Chapter 129, trying to trip me up, huh?
Su Yingxue hung up the last phone call, her fingertips trembling slightly.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Su, all the filming locations are fully booked for the next few weeks."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Su, the actors have scheduling conflicts."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Su, all the props have already been loaned out."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Su, the director has another project."
The four "sorry"s were like four heavy hammer blows, shattering her hopes. In the office, the hum of the central air conditioning seemed particularly jarring.
"That's really domineering." Wang Datou leaned against the window, muttering to himself, his brows furrowed. As a senior project manager at Tengyue Media, he knew all too well what this meant—the Longwu Catering Group deal was likely to fall through.
Su Yingxue took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. Long Meng's parting words still echoed in her ears: "Su Yingxue, this promotional video must be released next week; it's extremely important."
“Manager Wang,” she looked up, her eyes resolute, “go contact them again. I need to know the specific reasons, and I must ensure the venue and staff are fully prepared.”
Wang Datou sighed and dialed the number again. However, the reply he received was exactly the same as Su Yingxue's. There was even a familiar company executive who subtly reminded him: "Little Wang, Gao Guang is not someone to be trifled with. Other companies have tried to take him on before, but they all gave in in the end."
When Wang Datou returned to his office dejectedly, Su Yingxue was gazing at the distant city skyline through the window. Sunlight streamed through the glass, illuminating her delicate profile, but it couldn't conceal the worry in her eyes.
“It’s alright,” she turned around, a faint smile playing on her lips. “We’ll talk to the employees and brainstorm.”
The atmosphere in the company's conference room was so heavy it could be dripping with tension. When Su Yingxue announced that she had accepted Longwu's order, the expected cheers did not erupt; instead, there were worried whispers.
“That’s a competitor of the High Light Group…” Xiao Li rubbed his temples, his voice full of doubt.
“I worked at a rival company of Highlight, and finally came to Tengyue looking utterly defeated.” Xiao Zhao’s expression was as if he had swallowed a bitter pill.
“President Su, this promotional video is really hard to shoot…” Ada chimed in.
Su Yingxue listened quietly, her fingers tapping lightly on the table, a steady yet firm rhythm. Just as everyone was about to reach a consensus to "give up," Linda slammed her hand on the table: "All of you, just making excuses! Who hasn't encountered difficulties? Find a solution!"
"How about," Su Yingxue suddenly suggested, "we eat first, and discuss it while we eat. Today I made spicy lamb trotters and braised pork intestines, and I'll also stir-fry some vegetables."
This suggestion immediately eased the somber atmosphere.
When Mengmeng suddenly raised her hand and said, "My cousin makes advertising props. Although the props are a bit old, they still work!" a spark of hope began to ignite.
"What about the location?" Wang Datou's eyes lit up. "Let's use a hot pot restaurant! It's so down-to-earth, perfectly matching the 'human touch' theme!"
"We can start planning the short film right now!" Xiao Zhao excitedly chimed in.
"What about the actors and directors?" Linda asked the most crucial question.
"There are many college students nearby, should we invite more extras?"
"Director Ye has a wide network of connections, we can ask him for a recommendation!" Su Yingxue thought of a solution herself.
The atmosphere in the meeting room gradually became lively. Everyone chimed in, and what initially seemed like an insurmountable obstacle began to crumble in the face of collective wisdom.
"That's fantastic!" Su Yingxue looked at the revitalized team, her eyes sparkling with admiration. "I'll give everyone a bonus after this project is completed!"
"I don't want the bonus!" Mengmeng said with a grin. "I just want more meat in my lunchbox!"
Laughter echoed in the meeting room, instantly dispelling the tension. Looking at her lovely colleagues, Su Yingxue felt a surge of warmth in her heart. She knew that true teamwork meant working together, even in dire straits, to find a glimmer of hope.
In the spacious and bright office of Gaoguang Group, Manager He comfortably sank into a soft leather chair, his fingers lightly tapping the table, his mind filled with mockery of Tengyue Media's filming.
"Now you still won't beg for mercy?" Manager He's lips curled into a cold smile, his eyes filled with disdain.
"Nothing? What are we filming? Ghosts?" He imagined Tengyue Media facing a predicament of having no location, no actors, no props, and no director, like a ship that had lost its way in a storm and was about to sink.
Just then, the office door was pushed open with a bang, and Xiao Lin, the subordinate, rushed in, panting and looking anxious. "Manager, something bad has happened! I heard that Tengyue Company is already filming!" Xiao Lin's voice was tinged with surprise.
"Filming?" Manager He sat bolt upright, his eyes wide with disbelief. "There's nothing here, what are we filming?" He frowned, his disdain instantly turning to confusion. In his view, without a professional location, well-known actors, high-quality props, and an experienced director, this advertisement simply couldn't be filmed.
“My college classmate works at Tengyue Advertising. I just saw his WeChat Moments post about working as an extra at Longwu Hot Pot restaurant,” Xiao Lin said hurriedly, taking out his phone, showing the Moments post to Manager He.
Manager He took the phone, opened Xiao Lin's WeChat Moments, and saw a post from someone named Zhang Yida: "The boss said he couldn't find any extras, so I came."
The accompanying photo shows a simply dressed young man standing inside the Longwu Hot Pot restaurant, with steam rising from the hot pot in the background and diners laughing and chatting, creating a lively scene.
Manager He stared at the post on WeChat Moments, his eyes widening in disbelief before turning to shock, and then to mockery. "Using company employees as actors? Nonsense. This is utter nonsense."
A smirk played on his lips. In his mind, commercials should have elaborate sets, dazzling special effects, and a professional cast, not something like Tengyue's, which involved using employees as extras—it was like children playing house.
"Manager, should we keep an eye on it again?" Xiao Lin asked curiously, his eyes full of interest in Tengyue's filming.
"No need, no need." Manager He waved his hand, looking confident. "They can't cause any trouble."
He leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and began to daydream. He could almost picture Tengyue Media's advertising flops, forcing them to grovel before Gaoguang Advertising, who would then seize the opportunity to increase their budget and rake in a hefty profit. "Next time I'll have to raise the budget a bit more. In the end, Gaoguang is still the best," Manager He thought to himself, a satisfied smile spreading across his face, like a lazy, fat cat enjoying the satisfaction of victory in sight.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com