Chapter 6 – New Client
Novel Title: 我们已经分手了 (We Have Broken Up)
Author：御小凡 (Yu Xiaofan)
Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)
Protagonists: 刘帆 (Liu Fan -MC), 陈谦 (Chen Qian -ML)
*Please read at Novels Space.space, the original site of translation. TQ*
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Liu Fan, in the end, did not throw away those banana desserts.
He was not like those corrupt capitalists. Think about the children in impoverished mountain areas, think about the starving refugees in Africa. Wasting food is shameful!
Opening the tin foil, the food box indeed contained candy-shaped desserts. Liu Fan couldn’t sleep now. He hadn’t had a proper dinner tonight, and he was just hungry enough to have it as a midnight snack. He started eating with the box in hand. The food was still warm. Though it lacked the crispness of fresh-out-of-the-pot treats, it was still very tasty.
Liu Fan was thoroughly conquered by the sweet taste. Thinking about where the banana desserts came from, he paused in his eating. He sighed and smiled nostalgically.
During middle and high school, he and Chen Qian were both boarding students. The dormitory was strictly managed, and once the iron gate was locked at night, they were not allowed to go out again. If they wanted a midnight snack, they could only gnaw on some biscuits and bread. But there were many barbecue stalls outside the school. Occasionally, the drifting smells would keep Liu Fan awake, making him so hungry it hurt. Several times Chen Qian climbed over the wall to buy some for him. At those times, the two of them would hide in the corridor eating barbecue. The whole corridor was filled with that aroma.
Thinking back now, it all felt like a lifetime ago.
***
Liu Fan had a calm and quiet weekend. When he went to work on Monday, he seemed particularly full of spirit. When clocking in, he greeted the receptionist and then sat down at his desk. Liu Mengjiao had already arrived early and was lazily browsing the web for shoes. “Come help me check these shoes out. How do they look?”
“Pretty.” Liu Fan leaned over, feeling a bit of a shiver at the sight of the high heels. Liu Mengjiao nodded, “Alright, I’ll get these then. I’ll get some essential items to go with them later.”
Liu Fan leaned back, “To go with the shoes?”
“Yeah, high heels need an essential item – band-aids. By the way, how was your weekend?” She asked, leaning her head on her hand and turning towards him, “You seem to be in a good mood. Had fun at the class reunion?”
This question was hard to answer. Liu Fan smiled somewhat complicatedly, “Sort of…”
“Oh~” Liu Mengjiao sensed a hint of gossip and turned sideways with great interest. She let go of the mouse. “Let me guess… Did you run into someone you used to have a crush on? But they are already grocery shopping with their kids?”
“…I’m the one who plays around with words to tease someone, alright?” Liu Fan said earnestly. “Promise me, leave the melodramatic stuff to me.”
“So what happened?” Liu Mengjiao leaned in closer. There were a couple of copywriters and designers sitting in the office. So she lowered her voice a bit.
Liu Fan tugged at the corners of his mouth and started fiddling with a pen in his hand, not really wanting to answer the question.
However, Liu Mengjiao leaned in even closer, almost sticking to him. Luckily, the two people across from them were used to this kind of interaction between them and ignored it completely. Liu Fan, used to messing around with her, pushed her away by pressing on her shoulders. “Nothing much.”
The more he acted like this, the more curious Liu Mengjiao became. She dragged her chair closer. “I don’t believe you.”
Another designer, Zheng Nian, asked, “Can we turn on the air conditioning? I feel a bit hot.”
“Oh, go ahead.” Liu Fan replied casually. The other two girls didn’t say anything. The pen in his hand slipped onto the desk. He couldn’t stand Liu Mengjiao’s predator-like gaze any longer and finally gave in. He rubbed his forehead and spoke softly, “I ran into my ex.”
“Whoa—” Liu Mengjiao was first stunned. She then started laughing. “So, uh, were you roommates?”
The last few words were mouthed silently. Liu Fan gave a noncommittal nod.
Even though they were roommates, living with six people together didn’t allow for them to do much. However, the cautiousness hidden from everyone’s view always carried a hint of uncontrollable feelings that belonged to that time. It was filled with nervous excitement.
“Um, does he have a partner now?” Feeling a bit cold from the air conditioning, Liu Mengjiao pulled a thin blanket over herself. Zheng Nian saw this and asked, “Should we turn off the air conditioning?”
“No. No need, don’t bother.” Liu Mengjiao lowered her head and looked at Liu Fan. “I was asking you.”
Liu Fan helplessly said, “How would I know?”
But thinking about that phone call, Liu Fan hesitated, “I’m not sure. But maybe…?”
Liu Mengjiao responded with an “Oh,” and said, “Then forget it. A good horse doesn’t turn back to graze on old pastures.”
Since this was the response she got, asking further would seem like rubbing salt in the wound. After all, running into an ex who has someone while you’re still single is a bit of a heartache. Liu Mengjiao decisively changed the subject, “Speaking of which, I plan to go to Qingshan to escape the summer heat this weekend. Poor you, you have another blind date, right?”
“Heh.” Liu Fan didn’t bother to reply. “Escape the heat? You’re wrapped in a blanket with the air conditioning on, what heat are you escaping from? Are you a mouse?”
Liu Mengjiao: “…”
Across the table, Zheng Nian joked, “Xiao Liu, you’re so handsome. You still need blind dates?”
“I can’t compare to you guys who are already settled.” Liu Fan had never hidden his orientation. But he also didn’t go around broadcasting it. He just smiled and didn’t answer. The phone on the table vibrated, displaying an unknown number. Without much thought, he answered, “Hello, how can I help you?”
“Hello, I’m Li Yu from Fanyu Company. I’d like to discuss the overall VI design for our company.” The male voice on the other end was clear and pleasant, instantly raising Liu Fan’s impression. “Ah… Fanyu Company?”
To be honest, he didn’t expect Chen Qian to actually have someone contact him. It was surprising and not surprising at the same time. Despite Chen Qian’s bad temper and his current indifferent attitude towards Liu Fan, he wasn’t someone who broke his promises. At least in the past, he had fulfilled every promise he made to Liu Fan.
Clicking his tongue, Liu Fan felt a bit annoyed by the memories that occasionally surfaced. “Hmm, but I only handle copywriting. How about this, can I reach you at this number? I’ll have our sales representative, who specialises in these matters. This person will explain our specific services and charges to you.”
“Okay, thank you.” Li Yu said with a smile, “However, during the planning phase, we’ll also be coordinating with the copywriter, right? I’d like to discuss this with you first. The costs are negotiable. But we have our own requirements for the final product. So we might need you to put in a bit more effort.”
In truth, it should be the Account Executive (AE) communicating with clients. But their company was too small. It was practically a small workshop. They handled many small orders, often in an informal and unprofessional manner. Most of their clients were new, easily persuadable small companies. Sometimes, they even started work before signing a contract and received payments via Alipay after delivering the final product. In short, they had limited personnel and resources. So the copywriters often had to take on multiple roles when needed.
Fanyu’s order was already considered one of the largest for them.
“I understand, every client is like this,” Liu Fan replied with a gentle tone but also with a strong undertone. The client is always right, so Liu Fan politely said, “We will do our best to ensure the customer’s satisfaction.”
Li Yu responded, “Alright. I’ll wait for your call.”
It felt like this client would be difficult…
Liu Fan hung up the phone, left the office, and found the nearest salesperson. “Take note of this number; it’s a client. They’re likely to order the full luxury VI package. It’s from Fanyu Company, make sure to handle it well.”
He was essentially giving away his commission. The salesperson repeatedly thanked him, noting the number and immediately calling it. Liu Fan didn’t bother with this and returned to the office.
“Where did you get a new client?” Liu Mengjiao asked curiously, “Since when did you start doing side jobs?”
Seeing that enough time had passed, Liu Fan turned on Microsoft Word on his computer and began working. “Met them at the class reunion. Just an old classmate connection.”
“Oh…” Liu Mengjiao tilted her head and also turned on Adobe Photoshop, continuing to work on a previous order. The office suddenly became quiet again.
Liu Fan was thinking about how to write a fresh and clean copy for toilet cleaner as requested by the client—should he focus on the colour or the function? Just then, the penguin icon in the bottom right corner flashed.
Wu Shuang: Xiao Liu, take on the new client.
Wu Shuang was the boss of their small workshop. Liu Fan raised an eyebrow; such a coincidence, it better not be Chen Qian’s order…
Wu Shuang: The client didn’t send any materials. And they want to directly contact you. You know the number, right? It’s Fanyu’s.
Liu Fan sighed. It really was.
Wu Shuang: I heard you brought this client in, so it’s fitting for you to handle it.
Liu Fan: Got it.
He leaned back in his chair and turned to Liu Mengjiao, saying, “Got a new client. Happy now, honey?”
Liu Mengjiao sighed, “I hate dealing with clients the most.”
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*Translator’s Note: I really like this Liu-Liu friendship. -K
*P/S: Thanks to Nanna and Someone for the coffee!
*GLOSSARY:
- ‘A good horse doesn’t turn back to graze on old pastures’. This Chinese saying means ‘don’t look back, always look forward’.
- Penguin icon. That means it’s QQ Messenger on the web. It’s commonly used in China.
Next update: 2024.09.08
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