62 City Starlights (1/2)

The commercial was almost a silent film.

The scene opened with a peaceful family of three. The house was decorated in a modern and minimalist style. The young couple were comfortably dressed in house clothes, and they were accompanied by a six or seven-year-old boy on the sofa watching television.

At this moment, if the viewers remembered, they would surprisingly find that the boy seemed familiar.

This was the same boy that appeared in an Aito commercial more than a year ago. A year had passed, the young boy had grown quite a bit taller, but he was still well sculptured, handsome, and cute.

”Oh, tomorrow we're going for spring vacation!” The young boy shouted out this line, jumped off the sofa and ran into his room. The young parents looked at each other and smiled. This was the only spoken line in the entire commercial.

The scene changed. The man came into the bedroom, took a black backpack out of the closet and started packing. The backpack's design was very simple, the fabric and straps looked soft but sturdy.

At the bottom of the screen, a line of text appeared, ”Men, they only need one”.

The scene then jumped to a walk-in closet. This time, the lady was tip-toeing as she stood, her finger gently touching her lips, her pair of big eyes scanning around. On the rack in front of her, seven or eight backpacks were displayed. Each had its own unique color and style. There was one made of black leather, another with floral cloth...but all were of medium size, exquisite and beautiful.

The subtitles once again surfaced, ”Women, they deserve to have more”.

Then, the scene changed to the child's room. On the small study desk was a child-sized laptop. Though he was small, the child swiftly operated the keyboard and mouse. He quickly entered a webpage which was full of dazzling pictures of children's backpacks. He chose the backpack's color, chose from pictures of cartoon animals (bears, hunting dogs, tigers…), chose the external pocket placement, and zipper color. The series of choices flashed past in an instant, and ended with him finally entering his name, ”Little Bean,” on the box.

At last, the scene switched to daytime, and an express delivery man came to the house. In his hands was the backpack which he gave to Little Bean. The parents stood behind him and smiled.

The subtitles read, ”For children, exclusively custom-made and unique”.

As the music crescendoed, the family could be seen cruising down the suburban streets. There were green trees and flowers all around under pleasant sunlight. And their three backpacks were arranged in the back seat of the car.

The scene faded to black and the subtitles flashed:

”Life with Aier backpacks. So colourful, so simple.”

At the lower right corner of the screen, subtitles flashed for a second and disappeared, ”Leisure Bag Brand under the Aito Company.”

This commercial was broadcast on every TV station, and online media at every level; helping to make the new Aier brand famous all around. At that time, Ning Weikai had settled into his new office, temporarily bidding goodbye to the luggage industry that he toiled and strived in for so many years.

His new assignment was with an Internet company. Although it was small to the point of being pathetic, it was still a high tech company, so its office location and rental spaces were all in the city's busiest, most high-end office building.

At the moment, he was looking at the huge LCD display on the opposite building. Aier's commercial was being shown.

He watched for a while, finally dryly laughed, and looked down to continue reading the documents in front of him.

At that moment, his cell phone rang. A message came in. He opened the message and a photo popped up. It was probably taken by the girl, wearing a light green cheongsam, hugging an equally emerald green Aier backpack. She was beaming at the camera, her expression petite and cute.

The row of text read, ”Don't be defeated! This is for you. Kick, punch, vent all you want! - Lydia”

Ning Weikai burst into a smile, sending her a reply, ”Where are you now? I'll come fetch you after work.”

At the same time, Chen Zheng was sitting in his ever luxurious office. In his hands were the national promotional plans for the new model of leisure bags that were finalised a few days ago.

Various department heads and executives stood facing him, blankly staring at each other, but all were helpless and depressed, unable to come up with substantial suggestions.

”All of you go out first.” Chen Zheng said coldly.

The crowd left silently.

Chen Zheng grabbed the teacup from the table, and smashed it onto the floor.

Next went the desktop calendar, then the business card holder, and the ten-thousand-word sales plan in his hand!

Previously it had been Lin Qian who watched New Bori launch Sha Ying and had felt so full of shock, despair, and sadness after comparing it with her own Aito. Now, the same scene was happening to Chen Zheng.

He was seething with rage, but there was nothing else he could do.

At that moment, the phone rang on the table. Chen Zheng grabbed it, looked at the number, took a deep breath and picked up the call, ”Dad.”

What came next was a thunderous bellow that he had never heard from his father, ”You idiot! My life's work is all ruined in your hands!”

The night slowly descended; the city lights like a sea of pearlescent ornaments.

Lin Qian was holding her phone, while changing into a purple mini-skirt and black heels in front of a full length mirror.

The headhunter on the phone, after chatting for a while, still wouldn't give up, ”President Lin, are you not considering it? Although Aida is a giant in the domestic suitcase industry, TG Group is a multinational enterprise, top 500 in the world, and is the global suitcase industry champion. If you came over to become the director of the China market, your salary would be many times higher, and you could choose between Hong Kong, Singapore, or Beijing as your base. I truly believe that this company is more suitable for your career development.”

Lin Qian smiled helplessly, ”Thank you. However, I am currently not planning to change jobs.”

The headhunter said a few words, but knowing that nothing forcibly done was going to be agreeable, she made Lin Qian agree that if she ever wanted to change jobs, she would contact her immediately. Lin Qian agreed. She then added, ”Whether it's Aito, or Aier now, we've heard that it was all personally managed by you. President Lin, your creativity is impressive, this was what swayed the leaders at TG. Regardless, I wish you a smooth career and hope that we have the opportunity to work together in the future!”

After hanging up, with a smile dangling on her lips, Lin Qian faced the mirror and tied up her hair. Okay, all done.

Only then did she turn around and look at Li Zhicheng sitting in the chair. Today he was dressed in a suit with and formal shoes. The shirt and tie were chosen by her, the colors chosen were slightly brighter than usual, making his dark eyebrows even more eye-catching.

”Come here.” He reached out his hand to her.

Lin Qian walked before him, placed her hand in his palm, and was dragged into his arms.

”So, not only do I need to be wary of other men,” he said softly, ”but also other companies.”

Lin Qian chuckled, pretending to be generous by patting his shoulder, ”I understand. If your girlfriend is too outstanding, having a sense of fear is normal. You just need to sort it out.”

Li Zhicheng looked at the woman in his arms. The purple skirt outlined her legs and waist. Her waist and hip lines were perfectly highlighted. After putting on light make-up, her face was glossy and soft like smooth white jade. Her bright eyes were staring at him.

He had been involved in the business world for almost two years. She had been by his side for almost that full time.

He rarely brought her out for entertainment, while other men, be it senior officers or dignitaries, changed the women at their sides over and over again.

For a man with power and wealth, obtaining everything was far too easy. No matter how beautiful or how young the woman, once they lost interest, they would discard them without regret.

That was because none of them had met such a high-spirited and radiant woman like her.

For this kind of woman, the shrewder the man who met her, the harder it was to let go.

Tonight's arranged location for the celebratory dinner was at the Beihai Shengting Hotel in the city center.

Li Zhicheng left first with his driver while Lin Qian insisted on driving herself. Even after a year had passed, Lin Qian still insisted that their relationship be kept secret.

The situation was not fully stabilized, so she didn't want their personal lives to draw the public's attention. It was better for Li Zhicheng to lead the entire company like this.

The culture of a company was not built just by words, it was carefully cultivated. Obviously, Li Zhicheng was well-aware of this logic. Even though the company had always been thrifty in various expenses, tonight was rather extravagant, reserving a whole floor of the banquet hall, decorating it with brilliant, luxurious, and marvellous lights, even hiring entertainment companies from outside to perform.

The opening was a flamboyant Pasodoble dance. A few ladies in fiery red were dancing to the intense music on the stage in front. They attracted everyone's attention and successfully brought the party to life.

Lin Qian was seated at one of the round tables in the fourth row. The employees that reported to her were all sitting at the tables around her. All the dishes had been served; lobster, grouper, swimming crab, marbled beef… but nobody started eating yet. They were waiting for the CEO to deliver his toast. Lin Qian sipped some juice; her gaze frequently wandered to the head table. Li Zhicheng was sitting in the seat of honor with his back facing her. He took off his coat, wearing only a white shirt. Lin Qian thought he looked very striking in it.

Soon enough, the opening dance was over. The lights were dimmed and a spotlight shone on the stage. Offstage, the hall full of people suddenly became quiet. There were only some footsteps and soft clicking of glasses hitting the tables that could be heard.

The emcee for the evening was an attractive manager from the Administrative Department. She wore a red gown and walked up to the stage gracefully with a microphone and stood under the spotlight.

”Good evening everyone!”

Everyone was already in a great mood, beaming from ear to ear, and now the applause was as loud as thunder. The emcee first greeted the crowd with her best wishes, then she summarized the splendid achievements of Vinda and Aier since they were launched. The crowd broke out in a massive round of applause every time she mentioned sales figures. Lin Qian was sitting among the crowd; she was very excited to be here.

Aida. His Aida, her Aida, everyone's Aida. There was a time when they hit rock bottom, getting disappointed again and again, to the point of tears. Who would have thought this day would come? The prior year, their total capital was less than ten million; now, they reserved the best hotel in the city for a celebration. Now, who would not tremble with fear at the mention of Aida? Who would not think twice before they act when meeting Aida?

All this was possible because of one person.

The emcee's slightly excited voice rang, ”Next, let's welcome the president, Mr. Li Zhicheng, to say a few words and to give a toast.”

The applause reached a climax. There were many people standing, while clapping enthusiastically.

Finally, everyone stood up and looked at the man who was sitting in the seat of honor as he walked onto the stage with a white porcelain wine glass in his hand.

The second before, the room had been filled with chatter.

The next second, when he raised his head under the spotlight, silently roving his eyes around the room, the crowd turned as silent as grave.

Only admiration and anticipation remained.

Lin Qian stared at his face and his slightly luminous black short hair. He was holding the wine glass in one hand, the other hand was in his pant's pocket. His shirt and slacks were plain, yet they outlined his handsome and smooth frame.

Lin Qian's pulse was suddenly racing.

”I once thought that I would never have anything to do with the business world.” His voice was slow and deep, with a hint of cooling not found in others, seeming to permeate into people's hearts.

”My elder brother was leading Aida to achieve greater glory, one after another,” he said.

Many of the senior employees suddenly recalled the other young CEO who used to be equally excellent. His strategies and talents might not be as outstanding as Li Zhicheng's, but he too had led the company to develop steadily for many years in this highly competitive market.

They realized also that this CEO, who was not even thirty, had another identity. He was the man succeeding his father's company and upholding his brother's will at the same time. This realization shifted their image of the usually cold and superior CEO to something more vivid and real.

Lin Qian hadn't met Li Zhicheng's late brother, but she was probably the person that knew Li Zhicheng the best in the entire room.

This man didn't like to reveal too much of his feelings; he hid everything under his calm temperament, but he held the people that he cherished dear in his heart.

Did he mention his brother now, because at this moment, when he was finally standing at the pinnacle, overseeing the whole industry, it reminded him of his brother's will?

Why did she feel so sorry for him being like this?

In the midst of silence, Li Zhicheng continued speaking lightly, ”Of course, I was a soldier before this; when I first took over Aida, I made a fool of myself too. Someone had mistaken me as the security manager and asked me to carry stuff…”

The audience burst into laughter. Someone bravely asked, ”President, who was he? You should deduct his bonus!”

Lin Qian stared at him. Her heart was sweet; her cheeks flushing. He'd said it on purpose!

As expected, his piercing gaze looked in her direction, but since the room was so big, nobody sensed anything unusual. Only Lin Qian's gaze lightly interlocked with his; their hearts silently touched.