Chapter 2
Let's rewind to a week ago.
In the golden autumn of October, the sky over Mir was a clear, deep blue, high and vast. The roadside was carpeted with fallen golden leaves, which crunched softly underfoot. The entire city seemed to have been transformed into a delicate, bright oil painting. Such beautiful weather should have made everyone feel relaxed and comfortable, but the design department of the M brand was shrouded in gloom.
M brand is a leading menswear brand in China. Its aggressive expansion of offline stores during the real economy once made it a leader in the entire apparel industry. However, in recent years, it has been declining under the impact of e-commerce and live streaming, and is barely surviving on its past achievements.
"I heard that the company's financial data set two new records last quarter."
"It's nothing new; sales profits have hit record lows while losses have hit record highs."
"I heard that at yesterday's production and operation meeting, General Manager Xing was furious. He pointed at our design chief and cursed him, saying that our design department should bear the main responsibility for the products not selling."
“Every time, it’s our design department that takes the blame. Every order for a particular design has to go through layers of approval from their superiors. So why is it that when it comes to finding someone to blame, they throw our department out?”
"Stop talking, come and help me count how many pots I have on my back now. I feel like my family will never need to buy pots again in this lifetime. I have all kinds of pots and pans on my back."
People often view design departments across various industries through a filter of perceived sophistication, assuming that they are all impeccably dressed, fluent in both Chinese and foreign languages, arrogant, and capable of effortlessly creating new designs with a few strokes of a pen on paper, earning high salaries with ease.
In reality, every designer is working the hardest hours with the darkest circles under their eyes, brainstorming every day. If the boss asks if they can come up with any new ideas, they have to rack their brains to come up with something new. The risk of developing bald patches is very high.
Lin Ting, a girl whose name truly reflects her personality, sat at her post silently listening to her colleagues' complaints and sarcasm without uttering a word. In reality, what right did a design assistant have? She was just grateful to keep her job.
"Lin Ting, do you think the company might really go bankrupt? There are so many rumors lately, everyone's saying it probably won't even last until the end of the year before it declares bankruptcy," Song Xiaolei whispered in Lin Ting's ear from the next table.
Lin Ting simply shook her head.
Song Xiaolei said with some sadness, "I've been with M brand since graduation, almost five years now. According to our years of service, we could have been promoted to independent designers next year and gotten rid of the assistant label, and our salaries would have doubled. But now it seems like a pipe dream."
Lin Ting remained silent, staring blankly at the computer screen in front of her with her lips pursed.
Song Xiaolei used her hand to lift Lin Ting's chin, turning her face towards her. "I see four words in your eyes."
Which four characters?
"Without desires or wants."
Lin Ting removed Song Xiaolei's hand, "You make it sound like I'm about to become a nun."
"Isn't that right? Everyone's talking about it, but you don't react at all, you don't care at all."
How could I not care?
Although Lin Ting and Song Xiaolei joined the company around the same time, one held both a graduation certificate and a degree certificate, while the other only had a graduation certificate. In many large companies, not having a degree certificate means you don't even have a diploma. What good is a graduation certificate? It only proves you've studied for four years, while a degree certificate is a testament to a person's abilities. Moreover, Lin Ting attended a prestigious 211 university, with its fashion design program ranked first in the country. With such an excellent academic background, the fact that she only received a graduation certificate and not a degree certificate raises questions about the reasons behind it.
However, during the interview, perhaps due to a momentary lapse in judgment, the leaders didn't question him and made an exception, hiring him without proper due diligence. Given M brand's standing in the fashion industry at the time, it was highly unlikely they would hire someone without a degree. Therefore, Lin Ting cherished this job and worked diligently, willing to do any dirty or difficult work.
Because compared to realizing her dream of becoming a designer, she preferred the tangible feeling of her monthly salary arriving on time. It has to be said that M brand's salary level is still quite competitive in the market and can meet Lin Ting's financial needs, so she really can't give up this job.
Furthermore, it's a taboo in the workplace to avoid gossiping or following the crowd behind people's backs. If someone overhears your inappropriate remarks, it will be your fault.
Lin Ting advised, "It's all hearsay. Instead of complaining here, you should work hard. Whether you work overtime or stay up all night, the most important thing is to do your job well. Even if you have to lay off people, you should fire those who do nothing."
Song Xiaolei: "She speaks fluently and knowledgeably in workplace jargon, which means she has been quite influenced by the 'poisonous chicken soup' of her superiors."
Lin Ting smiled faintly and said nothing more.
At that moment, a clapping sound came from the front, followed by a cold voice, "Everyone, come to the conference room in 15 minutes. Copy the designs for winter onto a USB drive. We'll review them again during the meeting." The design director stood at the door of his office, arms crossed, speaking with a serious expression. After speaking, he turned around, forcefully pushed open the glass door, and sat back in his seat, leaving the door still rattling due to the force of the push.
The head of the design department, whose real name is Su Ying, is a legendary figure. She joined M Group right after graduation and worked her way up for more than 10 years, eventually transforming from an unknown design assistant into the general manager of the design department. She also owns 20% of the company's shares, making her a typical multi-millionaire businesswoman.
Song Xiaolei patted her mouth. "My jinx came true. Now the boss is demanding a complete overhaul of the winter designs. I reckon most of them will have to be redesigned. But we have a winter order meeting at the end of the month. This is going to be a brutal workday." Looking at her ashen face, Lin Ting could easily imagine the hellish life that was about to begin for the next month.
However, at this moment, Lin Ting suddenly felt a bit lucky that she was in charge of the trousers category, since winter down coats were the main focus.
In the design department of the M brand, designers are divided according to clothing categories. Men's clothing is generally divided into categories such as shirts, trousers, coats, cotton-padded jackets, overcoats, and knitwear.
Lin Ting is in charge of the trousers category, which is less challenging to design compared to other categories. Most people know that men's trousers, aside from differences in length and fabric, rarely offer much variation in style, making them a necessity for most consumers. However, what's remarkable is that since Lin Ting took charge of this category, trousers have consistently been the highest-selling category each year.
"Alright, stop complaining. Lin Ting, hurry up and copy all our winter trouser design sketches to a USB drive. Xiao Lei, your group's coats are the mainstays for winter."
Lin Ting's mentor, Lu Fan, is a native of Shanghai and has been with the company for almost seven or eight years. He is currently mainly responsible for the design and development of trousers and is the chief designer for this category. He is slightly chubby, but his tall stature of 1.8 meters doesn't seem out of place. In addition, he has regular features and is one of the few good-looking men in the company. Moreover, he owns a house and a car, so he should have settled down and started a family long ago. Unfortunately, he is still single and has been pressured by his family to go on various blind dates recently.
When the 15-minute time limit was up, everyone rushed to the conference room in a flurry.
The eldest sister, Su Ying, stood at one end of the conference table, her hands resting on either side of the table as she looked down at everyone.
"Just listen to the gossip in the company for now. No matter what others think of our design department, I'm here to protect you. We just need to do our jobs well."
Su Ying is an excellent leader when it comes to protecting her own, so everyone in the department trusts her.
"Now let's close the door and find out why last quarter's sales were not good. Only by reflecting can we make progress. Is it really because our designs are outdated or not attractive enough? Each product category can share its perspective."
The shirt department was the first to be affected: "I just got a feedback form from the sales department from the sales managers of each region on the spring, summer and autumn products. A lot of the feedback was that the products could not be put on the shelves on time, which meant that the main outfits or main products that were originally planned for the whole period could not be fully displayed on the walls or in the store, making it difficult to attract customers' attention. I think this is a big problem with the product department's control of the factory's delivery time."
Knitting Group: "Moreover, the data department and sales department also have significant problems in judging product cycles. First, several summer styles were bestsellers based on sales data from previous years, so they requested that they continue to produce them this year and placed a large number of orders. However, they did not expect that these styles would become slow-moving items this year. Second, many new styles had good sales data in the early stages of their launch, so they requested immediate follow-up orders. However, once the goods were produced, they found that they could not be sold, which invisibly increased a lot of inventory. In the end, they could only sell them at low prices when the season changed."
Outerwear Group: "In order to maximize profits, the product department always makes us change the fabric for various reasons, which results in the finished product being very different from the effect we originally wanted. Moreover, we have repeatedly requested that we place orders with regular garment suppliers, but in order to meet the delivery deadline, they will place orders with unqualified small factories, resulting in inconsistent workmanship. Store counters or e-commerce platforms often receive returned orders."
To make matters worse, the greatest tragedy of a dying company is that when problems arise, everyone just shifts the blame to each other. These superficial review meetings have become battlegrounds for verbal battles among the leadership, who go to great lengths to evade responsibility.
Asking them to reflect on the reasons is pointless.
Su Ying interrupted, "That concludes the self-reflection. Now, each of the major product categories will introduce the winter styles they are responsible for. After you finish introducing the other categories, please give your suggestions for improvement. Your suggestions should be sincere and not perfunctory."
"receive!"
When it came to trousers, it was Lin who introduced them.
"I think your trousers team is using too few fabrics. You need to try some different materials. Also, the silhouettes are a bit outdated. Lu Fan and Lin Ting, take a look at the recently released Paris Fashion Week runway show videos. Do you have any trendier silhouettes that we can use?" Su Ying frowned as she looked at the pictures and offered her suggestions.
Lin Ting nodded, "Okay."
An hour later, all the categories had been reviewed.
Su Ying stood in front of the conference table again: "I hope that each category will make modifications according to the opinions we just mentioned. We should try more new popular elements and not always stick to our previous style. Innovation is what makes us attractive."
Everyone present said in unison, "Okay."
Su Ying: "By the way, there's another matter I'd like to discuss with everyone. Considering the continuous decline in sales, General Manager Xing suggested that we invite a popular male celebrity to be our spokesperson for the winter clothing line to promote it. This is the first time our M brand has had a spokesperson since its inception, and the senior management attaches great importance to it. The selection of the spokesperson and the subsequent coordination work will be handled by our design department."
Upon hearing this news, everyone present gaped and applauded in surprise.
Female colleague: "We're definitely going to invite male celebrities to our menswear show, right? So, is this a sign that we're going to meet some incredibly handsome guys?"
"We're a fashion company, after all. We see plenty of high-quality men every day. Stop looking so infatuated," a male colleague said, somewhat disgruntled.
"We see each other every day, it gets boring, we need some fresh stimulation. Besides, when you guys try on clothes, we've seen everything, we all see each other as best friends."
This remark made the men present turn pale.
Su Ying switched the screen mirroring to her own computer, opened a PPT file on the desktop, and said to everyone, "Getting back to the main topic, I have selected three candidates, but I haven't decided which one to invite yet, so I would like to hear everyone's opinions. Please take a look at the photos on the screen. The first one is the currently very popular foreign actor XXX."
"I think it's better to choose the one from your own country. It's more relatable, and some political issues are unavoidable anyway."
"Yes, and our M brand has always claimed to be independently developed and designed in China, so choosing a foreign celebrity would be a bit of a slap in our own face."
Su Ying nodded in agreement, "Then let's look at the second photo."
"Wow, Zhang Ze, the TV series he starred in, 'Running Wild,' has been popular since the beginning of the year, and the aftereffects haven't disappeared yet. I've watched it 2-3 times already."
"Everyone says he has the looks of a tractor and the style of a Ferrari, but he does grow on you the more you look at him. I think he's a good choice."
"I also prefer him, and he has a respectable private life and has never had any scandals." It was rare to see a hint of womanly shyness on the boss's face.
"Boss, are you trying to use your position for personal gain?" someone joked.
“But I feel that since our brand targets young and middle-aged people aged 20-35, and our style leans towards casual and sporty, while Zhang Ze has always given us the impression of being mature and charming, and his personal style is also business formal wear, it is quite different from our brand style and not very suitable.” Design Director Zhang Xiao pondered, twirling a pen in her hand.
Zhang Xiao and Su Ying were college classmates. Zhang Xiao is now the second-in-command of the design department and a key figure in Su Ying's team.
Su Ying thought for a few minutes, "Zhang Xiao's words make sense. The most important thing in choosing a spokesperson is that they must match our brand style and positioning. Okay, let's look at the last photo!"
Upon seeing the photo, Lin Ting's heart skipped a beat, and she blurted out, "It's him!"
"Lin Ting, do you know him?" Lu Fan looked at Lin Ting with a puzzled expression. Her disciple was usually oblivious to what was going on around her, so why would she react this way?
“What kind of bizarre question is this?” Song Xiaolei pointed at the photo. “He, Chen Zhiyi, is so famous now, everyone knows him.”
The male colleague couldn't help but complain, "Everyone knows him, so if I don't know him, does that mean I'm not human?"
Song Xiaolei rested her chin on her hand, raised an eyebrow, and joked, "That's possible. After all, jealousy can make a person unrecognizable."
The male colleague got excited and said, "Jealous? He's just a pretty boy."
"You have to admit that, they're much fairer than you."
"..."
Su Ying tapped on the desk. "We're in a meeting right now, be serious!"
Zhang Xiao: "I just searched for news about Chen Zhiyi. He has a decent private life with no messy scandals, and he has high commercial value. He doesn't endorse many products, but he has a high ability to drive sales and is easily sought after. If we can successfully cooperate with him, it will be his first time endorsing clothing, which may generate a lot of buzz."
A female colleague chimed in, "Since this is their first time endorsing a clothing brand, are their chances of getting a collaboration with us low? After all, celebrities prefer big brands, while we are just an ordinary domestic menswear brand."
Su Ying explained, "There's no need to underestimate ourselves. Our brand absolutely holds a leading position in the domestic menswear market. I included Chen Zhiyi in the candidates because I happened to see an interview video of him. He said that he prefers to choose domestic brands when choosing which brands to endorse, which is a social responsibility that he should bear as a public figure. The fact that he can say such responsible things shows that his character and actions are very reliable."
These days, choosing to collaborate with celebrities is risky. If you choose someone with unreliable character who makes mistakes and gets labeled as a bad artist, all the works they participate in and their partners will suffer.
It's become commonplace for films and television shows to be completely shelved due to celebrities' scandals, or for brands to go bankrupt due to consumer boycotts caused by their spokespeople's mistakes.
Therefore, no matter what industry you are in, whether you are glamorous or living in anonymity, character is still the most important bottom line.
When the topic of celebrities came up, Song Xiaolei, a hardcore fan, spoke eloquently. "Boss, what you said is just the tip of the iceberg. Chen Zhiyi has always let his acting skills and works speak for themselves. Not just anyone can be called a 'Young Film Emperor.' He is the youngest winner in the history of the Golden Bull Award for Best Actor, the highest award in Chinese cinema. He became an emperor at the age of 22."
Another female colleague chimed in: "Chen Zhiyi is a recognized talented actor in the industry. If it weren't for the sake of fairness, he would have won awards for every movie he starred in. The movie that won him the Best Actor award was his second movie. He worked with veteran movie stars, but he wasn't intimidated at all. His presence and charisma even overshadowed theirs."
A female intern also raised her hand and said, "I like him very much too. I don't know how many times I've watched his famous work, 'Secretly in Love with You.' It has the highest box office of any Chinese romance film to date, and when it was released, its screening popularity far exceeded that of the American Marvel series films released at the same time."
Su Ying smiled and said, "Judging from everyone's reaction, it seems we chose the right person."
The male colleagues scoffed, "Tall, thin, and fair-skinned, he looks like a gust of wind could blow him over. Only girls like him."
Song Xiaolei raised her head and retorted, "That's right. Although it's a men's clothing brand, it's actually a women's world. I ask you, my fellow men here who have families and girlfriends, how many pieces of clothing in your closets were bought by yourselves? Hmm?"
That was a decisive blow; the male colleagues all shut up. They shouldn't have spoken in the first place.
Everyone was laughing and chatting non-stop, while Lin Ting remained lost in distant memories.
Is it far away? Only five years. Not thinking about it doesn't mean forgetting; it just means the memory has been sealed away. Once it's accidentally unlocked, everything will come back to me.
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