Sheng glared at Ai Wen, and Ai Wen glared right back at Sheng.
Neither of them had expected to meet under such circumstances.
"Sheng, what are you doing here?" a woman exclaimed from behind Ai Wen.
Sheng looked at her, and it was Xu Fang.
Xu Fang was dressed in a black suit and stockings, looking every bit the office worker.
What Sheng didn't know was that after being "abandoned" by Ai Wen, Xu Fang had somehow turned the tables.
How she had managed to do it, no one knew, but Ai Wen had apparently developed a renewed "fondness" for her.
Not only that, but today Ai Wen had even made Xu Fang transform and serve as his "personal assistant."
In this setting, Xu Fang's behavior was quite appropriate, and she looked the part, it was only her sudden encounter with Sheng that had caught her off guard.
At this moment, the three of them were engaged in a standoff.
"What, do you know each other?"
A middle-aged man with slightly balding hair and triangular eyes asked. He was Ai Wen's father, the client's boss, Ai Shili.
Sheng's boss, Liu Xun, also watched in surprise as Sheng and Ai Wen faced off. He hadn't expected any bad blood between them and thought they were just old acquaintances, his eyes lighting up instantly.
In his view, a relationship between the two was beneficial for facilitating a deal.
"Yes, we're old acquaintances!" Ai Wen regained his usual demeanor, even giving Sheng a sinister smile.
"That's right, I and young Mr. Ai made quite the impression on each other!" Sheng said, his words laden with significance.
"Heh, that's good to hear," Ai Shili said as he headed straight for the main seat, continuing, "Young Ai, you should meet more of these capable talents. Don't be afraid of lowering your status, just scoop these talents up for our company."
"Mr. Ai is joking. What kind of talent could we small companies possibly have that could compare to Ai Wen?" Sheng's boss, Liu Xun, said with a laugh, following behind.
Both bosses seemed oblivious to the subtlety of the atmosphere.
Sheng and Ai Wen exchanged looks, Sheng noticing the excitement in Ai Wen's eyes.
Sheng returned the smile with a provocative air.
This rich second generation really knows how to keep his cool, Sheng reflected.
"I hear your proposal isn't bad," Ai Wen said.
"We still need much guidance from young Mr. Ai."
"Sure, you will get it!"
Each harboring their own thoughts, they smiled and headed to their respective seats.
"Mr. Ai, this is our Deputy Director, Zhou Tiansheng," Liu Xun introduced.
"Mr. Ai." Zhou Tiansheng nodded and bowed slightly.
"Haha, we've met before. Zhou is a good employee," Ai Shili nodded slightly.
Liu Xun smiled and said to Zhou, "How did the report you submitted go, is Deputy Director Pan satisfied?"
"Satisfied, very satisfied," Zhou Tiansheng quickly nodded, looking at Deputy Director Pan.
"Mr. Ai, we've worked together on many details, it's a very good proposal," Deputy Director Pan said with evident approval.
Both bosses nodded in succession.
"Liu, it's great that the proposal passed. Let's have lunch together later," said Ai Shili.
"Haha, great! This time I'll host," Liu responded.
The two bosses chatted easily, looking like this meeting would conclude smoothly.
However, Sheng sat there, smiling at Ai Wen.
This matter wouldn't be so simple, Sheng was waiting for Ai Wen's move.
As expected.
Ai Wen, who had been flipping through the planning proposal, suddenly looked up. "Hold on, Mr. Ai, Mr. Liu, I think this project—still needs to be discussed!"
Ai Shili cast an unexpected glance at his own son.
"Oh, then let's hear what you have to say. We're all ears," he said.
Liu Xun and Zhou Tiansheng were slightly taken aback.
"Mr. Ai Wen, about this plan—shall I go over it with you again?" Zhou Tiansheng hurriedly said.
"You?" Ai Wen gave a smile that did not reach his eyes, glancing at Zhou Tiansheng, then at Bai Xiaosheng.
His target was not Zhou Tiansheng.
Zhou Tiansheng found Ai Wen's attitude slightly embarrassing.
"This proposal, at first glance, seems not bad," Ai Wen said slowly and methodically to Bai Xiaosheng.
He had spent time on it last night and had even specifically consulted with an experienced planner at the company that morning.
Consulted about what? About problems.
However, the planner who loved to find faults actually couldn't stop praising the project, which was not what Ai Wen needed. He needed problems, a chance to show himself in front of Ai Shili.
Little did I expect that my preparation would bring an unexpected surprise!
Ai Wen looked meaningfully at Bai Xiaosheng, a cruel smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
Having been slapped in the face yesterday, today he would take back tenfold!
"Then I will be blunt; this planning proposal is exceedingly vague, lacking sufficient data support, with subjective and speculative conclusions," Ai Wen said coldly. "With this level of work, are you trying to pull the wool over our eyes? Our advertising budget of over a million, and this is what we get in return!"
Smack, Ai Wen slammed the planning proposal down on the table.
Liu Xun and Zhou Tiansheng looked at Ai Wen in astonishment.
This was a complete lack of respect for them.
Ai Shili's brow furrowed slightly. "Is that so? Ai Wen, share your assessment then," he said.
Ai Wen nodded, full of confidence, and chuckled. "You dare to schedule a whole year's advertising after comparing just six months of data, and I also didn't see any data analysis on trends. Quite the confidence."
Data, for promotional schemes, is just a kind of support. However, if one were to seriously nitpick, indeed, there is room to elaborate!
Zhou Tiansheng's face turned a shade paler, and Liu Xun looked even more displeased.
Ai Wen, pressing on, said, "Or are you saying you've memorized the whole year's data by heart, just like a computer, knowing whatever I ask."
"Well then, let's have a try. I just so happen to have internal data from a research firm. Can you respond fluently and accurately?" Ai Wen smirked, pulling out a tablet, and even projected the screen for all to see.
Ai Shili's eyes brightened, a smile playing on his lips.
Regardless of whether Ai Wen was deliberately causing trouble or truly thought there were issues with the planning proposal, as a father, he felt extremely gratified and even admiring, naturally supporting his son.
"Liu, what do you have to say?" Ai Shili asked leisurely.
"Well, haha, we certainly have a clear understanding of the data," Liu Xun said, sweat beading on his forehead, glancing at Zhou Tiansheng.
"Zhou, you're in charge of this project, you explain!"
Me? Zhou Tiansheng's face was full of bitterness.
He didn't know a damn thing; even if he had really looked at the data, memorizing it by heart was impossible.
"Let's have Bai Xiaosheng explain," Zhou Tiansheng said, sweat forming on his brow as he bowed his head under Liu Xun's stern gaze. "He was the one who worked on the proposal."
Liu Xun was taken aback, then glared fiercely at Zhou Tiansheng. He felt like killing him. He knew Zhou Tiansheng wouldn't fully take charge of the project, but he didn't expect him to know absolutely nothing.
I'll see how I deal with you when we get back! Liu Xun was almost driven mad.
"Haha, Deputy Director Pan, it's understandable if you don't know," Ai Wen said, his pen twirling quickly in his hand as he looked at Bai Xiaosheng with an intense gaze. "But if the main planner doesn't know, I think you shouldn't bother working in this industry anymore."
"Right, Bai Xiaosheng?"