Who Would Fall in Love After Being Reborn?

TL: Etude Translations

“Frankly, the biggest mistake I ever made was creating the group buying platform.”

“?????”

Under the soft light, in front of the camera, Jiang Qin looked sorrowful.

As his words fell, the room fell silent, filled only with an intense air of pretentiousness spreading throughout the large classroom.

Min Rou, sitting across from Jiang Qin, was stunned. In 2009, there was no term for ‘Versailles’ (a term for humblebragging), so she didn’t know how to express her feelings, but she felt an inexplicable urge to spit in disgust.

“Why do you think creating a group buying platform was a mistake?”

“Because it’s a pure O2O platform, too reliant on online operations, but unable to break away from offline payments. It means it’s a product with inherent flaws. I ambitiously built it up, but couldn’t overcome the bottleneck of its payment method.”

Min Rou, holding a microphone, paused and then asked, “So, Jiang, what do you think a successful product looks like?”

“Of course, it’s Zhihu, the platform I founded. It’s my greatest work, without any bottlenecks or limitations. Our plan for the second half of the year is to promote Zhihu nationwide, letting every college student experience the joy of free communication!”

“Do you mean to say that the future of the internet belongs to social networking?”

“Yes, according to my prediction, social networking is the future of the entire internet economy. Group buying is a dead end; compared to e-commerce, it lacks logistics channels and cash on delivery. Compared to social networking, it lacks content monetization. Its only role is to stimulate consumption while providing high-quality services to users. As for making money, it really doesn’t.”

Min Rou opened her mouth in surprise: “Then why did you create the group buying platform in the first place?”

Jiang Qin pursed his lips: “Because running a forum also has costs, so I created this monetization tool to raise funds for the forum’s promotion. Little did I know it wouldn’t be profitable, only able to offer consumers the best experience. It’s infuriating.”

“Ah, this…” Min Rou didn’t know what to ask next.

Jiang Qin suddenly adjusted his posture: “Did you just ask if I regret creating the group buying platform?”

“Ah?”

“Yes, I do have some regrets. After all, every businessperson hopes to make money. But Linchuan University instilled in me the spirit of putting others before myself, and the president and professors always taught me that as an entrepreneur, I must take on my social responsibilities.”

Jiang Qin pursed his lips again: “Although group buying doesn’t make money and has no future, if it can stimulate Linchuan’s economy, promote consumer upgrading, and spur market reform, then its existence is meaningful. I will continue to run it well, serving Linchuan’s merchants and consumers, as a testament to my business integrity.”

A reporter from ‘Financial Eye’ suddenly spoke up: “Jiang, does this mean the promotion of group buying is coming to an end?”

“Yes, this track is too narrow and not worth too much effort. Once citywide promotion ends, we will pause it and shift our focus to promoting Zhihu. In the second half of this year, I will take Zhihu to the Internet Summit, welcoming investments from all sectors.”

“Will this decision impact the merchants cooperating with group buying and consumers accustomed to it?”

Jiang Qin immediately gestured with his hand: “No, it won’t. Group buying is a regional platform. What we can do is provide exposure for quality merchants and save selection time for consumers. Pausing national promotion won’t affect Linchuan’s local business. On the contrary, we will continuously optimize our business structure, ensuring a comfortable and reliable experience for Linchuan users.”

“…”

Yao Junjie, with his arms crossed, watched for a long time. Suddenly realizing that Chu Siqi was staring intently, he couldn’t help but say, “This guy is a bit too pretentious, don’t you think, junior?”

Chu Siqi pursed her lips: “I don’t know.”

“Actually, doing business is not like he describes. He seems to be half-knowledgeable, unable to get to the point, giving the impression of a last-minute effort. I even doubt if he’s really the boss behind group buying.”

“Senior, stop talking. Their microphones are very sensitive.”

Yao Junjie pursed his lips and fell silent, crossing his arms.

For the next hour, Jiang Qin kept boasting about how great Zhihu was, constantly lamenting that group buying was unprofitable.

No matter the question posed by another female reporter, it always circled back to “group buying is trash, Zhihu is number one.”

Moreover, Jiang Qin even made predictions about the future of the industry for the ‘Financial Eye’ reporter. The advent of the internet era is here, all industries face upgrades and reforms, and the most stable industry is social networking. “Let’s all do social networking, we’ll definitely make a fortune!”

With a smile, Jiang Qin even thought of the news headlines for them.

“Regretting the Creation of Group Buying, Jiang Qin Says Group Buying Doesn’t Make Money!”

“Jiang Qin: Although Group Buying Can’t Profit, It Still Offers High-Quality Services to Linchuan Consumers”

“Group Buying Willing to Collaborate with Linchuan City Government, Stimulate Market Economy, Accelerate Industry Upgrade”

“Group Buying Promotion Nearing Its End, Jiang Qin to Focus Entirely on Building a College Student Social Forum”

“Teenage College Student Predicts Internet Economy, All Industries Face Reshuffle, Social Networking is the Biggest Opportunity”

These mixed truths and falsehoods in the news would only result in a few outcomes.

Those who don’t understand might see him as a conscientious entrepreneur, vowing to support group buying more since he doesn’t profit but still serves us. I’m almost moved to tears.

The second outcome is for those in the know, who might think this 19-year-old idiot is just talking nonsense, pretending to know when he doesn’t, seemingly just a mediocre person luckier than most.

The third outcome is for those who somewhat understand, starting to pay attention to Zhihu’s movements.

Regardless of the outcome, it would buy some time for group buying and impact Zhihu’s subsequent promotion.

Keeping a low profile, praised by the school, placating consumers, pushing Zhihu out, showing loyalty to the government – what more could one want than this effect?

“Mr. Jiang, describe yourself in one phrase as a closing remark for us.”

As the interview neared its end, the host of the livelihood program handed the microphone to Jiang Qin.

“One phrase?”

“Yes, it can be an object or a term, anything.”

Jiang Qin frowned in thought for a while, then his eyebrows relaxed: “I think describing myself as a ‘steel wool pad’ would be quite appropriate.”

The reporter from the livelihood program was slightly taken aback: “You mean to say you’re very tough, not afraid of hardships, but also flexible and adaptable, right?”

“Right, you’re correct.”

Jiang Qin smiled and nodded, thinking to himself that they probably didn’t know that the floral language of steel wool pads symbolizes endurance and prosperity.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Meanwhile, on the periphery of the interview scene, Gu Chunlei, Chu Siqi, Wang Huiru, and Si Huiying were all watching Jiang Qin, positioned at the center, with rapt attention, feeling a slight tingling in their hearts.

They couldn’t understand what Jiang Qin was saying; it just sounded very professional and profound, as if understanding it could lead to wealth.

The contrast was just too great.

Not to mention freshmen and sophomores, even the senior boys seemed like children in front of Jiang Qin.

He seemed to possess a true maturity, calmly chatting and laughing in front of so many reporters and cameras, where most people would have been in a panic.

This maturity and steadiness, beyond common understanding, made Jiang Qin’s smile all the more charming in this star-studded setting.

Gu, the director, who had been watching Korean dramas recently and brainwashed by various domineering CEO characters, now looked at Jiang Qin, dressed in a suit and sitting on the sofa, and actually felt an urge to squeal ‘Oppa’.

“This is so bizarre…”

Gu Chunlei quickly took a sip of water to calm her nerves, only to find Chu Siqi also staring intently at Jiang Qin, her expression startled: “Siqi, this must be your second time seeing Jiang Qin, right? Weren’t you there when the Youth Daily interviewed him?”

“Yes, Director,” Chu Siqi nodded.

“What do you think, do you like this style? If you do, I can help you out.”

Chu Siqi was startled upon hearing this, a touch of melancholy appearing on her face: “Director, what are you joking about? He’s out of my league.”

“?”

Gu, the director, paused, then realized after a moment that Chu Siqi wasn’t expressing disinterest, but rather she felt Jiang Qin was out of her reach, which she found quite astonishing.

As the director, she knew the personality of her protégée very well.

Usually, many handsome and rich guys were chasing after her, yet she looked down on all of them, always acting arrogantly and even a bit conceited. But when it came to Jiang Qin, she felt inferior?

“You’re Linchuan University’s top beauty, and he’s a rising star in entrepreneurship. You’re a perfect match.”

Yao Junjie immediately coughed: “Director Gu, it’s that Chu doesn’t like him, so she’s rejecting him in a subtle way. Please don’t ask anymore.”

Gu Chunlei glanced at him: “Don’t misinterpret her words. With Jiang Qin’s net worth of several million now, he’s definitely worthy of Siqi’s beauty.”

“A few million is considered money? My family has mines. With my wealth as a benchmark, why would junior settle for less?”

Hearing their conversation, Chu Siqi’s eyes suddenly turned red: “Director, actually, Jiang Qin and I were high school classmates. I’ve liked him since then, but he doesn’t like me.”

“…”

“Ah??????”

As she spoke, Gu Chunlei’s eyes widened, not expecting such a relationship to exist.

She had thought she was mistaken, that Chu Siqi couldn’t possibly feel inferior, but she hadn’t expected the reality to be far more astonishing.

Had Jiang Qin’s charm reached such an extent? So many people chased after Chu Siqi breathlessly, yet she liked him, and he even rejected her?