KC | Chapter 70

Chapter 79 “I Need You.”

The guys who came to the little restaurant to drink were in groups of three or five, and most of them were middle-aged men. After 10 o’clock, they were basically all pretty drunk. The table next to them was cursing at the top of their lungs about mothers, the table behind them was cursing about fathers, and both sides were greeting someone else’s relatives. The whole room was filled with the smell of smoke mixed with profanity.

Xu Dongxu was like a beetle. If he did not like you, he wrapped himself in his shell and disgusted you. If you suited his taste, he would spread his wings and lift the shell open. Maybe because he was often excluded in family businesses like Gulin, he had a strong urge to confide in Chen Xi. He did not know anyone from Lanhai, and he felt Chen Xi did not know anyone from Gulin either, so he poured out all the resentment he had suppressed for days toward the company, just like the big brothers around him who were greeting relatives.

Chen Xi’s usual drinking capacity was just three to five bottles. Today he had drunk seven bottles, and on top of that he had finished the last one too quickly. Right now, the world was spinning and he could hardly think. He could only brace his head with his arm on the table, so he would not collapse.

It really was hard to talk business seriously in a place like this. After Xu Dongxu vented his dissatisfaction for a long time, he finally got around to the main point: “Gulin Advertising is divided into two parts, online and offline. Before 2015, we mainly focused on offline advertising. After 2015, we gradually shifted to online. In recent years the company has also been doing self-media. This year’s key advertising focus is livestreaming.”

Chen Xi nodded to show he was listening. For clients with especially strong urges to talk, it was very important to have a listener who could go along with them.

Xu Dongxu said, “Gulin has livestream rooms, equipment, and streamers. The main reason we want to find an ad company is to drive traffic to the livestreams and plan some creative skits for warm-up. The creative content has to fit Gulin’s brand development history. Brother Wang really likes scrolling short video platforms, and he often uses a secondary account to comment on competitors’ videos. We don’t do what he doesn’t like, and for what he likes, we just follow that direction.”

Xu Dongxu had worked with Wang Yaohua for more than ten years and knew the boss’s temperament very well. Chen Xi admired that.

“The offline advertising slogans and launch strategy can just be done according to what you said. The overall direction leans toward content planning for a full-case solution, but there are requirements for exposure frequency.”

Xu Dongxu pulled a cigarette from the pack, and Chen Xi immediately lit it for him. Since hearing that Xu Dongxu smoked, Chen Xi had started carrying a lighter with him all the time, just in case.

“As far as I know, our online conversion data is much better than our peers, because we have the offline brand effect. This is the foundation I have laid for Gulin over the years!” Xu Dongxu got very excited when he said this, then went on with a long stream of nonsense about the hard work he had put in for Gulin. Chen Xi yawned nonstop and kept nodding. His yawns made tears well up at the corners of his eyes, which happened to suit Xu Dongxu perfectly.

“What is ‘brand effect’?” Xu Dongxu had completely entered drunk-talking mode, talking to himself, asking and answering his own questions.

“Brand influence is not something you just say. Brand penetration is built through years and years of accumulation, forming regional penetration!” The drunk at the next table was cursing his mother, while Xu Dongxu, drunk too, was reciting brand marketing ideas. It had to be said, Gulin’s marketing chief was really dedicated, carving marketing concepts into his bones and blood.

Unlike Xu Dongxu’s passionate delivery, Chen Xi got sleepy when he drank too much. He really could not hold on much longer now. In order not to embarrass himself later, he found a gap to cut in and said, “Brother Xu, can you send me Mr. Wang’s comment content on the various videos, as well as the platform exposure frequency and Gulin’s conversion data?”

“Of course, no problem!” Xu Dongxu slapped Chen Xi hard on the shoulder, almost knocking him over.

The two of them drank for another half hour or so before Xu Dongxu was finally satisfied. Chen Xi was walking in circles. Xu Dongxu made fun of him for not being able to drink, and put an arm around his shoulders as they walked together toward the restaurant door. The server stopped them and asked, “Who is paying for the 20 bottles of beer that were added later?”

Chen Xi took out his phone, but Xu Dongxu waved him off and showed the payment code, saying earnestly, “Don’t be polite with brother from now on!”

–

Xu Dongxu called a designated driver and thoughtfully gave Chen Xi a ride home. After Chen Xi got out of the car, he had only taken a few steps before he threw up.

Although he did not want to ruin the environment, he really could not help it.

Back in the car, Xu Dongxu had been talking, and Chen Xi had not said anything the whole time because there was something in his mouth. Gastric fluid mixed with sour alcohol kept rising back up. Chen Xi kept his mouth tightly shut, swallowing it back down several times as it came up.

This vomit came out so badly that it was a complete mess. His intestines seemed to be surging upward, leftover food splattered everywhere with a gurgling sound, and Chen Xi staggered downward, his hand smeared with vomit. He was disgusted with himself enough to throw up again.

The old man who was peeing into a trash can beside him pulled up his pants and looked at him, cursing, “So disgusting!”

Chen Xi wiped the residue from his mouth and shot back, “You peeing and shitting anywhere is even more disgusting!”

“I’m pissing into a trash can. You’re throwing up right in the middle of the road. How can that be the same!” The old man, wearing ragged clothes, kept arguing with Chen Xi, “You smell sour all over. Even stray dogs are cleaner than you.”

“You’re the stray dog, you old beggar!” Chen Xi was a little drunk and hot-headed, and started cursing back at the old man.

“Who are you calling old? I have a wife!” The old man came over menacingly and shoved Chen Xi, pushing him to the ground. What a coincidence, he fell right into the vomit. Chen Xi smelled it and felt even more sick, his head tilting as he threw up again.

“Damn it!” Chen Xi struggled to get up, but after drinking he had no strength, so he could only crawl.

“You’re just an uncultured stray dog, a dead bachelor nobody wants. Pah!” The old man spat on the ground and left.

Chen Xi slowly got to his feet and staggered along while holding the wall. Luckily it was midnight now and there were not many pedestrians on the street. It seemed like someone was looking at him, and it also seemed like no one was.

Whether anyone was looking at me or not, so what? Drinking myself into this B-state, getting looked down on by a beggar, and I still want dignity? How much is dignity fucking worth?

“I’m just a dog, fucking just a dog.”

“What is dignity? Can it be exchanged for money? It’s not even as good as gnawing on a bone.”

“Haha, throw me a bone, and I’ll wag my tail at you. So damn tasty, tasty!”

Chen Xi laughed bitterly and out loud, humming a little tune as he swayed home. He pulled off his clothes and pants, stood under the faucet, and let the cold water blast his face.

“This damn rental place doesn’t even have hot water. Might as well stay at Lin Yiran’s place and do some pre-sleep exercise to help me sleep. Happy, cheerful, and sexually blessed.”

The restaurant he had just eaten at seemed to have some kind of magic, able to twist people. Even if someone who had been there had not cursed at their father and mother at the time, afterward they would still curse to make up for it. Chen Xi had held it in the whole night, full of anger, and for more than 10 minutes he talked to himself nonstop, endlessly greeting Xu Dongxu’s relatives.

He tossed his clothes into the washing machine. Halfway through brushing his teeth, Chen Xi pushed the toothbrush in a little too deep, making his throat feel uncomfortable, so he went to hug the toilet and throw up again.

After vomiting out the alcohol, he vomited out food. After vomiting out gastric fluid, he vomited out bitterness. There was already nothing left in his stomach, but it was still coming back up. His head was dizzy and fuzzy, and he felt like he might be dying soon.

Dying would be good. If he died, he could have a tombstone erected, and when people knelt to pay respects, he would have dignity.

–

At the end of every month, the heads of the three-province KA teams would report their performance to Zhang Guangming. Before, Yucheng KA’s completion rate in the three provinces had always been first, but this quarter, because the former KA top seller Meng Hai had left, it created a 1.2 million gross profit performance gap. Other employees’ collections were slow, so even though Lin Yiran had signed more key clients, he still could not change the overall situation, Yucheng KA’s completion rate was the last among the three provinces.

When Zhang Guangming saw the performance report, he did not criticize Lin Yiran. Instead, what he said sounded more like praise: “Mr. Lin, you’ve worked hard. Yucheng’s performance is always done by you alone. If the other two provinces had KA results like yours, they would at least double.”

Lin Yiran heard the implication in his words, You only cared about signing deals yourself, and you did not manage the KA team well.

“Each person in Yucheng KA has several projects already set in hand, and next month the payments will definitely come in. KA was not built by me alone. Having you let Wang Shuang assist me with management really saved me a lot of effort, which is why I had time to study a few more projects.” Lin Yiran first made it clear that the whole Yucheng KA team was pushing for performance, then praised Zhang Guangming for his management and tossed the blame back to him.

Zhang Guangming did not say anything more, and the two of them exchanged a few simple words before ending the call.

Lin Yiran liked challenges, was willing to accept new things, and enjoyed the thrill and joy of conquering. Deep inside, he craved stimulation and dared to face all pressure. He wanted Yucheng KA to stand at the peak of the three provinces, wanted to train a troop of fierce tiger-and-wolf soldiers, but he really did not have endless energy.

Yucheng KA had always been left to grow wild, or rather, Lin Yiran’s management style was very passive. He only showed up when subordinates had needs, and almost never asked about process metrics, so over time it had led to the current situation.

Lin Yiran did 3 sets of 60KG snatches. After reaching muscle failure, he sat on the tiles and lit a cigarette. His overworked muscles trembled unconsciously, and the perfect lines under the moonlight spoke of the owner’s years of training, resilience, and surging strength. The muscular line of his upper arm made the fingers holding the cigarette tremble. Sweat on his neck traced down to his collarbone and slid into his shirt, soaking through the back. Lin Yiran took off his shirt and threw it on the ground, cursing in a low voice, “A bunch of trash.”

–

After drinking, Chen Xi was very irrational. He suddenly remembered what the old beggar had said, and for some reason he felt irritated. He wanted to call Lin Yiran and ask him: Was I really someone nobody wanted?

The phone screen suddenly lit up, and Lin Yiran’s voice message came in.

The exhausted Lin Yiran thought of Chen Xi, and the drained Chen Xi thought of Lin Yiran. At their most disheveled, they thought of each other and were linked together through voice messages.

“Chen Xi, what are you doing?” Lin Yiran’s voice was very tired.

“Throwing up, I might be about to die.” Chen Xi had no strength in his voice.

“Let me see you.” Lin Yiran lay down on the bed.

“Don’t look, I’m not wearing clothes.” Chen Xi was sunk into the bed.

“Why do I feel like you’re seducing me?”

“Seduce your ass! I’m really sleepy right now, but I’m too dizzy to sleep.”

Lin Yiran ended the voice call and switched to video. Chen Xi answered it.

“I can’t sleep either.” Lin Yiran turned on the small night light, first pointing it at his own face, then slowly lowering the light.

Chen Xi could clearly see the surging muscles, the sharply defined abs, and…

“Is Brother Lin seducing me?” Chen Xi smiled and turned on his phone flashlight so the other side could see even more clearly.

Lin Yiran said, “I’m seducing you, because I need you.”

In this complicated and ever-changing society, they put on a shell and deliberately hid their emotions. When their careers suffered setbacks, they would think of each other and share their feelings without holding anything back.

High mountains, low valleys, all I could think of was you.

Author’s note:

I didn’t not want to write it, I was really scared of getting reported (kneeling and sliding) (screaming) (twisting and crawling in the dark)