Chapter 37

Chapter 37

The commercial from the last century had inferior picture quality due to outdated equipment, but Jiang Yicen had specifically asked the product department to have the tech team adjust the resolution. The thirty-second ad they were now watching had already been enhanced.

The commercial was divided into four parts. In the first part, a little girl receives three lollipops. In the second, a classmate helps her with homework, and she offers him a lollipop. In the third, she returns home after school to find her father fixing a bicycle and her mother cooking; her four-year-old brother falls and cries loudly, and she gives him a lollipop, immediately stopping his tears. In the fourth and final part, the little girl wants to give the last lollipop to her mother. Her mother smiles and asks where she got it. The girl says an old lady gave it to her for helping her cross the street. Her mother says it's a reward for you, you should eat it yourself, and pats her on the head. Then the girl happily eats the lollipop she had saved all day.

This is a very simple story that expresses the little girl's love for her friends and family, showcasing her innocence and kindness.

After watching, Pan Yamin was silent for a moment, then asked them, "Can you wait a moment?"

She looked down and sent a message, and a minute later, a man with his hair pulled back walked in.

Jiang Yicen had looked up information on the relevant contacts at Youqian Company, as well as materials and interview videos of its founder. The boss of Youqian had a distinctive feature—he was a man with medium-length hair, around thirty-five years old, and easily recognizable.

This man was none other than Chen Shangyan, the founder of Youqian Company.

Chen Shangyan: "Sorry I'm late. Please continue."

Since it wasn't the time for introductions, Jiang Yicen continued with his thoughts and ideas.

The first step was Nanyuan's commercial from the last century. He had just observed Pan Yamin's expression and could tell she was likely moved. Now that Chen Shangyan, the boss of Youqian, had arrived, it was time for his second step.

Jiang Yicen presented the integration of Nanyuan Candy with the theme of *Smile*.

"We plan to launch by the next Children's Day. Our concept is to combine *Smile* with candy in three sales models. The first is co-branded packaging featuring *Smile*, the second is a co-branded gift box with a Xiaoxiao plush toy, and the third is a limited blind box figurine..."

Jiang Yicen explained the complete plan and process. The Youqian team also asked a few questions, which he answered unhurriedly.

Finally, Jiang Yicen took out his sketchbook.

"These are my ideas for the blind boxes. Please use them as a temporary reference. There wasn't enough time for our designers to create official renderings."

Chen Shangyan had been listening intently. Blind boxes were something they had done many times, often collaborating with figurine companies. He remained composed through the earlier part, but when Jiang Yicen brought out his sketchbook, he snatched it and flipped through it quickly, failing to hide his surprise.

"These are excellent. The perspective is something we haven't explored yet. Consultant Jiang, did you draw these yourself?" Chen Shangyan, who had arrived late, didn't yet know Jiang Yicen's name.

Jiang Yicen modestly replied, "Yes, I hope I'm not making a fool of myself in front of Director Chen."

Chen Shangyan was the character designer for *Smile* and its chief director, affectionately called Director Chen by fans.

Chen Shangyan praised, "Your drawing skills are no joke. Xiaoxiao comes to life under your brush. After seeing these, I understand exactly what you want to convey. We haven't tried this direction before—it's fresh and interesting."

Jiang Yicen smiled. He felt Director Chen had given him high praise, but he was just an amateur artist and didn't take his praise at face value.

"Thank you, Director Chen, for recognizing my ideas. I hope we get to work with your company."

Chen Shangyan's response affirmed Jiang Yicen's thorough preparation. After that, they discussed promotional points for a while.

Pan Yamin cracked a harmless joke.

"If we work together, Master Nan, will you help promote it?"

Nan Shuyi didn't say yes or no: "If it's a deep partnership, I'll actively promote it myself."

This was Jiang Yicen's first project, and it could be the turning point for Nanyuan Candy's products. He felt he couldn't shirk his responsibility.

The discussion went deeper as they talked. Pan Yamin even voluntarily added Nan Shuyi and Jiang Yicen on WeChat.

Chen Shangyan also asked, "It's almost noon—would you like to try our company cafeteria food?"

Jiang Yicen asked Nan Shuyi, "Care to try it?"

Nan Shuyi: "Sure, maybe I can steal a chef from them."

Pan Yamin: "I almost forgot that Nanyuan also has restaurants."

Chen Shangyan: "I haven't done my homework on that. Sorry, sorry."

Jiang Yicen: "But I heard Youqian's staff meals are so good that new employees gain ten pounds in a month."

Everyone laughed at that. Food is always a hot topic, especially in China, where it never fails to break the ice.

The Youqian team all thought Consultant Jiang was a young, smart, and good conversationalist.

Nan Shuyi felt a sense of pride. He hadn't expected Jiang Yicen to do so much homework on Youqian Company. Jiang was not only talented but also diligent and creative. Nan Shuyi couldn't understand why Jiang's family had sacrificed him, but it increasingly felt like a gain for the Nan family. Having someone like this now working for Nanyuan—after all, it was his own doing. If he hadn't married Jiang Yicen, how would Nanyuan have gained such a talent? It was his own good judgment.

Youqian's cafeteria was on the second floor. The company had about a hundred employees, with long tables for regular dining and round tables for special rooms. A few employees were scattered around.

Regardless of whether the deal would go through, the atmosphere was excellent. The boss of Youqian and Director Pan personally hosted them.

Unlike Nanyuan's cafeteria, where employees ate in shifts due to the large workforce and variety but mediocre taste (for Jiang Yicen, the food was often cold if he arrived late), Youqian had fewer employees, giving the kitchen staff more room to work. They could cook fresh to order and had several chefs specializing in Sichuan, Fujian, Cantonese, and various northern noodle dishes. It was extremely abundant.

Here, Jiang Yicen tried Dongbei guobao rou (sweet and sour pork) and candied sweet potatoes. Maybe they had altered the recipes; the guobao rou wasn't as crispy or tender as he remembered—it didn't even meet his passing mark, probably because it wasn't cooked by a real Dongbei chef.

He also sampled other things. They weren't as amazing as the online rumors claimed, but they were much better than Nanyuan's cafeteria.

Having been raised on fine food, he obviously couldn't hold a company cafeteria to the same standard as Yongjiang Restaurant.

Many companies have now moved away from the culture of drinking alcohol. This was the only business meal Jiang Yicen had attended where no alcohol was served. He loved the orange-colored can of cola they had—it had a lemon flavor he'd never tried before, truly unique.

He hoped future business dinners would have a similar atmosphere—no alcohol, just cola. He'd be happy to attend.

Around 1:00 PM, they left Youqian Company.

Chen Shangyan and Pan Yamin saw them out.

Shortly after they left, Nan Shuyi received an urgent call from his assistant: "CEO Nan, it's bad! Chef Liu and Chef Fang got into a fight!"

Nan Shuyi rubbed his temples: "Together they're over 110. Why are they fighting? Did you stop them? Anyone hurt?"

Assistant: "We've calmed them down, but Chef Fang was so angry he called the police. The police are here now. Some diners filmed the incident, and the public opinion is turning negative. Clickbait accounts are spreading rumors that our restaurant was raided by the market regulators. I sent you a link to the trending topic."

Nan Shuyi: "Okay, are they still arguing?"

He quickly checked his phone and saw the trending topic, but the content didn't matter now—he needed to see the two chefs first.

The online rumors were already picking up steam.

Assistant: "After the police mediation, they stopped arguing. They're waiting for you at the Linjiang district branch. Chef Fang says if Chef Liu stays, he'll leave."

Nan Shuyi: "Alright, I'm near the Linjiang district branch. I'll head over now."

Jiang Yicen, sitting beside him, overheard the conversation and felt concerned. Since Nan Shuyi had taken over the restaurant, Chef Fang had caused quite a few troubles.

Manager Yang was driving. He dropped Nan Shuyi off at the entrance of the mall housing the Cuizhu restaurant branch in Linjiang District.

As Nan Shuyi got out of the car, he looked at Jiang Yicen: "Yicen, come with me."

Jiang Yicen had wanted to ask him if he needed any help, but he couldn't bring it up himself. Manager Yang also didn't know what their relationship was, and asking out of the blue would give himself away. Fortunately, Nan Shuyi was quick on his feet.

"Okay." Jiang Yicen got out of the car like that.

Manager Yang glanced at Nan Shuyi, who had gotten out first, and saw him take the computer bag Jiang Yicen was holding.

The car door closed, and Manager Yang drove away.

Once they were far away, the brand assistant curiously asked Manager Yang, "Didn't Mr. Nan just arrive at the marketing department today? Is he treating Jiang Yicen as his assistant? I heard Jiang Yicen also got in through the back door—wonder which bigwig's kid he is. Manager Yang, do you know?"

Manager Yang shook his head. "How would I know? I'm just a nobody. But judging by those two, Jiang Yicen is probably Master Nan's sidekick, right?"

He wasn't so sure, though. If Jiang Yicen was a sidekick, why would Master Nan carry his bag for him?

The brand assistant had a sudden realization and couldn't believe it. "These young masters aren't easy either. They've got money and status, yet they still have to be someone's sidekick."

Manager Yang said, "Forget it, don't stick your nose in other people's business. We can't even get near their social circle."

·

Nan Shuyi led Jiang Yicen from the staff passage to the branch's office.

As they went upstairs, the assistant had already told Nan Shuyi the reason for the fight.

Liu Dan, when he was checking the kitchen's cleanliness, discovered Chef Fang's senior apprentice bullying a female server. The server was so frightened she was crying. Liu Dan beat up the apprentice and said he'd fire him on the spot. But when Chef Fang found out, he naturally protected his apprentice. The apprentice even claimed the server came on to him and that Liu Dan had misunderstood. In short, during the heated argument, both sides lost their tempers and started fighting.

After Nan Shuyi told him what happened, Jiang Yicen was furious about the bullying of the female colleague. "How could such a thing happen? Brother Shuyi, what do you plan to do?"

Nan Shuyi said, "I've had someone get the security footage. If it turns out to be a misunderstanding or if this really happened, we'll handle it accordingly. People with integrity issues can't stay."

Jiang Yicen asked, "And Chef Fang?"

Nan Shuyi told him honestly, "He's been wanting to leave for a while. Someone's been contacting him lately—I think he's planning to jump ship."

Jiang Yicen thought of one person, a rival of Cuizhu's. "Is it He Mingshuo trying to poach our people?"

Nan Shuyi liked how he used "our" to describe their relationship. "Yeah, I just didn't expect Liu Dan to be manipulated by him."

Jiang Yicen said, "This is quite a hassle."

Nan Shuyi patted his shoulder. "It's fine, we can handle it. It's just a small matter."

The main thing was, he hadn't expected the police to show up. But then, Nan Shuyi thought it over and an idea came to him.

This incident might actually become a turning point—an opportunity. It just depended on the investigation results.

Since the other party wanted to blow things up, he didn't have to suppress it. He could turn their own move against them.

Jiang Yicen also had his own ideas. "Brother Shuyi, why don't we go find the female server who was bullied first? Did the police leave already?"

Nan Shuyi shook his head. "We got here quickly; they haven't left yet." He also made sure to remind Jiang Yicen that the hallway had just been mopped and the floor was still wet. "The floor is a bit slippery. Be careful."

Jiang Yicen said, "Mm-hmm."

The two arrived at the office.

At that moment, Liu Dan and Chef Fang were sitting opposite each other, their respective apprentices standing behind them, as if they might start fighting again any second.

After Nan Shuyi arrived, nobody said a word.

They went to see the police first and the female server who had been bullied.

The server's name was Xiao Lan. She had just come out of the break room, and when she saw Nan Shuyi, she seemed a bit scared, probably not sure what to expect.

Jiang Yicen went over to talk to her on Nan Shuyi's behalf. He noticed her eyes were still red.

Jiang Yicen spoke gently and said, "Miss Xiao Lan, hello. Could you tell me what happened?"

Seeing a gentle, handsome young man speaking to her, Xiao Lan looked a lot better.

Xiao Lan said, "Sure. What do you want to ask?"

Jiang Yicen asked, "Did you call the police?"

Xiao Lan shook her head. "No."

Jiang Yicen said, "If he did something wrong to you, you can call the police. We already looked at the footage and have solid proof."

Xiao Lan was a girl who only finished middle school. She came from a village, just turned eighteen this year. Her family was poor, so right after middle school, she followed some villagers to work in a factory. Later, the factory closed down, and she found a job as a server here.

"Call... call the police?" It was something she had never considered. She had never met someone with such presence.

Jiang Yicen nodded. "Yes. If you've been bullied, you should call the police and let the law punish the bully. Otherwise, they won't realize their mistake."

His words seemed so matter-of-fact, like a steady anchor.

No one had ever told Xiao Lan that if a man touched her inappropriately, she could call the police.

Xiao Lan cried in distress, "Then I'll call the police! Feng Chuang just groped my butt!"

At the same time, Nan Shuyi received the surveillance footage from his assistant.

Nan Shuyi nodded at Jiang Yicen. "The police are still here. We'll go with you."

No one expected that the police, who were originally called to mediate the fight between the two sixty-year-old chefs, would end up handling a separate molestation case. Chef Fang was dumbfounded as he watched his senior apprentice being taken away by the police.

Meanwhile, a swarm of social media reporters had gathered outside. Upon learning that Nan Shuyi was there, they slipped into the kitchen and office.

Nan Shuyi was about to take Jiang Yicen home, but they didn't expect those people to have slipped in. The two heard the commotion from the office.

"Is Master Nan here?"

"Interview him about mistreating the head chef!"

"We finally caught him this time."

Jiang Yicen was startled. It seemed too late to close the door now.

He turned, and Nan Shuyi grabbed his hand.

"There's a small room in here. We can hide for now."

The office was cluttered. Behind them was a metal shelf piled with several large bags of printing paper and menus still smelling of ink.

Nan Shuyi pushed the movable shelf aside, opened the door, and pushed Jiang Yicen inside. Then he moved the shelf back and closed the door.

The storage space was extremely small. As Nan Shuyi turned around, he accidentally bumped into Jiang Yicen's...

Jiang Yicen was trying to find the light switch in the storage room. When he turned his head, his upper lip suddenly touched something soft and warm—a brief touch, there and gone.

Jiang Yicen: "???"

It seemed like Nan Shuyi had just kissed him.