Capital City, Central Business District, MaiVision Advertising Company.
Morning sunlight streamed through the large floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing Zhuang Jingwei's office in a warm, golden glow.
The creative director of MaiVision Advertising leaned back in his soft chair, sipping freshly brewed coffee that his assistant had just brought in. The warmth seemed to spread through his whole body.
But the rich aroma of the coffee did little to soothe the frustration in his heart; his brows remained tightly furrowed.
He didn't even feel like picking up his daily newspapers, something he never missed.
Knock Knock.
A gentle knock on the door. Zhuang Jingwei set his coffee cup down and said in a deep voice, "Come in."
The door opened slightly, and his attractive assistant peeked in. "Director, the representatives from Zhonghua Auto and Lu Chen's studio have arrived. The general manager wants you in the meeting."
Zhuang Jingwei nodded. "Got it."
He reached for his coffee again.
The assistant hesitated, then reminded him politely, "Director, the GM said to go right away."
Zhuang Jingwei glared. "I heard you. So now all you care about is the general manager, huh? I don't count anymore?"
At forty, Zhuang Jingwei could still be intimidating when he was angry. But his assistant wasn't fazed in the slightest. She stuck out her tongue and giggled, "I listen to you and the general manager. I'll go with you. I heard Lu Chen is here too!"
Her eyes sparkled at the mention of Lu Chen. "I wonder if he's as handsome in person as he is on TV!"
Clearly, she was a fan of 'Autumn in My Heart'.
Zhuang Jingwei rubbed his temples, not sure whether to laugh or scold. He waved her away. "Alright, alright, I'm going!"
His assistant was actually his niece, a senior in college currently interning with him to "learn the ropes." But this girl had been spoiled at home, didn't fear him in the slightest, and no amount of scolding worked.
He had already decided to let her go once the internship was over. She was too much trouble to keep around.
And yet, hearing Lu Chen's name made Zhuang Jingwei even more annoyed.
He had only vaguely heard of Lu Chen before, but now he knew everything. A musical prodigy, a rising star singer, and most recently, the lead actor in a hugely popular TV drama, so charming he had even turned his own niece into a total fangirl.
As the creative director of MaiVision, Zhuang Jingwei had worked with many celebrities, but none like Lu Chen, so brazenly overconfident!
The whole thing had started because of MaiVision's contract with Zhonghua Auto. The domestic auto giant had entrusted the advertising and marketing of its newly launched R100 travel car to MaiVision, and selected Lu Chen as the face of the brand.
Celebrity endorsements were routine. After understanding the client's needs, MaiVision had immediately started working on the ad campaign, with Zhuang Jingwei spearheading the creative concept for the R100's commercial.
Just when he had begun refining his ideas, news came from Zhonghua Auto: Lu Chen had personally edited and produced an ad demo for the R100!
When he first heard the news, Zhuang Jingwei thought he'd misheard. A singer, and one who had only just debuted, wanted to make a commercial for one of China's top automobile brands?
Not only that, Zhonghua Auto asked MaiVision to take Lu Chen's ad seriously and arranged a three-party strategy meeting to review it, hosted right at MaiVision HQ.
Zhuang Jingwei felt this was a serious blow to his professional credibility. It was intolerable! If Lu Chen had a background in visual arts or advertising, he might have understood. But from what Zhuang knew, Lu Chen had majored in computer science.
Computer science and advertising weren't entirely unrelated, but they were hardly the same thing!
Now Lu Chen was swaggering into MaiVision's office with his so-called "demo video." How was this not a slap in the face? If it had come from someone in the industry, Zhuang could have begrudgingly accepted it. But from a total outsider?
Most infuriatingly, all the effort Zhuang had put into his creative concept might now be wasted; how could he not be angry?
In advertising, the worst clients were those who only half-understood the work but still insisted on micromanaging, ultimately resulting in a hodgepodge that pleased no one.
Still, Zhuang couldn't act out on his frustrations. Not unless he wanted to quit altogether. Orders from the general manager had to be followed.
But on the way to the meeting room, Zhuang made a silent vow: he would make his voice heard!
Inside MaiVision's conference room, nearly every seat was filled.
Zhuang Jingwei spotted Zhonghua Auto's representatives, his own colleagues, and Lu Chen.
Among everyone present, Lu Chen was undoubtedly the most eye-catching. Tall, young, and handsome, his warm and approachable smile gave off a natural charm. Even with all his internal biases, Zhuang had to admit: Lu Chen had star power.
That kind of presence was what made fans swoon.
For example, the young woman sitting next to the general manager looked like her eyes were about to burst into starlight; she practically sparkled, as if she were just one step away from rushing over to ask for Lu Chen's autograph and a selfie!
"Director Zhuang is here."
When she saw Zhuang Jingwei walk in, Cai Jin, the general manager of MaiVision Advertising, waved him over with a smile. "Come, sit over here."
Thirty-five-year-old Cai Jin had joined MaiVision seven years ago. An elite talent with overseas education, she had risen steadily to become the general manager, taking MaiVision with her into the ranks of Capital City's top 10 AAAA-grade advertising companies.
In terms of business acumen and leadership, even Zhuang Jingwei had to admit she was impressive.
He took his seat.
Cai Jin subtly gave Zhuang Jingwei a look.
He understood immediately.
Cai Jin's business philosophy at MaiVision followed a well-known golden rule in the service industry: "The customer is always right. And if the customer is wrong, please refer to rule number one."
This principle had always clashed somewhat with Zhuang Jingwei's professional standards. But facts spoke for themselves, Cai Jin was right. Advertising was like dancing in shackles: the art was in finding elegance within restrictions, regulatory, creative, and most of all, client-imposed.
Zhonghua Auto was a major client for MaiVision, and Cai Jin clearly worried that Zhuang Jingwei's stubborn streak might spark conflict over the creative direction of the R100 commercial.
Once everyone had arrived, Cai Jin had the conference room doors closed and the projector turned on.
Sitting tall with a pleasant smile, she said, "It's a pleasure and an honor for us at MaiVision Advertising to host this discussion on the ad campaign for Zhonghua Auto's R100 travel car. First, let's welcome Mr. Chen Hong, Director of Public Relations at Zhonghua Auto."
Cai Jin's demeanor was graceful and composed, her tone gentle and soothing. Her voice gave the feeling of a spring breeze, but those who knew her never underestimated her capability.
"And let's also welcome Mr. Lu Chen, the R100's celebrity ambassador!"
Lu Chen stood and bowed slightly to the room in greeting.
His decision to personally create a music video for the car wasn't, as Zhuang Jingwei had assumed, an attempt to overstep or challenge anyone. This discussion had been initiated at Zhonghua Auto's request, after they previewed the video themselves.
The reason the meeting was held at MaiVision's office was simple: all ad operations for the R100 had been entrusted to this AAAA-grade agency, and Zhonghua Auto still valued their professional input.
Once the polite applause subsided, Lu Chen spoke again: "At Zhonghua Auto's request, I wrote a song for the R100's first commercial and edited together a simple MV using online footage. It's very rough and unpolished. I'm an outsider to this field. It's just a personal concept. I hope MaiVision can offer professional feedback and help refine it. Let's work together to make this project a success!"
"Thank you."
This time, the applause was noticeably more sincere and enthusiastic. Even Zhuang Jingwei clapped a few times.
Lu Chen's attitude left a good impression. He was polite, and though his initiative had been a bit over the line, his tone was humble. He wasn't trying to assert dominance, just contribute.
That's how it should be; he was the brand ambassador, not the creative director.
When Lu Chen finished, Cai Jin signaled her assistant to dim the lights and begin the presentation via projector.
Even she was curious to see what Lu Chen had put together. What kind of material could make Zhonghua Auto set aside MaiVision's internal concept and seriously consider an idea from someone outside the industry?
The screen lit up.
A vast, expansive grassland appeared, its deep, moody colors filling the room. A long straight road stretched endlessly toward the horizon, evoking an indescribable sense of awe.
Anyone who loved travel or scenic landscapes would recognize it instantly, it was the famed Qinghai-Tibet Highway.
The camera slowly panned upward. A lone SUV drove into view, cutting across the desolate terrain toward the distance. As the car moved, the soft prelude of a song began, along with Lu Chen's vocals, His voice drifted out like wind across the sky:
"Wandering… on the road
Are you leaving, via via?
Fragile… proud
That used to be me.
Boiling, restless
Where are you going, via via?
Mysterious, silent…
Are you really listening to the story?"
…
As the music flowed and images changed, the people in the conference room gradually became absorbed in the unique atmosphere the MV created.
(End Of This Chapter)
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