Chapter 122: Lu Xiaoyu's Intentions and Ruan Mei's Resolve

January 14th.

Lu Xiaoyu woke up as usual. Still groggy, she shuffled to the bathroom to wash up. Lately, she had grown accustomed to waking up alone, eating alone, and going to school alone.

But just as she finished washing her face, she heard her brother calling from outside: "Xiaoyu, come and have breakfast."

"Brother!" Lu Xiaoyu was instantly energized. She dashed to the dining room and, seeing Lu Su, was beyond delighted. "Brother, I can't believe you're home!"

"I know, I got back too late yesterday, so I didn't want to wake you," Lu Su said, setting the bowls and chopsticks on the table. "Come on, eat up. I’m taking you out today."

"Really?" Lu Xiaoyu asked, beaming. "No training today?"

"Everything that needed to be done is finished. Today is a day off," Lu Su replied. "Even though it's Friday, but..."

"It’s fine, I’ll take a leave of absence," Lu Xiaoyu said. If necessary, she would even drop out.

"Fair enough. Honestly, school is just a formality for you anyway," Lu Su said.

Given Lu Xiaoyu’s intelligence, it was a bit peculiar for her to still be in elementary school. Lu Su had been contemplating her future; the family was no longer short on money, and they would only be more prosperous in the future, allowing them to choose a path she actually enjoyed.

"Xiaoyu, what have you thought about for your future? While school isn't mandatory, I feel that at your age, there aren't many other places for you to go since you aren't an adult yet," Lu Su said.

"Well, I’ll be taking the college entrance exam this June," Lu Xiaoyu said.

The college entrance exam... Lu Su nodded, then shook his head, then nodded again. Though it was hard to wrap his head around, Lu Xiaoyu was indeed ready for the exam.

"People from the National University of Defense Technology have reached out to me, but their enrollment policy only extends down to middle school. Since I’m still in elementary, they are still considering it," she explained.

"Oh... how did they find you?" Lu Su asked.

"A netizen I know is a student in their gifted youth program." Lu Xiaoyu didn't go into too much detail; there were some things that might give Lu Su high blood pressure, even though he had no history of it.

"Where is this university? Is it legitimate? Don't get scammed," Lu Su cautioned.

"It's in Star City, and it’s very legitimate," Lu Xiaoyu nodded. "I can join the military after graduation—maybe even become a general."

"That’s great!" Lu Su nodded; anything related to the military was trustworthy.

"Brother, let’s not talk about those boring things. Where are we going today?" Lu Xiaoyu was more concerned with the day's itinerary.

...

Playing, then. It was the same old routine: shopping, watching a movie, and eating delicious food.

Lu Xiaoyu preferred it when Lu Su rode his electric scooter and took her out. During the ride, she loved to sing at the top of her lungs against the wind. Since Lu Su had dedicated the day to her—without even inviting Juno—she was determined to make the most of it.

Lu Su rode the scooter, listening to the crisp sound of Lu Xiaoyu behind him singing, "Let us row the oars, the boat pushes aside the waves..." and suddenly felt a sense of happiness.

...

In the morning, they caught a movie, then began to wander through the shopping mall. Suddenly, Lu Xiaoyu tugged on Lu Su’s hand.

"Isn't that Sister Ruan Mei?"

Lu Xiaoyu had met Ruan Mei only once or twice, occasionally when Ruan Mei visited Lu Su at the sports academy, so she wasn't entirely sure.

Lu Su looked over, and it was indeed Ruan Mei.

She was sitting on a raised step near the mall's railing, her snow-white dress pooled on the floor. She was holding her head in her hands, her shoulders trembling as if she were crying, with rolls of posters scattered around her.

"Let's go take a look."

Lu Su and Lu Xiaoyu walked over. A roll of posters had fallen quite far away, and as they took a few steps, they saw what was on them. On the partially unfurled poster was half of Lu Su’s face as he charged toward the finish line, with the text below reading: *Lu Wang Witnesses the Winter Miracle With You.*

"Brother, it's your promotional poster..." Lu Xiaoyu glanced at Lu Su and crouched down to pick it up.

The sound of her picking up the poster was quiet, but it made Ruan Mei look up suddenly, where she saw Lu Su and Lu Xiaoyu.

...

What had happened to make Ruan Mei so heartbroken? In a nutshell, the promotional schedule for Lu Wang’s new product had clashed with the launch schedule of A·F.

Generally, when a brand runs a promotion, in addition to their own advertising, the shopping malls hosting them provide a series of cheap or even free promotional resources. These include, but are not limited to, display points, big screens, hanging banners, streamers, and interior decorations.

Ruan Mei had already negotiated for all the brand display resources during the National Games at this, the largest mall in Peng City, only for everything to be snatched away by A·F.

It wasn't just this one mall that had caused her breakdown; most of the promotional resources in both Peng City and Yang City had been seized. That was enough to break anyone.

...

The National Games represented a massive commercial opportunity, and with Guangdong Province as the host, the most economically prosperous cities, Yang City and Peng City, were the battlegrounds.

Lu Wang hadn't secured much advertising share to begin with, and what they had was now being ruthlessly crushed by A·F. As an international sports brand giant, A·F didn't even need to be deliberate; a single routine business decision could spell disaster for Lu Wang.

Faced with such a predicament, what could Lu Wang and Ruan Mei do?

"Grab back whatever we can. Lu Wang has invested everything into this marketing campaign; we cannot lose," Ruan Mei said.

"But it's just you, and there's only one day left. How many malls can you run to?" Lu Su felt it was absurd.

"Of course it’s not just me. I have a team," Ruan Mei forced herself to stay encouraged. "I’ll grab as many as I can. Let’s go!"

With that, she prepared to head out.

"Sister Ruan Mei, at least eat something," Lu Xiaoyu stopped her. "Then we can help you come up with some ideas."

Ruan Mei didn't want to listen, but as she stood up, she felt dizzy. Remembering she hadn't eaten all day, she sat back down.

Come up with ideas? Lu Su wanted to help, but he was completely in the dark. He was good at running, but he was a total layman when it came to business. Lu Wang was staking everything on this single battle; what if his blind suggestions made things worse?

Did Lu Xiaoyu have any ideas? Lu Su watched her chatting with Ruan Mei and noticed that Lu Xiaoyu seemed to be sniffing Ruan Mei like a little puppy.

"...So, Lu Wang’s current costs are primarily tied up in inventory, as well as rent for direct-sale stores, renovation costs, and advertising fees. Since we’ve contacted so many channels, if we don't promote, the distributors will lose confidence..." Lu Xiaoyu explained.

"I think fighting for a few hanging banners inside a mall is too small-minded," Lu Xiaoyu said. "Do you believe my brother will beat Pan Kai?"

"I do," Ruan Mei nodded.

"Then let’s play big. Rent an airship. When my brother wins the championship, drop flyers and banners from the airship that say 'Lu Wang Congratulates Lu Su on Winning the Championship.' Do it for the 100-meter, the 200-meter, the 400-meter, and the 4x100-meter relay. It’ll be impossible for Lu Wang not to go viral," Lu Xiaoyu suggested.

Ruan Mei was stunned by Lu Xiaoyu’s wild, imaginative idea. Then, her eyes began to light up. Her perspective had been opened.

"Ruan Mei, this is my sister, Lu Xiaoyu. She's twelve and in the sixth grade..." Lu Su re-introduced his sister, wondering if she really wanted to listen to a twelve-year-old talk about business.

"I've studied relevant business cases, and the results were very good. Besides, I’m thirteen!" Lu Xiaoyu argued.

"You haven't had your birthday yet," Lu Su said. "And thirteen is still not an adult."

"I actually think Xiaoyu’s idea is quite good," Ruan Mei said. "I’ve been too focused on the gains and losses of individual locations. For a small brand like ours, if we want to make a splash, we have to use unconventional tactics!"

*So we're going with 'individual locations' now...* Lu Su thought. *Are we really going head-to-head with A·F?* He looked at Ruan Mei and noticed a change in her. The fragility and sorrow were fading, replaced by a resolute, indomitable spirit.