Blind date
“I might really not be good at marketing,” Zhu Shiyi said, wiping away sweat as if wiping away tears on the ramp. “Give me a perfect outline, and I can still go completely in the wrong direction.”
“Details determine success or failure,” Pan Yue said. “The outline is logically complete and easy to understand, and various templates are also common. But the content inside is the key, and it is indeed not simple.”
Zhu Shiyi lamented, "I've really been criticized to death by my superiors."
Suddenly realizing that Pan Yue was also a leader, Zhu Shiyi quickly retorted, "Of course, it must be my own fault. My proposal was really terrible. Luckily, they didn't actually use my proposal, or I would be finished."
“Take your time,” Pan Yue said, turning his head to the side. “Send me your proposal to take a look.”
"Never mind," Zhu Shiyi waved his hand, "You should protect your eyes."
She didn't want Pan Yue to see the ugly stuff she wrote; it was too embarrassing.
Pan Yue looked away and unlocked the iPad on the shelf in front of him: "Actually, for daily newspapers, face-to-face communication is more effective."
Zhu Shiyi: ?
"Now report," Pan Yue beckoned, "What work did you do today? Send me the documents."
Zhu Shiyi: ...Using power to oppress people!
Despite her awkwardness, Zhu Shiyi was still willing to learn, and she sent the document.
Pan Yue watched intently until the exercise ended, still staring at the iPad.
When Zhu Shiyi came out after washing his hair, Pan Yue, as always, was sitting outside waiting.
He finally put away his iPad and was rubbing his temples.
Zhu Shiyi walked over quickly.
With a clattering sound of footsteps, Pan Yue put down his hands and looked up: "Finished washing?"
Zhu Shiyi nodded.
Pan Yue got up and walked out: "I've finished reading the plan."
Zhu Shiyi remained silent and listened attentively.
“I won’t repeat what Minister Zhong said,” Pan Yue said as they walked. “First, competitive analysis. You’ve found the right competitors, but you need to do more than just write down what they are. You need to know more about them: what have they done, what haven’t they done, and what are some potential entry points?”
"Second, target market positioning. Why this target market? You must write down the reasons, list relevant data and theoretical support for your arguments. Also, what are the needs of the target audience? What opinions do they have about the product? This requires research, or checking user reviews on social media and e-commerce websites."
Pan Yue opened the car door: "Third point, creative solutions."
He frowned almost imperceptibly.
Zhu Shiyi jumped into the car and explained repeatedly, "I know, this is where I did the worst. I confused the concepts of marketing plan and event plan. I should have started with the marketing mix. I went off-topic."
She didn't want Pan Yue to think she was a fool.
Pan Yue paused, then looked up and tilted his head slightly: "What do you want to eat?"
"Huh?" Zhu Shiyi was stunned.
"Qingshanju?" Pan Yue smiled. "Jiangnan cuisine. It's New Year's Day, let's have some tangyuan (sweet rice balls)."
Zhu Shiyi couldn't keep up with Pan Yue's jumping thought process: "Aren't we talking about a marketing plan?"
Pan Yue chuckled: "Then where will I drive my car?"
“…Oh,” Zhu Shiyi realized that he had to talk while driving, “Anything is fine, let’s go with the one you mentioned.”
“Okay,” Pan Yue started the car, “So what do you think is the difference between an event plan and a marketing plan?”
“Uh…” Zhu Shiyi gritted her teeth and tapped her chin with her finger, “The event plan, it’s… the event plan.”
Zhu Shiyi burst out laughing.
Damn it, what nonsense is she spouting?
She coughed twice, covering her mouth: "I mean, a marketing plan, that is... a plan related to the marketing of the product."
Zhu Shiyi scratched his head and stammered, "Anyway, it just requires mentioning 4P."
She was indeed not clear about the difference between the two.
“The first step in a marketing plan is to determine a marketing theme,” Pan Yue said, driving with his eyes straight ahead. “The next step is creative interpretation, which is the 4P combination. Finally, there is creative execution: is it a video, an H5 page, a poster, or an offline event?”
Zhu Shiyi suddenly realized: "Creative execution is the event plan."
No wonder!
When Zhu Shiyi was writing the document, she also referred to other people's proposals. Everyone had written an activity plan, and her idea just happened to be an activity plan, so she didn't think much about it and submitted it directly. However, Zhong Qi criticized it as being off-topic. She was puzzled and didn't know why.
Pan Yue nodded: "Therefore, a marketing plan is not the same as an event plan, but it can include an event plan."
"I understand, I've been focusing on the wrong thing," Zhu Shiyi said, rubbing his hands together eagerly. "So my event plan is still useful, right? I should mainly focus on the publicity section?"
He glanced to the side briefly and said, "Hmm, not bad."
Zhu Shiyi felt a little better.
"Fourth, the communication plan," Pan Yue turned the steering wheel and drove into the underground parking garage. "Director Zhong asked you to make a form. Do you know what it is?"
"A phase division table?" Zhu Shiyi shook his head. "Not quite sure."
“Three types of content, five tables,” Pan Yue said. “One communication planning table, one media placement strategy table, and three communication phase tables. The pre-heating period, the peak period, and the long tail period should be clearly written out with phased tasks and objectives.”
Zhu Shiyi's ideas gradually became clear.
......
Qingshan Residence.
"Let's see what we want to eat." Pan Yue handed over his phone.
“Anything is fine with me, you order,” Zhu Shiyi waved her hand and took off her coat. “Have you been to this restaurant before?”
Pan Yue hummed in agreement, then lowered his head and ordered his food without saying anything.
Zhu Shiyi sat quietly.
Teacher Vicky said that we should find a way to ask men out on dates.
New Year's Day is a great time to visit.
What can you do on a date? Have dinner or watch a movie?
......
But how should she bring it up?
Zhu Shiyi imagined it.
She smiled brightly: "Hello Pan Yue, let's go on a date."
Pan Yue glanced at him, then raised an eyebrow in disdain: "Winter is coming. If you're freezing, go to the hospital. Don't act crazy here."
Huh—
Zhu Shiyi quietly shook it twice.
To be frank, it doesn't seem quite normal.
Vicky says she has to show some sign of liking the man before he will take the initiative.
Zhu Shiyi unconsciously rubbed his fingers.
"Are you cold?" Pan Yue asked abruptly.
He must have submitted the menu; he's put his phone down now.
"Huh?" Zhu Shiyi was taken aback, then shook her head. "I'm fine."
Pan Yue glanced down at him.
Zhu Shiyi lowered her head, her two hands tightly crossed together, her palms rubbing against each other as if she were doing something to warm them.
She abruptly pulled her hand away, chuckling dryly, "Really, I'm still a little hot."
He instantly cupped his face with his hand.
"Okay." Pan Yue's lips twitched slightly.
Looking across at him, the man's brows were relaxed, and a smile played on his lips; he looked extremely approachable.
The fear in her heart subsided a little, and Zhu Shiyi bit her lip, making up her mind: "What are your plans for New Year's Day?"
Pan Yue's head twitched slightly: "Arrangements?"
He propped his chin up, as if deep in thought.
Zhu Shiyi joked, "You're not working overtime, are you?"
“Hmm,” Pan Yue parted his lips slightly and sighed softly, so softly that his eyebrows did not twitch, almost imperceptible. “The new project plan is not perfect yet. We need to speed things up, otherwise the follow-up work will not be able to get started and we will miss the New Year market.”
"So busy," Zhu Shiyi said, not because she was working overtime, but because she felt miserable. "We only get three days off for New Year's Day. Aren't we going to rest for all three days?"
“Number One is taking a break,” Pan Yue said.
Zhu Shiyi suddenly perked up: "Then..."
The phone rang.
Zhu Shiyi looked down. Pan Yue's phone screen was lit up. She glanced at it casually. Although the screen was upside down, she could still see that the caller's name was just one word—
mom.
Zhu Shiyi quickly looked away.
Staring at someone seems impolite.
Pan Yue glanced at the phone and hung up.
Zhu Shiyi was slightly taken aback: "You...aren't you going to answer?"
Pan Yue pursed his lips: "...I know what she's going to say."
Zhu Shiyi was unaware of the situation and offered no comment.
The phone lit up again; it was "Mom" calling again.
Pan Yue turned on the mute button.
The other party then called again via WeChat voice message.
Pan Yue turned off the screen, raised his hand, and rubbed his temples.
Zhu Shiyi felt slightly embarrassed: "Is your mother in a hurry?"
Pan Yue shook his head: "It's nothing."
She paused again after speaking, then added, "For her, it was also an urgent matter."
"Why don't you answer it?" Zhu Shiyi asked tentatively. "I often give my mom the runaround and make empty promises. But if I make her happy, she won't nag me."
Pan Yue chuckled: "You're quite experienced."
He turned on the screen and answered the phone.
Zhu Shiyi quickly shut up and looked away.
She knows to be polite and not to eavesdrop or make a sound when others are on the phone.
"Mom." Pan Yue leaned back.
"Son, I told you, come home for New Year's Day." The other person spoke in dialect.
Zhu Shiyi really didn't mean to. Although she was curious, she didn't intend to eavesdrop.
The person across the table was too close, so she could hear it with just a little effort.
"We'll see, I have things to do on New Year's Day," Pan Yue said in Mandarin.
"Didn't you say a few days ago you'd be free on the 1st? You should come back on this day of family reunion, I want to talk to you..."
“I know,” Pan Yue suddenly interrupted the person opposite him.
Zhu Shiyi couldn't resist peeking.
Pan Yue happened to glance over.
Zhu Shiyi scratched his eyes guiltily, pretending they were itchy.
The other party sighed deeply: "We really didn't want you to go on a blind date, we just wanted you to come back for the New Year. Don't overthink it."
Zhu Shiyi was startled.
A blind date?
Pan Yue calmly retorted, "I haven't thought about it much."
“Let’s not talk about that,” the other person softened their voice. “You’re usually so busy that your dad and I haven’t even called you. You still have to come back for the New Year. These days, it’s just a matter of stepping on the gas. Look at that kid from the Chen family, he’s the same age as you, and he’s already having his wedding banquet for the New Year! Oh, I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about Li Sanwa. He’s coming back for New Year’s Day too, to attend someone’s banquet…”
"Mom," Pan Yue interrupted again, "I have something to do right now, I'll talk to you later."
"Oh, you're busy? Then Mom won't bother you any longer. Call me back later!"
"Okay." Pan Yue hung up the phone.
Zhu Shiyi drank water tactically, feeling somewhat numb and uneasy.
"Sorry, I had to take a personal call." Pan Yue picked up the teapot.
Zhu Shiyi put down her water glass and waved her hand, "It's nothing, it's nothing, I didn't hear anything."
She was saying one thing and meaning another, and she was not paying attention.
Pan Yue, 26 years old, is at the age when his parents are urging him to get married.
At his age, he should be at the point where he needs to go on blind dates.
And she, Zhu Shiyi, is only 20 years old.
At her age, she has to hide her boyfriend from her parents, let alone get married or go on blind dates.
She suddenly became acutely aware of the age difference between them.
Pan Yue poured her a full cup of tea.
Zhu Shiyi pursed her lips: "Thank you."
Pan Yue lifted his eyes and pushed over a small plate of snacks: "Have something to tide you over."
"Thank you." Zhu Shiyi picked up the snack, took a small bite, and behaved very ladylike.
Pan Yue frowned slightly: "Not tasty?"
He then moved another plate of snacks.
"Thanks."
Pan Yue: ......
Transfer to manual intervention.
"You're being so polite." He was truly at a loss.
"What do you mean 'again'?" Zhu Shiyi sat up straight. "I've always been this polite."
Pan Yue snorted and curled the corner of his lips: "Fine."
Zhu Shiyi: ......
"You seem to be working so hard."
Pan Yue tilted his head: "Really?"
"No?" Zhu Shiyi pouted. "You were just like that a moment ago."
She exaggeratedly imitated Pan Yue and hummed.
“Alright,” Pan Yue said, taking a step forward. “Sorry.”
"..." Zhu Shiyi felt like he'd punched a cotton ball. "Apologize for what?"
“…” Pan Yue’s eyelids twitched. “Shouldn’t I… question your etiquette?”
Zhu Shiyi chuckled softly.
Pan Yue quietly exhaled and leaned back slightly.
"Then your mother," Zhu Shiyi couldn't help but ask, "is she asking you to come home for New Year's Day?"
“Yes,” Pan Yue said seriously, “the last time I went back was during the Dragon Boat Festival.”
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been back,” Zhu Shiyi said casually. “Aren’t you planning to go back for New Year’s Day?”
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