Chapter 58: School Heartthrob? Straw? None Compare to Fur!

Chapter Fifty-Eight: Campus Heartthrob? Straw? All Better Than Fur!

Leading the group was a middle-aged woman clad in a black business suit. Her figure was gaunt, her cheeks hollow, and she wore a pair of rigid black-rimmed glasses, exuding an air of sharpness and severity. Even when her face was adorned with a smile, it failed to impart any warmth or friendliness.

She reached out to Bai Su and said, "Manager Bai, thank you for your hard work."

"You're too kind, Ms. Cai. This is our duty," Bai Su replied, gripping her hand tightly and feigning surprise. "Ms. Cai, what brings you here in person?"

This woman was the chairwoman and founder of Wonder Woman Company. Ordinarily, filming an advertisement would be left to the group’s advertising department or outsourced to an external agency. For a big boss like her to personally get involved was exceedingly rare.

"It was originally handled by the marketing department. But since there was nothing pressing at the company today, I thought I’d come along and see for myself. Quarterly advertising is the company’s top priority—you know I’m very particular. To avoid having to send the product back for revisions later, I decided to supervise in person. If any issues arise, I can address them immediately."

"Ms. Cai, you are truly dedicated," Bai Su said admiringly. "You’ve already met Benben and Echo—Tang Xin’s vocal cords are injured and need some time to heal. I hope you’ll understand."

"Oh?" Cai Yanfen turned to Tang Zhong and asked, "Tang Xin, are you alright? Is your injury serious?"

Tang Zhong smiled shyly, saying nothing.

Bai Su hurriedly redirected everyone’s attention to herself, laughing coquettishly, exuding a flirtatious air. "The doctor advised Tang Xin not to speak for now. As you know, in two months the Butterfly Group will have a concert—we’re worried Tang Xin’s voice won’t recover by then. It’s quite a concern for us. If her voice doesn’t heal, how can we explain it to the fans who bought tickets?"

Hearing Bai Su’s words, Tang Zhong’s knees nearly buckled; he almost stumbled to the floor.

A concert?

There’s actually a concert? Why has no one ever mentioned this to me?

So—am I to go on stage to receive flowers or to be cursed by the crowd?

"I see. She needs proper rest." Cai Yanfen said understandingly. "But, for the advertisement later, what about Tang Xin’s lines?"

"Could we use dubbing for now?" Bai Su suggested. "Or, we could film the visuals first. Once Tang Xin’s throat is better, we’ll have her record the audio in the studio—would that be acceptable?"

Advertisements generally consist of visuals and audio; typically, the visuals are filmed first, and the audio is recorded later in the studio or dubbed by another voice model. Not recording audio in the early stages is perfectly feasible.

Cai Yanfen nodded. "That’ll work."

Standing behind her was a small, elderly man dressed in a white Tang suit, with white hair and beard, and a large string of prayer beads around his neck. He was unsmiling, his demeanor aloof and cold.

"Director Feng. Long time no see, still as distinguished as ever," Bai Su greeted him warmly, extending her hand.

The old man was named Feng Yang, a professional commercial director who had produced advertisements for luxury brands like Mercedes-Benz and BMW. He was well-known in the industry. Wonder Woman Company had clearly paid a hefty price to hire him for this new advertisement, which explained Cai Yanfen’s personal supervision.

Moreover, his seniority in the business meant there could be many future collaborations; Bai Su had no choice but to curry favor.

He reservedly shook her hand, expressionless. "Manager Bai, we meet again."

"Indeed. I hope you’ll guide these young talents," Bai Su said, pointing to the three members of the Butterfly Group.

"My standards are very strict." He replied stiffly, handing over a script. "There are very few lines. Each person only has one. Have them look it over and consider their expressions carefully. I want today to be a success. Understood?"

"Of course." Though Bai Su was irritated by his arrogance, she kept smiling and took the advertisement script.

She distributed the script to the three members of the Butterfly Group, whispering, "Look it over first. If it works, we’ll shoot according to this script. If not, we’ll stick to our plan."

Tang Zhong glanced at the script and nearly spat blood.

Each person did indeed have only one line, or rather, all three shared the same line.

The script was as follows: the three, dressed in school uniforms, played students exiting the school gates. Benben saw a child eating ice cream and said, "I want Miao Miao." Lin Huiyin also said, "I want Miao Miao." Tang Xin said, "We all want Miao Miao."

Then, the three ran off to buy ice cream, eating it joyfully, even imitating the child by licking their lips.

The final voice-over: "Miao Miao—making life more wonderful!"

Tang Zhong thought, who wrote this script? Couldn’t they put in a little more effort?

Still, the worse the script, the more it helped their plans.

The three pretended to discuss with Bai Su, and then Bai Su approached Feng Yang. "Director Feng, they have some thoughts about the script—"

"What thoughts?" Feng Yang raised his brows, displeased. He had approved the script; if the Butterfly Group had objections, weren’t they questioning his judgment?

"Well, they think—the script is actually quite good. Very fitting for their image. It’s almost tailor-made for them." Bai Su first flattered Feng Yang, and his expression softened. "However, they feel the advertisement lacks a standout feature, something memorable—"

"What ideas do they have?" Feng Yang asked, annoyed.

"We’ve been brainstorming about how best to shoot the ad," Bai Su, shrewd as ever, spoke carefully. She purposely drew out the ‘thinking’ time so Feng Yang wouldn’t feel outsmarted, and also so Cai Yanfen would appreciate their diligence.

No boss dislikes such dedicated partners. She paid the Butterfly Group endorsement fees, but they could have just gone through the motions—or, as now, thrown themselves wholeheartedly into the project.

"You’ve worked hard. I’ll make sure to reward you," Cai Yanfen’s expression softened.

Bai Su pointed at Tang Zhong. "A subversion. First, a subversion of image. Our Tang Xin has always projected a gender-neutral, somewhat masculine persona—so she could easily play a male role. Fans of Butterfly Group would be surprised. Director Feng, you surely remember the stir caused when Miss Fan Bingbing appeared in black equestrian attire in Paris—women can be handsome and stylish too."

"And then?" Cai Yanfen’s interest was piqued.

"A subversion of emotion," Bai Su continued, relieved that her first point had convinced Cai Yanfen. "Most ads feature men pursuing women. We’ll do the opposite—women pursue men. It’ll be fresh for viewers."

"Hmm. What’s the story?" Cai Yanfen pressed, forgetting to ask Feng Yang’s opinion. Feng Yang, the professional, was left sidelined, his expression sour.

"We’re amateurs, so our idea is a bit rough," Bai Su said, glancing at Feng Yang. "Director Feng is the expert, perhaps you could polish it for us."

"Manager Bai, you flatter me." Feng Yang smiled for once. "Let’s hear it. I’m curious."

"Since it’s mostly young people who eat ice cream in winter, we’ll set the story at a school—Tang Xin is the most handsome boy in school, and Benben and Huiyin are his good friends. Both girls like him. After school, they plan to confess to him. As Tang Xin walks onto the playground, he sees Benben approaching. He turns around—Lin Huiyin is coming from behind. He looks ahead, then behind, then eats his Miao Miao ice cream in one bite and shouts, ‘I only have one!’—"

Cai Yanfen looked disappointed. "Isn’t that a bit silly?"

Feng Yang said, "Isn’t it a bit clichéd?"

Bai Su said nothing, simply looking at them calmly.

Cai Yanfen and Feng Yang exchanged glances. A few seconds later, both burst out laughing.

"Not bad. Interesting," Feng Yang laughed. "Really interesting. The scene is comedic and memorable."

"Two girls intend to confess, but he mistakenly thinks they’re after his ice cream," Cai Yanfen said, adjusting her glasses and smiling. "The line is clever. ‘I only have one’—refers to the ice cream, but also to himself. It hints at his dilemma, torn between two admirers."

"That’s all I thought of," Bai Su laughed. "Perhaps viewers will see even more meaning."

"Director Feng, what do you think?" Cai Yanfen asked.

"The story is simple, but the implication is good. Linking Miao Miao ice cream with emotional dilemmas is innovative," Feng Yang said. "Let’s give it a try."

In the corner, Benben pouted and complained to Echo, "Someone’s shameless—making himself the campus heartthrob and insisting on being pursued. Hmph, campus heartthrob? More like straw!"

Tang Zhong pretended not to hear, thinking, whether it’s heartthrob or straw, it’s still better than being made to wear a fur coat.

He looked toward Bai Su, wondering if she had accepted his advertisement idea.