Rebirth 15: I Picked Up a Pure and Innocent Streamer Girlfriend

Chapter 107 Online Store Transformation

Zhou Ruian slammed his phone down on the table, cracking the screen. He leaned back in his office chair, panting for a few seconds, cursed "bastard," then picked up the landline and dialed Xiao Zhe's internal line, telling him to come over immediately.

When Xiao Zhe pushed the door open, Zhou Ruian was standing by the window with his back to the door. He turned around, his icy gaze sweeping from Xiao Zhe's head to his feet. "Was it you who orchestrated the recent incident where Su Peixue was accused of selling substandard honey?"

"Boss, I didn't." Xiao Zhe quickly shook his head. "It costs hundreds of thousands to stay on the trending topics list for a whole day. You know that. Where would I get that kind of money? Besides, you know all about my account's cash flow. I really didn't do it."

Zhou Ruian snorted coldly. The more he looked at Xiao Zhe, the more annoyed he became—that unshaven face, that timid stance. "Lin Ran exposed all five female streamers' cheating. Their Queen's Club is completely ruined, a loss of over ten million." He paused, "It's all your fault. I'd better send you to jail."

Xiao Zhe's legs went weak. Every shady deal he had handled at Shengxing over the years, every fraudulent contract with a streamer, and every chat log of organizing online trolls to smear competitors were all in Zhou Ruian's hands.

If these incriminating facts were handed over to the police, he could be imprisoned for several years, and after his release, he would be bankrupt and his life would be completely ruined.

He also knew that the smear campaign against Su Peixue had been defused once again. Seeing a group admin arrested and screenshots of tasks within the group exposed, he was almost laughing with anger.

How the hell can such a shoddy operation exist? Is this how the funding is squandered through kickbacks? They're utterly useless and stupid!

"Boss, I have a plan!" He stepped forward. "We need to train more new female anchors. Technical skills don't matter, as long as they're pretty and the show is entertaining, the audience will love it! Audiences don't care about skills, they care about looks and the show's entertainment value!"

Zhou Ruian's eyes darted around, but he didn't immediately reply. He walked behind his desk, opened a drawer, took out a cigar, cut the end, lit it, and took a puff. The smoke filled the office as he looked at Xiao Zhe through it. "Lin Ran has gone too far. You're in this situation because of him now; are you really going to let this go?"

Xiao Zhe's heart skipped a beat. This old fox wanted him to work for him, doing dirty work. He guessed right—Zhou Ruian was furious. Lin Ran had caused the complete annihilation of his Queen's Army, resulting in losses exceeding ten million. He was even tempted to kill.

Zhou Ruian flicked his cigar ash, his voice turning cold: "Such a huge loss of mine, someone has to be responsible. You caused this, so I won't hold you accountable, but Lin Ran and Su Peixue will have to pay the price. Don't you think so?"

Xiao Zhe felt a surge of emotions. It was Zhou Ruian who had taken a liking to Su Peixue, slamming his fist on the table in his office and declaring he'd use any means necessary to bring this young woman to the company, signing a contract to exploit her as a cash cow, and saying even more despicable things. Now, it was all his fault.

But he was helpless; Zhou Ruian held all his leverage, completely controlling him. His hatred for Lin Ran and Su Peixue deepened even further. Why hadn't he just signed the contract? They'd ruined him like this!

"Boss, what should I do?"

"No rush." ​​Zhou Ruian exhaled a puff of smoke. "Things are strict now, so we can't be too blatant. Wait for my news." He placed his cigar on the edge of the ashtray, his cold gaze piercing through the smoke. "That little bastard Lin Ran caused me huge losses, and that little bitch Su Peixue, I'll make you pay the price."

……

At midnight on Singles' Day, the numbers on Hanxue's Taobao store's backend began to jump. Chen Jingfeng stared at the screen in the factory office; from midnight to 3 a.m., the order volume kept rising.

Over three thousand high-waisted skirts were sold, over two thousand embroidered cotton-linen skirts were sold, and over ten thousand turtleneck knitwear base layers were sold. Even the Korean-style hooded sweatshirt that Chen Leyao was wearing sold several thousand pieces.

At daybreak, Chen Jingfeng called Lin Ran, his voice trembling: "Brother Lin, guess how much we can sell today? Eight hundred thousand! The minimum revenue is guaranteed to be over eight hundred thousand! It will only be more! Your net profit will be at least five hundred thousand!"

He laughed for a while on the phone before stopping, "Those styles all sold out. None of the styles you chose over the summer were off. The sewing machines in the factory are practically smoking from being run so hard."

"Brother Chen, I plan to gradually transition to selling Hanfu (traditional Han clothing) and eventually only sell Hanfu."

Lin Ran shared her thoughts.

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. Chen Jingfeng carefully chose his words: "Hanfu isn't that popular right now, the audience is small, and it's very design-dependent. Compared to those who specialize in Hanfu, you'll have to figure out a whole new process just for pattern making."

"The designs are already in progress. The profit margin for Hanfu is much higher than the current styles, and the audience will only continue to grow," Lin Ran said confidently.

Chen Jingfeng was silent for a while, then said, "Alright, you know what you're doing. You've made the wrong decisions. Brother Lin, I support you no matter what."

The next morning, Chen Leyao rode her bicycle towards Luda University. The late autumn sun was already high in the sky, so she pulled up the hood of her sweatshirt to shield herself from the sun, and her platform shoes swayed on the pedals, attracting a lot of attention along the way.

She was secretly complaining to herself when her father called in the early hours of the morning, his voice beaming with laughter. He said that the money he made in one day was equivalent to half a year's worth of the past, and that she absolutely had to make a trip to Luda University to treat Uncle Lin Ran to a meal, and to be polite and remember to invite Aunt Su Peixue along.

An uncle was one thing, but now there's an aunt too. But there's no way around it; the family business still depends on her uncle, since Lin Ran can switch clothing factories anytime. She pedaled her bicycle even faster.

When she arrived at Lushan University, she dialed Lin Ran's number. The phone was off. She dialed again; it was still off. Biting her lip, she put her phone back in her pocket and turned her bicycle towards the men's dormitory of the Computer Science Department.

People coming and going downstairs glanced at her a few more times, and some recognized her: "Isn't this the arrogant school beauty from the magic book?" But they all whispered, and no one dared to go up and chat with her.

Chen Leyao stood downstairs for a while, unable to enter the men's dormitory. Just then, a boy came out of the building, and she called out to him, "Excuse me, do you know Lin Ran? Could you please call him for me?"

The boy's face flushed red. Chen Leyao's face was even prettier up close than in the picture in the magic book. Her platform shoes shone on the cement floor, and a bit of white fluff peeked out from the edge of her Korean-style hoodie. He nodded repeatedly, flattered, "We know each other, we're classmates, I'll go call her for you!" He turned and ran upstairs, almost tripping.

The boy was still panting when he reached the dormitory door. He pushed it open and shouted inside, "Downstairs! There's a stunningly beautiful girl looking for Lin Ran! She's the arrogant campus belle from the magic book! From USTC!"