92. Food Map

Mei Xiao, her high heels clacking, whispered to Ling Ling, "You'll meet Mindak later. Don't say anything. I'll take care of him. Henmino has been attacking for so long and hasn't been able to take it down. Now, as soon as we make a little noise, he wants to pry it away. No way! He can't speak without a mixture of Chinese and English. But if you can't hear or understand, it doesn't matter. It won't affect your understanding. Or maybe there's nothing to understand. Just bow and scrape to give him enough of a sense of ceremony to fool him. He constantly uses the boss to pressure us. I'm not afraid. I have serious matters to report directly to Mr. Fang. I've already told Mr. Fang: Mr. Ming, you always misinterpret the leadership's instructions when conveying them to us, so I have no choice but to come here to hear them firsthand. Mr. Ming listening to the leadership is like someone with poor English practicing listening. After a long speech, he only understands the word "apple," and then he keeps mentioning "apple" everywhere. If one day he only understands the word "abandon," then all our creative departments will be abandoned. Mei Xiao grumbled furiously all the way to Mingdake's office. She knocked and entered, instantly and seamlessly transitioning into enthusiastic subordinate mode. "Mr. Ming, you called us here. What's the new instruction?" Mei Xiao settled into the swivel chair across from Mingdake's desk, while Ling Ling self-consciously took a seat on the reception sofa by the door. Mingdake, dressed in a tailored suit, his hair meticulously trimmed and held in place, looked older, yet he still exuded the spirit of a legal elite. With a hint of a Cantonese accent, he spoke elegantly, "I heard your Group A successfully connected with Hemino?" Mei Xiao's expression instantly shifted to surprise. "Hemino? No, if we had, we'd have let you know immediately! It's just that Lingling went to New York with her boyfriend last Christmas and met their brand director at a cocktail party. It just so happened that the old man was now working for the China region. Right, Lingling?" Lingling, not expecting her to have a part in this drama, replied hesitantly, "Ah, yes, yes." Mingdake smiled lopsidedly and said, "So, does Lingling's boyfriend know Adrian? How about we get dinner together?" "Oh, no, Mr. Ming, my boyfriend doesn't know him," Lingling apologized, unable to explain herself, and unable to do so now. Mei Xiao saw a flash of...

Mei Xiao, her high heels clacking, whispered to Ling Ling, "You'll meet Mindak later. Don't say anything. I'll take care of him. Henmino has been attacking for so long and hasn't been able to take it down. Now, as soon as we make a little noise, he wants to pry it away. No way! He can't speak without a mixture of Chinese and English. But if you can't hear or understand, it doesn't matter. It won't affect your understanding. Or maybe there's nothing to understand. Just bow and scrape to give him enough of a sense of ceremony to fool him.

He constantly uses the boss to pressure us. I'm not afraid. I have serious matters to report directly to Mr. Fang. I've already told Mr. Fang: Mr. Ming always misinterprets the leadership's instructions when conveying them to us, so I have to come here to hear them firsthand. Mr. Ming listening to the leadership is like someone with poor English practicing listening: someone speaks a long paragraph, and he only understands the word 'apple', and then he keeps mentioning 'apple' everywhere. If one day he only understands the word 'abandon', then all our creative departments will be abandoned."

Mei Xiao was complaining all the way with resentment. When she arrived at the door of Mingdake's office, she knocked on the door and went in. She unexpectedly switched seamlessly into the mode of an enthusiastic female subordinate.

"Boss Ming, you asked us to come here. Do you have any new instructions?"

Mei Xiao sat on the swivel chair opposite Mingdake's desk, and Ling Ling sat on the reception sofa at the door.

Mindak, dressed in a tailored suit, his hair meticulously trimmed and in place, despite his age, still exuded the spirit of a legal elite. With a Cantonese accent, he spoke elegantly, "I heard your Team A successfully connected with Hemino?"

Mei Xiao instantly showed a surprised expression and said, "Henmino? No, if we really succeeded in the connection, we would definitely report to you immediately! It's just that Lingling went to New York with her boyfriend last Christmas and met their brand director at a cocktail party. I didn't expect that the old man happened to be working in the China region. Right, Lingling?"

Ling Ling didn't expect that she would have a line in this drama, and she replied hesitantly, "Ah, yes, yes."

Mingdake smiled crookedly and said, "Well, does Lingling's boyfriend know Adrian? How about we have dinner together?"

"Oh no, no, Mr. Ming, my boyfriend doesn't know him." Ling Ling said apologetically. She couldn't explain it clearly at the moment, and she couldn't explain it clearly at this moment.

Mei Xiao noticed a subtle flicker of displeasure on Mingdake's face and tried to smooth things over, saying, "Mr. Ming, you don't know, Lingling's boyfriend is Yu Chuanbei from Ever, the youngest senior director promoted two years ago. He's notoriously unruly. When he came to Tuowu to discuss a project, he immediately swept Bai Yuefu off the hook. If we ask him for help, who knows what might happen." She turned to Lingling apologetically, "Ling'er, don't mind it. After all, we're talking about business here. Straight men are easier to manage; they don't have so many tricks up their sleeves."

Ling Ling smiled awkwardly, indicating that she didn't mind at all. She thought to herself, she hadn't expected that her role as a bystander would also involve her family members.

Seeing that Mei Xiao seemed to be having trouble getting through to them, Mingdake had to put on his bossy attitude and give them some instructions. "Henmino has a very high market position and share in the US, but its entry into the Chinese market has been lukewarm over the past two years. If we can enter the market during their leadership change and bring their brand to new heights, customer loyalty will definitely be very high, reducing our current reliance on a few advertisers. So, if the connection is successful, please let me know. I'll be happy to help you follow up at any time."

Once we secure the Hemino project, we must strategically lean more towards emerging media. The emergence of mobile phones, the "third screen," has shaped a new media landscape. We need to cleverly leverage a range of methods, including games, music downloads, and free ringtones, to engage mobile audiences. Enhancing audience engagement is crucial to our success. We need to identify niche markets and engage with users on an equal footing within those segments, rather than resorting to condescending rhetoric.

Mei Xiao listened attentively like a fangirl chasing a star, nodding frequently in agreement. "Don't worry, President Ming, we will definitely keep your instructions in mind and report any new developments to you as soon as possible."

Mei Xiao gave them enough face and performed the ceremony with enough sense of ceremony, and Mingdake finally let them go.

On the way back, Mei Xiao continued her rants, just like before entering Mingdake's office: "Lingling, don't mind me. I don't know your Yu Chuanbei at all. I was just deliberately joking with Duck. Otherwise, this old fox would definitely steal the fruits of our labor!"

Privately, Mei Xiao always called Mingdake "Duck," her nickname, making him look ridiculously clueless. Everyone knew Mei Xiao had always believed the position of Vice President of Creative should have been hers long ago. Ling Ling, completely unwilling to get involved in the political fray, quickly responded politely, "Of course not. I don't mind."

Mei Xiao continued to mock Mindak: "He's talking like cell phones just appeared. He's bringing up old-fashioned Kleppner advertising theory and talking nonsense here."

Ling Ling vaguely felt that Mingdake's office was like a photo studio. As soon as the door opened, he shouted "Action!" The flash lights shone on Mei Xiao, and his aura was fully on and his acting was exaggerated.

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

Ling Ling was at home making a guide to art galleries and nearby restaurants when Yu Chuanbei came home from work. She had her hair tied up in a loose bun and was wearing loose home clothes. She looked soft and tender. He hugged her from behind and kissed her again and again.

"Oh, don't mess with me, I forgot where I just checked!" She pushed him away impatiently.

Yu Chuanbei sighed and said aggrievedly, "Alas, why do I feel that in your mind lately, old Adrian is more important than me?"

"Yes, you are mine and you won't run away; he is a client. If I act a step later or use less force, he may be taken away by someone else at any time." Ling Ling did not hide it at all.

Yu Chuanbei smiled and shook his head and said, "Then let me help you. I'll save you some time to accompany me." He pulled over a chair and sat next to her.

"Great, great!" Seeing such a powerful military advisor coming, Ling Ling excitedly put her feet on his legs and showed him all the information she had written on the tablet memo.

Yu Chuanbei saw that she remembered everything, but it was clear that she hadn't actually visited many of them. "These restaurants are typical internet-famous ones. The decoration is exaggerated, but the quality is not exquisite. The food is especially terrible. Every time I go there, there are tourists checking in and constantly taking photos and videos, which is also an invasion of guests' privacy. If you are bringing important clients and you value privacy, you must avoid these minefields."

"Oh, so that's the case. I searched for it online for a long time." Ling Ling pursed her lips in frustration, feeling that she had wasted the whole night.

Yu Chuanbei stroked her head and comforted her, "It's okay. I'll recommend a few restaurants for you. We'll go explore them together. You must try each one and figure out where the restrooms are, what the road conditions are like, and how to avoid awkward situations when it's windy or rainy. This way, you'll develop your own food map, which you can use to entertain different types and levels of clients."

"Alas, to lick the customers' asses, I thought it was enough to put aside my dignity, but I also have to raise my IQ." Ling Ling helplessly rolled up his tie and played with it.

Yu Chuanbei lifted her up onto his lap and continued his conversation. "Of course. In most industries, sales positions offer the highest gross profit margins. They don't come for free; they require a certain level of skill. You have to find the right path. Take Adrian, for example. Once he arrives in China, he'll be so eager to date that you'll quickly lose the distinction of being a minority in the US. So you have to provide him with new emotional value, like a sense of homecoming in a foreign land."

"Oh - so that's how it is." Ling Ling was trying hard to digest the knowledge points he gave her.

Yu Chuanbei's hands became restless, and he whispered in her ear, "So, can you stop thinking about work and think about me now?"

Ling Ling punched his chest and said with a smile, "So what Mr. Yu taught me was all paid knowledge! Are you always so impure in your actions?"

Yu Chuanbei didn't mind her teasing. He picked her up and walked towards the bedroom. With a crooked smile on his face, he said to her, "I've never been simple with you. I want you to smile at me, I want you to keep your eyes on me, I want you to be with me, and I want you to be with me forever."

Ling Ling smiled in his arms, ruffling his hair and continued to tease him, "Are you only a poet when you're in bed?"

"No, no, no, I'm only a poet when I'm not in bed. Now, I don't have time to think about so much."

He threw her onto the bed, and she sank deep into the cloud-soft duvet, watching him anxiously tear off his tie. The two looked at each other, their love strong.

Author's Note

Liu Qiu

author

05-21

Jiang Guo and Wen Xiang from the next door "No Time to Fall in Love with You" ask for support