Chapter 354: Even Ads Can Be Made Artful (Apologies for a Day Off)

"Big brother, I really didn't know about Ning Pingping's situation, but if you're saying she's feeling inferior, I think she just misunderstood things."

Li Ye, upon hearing Wen Guohua's words, didn't outright condemn Ning Pingping or paint her as utterly worthless.

Because Li Ye's original positioning for Ning Pingping had never been that of an actress, but rather a visually appealing "vase."

The term "vase" immediately carries ambiguity and often makes people feel it's unfit for the entertainment industry.

Li Ye himself had once held similar views in his past life.

But after watching the drama "Si Teng," he realized: even a vase has its own value!

Think back to Tian Xian's debut in "The Legend of the Condor Heroes"—didn't her lackluster acting skills still win the public's affection?

Heaven is fair; you can't expect to have a stunning appearance and also demand master-level acting talent.

As long as you don't call yourself a vase while belittling real actors, you can still bring joy to viewers, can't you?

So Li Ye needed to first figure out whether Ning Pingping was causing trouble herself—or had simply lost her confidence.

"Big brother, let's have a drink first, then talk about Ning Pingping."

Li Ye raised his wine cup and toasted Wen Guohua.

This drink was Li Ye's way of showing his stance: "Big brother, we're family—I'll handle your matters."

But how he handled it depended on what Ning Pingping had actually encountered in Chang'an.

If Ning Pingping had been arrogant and domineering, leading others to ostracize and mock her, then Li Ye would need to gently steer the conversation with Wen Guohua.

After all, a woman could ruin a man's life simply because of a moment of arrogance, all while remaining blissfully unaware of her own fault.

"Alright, down the hatch!"

Wen Guohua downed the drink in one gulp, then said: "But I can't drink much today! A few days ago, a buddy got drunk, drove into three trees, and got seven or eight stitches on his head."

"Uh…"

Li Ye had just swallowed half his drink and couldn't bring himself to swallow the rest.

If Wen Guohua crashed into three big trees because of drinking with him, wouldn't Teacher Ke tear him apart?

Scolding him would be the least of it—what if he didn't even get scolded or beaten? That'd be worse!

"Then let's not drink, big brother. Don't drink and drive."

"Hey hey hey, I was talking about someone else! I'm fine—I've got a great tolerance!"

"Even great tolerance won't do—if Xiao Yu finds out, I can't handle her."

Li Ye immediately moved the bottle to his own side, refusing to let Wen Guohua drink any more.

"Alright, can you stop using my sister as an excuse all the time?"

Wen Guohua smiled and didn't press further—Wen Leyu's influence was still immense, since whenever his sister complained to their mother, it always stuck.

Li Ye thought for a moment and asked: "Big brother, has Ning Pingping told you what her plans are? Is she dissatisfied with supporting roles and wants to be the lead? Or…"

"What lead role? She can't even carry a supporting role! She's just lost all confidence."

Wen Guohua waved his hand: "Brother, don't misunderstand—I'm not here asking you to back her up."

I just want to know: will Fenghua Brand still use these costume actors in future ads?"

If not, I'll find her a stable job right away—before she keeps daydreaming and jumping from one idea to another."

"Heh~"

Li Ye smiled, realizing he'd overthought things.

As the heir of the Wen family, how could Wen Guohua lack insight or be mentally clouded?

Even if he had a few typical male flaws, he still knew how to maintain proper boundaries.

He could indulge someone—but never spoil them.

Li Ye said: "Big brother, where did you hear that Pengcheng Factory No. 7 was breaking contracts with Ning Pingping and the others? Didn't they sign multi-year ad contracts?"

This season's spring collection was filmed by Kong Moli in Chang'an because Ning Pingping was unavailable!"

"Aren't you planning to use Tie Langtou and the others for future ads?" Wen Guohua smiled at Li Ye. "Pengcheng Factory No. 7 spent a fortune—can they just let them walk away with the money?"

"Big brother, you're confusing endorsement with advertising."

Li Ye explained: "Pei Wencong and Hao Jian signed sponsorship contracts with the Sports Bureau, but you can't treat Tie Langtou and the others as actors—they wouldn't agree!"

"So Fenghua Brand and Pengcheng Red Bull's upcoming ads won't be fully performed by sports stars—Tie Langtou and the others will mostly appear on promotional posters."

Besides, future ads with narrative requirements and seasonal product launches still need actors like Ning Pingping to cooperate."

Wen Guohua asked, puzzled: "Narrative ads? What does that mean?"

"Just shoot a little story," Li Ye explained. "The plot isn't complicated—Ning Pingping can handle it. Besides, she's already gained some fame overseas—can't you let her keep going?"

"Fame overseas? Are you serious?"

Wen Guohua didn't believe it, but Li Ye's expression suggested he wasn't joking.

Li Ye nodded: "It's true. Ask a few of our Peking University debate team members—I've seen Ning Pingping's ads in Lijiapo, and her posters in malls. Many Southeast Asians know her name."

We all saw Ning Pingping's ads over at Lijiapo, and there were her promotional posters in the mall—many people from Southeast Asia know her name.

"Big brother, you just never thought about it. Now take a photo of Ning Pingping and ask any young person on the street—see if they recognize her."

Brother, you just haven't thought about it that way. Take a photo of Ning Pingping and ask any young person on the street—see if they recognize her.

Wen Guohua thought carefully—and was genuinely surprised.

In his mind, the concept of an "ad goddess" didn't exist. He didn't realize that sometimes a successful ad had more impact than an obscure movie.

And Fenghua Clothing released several outstanding ads every year!

In mainland China, few TV viewers could even pronounce "Ning Pingping," but countless people recognized her face.

Li Ye thought for a moment and added softly: "Big brother, Ning Pingping might not lack acting talent. If you think she's suitable, you could use your connections to get her into the Beijing Film Academy for training."

Li Ye knew the Beijing Film Academy's Jinxiuban had been established in 1984, but wasn't sure whether it was early or late in the year.

But it was an officially approved continuing education program under the Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Education—and Teacher Ke was a major figure in the education system.

If Wen Guohua wanted to get Ning Pingping in, he could make it happen.

The only question was: did Wen Guohua even want his mother to know about Ning Pingping?

"Come on, hand me the bottle—I need to have a proper chat with you today."

Whether he was in high spirits or avoiding the "film academy" topic, Wen Guohua laughed it off and tried to get Li Ye to drink more.

"Let's not drink, big brother—don't drink and drive."

"Ah, I'll just call my driver! I've got a driver now."

Wen Guohua smirked, challenging: "What's wrong, Li Ye? Got a weak stomach? Scared?"

【Big brother, I admire your rapid promotion—but if you drink, you'll be carried out on your back.】

…………………………

In Sanshui Brewery's staff housing in Guangdong, Factory Director Li was on the phone with a friend at the TV station.

"Hey Lao Meng, you've got to hurry up and schedule this—I'm desperate, you know that!"

"Brother Li, you contacted the football team for an ad half a month ago—I just finished shooting the footage, and now you're pushing for airtime?"

"Do you think TV production works like your liquor business? Just mix tap water with sugar and sell it?"

"Tap water and sugar? This is a sports drink—the first of its kind nationwide!"

"Alright, alright! You're the national pioneer—but I'm no magician. I can't edit your ad overnight—it'll take at least a week before it airs."

"Fine, fine—Lao Meng, help me out, get it scheduled as soon as possible."

After hanging up, Factory Director Li wiped sweat from his brow.

Guangdong in April was already hot enough to make anyone sweat.

Factory Director Li turned on the electric fan, sat on the sofa to catch his breath, then idly switched on the TV.

Lately he'd been busy promoting his new product, but what had started smoothly had now hit a snag.

They'd agreed that a 250, 00-yuan sponsorship would secure his drink as the official beverage of the national sports team—but then silence.

Later he heard rumors: a patriotic businessman had offered five million yuan—in foreign currency.

For Factory Director Li, who'd staked the entire brewery on this, it was utterly overwhelming.

But he seized one opportunity: he brought his newly developed "Eastern Magic Water" to the AFC meeting, hitched a ride on football's momentum, and shot a confident ad.

In the 1980s, mainland football was still strong—ranked among Asia's elite—so Factory Director Li believed this ad would make "Eastern Magic Water" an instant hit.

"Who spent five hundred thousand a year? Who had such vision?"

Factory Director Li muttered to himself. Others thought the five million was a waste—but he didn't think so.

Just as he was drifting off, the TV suddenly showed footage of a volleyball training session—his attention snapped back.

It was a crude volleyball court: the ground, the net, and the 3-number jersey of the lone young player were all clearly worn-out.

Yet the teenage player trained with intense dedication—sweat soaked her hair and her jersey.

Gentle music began, then quickly grew lively as the player trained harder.

When a slow-motion shot captured every droplet of sweat flying from her long hair, the music surged into a powerful, stirring rhythm.

The player's training space expanded beyond the indoor court.

Outdoor tracks, mountain trails, shifting light—from sunrise to sunset—perfectly highlighting the athlete's resilience and determination.

"This film is truly well-made."

Factory Director Li, with his sports background, spoke with genuine admiration.

But the next moment, the running player suddenly collapsed.

She couldn't go on.

The music stopped abruptly. Only the ragged, wheezing breaths remained as background sound.

The player's face was pale—Factory Director Li was certain this was a real symptom of overexertion, not staged acting.

So Factory Director Li believed this was a promotional video promoting sports spirit.

"This child is so hardworking; now would be the time to reduce training intensity and replenish fluids."

Suddenly, a flash of insight cut through Factory Director Li's mind.

"What if, right now, we gave her a bottle of Eastern Magic Water…"

Yes, if we gave this young player a bottle of sports drink right now, wouldn't this video become an advertisement?

But the moment Factory Director Li had this thought, he saw a golden aluminum can being handed to the young player.

The young player in jersey No. 3 stared at the can, stunned; a three-second close-up of the can seemed to reflect her inner confusion.

Factory Director Li was also stunned, because he clearly saw the four large characters on the can: Pengcheng Hongniu.

【Is this really an advertisement?】

The camera panned along the drink, moving to the woman holding Pengcheng Hongniu.

Factory Director Li first felt the woman looked familiar, then suddenly remembered—wasn't she the model from Fenghua Apparel?

Ning Pingping shoved the can into the No. 3 player's hand and bent her arm in a cheering gesture.

"Keep going—you can do it."

Ning Pingping gave the young player a bright, sunlit smile, then turned and ran forward; her Fenghua-brand sportswear stood in stark contrast to the young player's worn-out jersey.

The young player hesitated, then opened the can and drank it down in one gulp.

Then the TV screen switched to an animated sequence.

A row of arrows in different colors shot upward, as if inflated by wind.

Each arrow bore labels like "Endurance," "Explosive Power," and other athletic metrics.

The music surged again; the young player who had drunk Pengcheng Hongniu revived as if fully healed, sprinting once more—faster and faster—until she caught up with the group of athletes ahead.

And the No. 3 player, still straining to run, heard a voiceover.

"Yang Xiaojuan, welcome to the national team."

Factory Director Li finally sighed.

"So it's this Pengcheng Hongniu!"

The group of athletes training on screen were the women's national volleyball team.

Then, the entire volleyball team lined up, holding Pengcheng Hongniu cans and chanting: "Keep going—you can do it."

Factory Director Li was truly impressed; it was just an advertisement, yet they'd made it so elaborate.

In the 1980s, when most ads used the crude "Welcome all letters and visitors" approach, Li Ye's ad wasn't an ad—it was a movie.

And at the end of the commercial, the slogan "Tired and drained? Drink Pengcheng Hongniu" cemented every preceding scene in the viewer's mind, making it seem as though the young player's entry into the national team was due entirely to that can of Pengcheng Hongniu.

Factory Director Li thought of his own filmed "Eastern Magic Water" ad—it was utterly worthless by comparison.

He closed his eyes, thought for a moment, then picked up the phone again.

"Hello, Old Meng, it's me—we need to reshoot the commercial."