."

The final exams are out, and today we have the opportunity to share some good project case studies..."

Xu Chen shrank back in the row, but a bad feeling crept into his mind.

I was still very tired after finishing the exam this morning. I wanted to daydream and take a break, but judging from the tone of my homeroom teacher, Shi Dinghai, it seemed like he was about to "share".

And as expected.

"Three students in our class received an A+ in the assessment."

This is a good opportunity to have these three students share some practical case studies of A+ level planning...

The three who received A+ are Xu Chen, Su Rong, and Jiao Tianbo…

Applause rang out in the classroom.

Meanwhile, Qian Xin, Huang Hao, and others beside him quickly clapped their hands as loudly as possible:
"Great! Mr. Xu is treating us to dinner again tonight!"

"Why are you spouting nonsense? The key is to hear Mr. Xu share his case studies! Whether we eat or not is secondary."

"..."

Shi Dinghai: "Then let's invite Xu Chen to come up on stage first and give us a brief presentation!"

Amidst another round of applause, Xu Chen cleared his throat and calmly went on stage.

The homeroom teacher had already prepared the research paper and projected it onto the big screen.

The proposals for "Cadillac" and "Red Star Erguotou" were actually not complicated, and Xu Chen only talked about the important parts and core ideas.

What surprised the students below was not the content of the case, but that Xu Chen's company actually had such a large car client as "Cadillac".

"That's a Cadillac! I saw that ad on Dragon TV just a few days ago..."

I never imagined it was Xu Chen who did it!

"That's really impressive. Aren't these kinds of automotive clients usually handled by foreign 4A agencies?"

"Xu Chen is usually so quiet, how come his company is so big?"

Qian Xin, Hong Xiaoqiang, and others who were familiar with Xu Chen couldn't help but marvel at it.

……

Xu Chen didn't speak for long; less than ten minutes later, he said "thank you" and stepped down from the stage amidst applause.

Back in the back row, Qian Xin and the others clapped while casting envious and teasing glances.

Xu Chen began to speak:

"Let's have barbecue tonight!"

As a result, those people clapped even harder.

……

Next up on stage was Su Rong.

She stood on the podium with a somewhat reserved and timid demeanor, opening a document on her computer while glancing at Xu Chen in the back row:
"Both of my cases involved internships at Xu Chen's company..."

Then there was the project I did with Xu Chen.

"..."

Everyone was stunned.

No wonder Su Rong and Xu Chen were so close before; it turns out she was interning at his company.

Two out of the three people who received A+ ratings today are from Xu Chen's company?
When Su Rong shared the two projects, her classmates became even more agitated.

"Was this Tang Bohu ad on Baidu actually made by Xu Chen's company?"

"This ad campaign made it onto the 'Dragon's Roar List' monthly advertising case!"

"Head & Shoulders is really amazing..."

This is an advertisement featuring Xie Bingran! Does that mean Xu Chen and Su Rong also filmed this commercial?

"The key is that this is a P&G project. It's said that P&G's advertising contracts are the hardest to get in the entire FMCG industry."

……

Amidst the astonishment of her classmates, what Su Rong said was no longer important.

Xu Chen, sitting in the back row, listened with great interest, thinking to himself that Su Rong's basic business skills were actually quite good.

Although she didn't create this case study, her thinking and framework abilities are evident from the way she explained it and the logic behind it.

……

After Su Rong finished speaking, she stuck out her little tongue, looking slightly timid and embarrassed.

This was immediately met with applause.

Shi Dinghai: "Thank you, Su Rong. Now, please welcome our next classmate!"

Jiao Tianbo, the "top student," always sits in the front row during every class, so walking up to the podium is quite convenient for him.

He walked onto the podium with a serious expression, his chest puffed out, clearly still exuding a deep-seated arrogance and confidence.

Jiao Tianbo, the "academic genius," cleared his throat and began to speak:
"Of the two projects I'm working on, the most important one was done during my internship at Xu Chen's company, where I worked with Xu Chen."

"..."

"??!"

Jiao Tianbo paused again:
"Of course, I must clarify in advance that this project was mainly done by Xu Chen, and I was just an intern and project assistant."

"You've all probably seen or heard about this project to some extent, since there was a lot of discussion about it online when it was launched..."

As soon as he finished speaking, he piqued the interest of the students below.

Jiao Tianbo cleared his throat:

"It's a city promotion campaign for 'YC City'..."

Yes, it's the one you're thinking of!

"..."

"What? The 'calling for sex' thing?!"

"This was actually made by Xu Chen?!"

"Holy crap...he's so good!"

(End of this chapter)