Chapter 7 – Difficult to Deal With
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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Soon, the salesperson came over with a QQ messenger account. The person said it was the contact person from Fanyu, and asked Liu Fan to add them directly. Liu Fan didn’t waste any time and added the contact immediately. The other party was obviously online and quickly accepted the request. Liu Fan saw the name and felt cheerful—it was ‘Tuan Tuan’, with an avatar of an adorably clumsy panda.
Oh, how cute. She is definitely a soft girl.
Original Design Company Copywriter Liu Fan: Hello. Could you please send me your company’s basic information and requirements in a package?
The other side didn’t respond for a while. It took about a minute before there was any reaction.
Tuan Tuan: Wait a moment.
This soft girl spoke concisely. So he replied: Alright.
This time, the girl didn’t keep Liu Fan waiting long and sent two folders online. Liu Fan received them and didn’t bother further. Though he liked pandas, he didn’t have the habit of chatting casually with strangers.
But unexpectedly, the girl initiated a conversation: Is this the QQ account for your work?
Liu Fan was a bit puzzled but replied out of politeness: Yes, it is.
Tuan Tuan: Do you use it regularly?
Original Design Company Copywriter Liu Fan: Yes, I use it for mixed purposes.
Tuan Tuan: Oh.
After a couple of seconds, she added as if explaining: It’s convenient to reach you this way but only if you’re usually online.
Oh, so that’s why. It seemed this person was quite responsible. However, their company’s copywriters usually didn’t work overtime, as Original Design focused more on design. Copywriting was just supportive. Sometimes, Liu Fan didn’t even need to show up; he only had to ensure smooth communication.
It wouldn’t be a problem for Liu Fan to put in some extra hours for his work occasionally. Considering the girl used a panda avatar, Liu Fan sent her his personal phone number: If I’m not online, you can just call me directly.
Tuan Tuan: Okay.
Liu Fan thought that was the end of it. But soon, another message came.
Tuan Tuan: Did you look at the files?
Original Design Company Copywriter Liu Fan: Not yet.
Tuan Tuan: Look carefully.
This was a duty he couldn’t shirk, so of course, he had to look carefully. Liu Fan responsibly typed: Alright.
Liu Fan didn’t bother with her further and opened the data package, which contained several documents and an image file. After reading the document on Fanyu’s history, Liu Fan learned that the company had a 20-year history. Chen Qian had joined later, and the name was changed afterward. It used to be called Liuxin Advertising.
Liu Fan firmly believed that Fanyu sounded much better—more classy and grand. Liuxin sounded like a locksmith company.
Back then, the advertising industry in City C was dominated by a few large advertising companies, leaving no good spots for others. Liuxin was almost pushed to the brink of collapse, with its cash flow nearly cut off. Chen Qian led the company out of the city centre, recognizing the trend of more people moving to the suburbs around City C. He preemptively secured resources there, and soon, the suburbs were filled with residential complexes and even had their own commercial centres. Liuxin didn’t have to worry about foot traffic as the real estate companies took care of that.
Once the popularity surged, they sold off the resources they held, allowing Liuxin to breathe again. They restructured and rebranded to Fanyu. The company’s internal personnel were also replaced, with Chen Qian becoming the general manager. Last year, he was even named one of the top ten young entrepreneurs in the province. The company also had several minor shareholders, each holding positions within the company.
In just four years, it was hard to believe that the impulsive and irritable boy had transformed into such a responsible and capable man.
Liu Fan felt both nostalgic and regretful. He and Chen Qian had been inseparable before they turned 18. If that age marked their turning point, they had not only been part of each other’s pre-adulthood lives but were integral parts of each other’s existence. However, after that, as adults, they knew nothing about each other.
After reading the information several times, Liu Fan still found it hard to imagine how Chen Qian had matured into the person described in the document. He took out a pen and paper and roughly outlined a draft, then opened the accompanying image file. As expected, it contained related photos of Fanyu, including the office, advertising spots, and company annual meetings. The photos were quite standard.
Towards the end, there were many personal photos of Chen Qian—front view, side view, him standing, and him sitting. Despite being taken at the company, the lighting and resolution were far superior to the previous images. The photographer was undoubtedly a professional, capturing Chen Qian’s good looks and stern demeanour perfectly.
Liu Fan had always thought Chen Qian looked good when they were kids. But now, all tidied up, he was strikingly handsome.
Liu Fan scrolled down. And for a long time, all he saw were Chen Qian’s personal photos, taking up almost half the file. They were all in high definition, suitable for magazine covers.
Liu Fan: “…”
No, I just want to ask. Why is your style so different from the rest?
“Wow, who is this? A celebrity?” Liu Mengjiao, who was sensitive to images, was attracted by what she saw out of the corner of her eye. Liu Fan tilted the screen towards her to give her a clearer view. “This is the boss of our new client, the CEO of Fanyu.”
“Whoa.” Liu Mengjiao looked at him in shock. “Which novel did this overbearing president jump out from?”
Liu Fan moved the computer back. “I’ll communicate with them first. You don’t need to worry about it yet.”
“Hey, hey, hey. Can you send me those photos?” Liu Mengjiao leaned over. “Is this overbearing president single?”
Liu Fan turned his head. He used his hand to cover his mouth, and mouthed the word to her.
Gay.
Liu Mengjiao: “…”
She quickly typed a line to Liu Fan: Can’t we just agree to disagree?! Give us heterosexuals a chance, please TДT.
Liu Fan: …_(:зゝ∠)_
But Liu Mengjiao soon came to her senses: Wait a minute? How do you know he’s gay? Do you know him?
After typing this, she stared at Liu Fan intensely, making him uncomfortable enough to lean back. “Uh, yes. He was my classmate.”
“Your classmate?” Liu Mengjiao’s mind seemed to be making some quick calculations. Then, her eyes shone with a curious glint that made Liu Fan feel a shiver down his spine. “Is he the one…- you know what I mean?”
Liu Fan shuddered and put on his headphones, signalling that he didn’t want to continue the conversation. “It’s work hours. I need to review the client’s requirement document!”
Ignoring Liu Mengjiao, Liu Fan quickly skimmed through the document. It was well-structured and practical, without the usual vague and pretentious demands from clients like ‘subtle luxury with understated opulence’ or ‘make the reader question their existence’. The design requirements were simple, focusing on vitality, with no specific primary colour, which was common as many companies needed guidance in this area.
Liu Fan confirmed the details once more before turning to his chat box with Tuan Tuan: The copy should be divided into five sections, within 2,000 words, right?
Tuan Tuan, now on mobile, replied: Not less than 10,000.
Liu Fan: “…”
He had never handled such a lengthy copy before. Many company brochures could be completed with 1,000 words, and some direct mail flyers needed only a few dozen words.
Original Design Company Copywriter Liu Fan: But your requirements state 2,000. Are you sure you want to change it? Don’t you need to report this to your superiors?
Tuan Tuan: Change it.
A cold and authoritative aura emanated from the 10-point black font on the screen, making Liu Fan feel a bit speechless. It seemed Tuan Tuan was not just a simple clerk as he had thought, but possibly a head of the marketing department or something similar: Is this specified in the contract? However, your materials are insufficient to support such a long text. I may need additional information from you later.
Tuan Tuan: We have plenty of materials.
Liu Fan hadn’t figured out how to respond to this unyielding statement when the cold and distant person with the cute nickname sent another message: For more details, please consult Mr. Chen.
Liu Fan: “…”
Something felt off. But he wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination. He could only reply: Okay, I understand.
Tuan Tuan: When are you coming over?
She continued: Mr. Chen is not available during working hours. It’s best to schedule during his off hours.
To be honest, Liu Fan was feeling rather perplexed. Although Tuan Tuan’s logic hadn’t taken any major leaps, the sense of dissonance kept growing stronger.
Liu Fan couldn’t quite pinpoint what felt off. So he decided to handle the situation professionally. Their company’s copywriting fees were calculated based on the word count; anything over 2,000 words incurred additional charges, with the cost per thousand words increasing incrementally. A 10,000-word copy would cost nearly one yuan per word, making it the largest order Liu Fan had ever received. Considering both professional and personal stakes, Liu Fan decided to be cautious. After some calculations, he responded: How about this weekend? I’ll organise everything. Is Mr. Chen available this Saturday?
Tuan Tuan replied quickly and succinctly: Yes.
Her swift and unequivocal response made Liu Fan even more confused. If she were some sort of department head, she shouldn’t know the boss’s schedule so intimately. And if she was just Chen Qian’s secretary, she wouldn’t dare modify the agreement so readily.
Well, the internal structure of their company wasn’t his concern.
Liu Fan filled out the contract according to her specifications, sent her an electronic version for confirmation, and then printed it out. Typically, he would mail it. But since he was meeting Chen Qian, it was better to deliver it in person.
Liu Fan had no psychological barriers about seeing Chen Qian again. As a man, he believed he should have the dignity to handle this professionally.
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*Translator’s Note: When I first read this story, I had a guess that Tuan Tuan is Chen Qian himself. Let’s see if I am right later on… -K
*P/S: Thanks to Julia for the coffee!
Next update: 2024.09.10
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