A Republic-Era Advertising Tycoon (Next Book Coming Soon)

[A naturally alluring wild rose, socially adept career-driven bottom x a gang enforcer who worked his way up to become a Shanghai kingpin to protect his wife, a henpecked romantic top]

A love story about an ordinary young couple in 1930s Shanghai, struggling forward together.

Designer Fang Mu was pulling an all-nighter on a design when he closed his eyes and opened them a century in the past, in the Republic of China era. He’d become a printing apprentice at a Shanghai printing house. Three years of unpaid apprenticeship, followed by four years of work after training, before he’d be free to leave.

Fang Mu took one look at his sick mother, his little sister, and their struggling family. They couldn’t afford to wait.

At the time, Shanghai was flooded with foreign goods, while domestic products were just beginning to emerge.

Fang Mu rubbed his hands together. The market for selling goods had huge potential!

He returned to his old line of work and started painting advertisements in the Republic of China era.

His line-drawn woodblock prints made “Spark” matchboxes fly into homes across the country overnight.

His delicate watercolors of beautiful women in qipao made “Huarong” a domestic cosmetics brand that fashionable ladies rushed to buy.

The calendar posters featuring modern girls, given away by various brands, were snatched up at high prices as people tried to collect them all.

His humorous comic characters emptied the promotional newspaper stands.

Even the foreign gentlemen had to bow their heads and pay top dollar for Fang Mu’s work.

By combining the strengths of Chinese and Western art, Fang Mu became an advertising and marketing genius!

Hey! Fang Mu was so high-profile. Surely people were jealous and coveting what he had?

Of course they were.

Everyone in Shanghai knew that the man standing behind Fang Mu was Su Huaiqing, the Shanghai kingpin.

Bonus scene:

After a day’s work, Fang Mu came down from Shanghai’s most fashionable building and saw Su Huaiqing waiting beside a car.

He glanced at the cigarette in Su Huaiqing’s hand. It was from a brand whose advertisement he’d designed the previous month. His phoenix eyes crinkled with a smile. “Sorry to keep you waiting, Boss Su.”

Su Huaiqing tossed the cigarette away, looking a little guilty. He took the scarf draped over his arm and bundled Fang Mu up in it, then cleared his throat.

“They forced it on me, saying it was your latest design. I only kept it. I didn’t light it.”

The young driver shuddered. There was no way he was taking the blame for that!

The other underlings on patrol covered their eyes. Their boss was so henpecked, they couldn’t bear to watch.

Fang Mu tugged at the scarf, which was a little too tight. “I wouldn’t dare get mad at you, Boss Su.”

Su Huaiqing wrapped an arm around Fang Mu’s waist and leaned close to his ear.

“Forget Boss Su. I’m just here to watch your back. I’ll watch it for the rest of your life.”

Fang Mu raised a hand and pushed Su Huaiqing’s face away. “Let’s go home.”

There was laughter in his eyes.

It was true. When they first met, Su Huaiqing was an obscure little gang boss on the Shanghai Bund, collecting protection money from local businesses.

Fang Mu took advantage of him to save money, and from then on Su Huaiqing set his sights on him and wouldn’t let go.

Please note:

This is an alternate-history Republic of China setting, entirely fictional! There are no real-life models or historical figures, and the story is pure fiction. The era is just a backdrop.

Theme: Combine the strengths of Chinese and Western art in the Republic of China era, create advertisements, promote domestic goods, and serve the nation through industry.