Chapter Sixteen: Do You Really Believe Something So Naive?

The little boy clung to the doorway, peeking inside.
The young mother was washing her mother-in-law’s feet.
When Manager Zhao saw this scene, the faint furrow in his brow suddenly relaxed, and the hint of disdain and indifference in his eyes transformed into clear astonishment.
It was as if he had grasped something from these few shots.
He couldn’t help but glance up at Chen Qi, his gaze flickering with disbelief.
Though he was reluctant to admit it, he had to concede that this advertisement was much better than he had anticipated.
He’d thought the idea would be naïve and childish.
Although he hadn’t finished reviewing all the footage, with just these few scenes as a hint, he could already guess the general content of the ad.
Judging from what he’d seen, both in terms of creativity and visuals, it was a proper and competent advertisement.
Of course, he wasn’t willing to admit it was particularly good.
He felt it barely met the standard for submission, far from being at the level to be chosen by China Central Television.
Their requirements were notoriously demanding.
Still, even so, he could not completely suppress a sense of satisfaction. For a recent university graduate to produce work of this caliber—given a little more time, he would undoubtedly grow quickly and become a valuable asset.
It seemed that this connection wasn’t as unimpressive as he’d thought.
What frustrated him, though, was that Chen Qi, across from him, stood there lost in thought, his mind clearly elsewhere, not in this office.
Manager Zhao shot him a sidelong glance, then continued watching.
As expected, the following shots unfolded much as he’d imagined.
After viewing the last frame, Manager Zhao pulled out the USB drive and asked the absent-minded Chen Qi, “Are you still planning to handle the editing and music yourself?”
“Yes.” Chen Qi, snapped out of his reverie, replied at once.
Post-production was crucial; background music and narration were the soul of an ad. Even if he wasn’t the director, he’d insist on managing post-production himself.
“Alright.” This time, Manager Zhao agreed readily, quite unlike before.
In front of Chen Qi, he picked up the phone, made a brief call, then handed the USB drive over, saying, “Go ahead, I’ve already notified them. The post-production team will fully cooperate with you.”
“Thank you, Manager!” Chen Qi took the USB with a wide smile and turned to leave.
Just as he opened the office door, he found a bespectacled middle-aged man about to knock.
At the sight of each other, both paused in surprise.

“Director Xu.” Chen Qi was the first to respond, greeting him.
Xu Bunian smiled, nodded, and stepped aside.
Without pretense, Chen Qi headed straight for the post-production department.
“What’s going on?” Xu Bunian watched Chen Qi’s departing figure, curiosity in his voice.
“He’s finished his ad,” Manager Zhao emerged from behind his desk as if he’d discovered a new world, both surprised and pleased. “Director Xu, he really exceeded my expectations. That ad was much better than I imagined.”
“Really?” Xu Bunian seemed somewhat surprised as well. “Is it good enough to submit?”
“Yes!” Manager Zhao replied firmly. “It definitely meets the standard for submission, but I still doubt it’ll be selected by CCTV.”
“Why is that?” Xu Bunian asked.
“He has a good idea, but overall, the ad is too ordinary. It’s just a child seeing his mother wash his grandmother’s feet, then mimicking her by bringing water to wash his mother’s feet in turn. Too plain. In simple terms, the theme isn’t strong enough; it lacks soul.”
He paused, then added, “Of course, I’ve only seen the rough cut. Once he finishes, perhaps he’ll make up for those shortcomings.”
Xu Bunian smiled.
He could easily detect the insincerity in that last remark.
“Then…” He looked at Manager Zhao with a meaningful, half-smiling glance, pointing to the desk calendar. “Are you planning to steam or grill this calendar?”
“Huh?” Manager Zhao stared at him, baffled.
“Don’t play dumb. You said yourself, if Chen Qi’s ad reached the normal submission standard, you’d eat that desk calendar.” Xu Bunian looked at him with a hint of sympathy.
“???” Manager Zhao blinked in confusion.
After a long moment, he shook his head vigorously, straight-faced. “No, no, I never said that. Director Xu, you must have misheard.”
“???” Xu Bunian looked at him in surprise.
How had he never noticed before how shameless the man could be?
Denying his own words?
“I said I’d eat the calendar only if his ad was selected by CCTV!” Manager Zhao corrected him solemnly.
“Did I really misremember?” Xu Bunian eyed him, half-doubting.
“Definitely, you remembered wrong!” Manager Zhao replied with conviction.
“Is that so?” Hearing his certainty, Xu Bunian couldn’t help but start to doubt himself.
Could he really have gotten it wrong?
…

When Chen Qi arrived at the post-production department, photographer Xiao Wu, who had just returned the equipment, was being questioned by his gossiping colleagues about the shoot.
“Xiao Wu, I heard you worked overtime last weekend?” This colleague’s tone carried a hint of mockery.
Giving up your own weekend to help someone film?
Are you out of your mind?
If it was for a leader, maybe, but for a newcomer?
“Yes,” Xiao Wu replied with a smile.
“What’s the story? Why did you have to work overtime on the weekend?” another colleague asked, curiosity piqued.
“The public service ads our company submitted to CCTV were all rejected, weren’t they? Chen Qi said he could guarantee making one that would get selected.”
At these words, the entire office fell silent.
Almost everyone stared at Xiao Wu in shock, wondering if they’d misheard.
A guarantee to be selected by CCTV for a public service ad?
Who was this guy?
How could anyone say something so arrogant?
Did he not know how strict CCTV’s standards were?
“Are you serious?” After a while, a colleague finally voiced disbelief.
“Yes,” Xiao Wu nodded gravely. “The ad’s already been shot. I think it’s pretty good.”
“Hahaha…” Seeing Xiao Wu’s earnest expression, the surrounding colleagues burst out laughing.
“You actually believe something that naïve?”
“You think CCTV is his family’s business? He says it’ll be selected and that’s that?”
“Exactly, if it were that easy, why would all the previous attempts have been rejected?”
“Where did this joker come from? Hahaha…”
The group couldn’t stop laughing, no matter how hard they tried, as if they’d just heard the funniest joke ever.