Mi Cai in the room didn’t respond to me, probably really upset by my words and actions just now. I knocked on the door again and said, “If I don’t enter your room, I’ll throw in the cockroach I’ve cleaned up for you to check, to prove that I’ve indeed done you a favor and never perfunctory you.”

Mi Cai said to me nervously, “No need to check, just take it away.”

“Oh.” I responded, and threw the cigarette butt wrapped in tissue paper and a half-dead cockroach out of the window.

I said to Mi Cai again, “The bathroom is now available, guaranteed no cockroaches.”

“Oh, then you should go back and rest.”

“It’s hard to get a taxi this late.”

Mi Cai finally came out of the room again, her slightly curled long hair was tied up, and she changed into a thicker checkered woolen coat, holding the car keys in her hand, she said to me, “Then I’ll drive you back.”

I stood still, of course, to stay, because I had promised Lily not to go back to Robben’s place tonight.

Mi Cai, who had already reached the door, turned back and asked, “Why aren’t you leaving?”

I sighed, with a helpless look on my face, “I can’t stay at my friend’s place today.”

“What happened?”

“Sigh… He brought a woman back to spend the night.” I lowered my voice, full of desolation.

“It’s been a week, haven’t you found a place to live yet?”

“I’ve been busy, I’ve been to Hengdian twice, where do I have time to find a house, besides, it’s not easy to find a comfortable house to live in!” I said, looking around the room again, full of nostalgia.

“Then you should go to a hotel.”

“No, hotels are too expensive! I need to save money to pay back the debt I owe you.” I said, sitting on the sofa, then lying down, clearly indicating to Mi Cai that I was staying here tonight.

Mi Cai came back to me, frowning and asked, “What do you mean?”

“It means I’m staying here tonight.” I said, giving Mi Cai a smile.

After a while, Mi Cai said to me patiently, “Don’t make me think you’re a rogue, okay?”

“I am a rogue, besides, I spent over 20 on taxi fare just to come and help you, I didn’t even mention money to you, what’s wrong with letting me stay here for one night.”

“I’ll give you the taxi fare, I’ll book a hotel for you, is that okay?”

I got up from the sofa, almost face to face with Mi Cai, and said angrily, “You know what, I can’t stand your attitude that everything can be solved with money, do you think I’m short of money?… Let me tell you, I’m not leaving here tonight, if you dare, call the police, say I’m trespassing… You’re a tenant, do you dare to call the police and say I, the landlord, am trespassing, of course you don’t dare, because you took over the house I’ve lived in for over two years with your stinky money, you’re the one who’s in the wrong…”

I rambled on, blocking all of Mi Cai’s words, she just glared at me, I lay back on the sofa, showing a determined not to leave attitude.

Mi Cai had no way to deal with me, the usually calm her actually stomped her foot in anger, then picked up her handbag and walked towards the door.

“Where are you going?” I asked, turning my head.

“I’m leaving.”

“Go ahead, don’t come back…”

After Mi Cai left, I sneaked into her room, found a set of unused bedding from the cabinet, moved it to the room I used to live in, made the bed, and settled down with a clear conscience, hoping that Mi Cai wouldn’t come back, but I had already forgotten how I had put on a righteous attitude when I moved out of here, to make way for Mi Cai.

…

The next day, I didn’t get up until eight o’clock, didn’t have time to buy toiletries, directly used Mi Cai’s, quickly finished breakfast at the familiar snack shop downstairs, and hurriedly boarded the bus to the company.

After arriving at the company, after attending the routine morning meeting, Manager Chen Jingming kept me alone, I knew he was concerned about the all-marketing planning I was in charge of.

Chen Jingming asked me, “How is it, do you have a plan for this all-marketing planning?”

I nodded and said, “Yes, this time I plan to focus on realizing customer value, this is to strengthen our brand image, I believe that by first realizing customer value, customers will better realize our corporate value.”

“You’re right, our Bao Li Department Store has been operating for many years, and we are very mature in 4P (product, price, channel, promotion), now we are officially entering the top department store ranks, what we urgently need to do is to improve our image, better realizing customer value is the best way to improve corporate image, your marketing thinking is very in line with our department store’s current strategic needs.”I nodded in response. Having worked at Bao Li Department Store for over two years, I naturally had my own understanding of the strategic environment in which the company operates.

Chen Jingming continued, “I will select one person each from the graphic design team, engineering team, and display design team to join this special project team to assist you in completing this marketing plan. If you have any requirements for the personnel selection, feel free to communicate with me at any time.”

“Alright.”

“By the way, I’ve received news that our biggest competitor, Zhuo Mei Shopping Center, is planning a large-scale promotional event targeting our Bao Li Department Store. Their purpose is to overspend consumers’ demand in the short term, aiming to suppress us temporarily.”

The fact that Zhuo Mei Shopping Center is holding a large-scale promotional event at this time doesn’t surprise me. It’s entirely a strategic necessity. Our Bao Li Department Store and Zhuo Mei Shopping Center are in the same business circle, both targeting the high-end market. The conflict of interest is inherently intense. The fact that GUCCI has a counter in our store puts us in a parallel position with them in the true sense. They feel threatened and naturally want to suppress us aggressively. However, although our Bao Li Department Store meets the standards of a top-tier department store, there is still some gap between us and Zhuo Mei. Currently, Zhuo Mei has 11 international first-line brands operating counters, slightly more than us.

I asked Chen Jingming, “So, our planning department also needs to come up with a promotional plan in response soon?”

“Yes, and as soon as possible. Our promotional event needs to be held before theirs to disrupt Zhuo Mei’s strategic intentions. Although the time is tight, we must ensure the effectiveness of the event. This is a test of our planning department’s mobility and execution. We can only succeed, not fail.” After a pause, Chen Jingming added, “Because of the significance of this promotional plan, I have asked Circle to end his wedding leave early and report back to the company tomorrow. You two will complete this promotional plan together.”

I breathed a sigh of relief in my heart. If Circle didn’t come back, I wouldn’t be able to handle such an important case alone. But this also indirectly shows how strategically significant this promotional plan is to our department store. Otherwise, Chen Jingming wouldn’t have ended Circle’s wedding leave early.

Chen Jingming then took out a file from his drawer and handed it to me, saying, “This is the latest personnel file of Zhuo Mei Shopping Center that our PR department just got. Their company’s senior management has undergone significant changes recently. Take this personnel file back and have a look, especially pay attention to the composition of their planning department, so as to know both ourselves and our enemy.”

I flipped through the personnel file handed over by Chen Jingming. As soon as I saw the first page, I was shocked. The newly appointed CEO of Zhuo Mei Shopping Center was someone I knew all too well.