Monday, a working person’s nightmare.
Inside the bedroom, Mu Lian curled up on her side in the center of the large bed. Her waist-length, straight black hair spilled across the pillow, the ends slightly wavy.
A single fair, smooth ankle peeked out from under the blanket, its soft pink and white toes greeting the pale golden rays of the morning sun. A second later, the foot retracted back beneath the covers.
As she pulled her foot back, the woman slowly opened her eyes. At that precise moment, the alarm clock on the nightstand chimed right on schedule.
At eight o’clock in the morning, Mu Lian, awakened by the alarm, rubbed her eyes. She forced herself to sit up, leaning her back against the headboard for a few moments to clear her head.
Five minutes later, Mu Lian appeared in the bathroom. Brushing her teeth and washing her face took ten minutes, applying makeup and changing clothes took another twenty. As she drove past a KFC, she stopped to grab a takeout breakfast.
At eight-fifty, stepping in her high heels, Mu Lian arrived at the corporate building.
Both the 33rd and 34th floors of the building belonged to Vertway. Vertway Advertising Co., Ltd. was one of the top three advertising agencies in Beijing, specializing in four core business areas: advertising design, production, agency, and publication. Mu Lian had joined Vertway right after graduating from university and worked her way up from the bottom. Three years later, she was promoted to Creative Director, joining the ranks of upper management.
This year marked Mu Lian’s third year as Creative Director.
Mu Lian took the elevator up to the 33rd floor.
Stepping out of the elevator, company employees greeted her one after another.
“Good morning, Director Mu~”
“Morning, Director Mu.”
“Hello, Director Mu.”
Mu Lian nodded with a smile in response as she crossed the open office area and pushed open the door to her private office.
The moment she sat in her executive chair, her assistant, Tiantian, brought over a cup of freshly ground coffee, thoughtfully placing it on the top right corner of her desk so it was easily within reach.
The rich aroma of roasted coffee beans drifted through the air, specifically, Jamaican Blue Mountain beans. They were known for their balanced acidity, extremely low bitterness, and a rich, smooth mouthfeel.
This was Mu Lian’s absolute favorite coffee bean.
Tiantian: “Director, President Cheng wants you to drop by her office.”
Mu Lian: “Alright, I understand.”
Tiantian: “Director, if there’s nothing else, I’ll head out first.”
Mu Lian nodded lightly: “Mm.”
The Creative Department was the largest department in the company. Mu Lian had a direct superior above her whose surname was Cheng, with the single given name “E.”
President Cheng was a elite career woman in her late thirties who firmly advocated for childfree singlehood. In her own words, getting married and having children was a complete waste of time. Her time was meant for securing project after project and generating direct, substantial performance for the company, not for wasting on human reproduction.
Mu Lian set her coffee, after taking a single sip, back on the desk, stood up from her chair, and strode briskly out of the office to take the executive elevator up to the 34th floor.
The door to the office was half-open.
“President Cheng.”
“Come in!”
Behind a wide desk sat a woman dressed in a dark suit, sporting a crisp, sharp shoulder-length haircut. Her eyes were as keen as a falcon’s.
The usually unsmiling President Cheng couldn’t help but let the corners of her mouth curl up slightly upon seeing her capable subordinate. She deeply appreciated Mu Lian and held her work capabilities in high regard.
Furthermore, Mu Lian maintained a very clean private life, Cheng E loved people who dedicated themselves whole-heartedly to their work.
Mu Lian came to a stop about a meter in front of the desk, standing straight in her boots.
“President Cheng, you wanted to see me.”
Cheng E slowly raised her eyes and offered a subtle smile: “You performed very well at yesterday’s charity gala.”
Mu Lian replied modestly, “You flatter me, President Cheng.”
Cheng E: “You know I wouldn’t offer praise out of nowhere.”
Mu Lian picked up the cue and asked, “President Cheng, what do you mean?”
Cheng E cut straight to the point: “We just received notice this morning. Dingxian Group wants our company to shoot a promotional video.”
Mu Lian double-checked: “A corporate promotional video?”
Cheng E shook her head gently: “No.”
Mu Lian slightly knit her brows and asked, “Then…?”
Cheng E stated directly: “A personal promotional video.”
Mu Lian’s confusion deepened: “Personal? A personal promotional video for whom?”
Cheng E blurted out two words: “President Ye.”
“The head of Dingxian Group, President Ye Yinfeng.”
Mu Lian’s dark, bright eyes widened suddenly, her breath catching in her throat: “!!”
Cheng E continued on her own: “It’s quite strange. This President Ye never makes public appearances, there isn’t even a single frontal photo of her on the internet. For some reason, she suddenly decided she wants to shoot a personal promotional video…”
Listening quietly to her superior, Mu Lian lost her focus, her thoughts already wandering far away.
Mu Lian: “…”
Cheng E: “Xiao Mu, can I ask you a personal question?”
Mu Lian: “Go ahead, President Cheng.”
Cheng E gave a suspicious look and asked, “Do you know this President Ye?”
Mu Lian was slightly startled, but immediately masked her inner guilt with a smile, answering with complete sincerity: “No, I don’t.”
“How could I possibly know such a prominent figure?”
Cheng E observed the changes in her subordinate’s facial expression and nodded in agreement: “True.”
“Even our CEO, President Lu, hasn’t had the chance to come into contact with this big shot of the Beijing social circuit. How could you possibly know her?”
Even so, Cheng E had noticed that Mu Lian’s expression earlier was somewhat off. To be precise, her expression had shifted slightly the moment President Ye was mentioned at the beginning of their conversation. This had not escaped Cheng E’s keen eye for reading people.
According to statistics, the average person lies 1 to 2 times a day. Cheng E now strongly suspected that her proudest subordinate was lying to her face.
Cheng E: “President Ye’s project requires your full follow-up. Moreover, you will be responsible for the creative concept and copywriting of this personal promotional video.”
Mu Lian: “Understood, President Cheng.”
“How many working days was this project signed for?”
Cheng E: “30 working days.”
Mu Lian calculated in her head: “Six weeks.”
Cheng E nodded: “That’s right.”
“Excluding weekends, it comes out to exactly six weeks.”
Personal promotional videos were generally categorized into basic personal promos, advanced personal promos, and high-end customized personal promos. Basic personal promos usually took 1 to 2 days to shoot, advanced personal promos typically took 2 to 4 days, high-end customized personal promos involved filming in multiple locations, special effects, and movie-grade production value. Their complexity resulted in longer shooting schedules, generally taking 3 to 7 days or even longer.
The overall production cycle for a finished piece included pre-production planning, mid-stage filming, post-production editing, and revisions. The total cycle for a high-end customized personal promo was typically 20 to 30 working days, which meant 4 to 6 weeks.
Cheng E: “For confidentiality purposes, before the full personal promotional video goes live, none of the related filming materials may be leaked.”
As she spoke, Cheng E raised her right index finger gently against her red lips, making a “hush” gesture.
Mu Lian: “Understood, President Cheng.”
Cheng E: “Every staff member participating in this project must sign a non-disclosure agreement, including you and me.”
Mu Lian: “Alright, I understand.”
This President Ye had not only opted for a high-end customized personal promo, but also demanded that all project personnel sign a non-disclosure agreement to prevent any material from leaking.
Cheng E raised an eyebrow with a smile and teased, “This client is a grand Buddha.”
“Not just you, but I have to cater to her properly as well.”
Mu Lian nodded knowingly: “Mm, I understand.”
Cheng E paused, then added, “However, don’t put too much pressure on yourself. I have complete faith in your professional abilities.”
Mu Lian: “Thank you for the praise, President Cheng. I will certainly give it my all.”
Cheng E waved her hand at Mu Lian and said, “I have nothing else to go over. You may go back to work.”
Mu Lian: “Alright, President Cheng.”
On the other side, Manager Zhao of the Customer Service Department was similarly entrusted with a major responsibility, she was personally assigned to follow up on this personal promotional video and had also signed a non-disclosure agreement.
Zhao Lan knit her brows tightly, reading through the non-disclosure agreement in front of her from start to finish once more.
What a grand Buddha indeed. Service wise, we must make sure this big shot is completely satisfied.
However, she had heard that this CEO named Ye had an unpredictable, ruthless, and perverse temperament. Rumors in the market said she had “banished” her own twin brother to a desolate, middle-of-nowhere island, forbidding him from returning to the country for the rest of his life.
Furthermore, she was a pervert who liked women and had an improper relationship with her own sister-in-law.
Unable to hold back her gossip loving heart, Zhao Lan picked up her phone from the desk, unlocked it with her fingerprint, opened WeChat, and went straight to her chat window with Mu Lian.
In one breath, she fired off three consecutive WeChat messages.
Zhao Lan: 【Lianlian, did you receive instructions on your end as well?】
Zhao Lan: 【I know a piece of gossip about this big shot, it’s super, super, super mind-blowing! Do you want to hear it?】
Zhao Lan: 【Promise me first that you absolutely won’t tell anyone else.】