Chapter 455: Vacation Days

Over the next week, final exams emerged as the central theme throughout Linchuan University.

Daily, everyone navigated between classrooms, the cafeteria, and dorms, their lives revolving around a steady routine.

Following Zhang Boiqing’s instructions, Jiang Qin showcased a serious attitude towards the mock exams.

The motto was, “We may not know everything, but we’ll still exude confidence!”

So, Jiang Qin started doodling vaguely on the exam paper, sketching out Old Ding’s head while occasionally furrowing his brows and emitting a hiss sound, embodying the essence of effort.

Even the proctor looked at him with a mix of suspicion and intrigue, wondering if this kid actually knew the answers.

Warm noon sunlight filtered through the window, creating a drowsy atmosphere in the classroom.

As Jiang Qin leaned on his hand and kept doodling, his expression suddenly changed.

Jiang Qin “loves” Feng Nanshu.

Big Bear “loves” little rich girl.

“?????”

“Damn, this is bizarre. My hand seems to have a mind of its own.”

Staring at the patterns he’d drawn, Jiang Qin patted his chest, took deep breaths to calm down, then decided to erase his “masterpiece.”

However, right as he was about to erase it, he paused, pondered for a long while, felt attached, and decided to just ignore what had happened.

“I saw Jiang Qin looking serious during the exam, like he really knew the material.”

“That can’t be right. He skips class all the time. How could he possibly know anything?”

“But his expression seemed genuine. At the end, even his lips curled up. He had that look of achievement like he was acing the questions.”

“Isn’t that frightening? Not only is he a brilliant businessman, now he’s acing exams without attending classes? What’s the world coming to?”

“…”

“Jiang, do you really know this stuff?” Cao Guangyu asked as he submitted his paper, following Jiang Qin closely.

Damn, it’s hard to see a good friend who skips class nail an exam like this.

“I know… jack squat.”

With a grave look, Jiang Qin strode out of the classroom, mumbling that he probably wasn’t a good friend, then meandered to the entrepreneurship base.

Wei Lanlan and Su Nai were only interning this year and hadn’t graduated yet, so they too returned to take exams. They’d been visiting frequently these past days.

Moreover, for the group-buying industry, battling a year-end sales push was like crossing a major hurdle, necessitating some decisions from Jiang Qin.

Their current strategy focused on expanding in Shanghai, deriving lessons and forming a versatile approach adaptable to various terrains.

Then, they planned to tailor their operations to the unique urban landscapes of different cities, getting ready for a full-scale launch.

The first city for this localized initiative was Shanghai.

Nuomi was booming, flaunting considerable financial heft while sweeping through Shanghai and initiating a third round of capital infusion in Shanghai.

Sun Zhi, pursuing Jiang Qin’s guidelines, used the initial experience in Shanghai as a base and expanded outward from the university town, establishing a niche platform aimed at capturing the hearts of clients and merchants with finesse and elegance.

They were also scouting for warehouse space in Shanghai to prepare for a refined group-selection model.

The business was heated in Kyoto; typical online shopping platforms had no entry, and even group-buying operations in university towns saw orders halved.

Staffs at Kyoto’s university town station were flustered, implementing Jiang Qin’s instructions to aid the business community in upgrading services.

Currently, the focus of the group-buying market was on Dianping’s setbacks and Nuomi securing funds leading up to New Year’s Day, which had made a name for itself but then retracted slightly.

That wasn’t surprising since from the start to the end of the year, the number of group-buying sites had skyrocketed to a thousand, many fleeting.

Room 208 held a brief meeting to strategize for the next year.

The plan was to keep a low profile, but when it was time to strike, they would hit hard, leaving no room for competitors.

Upon hearing the boss’s plan, everyone nodded in agreement then hurried out of the entrepreneurship base towards the cafeteria.

Truth told, they always complained about the cafeteria food during their school days. But once they left, they found themselves missing its flavors.

“Lanlan, how’s your brother doing lately?”

“He just arrived in Linchuan and is struggling to fit in. You don’t know, boss, but our village elementary school rarely has computers, while here, they’re fully multimedia-equipped. He feels out of place and is struggling to keep up with his studies.”

After pondering a moment, Jiang Qin suggested, “Next year, he could repeat a grade to thoroughly learn what he’s already studied. This should give him a sense of superiority over his peers, and being older might also benefit his growth.”

Wei Lanlan nodded, “Since the boss says so, I’ll have him repeat a grade next year.”

“How’s Su Nai’s driving test going?”

“She’s already on the third part!”

Jiang Qin gave a thumbs-up, “Great! Aim to pass within three years, and I’ll reward you with a reflective traffic triangle.”

Su Nai squinted her eyes, “I’ll take that as a compliment!”

“2021 will be a busy year, but the rewards will be substantial. Everyone adjust your mindset and remember why you started. Don’t let opulence cloud your judgment. If you’re ever in doubt, look up to me and regard money as mere dirt.”

“Hey, is that five bucks on the ground?”

“Damn, where?”

Su Nai was about to mock the boss, challenging his view of money as trivial when she spotted a group of teachers walking past and politely greeted them.

The teachers greeted Su Nai warmly and shook hands with Jiang Qin and his group.

The moral ethos at Linchuan University was quite upright; students greeted teachers formally, and teachers often responded with a smile or nod. However, those from Room 208 warranted a different reaction.

Those from Room 208 couldn’t be seen just as students.

They had made more money than their teachers and, with the national rollout of group-buying plans, were enjoying a rising social status.

After all, not everyone had the privilege of speaking with the mayor or having tea with the head of the news agency.

Perhaps, in the not-too-distant future, when their children aspire to pioneer industries, the channels and backgrounds of these students will be indispensable.

“Is that Su Nai?”

“Yes, she’s our department’s pride. The early frameworks of Zhihu and group-buying were set by her.”

“Early last year, several directors from our department talked about posting Su Nai’s picture in the hallway. Mr. Hu initially disagreed, but he doesn’t dare say a word now.”

“…”

On January 22nd, exams came to an end, and everyone began packing their bags, ready to leave campus.

Jiang Qin decided not to travel far this time and planned to head home for some rest before preparing to manage the year-end sales.

With Nuomi securing funding and Dianping thriving, the post-New Year period would be a watershed moment with few websites likely to survive.

Jiang Qin guessed that only Nuomi, Dianping, and WoWo might make it through, while Lashou’s future was uncertain.

Lashou had two options: accept Alibaba’s funding or decline it.

Accepting might ultimately hand control of the site over to Alibaba, allowing Lashou’s owner a profitable exit, but rejecting could mean not surviving this round and turning into cannon fodder.

In his past life, Lashou didn’t compromise and eventually dwindled due to lack of capital support.

But this time around, things might be different.

Group-buying followed a certain Mr. Wang’s strategy and thrived under someone’s shadow, changing the course of events.

Jiang Qin wouldn’t let group-buying become just a backup option for Alibaba. Thus, Alibaba’s choices were limited to Lashou, and without other options, Lashou might hold out, knowing it was in a strong position.

Baidu backed Nuomi and Tencent backed Dianping, and Alibaba, which started in e-commerce, needed a group-buying channel the most. Lashou’s resilience might just be a calculated bet against its rivals.

Meanwhile, other second-tier websites were also scheming to survive this capitalist showdown.

Group-buying was considered second-tier. It didn’t own a top-tier business area and despite early groundwork, had significantly shrunk as the market for group-buying deepened.

Although group-buying made quite a noise in Shanghai from November to New Year’s Day, its overall strength fell short of top-tier status.

From the beginning to the end of the year, the number of group-buying websites had surged to thousands, with many being merely flashes in the pan.

“Damn, this year feels like it’s gonna be exhausting.”

“…”

The following morning, Jiang Qin got up from his dormitory, freshened up, grabbed his suitcase, got into his car, and headed to the girls’ dormitory of the School of Finance.

Little rich girl was already waiting for him downstairs, her eyes sparkly and her expression adorably dim-witted.

Though it’s already his junior year, Jiang Qin always had countless errands to run during vacation times. This was their first time heading home together.

Guo Zihang and Yang Shu’an also came over early, as usual, aiming to hitch a ride thanks to their looks.

Members of the tech team from Linchuan University including Lai Cunqing and Ding Qiaona had already left school, one joining the Golden Silkwood Foundation and the other joining the Linchuan Business Group.

Currently, Guo Zihang was the team leader at the tech giant, his salary and bonuses bringing tens of thousands of dollars monthly, living quite the sweet life.

As for Yang Shu’an, ever since Yang’s ventured into the national market, his family had been making a fortune. He wore branded clothes and reportedly strutted around campus.

Even so, when they were at Jiang Qin’s enjoying instant noodles, they didn’t even earn a boiled egg on the side.