booktalesy Chapter 114 [I've Been Scammed]
Chapter 114 [I've Been Scammed]
Chapter 114 [I've Been Scammed]
"Director Cheng, you flatter me. It's nothing we should do. After all, everyone is so supportive, we can't be inconsiderate. It's just a little snack to express our gratitude, and we're afraid we might not be able to entertain you properly."
Liu Zhuohao spoke sincerely, his attention no longer on the others, but observing the words and actions of the person in front of him.
director?
Is it the director of this street, or the director of this area?
Most likely from this area.
The director of this street service center is considered to be from the street office. Although Liu Zhuohao had never met him, the leaders of the street office did not dress so formally.
Judging from the leader's attire and demeanor, if he were to be called a director, he would most likely be a section chief.
"The thought is what counts." Director Cheng waved his hand, seemingly not intending to delve deeper into the topic, but then subtly changed the subject, as if casually mentioning, "I heard you're preparing to open a proper shop?"
Liu Zhuohao's heart skipped a beat.
This matter was quite widely publicized, made the local news, and many people know about it.
"We do have this plan, but it's still in the preparation stage, and there are many things we need to learn," Liu Zhuohao replied cautiously and modestly.
"Yes, it's a good thing that young people have ideas and are willing to work hard." Director Cheng nodded, his gaze once again falling on the bustling iron plate and the crowd around him with satisfied smiles. "Like today, being able to bring your online popularity to offline events, and also to maintain good relationships with the surrounding neighborhood, and to influence a whole area, this idea is very good."
"Even if you open a shop in the future, remember that one flower does not make a spring."
"If you really want to be a pragmatic businessman, you have to shoulder some responsibilities, such as one..."
After saying this meaningful sentence, he gently stubbed out the half-smoked cigarette on the edge of an empty can that Liu Zhuohao promptly handed him, which served as a makeshift ashtray.
"Alright, I won't hold you up any longer. Keep it up." Director Cheng patted Liu Zhuohao's shoulder, the pressure neither too light nor too heavy. "If you need any coordination in the future, or encounter any difficulties, you can report them through the proper channels."
"We support individuals like you who are exemplary, positive, and have a positive impact."
After saying that, he smiled at Liu Zhuohao, turned around, put his hands behind his back, and walked steadily toward the outer perimeter.
Soon, his figure blended into the night and the crowd, as if he had never appeared.
When Director Cheng arrived, he did not ask whether the cameras and microphones on site were turned off.
He doesn't care about these things, and what he says reflects that he doesn't care about them either.
After watching the people walk away, Liu Zhuohao turned his attention back to the group in front of him. The two students and Song Yinxuan had finished eating their chicken oil rice and were going to deliver food to the neighbors with the others.
However, quite a few people still noticed what had just happened.
For example, Song Yinxuan, who was already standing outside, looked at him and, as if she had been caught eavesdropping, quickly avoided his gaze and turned to hand the bamboo skewer in her hand to a girl.
For example, the crow didn't avoid his gaze, but instead made a gesture, silently inquiring about the situation.
Liu Zhuohao smiled and waved his hand, indicating that everything was fine. He breathed a sigh of relief, seemingly worried that this person, who clearly looked like a leader, had come to cause trouble and was dissatisfied with tonight's event.
Or perhaps it's the few guys around him.
"Boss, this manager seems to have quite the air about him."
Huang Weixiong muttered under his breath, "How come he can talk so eloquently—"
Before he could finish speaking, Liu Zhuohao lightly slapped him on the forehead. "Fry your steak."
As he spoke, he pointed to the microphone.
These devices aren't their own; they were provided by a filming team that Bilibili (the website's video sharing platform) found. A lot of the footage will need to be prepared from them.
However, the post-production editing of this video will likely be mainly done by the team provided by Bilibili.
"Thank you everyone for your help, and thank you for your hard work!"
"Everyone, go back and rest early. Ah Wei, remember to clean up the food truck. Scrub the kitchen utensils and pour out the oil. Don't be lazy, and keep the hygiene up to standard."
"Teacher Crow, okay, okay, you guys go wait for me in the car first—"
Liu Zhuohao took off the microphone clipped to his collar, loosened the collar of his chef's uniform which had been stuffy all night, and let out a long breath.
Having focused intently on filming all night, afraid of saying or doing something wrong in front of the camera, the fatigue on her face clearly surfaced as she took off her gear and relaxed her tense posture.
The surrounding crowd is slowly dispersing.
The photography team was packing up their equipment when Crow and Soy Milk greeted them first and headed towards the van parked at the entrance of the night market.
Zhuang Zicong and his companion huddled together, reviewing tonight's materials and whispering amongst themselves, while Huang Weixiong and the others were tidying up the food cart.
Song Yinxuan was surrounded by several students who hadn't left yet, all wanting to take photos with her. She wore a sweet, business-like smile and posed with a peace sign, showing no signs of fatigue.
As a dance blogger who regularly participates in anime conventions and engages in various offline activities, she possesses a high level of professionalism.
Liu Zhuohao rubbed the back of his neck and was about to walk towards the van.
He looked up and stopped in his tracks.
A familiar figure was walking from the edge of the crowd, unhurried, as if he had been waiting for a while.
—Chen Min.
If we say that Song Yinxuan, with her playful pigtails and wearing a white sailor uniform with a light blue skirt, prefers a lively and cute style, then this is a different story.
Chen Min, as always, displayed her maturity.
In late November, the nights in Chaoshan have lost the heat of the day and become somewhat cool.
She wore an oatmeal-colored cashmere cardigan, soft in texture and with a beautiful drape. The cuffs were casually rolled up, revealing her slender wrists. Underneath, she wore a dark brown fitted long skirt that reached her knees, perfectly outlining her figure.
She was wearing a pair of brown knee-high boots, which didn't look out of place walking on the slightly greasy ground of the street stalls.
"Finally, we've met, Boss Liu."
Chen Min walked over, her tone slightly complaining, but her face couldn't hide her joy, as if her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, had finally settled down.
"Today's shoot went very smoothly," she said softly, her gaze sweeping over the still-operating equipment and busy crowd around her. "I tried to squeeze in just now, but I couldn't get in no matter how hard I tried. Your business is really getting more and more outrageous."
She paused, lowering her voice even further, "And I think I saw you talking to some leader."
Liu Zhuohao did not respond immediately.
He was unwilling to say much about Director Cheng.
This level of contact is like having a business card in your pocket that you don't need for the time being.
Showing it off? That's stupid, you should avoid mentioning it even if you don't want to.
Only when truly needed should this business card be taken out to ask if a helping hand can be lent a hand.
"After all, there are so many people tonight, so some leaders must be worried that something might happen." He tried to keep his tone even. "Fortunately, nothing happened. The leaders are quite satisfied with the revenue figures that this night market has managed to generate. They gave me a few words of encouragement, and that's all."
He spoke very briefly, like gently closing a door.
Chen Min understood, but she didn't ask any further questions.
A sudden silence fell between the two.
The crowd that had not completely dispersed occasionally glanced curiously at them.
Seeing Liu Zhuohao and Chen Min standing together, neither of them looking relaxed, they assumed they were discussing business and consciously walked around them without disturbing them.
In reality, the two simply stood there in silence, not saying a word for the time being.
"—It's not that I'm ignoring you."
Liu Zhuohao broke the silence by speaking first, "It's your factory. They always like to interfere with my work as soon as we meet."
"We have different responsibilities according to the contract. I am responsible for promotion and sales, while you are responsible for production, quality control, and logistics."
"But you always doubt my work, which greatly increases my workload."
He spoke directly, but his tone wasn't aggressive; it was more like he was stating a fact that both of them knew.
Liu Zhuohao felt helpless. Ever since their conversation in the video, both Chen Youyin and Chen Min in front of him had been sending him messages and making phone calls in private.
However, as mentioned in the previous video, they are not professionals in promotion and operation.
Especially when it comes to the Internet, as laymen, they always feel that the process seems very simple and easy.
If you're willing to spend money and make GG (Girl's nickname) sound amazing, customers will buy it when they see it.
In reality, this is a sales detached from reality.
This kind of marketing strategy might be somewhat useful for idol stars.
When their fans see their idols endorsing certain products or promoting something, they will abandon their rationality and their own needs to make purchases.
These fans aren't there to shop; they're simply there to support their idols.
They will buy things first, and then consider how to use them, who to give them to, and search for the need for them in their surroundings, or even throw them away directly.
But clearly, Liu Zhuohao is not an idol star.
At least for now, he is not an idol, an idol who can make people go crazy for him, or even pay for him regardless of their needs.
"About this matter—"
Chen Min was silent for a few seconds, then spoke again, her tone softer than before. Her lowered eyelashes cast a faint shadow beneath her eyes. "I hope Boss Liu can understand. My uncle—after hearing your ideas, like 'building brand awareness,' 'carrying the banner of Chaoshan beef balls,' and 'writing the word 'authentic,' was deeply moved."
She paused, raised her eyes, and stared straight at him.
"He made some rather bold decisions, specifically allocating a portion of the production capacity that was originally intended for traditional wholesale channels to match your sales pace."
She slowed her speech, as if carefully choosing her words, "The new packaging line, the custom-made foam boxes, and the lease for the cold chain warehouse have all been signed in advance."
Liu Zhuohao didn't respond, waiting for her to continue.
"These decisions have put some pressure on our factory's cash flow."
Chen Min spoke softly, "Of course, the Chen family has been in business for decades, so we have the ability to withstand risks. However, we still hope to avoid losses as much as possible."
As she spoke, her tone became somewhat aggrieved.
Liu Zhuohao remained silent; he understood the situation.
Before Chen Min confessed, he had a certain suspicion that Chen Youyin had probably taken his words about championing Chaoshan beef balls to heart, and had listened very carefully, so much so that he had taken action on his own.
They're renting warehouses, opening new production lines, and maybe even designing product logos and images.
But when these preparations are put into practice, they become actual expenses.
It's fair to say that every night after midnight, the money is spent without you even realizing it.
He actually swallowed the pie in the sky that I had drawn for him, and he had already started preparing firewood and starting a fire.
Let me be frank.
Liu Zhuohao lowered his voice a little, "Based on the current data, I am confident about the sales of the first batch."
He paused for a moment, then gave a figure that was carefully analyzed and estimated to be low: "The transaction volume is probably between five hundred and two thousand orders."
At the end, he added, "Of course, this is just an estimate, not a promise."
Even if this figure is an understatement and the actual transaction volume is likely more optimistic, it is still an estimate.
It's fake; it hasn't been realized yet.
Liu Zhuohao saw Chen Min's lips move slightly, and before she could speak, he continued, "As for whether we can sell more and more, it depends on whether the people who receive the goods are willing to place a second order after they finish eating them."
"Repurchase rate, positive review rate, and repurchase cycle—these data are all based on quality control."
"As long as you maintain stable quality control, avoid batch failures, and ensure timely logistics, sales growth is inevitable; it's just a matter of how fast."
He remained calm throughout, unmoved by the other person's slightly aggrieved tone.
There was no element of spite, nor any overbearing ambition.
Liu Zhuohao has always been trying to delineate his responsibilities.
After listening, Chen Min remained silent for a few seconds.
"Only two thousand orders?" she asked softly, her disappointment barely concealed.
Two thousand orders.
Based on one jin per order, that's two thousand jin.
For a factory that has been around for decades, there isn’t even enough fuel to heat up the new production line.
The leases, orders, and production line schedules her uncle signed were far more than two thousand orders.
But as soon as she said it, she added for confirmation, "But this revenue is sustainable, it will grow, right?"
So she added even more quietly, "As long as you have a good reputation and stable product quality, you can keep selling—right?"
Liu Zhuohao did not laugh at her.
"Definitely."
He spoke in a softer tone than before, "If your products don't have large-scale quality problems, but the actual sales are still mediocre, then it's my problem."
3
"As a salesperson, I failed to create good content that made viewers genuinely like the product and willing to pay for it."
He paused for a moment, then said, "If that happens, you'll definitely get the lion's share."
There was something Liu Zhuohao didn't say aloud, assuming that the collaboration would continue despite such dismal sales.
If this situation really occurs, the possibility of further cooperation is very small.
Suppliers will gradually realize that they have been scammed.