Forcing Me to Be Reborn?!-Chapter 191 - 164 Causing a Sensation in the Industry

Chapter 191: Chapter 164: Causing a Sensation in the Industry

Chapter 191: Chapter 164: Causing a Sensation in the Industry

At 5:30 pm, Cheng Zhu was eating braised chicken at the school gate.

He had just visited “Youu Come to Play” to take care of some things and hadn’t run into Li Xinyue.

He thought this was pretty good.

Cheng Zhu wouldn’t deliberately avoid the place just because she was there, delaying his own business.

But if he could avoid seeing her, that was for the best—to save the trouble.

As for tonight’s high school reunion, he had even less interest.

“Forget it, let the young ones have their chances to show off. If I showed up, their little college stories would seem rather petty,” Cheng Zhu thought to himself.

After finishing his portion of braised chicken with rice, Cheng Zhu got on his electric scooter and headed to the mall where he was watching a movie with Zhang Qiqi today.

As usual, he arrived early, wandering around the mall to see if there were any good spots to open a milk tea shop.

And sure enough, there was one!

“One of these days I’ll come talk to the leasing manager here,” he thought to himself.

“The rent will probably be very high, but it’s definitely worth it.”

Cheng Zhu was well aware that running a milk tea shop had become challenging these days.

Unlike a few years back, when you could just open your own brand in a busy area, mix up a random assortment of things, and people would come to drink.

Nowadays, it’s become more about branding, and new brands find it hard to take off.

Plus, there are too many people running milk tea shops.

It’s like when guys graduate and want to start a business, a lot of them go for internet cafes.

Women, on the other hand, opt for flower shops, nail salons, milk tea shops, beauty salons, etc.

Anyone who’s been to university knows how often milk tea shops outside of campus change, especially those self-created brands with no core competitiveness.

When everyone thinks doing a certain business is profitable, it usually means that business is no longer viable.

If you try it, you’re likely to be the last to be taken advantage of.

Granted, some big-brand franchises may hold up better.

They give people the impression that just by franchising, you’re guaranteed easy money.

But you should know that things aren’t like they used to be. Joining top brands isn’t easy and the requirements are strict.

It’s not like you can just show up with a little money and expect to be able to franchise.

It’s not even a low-cost physical business anymore; you need a significant financial base to get involved.

Initially, many people thought, “The popular milk teas in big cities haven’t reached my small town yet; if I franchise them, I’ll make a killing!”

But once you really get to know the business, you realize how high the barriers are.

The project might not be a matter of hundreds of thousands, but millions. The brands might require you to open several shops in various prime locations in the city, not just one!

Cheng Zhu chose to look for a shop in the mall because he never intended to sell cheap milk tea; he wanted to sell the pricier influencer-style milk tea.

“You need to position yourself differently from others and seize a market void.”

Aside from the advantage of being reborn, Cheng Zhu’s strength lies in his ability to operate and market effectively.

Look at the projects he chooses; they all align with this trait.

“Business is about amplifying your strengths.”

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

“I don’t believe in renting a shop near school and selling cheap milk tea to compete with famous brands with no core competitiveness.”

“In fact, if I had more money right now, I wouldn’t even need to bother with my own brand; I could just become a ‘Super Franchisee.'”

These so-called “Super Franchisees” are the ones with strong capital between the brand owners and ordinary franchisees.

These people hold a large number of stores; one person might own dozens of milk tea shops.

They have resources, vision, a keen sense for the commercial market, and insider information most people never touch.

For example, when a milk tea brand becomes hot, these “Super Franchisees” might quickly open many stores.

Because during the brand’s growth phase, they are certain to yield some profit to the franchisees, as this leads to more partnerships and national expansion.

But when the brand reaches its peak, it’s time to reap the benefits!

At such times, those “Super Franchisees” and the average Joe aren’t even on the same playing field. They’re able to detect brand trends earlier and sell their shops at the brand’s peak, then move on to another brand.

The same people who frantically opened “Panda Tea” shops a few years back may now be the ones opening “Chagee” franchises.

As for the average person, they either get taken advantage of by the brands or end up as successors to the “Super Franchisees,” not even understanding how they failed.

Cheng Zhu, as a reborn individual, was also capable of this and considered it in his plans.

“There are two paths to choose from,” he thought to himself.

After wandering around the mall, Cheng Zhu received a WeChat message from Zhang Qiqi.

“I’m already at the cinema :)”

“Okay, I’m in the mall now, coming up by the elevator,” Cheng Zhu replied.

When he reached the cinema on the fifth floor, he immediately spotted Zhang Qiqi standing outside the entrance.

She didn’t sit inside waiting for him, but stood there, looking around eagerly.

Such a beautiful girl waiting expectantly by the door would lift many a guy’s spirits in an instant.

Especially given she was holding a cup of cola in each hand and had a tub of popcorn nestled in her arms.

“Two days watching the same movie is one thing, but to choose cola and popcorn again…” Cheng Zhu mused.

The only difference from the other day was that he didn’t bring an extra piece of clothing.

“You’re early,” he said as he approached Zhang Qiqi.

“Not that early. I’m not the type of girl who likes to be late, and I actually came early on purpose to wait for you,” she replied, giving Cheng Zhu a wink.

“Why?”

“Because I think this little waiting is a nice experience. During the wait, you think about a lot and make various guesses. It builds anticipation for tonight,” she gave Cheng Zhu a once-over. “You do look pretty handsome today. In hindsight, the wait doesn’t seem wasted.”

Cheng Zhu didn’t feel shy at all, rather, he also took a moment to appraise Zhang Qiqi. His gaze lingered on her fishnet dress and her long bare legs, but he didn’t reciprocate the compliment. Instead, he said, “I’m not particularly fond of being called ‘junior.'”

After all, he was a reborn man. He didn’t think of himself in terms of his age before rebirth nor as an eighteen-year-old.

“Really? So what should I call you? Do you guys prefer it when we girls call you…” she paused, then in her slightly nasal voice said, “big brother?”

“Would it be because I’m your senior that you’d want me to call you that?” She tiptoed slightly, leaning forward, looking at Cheng Zhu from below in a somewhat serious manner to see if he was telling the truth.

Cheng Zhu shook his head, “Not really, since I indeed have a very cute little sister.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Let’s go inside, shall we? It’s not time for ticket checking yet. How about we find a seat to sit for a while?”

“Okay.”

“Let me hold the cola and popcorn.”

“Sure, here you go.”

He planned to use this time to get a good understanding of the current popular influencer companies in Hang City from Zhang Qiqi.

This information was what he needed to help with his future plans.

This was also why Cheng Zhu had agreed to come to the movies.

But because the cinema was so crowded on holidays, there weren’t any seats available, so they had to stand and chat.

Cheng Zhu prepared to naturally steer the conversation in that direction.

“By the way, you said you wanted to take me to the movies because the photos and videos I took for you had high traffic on Weibo?” he asked.

“Yeah! Those are currently my most viral Weibo posts!” That was what she admired most about Cheng Zhu.

And it was one of the things about him that attracted her the most.

“There must be a lot of influencer companies in Hang City, right? Haven’t you signed with any?” he continued.

“Not yet. I was planning to find a company to sign with after graduation, but now it feels like I’m looking too far when there’s a traffic genius right in front of me.”

“Me?” Cheng Zhu pointed to himself.

“Yep!” Zhang Qiqi became very enthusiastic, praising Cheng Zhu profusely.

“I think you’ve completely cracked the code for traffic. You’re no less skilled than those big companies’ operations, maybe even better!” she said.

Cheng Zhu could tell that Zhang Qiqi planned for her career to be an online influencer, making money on the internet.

It’s true that the money comes easily; with the popularity of her account now, just one ad could equal a month’s salary for an average girl.

But the problem she was facing was significant.

Her main appeal on her account was—being an influencer and a university beauty!

But the thing is… she was about to graduate!

Campus beauties come and go, each reigning for a few years.

Right now, she could post on Weibo and there might be comments like, “Yeah, she’s from our Technology University.”

But once she graduates, new students might comment, “Who’s this? I’ve never even heard of her at school.”

And who were her juniors? Shen Qingning, Lin Lu, and the newly enrolled Yue Lingjing.

These girls were too formidable; her beauty couldn’t maintain its legendary status once she was gone from the university halls.

On the internet, “campus beauty” has indeed always been a code for traffic.

But now, she urgently needed a new code for traffic.

Cheng Zhu had seen too many beautiful girls like Zhang Qiqi.

They wanted to rely on looks for online income, but lacked personal skills, thus desperately needing a powerful figure behind them.

Honestly, if that figure was a woman, it’d be an easier narrative.

But if a man is behind them, then they might have to prepare to be exploited.

Cheng Zhu didn’t follow up on Zhang Qiqi’s praise and instead asked, “Are there any new rising influencer companies or notable marketing figures lately?”

“No new companies, but there’s one guy who suddenly became a marketing genius. He’s caused quite a stir in the industry, though I’m a bit embarrassed to talk about him,” Zhang Qiqi replied.

“Why’s that?” asked Cheng Zhu.

“Because his main business seems to be… seems to be selling ‘QQ’ underwear,” she responded softly.

…

(ps: Second update, asking for double monthly passes!)