MC Bookstore Chapter 48 Mystery Card Marketing
Chapter 48 Mystery Card Marketing
With the Singles' Day event countdown underway, the atmosphere in the "Instant Fame" QQ group is like a bowstring being drawn taut.
[Straightforward]: "Everyone, let's briefly update each other on the latest progress."
[Li Haipeng]: "The 'Remembering the Source of Water' BBS post has been successfully secured, all event materials are ready, the third-party action team is in place, and sponsors have been contacted. I currently face zero risk."
[Sun Xiaowen]: "The first version of the 'Soul Matching' algorithm model has been completed. We are awaiting user data injection. The risk is currently zero."
[Shu Beibei]: "The person in charge of creating a lively atmosphere has been chosen; 20 emergency response guests have been prepared and can be deployed at any time. The photography association volunteers are currently undergoing a new round of interviews."
[Yang Mingxia]: "All the promotional copy has been finalized; the official website of 'Jiaotong University Matchmaker' on Renren.com has been completed; a reporter from the school newspaper has been contacted; a reporter from the Shanghai Metropolitan Daily is currently handling public relations and needs Mr. Li's diplomatic skills to help."
[Song Qing]: "I have already set up the Jiaotong University matchmaking website, but Huang Haitang disliked it because of its 'straight male aesthetic and ugly appearance,' and ordered it to be reworked and beautified... The user registration and application function has been submitted to her for testing; the CP voting and ranking module is still under development and is expected to be completed tonight and can be submitted for testing."
[Hao Pengxiang]: "Backup accounts for the forum are ready; banners on campus have been registered. There is currently no risk."
[Straightforward]: "Okay, everyone, thank you for your hard work. We'll begin the first wave of offline operations early this morning!"
……
The next morning, the autumn sun shone brightly, and a gentle breeze rustled through the sycamore-lined avenue.
Jiaotong University's campus awakens a little late on an autumn morning, yet it remains vibrant. Jiaotong University students rise early and go about their meals, classes, and experiments in an orderly fashion.
Room 1103, Foreign Languages School Teaching Building.
At the bottom are two rounded artistic signatures: by JDHN.
Wang Qinqin blinked.
The poems are incomprehensible, the numbers are like codes, and the English abbreviations are meaningless.
But this did not prevent her from feeling a carefully designed atmosphere, with a romantic and enigmatic air of science and engineering, and her heart was touched by this little bit of romance.
As a member of the School of Foreign Languages—a well-known "nunnery" in this strong science and engineering university—she had no suitors during her four years of undergraduate studies, and was still single in her first year of graduate school, with her desire to find a partner only growing stronger.
Meanwhile, similar scenes are playing out in classrooms of departments with an extremely high proportion of female students, such as the School of Arts, School of Management, School of Medicine (undergraduate), and School of Law.
The card designs, core sentences, and digital signatures were exactly the same, except for the content of the four-line poem, which differed from one another.
In classrooms of the School of Mechanical Engineering, the School of Naval Architecture, Ocean and Civil Engineering, and the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics—schools often referred to as "monastic temples"—heart-shaped cards also appeared, with the exact same content and structure, except that the short poem had been replaced with another version, such as:
Dongxuan ink is moist and the willow breeze is gentle.
Mossy traces along the three paths reflect the bright snow.
Ten years of studying by the window under the stars and moon,
It is said to be the elegant soul of the Orchid Chamber.
At first, most of the students who found the card thought the same as Wang Qinqin, believing it to be a unique and anonymous confession.
As noon approached, some students, unable to contain their curiosity, began uploading photos of the cards to the "Remembering the Source of Water" BBS.
"A Mysterious Confession Card Appears Early in the Morning! A Romantic Attack in the Faculty of Arts Classroom! Pictures and Proof Included!", "Not Just One Faculty! There Are Cards in the Faculty of Foreign Languages and the Mechanical Engineering Building! Is This a New Type of Campus Mystery?", "I Want to Be a YMD Too!"
The topic was ignited online for the first time, originating offline.
The post quickly attracted attention, and the number of replies began to climb, sparking the first wave of heated discussion.
Some were envious, some were curious, and some, like Sherlock Holmes who loved watching the drama unfold, began a nationwide decoding effort.
"This heart-shaped card is so thoughtfully designed! YMD is so lucky!"
"I can guess that YMD is a person's name, but where exactly is this XXXX? It's driving me crazy!"
"It must be a location that holds special significance for the person involved; we wouldn't understand even if you explained. But this planning is pretty clever. (Cherry.jpg)"
"Just wondering, who are some of the students at our school whose initials are YMD? Just curious, absolutely no offense intended! (doge emoji for protection)"
"Am I the only one who thinks that poem has something special? 'Soldering pen,' 'gear,' 'screw shadow'... the choice of words is unmistakably romantic for a seasoned engineering student!"
"The key question is, what exactly is that string of numbers? And who is JDHN? The new campus poet?"
The discussion began to shift from simple envy and gossip to delving into solving the mystery and finding the initiator. The first wave of online buzz quietly ignited.
……
Meanwhile, in office 401 of the Science and Technology Innovation Park.
The room wasn't very big to begin with, and after cramming in eight desks, it felt even more cramped.
The "Jiaotong University Matchmaker" team is newly formed, with members including full-time, part-time, and temporary helpers. Time is tight, tasks are heavy, and the team's chemistry is still being developed. The office is filled with a busy yet slightly chaotic entrepreneurial atmosphere.
"Boss, I've interviewed a few people from the photography association, and their skills are all pretty good. Should we hire a few?" Shu Beibei asked, holding up her notebook.
"Let's get 3 to 5 cameramen. One will be stationed at the main venue, and the rest will be assigned to various checkpoints along the treasure hunt route. As for the number and arrangement of the accompanying photographers, you can decide that." Geng Zhi didn't even look up, his fingers flying across the keyboard.
"Understood!" Shu Beibei wrote it down neatly.
"Should I post the recruitment notice for on-site volunteers now, or wait until the first wave of card puzzles gets a bit more popular before posting it?" Yang Mingxia leaned over.
"Let's send them out now," Shu Beibei suggested eagerly. "Let's recruit a couple of capable people first; they might be able to lend a hand. What we need most right now is manpower."
"That makes sense. I'll post it now! Once the post about the mystery card goes viral, I'll add the recruitment link to attract more users." Yang Mingxia nodded and returned to her computer.
"Pengxiang! Is the website design draft your classmate helped with finished? I'm waiting for it to go live!" Song Qing looked up from his coding and called out to Hao Pengxiang.
"Senior, I'll urge him again right away! He might... he might still be on the toilet!" Hao Pengxiang said hurriedly.
"Song Qing! Your image upload function has a bug!" On the other side, Huang Haitang complained, staring at the screen, "I uploaded a casual photo, but why is it stretched and distorted in the background preview?"
"Huh?" Song Qing quickly switched browser tabs. "It's probably a problem with the image compression algorithm parameters. Let me adjust them, it'll be fixed soon!"
……
It was 5:30 p.m., close to dinner time.
Geng Zhi, Shu Beibei, and Yang Mingxia, who had hurriedly finished their meal early, gathered in front of a computer and refreshed the page of the Drinking Water Source BBS.
More than twenty posts have already appeared about the mysterious heart-shaped card, and the number of replies is growing at a visible rate.
Speculation, decryption, jokes, and the search for the truth... the online buzz is stronger than expected.
"Boss, I just did a count," Yang Mingxia said, staring at the screen with a hint of smugness. "There are already 21 posts related to the mysterious card, excluding those from our own people! One of them has over 400 replies, and three others have over 200 replies."
"Oh? What's the most replied message?" Geng Zhi leaned closer curiously.
"The one with the highest popularity is this one—'I think I know who did the mysterious card!'"
Geng Zhi scrolled the mouse to browse the post by the user with the ID "I am Fan Xian".
[I am Fan Xian]: "Yesterday morning around 8:30, I went to the 'Rainbow Graphic Design' print shop near the West Second Gate and saw a guy wearing a baseball cap take several thick stacks of cut-out cards from the owner. I even glanced at it curiously, and the heart-shaped cut and texture were exactly the same as the photos that are going viral on the forums right now..."
The post has already been flooded with dozens of replies, all urging for updates and asking follow-up questions:
"Did you get a good look at the face? What's your height and build like?"
"Is this a real-life detective drama? Looking forward to the sequel!"
"Is this 'Fan Xian' one of ours?" Geng Zhi turned to ask Shu Beibei and the other person.
"It's not our pseudonym," Shu Beibei shook her head. "It's probably a coincidence. When President Li went to pick up the goods, some sharp-eyed classmate might have actually seen it."
"Look at this reply," Yang Mingxia pointed at the screen, unable to help but laugh out loud, "A classmate went to the printing shop specifically to ask the owner, and the owner just mysteriously said, 'The customer is a pretty handsome young man~' Tsk tsk!"
As she spoke, she glanced at Li Haipeng, who was on the phone by the door, with a playful look in her eyes.
When Geng Zhi and Shu Beibei saw the replies, they couldn't help but laugh.
Several other popular posts also had eye-catching titles: "A Bounty is Offered! Who exactly is YMD?", "JDHN, come and claim your poem!", "What exactly is XXXX? I'd call it Jiaotong University's biggest mystery this month!", and "I can't sleep tonight if I can't find the answer!"
"Has anyone figured out the answer?" Geng Zhi asked.
"Several experts have already deciphered 11111011001-1011-01 in the comments section, saying it's 2009-11-01, but it's not related to 'YMD'. As for what 'XXXX' specifically refers to, no one has cracked it yet." Yang Mingxia shook her head.
"Okay, now we'll post the technical analysis thread. Our team will follow up and guide the discussion to build up the buzz, then we'll contact the BBS moderator to request it be pinned to the top!"