Chapter 145: Public Welfare Actions

Arriving in Ice City in the evening, Li Xian checked into a hotel with Zhou Yong. The next morning, Li Xian went straight to the Urban Management Bureau.

The Urban Management Bureau was housed in an old, three-story Baroque building with four or five vertical signs hanging outside. It was Wednesday, and there weren't many people coming and going. The façade was modest, but the attitude of the people inside was anything but.

Upon hearing that Li Xian came from Beilin and wanted to meet with a leader, the receptionist didn't even put down the newspaper in her hands. Through the small window in the reception area, she glanced at Li Xian, who was bending over the window, and nonchalantly turned a page of the newspaper.

"Did you make an appointment?"

"No."

"Then you should have registered first."

"Since the leaders are so busy every day, how could I arrange a meeting without an appointment? Don't you know the rules?"

"Being in a hurry doesn't change anything."

"After registering, when can you see the leader? Oh, that's uncertain. I'm responsible for relaying messages, but I don't manage the leader's schedule."

Seeing the receptionist's indifferent attitude, Li Xian realized he had made a mistake; he was too hasty and had focused solely on his plan without effectively utilizing his resources to advance it.

He turned and walked out, calling Liu Wanfa to explain that he wanted to meet with the leaders of the Urban Management Bureau for company business.

Although the Urban Management Bureau had real power, it was still not comparable to higher municipal leaders. Liu Wanfa's influence quickly came into play, and soon, a man with a head of graying hair and a tinge of sunset red in his complexion appeared downstairs.

"Which one of you is Mr. Li?"

Li Xian stepped forward to greet him. After a brief exchange and surprising the receptionist, who had grown accustomed to such occurrences, they went upstairs—where the receptionist was now holding a document of instructions from the bureau leaders.

In the director's office on the third floor, Director Yang was troubled by the suggestion to undertake the renovation of all the old walls in the urban area.

"Mr. Li, this is a difficult task. The volume of work is too great. The city's boundary walls are everywhere, and making it a commercial activity isn't appropriate. Moreover, our Urban Management Bureau doesn't have the capacity to handle such a large project…"

Seeing Director Yang's difficulty, Li Xian sighed.

Once again, he had made a mistake.

Focusing only on his ideal solution wasn't feasible.

After considering it, he rephrased his plan: "Director Yang, this isn't a commercial activity. It's a public welfare initiative!"

He then lamented, "Ice City is a historically rich and distinctive city, but the walls on the main streets are in terrible condition. As a local, it pains me to see these historical buildings being ruined. As a department responsible for the city's environment, I believe you also feel uncomfortable seeing this, right? Not only are you uncomfortable, but the citizens of Ice City living in such conditions must also feel frustrated."

"I'm quite comfortable," Director Yang thought to himself.

But seeing Li Xian's pained expression, he could only solemnly nod and agree, "Yes…"

"So, you've been actively seeking ways to address the issue of old wall surfaces and improve the city's appearance. Through various contacts, we've finally found a solution with us at New North. We request that New North fund the renovation and beautification of the main street's exterior walls and maintain these walls over the next two years. To recognize the company's public welfare efforts, we would allow a small advertisement for the company's products on the renovated walls. This would achieve the goal of enhancing the city's appearance…"

As Li Xian's explanation increasingly twisted the facts, Director Yang sat up straight.

At this point, he considered many things. When matters reached this level, people inside the system often thought more comprehensively than those outside.

Looking at Li Xian again, Director Yang's face showed a deep admiration.

"Although our Urban Management Bureau lacks financial resources, urban beautification is crucial to people's lives. If a company is dedicated to public welfare, we must support it. We've organized sanitation workers to clean up small advertisements on walls. The Urban Management Bureau will fully oversee this matter."

"A two-year free contracting period," Li Xian nodded, finalizing the details.

"One year. Also, Mr. Li, I hope this can be done quickly."

"No problem."

...

Li Xian was personally escorted out by Director Yang. Seeing the two men chatting amiably, the receptionist stood up and smiled warmly when Li Xian walked out.

Li Xian smiled faintly, not in the mood to fuss over small details. After bidding farewell to Director Yang, he got into the car.

On the road, Yang Yong, who was aware of Li Xian's full plan, was puzzled: "Big Brother, isn't this a bit impractical? How much does a newspaper advertisement cost? But here, you're planning to paint all the main street walls and paint big letters. That's quite costly. With so many walls and labor, wouldn't it cost around seventy to eighty thousand?"

"Not that much. And how long will the effect of a newspaper advertisement last?" Li Xian, who was resting his eyes in the back seat, explained briefly and then patted the front seat: "Go to Shida Academy of Fine Arts."

...

Those in education were generally easy to talk to.

Upon hearing that Li Xian wanted to design a set of wall paintings, the school leaders immediately called in several student council members to directly communicate with Li Xian.

Following his requirements, the students created some abstract and print-friendly designs. These included images such as a girl in a long dress holding a globe, a woman with long hair holding a peace dove, or a compass and triangle ruler supporting a large rocket—just abstract representations of modernization.

Finally, they created sample images featuring the brand and advertising slogans provided by Li Xian.

While the students were working on the designs, Li Xian called Beilin, instructing Chen Shulin to immediately visit local Urban Management Bureaus in all cities and counties except Daqing. He and Zhou Yong also visited several less profitable paint factories and then visited a few advertising companies, recruiting all their street-advertising employees.

In the following days, Ice City's streets and sanitation departments launched a "Special Treatment Campaign for Wall Advertisements." Thousands of cleaners took to the streets, using scrapers or trowels to remove the severely peeling wall paint and various advertisements from the main road walls.

Then, a seemingly magical urban beautification operation began in the city's main streets. Over three days, a team of people usually seen pasting small ads switched to brushes and paint, turning the main roads' exterior walls into a pristine white.

During this process, large cut-out templates were affixed to the walls, and green and blue paint was applied.

When the templates were removed, passersby were stunned; a series of monochrome "Four Modernizations" abstract paintings, though not exquisite, replaced the old ads and made the cityscape remarkably refreshing.

On the right side of each main wall was a familiar-looking "Xina" trademark and a seemingly non-advertising slogan.

"Xina Special Quality Toilet Paper, Brighten Your World."

It was written just like that.