Who Would Fall in Love After Being Reborn?

TL: Etude Translations

“Mr. Jiang, at such a young age and already so accomplished. I must toast to you.”

“At nineteen, truly remarkable. Frankly speaking, Mr. Jiang, when I was nineteen, my mind was filled with nothing but thoughts of chests and legs.”

“Mr. Jiang, are you really deciding against expanding the group purchase promotion externally? It seems like a pity.”

“Everyone, take a break. I’ll toast to Mr. Jiang, is that okay?”

Amidst the clinking of glasses and deepening night, Jiang Qin’s face showed signs of intoxication. He clearly stated he could drink no more. Before anyone could persuade him further, he thudded face-first onto the table.

Seeing this, the bosses seated at the banquet exchanged glances. They thought, seeing him drunk like this, he must have said all he had to say. But since he didn’t mention continuing the group purchase promotion, it probably wasn’t a smokescreen.

Thus, they were left with two choices.

One was to seize the government-led opportunity and join Zhihu in a nationwide promotion.

These choices were split roughly half and half.

Those who chose to join believed in Jiang Qin’s capabilities. If he announced a plan to promote Zhihu in the second half of the year so publicly, it couldn’t be baseless.

The others, having witnessed the group purchase’s two impressive launches, were confident in the project but hadn’t seen Zhihu’s ability to attract users. They doubted its effectiveness.

They still looked down on the student market, thinking these poor students had little to spend. Even if they joined Zhihu, the gains would be minimal.

“What do you think, Mr. Liu?”

“Let’s discuss it at the meeting tomorrow. I’m undecided right now.”

“And you, Mr. Wang?”

“Honestly, cross-city promotion has always been time-consuming and laborious. If we do it ourselves, we might not do as well as him. Since there’s this opportunity, whether it’s the group purchase or Zhihu, I want to try.”

“Mr. Zhao, what about you?”

“I run a high-end brand. The cost is high and the price isn’t low. But Zhihu targets the student market, which has low purchasing power. They’re not our target market.”

While they were speaking, Jiang Qin suddenly raised his head, burped, then stood up, using the table for support, and staggered towards the door. He nearly knocked over a trash can at the entrance.

Seeing this, Presidents Liu, Wang, and Zhao hurried to help, but Jiang Qin waved them off.

“I’ll tell you a secret.”

“What secret?”

“Zhihu is number one in the world.”

With a mysterious air, Jiang Qin uttered these words and then staggered out of the hotel.

He had barely left when He Yijun arrived. After searching without finding Jiang Qin, his expression turned puzzled. He then learned that Jiang Qin had been toasted by a table of people and had left drunk alone.

“Damn it, what kind of toasting is this? It’s clearly just forcing drinks!” He Yijun saw through the true nature of the banquet.

They couldn’t understand why Jiang Qin would abandon such a promising project as group purchasing to focus on Zhihu. They were worried that it might be a decoy or that he might pause it halfway. So, feeling uncertain, they hoped to get the truth out of him while he was drunk.

After all, even if group purchasing couldn’t achieve real-time online payment yet, its potential was undeniable, unlike Zhihu, a social network that couldn’t monetize.

The more they couldn’t fathom Jiang Qin’s thought process, the more cautious and hesitant they became.

In their eyes, the method of making him speak truth in drunkenness might reveal Jiang Qin’s true intentions.

But taking turns to get someone drunk like this wasn’t very humane.

He Yijun had benefited from Jiang Qin’s reforms. If considering closeness, he certainly sided with Jiang Qin. So, after simply drinking a couple of glasses, he left the hotel under the pretense of feeling unwell.

The summer night was muggy, far from comfortable. He Yijun left the hall and got into his car, ready to leave. But before he could start, there was a knock on the window.

Before He Yijun could ask who it was, his car door was opened, and Jiang Qin sat down as if nothing had happened, greeting him with “Long time no see.”

After a three-second silence, He Yijun’s expression was like he’d seen a ghost.

“Mr. Jiang can’t hold his liquor. He almost wandered into the ladies’ restroom.”

“Mr. Jiang was drunk. He even knocked over a trash can when leaving.”

“Mr. Jiang couldn’t even walk straight. He almost bumped into the waitress at the door. Luckily, she dodged quickly.”

He Yijun’s mind echoed with the words of the Lichuan bosses, and looking at the person in front of him, he was filled with doubt.

“Weren’t you supposed to be drunk?”

“Drunk? Bullshit. There’s not a single one in Lichuan who can hold their liquor. Their shots are smaller than a damn one-yuan coin. Who could they possibly get drunk? They’re seriously underestimating us Jizhou people.”

He Yijun was momentarily stunned. “So, you were pretending to be drunk?”

Jiang Qin cracked a smile. “They wanted to know if Zhihu is just a smokescreen, to decide whether to get on board. I wanted to know what they were concerned about, to prepare my speech for tomorrow’s meeting. They thought getting me drunk would reveal the truth, and I thought playing drunk would let me hear their truth.”

“Damn, you’re really cunning!”

“Can’t help it, can I? Honest folks can’t do business; they’d be cheated out of their skins.”

He Yijun felt there was some truth to this. “Now that you’ve drunk and played your part, what’s your next move?”

Jiang Qin crossed his arms. “At tomorrow’s meeting, I’ll do my best to persuade them to join. I’ll need your support, Mr. He, to convince them that partnering with Zhihu is a sure win.”

“I can play along, but what’s in it for me?”

“Aren’t you trying to buy a mall in the neighboring city? I’ve already prepared the money for you. Just give me some shares in return.”

He Yijun fell silent for a moment. “You’re not planning a one-sided win again, are you?”

Jiang Qin’s smile was crooked. “I’m giving you real money. Are you still afraid I’ll cheat you?”

“Alright, I’ve prepared the share subscription agreement. Once you have the money, we’ll sign the contract. But you’re about to start a national campaign. That’s going to burn through cash. Do you really have spare money?”

Jiang Qin squinted with a smirk. “The leaders in Lichuan want our local brands to band together and break out. They pushed me to the front as a target. As long as we’re tied together, it’s a shared fate for all. Isn’t it fair I use their money to promote?”

He Yijun laughed at his boldness. “You’re spending others’ money and still acting righteous? No wonder you’re making a fortune!”

“Mr. He, you know what I’m saying is true. They could spend the same amount of money on promotion and not achieve the effects I can.”

“That’s true…”

He Yijun was one of the earliest Lichuan wealthy businessmen to collaborate with Jiang Qin. While others marveled at the rapid rise of the group purchase, only He Yijun understood that it couldn’t have happened without the traffic pool nurtured by Zhihu.

Without this traffic pool, just conquering the market of Lichuan University Town would be a struggle, taking at least two to three years.

Similarly, if he could get Lichuan’s businessmen to band together and invest in Zhihu, feeding it, the traffic pool would grow larger and broader.

Then, all local brands in Lichuan could, like the group purchase, leverage this traffic pool for a nationwide surge.

Just like Wanzhong, if not for those two decisive marketing campaigns, it might still be struggling to recover, barely surviving.

In business, one plus one equals two is mere speculation. True business is when one plus one is greater than two, three, even four, five, or thousands.

“What do you need me to do at the meeting organized by Lichuan’s government tomorrow?”

“Do you remember when you commented on me during an interview with Lichuan TV, saying I have a far-reaching vision, almost like I can foresee the future, always preparing for things before they happen?”

He Yijun paused. “I vaguely remember, but how do you remember so clearly?”

“Those were words of praise for me. How could I not remember clearly?” Jiang Qin’s grin was unabashed.

“Fair enough. But why bring this up?”

“I need Mr. He to reiterate that comment, combining it with your personal experience.”

He Yijun nodded, his expression turning contemplative.

He was curious when Jiang Qin had planned this step. Was it when the group purchase began city-wide promotion? Or during his interview? If it was during the city-wide promotion, then this man was terrifyingly foresighted, as the hardest part of doing business isn’t the initial surge but knowing when to step back with great resolve.

And if it was during the interview? That was even more frightening.

It would mean he had been casting bait all along, fishing for bites, and you’d never be able to fathom his true endgame.

“Mr. He, I’ve arrived. Let’s meet tomorrow.”

“Alright, Mr. Jiang.”

Jiang Qin opened the car door and stepped out, heading back to his room on the fifth floor. After knocking a few times without response, he retrieved a spare key from the front desk. He found the little rich lady asleep at the head of the bed, murmuring in her sleep, sounding like his name.

The little devil, always toeing the line of madness.

Jiang Qin turned off the TV, took the room card for the adjacent room from her pocket, and left.

Tomorrow’s meeting was crucial, possibly deciding whether he’d be rich in the second half of the year. So he needed a good rest tonight to recharge fully.

…

The title they’re using is more like “President” or “Head” but I’m going to use Mr. as an affix instead.

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