E-Ladies: Navigating the Wired World
Chapter 224: Episode 224: Hectic Exhibition Event 2

Chapter 224: Episode 224: Hectic Exhibition Event 2

Zhou Xueyin couldn’t understand for the life of her why this happened. She provided the style, gave the dimensions, and sent the mock-ups, so they just needed to take it all to the factory, make it, and that should have been that. How could they possibly send back such a thing?

The box indeed had an opening on the side, but the pattern on the top was all stretched and distorted. Xiaowu really had nothing but mush for brains!

"Shanbao, let’s find a printer to mass-produce the boxes ourselves, I have zero confidence in leaving it to them!" Zhou Xueyin said, showing the laughable box to everyone.

"No way! Such talent!" Everyone passed around the side-opening, print-distorted box, and without exception, everyone burst into hearty laughter, "Anyone who’s learned a bit about design-related skills would never produce something like this! Pure talent!"

"He truly comes from an art background. Before coming to American Leopard, he said he had worked in packaging design for quite a while, but who knew he’d end up creating something like this." Yao Shanshan shook her head in resignation. "I’m just afraid he faked his resume..."

"Forget it, whether his resume is real or fake, let’s print the boxes ourselves this time. Risk aversion... If we let them handle it, and they really deliver a whole box of misprinted boxes, what would we use to pack the desserts on the day?" Zhou Xueyin quickly asked Ji Xiaoxi to find a reliable printing shop.

By that afternoon, Zhou Xueyin had received the test print samples. There were no issues, and they looked extremely elegant when stacked.

"Should’ve just done it ourselves from the get-go, instead of wasting so much effort liaising with idiots..." Zhou Xueyin couldn’t help but rant each time she thought of Xiaowu.

"However, the other party says their schedule is full... If we want it by next week, we’ll have to pay extra for rush printing..." Ji Xiaoxi said with difficulty.

"Just pay the extra... It’s the only option we have now..." Zhou Xueyin also felt helpless.

Still, Zhou Xueyin always felt that ever since she took on this task on her own initiative, few things had gone smoothly.

If it weren’t for her being the general manager, the extra costs would have been deducted from the budget due to the photographer’s pushback.

Then there was the packaging printing dilemma. Yao Shanshan had explained clearly eight hundred times, but the other side still failed to grasp what she was trying to convey. They ended up having to print separately, even though this cost should have been included in the provided catering services...

There’s no turning back once the bow is drawn, and come what may, the exhibition couldn’t just be abandoned, could it? Even if it meant making a loss for the sake of promotion, that promotion had to be worth something!

A week later, the printed boxes were delivered directly to the American Leopard Buffet Restaurant, and Zhou Xueyin brought Yao Shanshan to train the staff there on how to assemble the boxes.

Xiaowu, after receiving the box, exclaimed, "Oh! So that’s what side-opening means! I’ve been pondering it all this time, and only after seeing the actual product do I understand what Sister Shan meant. If only I had been given a diagram earlier..."

Yao Shanshan was rendered utterly speechless by this comment. She had already provided the diagram and had even emphasized repeatedly, "Look at the diagram." But Xiaowu had remained indifferent, still going on with his own assumptions.

Since the boxes were already printed, anything said now was pointless anyway. Yao Shanshan simply didn’t bother dealing with Xiaowu, whose head was full of paste.

After a bit of training, other employees were able to perfectly assemble the boxes. Xiaowu, however, after being taught 8 times, still didn’t get it.

"Forget it, don’t make things worse. If you can’t do it, then you can’t... After all, we’ll all come help you pack the boxes the day before the exhibition set up, it won’t matter if you’re not there..." Yao Shanshan bluntly banned Xiaowu from helping.

"Sister Shan, do you have something against me? I’m not stupid, just a bit slow on the uptake, don’t look down on people!" Xiaowu became defensive.

"If it were a training session, that would be one thing, but we’re working now, and no one has the patience to wait for you to catch up! Understand?" Knowing Yao Shanshan was too timid to speak harshly, Zhou Xueyin decided to be the bad guy herself.

"..." Xiaowu fell silent too, realizing that indeed this was the company, not a school, and no one would wait for her to grow up.

As the event drew closer, everyone became more anxious. Although Beijing’s September was characterized by clear and crisp autumn weather, the wind was unpredictable and could ignite into a frenzy without warning, seldom calming before sunset.

Everyone was concerned that a strong wind might blow on the day of the event, so they all rose early each day to check the forecast, eager to devise a contingency plan for windy conditions.

Fortunately, the forecast predicted only a level 1-2 wind for the day, so everyone continued their preparations with relative ease, as per usual.

The afternoon before the event, after work, everyone headed to the American Leopard Zhongguancun Store to help pack the desserts and drinks to be used the following day.

Xiaowu also joined the packing effort: "Sister Zhou, Sister Shanshan, please rest assured, I’ve made ample preparations and am determined to complete the task!"

Seeing her enthusiasm, the two felt it was not their place to say anything, so they agreed to let her join.

Employees from both companies packed while chatting.

"These last few days, Xiaowu has been really diligent, practicing making packaging boxes with A4 scrap paper every day, all because she’s afraid of holding you up!"

"That’s right, that’s right! I’ve never seen him so proactive; usually, he’s quite slack, but not this time!"

"Actually, Xiaowu isn’t dumb, just a bit slow-witted, but she’ll get the hang of it eventually..."

The American Leopard’s staff chimed in one after another, praising Xiaowu for her hard work and practice.

She also clearly noticed that Xiaowu’s box packaging had greatly improved compared to training; although not as fast as others, the bottoms at least didn’t fall out anymore—a significant improvement.

Once all the food was packed, it was time to set up the exhibit, ensuring that by early the next morning, an extraordinary sight would grace Zhongguancun Church Square.

The staff of Xueshan Jiying Company found a nearby hotel to stay in, and at 4 a.m., everyone gathered at the square in front of the church to start decorating.

Early morning in September still held a chill, but once everyone got to work, they no longer felt cold...

The tables were arranged, roll-up banners were erected, some desserts were placed on the tables, and the rest were kept out of the sun on the shaded side.

The group worked from the crack of dawn until sunrise. Despite being the weekend, there were actually people who got up early to work overtime at the company; seeing the exhibition, they joined the bustle, grabbed some desserts and drinks, and hurried off to work.

Zhou Xueyin, Li Jiniang, Yao Shanshan, and Kang Siyin had finished their makeup and donned their wedding dresses, and it was already around 9 a.m.

The other ladies also scrambled into their dresses, attracting passersby, handing out small gifts and brochures.

Wei Jingzhu and the other guys temporarily took on the role of on-site videographers, capturing the entire scene on camera.

Wang Simo, in her dress and with a camera in hand, snapped photos non-stop, resolved to memorize this beautiful exhibition in its entirety.

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