Chapter Eighteen: The Advertisement Goes Public

Chapter Eighteen: The Advertisement Goes Public

Watching Chen Qi nearly lose his mind, Manager Zhao couldn't help but laugh, rather unkindly.

“I don't know how it happened, but word of you shooting the advertisement has spread throughout the company,” he explained.

Chen Qi was momentarily stunned, but quickly understood, rolling his eyes inwardly.

He’d been startled for nothing—he thought something serious had happened!

“Did my shameless boasting scare them?” he asked, utterly carefree.

Manager Zhao looked at him, torn between laughter and tears. “At least you have some self-awareness.”

Chen Qi pursed his lips, choosing not to say more. He understood why his colleagues were eager to see him make a fool of himself. If it had been him in his previous life, hearing such audacious claims at work, he too would have looked at the person as if they were a mythical being.

“Manager, the advertisement is finished. Take a look.” Without further ado, he handed over the completed ad.

“So soon?” Manager Zhao reached for it and plugged it into the computer.

The screen quickly displayed a video file, already titled.

“Washing Mother’s Feet.”

Manager Zhao nodded slightly; the title was fitting. He clicked to play.

The opening scene was just as he'd seen before: the mother washing her son’s feet. But this time, there was background music and dialogue between mother and child.

“Little duck swims and swims, finally coming ashore…”

“You watch by yourself for now, Mom will tell you more later.”

As the richer visuals unfolded on the screen, Manager Zhao’s brow furrowed once more. Somehow, the finished version felt far more polished.

He glanced at Chen Qi, betraying nothing, and continued watching.

The subsequent scenes were no different from the raw footage he’d seen earlier. When the son strides in carrying water, he couldn’t help but smile. The visual impact was undeniable.

Yet what caught him off guard was that, at the very moment this scene switched, the background music transformed abruptly from lighthearted to profoundly moving.

Upon hearing it, Manager Zhao’s eyes widened in shock, his mouth forming an “O” of astonishment, as if witnessing the extraordinary.

“Mom, let me wash your feet,” the child’s crisp voice echoed.

Hearing this line, absent from the earlier draft, and with the music’s emotional swell, Manager Zhao felt tears threaten to spill.

On screen, the mother, after a brief moment of surprise, began to smile.

At that moment, a voiceover rang out:

“In truth, parents are a child’s best teachers.”

Upon hearing this, Manager Zhao shot to his feet, eyes locked on the screen, breath coming faster.

The soul of the advertisement had arrived!

He'd said that very morning the ad lacked a strong message, and now Chen Qi had slapped him in the face with a theme no one had used before.

“Mom, let me tell you a story about a little duck.”

As the final frame faded, bold red letters appeared:

Pass on the love.

Manager Zhao stood frozen.

He turned slightly, looking at Chen Qi in disbelief, his mind in turmoil.

No one could imagine the storm raging inside him, nor the depth of his shock.

He never expected that material he’d considered mediocre could be so transformed by post-production.

He was even more astounded that Chen Qi, whom he’d regarded as a mere amateur, had managed to deliver such a tremendous surprise.

But… how could this be?

Even with the finished ad before his eyes, it still felt surreal.

Chen Qi was just a fresh graduate, after all—how had he conceived the concept, the script, the music, all in such a short time?

“Manager? Manager?” Seeing him lost in silence, Chen Qi approached.

He knew the ad’s impact was powerful, but as someone who led the creative department, surely Manager Zhao had seen much in his career. Was he too shaken—was it embarrassing?

If Manager Zhao knew what Chen Qi thought, he might just collapse.

He had indeed seen much, and the ad’s impact was immense, but if an industry veteran had produced it, he would not be surprised.

The issue was, it was Chen Qi’s work!

“Huh?” Perhaps hearing Chen Qi call, Manager Zhao snapped back to reality.

“Wait here,” he said, steadying his tumultuous emotions, quickly unplugging the drive and leaving, his hurried steps betraying none of the composure expected of a department manager.

“???” Chen Qi watched him go, bewildered.

Soon, he saw Manager Zhao knocking on the door of a nearby office.

The General Manager’s office.

Chen Qi paused, then understood, his expression lighting up.

Clearly, Manager Zhao was taking it for executive review.

Inside, Manager Zhao hesitated before Xu Bunian, unsure how to begin.

How embarrassing!

He’d just analyzed the ad that morning, dismissing it as barely acceptable, and now, mere hours later, he was about to contradict himself.

What a loss of face!

“What are you doing?” Xu Bunian, seeing his indecision, was confused.

Manager Zhao looked at him pitifully, saying nothing, and quietly plugged the drive into the laptop.

“What are you up to?” Xu Bunian eyed him warily.

Work had been stressful lately, but surely not enough to drive him mad?

Manager Zhao managed an awkward smile, gesturing at the screen, still silent.

Xu Bunian’s face wrinkled with confusion, but he followed directions, opened the drive, and saw the video titled “Washing Mother’s Feet.”

What was the meaning of this?

He glanced at Manager Zhao.

Manager Zhao nodded vigorously, urging him to play it.

Xu Bunian took a deep breath and clicked.

The video began.

Xu Bunian watched, puzzled.

Manager Zhao, meanwhile, watched both the screen and Xu Bunian’s expression carefully.

Xu Bunian’s face shifted wildly as he watched: confusion turned to surprise, then shock.

When the tear-inducing music played, his mouth dropped open, disbelief written all over him.

Manager Zhao, watching these reactions, felt immense satisfaction, barely restraining laughter.

Sharing this overwhelming sense of awe was simply delightful.

Truth be told, he still hadn’t recovered from the shock.

It wasn’t a matter of lacking adaptability—it was simply too incredible.

He never dreamed Chen Qi would produce something of this caliber.

This was not the work of an ordinary graduate.

“This…” As the advertisement ended, Xu Bunian looked up in amazement. “Is this the ad Chen Qi shot?”

Manager Zhao bit his lip hard, and nodded.

“He… this…” Xu Bunian struggled to find words, eventually realizing he had nothing to say.

He’d never underestimated Chen Qi, but never imagined he could craft something like this.

“All his own work?” After a long pause, he asked, incredulous.

He was genuinely stunned; it was such a surprise, he had no mental preparation.

“As far as I know, yes,” Manager Zhao finally replied.

Xu Bunian glanced at him, then at the screen, still not fully recovered from the advertisement’s impact.

Xu Bunian remained silent, and Manager Zhao followed suit.

Both men sat in silence, digesting the shock.

“Heh…” After a long while, Xu Bunian finally laughed, shaking his head in wonder. “He truly gave me a tremendous surprise.”

Manager Zhao quickly nodded in agreement.

“Too unexpected, really too unexpected,” Xu Bunian murmured, finally exhaling deeply. He clicked a few times on the computer, then dialed a number.

Manager Zhao looked on, baffled.

“Old Du, are you in your office? I’ve sent you an ad by email—take a look. No questions, just watch it first.”

Two minutes later, Manager Zhao heard shocked exclamations through the phone.

“Yes, we just finished it. Can you squeeze it in for review? Great, I’ll wait for your reply—please let me know immediately when you have news.”

Upon hearing this, Manager Zhao’s expression grew odd.

He hadn’t expected the General Manager to pull strings for this ad.

But after a moment’s thought, he understood.

Blueprint Advertising was among the industry’s leaders in size and reputation, but with only one ad selected for the contest, they couldn’t hold their heads high among peers. Now, with such a phenomenal piece, even he would rush to push it forward.

He could confidently predict the ad would cause quite a stir once aired.

“Parents are a child’s best teachers”—no public service ad had ever used this theme. Chen Qi had pioneered a new series.

As for whether it would be selected, he had no doubts. If this could be rejected, he’d steer clear of the ad industry for good!

“Has Chen Qi said anything?” Xu Bunian suddenly asked.

“Oh, he’s still in my office!” Manager Zhao, suddenly remembering, hurried out.