Opportunity for Promotion

After dinner, Mi Cai and I sent Dad Ban to outside of the neighborhood. The hotel that Father Ban is staying in is just across the road, but he has to leave tomorrow morning.

I asked Dad Ban while we walk, "When will you come to Suzhou next time?"

"I'll come when I have time. I'll bring you guys some rice and flour next time." His father replied.

When Dad Ban emphasized on 'you guys', I felt helpless. When he comes next time, I would have already left Mi Cai's house and drifted to some corner of the city. In fact, I didn't want Dad Ban to come to Suzhou because I had accomplished nothing. My downfall always made me feel extremely guilty when facing him.

Dad Ban urges me again, "Remember to fix the leaking water pipe when you go back later."

"I remember."

Dad Ban nodded and patted my shoulder. He didn't say anything else and turned to leave.

Looking at his back as he left, I knew what he wanted to say to me, but he didn't say it out loud. He didn't want to give me too much psychological burden.

I lit a cigarette and felt a sense of disappointment. Today, Fang Yuan and Yan Yan got married, Jian Wei became Xiang Chen's girlfriend, and I… Forget it.

I thought I should go back and pack my luggage. Tomorrow night, I'll find a safe place in this city, I can't live in a corner.

...

Mi Cai went upstairs before me. I finished my cigarette before going back.

After entering the house, I found a toolbox to replace the leaking pipe that Dad Ban mentioned. I also checked other places to make sure that there were no hidden dangers before returning to my room to pack my luggage.

I don't know when Mi Cai stood at my door. She asked me, "Have you fixed the leaking pipe?"

"Yes, I've checked the other places too. If the water pipes in the house are broken in the future, or if you need to change the light bulbs or something, just call me." I said as I put the guitar into the box.

"Oh, but there are still cockroaches in the house. Do you have a way to get rid of them?"

I laughed and joked with her, "You can chase away a living person like me fiercely, but can't handle a few little cockroaches?"

Mi Cai didn't say anything. She just looked at me.

"I'm just joking with you. I'll buy some pesticide powder and sprinkle it in the bathroom after work tomorrow. It's almost winter, and cockroaches aren't active anymore, so you don't have to worry."

"Oh."

Mi Cai went back to her room. I was still packing my luggage. I was halfway done as I sat on the bed to rest and looked around. I took out a cigarette from the box but didn't light it. I had been a jerk for so long. I should be a person who kept my word when I leave, even if it was just a trivial matter.

I put the cigarette back into the box and lay on the bed, looking at the ceiling out of habit. I emptied my mind, unwilling to think about what happened in the afternoon.

...

The next day, I went to work according to schedule. Today, I had another meeting with the representative of Gucci. This was the last meeting with Gucci before we set up a counter in our mall. If everything went well, I would get a short break. Ever since Fang Yuan handed over the responsibility of Gucci to me, I have been working overtime.

The representative from Gucci and I were standing in the plaza of the mall discussing the advertising space.

The representative of Gucci asked me, "The advertising space in the center of the south gate that you promised must be confirmed as soon as possible to cooperate with our opening promotion."

"Of course, there won't be a problem. We've already reserved this advertising space for Gucci. To a certain extent, your entry has also improved the management level of our mall. The high-quality resources of the mall will definitely be used by international first-tier brands like you."

The representative from Gucci nodded and said, "Gucci is willing to enter your mall because we saw your sincerity in the proposal. Pola Department Store is not the only high-end mall in Suzhou!"

"Yes." I responded, but I didn't want to say too many flattering words.

After walking around the mall with the Gucci representative, she suddenly stopped and looked at the promotional poster in the middle of the aisle.

"Miss Zhao, what's wrong?" I was a little confused. The group of posters she was looking at was the ones Le Yao had taken.

"What do you think of this model?" She asked me.

"She has a strong camera sense and is very malleable. Her temperament and appearance are more international, and she can create an artistic advertising image for the products. Oh right, she's also a quarter Italy." I answered truthfully.

"What a coincidence. Gucci is an Italy brand. Are you familiar with her?"

I was stunned for a moment before I replied, "We can be considered friends."

Miss Zhao nodded and looked at Le Yao on the poster. After a while, she said to me, "I think her image and temperament are very suitable for our product positioning. Contact her to help us shoot a set of promotional posters for the opening."

"I'm afraid not. She's currently filming in Heng Dian, so she probably won't have time for the next few months."

Miss Zhao frowned and said, "I don't want to hear the words 'I'm afraid' or 'shouldn't be.' Your answer will make me question your department's ability to execute. We've already reached this stage in the negotiation. I don't want such a small matter to affect our cooperative relationship."

Such a direct threat made me feel a little unhappy, but when I thought about how this project was related to Fang Yuan's future, I didn't flare up. However, I instinctively didn't want to contact Le Yao. Moreover, shooting such a promotional poster might require filming elsewhere. It wouldn't be completed in a day or two. As a newcomer, Le Yao couldn't possibly let the entire film crew fit her schedule. As for Le Yao, filming was naturally her top priority. If I asked her to come back, wasn't it making things difficult for her?

"Miss Zhao, I'll try my best to contact her, but I can't guarantee that she'll be free." I replied, but I had no intention of contacting Le Yao.

Miss Zhao waved her hand impatiently and said, "Forget it. I won't make things difficult for you. I'll talk to your manager." After saying that, she left me behind and walked towards the office alone.

...

Sure enough, as I expected, after returning to the office for a short while, the manager's office called to inform me to go over.

I felt a wave of unhappiness in my heart. She was obviously using her superiority to pressure me. She was too lazy to talk too much nonsense to a small employee like me.

I walked into the manager's office and the manager, Chen Jingming, sat in his office chair with a displeased expression.

"I'm here, Manager Chen."

"Do you know why I'm looking for you?" Chen Jingming asked me coldly.

"I don't know." I respond passively to the pressure of the world.

Chen Jingming tapped his fingers on the table and raised his voice, "Zhao Yang, why can't you understand the situation? Gucci is the eighth international first-tier brand to enter our mall. Do you know what this means to our mall? It means that according to the international rating standards, our mall has officially reached the level of a top-notch department store, Class B! It's a milestone!"

"Manager, even if you don't say it, I know."

Chen Jingming suppressed his anger and said to me, "If anything happens at this critical moment, not only you, but the entire Planning Department will be in trouble!"

"Don't make things difficult for me. What can I do if the schedule for the print models can't be arranged? Besides, both parties have invested a lot of manpower and resources into the project of setting up a special counter in our mall. It's not like a small matter like a promotional poster would ruin the cooperation that has been discussed for so long."

"Before the contract is officially signed, no one can take any chances. Other shopping malls are eyeing the Gucci brand like tigers eyeing their prey. We can't rule out the possibility that Gucci will temporarily terminate the cooperation plan." Chen Jingming said with a serious expression.

"Even if the company fires me, I can't guarantee this!" I continued helplessly.

Chen Jingming stared at me for a long time with a creepy look and said, "There's something you might not know. The board of directors is very concerned about the Gucci counter in our company. If it can be successfully set up, there will be a major change in personnel in our planning department. As the person in charge of the entire project, Fang Yuan will have a chance to take the position of Deputy Manager of the Planning Department. As for you… There was a high chance that you would replace Fang Yuan as the Team Leader of the Copywriting Team!"