109. Be my stepmother

Planning Mr. Fang's daughter's birthday party was, after all, personal work, and couldn't be done during work hours. Ling Ling spent her evenings after work mulling it over. Leveraging her experience from the previous year working on the company's systems, she scoured the database and quickly found every advertising campaign Fang Tuowu had handled over the past two or three decades. Many of these campaigns were well-known, having become incredibly popular back then, helping many domestic brands achieve the myth of "brand as category." With Mr. Fang's authorization, she downloaded the collected materials onto a sleek USB drive. Then, she visited a well-known used luxury goods store and, using the 100,000 yuan credit card Mr. Fang had given her, bought a LV lipstick and a bag for over 10,000 yuan. She also obtained the keys to Mr. Fang's house, and by Friday night, she had everything ready. She was on call all day Saturday as well, creating a minute-by-minute schedule, which she sent to Mr. Fang, reminding him of every step. For example, when Yao Ye returns home at 4 p.m., there's no need for elaborate small talk, but a comfortable atmosphere is essential. At 5 p.m., the projector is turned on, and together, father and daughter watch a short film reviewing Fang Tuowu's work. Ling Ling has edited it into a series of microcosms of the times. The core theme is to help Yao Ye understand that during her father's absence, he created works that have transformed Chinese consumer values ​​and inspired countless families to yearn for a better life. The film should be 30 minutes long—not too short to be memorable, but not too long to offend the little princess. At 6 p.m., dinner can be prepared. The dishes are all Yao Ye's mother's former specialties, but Yao Ye must have forgotten how they tasted back then. Fang Tuowu can explain the differences between the same dishes he and her mother prepared. A little after 9 p.m., Ling Ling finally receives a message from Fang Tuowu: "Ling Ling, thank you so much for today." Ling Ling finally breathes a sigh of relief. After a week of nerves, it's a happy ending. Monday is her normal workday, full of energy. But suddenly, a strange girl followed her into the tea room. She was wearing designer clothes, but the outfit was poorly matched, like a stack of crisp dollar bills crumpled and then framed, giving off an incongruous air of grandeur. "Are you Ling Ling?" the girl inquired, her tone impolite. "Yes," Ling Ling replied coldly. The girl looked her up and down without hesitation, then proudly asked, "Did you plan my entire birthday party?" Ling Ling then realized that she was the legendary Yao Ye, a truly domineering little princess. Ling Ling nodded, and then...

Planning Mr. Fang's daughter's birthday party was, after all, a personal project, and couldn't be done during work hours. Ling Ling spent her evenings after work mulling it over. Luckily, she had the experience she'd gained working on company systems the previous year. She scoured the database and quickly found every advertising campaign Fang Tuowu had handled over the past two or three decades. Many of these campaigns were well-known, and their successes were immense, helping many domestic brands establish the myth of "brand as category."

She obtained Mr. Fang's authorization and downloaded the collected materials onto a compact USB drive. Then, she went to a well-known used luxury goods store and, using the 100,000 yuan credit card Mr. Fang had given her, bought a 10,000 yuan LV lipstick bag.

She got the key to Mr. Fang's house from him, and finally, on Friday night, everything was ready. She was on call all day Saturday as well, preparing a schedule down to the minute, sending it to Mr. Fang and reminding him of every step he needed to take.

For example, if you let your daughter come home at 4 pm, you don’t need to make small talk, but you must ensure that the atmosphere is comfortable.

At 5 a.m., the projector turned on, and father and daughter watched a short film reviewing Fang Tuowu's work. Ling Ling had edited it into a series of microcosms of the times. The core theme was to help Yao Ye understand that during her father's absence, he created works that changed Chinese consumer values ​​and inspired countless families to yearn for a better life. The short film was 30 minutes long, not too short to be unreflective, but not too long to offend the little princess.

At 6 o'clock, dinner can be prepared. The dishes are all Yao Ye's mother's specialties, but Yao Ye must have forgotten how they tasted back then. Fang Tuowu can explain the differences between the same dishes made by her mother and hers while they are eating.

Around 9 p.m., Ling Ling finally received a message from Fang Tuowu: "Ling Ling, thank you so much for today."

Ling Ling finally breathed a sigh of relief. She had been nervous for a week, but fortunately the ending was a happy one.

On Monday, Ling Ling went to work as usual, working energetically as usual. But suddenly, a strange girl followed her into the tea room.

The girl was wearing clothes with brand name logos visible to the naked eye, but the clothes were poorly matched. She looked like a stack of brand new US dollar bills that had been crumpled up and then framed, giving off an incongruous air of extravagance.

"Are you Lingling?" The girl asked in a very rude tone.

"Yes." Ling Ling also answered coldly.

The girl looked her up and down without any hesitation, then asked proudly, "Did you plan my entire birthday party?"

Only then did Ling Ling realize that she was the legendary Yao Ye, and she really fit the character of a domineering little princess.

Ling Ling nodded, then said, "I'm just helping you and your daughter create a good atmosphere. The emotions and companionship within are all your own."

Yao Ye nodded in approval, but still had an arrogant aura.

She walked around Ling Ling, poured some coffee into a disposable paper cup, took a sip, found it unpalatable, curled her lips and put it down.

Ling Ling thought the little princess was just checking out the company out of boredom and didn't intend to provoke her again. She turned around to get a pot of hot water, but she suddenly heard these terrifying words from her behind her:

"Then, you can be my stepmother."

Ling Ling was so scared that her hand trembled. The boiling hot water poured on the back of her hand. She grimaced in pain and hurried to the faucet to rinse it with cold water.

Finally, when the burning pain subsided, she turned to look directly at Yao Ye, the girl with childish pride. But the way her feet kept changing positions and her fingers scratched the edge of the locker revealed her deep anxiety.

"What do you mean?" Ling Ling asked directly.

"Literally." Yao Ye straightened his chest again, making himself appear more resolute.

"There's almost a 20-year age difference between your father and me."

"So what! It's rare to meet a woman who understands him and me. Age is not an obstacle." Yao Ye said lightly.

"Age is definitely not an obstacle. Age means different experiences, which leads to different values ​​and completely different concerns, so you can't even find a basis for quarreling. Age also means different physical fitness and a different pace of daily life. How can you live together?" Ling Ling really couldn't understand this reckless young girl.

But Yao Ye still looked unconvinced: "Not being able to find a basis for an argument is just the right thing to do. As for my dad's physical condition, don't worry, he has been having affairs all these years. I've observed that he should be in excellent physical condition."

Ling Ling was so angry at this self-righteous little princess that she almost vomited blood. She could only say, "Thank you for your kindness, but I already have a boyfriend. Sorry."

Ling Ling folded her arms and tried to escape from the tea room, but Yao Ye caught up with her. "Aren't you breaking up with your boyfriend? My dad is the best person for you!"

It didn't matter what she said, her words were clear and her voice was loud, just loud enough for half of the people in the office to hear, and the remaining half was enough for that half to tell others.

Ling Ling lowered her eyes in despair. She didn't want to look at anyone and pretended to hope that others couldn't see her either.

*~*~*~*~*~*~

The explosive news that Fang Tuowu's only daughter ran to the company to find Ling Ling to be her stepmother broke out in the private chat groups of companies big and small within an hour. Even the cleaning ladies joined in the barrage of comments, forcing Ling Ling to try hard to keep her voice down when going to the bathroom.

She tried her best to act as if nothing special had happened to her, and reported on the progress of several projects she was working on and her preliminary ideas at the Group A meeting as usual.

Mei Xiao, however, seemed extremely dissatisfied with the quality of her work. When discussing the copywriting for Acorn Food Technology, Mei Xiao reprimanded her, "Lingling, your copywriting has always had a major flaw. I don't know if you've noticed, but it's too flowery. Clients even see it as a bit sour and fake. We're in the advertising industry, and we must efficiently demonstrate communication effectiveness and quickly reflect increased sales. We only pay writers who increase sales, not artists who are eager to express themselves. Your Acorn slogan is too long and too many words. Clients pay you for advertising, and you write a lot, but not a single word helps them increase sales. Isn't this tantamount to cheating them out of their money?"

Ling Ling wanted to explain, but was afraid she would be mistaken for quibbling, so she said weakly, "Okay, Sister Mei, I'll go down and revise it to make it more concise and catchy."

Mei Xiao nodded reluctantly and continued, "Don't blame me for being blunt. I'm simply worried that you might stray from your writing style. You absolutely can't treat advertising copy as a work of art, nor can you be too idealistic. If you want your ideals to have vitality, you have to admit that they need to survive."

"Yes, Sister Mei, don't worry, this time I will put aside my rigid way of thinking and revise the manuscript." Ling Ling just wanted to escape from the current predicament by her humble attitude.

Gu Chuqi, however, couldn't stand it any longer and spoke up, "Sister Mei, Lingling and I attended the meeting with Acorn CEO Jiang at our company. She was incredibly impressed with this copy and the subsequent promotional ideas. She's a young female entrepreneur who inherited her father's business. After taking over Yuchen Food, her performance soared. This year, she founded Acorn Technology, hoping to leverage technology to support industrial development, targeting the dietary habits of Generation Z. Therefore, this first campaign focuses on emotional resonance, aiming to help young people first recognize and remember Acorn, find a dietary habit that suits them, and ultimately develop a lifestyle around it. I think the emotional connection Lingling struck is particularly relevant to the theme; otherwise, CEO Jiang wouldn't have immediately taken notice. On a tired morning, a late-night snack after a tiring day, or when a worker sees the kitchenware, the message from their broken hearts is, 'Stop forcing a smile!'"

Ling Ling was emotionally grateful for Chu Qi's words, but intellectually she was frantically trying to stop them. After what she said, neither of them could get along well.

Mei Xiao replied with a half-smile, "You've captured the emotional connection quite well. I agree that finding common human emotions can amplify the impact of advertising. But don't flatter yourself. Your level is still far from achieving the results you're looking for. Besides, Acorn is a company that Boss Jiang just took over and started with her boyfriend, who is still in the throes of romance. Young people always think they can change the world and like new but useless things. New product proposals may pass Boss Jiang's approval, but if we anger him, our newly secured sponsorship will also be gone. Think carefully about this. Okay, let's end today's meeting here. Yihuan will send the new schedule for the Acorn case to the entire team, and no one should slack off."