Who Would Fall in Love After Being Reborn?

Chapter 141: I, the Star of Learning!

TL: Etude

On a weekend morning, as the north wind whistled through the air, Jiang Qin, along with Dong Wenhao and Wei Lianlan, made a trip to the Wanzhong Mall in the city center.

The owner of Wanzhong Mall was He Yijun, a corpulent, wealthy middle-aged man. He hoped Jiang Qin would collaborate with Wanzhong Mall to launch a major seasonal promotion, primarily targeting students.

He Yijun was among those with a keen eye for business. He was also the first merchant to seek advertising opportunities during a major technology promotion event.

In fact, he was the wealthiest business owner that Zhihu had hosted to date.

“Mr. Jiang, I’ve long heard of your renown. I didn’t expect you to be so young. They say you’re a college student, and I didn’t believe it at first, but it turns out to be true.”

Jiang Qin approached with a radiant smile and shook hands, “You flatter me, Mr. He. Compared to you, my forum is just a small venture.”

He Yijun laughed heartily, turning to Dong Wenhao and Wei Lianlan, “And who are these two?”

“The Content Director, Dong Wenhao, and the Marketing Director, Wei Lianlan. They are the mainstays of our forum, usually very busy. But for the Wan Zhong promotion project, I specifically asked them to set aside their work and join me here.”

Dong Wenhao and Wei Lianlan exchanged glances, thinking to themselves how their boss could exaggerate. Weren’t they just team leaders in the content and marketing groups?

Yet, in just a few words, they had been promoted to directors.

But truth be told, the title of ‘Director’ did sound more impressive than ‘Team Leader’.

Jiang Qin saw them puff out their chests and stand tall, and couldn’t help but smile. He knew very well that He Yijun might not believe their titles, as after all, they were college students and their youthful faces were hard to disguise.

But as the saying goes, one doesn’t slap a smiling face.

Moreover, when it comes to status, if you don’t elevate yourself, can you really expect others to do it for you?

After a while, Wan Zhong’s Marketing Manager, a young woman named Yue Zhu, joined them.

“Mr. Jiang, here’s our plan. During the promotion, we can offer a 40% discount in the clothing section, and 20% off in other areas, except for the cinema. The event will last a month. We want comprehensive promotion on your forum – banner ads, sponsored posts, secondary pages, everything. Please, name your price.”

Jiang Qin extended his hand: “One hundred thousand yuan.”

The room fell silent at his words.

Yue Zhu smiled awkwardly, “Mr. Jiang, you must be joking, right? Our entire event’s profits might not even reach a hundred thousand.”

“Ms. Yue, this is the most reasonable price we’ve come up with after careful consideration.”

Wei Lianlan couldn’t help but swallow nervously.

To be honest, they had only learned about the Wanzhong Mall visit half an hour ago.

All this talk of research was purely the boss making things up.

But a hundred thousand seemed too much. After all, the most expensive ad space on the forum was actually only thirty thousand yuan.

Although Wan Zhong’s requirements were indeed a bit excessive, a hundred thousand was unjustifiable.

“Mr. Jiang, isn’t your homepage carousel only 29,999? And the other ad spaces don’t seem that valuable, right?”

“What is Wan Zhong’s budget, then?”

Yue Zhu glanced at He Yijun and, upon receiving a nod, replied, “After calculating, we believe fifty thousand is the most appropriate.”

Jiang Qin nodded, “Alright, then fifty thousand it is.”

“?”

Yue Zhu was stunned for a moment before realizing, “Mr. Jiang, you really are straightforward. This is the first time I’ve seen such a negotiation…”

Jiang Qin waved his hand and took out a document from his bag, “I can agree to fifty thousand, but first, I would like you both to take a look at the new service we are about to launch.”

He Yijun uncrossed his legs and leaned in to take a look, “An intention letter for joining the group-buying network?”

“We’ll officially start the trial operation in December. If Wan Zhong is interested, you can give it a try. We’re looking for our first batch of partners.”

“Group buying… to be honest, I’m not very optimistic about it,” He Yijun shook his head.

Jiang Qin pushed the document forward, “Joining is free. You sell a product, we take a commission. There’s no loss if it doesn’t sell. Moreover, if we reach a cooperation, you’ll save fifty thousand on your promotion fees.”

“That’s true,” Yue Zhu seemed somewhat interested, as they could save half.

He Yijun looked at Jiang Qin with a strange expression, “Mr. Jiang, where did we save fifty thousand?”

Jiang Qin coughed, “The promotion fee of a hundred thousand, cut in half by signing an intention letter – isn’t that saving fifty thousand?”

“But we never agreed to a hundred thousand, how can you say we saved fifty thousand? You’re changing the concept!”

As he spoke, Yue Zhu’s expression froze, realizing she had almost been duped.

The asking price was his, not the final agreed price. Their original budget was fifty thousand. How could that be considered savings?

This college student, so young, yet every word is a trap?

After being exposed, Jiang Qin wasn’t embarrassed but instead grinned, “Well, that’s the market price. If we can’t cooperate, I’ll still stick to a hundred thousand. But joining for free saves fifty thousand, isn’t that appealing?”

“…”

Jiang Qin had calculated before coming that Wanzhong Mall’s promotion would cost at most seventy thousand. Thus, he wasn’t really here for the promotion fee. His primary goal was to find a partner for the group-buying initiative.

If he were to negotiate formally, he would be at a disadvantage in terms of status and could easily be manipulated by the other party.

But if he made Wan Zhong feel like they were getting a good deal, the chances of cooperation would be much higher.

It’s all about tactics. The same thing, when phrased differently, can yield vastly different results.

“Fifty thousand,” Jiang Qin extended his hand and waved it in front of them, “Saving fifty thousand in one go, why hesitate? Honestly, your fifty thousand is already the lowest price, there’s room for negotiation, but I won’t haggle anymore. Fifty thousand it is.”

He Yijun, seldom seeing such an interesting young man, couldn’t help but smile, “Alright, we have nothing to lose. I’ll see what Mr. Jiang can do.”

“Thank you for your support, Mr. He!”

“But we won’t sign the intention letter just yet. I need my team to study it.”

Jiang Qin clicked his tongue, “Is that necessary?”

He Yijun looked at Yue Zhu, “Our Manager Yue has been doing mall marketing for five years, and you nearly duped her in just a few words. I really dare not sign this intention letter without a thorough study.”

“Mr. He, I’m an honest person.”

“Honest people dig the deepest pits!”

Jiang Qin laughed, “Alright, then Mr. He, take your time to study it. Just don’t be late for our group-buying launch.”

He Yijun nodded and turned to his secretary, “Little Fang, book a table at Ju Xian Ju. I’ll invite Mr. Jiang to lunch.”

“No need, Mr. He. I have to receive an award this afternoon.”

“An award?”

“Not to hide from Mr. He, but I recently won the first place in the first university-wide academic competition at Linchuan University, becoming the first ‘Star of Learning’ in the university’s history. I need to receive the award this afternoon, so I really don’t have time.”josei

Upon hearing this, He Yijun and Yue Zhu simultaneously lifted their heads, their eyes flashing with infinite surprise.

Linchuan University was the best 985 institution in Linchuan. The first edition, university-wide, academic competition, first place, Star of Learning – what immense prestige must these titles hold?

Just a second ago, He Yijun had indeed lost fifty percent of his trust in Jiang Qin.

A person who speaks in traps, how much integrity could he have?

However, learning that Jiang Qin was the first-ever Star of Learning in Linchuan University history, some of his trust in the university transferred to Jiang Qin.

Older businesspeople, generally not highly educated, often hold a mysterious reverence for academic institutions, especially prestigious ones.

He Yijun felt that if Jiang Qin’s academic performance ranked him at the top in Linchuan University, then he probably wasn’t a deceitful trickster.

“That’s indeed more important than lunch. Anytime is good for a meal; I won’t insist on keeping you.”

“Thank you for understanding, Mr. He. After all, I am the first, and it’s the inaugural event. My absence would disappoint many.”

“Yes, university awards are very important. I understand that.”

After a while, the trio left Wanzhong Mall and had pig’s trotter noodles at a nearby food street.

Wei Lianlan and Dong Wenhao finally confirmed that the promotion was not their boss’s real objective; his goal from the start was the group-buying cooperation.

Additionally, the whole first-ever Star of Learning at the university was rather awkward. They were almost laughing their heads off – how could their boss say it so nonchalantly and without blushing?

“Boss, didn’t you feel guilty when you talked about being the Star of Learning?”

Jiang Qin raised an eyebrow, “Guilty for what? First edition, first place, university-wide – did I lie about any of it?”

Wei Lianlan was taken aback, “Well, no.”

“See? And Mr. He isn’t from Linchuan University. How would he know that the Star of Learning is just a nominal award? I mentioned it to gain a bit more trust for the group-buying, to have Linchuan University indirectly back us.”

“I thought duping Jiang Zhihua was the last step of the whole scheme. I didn’t expect that this tactic could be reused…”

Jiang Qin peeled a clove of garlic, “Tactics are about quality, not quantity. Who cares if it’s awkward? As long as it works.”

Dong Wenhao reached out, “Boss, I want a clove of garlic.”

“You’re pretty bold, aren’t you? Not only do you not peel garlic for the boss, but you also expect me to do it for you?”

Jiang Qin grumbled as he slapped the peeled garlic into Dong Wenhao’s hand, then started pondering the group-buying launch.

Tan Qing had already secured the merchants of the pedestrian street to join the food section, and Wan Zhong would join the mall section. Now, what they lacked most were retail merchants for the lifestyle section.

Honestly, college students don’t have much money. Buying clothes is already a stretch, so their daily expenses are mostly on food, snacks, and drinks.

Especially since the group-buying service was just launching, it would be hard to gain enough trust.

In plain terms, students might dare to buy a cola on the platform, but few would dare to buy a phone.

So, in the early stages of monetization, food and retail were actually the main sectors for group-buying.

“Boss, I want another clove of garlic.”

“?????”

“I don’t know why, but the garlic you peel has the aroma of a capitalist.”

“Get lost.”

Join my Discord! https://discord.gg/2sZy2YcYSB

Please consider reading at https://etudetranslations.com/