Chapter 126 The competitor is indeed extraordinary
Zhang Yang stepped out of Tengyue Company's main entrance, his hands in his suit trouser pockets, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the gold-embossed business card. He looked up at the glass curtain wall of the office building, sunlight reflecting off it and revealing his slightly scrutinizing gaze.
"Which company have you contacted?" he asked his assistant, Xiao Wang, seemingly casually.
"This is the fourth one," Xiao Wang said, flipping through his notebook. "The first two companies weren't even interested in the pitch when they heard it was a competition with Gaoguang Advertising. This one is different; they're quite patient."
Zhang Yang gave a faint smile, his gaze sweeping over the shared bicycles parked downstairs, then over the somewhat dated decor of the office building lobby. "Hmm," he drawled, "Leap..."
He recalled the scene he had just witnessed at the company's front desk—the receptionist was tiptoeing to water the plants, the office area was small, packed with employees, and even the food containers piled up in the corner were visible. Although it looked presentable, to be honest, if it weren't for the good relationship between Huai Tian's sales representative and them, he wouldn't have even bothered to place this order.
“However…” Zhang Yang stroked his chin, “that Su Yingxue is quite interesting.”
Xiao Wang keenly noticed the change in his boss's tone: "President Su? You mean...?"
"Hmm." Zhang Yang nodded thoughtfully. "I heard she was just a parachuted-in recruit. The look in her eyes when she mentioned the Highlighter ad..." He chuckled softly, "...not simple."
He turned and headed towards the elevator, then suddenly stopped. "Here's what we'll do, Xiao Wang, contact Gao Guang's team and ask about the progress of their project."
"Okay!" Xiao Wang quickly took out his phone.
The elevator doors slowly opened, and Zhang Yang stepped inside. His thoughtful face was reflected in the mirrored wall. As the elevator descended, he suddenly spoke: "Let's find two more creative agencies to compare."
"Huh?" Xiao Wang was taken aback. "That leap..."
"Let's take a look at the proposals first." Zhang Yang pressed the B2 key, a meaningful smile playing on his lips. "Especially President Su's proposal."
The elevator doors opened again, and Zhang Yang strode towards the parking lot. He took out his phone, scrolled to the number of "Manager He from Gaoguang Advertising" in his contacts, hesitated for a moment, and then put it back.
"Let's see," he muttered to himself, "This Su Yingxue..."
In the parking lot, Zhang Yang walked towards his black sedan. Sunlight streamed through the car window, illuminating the glint of light in his eyes. He opened the car door and suddenly glanced back at the building housing Tengyue Company.
“Leap forward…” he chuckled softly, “I’d like to see what unique things you can come up with.”
The car door closed, the engine roared, and the black sedan slowly drove away from the parking lot. Meanwhile, inside Tengyue Company, a folder named "Dragon Martial Arts: Health-Preserving Hot Pot" had quietly opened on Su Yingxue's computer screen.
The plan has a large title. And then...?
Su Yingxue clicked the mouse lightly, and the screen went dark. She didn't shut down the computer immediately, but instead slightly turned the laptop to the side, revealing a meaningful smile. "The specific plan...let's talk about it after we finish our hotpot."
An enticing aroma filled the office—the nourishing broth she had just prepared after studying the recipe from the Longhu Hot Pot restaurant. In the clay pot, the clear broth shimmered with a subtle amber hue, with a few slices of goji berries, ginseng, and angelica root floating in the water, like tiny boats carrying the secrets of medicinal fragrance.
"Mr. Su, your hot pot broth is truly special!" Xiao Li, the receptionist, tiptoed closer, her nose almost touching the rim of the clay pot. "It's not as pungent as regular spicy hot pot; it's more like...like the aroma wafting from a traditional Chinese medicine shop?"
Su Yingxue smiled and placed two slices of fatty beef on his plate: "I added some goji berries, codonopsis, and angelica; it enhances the flavor and is also nourishing." She turned to her project team colleagues sitting around the folding table, "These days, clients are all into healthy eating. If our proposal tomorrow can highlight the concept of 'health-preserving hot pot'..."
"That's definitely better than those proposals that only focus on spiciness!" Xiao Zhao from the design team couldn't wait any longer. He picked up a paper-thin slice of beef, dipped it lightly in the boiling broth, marinated it in the special sauce, and popped it into his mouth. "Mmm! The meat flavor is even richer, and the broth has a wonderfully sweet aftertaste!"
The office suddenly buzzed with excitement. Ada, chewing on freshly fried crispy pork, mumbled a comment: "Zhang Yang's eyes when he came to the company today...tsk tsk, like a scanner."
Mengmeng, biting her chopsticks, chimed in, "His elite-like nature will probably lead him to some kind of holographic projection ordering system or AI-recommended hot pot base... We've already tried those at Huai Tian."
Su Yingxue's gaze swept over the excited faces of everyone on the team, her fingertips unconsciously stroking her phone screen—where the framework of her "Dragon Warrior Health Hot Pot" proposal, which she had revised overnight, was stored. The latest page prominently displayed: "Differentiated Competition: Breaking the Traditional Hot Pot Advertising Barrier with 'Fun + Human Touch'".
"President Su, do you really think that Dragon Tiger Club is a threat to a small company like ours..." Mengmeng suddenly lowered her voice.
“Not necessarily.” Su Yingxue swirled her water glass, the ice cubes clinking together. “But Zhang Yang specifically mentioned us today, saying he wanted to investigate a few more competitors…” She looked out the window at the darkening sky, the lights of the office buildings lighting up one by one like scattered stars. “Tomorrow will be the day of direct confrontation.”
"Who cares!" Old Wang suddenly raised his sparkling water-based special drink. "Let's finish this bowl of health-preserving soup first! May our General Manager Su utterly defeat them with his proposal tomorrow!"
"That's right! Let those big companies see—" Xiao Zhao waved his chopsticks proudly, "Tengyue's creativity has never been built by throwing money at it!"
Su Yingxue watched her team's energetic figures and took a small sip of soup. The rich aroma of the broth melted on her tongue, carrying the unique warmth of the medicinal herbs. She knew that tomorrow's high-profile competition would not only be about creativity, but also about the warmth of this dedication.
As dusk settled completely, only the bubbling of the hot pot and the intermittent laughter filled the office. The broth in the pot continued to boil, like the business contest about to unfold—calm on the surface, but turbulent within.
Inside Gaoguang Advertising Company, Manager He stared at his phone, remembering a friend mentioning that Longwu Hotpot had visited several more companies earlier that day. His mood darkened as he thought about his year-end performance review. Looking at the advertising proposals his team had prepared, he couldn't help but berate his subordinates.
"We paid you so much to come here, and you're just serving up this garbage?"
"Manager He, this is something we've all thought about for a long time. Isn't this what everyone's doing?"
Seeing his subordinates' indifferent attitude, he couldn't help but yell, "Learn from other small companies! I heard that employees at Tengyue are all eager to work overtime!"
"That's right." The subordinate muttered to himself, "Others get double pay for working overtime and even get a day off. We get nothing for working overtime."
Manager He thought about it for a long time, but he was still not at ease. "Bring the proposal with you tomorrow. Also, prepare the gifts."
"By the way, you guys be quick to decide on the filming location and props in advance. Also, prepare some other details beforehand."
"Okay, okay. Same as before. Don't worry."
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