I haven’t really enjoyed the extended Spring Festival holiday much. By the fifth day of the New Year, I was already back at work. I have included the acquisition of a well-known fashion magazine into our strategic plan for this first quarter. Of course, this won’t be a blind acquisition—I aim to use this magazine, which enjoys a strong reputation in the fashion industry, as a foundation for our future expansion into the e-commerce sector. My positioning for the e-commerce venture is very clear: we will focus on top-tier luxury goods. Acquiring this magazine will help us attract a significant number of target consumers during the initial phase of establishing our e-commerce platform. Additionally, the magazine already has solid cooperative relationships with numerous luxury brands, which will significantly reduce the difficulty of sourcing products. Therefore, this highly targeted acquisition might prove far more effective than launching massive advertising campaigns. Since our target audience isn’t the general public, we need a more precise marketing strategy.
This evening, I made a special trip to Hangzhou to meet Yang Youqi. I hope to collaborate with her, as she has recently gained popularity and still possesses significant untapped commercial value. If I can propose a favorable collaboration model, we might achieve a win-win outcome.
Moreover, Tongzi has already formed a new development team whose goal is to create a fashion-focused application. This app will be integrated with the fashion magazine I am about to acquire, forming a more professional and functionally robust comprehensive platform.
Actually, I don’t quite agree with Wansen Group’s current advertising strategy. From what I understand, their first phase of advertising investment in the online mall has already reached 300 million yuan. This all-channel advertising blitz initially produced decent results, but whether this advertising effect can be sustained remains to be seen in the market. If the later stages show diminishing returns, they might need to invest heavily in advertising again to compensate. Overreliance on advertising is very risky for a business.
I think Fang Yuan’s decision to adopt such an advertising strategy was based on the fact that they have ample reserve funds. However, if the investment from Xin Yuan’s Aisa encounters problems, Wansen’s cash flow will face the danger of breaking. At that point, how they will sustain this e-commerce project—which is extremely capital-intensive in its early stages—will become an insurmountable problem.
I met Yang Youqi briefly at a teahouse near her home. Outside the window was indeed an old alley with a strong sense of antiquity. I saw some cats and dogs basking in the scattered evening light, eyes half-closed. With a pot of steaming tea in front of us, it really felt like we had returned to the 1930s or 40s, but without the anxiety of war—only the leisurely ease of peaceful times. No wonder Yang Youqi, already a top-tier music icon, still refuses to move away from here with her family to live elsewhere.
As I poured tea for Yang Youqi, I said, “Youqi, the reason I invited you here is mainly to discuss a commercial project I’m currently preparing. I know you are currently endorsing two luxury brands in different fields, which fully proves your credibility among high-end consumers. To put it simply, the commercial project I’m working on involves selling various first-tier brands through an online platform. Therefore, your credibility is exactly what we need. I hope you can become the spokesperson for our website!”
Yang Youqi smiled and asked with some confusion, “Zhaoyang Ge, with all due respect, considering your relationship with Leyao Jie, she might be more suitable to be the spokesperson for the website. Why did you choose me?”
“She’s already endorsing a local website, so endorsing ours would reduce brand recognition, which is a cardinal sin in advertising. That’s the first point. Second, her commercial value has already been fully exploited. Further exploitation would be detrimental to both her and me. But you’re different—you still have a lot of untapped commercial potential, which is exactly why I approached you. I don’t intend to offer you an endorsement fee, but that doesn’t mean our company can’t afford a seven-figure endorsement budget. I just hope our collaboration can be deeper and more lasting, not just a purely monetary relationship.”
“Hmm? Go on, Zhaoyang Ge!”
“I plan to offer you a certain percentage of shares, making you one of the shareholders in this commercial project. As you know, many celebrities are now leveraging their influence to enter the business world. However, many lack relevant business experience and knowledge. The result of managing their own ventures is often initial success followed by stagnation, quickly being outcompeted and even eliminated by more professional rivals in the industry. Li Jing from LeFeng.com is a prime example of this. Therefore, you need a professional company to handle the operations. I believe our collaboration can be mutually beneficial. Holding shares in such a company will also provide significant security for your life after leaving the entertainment industry. Our company can maximize your commercial value. Youqi, do you think we can reach a preliminary agreement on this?”
“Zhaoyang Ge, I understand everything you said… but this requires a great deal of trust to agree to… I… I have some concerns!”
“It’s normal for you to have concerns. I can give you enough time to think about it. You can also discuss it with your agent, take her opinion into consideration, and then we can have further discussions. However, I still hope you can view this matter from a long-term perspective. Our company’s ability in operating projects is evident to all. Additionally, this project will be the one our company dedicates all its resources to over the next decade. Therefore, our commitment and investment funds are absolutely beyond doubt. Moreover, I can let you in on a little secret—we’ve already started acquiring the fashion magazine Fashion Baler, and this acquisition is part of the preparation for the upcoming project!”
Actually, the fact that I personally came to Hangzhou to discuss this with you already demonstrates my attitude and sincerity. Therefore, at the end of our conversation, Yang Youqi solemnly expressed her intention to seriously consider this matter and promised to give me a prompt response so I can timely adjust the strategic direction.
…
Three weeks after I met with Yang Youqi, Luo Ben and I finally reached our first venue-level performance on the arts and literature tour. The city for this performance was Nanjing, a place of great significance to me.
That afternoon, we were all busily rehearsing, especially Luo Ben, who was the star of this concert. As I had been busy with work, I hadn’t had much time to rehearse or prepare, so I was playing a supporting role. But that was fine—singing is no longer my profession, so just having these occasional performances was already very satisfying.
Before the performance started, Luo Ben was in a bad mood, fiddling with his wig. For the first song of the evening, he would be performing in a female costume, a result of a bet we had made. We had wagered on whether Leyao’s movie would gross over 400 million yuan at the box office. The official statistics showed it ended at 360 million, falling short by 40 million. Therefore, Luo Ben lost the bet, and the price he paid was the wig on his head and the oversized high heels on his feet.
I couldn’t help but laugh, but I tried to comfort him, saying, “Luo Ben, it’s just cross-dressing. It’s really not a big deal. Think about it, haven’t many big-name celebrities cross-dressed before? Even the famous Stephen Chow has played many female roles. Oh, and Jack Ma even sang for his employees in a female costume at an internal annual meeting. So you really don’t need to take it too seriously—it’s a hurdle every great artist must go through… Although you do look pretty effeminate right now! Haha!”
Luo Ben gave me a sidelong glance and replied, “So what you’re saying is, if you don’t play a woman, you’re not an artist?”
“Uh… you could say that.”
“You’re such a bastard. It’s also Leyao’s fault for not trying harder. If she had pushed a little harder and reached four hundred million, it would be you wearing the wig and high heels right now, you bastard!”
“Can’t be helped. My charisma is just that good. So good that the entire nation’s audience supported me, yet the box office just couldn’t break four hundred million! Haha!”
“Smug bastard!” Luo Ben said, annoyed, brushing the fringe of his wig aside. He then stared blankly at his reflection in the mirror for a while before lighting a cigarette. I, on the other hand, continued teasing him while tuning my guitar, enjoying the sight of his misfortune.
At that moment, Yang Youqi, who had come to support us, arrived backstage. Luo Ben instinctively took off his wig and took a deep drag of his cigarette, stubbing it out in the ashtray. However, Yang Youqi had already seen him wearing the wig and was trying to suppress her laughter as she looked at him.
Suddenly, Luo Ben got angry, took off his high heels, and threw them at me, saying, “You bastard, you really came up with such a humiliating bet. After tonight, my old face won’t be worth anything anymore!”
“Mr. Luo Ben, you should accept the consequences of a bet, accept the consequences of a bet!” I said, then placed the shoes he had thrown at me on the dressing table in front of him in the most conspicuous way possible. Then, I wisely left the space for Luo Ben and Yang Youqi… I left somewhat despondently because all the friends who came to support us tonight were in pairs, while I, though seemingly doing fine, was lonelier than anyone else. It had been a whole year since I last saw Mi Cai, and she hadn’t seen me either.
…
At this point, there was still some time before the concert started, so I took the opportunity to go to Mochou Road, not too far from the venue. I planned to have a cup of coffee before the performance to perk myself up, so I went to Mochou Coffee Shop.
When I entered the coffee shop, I instinctively called out for the cat named Xiaodao first, as usual. This time, it was bold enough to stand on the bar counter and look at me, then “swoosh” it jumped into my arms. I knew that, within its limited understanding, I was still the person it felt closest to. So I forgave its unhygienic behavior of climbing onto the bar counter, after all, the counter was where various drinks were prepared.
I sat on the sofa drinking coffee, with the little cat lying at my feet. It bit my pant leg for a while, then rolled around, acting hyperactive. This made me seem even calmer, as I had maintained the same posture since sitting down, watching the people coming and going outside the coffee shop.
In the gaps between the passing crowds, I vaguely saw the old, paint-chipped bench across the street again. Last year on this day, Mi Cai and I had sat on this bench and talked a lot… Now, time has aged enough, yet the scene from back then is still vivid in my mind, stirring up my deep longing for her. But I know she won’t come back… So in the waiting and remembering, I am poor enough to have nothing left but memories!
After finishing my cup of coffee, I was ready to leave the coffee shop because the spare time before the performance was just enough to drink a cup of coffee and take a few steps.
With my back to the windowed world, I paid the bill to the waitress and waited for her to give me change. Bored, I looked back casually and unintentionally saw a profile that made my heart race. Although she was somewhat blurred in the bustling crowd, she really looked a lot like Mi Cai, or maybe it was actually Mi Cai herself…
I instinctively froze, then without caring about the change, opened the shop door and rushed in the direction the woman had gone… But I couldn’t find her again. Eventually, I helplessly stopped at a four-way intersection and looked dejectedly at the traffic lights flashing in my line of sight!
I painfully hugged my head and crouched on the ground. I dared not believe that woman was really Mi Cai, only suspecting that I had an illusion. I missed her too much, so sometimes I would see someone who looked like her from behind on the street and be lost in thought for a long time. When I realized it wasn’t her, I would feel heartbrokenly disappointed. This had happened many times over the past year. I suppose this was just another one of those times… but it was the first time it happened on Mochou Road!
My phone rang urgently in my pocket. I knew it was Luo Ben’s agent calling. I had to get to the concert venue within ten minutes and start this grandest concert on the arts and literature tour with Luo Ben… I raised my hand to hail a taxi and instantly left this place, but I didn’t give up. I decided to come back to Mochou Road after the performance. If it wasn’t just my illusion, I was sure I would have another chance to meet her again on this road, because she and I shared the same affection for this road. She wouldn’t just stay here briefly!
…
I finally arrived at the concert venue just before the performance began. By then, the audience seats were already full, with all our friends, family, and countless spectators already in place, waiting only for Luo Ben and me to take the stage.
As the explosive music intro began, Luo Ben finally appeared on the stage, dressed in full female attire, surrounded by lights. I had expected some laughter, but instead, there was a thunderous roar. All the unsuspecting audience members mistook Luo Ben’s cross-dressing for performance art, and the atmosphere was already at its peak just by his entrance.
I stood behind Luo Ben, acting as the bassist, but my attention was distracted beyond the stage. I had a new thought—if the person I had seen earlier was really Mi Cai, she would definitely come to watch this concert. However, the venue was just too large, and the crowd too dense. Even if she were here, I couldn’t determine her location… This made me anxious, wishing I could end the concert quickly and walk on Mochou Road again, entrusting all the possibilities of meeting her to the strong connection between us!
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