Chapter Twenty: Are You Really That Oblivious?

The Creative Department was bustling with people coming and going. Curiosity about Chen Qi and that advertisement was at its peak. Though the ad was currently inaccessible, everyone was eager to find out just what sort of person Chen Qi truly was.

Much to many people’s disappointment, however, Chen Qi was nowhere to be seen in the office. Nearly every person craning their necks at the department’s doorway wore the same puzzled expression. Even those bold enough to stroll in under the pretense of a casual visit were left doubting their own eyes when they saw the vacant seat.

Instinctively, they checked the time—it was already half an hour past the start of the workday. Where could he be? Colleagues familiar with the Creative Department looked at the so-called "Five of Creativity" with blank faces.

"Don’t ask me, I have no idea either," one of the five nearly wept, feeling as if the office had turned into a marketplace. The thing they’d dreaded most had finally happened: the advertisement concept that had them racking their brains for over a month was resolved in just a few days by the new hire. It was as though he had left them not a shred of dignity.

Seeing the parade of curious faces peering in from outside, they wished they could dig a hole and disappear. It was pure torment. Never before had they witnessed such a scene; never had the Creative Department been so lively. They had never imagined an advertisement could cause such an uproar within the company.

What made things worse was that, to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings, they dared not reveal even a hint of their displeasure. Their forced smiles looked even uglier than tears. Yet, despite being on the verge of collapse, they were also somewhat relieved; at least their performance ratings for the month were secure and they would no longer be tormented by the public service ad project.

As for the whereabouts of Chen Qi—the burning question on everyone’s mind—they truly had no idea. From his first day on the job, he had never spent an entire day in the office. They had long since gotten used to his late arrivals and early departures, often wondering if he had some backing within the company.

Just as the five were about to lose their minds from the relentless attention, a small commotion rippled through the crowd outside the department. Chen Qi, fashionably late, had finally arrived.

Seeing the unusually crowded Creative Department, Chen Qi, clueless, wore a look of confusion. "What’s going on?" he asked, squeezing through the throng and shooting a questioning glance at the five colleagues.

Their reactions were nearly explosive—how could he ask them what was happening? Did he really not know? Did he have no sense of the situation? They were already at their limits; couldn’t he just help disperse the crowd and put them out of their misery?

As the five sat at their desks, nearly driven mad, a chorus of polite flattery from a few attractive female colleagues reached Chen Qi’s ears—compliments about how impressive he was. He looked at them awkwardly, thinking, "If you’re going to praise me, at least let me know why—I haven’t a clue what you mean."

Encircled by these women, Chen Qi saw the five creative colleagues sitting motionless, sporting expressions of utter despair. This was too much! They had created many classic advertisements before—why had none drawn such excitement?

It took Chen Qi a while to glean the general situation from the enthusiastic women, and then he saw the email sent out by the General Office. But before he could fully digest its terse message, his phone rang.

Manager Zhao was calling.

Gesturing at his phone to indicate who it was, Chen Qi squeezed out of the crowd and hurried to Manager Zhao’s office, his emotions running high. He guessed it must be about his bonus.

"Manager?" he said, knocking as he entered.

Manager Zhao, just off the phone, waved him in. "You’re just in time. Tell me, where did you find the three actors for your advertisement?"

"Ah?" Chen Qi blinked, then promptly replied, "At the kindergarten."

"Kindergarten?" Manager Zhao was taken aback.

"Yes, why?" Chen Qi asked, bewildered.

Frowning, Manager Zhao pressed, "What made you think of finding actors at a kindergarten? What kind of approach is that?"

Chen Qi, still confused, countered, "The main character of the ad is a little boy—where else would I look if not at a kindergarten?"

Manager Zhao was momentarily speechless, but let the topic drop. "Let’s get to the point. The company wants to sign the little boy from your ad."

Chen Qi’s eyes widened in surprise. Wasn’t this supposed to be about his bonus?

Seeing his reaction, Manager Zhao assumed he was unfamiliar with how ad agencies operated and patiently explained: advertising companies often sign popular actors to their own rosters. The more ad actors a company had, the wider their range of projects, since actors were typically not loaned out and using them required collaboration. The company foresaw that, after the ad aired, many advertisers would want the little boy, so they wanted to secure him before competitors could poach him.

Chen Qi listened with little interest; he cared only about when his hundred-thousand-yuan bonus would arrive.

"The phone number’s yours. You handle it—I’m not getting involved," Chen Qi said impatiently, reciting the young mother’s contact information.

When Manager Zhao learned that the three actors were an actual family, he was genuinely surprised, giving Chen Qi a look of renewed wonder. Three perfectly-suited actors who were already a family? This was uncanny luck—the sort of contrivance even a novelist would hesitate to write.

"Manager..." Chen Qi began, watching as Manager Zhao saved the number and fiddled with his phone, unable to stop himself from speaking.

"What is it?" Manager Zhao glanced up, then, seeing Chen Qi’s hesitant expression, quickly cut him off. "Don’t ask. The bonus has already been submitted to Finance. You know how it is—company procedures take time. But don’t worry, it’ll be deposited today."

Chen Qi couldn’t help but laugh, feigning seriousness. "That’s not what I was going to ask. I’m just surprised the ad is set to air so soon."

Manager Zhao took a deep breath, not bothering to call him out. "Apparently, the higher-ups at CCTV are very pleased with your ad, so it’s been moved up the schedule."

"I see..." Chen Qi replied, feigning sudden realization. Seeing how busy Manager Zhao was, he didn’t linger and quietly took his leave.