54: Chapter 54 Team Mission

The elevator lobby during the morning rush hour was packed with people standing in line one after another.

The elevator doors opened, and the crowd surged in.

Just as the elevator doors were about to close, a hurried voice called out from outside: "Wait—!"

Qiao Yichen recognized the voice as that of Meng Zhi, a member of his team, and pressed the door-open button.

Meng Zhi squeezed in, holding her bag: "Thank you, Team Leader Qiao!" She looked up, saw Liu Yanran, and quickly added, "Good morning, Director Liu."

Liu Yanran looked up from her phone screen, nodded at her, and then her gaze returned to the email.

The elevator ascended. Meng Zhi stood near the door, noticing that Team Leader Qiao and Director Liu maintained a half-step distance between them, with no communication.

She suddenly recalled yesterday noon—through the glass curtain wall of the office building, she had seen Director Qiao and a woman wearing a beige cardigan walking side-by-side toward the mall. That woman's back profile, and that cardigan...

Standing diagonally behind Director Liu now, the more Meng Zhi looked at the back profile, the more familiar it seemed, and a guess flashed through her mind.

But she immediately suppressed the thought.

The 23rd floor arrived.

Liu Yanran was the first to step out. Qiao Yichen turned sideways to let Meng Zhi exit first.

The clock on the wall pointed to 8:58.

...

Qiao Yichen and Meng Zhi entered the Planning Department one after the other. Li Yong was coming out of the pantry holding a coffee cup, while Shen Bowen was already tapping away at his keyboard.

"Oh, you arrived together today?" Li Yong leaned over, his eyebrows raised high, his tone carrying his usual teasing manner.

"We ran into each other in the elevator," Qiao Yichen said, sitting down at his desk and pressing the computer's power button.

Shen Bowen turned his chair, pushed up his glasses, and looked at Meng Zhi: "That close today? Barely made it in on time."

"It was raining," Meng Zhi said, tucking her umbrella into the storage bin next to her seat, then looking at him, "I couldn't squeeze onto the previous subway."

Li Yong took a sip of coffee and glanced around, amused: "Look, everyone else is scrambling, but our team is idle. So comfortable."

Qiao Yichen didn't even lift his eyelids: "Shut your crow's beak. If a rush job really comes in, you'll be the first to whine."

"No way!" Li Yong grinned carelessly.

The idle talk ended, and only the sound of keyboards remained in the office. Qiao Yichen opened his email and began processing the backlog of routine messages.

At nine-thirty, his phone vibrated lightly on the desk.

Liu Yanran: "Come to my office."

Qiao Yichen replied with "Received" and stood up.

The Director's office door was slightly ajar. He knocked and pushed it open. Liu Yanran didn't look up; her fingers pulled a stapled A4 sheet from a nearby folder and pushed it toward the edge of the desk.

"A hands-on project for you to practice. 'Taste Bud Memory,' a historic pastry shop owned by a friend of the boss."

Qiao Yichen took it. The paper was still slightly warm from the printer. Briefing:

Background: Three generations in business. The main store is in the old district, over thirty years old; two new branches opened in high-end malls, just two years ago.

Budget: 120,000 to 180,000.

Core Requirement: Brand rejuvenation, targeting the 25–35 age group, and solidifying traffic for the new stores.

Below that was a quote from the boss's friend, typed so unevenly that some characters were slightly crooked: "The old customers are all older. The new stores are well-decorated and in good locations, but young people only take photos and don't buy anything. The shops are about to become just background boards for check-ins."

Requirements were clear: Before the May Day Holiday, the video, print, and social media communication plans—the entire finished package—must be delivered.

"The briefing was forwarded to me directly by the boss, so the basic situation is all there," Liu Yanran leaned back, her gaze resting on his face. "The project isn't big, but the turnaround is urgent, and the requirements are not low. It’s a good chance for your new team to get some real combat experience."

"Understood." Qiao Yichen quickly scanned the document; the key information was already lodged in his mind.

Qiao Yichen returned to his workstation, folding a hard crease into the briefing document in his hand. He sat down without turning on his computer and first opened the team's WeChat group.

His fingertip paused over the screen for half a second before he typed.

"Small conference room. Now."

Sent.

A few seconds later, Li Yong poked his head out from behind the partition. Shen Bowen had already closed his laptop, and Meng Zhi looked up from her materials.

Three people, three pairs of eyes, all looked over simultaneously.

Qiao Yichen stood up, said nothing, but merely tilted his head toward the conference room.

The sound of the conference room door closing was very light.

Qiao Yichen placed the briefing on the table. The paper slid half a foot across the smooth surface, stopping exactly in the middle of the four of them.

"New project," his voice was not loud, but every word carried weight. "'Taste Bud Memory,' a historic pastry shop. Budget twelve to eighteen, deadline is before the May Day Holiday. We need video, print, and a complete communication package."

He paused, sweeping his gaze across the faces of the three people.

Li Yong's joking expression vanished, Shen Bowen adjusted his glasses, and Meng Zhi unconsciously sat up straighter.

"The client's original words," Qiao Yichen pointed a finger at that line on the briefing. "The new stores have become check-in background boards; young people only look but don't buy."

He withdrew his hand, leaning slightly forward, his elbows resting on the edge of the table.

"The meaning is very clear—we need to give a thirty-year-old brand a second spring within a week."

The air fell silent for two seconds.

Li Yong spoke first: "Boss, this budget... a decent video alone will eat up half of it."

"So we must spend the money where it counts," Qiao Yichen looked at him. "You are responsible for channels and budget breakdown. I need to see the preliminary allocation plan before you leave work today."

Li Yong nodded: "Understood."

"Bowen." Qiao Yichen turned to Shen Bowen. "You're coming with me to visit the stores. The main store and both new branches. I need to know the product structure, customer flow routes, and how staff interact with customers."

Shen Bowen had already opened his phone's memo app: "Okay, I'll prepare my recording tools."

"Meng Zhi." Qiao Yichen finally looked at her. "Your task is to comprehensively analyze all social platforms—Xiaohongshu, Douyin, Dianping. I need to know how young people are talking about historic brands now: what they praise, what they criticize, and what they expect. Keywords, high-frequency words, emotional tendencies—turn it into a word cloud."

Meng Zhi curled her fingers slightly on her lap, her voice clear: "Understood, I'll start immediately."

Qiao Yichen straightened up.

"This is the team's first practical project," his voice deepened. "I know the time is tight, but I need all of you to figure out all the details in the next two days. Friday afternoon, right here, everyone must bring at least two creative directions."

He paused and added:

"Meeting adjourned."

The three people rose, the legs of their chairs scraping lightly against the floor.

Qiao Yichen remained until the end, looking at the line on the briefing that read 'check-in background board,' tapping his fingertip lightly on the paper.

The conference room door opened and closed again. Meng Zhi's voice could faintly be heard: "Brother Yong, you really are a crow's beak; whatever you say happens."

Qiao Yichen, alone in the conference room, took out his phone and dialed Xu Wenyuan's number.

The call connected quickly.

"Manager Xu, this is Qiao Yichen. I will settle the final payment this afternoon. I'll come over around four or five to sign the handover documents; please confirm the address as well."

"Very well, Mr. Qiao. All the documents are ready; we await your arrival."

"See you this afternoon."

After hanging up, he gathered the briefing from the table, pulled the door open, and walked out.