Chapter 427: Settling in Shanghai

Jiang Qin and Feng Nanshu’s little red lips didn’t last long, and by next morning they had faded, though their impact was long-lasting.

Like Zhou Chao, he’s all about exercising now, and no one can persuade him otherwise.

Even when three brothers pinned down his legs telling him to rest, he just adjusted and did three sit-ups that stunned them all.

And then there’s little rich girl and her dorm mates, led by Gao Wenhui, discussing kissing all night long.

But the little rich girl keeps tight-lipped, her lips sealed tighter than anyone’s, except maybe for Jiang Qin’s tongue. Her responses are always, “It’s like the soup was too hot.”

But Gao Wenhui noticed every time they asked her about kissing, her usually cool, porcelain-like face would blush a slight red, a kind of spoilt-silly look.

No doubt about it, they definitely kissed.

It’s funny though, for college students, kissing isn’t really a big deal, who considers kissing a milestone in a relationship? It’s laughable.

But the fact that Jiang Qin and Feng Nanshu kissed had everyone hooked on just imagining it.

Take Wang Haini, for instance. A love expert herself, but she felt her experiences paled in comparison to witnessing the thrill of Jiang Qin’s and Feng Nanshu’s emotions.

Maybe that’s the taboo thrill among close friends, everything feels more electrifying.

“Nanshu, how does kissing Jiang Qin feel? Pleasant?”

“We didn’t kiss. It’s from drinking hot soup.”

Feng Nanshu, wearing a relaxed bear pajama, sat on the bed, her polished feet adorned with pink nail polish—a Jiang Qin’s creation during the October holiday.

Back then, friends didn’t kiss, but Jiang Qin still loved pampering her feet.

Her voracious dormmates exchanged looks, thinking it might be time to change the questioning technique. This couple’s romance seems encrypted, not aligning with their thinking. No chance to savor any sweet details otherwise.

“Feng Nanshu?”

“Hmm?”

“What’s it like having soup with Jiang Qin?”

“Gao Wenhui, you’re terrible.”

Three hours have passed since their lip-smacking soup incident, and the little rich girl’s intelligence has snap back quickly, immediately seeing through their ploy.

The next morning, the temperature dropped sharply. The slightly warmed weather chilled again, and most students ran to class, only relaxing once they reached the warmth indoors.

So, a curious scene often unfolds in northern universities—no one in the middle of the room, but crowded to one side where there’s heating.

At that moment, Boss Jiang sought Dean Zhang for extended leave to make some moves in Shanghai and took a group session in room 701.

For Finance School students, seeing Jiang Qin in class was rarer than spotting a shooting star. They had to close their eyes and make a serious wish, fearing they’d miss his brief appearance.

“Out with the truth, resist and it gets worse. What did you and Feng Nanshu do yesterday?”

Gao Wenhui was relentless, bombarding Jiang Qin with questions as soon as she saw him.

“We were just being friends,” Jiang Qin countered, his business acumen allowing him to assert his innocence boldly.

“Friends don’t end up with hickey-like red marks, do they?”

Jiang Qin shot her a look: “Those aren’t hickeys, it’s from drinking hot soup, how could good friends kiss like you’re imagining, idiot.”

Gao Wenhui paused, “That’s what I’m asking. How could good friends end up kissing?”

“So, we didn’t kiss.”

“Then why are both your lips so red?”

Jiang Qin retorted, circling back to his original excuse: “It’s from the hot soup, I’ve said it eight hundred times. How can someone with your intelligence even study at the same university as academic stars?”

Wang Haini interjected, patting Gao Wenhui, “Quit asking. Even Boss Jiang’s rhetoric can’t pry open Feng Nanshu’s sealed lips.”

“It can be pried open.”

Feng Nanshu spoke up coolly, her demeanor silly whenever near her ‘brother.’

No kissing. But I can pry my brother’s lips open.

Jiang Qin thought friendship truly lowers IQ; the little rich girl was being silly again. Ignoring Gao Wenhui, he clasped her hand, massaged it briefly, and silently docked her a month’s pay.

“Fine, if you won’t tell, I’ll just write fiction about it, wow.”

Gao Wenhui took out a notebook and dramatically outlined a fiction, describing how Feng Nanshu was captured, her mouth sealed, and Jiang Qin’s hands roaming freely.

Just a few lines had Jiang Qin figuratively eye-popping; he wondered if she was considering postgraduate studies.

Meanwhile, the little rich girl appeared as if a door to a new world had opened, eager to try.

But Jiang Qin had no time to settle accounts with student Gao, nor guide her on how to write web fiction. More pressing matters awaited his direction.

At three in the afternoon, Boss Jiang drove off from Linchuan U, headed to the group-buying headquarters, naming several to join him.

Wen Jinrui was needed, as his role as dedicated secretary involved handling many details.

Sun Zhi, currently aiding in brand marketing, also joined to follow up on engagements with Shanghai brands.

Marketing department’s Deng Yuan and Zhang Yu, recently returned from touring second and third-tier markets without a break, were also named by Jiang Qin for the Shanghai trip.

Both graduated in 2008 and joined in 2009, constantly working on the front lines. Despite their youth, they were seasoned through market experiences.

Additionally, former content team member Ma Yubao and technical team’s Yang Shuai were required by Jiang Qin to accompany this Shanghai endeavor.

“After returning, everyone should pick a nickname for themselves.”

“Sun Zhi used to sell health products, right? How about ‘Big Precious Sword’? From now on, you’re my ‘Big Precious Sword’.”

Sitting in the executive chair, Jiang Qin bestowed another blush-worthy nickname.

However, Sun Zhi, having wandered the Jianghu for years, felt no discomfort and immediately accepted: “Great name. I’ll be like a precious sword, penetrating deep into enemy lines, offering up their generals’ heads to my boss.”

“Good, good, good. Wen Jinrui finally has a rival.”

Early next morning, Jiang Qin led his team members, boarding a flight to Shanghai and convened a meeting to strategize.

By now, a month and a half had passed since the major websites had scaled down their market penetration, especially following the minor snowfall. Web campaigns for second and third-tier cities had slowed, which reaffirmed Jiang Qin’s predictions: everyone’s funds were dwindling to critical levels.

Their task now involved leveraging their current reach across cities to secure more funding.

For example, LaShou’s recent promotions claimed they now offered group-buying services across over twenty cities.

This ‘over twenty’ included those serviceable second and third-tier cities and surrounds, some with market shares below thirty percent, yet still counted—that’s skillful marketing.

Concurrently, each station manager of the group-buying enterprise received direct orders from Jiang Qin via the internal management system: select a team to expand operations to Shanghai.

Market representatives in first-tier cities are extremely sensitive to shifts in trends.

They noticed group-buy’s online promotions in second and third-tier cities were booming, yet the number of local promoters and marketing staff was dwindling.

It used to be one could get startled by a promoter on the streets; now, finding one might be rare.

This subtle shift had been reported upwards, but most station managers hadn’t taken much notice.

How to put it? Despite being a major competitor in the group-buy market, the impression was still of a “small-town brand,” a “small-capacity site that indulges in sharp practice.”

It avoided operating in first-tier cities; no matter how elevated its performance in second and third-tier cities, how significant could it become?

For the current few top-tier sites, this university-born group-buy was a mere stumbling block.

Early December evening at Linchuan’s Juxian Building, Zhou Zhenhao and Cui Yiting, back from a break, invited Ye Ziqing to dinner discussing recent trends in the group-buy market.

“As it stands, LaShou has solidified its position in Shanghai. Although Nuomi is still striving, its efforts are slight. After this Spring Festival, LaShou is likely to completely dominate the Shanghai market,” noted Cui Yiting, currently the marketing manager in Shanghai well-versed with LaShou’s operations.

After listening, Ye Ziqing nodded, “Lucky to lose to such a rival, no regrets.”

“How’s Zhenhao doing? Still smooth?”

“When I was managing in Xijing, I encountered the group-buy.”

“?”

“Surprising, right? While everyone fought over first-tier cities, he’d been managing second and third-tier markets, and by our arrival, his roots were already deep.”

Ye Ziqing, stunned, “I thought he only dealt with university towns?”

Cui Yiting pursed her lips: “That’s why you can’t trust what he says. With the national group-buy market this hot, how could he resist? I suspected there was something off from the start.”

“But he’s only in second and third-tier, funding must be a challenge, right?”

“His plan seems to be to build the market then sell for maximum profit.”

Zhou Zhenhao put down his chopsticks: “Half a year ago, second and third-tier markets weren’t crucial, but it’s different now. Sites seeking funding must capture more cities; the more expansion cities they have, the more funding they can secure.”

Ye Ziqing fell silent, “So, who gets group-buy by the year’s end could end up the winner?”

“Absolutely.”

“He might want to go at it alone?”

Ye Ziqing barely finished speaking before she shook her head: “Unlikely. Now, funding for major sites is in billions; Group-buy doesn’t have that scale. Jiang Qin wouldn’t be so foolish.”

Zhou Zhenhao nodded, “My team keeps telling me group-buy’s street promotions and market staff are dwindling. I guess he’s cutting costs since he plans to sell; pouring more money in doesn’t make sense now.”

“Seems Jiang Qin really understands the market better than us…”

“I don’t think so.”

Ye Ziqing turned to Cui Yiting, curious, “Why not?”

Cui Yiting crossed her arms, “Our goal with Suixin Group was to make it the greatest group-buy site in the country, while Jiang Qin always thought about profit. We might become creators of the era, but he’ll always be just an opportunist of the era.”

Ye Ziqing, noncommittal, turned back to Zhou Zhenhao, “Is LaShou planning to buy group-buy?”

“Yeah, we’re already studying the price, but haven’t heard back from group-buy yet.”

“Normal. If I were Jiang Qin, I’d be playing it cool too, otherwise how would he drive up the price?”

As Cui Yiting spoke, suddenly a buzzing sound emitted from her bag.

She casually pulled out her phone, her expression suddenly shocked, her eyes gradually widening, an incredulous look spreading across her face.