MC Bookstore Chapter 237 On-site Investigation
Chapter 237 On-site Investigation
And it wasn't just those three; other minor internet celebrities also posted messages one after another, each with their own segmented matrix.
As a result, when people browse videos on their phones, all they see are promotions for this store.
Zhou Zhenbang stared at the soaring transaction data in the backend, and a smile finally appeared on his lips.
His intention was to use this method to launch a comprehensive attack on Chen Yuan.
Trying to steam a piece of meat out of the other person's mouth.
Su Qingxue had been a bit tired recently, and after finally getting a day off, she was lying in bed scrolling through her phone when she unexpectedly came across these videos.
She read several of them in a row and quickly forwarded a few to Chen Yuan.
"Senior, is this for real? The Eight Immortals Buns that Boss Zhou had for breakfast had four or five shrimp, and they were huge! Not to mention there was crab meat too. We don't even have that in our buns, and it only costs 68 yuan. Can this really be true?"
How do they manage to offer such a low price with so much content? Do they have different sourcing channels than we do?
You're probably busy right now, so get back to me when you're free.
Chen Yuan was so busy that he didn't have time to check his phone until noon.
He clicked on the first video, and laughed before he even finished watching it. He tapped the screen twice with his fingertips and replied with a voice message, his tone tinged with helplessness.
"This is a common trick used by food bloggers; it should be called a 'special edition' filming. What you see on camera is definitely different from what you actually eat."
"The production process of this should be similar to mine. Judging from the soup inside, it is probably also made with broth. The filling of the buns inside should also be specially added. The ones sold to customers normally would definitely not be like this."
Just after I sent the message, Su Qingxue called me back.
"Really? Senior brother, I also feel something's not right. But since everyone's sending them like this, I'm a bit confused."
"What are you being vague about? Think about it, if it were really like in the video, with four or five shrimps this big, crab meat, and sea cucumber, how could the price possibly be covered by 68 yuan?"
"Just think about it, it takes a chef half an hour to extract one or two ounces of crab meat. The labor cost alone is close to 15 yuan."
"And this sea cucumber, the size he showed in the video, would cost at least 15 yuan wholesale in the market."
"And the size of these shrimp, the dried scallops inside, and other expensive seafood like abalone, plus the cost of making the broth, doesn't even cover the cost of 68 yuan."
After listening, Su Qingxue's tone visibly relaxed.
"Oh, I see. You scared me. I thought there was a problem with our supply chain, which was why the prices were so high."
"Don't worry, our supply chain should be fine. We use absolutely fresh seafood, so it's bound to be expensive. I'm guessing he used frozen seafood."
Chen Yuan always conducted his analysis in such an orderly manner, which completely dispelled Su Qingxue's anxiety.
She paused, her tone turning questioning.
"But what exactly is this person trying to do? Isn't this blatantly challenging us? They're using low prices to poach customers and hiring influencers to release videos in bulk—they're putting on quite a show. What should we do?"
Chen Yuan washed the steamer and set it aside to dry.
"It seems you're still quite worried, but it's not a big problem. Are you free at noon? How about we go over and try it out in person?"
Su Qingxue smiled and agreed, "I agree. Knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory. When are you coming?"
"I'm not completely packed yet. Are we leaving in half an hour?"
"Okay, I'll send you an address. You can pick me up there when the time comes."
"it is good."
Su Qingxue jumped out of bed immediately, but at the same time, she felt very uncomfortable.
I couldn't help but ponder it slowly in my heart.
In a couple of days, I'll ask my brother to buy me a slightly smaller apartment in the city center. That will make it much more convenient for our dates.
That's it!
Chen Yuan arrived right on time.
As soon as Su Qingxue got into the car, the two headed straight for Boss Zhou's breakfast shop.
Just as Su Qingxue was about to get out of the car, Chen Yuan stopped her. He told her not to be too eye-catching, because once she entered the store, the staff would definitely remember her.
Then it won't achieve the effect of "traveling incognito".
Chen Yuan said in a low voice, "You don't need to get down, I'll go down myself. Wait for me in the car."
Su Qingxue was unaware of the other person's thoughts, and simply nodded obediently.
The members were quite well-prepared; they got off the bus wearing black masks.
He walked to the entrance of the breakfast shop and found that there were quite a few people inside. When he pushed open the door, the aroma of steamed buns wafted out and was quite tempting.
He walked straight to the order counter, pretending to reply to a message on his phone. But his eyes quickly scanned the price list on the wall.
"Your Eight-Flavor Buns seem to be quite famous here. Could you give me two? And could you recommend some other things?"
The shop assistant was very nice and introduced everything to me.
Chen Yuan then said, "Then let's do as you recommended: two pork buns, one custard bun, and one chive and egg bun. Also, a bowl of wontons. Make sure it's packed to go, since I'm driving. And two fried cakes too. And one serving of lotus leaf and pork rib congee, and one serving of millet congee."
After scanning the QR code to pay, the clerk immediately turned around and packed the bag. In no time, the bag was packed, and Chen Yuan took the heavy bag, turned around and left.
Once on the bus, Chen Yuan handed over the receipt.
Su Qingxue took the package, glanced at it, and frowned slightly: "The pork bun is 2.5 yuan, the braised eggs are 1.5 yuan for two, the 8-immortal bun is 68 yuan... They are indeed cheaper than us in every way. They must be using the price difference to attract customers."
Chen Yuan handed over the disposable gloves and then took the eight-ingredient bun out of the bag.
"Look, isn't this size huge compared to the one in the video?"
Su Qingxue's eyes were filled with disappointment at first glance. She held out her hand to compare, and the bun was clearly smaller than Chen Ji's.
Chen Yuan broke one of them apart, and the scene that followed was completely different from the scene in the video; they were practically identical.
Instead of the expected clear broth overflowing, only a few drops of murky oil seeped out.
The filling was not plump at all; it was collapsed. The large shrimp in the video had turned into shrimp pieces, each one only slightly larger than a fingernail.
The so-called crab meat was just a small amount of frozen crab meat that was somewhat dark in color.
Sea cucumbers are barely bigger than a little finger.
Most importantly, these buns have a fishy smell, but it's not the fishy smell of fresh seafood. It's the fishy smell that comes from steaming frozen food. In addition, there's a strong seasoning flavor.
"Huh—what's that smell? Let's take it further away, senior brother."