Chapter 329: Am I a Little Brother?

On Sunday evening, Jiang Qin planned to dine with the companies involved in the first marketing collaboration and discuss the marketing plans for the later stages.

He had visited Longkai Hotel too often and was tired of the food, plus it had been a while since his last visit to Juxian Building. Thus, he chose this venue as not many were attending, just a few business owners from the first collaboration who would need just one large private room.

Yet, upon arriving at Juxian Building, before he could even check the room number, he heard a voice calling out.

“Junior.”

Following the sound, Jiang Qin turned around and saw Ye Ziqing heading towards the next private room accompanied by one woman and two men of similar age, probably there for a friends’ gathering: “Senior Ye, you’re here too?”

Ye Ziqing smiled faintly: “Yes, catching up with friends over the weekend.”

“We also met here last time, what a coincidence.”

“Right, I was here for a social event last time, got a bit drunk and said some things I shouldn’t have. Don’t take it to heart.”

The first time they met at Juxian Building, Jiang Qin had not yet launched the group-buying platform and Ye Ziqing, speaking as a senior, advised him not to limit his vision to Linchuan. Jiang Qin had rejected her advice, and she couldn’t help but criticize him for being short-sighted.

However, just three months later, he had facilitated the establishment of Linchuan Business Group, becoming a leader in Linchuan and slowly expanding Zhihu nationwide. Ye Ziqing admitted his capabilities and methods were impressive.

Due to her family’s business, she constantly attended banquet meetings and had met many talented youths over the years.

Even those from good backgrounds, highly educated, or with extensive family connections couldn’t achieve what Jiang Qin had.

Ye Ziqing wasn’t someone who believed in mere talent; she always thought someone experienced was guiding Jiang Qin. However, Professor Yan told her that Jiang Qin was just a kid from a dual-income family without business connections.

From that day on, Ye Ziqing started to believe in innate talent.

But capability aside, she still thought Jiang Qin lacked broader vision regarding the limitations of his group-buying venture to Linchuan.

Perhaps this was a drawback of his ordinary background; one’s capabilities can come with talent, but the circles and people one interacts with are crucial. He ultimately lacked broad vision and keen insight.

“Are you here alone? Join us for a bit,” Ye Ziqing suddenly invited.

Jiang Qin checked the time, saw he had half an hour until his appointment, and nodded: “Alright, I’d like to chat with you, Senior Ye.”

“This way, please.”

“Thank you.”

As Jiang Qin entered the private room, two men and a woman already seated looked somewhat surprised but didn’t say anything, just continued their conversation.

Jiang Qin and Ye Ziqing didn’t discuss business; their talk revolved around Linchuan University—what buildings were demolished, what constructions were new, changes in the area, which professor from the School of Finance had retired, and so on.

Why didn’t they discuss business?

For Jiang Qin, he didn’t need Ye Ziqing at his current stage, so there was no point.

For Ye Ziqing, she knew Jiang Qin wouldn’t promote group-buying, and she had no interest in Zhihu.

“Zi Qing, you like this age group?”

At that moment, the girl next to Ye Ziqing suddenly spoke up. She had ash-blonde curly hair and carried a Hermès handbag, clearly from a wealthy family.

Ye Ziqing coughed slightly: “Don’t talk nonsense.”

“Isn’t it true? I’ve never seen you approach guys before.”

“Jiang Qin is a junior from my school, a sophomore and also an entrepreneur.”

After speaking, Ye Ziqing looked at Jiang Qin: “Junior, this is my best friend Liu Yin; she’s quite blunt, don’t mind her.”

Jiang Qin offered a polite smile: “No worries. Being mistaken for a lover with someone as beautiful as Senior Ye suggests I must be quite handsome, which is an honor.”

To Jiang Qin, the key point was ‘I am handsome! I am a heartthrob!’

But what Liu Yin picked up was him complimenting Ye Ziqing’s looks: “Junior has good taste, thinking about leaning on a wealthy woman at such a young age?”

“Leaning on a wealthy woman can save a lot of detours. My biggest dream is to find one.”

Liu Yin was taken aback by his frank and straightforward response: “Being a kept man is not as sweet as it sounds. I’d advise against unrealistic fantasies. You’re young and capable, why not do something legitimate?”

Jiang Qin nodded: “I know being a kept man isn’t great; you get manipulated, I’ve experienced that.”

“You really think about leaning on a wealthy woman, huh? Quite shameless.”

“?????”

Jiang Qin raised an eyebrow, thinking he had found a kindred spirit, only to face sarcasm again.

Liu Yin turned to the man on her left: “Zhang Feng, you’ve got competition.”

Zhang Feng, named here, simply smiled: “College students better focus on their studies and avoid idle thoughts.”

Actually, Liu Yin had invited Ye Ziqing here specifically to set her up with Zhang Feng. They were all around 28-29 years old, from major families who weren’t in a rush to marry but were all dating.

Ye Ziqing was an odd one out, never dated, and avoided socializing with men. Her family was getting anxious, so they asked Liu Yin to help find a match.

If others didn’t know, Liu Yin was well aware many in their circle liked Ye Ziqing, and Zhang Feng had been persistent, seemingly the best match for her.

So, when they saw Jiang Qin and Ye Ziqing chatting amiably, both couldn’t help but frown slightly.

Especially when Ye Ziqing mentioned he was “starting a business,” Liu Yin’s alarm bells went off. Weren’t there many cases nowadays? Young men leaning on wealthy women, getting close, showing concern, then claiming to start businesses to scam money and affection.

“Brother, did you hear that? Listen to your elder siblings, college kids should stick to their studies, don’t harbor other motives.”

Liu Yin treated him like a naïve younger brother, clearly setting up an elder sibling role with her tone. Calling someone younger brother like this could be seen as somewhat mocking.

Ye Ziqing was exasperated, thinking: Don’t you guys ever follow the news, just busy racing cars and bar-hopping. And, younger brother…

She was about to explain when suddenly a flurry of footsteps came from the stairs; several Linchuan businesspeople ascended noisily, each dressed smartly, conversing animatedly, calling each other by respectful titles, drawing many eyes.

Liu Xiliang of Burger King paused when passing by their room: “Yin Yin, what are you doing here?”

“I’m here for dinner with Zi Qing, dad, why are you here?”

“I’m also here for a dinner. Oh, Jiang, how come you’re here too? You know my daughter? What a coincidence!”

Jiang Qin quickly waved his hands: “No, no, we just met.”

Liu Xiliang looked slightly disappointed at Liu Yin: “Let me introduce you; Mr. Jiang is our business partner, Yin Yin, you should call him uncle.”

“?????”

Liu Yin turned to look at Jiang Qin, her expression perplexed, not quite understanding what was unfolding.

Liu Xiliang cleverly arranged the title ‘uncle’ because brand promotion relied on Jiang Qin. He wouldn’t dare take advantage in terms of seniority. Jiang is slightly younger than his own daughter but you can’t really have them on the same level, otherwise, Jiang would have to call himself uncle, right?

Upon hearing this, Jiang stood up: “Let’s leave them to chat on their own. Let’s go next door to discuss the upcoming marketing plans.”

“Alright, President Jiang.”

After speaking, Liu Xiliang looked at Liu Yin: “Don’t hang out all the time outside. Stay put here, have your meal and come home with me!”

Us, a bunch of kids? Liu Yin didn’t catch her father’s words; her focus was on Jiang calling them kids. Then, turning to Zhang Feng, she noticed he seemed puzzled, his mouth opening and closing without saying a word.

“Ziqing, what’s this situation? Isn’t Jiang just a college student?”

“He…”

Ye Ziqing thought for a moment, finding the situation tricky to explain: “Let’s head next door, and you’ll see.”

Hearing this, Liu Yin and Zhang Feng stood up and followed Ye Ziqing to the next room where they grabbed some chairs and sat down, just in time to see Jiang being ceremoniously invited to take the main seat.

In Linchuan banquets, seating is an artform; only the highest status person sits in the main seat. This meant, among this group, Jiang was recognized as having the highest status.

Liu Yin bit her lip, still in a daze, then heard Jiang begin: “The second round of Zhihu’s marketing has started. Our initial marketing needs to catch up. How’s everyone’s preparations? Anyone want to start off?”

“I’ll go first.”

Liu Jiaming was the first to respond: “Our supply channels are now set up through the capital, Shanghai, Wuhan, Nanjing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. We have completed stocking, and our marketing team is coordinating with Manager Wei. The advertisements went up yesterday.”

“President Jiang, our stores with old Yuan and old Zhao are being refurbished. We can start business by the end of October,” interjected Liu Xiliang.

After listening to them, President Kang of Kangmailang spoke: “President Jiang, we’ve invested in new production lines and the new packaging designs are ready.”

“Good, it seems everyone is taking this seriously and keeping up with the progress. That’s great.”

Jiang nodded, getting a rough idea of everyone’s progress.

Red Can Herbal Tea’s ads started running on the Zhihu forum, marking the beginning of Zhihu’s initial marketing phase.

Fear hotpot might heat you up? Try Jiaduoji!

The striking red background of the poster complemented by steaming hotpot visuals was eye-catching and direct, quickly establishing Jiaduoji’s market position as a companion to hotpot from an obscure herbal tea.

Since I was little, mum used to say, “Don’t drink sodas; they’re the worst, ruining teeth and stomachs.” Who would have thought a little sweet water could cool and detoxify?

As long as the positioning is accurate, differentiating from other beverages in the market and using the marketing strategies provided by Jiang, cracking the market shouldn’t be too difficult.

So, breaking out the brand was only a matter of time, and not a long one at that.

Meanwhile, Kangmailang hadn’t been idle either.

Following Jiang’s advice, they invested in a new packaging line for iced black tea, adding a 1-liter size to the existing 500ml.

The Chinese beverage market was opened by Coca-Cola, especially in the early years of the republic when “foreign drinks” monopolized this sector. Subsequent local brands did develop richer varieties but largely still mimicked Coca-Cola’s standards.

Why is 500ml the standard size?

Because it’s a convenient carry size and roughly the average liquid intake a person needs, so it’s both portable and sufficient.

But iced black tea isn’t a carbonated drink, it doesn’t fill the stomach with gas, so Kangmailang could afford to be creative with the sizes.

What’s key here? Jiang focused on the college student market, aiming to make these brands familiar to them first.

For college students, a 500ml drink is hardly enough. Buying one for the dorm might see it gone before a gaming session ends.

Especially for those prone to gaming marathons, consuming two to three bottles in a day isn’t unlikely.

How to make college students notice Kangmailang among many brands? Catering to their needs by increasing volume is an effective strategy.

Bigger size, more savings.

Once the supply channels are set, they’ll start with discounted promotions. With little price variation, the chances of choosing Kangmailang will significantly increase.

Combining this with Zhihu marketing, establishing a brand image in university towns isn’t a tough job.

Eventually, college students graduate and become white-collar workers in various fields. Gaining a foothold in this group early is crucial for FMCG brands.

“After River Hotpot is revamped, it can be marketed in tandem with Jiaduoji, reinforcing its position as a necessary hotpot accompaniment.”

“Kangmailang can also be added as a regular beverage offering for River Hotpot, Burger King, and Qing Flower Pepper Grilled Fish.”

“Additionally, my Xitian will also launch a meal-friendly lemonade at an appropriate time to expand dining customers’ choices.”

“Later, as our hotel, convenience store, and dining brands expand, we’ll execute a large-scale joint marketing effort aiming to create a self-sustaining ecosystem in lifestyle necessities.”

“I’ve always said, banding together, cooperation, support, mutual aid, and breaking out of Linchuan—many doubted me, but today, I believe you all see it.”

“Honestly, I’m really envious that you all have such great vision.”

Jiang raised his glass, his opening words compelling, as other executives quickly stood and toasted with him, one by one.

Witnessing this, Liu Yin held her breath, her mouth and legs slightly agape.

The ideas aren’t too clear, writing was tough today, it’s a bit late, I’ll post it now and revise later.