After this thorough explanation, Zhang Nan was completely convinced.

It made so much sense!

Following Zhang Yuan’s line of thought, she continued to process it further.

“So essentially, the suffering journey is meant to correct incorrect views on work and labor.”

“For those department heads driven by targets, the suffering journey is a painful experience that makes them reflect on this alienated state.”

“Once they truly understand this principle, they’ll be on the right path to working happily, and naturally the suffering journey won’t find them anymore.”

“So, if we don’t want to go on the suffering journey and want to meet Mr. Pei’s expectations for us, we need to… actively create entertainment?”

“At least show Mr. Pei that our mindset has changed, that we’ve entered a state of working happily?”

Zhang Yuan nodded, “Exactly, that’s definitely it.”

“But exactly how to create entertainment depends on the department heads developing more suitable plans based on the actual situation in their departments.”

Zhang Nan nodded slightly, falling into deep thought.

Her original purpose was simple—just to consult Zhang Yuan about avoiding the suffering journey.

She hadn’t expected that this inquiry would not only yield the standard answer but also bring unexpected gains!

The key was identifying a more correct and superior working state. Compared to this, avoiding the suffering journey actually became a relatively secondary matter.

Zhang Nan asked, “Can this method be shared with other department heads?”

Zhang Yuan nodded, “Of course!”

“Didn’t Mr. Pei go to such great lengths to remind us, precisely so that after we understand it ourselves, we could remind and supervise each other?”

“Besides, this method isn’t my original creation. Wu Bin first built the theoretical foundation, and then I verified it through actual work situations. The credit doesn’t belong to me alone.”

“Since it’s an important supplement to the Tenda spirit, we should spread it as quickly as possible. We can’t let Mr. Pei’s good intentions go to waste!”

“Of course, helping everyone suffer less is also very important.”

“The first batch of department heads who went on the suffering journey are all gloating now, but I’m different from them.”

“These people may be laughing now, but if they don’t correct their work attitudes, they’ll eventually be sent back for a second round.”

Zhang Nan strongly agreed.

With a spirit of selflessness, the two prepared to cooperate with Wu Bin to share the latest theoretical research findings with all department heads.

Of course, this sharing couldn’t be too high-profile or obvious, otherwise it would waste Mr. Pei’s good intentions.

It had to be subtle and imperceptible.

…

…

November 14th, Wednesday.

At the Advertising and Marketing Department, Meng Chang carefully watched the promotional video that had been edited.

He was very satisfied with this promotional video.

It completely captured the effect he wanted!

The promotional video wasn’t very long, and the scenes were relatively simple, all showing the daily work of a real estate agent.

Ding Xiyao herself had worked as an agent for a long time, so these scenes were extremely familiar to her. Therefore, she was simply playing herself on set, neither exaggerating nor underperforming.

Of course, she couldn’t compare to professional actors, but this was exactly the effect Meng Chang wanted.

The audience shouldn’t be truly moved; the video needed to have a somewhat ambiguous feeling that would feel off after careful consideration.

“Hmm, no problems.”

“Let’s arrange to start the promotional plan immediately.”

The entire Advertising and Marketing Department became busy again, steadily advancing according to the established promotional plan.

Of course, in keeping with Meng Chang’s usual style, he spared no expense on promotional funds.

…

In the afternoon, at the Market Department of Zhujia Group, in the Director’s office.

“Director Gao! Quick, look at this video!”

Market Director Gao Ming took the phone from his subordinate and watched the video from beginning to end.

“This…”

“Which company made this promotional video?”

Gao Ming’s first reaction was to be on high alert.

Because this promotional video looked well-made!

And judging from the video’s popularity, there must be someone pushing it behind the scenes. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have gained such high viewership in such a short time.

The facts also proved that similar promotional content had appeared on many video websites and offline advertisements, confirming that this was a complete promotional campaign, not just something filmed for fun by individuals.

The content of the promotional video was actually very simple—it depicted the daily life of a real estate agent, showing her hardships and how she was often misunderstood.

But the video was of moderate length with smooth pacing, and the actress portrayed her role very authentically, making it relatable.

Though not absolutely perfect—the performance didn’t reach the level of an award-winning actor—as a promotional video, it had already met the requirements.

So the question arose: who filmed such a promotional video and went to such great lengths to promote it?

Most likely a competitor!

Although Zhujia Group had a high market share in China, it wasn’t without competitors. Many new-model real estate agencies posed threats to it.

And the possibility of new capital entering the market couldn’t be ruled out either.

Making such a promotional video to create buzz and then taking the opportunity to establish their company’s brand was a normal procedure.

For Zhujia Group, this was something they couldn’t ignore.

The subordinate who came to report explained, “Director Gao, what’s strange is that it wasn’t filmed by a competitor!”

“The account that released this video is the official account of Chi Xing Studio, which is a game development studio reportedly funded by both Shenhua and Tenda. But this studio has absolutely no connection with Shenhua Real Estate or Sloth Apartments!”

“And this video was supposedly made as a promotional video for their new game.”

“I did some investigation, and the credibility is quite high. They are indeed developing a game related to real estate agents, called ‘Real Estate Agent Simulator,’ which is almost complete.”

Gao Ming was also confused.

Obviously, if this advertisement had been released by Shenhua Real Estate or Sloth Apartments, Gao Ming would certainly think they were entering the real estate agency industry, directly competing with Zhujia Group’s current main business.

But now it was released by a game company?

And there shouldn’t be any possibility of deception, because Chi Xing Studio was indeed developing VR games, and the game itself was related to real estate agents and was nearing completion.

Using such a promotional video to help viewers identify more with the role of a real estate agent, thereby promoting their new game, made perfect sense.

“Then we can discuss cooperation!”

As the Marketing Director, Gao Ming was very astute in this area.

Although Chi Xing Studio had investment backgrounds from Shenhua Group and Tenda Group, according to investigations, it was essentially highly independent.

In this promotional video, there was no Shenhua Real Estate or Sloth Apartments logo, nor did any other company repost it, showing that this promotional video was purely made by Chi Xing Studio to promote their own game.

In that case, wouldn’t there be a possibility for cooperation?

Gao Ming said, “Chi Xing Studio is a relatively well-known VR studio in China, and VR and property viewing inherently have potential for collaboration.”

“We can allocate a promotional budget to bundle our promotion with Chi Xing Studio’s game.”

“We can then market to the gamer demographic, boost each other’s visibility, and further enhance our company’s brand image.”

“Quick, immediately ask if Chi Xing Studio is willing to cooperate with us—offer them good terms!”

The subordinate nodded, but he didn’t immediately go to do it. After a slight hesitation, he said, “But Director Gao, some of the comments under this video aren’t very friendly.”

Gao Ming was surprised, “Oh?”

He took the phone again and glanced at the comments below the video.

Indeed, there were some comments expressing understanding and support for the agent’s hardships, but there were also quite a few negative comments, and they were particularly harsh.

Of course, not all were venting emotions. Some people presented facts and reasoned about how black-hearted the agents they encountered were, completely disagreeing with the video’s portrayal of agents as pitiful victims deserving sympathy.

However, people’s controversy wasn’t focused on the video itself, but on the real estate agency industry in reality.

There were even a few comments specifically mentioning Zhujia Group.

Gao Ming was unconcerned, “That’s normal. There are many trolls online who can find fault with any promotional video. Don’t worry about it.”

“We’ll continue with our normal promotion. As long as there’s buzz, it’s fine.”

“Our marketing plan has a clear target audience. As for these trolls, they already have prejudices against us, so it doesn’t matter if they accept it or not.”

“Besides, despite how much these people criticize, when they need to rent a house, they’ll still have to come to our shops obediently.”

The subordinate nodded, “Alright, Director Gao, I’ll contact Chi Xing Studio right away.”

Gao Ming leaned back in his chair, thinking, how could there be such a good opportunity in this world?

Isn’t this performance just served up on a plate?

Chi Xing Studio wanted to promote their new game and was willing to spend money. This buzz would inevitably be stirred up sooner or later.

Zhujia Group, being a respected name in China, would naturally achieve a win-win situation by collaborating with Chi Xing Studio.

He thought that as long as the price was high enough, Chi Xing Studio shouldn’t have any reason to refuse.

However, just as he was happily contemplating this, his subordinate knocked and returned.

“Director Gao, they refused! And it was the studio’s boss, Director Lin, who personally rejected it. He didn’t even discuss terms; he directly said… said we misunderstood, and there’s no possibility of cooperation at all.”

Gao Ming frowned, “What?”

This was too abrupt!

It had only been a few minutes!

He strongly suspected that as soon as the call was transferred to Director Lin, and they had just introduced themselves, they were immediately rejected.

Such a win-win opportunity, rejected so decisively?

The subordinate tentatively asked, “Director Gao, what should we do? Should we give up, or should I make a few more calls to negotiate?”

Gao Ming waved his hand, “No need.”

“The buzz has already started. Even without cooperation, we can promote ourselves on this momentum!”

“Let’s also film a promotional video and release it during this period!”

“Won’t the buzz naturally come to us?”