Chapter Thirty-Seven: An Uproar!

Staring at the number in the text message, Chen Qi was a little stunned.

Wasn't it supposed to start at two hundred thousand? Though he understood perfectly well what "starting" meant, this starting point seemed much too high.

"Mr. Xu?" After double-checking several times that it really was eight hundred thousand, Chen Qi looked at Xu Buyian, puzzled.

"You might not know, KUKU isn't just paying us for production; they're also giving us a creative fee," Xu Buyian explained simply, seeing the question in Chen Qi's eyes. "Generally, the higher the quality of the creative work, the more they're willing to pay."

"Is that so?" Chen Qi was indeed unfamiliar with the advertising industry.

Xu Buyian nodded. "Your advertising slogan, though brief, is precise—it contains all the necessary information. Everyone at KUKU is very satisfied. In fact, the creative fee they gave to Blueprint is much higher than the figure you saw. And besides, this is what you deserve."

Chen Qi understood then. Realizing the extra amount wasn't just because he was leaving, he didn't say anything further.

"Do you have any specific plans next?" Xu Buyian suddenly asked.

"I'll take a couple of days off first," Chen Qi replied with a smile. "Then I'll think things through."

With that, Chen Qi stood up from his seat and said to them, "I won't be going back to the office with you. I'll head out first."

Xu Buyian glanced at him and nodded lightly. "Alright."

Manager Zhao, standing nearby, moved his lips as if to speak, but ultimately just shook his head with a wry smile and waved him off, saying no more.

Chen Qi smiled, waved at them, and turned to leave.

Manager Zhao watched his retreating figure with deep emotion. Only when Chen Qi had disappeared in the distance did he ask Xu Buyian, still with lingering unease, "Mr. Xu, are we really just letting him go like this?"

"What else?" Xu Buyian shot him an exasperated look. "Could you persuade him to stay?"

"..." Manager Zhao's mouth twitched slightly. After some hesitation, he ventured, "What if the competition hears about this and tries to poach him?"

He couldn't even imagine what would happen if Chen Qi really joined a rival company—it would be a devastating blow to Blueprint.

"He won't," Xu Buyian shook his head. "Since he's left Blueprint, he won't return to this industry."

Though he didn't know Chen Qi very well, he was confident of this. Given the chairman's influence, he believed Chen Qi wouldn't stand against Blueprint.

"???" Manager Zhao looked at him, bewildered.

Where does this blind confidence come from? What if someone offers him an enormous salary? Besides, who casually changes their field of work?

But considering Xu Buyian was the general manager, Manager Zhao refrained from voicing these impolite doubts. Still, the regret in his heart would not settle.

...

At half past two in the afternoon, Blueprint announced Chen Qi's resignation via email.

The news sent the entire company into an uproar!

Chen Qi resigned?

Why?

Wasn't he doing perfectly well?

Except for a few, everyone who received the news was shocked and struggled to respond.

They looked at each other, faces full of confusion, even a bit of disbelief and shock. Especially the female colleagues who had had their eyes on him—they were utterly dumbfounded.

He was performing so well; why resign so suddenly?

They couldn't understand.

Many couldn't.

Perhaps sensing the confusion and incomprehension among the staff, the general management office sent another email about ten minutes later.

After reading this message, the employees' mouths dropped open in astonishment.

The KUKU phone advertisement was miraculously reclaimed?

Because of Chen Qi?

At the end of the email, the management office expressed gratitude to Chen Qi on behalf of the company, briefly explained the reason for his departure, and offered best wishes.

After reading this, many fell silent.

For some reason, everyone felt a complex mix of emotions.

...

As Blueprint announced Chen Qi's resignation, all major advertising companies—including Red Apricot—quickly learned that the KUKU phone business had been won back by Blueprint.

Astonished and curious, they became intensely interested in Chen Qi.

In just one week, he had not only independently completed a public service advertisement but had also forcefully reclaimed an ad that was about to fall into Red Apricot's hands.

Who was he?

They had seen and heard of talented creatives, but never someone who stirred things up so dramatically in a single week.

Just as many began to dig into Chen Qi's personal information to satisfy their curiosity, they received news of his resignation from Blueprint.

In that instant, all the major advertising firms were stunned.

"Is this a joke?"

"Are you sure?"

"How is this possible?"

After recovering from the shock, the companies instinctively assumed there must be some mistake.

Even Han Dong of Red Apricot couldn't believe it.

Chen Qi resigned?

What kind of joke was this?

How could Blueprint let such talent go?

Yet the news was true.

When the industry confirmed it, everyone was electrified.

They began frantically searching for Chen Qi's contact details.

Never mind his feat of reclaiming the KUKU phone business—his ability to independently create a quality public service ad was enough to win their hearts. After all, everyone had seen its quality.

Han Dong of Red Apricot immediately called Chen Qi.

Unfortunately, Chen Qi directly declined the offer, even when Han Dong raised the remuneration to an astonishing level.

...

Blueprint.

General manager's office.

Though it was past office hours, Xu Buyian had no intention of leaving.

He sat alone in the office, gazing at the room with a complicated look, then rubbed his face in frustration, as if torn by a difficult decision.

Over an hour earlier, he had learned from his sources that the competition was contacting Chen Qi.

But as he expected, Chen Qi rejected them all—flatly, even in the face of jaw-dropping salaries.

This outcome was both within and beyond his expectations.

He knew Chen Qi would refuse, but hadn't anticipated such resolute rejection, unmoved by extraordinary offers.

Chen Qi had said he needed no help, no special care, yet those companies were no longer connected to Elegant Group.

What was he thinking?

What did he want?

Xu Buyian couldn't guess.

But Chen Qi's actions only deepened his own doubts about whether to resign.

Yet, for various reasons, he couldn't make a decision quickly.

He felt anxious, conflicted.

The more he thought, the more painful it became, until he started smoking again after a long period of abstinence.

Soon, the office was filled with smoke.

"Sigh..."

After a long while, a pained and helpless sigh came from the haze.

From the sound, he was still unable to make up his mind.

...

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