Chapter 260: The Boss’s Identity Can No Longer Be Concealed

The progress bar for copying photos reached 85% and Jian Chun’s memory card was full again.

The memory cards for 2009 model phones were small to begin with and the camera had high resolution so the photo files were large. Plus Zhuang Chen took so many photos like a warm guy it was normal there wasn’t enough space.

“Chun there are too many photos of you and Jiang Qin it won’t all fit I’ll have to email the rest.”

Jian Chun bit her lip “Then delete some of the previous photos.”

Zhuang Chen’s eyes widened in disbelief hearing this “Didn’t you say the old photos were precious memories that can’t be recovered if deleted?”

“Some are less precious.”

“…”

Zhuang Chen silently deleted the original photos on the memory card to make space for her photos with Jiang Qin.

Jian Chun was overjoyed to get the photos. She hugged her phone and carefully examined each one zooming in to look at every detail.

She didn’t know Zhuang Chen had deliberately darkened Jiang Qin’s skin tone. She thought to herself men with bronze skin are the most handsome.

Seeing Jian Chun’s upturned lips Zhuang Chen felt very lost. He pursed his mouth and gloomily glanced out the window.

He remembered a book saying when you’re in a terrible mood looking into the distance can provide healing.

Hm?

What was that thing so dazzling?

Zhuang Chen came to his senses and realized the bus had at some point entered Linchuan city proper. The streets were plastered with group-buy’s bright yellow posters like a yellow tidal wave.

The other students on the bus also noticed and lifted the curtains to press against the windows and look out their eyes filled with surprise.

If group-buy was just a campus business many would subconsciously think it was amateur and irregular.

It’s like if your 8-year-old cousin won the championship in a school Go tournament you’d think his skills were strong in the amateur division.

But if he kept advancing the competition to the national level and won you’d be shocked thinking he’s only 8?

It was the same now. Seeing the group-buy business that started in university had quietly spread to the whole city their shock multiplied.

Damn who can expand a business citywide in a year? You call that a college student? My dad couldn’t even do that!

Thinking this everyone couldn’t help but look towards Jiang Qin sitting in the third to last row.

He was playing cat’s cradle with Feng Nanshu using a black thick string obviously the shoelace from Feng Nanshu’s little leather shoes.

“F*ck that’s too pretentious!”

Zhang Guangxu was furious pounding his iron fists on the chair in front of him.

It was bad enough the three class beauties helped boost Jiang Qin’s image. He could tolerate Jiang Qin’s pretentious phone calls. But now the whole street was promoting for him was there no law?

“What’s wrong with you?” Zhou Chao in front suddenly turned his head and cursed.

Zhang Guangxu instantly saw red “You dare curse me?”

“Yeah so what? Why are you randomly hitting my chair I almost got a concussion! Should I tell my bro Jiang Qin you’re bullying me?”

Zhang Guangxu wanted to curse him out more but remembering Zhou Chao was Jiang Qin’s roommate he shut his mouth in the end.

Unhappy as he was the class all knew even though Jiang Qin was elusive the four guys in room 302 always had a good relationship.

Zhou Chao was nothing in his eyes but he knew he couldn’t provoke Jiang Qin.

“Damn dog relying on a tiger this time I’ll let you off next time you dare talk back I’ll switch seats and scare you to death!”

“…”

Zhang Guangxu glared out the window his teeth clenched only to feel suffocated again.

The bus was just passing Linchuan train station. Across from the station was a huge billboard also displaying a group-buy ad.

In the ad the #1 campus beauty from University of Technology Zhang Zixuan was making a heart gesture emphasizing her ample bosom. Beside it was the group-buy logo and slogan.

The first thing travelers saw exiting the station wasn’t Linchuan but cleavage and group-buy.

“Poor Zhuang Chen to encounter this kind of rival. His best ending might be helping push Jiang Qin and Jian Chun’s butts while they play games.”

“Damn too pretentious really too f*cking pretentious…”

After a while the bus arrived and everyone’s gaze towards Jiang Qin had turned cautious and envious.

The scene of Jiang Qin bending down to tie Feng Nanshu’s shoelaces made the girls go wild imagining themselves unable to close their legs.

A man who could move mountains yet shower you with tenderness what woman wouldn’t be enchanted?

“Jiang Qin let’s go for a walk.” Feng Nanshu gazed at him with sparkling eyes after putting on her shoes.

“We just came back from the farmhouse not tired of walking? I need to go handle work at 208. Be good and return to the dorm we’ll walk another time.”

Jiang Qin sent the little rich girl back to her dorm then returned to 208 and listened to Wei Lanlan’s report on ground promotions and the business department’s progress.

Since the part-time teams from the four major universities joined the marketing force the promotion efficiency noticeably increased. They advanced in a fan-shaped area from four directions like a giant spider web covering the entire urban area.

The business department while signing up merchants also began advertising campaigns.

Besides the posters and billboards seen on the way there were some internal ads sweeping through Linchuan like elevator ads in residential communities.

After all ground promotion wasn’t an omnipotent marketing method. For some areas manpower couldn’t reach they could only rely on overwhelming ads to open up the situation.

But these ads besides attracting a large number of users also attracted another group causing Wei Lanlan to receive two or three unknown calls every day.

These callers basically opened by inquiring about group-buy and indirectly trying to confirm if the boss was really a Linchuan University freshman.

When Wei Lanlan refused to answer citing confidentiality the callers could only reveal their identities as representatives of official media outlets. The purpose of their calls was to request an exclusive interview with group-buy’s boss.

This meant some things could no longer be hidden.

“Looks like that’s how the world is. When you gain some things you’re destined to lose some things.”

Jiang Qin couldn’t help sighing after hearing Wei Lanlan’s report.

“Boss what did you gain? And what did you lose?”

Wei Lanlan looked completely lost.

Jiang Qin took a deep breath “While gaining wealth I also lost my ordinary life.”

Wei Lanlan: “…”

Actually Jiang Qin wasn’t surprised by the sudden media attention just that it came a bit too early. He felt the summit later in the year would be the best time for an official debut.

But the development of some things often can’t be controlled by people.

Group-buy’s momentum was so huge they practically stuck flyers on people’s faces. The previous two marketing campaigns were also tied to Linchuan’s biggest Wanzhong Mall with mini-skirt girls dancing in the mall square.

People aren’t blind how could they not see?

So after Wanzhong’s final round of promotions many media outlets had already started collecting information to uncover group-buy’s boss.

When a nameless person wants to hide besides loan sharks almost no one can find him.

But when an increasingly famous person wants to hide even a dog could track him down.

Jiang Qin had especially appeared in Linchuan Youth Daily. Although the reported project was mainly Zhihu his name was the same. Comparing it with feedback from the Administration for Industry and Commerce group-buy’s boss’s identity was obvious.

The director from Linchuan TV’s lifestyle program Chen was dumbfounded after reading the background check. This was a college freshman?

The chief editor of Linchuan Financial News Jiang thought this guy is nineteen?

Young in school university entrepreneur work-study program stimulating citywide consumption.

All of this made Linchuan media workers excited because they knew Jiang Qin’s life story was too legendary. That’s why Wei Lanlan was harassed daily.

“Boss so do you want to accept interviews? Those media reporters are still waiting for my reply.” Wei Lanlan asked.

Jiang Qin pursed his lips “Do this. Organize the invitations into a chart for me. I’ll study it first.”

June 17th the 25th day of the 5th lunar month.

Jiang Qin came to 208 and received the interview request chart Wei Lanlan prepared.

Facing these interview invitations he couldn’t refuse. Because for a businessman media resources and business reputation are often linked. Moreover the ones inviting him were all Linchuan’s official media.

You have to know in this era the public all learned about the world through TV news.

When the media says you’re good even if you’re extremely wicked some consumers will firmly believe you’re good. When media says you’re bad even if you’re a paragon of virtue some will think you have ulterior motives. That’s why TV shopping ads were so popular in this period.

For this reason many companies hoped to maintain good friendly relations with the media. In other words if you don’t plan to expose yourself this early you still need a reasonable excuse. You can’t directly reject and make them lose face.

“Hello? Is this Director Chen from the lifestyle program? This is Jiang Qin.”

“Ah yes yes group-buy is mine. I really appreciate Director giving me this interview opportunity I’m truly honored but…”

“But exam week is starting Director. I’m Linchuan University’s study star. My slogan is not neglecting studies while starting a business grasping both grades and business. If I don’t do well on exams I won’t be in the mood for interviews. How about we reschedule to a time that works for you?”

“Yes Director. I come from a scholarly family. My mother is a talented woman of some renown in my hometown. My father often helps write couplets for others during the New Year. If I don’t do well I’ll get beat when I go home.”

“Oh we can postpone it? Then I’m so grateful to you!”

“…”

“Hello? Is this Chief Editor Jiang from the financial newspaper? I really appreciate…I’m so sorry…I’m a study star!”

After a long while Jiang Qin hung up the phone. He stabilized the media for now and used his smooth-talking skills to leave both sides with a good first impression. But he knew this was just treating the symptoms not curing the root cause.

Even if they couldn’t get an exclusive interview Linchuan TV and Linchuan’s newspapers would still report on his story from a third-person perspective.

It couldn’t be hidden anymore the fact that he had money couldn’t be concealed anymore.

Sure enough as expected Linchuan TV directly featured him in their local news segment the following evening.

He an ordinary college student a scholarly entrepreneur he used only half a year to create the group-buying platform stimulating Linchuan’s market while providing consumers with high-quality service he also promoted the upgrade and transformation of Linchuan’s commercial districts…

“Boss why do you look so gloomy?” Su Nai had just returned from eating dinner outside when she saw Jiang Qin’s stomach-churning expression.

Jiang Qin sighed “You don’t understand your boss here is about to become famous.”