OBS Chapter 1535 Silence
Chapter 1535 Silence
Three days later, the bar's private room was filled with the smell of fine wine and money.
When Xu Yuntian pushed open the door, his face carried a hint of seriousness that was barely perceptible. He placed his briefcase heavily on the coffee table, causing the leather sofa to creak slightly.
"The company's senior management still rejected the new marketing plan."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Mei, who was playing with a crystal glass, suddenly stopped, and a few drops of amber-colored whiskey spilled from the glass.
"What are these foreigners thinking? What era are we living in? They still have the naive idea that television is superior to the internet? Why don't they invest all their money in print media platforms?"
Xu Yuntian leaned back on the sofa, an unlit cigar between his fingers, a cold smirk playing on his lips: "Perhaps it's not just a matter of perspective?"
Zhao Mei's anger froze instantly, replaced by deep surprise: "Boss, you mean..."
“I didn’t say anything.” Xu Yuntian interrupted her, his eyes suddenly turning sharp: “Watch your mouth, don’t ask what you shouldn’t ask, and don’t say what you shouldn’t say.”
Zhao Mei's heart tightened, and she shivered at the coldness in Xu Yuntian's eyes. She quickly lowered her head and said, "Sigh, it's just that we who work down here suffer. The pressure to meet the performance targets this quarter is already huge."
Xu Yuntian slowly lit a cigar, took a deep drag, and the smoke swirled before his eyes, blurring his expression. "That's how society is. Unless you can control the discourse and stand in the position of the rule-maker, you can only act within the rules set by others and obediently listen. That's the rule of the game, and no one can escape it."
Zhao Mei nodded silently, her face full of helplessness. She knew that Xu Yuntian was telling the truth. In this foreign-invested liquor company, the foreign executives held absolute decision-making power, and even her direct superior, Xu Yuntian, was only a middle manager.
"Then I'll go to work now."
After Zhao Mei left, the private room returned to silence, leaving only Xu Yuntian's figure smoking.
Not long after, the door to the private room was pushed open again. When Xu Yuntian saw the person who came in, he immediately stood up, put on a warm smile, and took the initiative to greet him: "President Shen, it's really not easy to see you these days."
Shen Mo's lips twitched, revealing a forced smile: "Isn't President Xu the same? You never see him usually, he only shows up when you're urging him to meet sales targets."
"Haha, Mr. Shen, you really know how to joke." Xu Yuntian chuckled dryly, trying to ease the awkwardness in the air.
Shen Mo's face darkened: "I never joke around in business. Do you want me to take you to my warehouse? Last month you said you wanted me to increase my orders to meet the first quarter's targets, and I ordered over two thousand boxes without a second thought. You think you can just open your mouth and expect me to transfer over twenty million yuan to you? I run a bar, not a bank; I can't print money!"
Xu Yuntian did not refute, but patiently waited for Shen Mo to finish venting his dissatisfaction before still smiling and saying sincerely, "President Shen, you misunderstood. Actually, I didn't come here to urge you to improve your performance. On the contrary, I came here to help you reduce your inventory."
Shen Mo looked at Xu Yuntian as if he were meeting him for the first time, and asked suspiciously, "Did I hear that right? You're helping me clear out my inventory! That's strange. When did Mr. Xu become so kind? So tell me, how are you going to help me clear it out?"
He crossed his arms, adopting a posture of listening attentively, clearly not believing Xu Yuntian's words.
Xu Yuntian took a thick document out of his briefcase and handed it to Shen Mo. If Zhao Mei were here, she would recognize it at a glance as the new marketing plan that had been ruthlessly rejected by the company's senior management.
Shen Mo reached out and took the document, quickly flipping through a few pages. His brow furrowed slightly, then relaxed again. It must be said, this proposal was remarkably professional, with a clear structure, rigorous logic, and a firm grasp of current market trends.
"This marketing plan is quite good, very innovative. How much marketing budget does your company plan to allocate this time?"
Xu Yuntian's smile faded. He spread his hands, his tone tinged with helplessness: "I'm sorry, Mr. Shen, this marketing plan has been rejected by Bai Ruide."
Rhett Butler is the head of Gustave's China operations, a stubborn and long-time foreigner.
With a "thud," Shen Mo threw the document hard onto the ground, scattering the papers everywhere, as if venting his anger.
"You're showing me a completely scrapped marketing plan? I think you're here to make a fool of yourself!"
Xu Yuntian quickly stepped forward and hurriedly explained, "President Shen, you're too kind. What kind of relationship do we have? We've been business partners for so many years, we're practically in the same boat. You make money so I can achieve results and get bonuses. How could I dare to see you make a fool of yourself?"
He then took out a tablet from his briefcase, opened a folder, and handed it to Shen Mo with both hands: "Mr. Shen, please calm down and take a look at this before you talk."
Shen Mo frowned impatiently, his tone tinged with irritation: "What exactly are you trying to do? Just say it directly, stop beating around the bush."
Even so, he still reached out and took the tablet. The screen displayed an introduction to a company called "Starry Media." Shen Mo's gaze lingered on the screen for a long time, his fingers swiping and carefully browsing every detail.
After a long while, he finally raised his head, looked at Xu Yuntian with a complicated expression, and asked uncertainly, "You mean, you want me to bypass your company and cooperate directly with 'Xingyao Media' to help me sell these inventory through live streaming?"
Xu Yuntian immediately gave a thumbs up: "President Shen is truly insightful and gets it right away. That's exactly what I meant."
Shen Mo put down his tablet and looked Xu Yuntian up and down suspiciously: "You don't happen to have shares in Xingyao Media, do you?"
Xu Yuntian shook his head with a wry smile, his tone tinged with self-deprecation: "You overestimate me. Tencent has its eye on Xingyao Media, and the valuation they've given it is over 3 billion RMB. If I had shares, I'd be a millionaire by now, and I wouldn't be here selling wine like this."
Shen Mo thought about it and agreed. Although he was in the traditional bar business, he had been keeping up with the tech venture capital scene, and he had indeed heard of Xingyao Media. To be noticed by a giant like Tencent and valued at 3 billion, this company was definitely no ordinary player; it was at least a unicorn in the industry.
"Mr. Shen, I'll say it again: our relationship is one of mutual benefit and shared loss." Xu Yuntian's tone became very sincere, his eyes full of genuine emotion: "Your bar business is booming, and your inventory is being sold off smoothly, so you can continue to order more goods and I can get a share of the profits. I truly believe that live streaming is currently the best way to quickly help you sell off your inventory, bar none."
He paused, then added, "Live streaming e-commerce is booming right now, and consumers are very receptive to it. You've seen Xingyao Media's sales capabilities. As long as the cooperation is successful, the little bit of inventory in your warehouse will be nothing."
Seeing Xu Yuntian adopt such a humble attitude, Shen Mo's previous resentment dissipated considerably. He picked up the tablet again and carefully reviewed Xingyao Media's promotional interface and performance data, his fingers lightly tapping on the screen as he fell into deep thought.
He had considered the live-streaming e-commerce model, but hadn't found a suitable partner. After a moment's thought, Shen Mo looked up: "Could you get in touch with someone in charge?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Yuntian finally felt relieved, and a relieved smile appeared on his face: "No problem, President Shen, leave it to me. I have a sales manager under me who is dating Qin Hao, the CEO of Xingyao Media."
"Oh?" Shen Mo raised an eyebrow: "President Xu really has a lot of talented people under him. Even the sales manager has managed to get involved with such a capable person."
……
In a private room of a high-end restaurant in the city center, the atmosphere was lively. Liang Danning, dressed in a smart business suit and with a perfectly appropriate smile on her face, was toasting and exchanging drinks with several clients.
The dishes on the table had been changed several times, and several bottles of liquor were empty. The air was filled with the mixed smell of alcohol and food. Liang Danning's cheeks were flushed. She had drunk several glasses of strong liquor, which made her feel dizzy, but she still forced herself to stay alert and chatted and laughed with her clients.
Just then, her phone vibrated, interrupting the noise in the private room. Liang Danning took out her phone and saw that it was Xu Yuntian calling. She quickly greeted the clients, "Mr. Zhang, Mr. Li, I'm so sorry, I'll go out to take this call and I'll be right back."
After saying that, he walked out of the private room with slightly unsteady steps, went to a relatively quiet place at the end of the corridor, and answered the phone.
"Hello, Mr. Xu, is there something you need?"
Xu Yuntian's steady voice came from the other end of the phone: "Danning, is it convenient for us to talk now?"
"It's convenient, please tell me."
“It’s like this,” Xu Yuntian paused, organizing his thoughts, “I’d like to invite your boyfriend to dinner to discuss our collaboration. When would be a convenient time for you to coordinate a time with him?”
Upon hearing this, Liang Danning was taken aback for a moment, then realized what was going on and wondered to herself if the company's new marketing plan had been approved. She didn't think too much about it, after all, it was a good thing, beneficial to both the company and herself.
“No problem, Mr. Xu.” She quickly agreed: “I’ll confirm the time with him first, and then I’ll call you back right away.”
"Okay, then I'll trouble you."
After hanging up the phone, Liang Danning immediately dialed Qin Hao's video call. The call was quickly answered, and Qin Hao's handsome face appeared on the screen. He was wearing a simple white T-shirt, and the background was the bookshelf in his office.
"Is the dinner party over? Do you want me to come pick you up?"
"Not yet, I'm having drinks with clients right now. I just got a phone call outside." She paused and then explained what had happened.
"Then let's talk tomorrow. Have him come to my company to discuss it." Qin Hao casually agreed, then added, "Drink less alcohol, take care of yourself, and don't overwork yourself."
"Okay, don't worry." Liang Danning smiled sweetly, chatted with Qin Hao for a few more minutes, said some sweet words, and then reluctantly hung up the phone.
After hanging up the video call, Liang Danning immediately called Xu Yuntian back.
"Okay, I understand. Thank you for your hard work."
……
At 10 a.m. the next day, Xu Yuntian and Shen Mo arrived at Xingyao Media's company on time.
The receptionist, dressed in a uniform business suit, stopped the two men with a sweet smile: "Hello, gentlemen, do you have an appointment?"
“Yes, we have an appointment with President Qin,” Xu Yuntian said politely as he stepped forward. The receptionist skillfully opened her computer, checked the visitor appointment form, and looked up to ask, “May I ask your surnames, gentlemen?”
"My surname is Xu."
"Okay, Mr. Xu." After verifying the information, the receptionist smiled politely. "President Qin's office is on the second floor, the second to last one."
After saying that, she took out her access card and swiped it to open the glass door leading inside.
Xu Yuntian originally planned to go straight to Qin Hao's office, but Shen Mo walked slowly, curiously looking around the company environment as he went.
The office area is open-plan, with dozens of employees busily working. The sounds of keyboards, phone calls, and occasional discussions blend together, creating a busy yet orderly scene. Most of the employees are young, their faces brimming with energy and vitality.
"With such a small team, achieving annual sales exceeding 10 billion, this President Qin is quite a figure." Just as they were about to reach Qin Hao's office door, Shen Mo suddenly stopped and whispered to Xu Yuntian.
Xu Yuntian nodded in agreement and gently knocked on the office door.
"Enter."
Xu Yuntian pushed open the door and went in first, followed closely by Shen Mo. Upon entering the office, Xu Yuntian's first impression was one of "shabbyness." The office was small, only a dozen square meters, with no luxurious decorations or expensive ornaments, just a simple desk, a bookshelf, two guest chairs, and a small sofa. Compared to his own spacious, bright, and luxuriously decorated sales director's office, it was a world apart.
Shen Mo, however, did not find the situation shabby; instead, he looked at the young man in front of him with great interest.
"Mr. Xu, please have a seat." Qin Hao stood up, a gentle smile on his face.
After all, Qin Hao was Liang Danning's boss, so he gave him plenty of face.
"Please have a seat, gentlemen. What would you like to drink? Coffee or tea?"
"Whatever you like is fine," Xu Yuntian said.
"Then let's have tea," Qin Hao smiled. "Our coffee here is all instant, I'm afraid you two won't like it."
After saying that, he turned around and took out a simple tea set and tea leaves from under his desk. He skillfully brewed two cups of tea for the two of them, and the aroma of the tea quickly filled the air.
Xu Yuntian picked up his teacup, took a small sip, glanced around the office, and said half-jokingly, "President Qin's company is so large, with annual sales exceeding 10 billion, yet you don't even have an assistant. You're really quite frugal."
Qin Hao spread his hands, smiled, and said frankly, "Please excuse my rudeness. We are a startup company, and every penny must be spent wisely."
"Mr. Qin, you're joking." Shen Mo put down his teacup and looked at Qin Hao with interest: "Xingyao Media is now an industry unicorn with annual sales exceeding 10 billion yuan. It has a great reputation in the industry. How can it still be considered a startup?"
Qin Hao looked at Shen Mo and politely asked, "How should I address this gentleman?"
"Silence."
"President Shen," Qin Hao nodded with a smile, "Don't laugh at me, but the internet industry is always like rowing against the current; if you don't move forward, you fall behind. The so-called industry unicorns are only temporarily ahead, which means that there are a bunch of similar companies eyeing them from behind. If you relax even a little, you may be overtaken or even eliminated. So we dare not be careless in the slightest. We must always maintain an entrepreneurial mindset and do everything in a down-to-earth manner."
As Shen Mo listened, he nodded thoughtfully, his admiration for Qin Hao growing even stronger.
"It's truly remarkable that President Qin was able to grow a newly established company into one with annual sales of 10 billion yuan in just three years."
"Mr. Shen, you flatter me. I just happened to catch the wave of the industry's boom; I was just lucky. That's how the internet industry is; if you're in the right place at the right time, even a pig can fly."
"Haha, I've never seen anyone as young and promising as President Qin, yet so humble and low-key, in all my years in business." Shen Mo laughed heartily, his goodwill towards Qin Hao rising sharply.
Qin Hao simply smiled and didn't say anything more. Instead, he changed the subject and got to the point: "By the way, you two didn't come here just to chat, did you?"
Just as Xu Yuntian was about to speak, Shen Mo spoke first, explaining in detail how he wanted to ask Xingyao Media to help with live-streaming sales to clear out the inventory of Guster whisky.
Upon hearing this, Qin Hao's smile gradually faded. He looked at Xu Yuntian with some confusion and asked, "Mr. Xu, judging from Mr. Shen's words, is Guster now also planning to launch online sales?"
Xu Yuntian gave a bitter smile and explained helplessly, "President Qin, to be honest, this cooperation with your company has nothing to do with Guster Company. It was purely President Shen's personal decision."
Qin Hao frowned, his tone becoming somewhat serious: "If that's the case, we need a formal authorization letter from Guster Company, and Mr. Shen must also have relevant sales qualification certificates."
Upon hearing this, Shen Mo's smile vanished, and he turned to look at Xu Yuntian.
Xu Yuntian's expression became even more awkward. He said with a bitter face, "This... I need to apply to Bai Ruide for the authorization letter."
"So, in other words, I help Ghost sell so many goods every year and generate so much profit for your company, and now that I'm facing difficulties and want to find a way to clear my inventory myself, your company is going to hold me back?"
Xu Yuntian was somewhat embarrassed. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something in her defense, but Shen Mo didn't give her a chance. He said in a very firm tone, "Call Bai Ruide right now. I want to hear what he has to say for myself!"
Seeing the unwavering look in Shen Mo's eyes, Xu Yuntian knew he couldn't refuse, so he reluctantly took out his phone and dialed Bai Ruide's number. He silently prayed that Bai Ruide would be sensible and not escalate the situation.
Qin Hao picked up his teacup, slowly sipping his tea while observing Shen Mo with great interest. He could sense the seasoned aura and charisma emanating from Shen Mo. The fact that he could open a chain of high-end bars across the country meant his connections and influence were undoubtedly formidable. Such a person was certainly worth getting to know.
The receiver picked up Bai Ruide, whose broken Mandarin was tinged with impatience: "Hello, Director Xu, what's the rush? Why are you calling me so early?"
Xu Yuntian took a deep breath, composed himself, and briefly explained that Shen Mo wanted to collaborate with Xingyao Media on live-streaming e-commerce, requiring the company to issue an authorization letter. He tried to maintain a calm tone, hoping to persuade Bai Ruide.
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, as if they were processing the news. After a while, Bai Ruide's voice came through again: "Director Xu, you should be clear about our company's positioning and principles. Guster is a high-end whisky brand, and our target customers are people with purchasing power who pursue a high quality of life. Our sales channels are mainly concentrated in high-end bars, five-star hotels, and private clubs."
He paused, then continued, "If our products can be bought anywhere online, who would be willing to spend several times the price at high-end venues to buy our wine? This would not only offend our long-term distributors, but also seriously damage our brand image and market positioning..."
"Bai Ruide, this is Shen Mo." Before Bai Ruide could finish speaking, Shen Mo took the phone directly from Xu Yuntian's hand and interrupted him in an icy tone.
When Bai Ruide heard Shen Mo's voice on the other end of the phone, he paused for a moment, and his tone softened considerably: "Oh, it's Mr. Shen. Long time no see."
Shen Mo's tone remained firm: "Bai Ruide, you can buy bottled water on all e-commerce platforms in China, and the price is cheaper than in supermarkets. But why are stores and supermarkets all over the streets still selling water, and why are they selling so well?"
Rhett Butler was speechless for a moment.
Shen Mo's tone carried a hint of sarcasm: "Because once a person is thirsty, they must drink water immediately, instead of ordering it online and waiting a day or two to get it."
"As far as I know, 70% of Ghost's sales in the Chinese market come from high-end venues like bars and nightclubs. Online sales won't affect these core channels at all. As for those small distributors, I'm sorry, I don't know them, and I can't control their fate. All I know is that to help you meet last quarter's sales targets, my warehouse is already overflowing with your wine, over two thousand cases, worth more than twenty million yuan. If I were to sell all this wine one bottle at a time through conventional means, I wouldn't order a single bottle of Ghost for the entire year. You should consider the consequences."
Shen Mo's words struck Whitehead like a heavy hammer. He knew Shen Mo was telling the truth; if Shen Mo really didn't order any more stock for a year, Ghost's sales performance in China would be severely affected, and he, as the person in charge, would also be held responsible.
Moreover, Shen Mo wields considerable influence among the distributors, and if other distributors were to follow suit, the consequences would be unimaginable. Seemingly intimidated by Shen Mo's imposing presence, Bai Ruide's tone on the other end of the phone softened considerably, even taking on a hint of ingratiation: "Oh, dear Shen, I understand what you mean, don't be angry."
His Mandarin was still broken, but his attitude was much better: "However, I can't make this decision by myself. I have to have a meeting with all the senior executives to discuss it before I can decide, since it involves the company's overall strategic layout."
Before White could finish speaking, Shen Mo interrupted him directly, his tone leaving no room for argument: "You can have a conference call. I'll give you half an hour. After half an hour, I want to hear a clear answer. If there's no news after half an hour, you will bear the consequences alone!"
After saying that, Shen Mo didn't give Bai Ruide any chance to refute him. He hung up the phone and threw it back to Xu Yuntian.
“These foreigners, we usually give them some face because they can make money, but they really think they’re God.” Shen Mo leaned back on the sofa, a hint of anger still on his face. “Do they think it’s like a hundred years ago, where foreigners call the shots? On Chinese soil, they have to follow our rules!”
Xu Yuntian took the phone, his face somewhat embarrassed, unsure of what to say. Bai Ruide was his superior, and with Shen Mo showing such disrespect, he was caught in the middle, making his situation very difficult.
However, it must be said that Shen Mo's assertiveness did have an effect; at least White did not directly refuse, but agreed to hold a meeting to discuss it.
Qin Hao looked at Shen Mo's actions with a hint of admiration in his eyes. He had thought Shen Mo was no ordinary person before, and now it seemed he truly had great courage.
"President Shen is indeed a man of extraordinary courage." Qin Hao put down his teacup and said with a smile, "I believe Mr. White will make a wise choice."
Shen Mo smiled, his tone softening slightly: "I hope so. Mr. Qin, let's not talk about that now. Let's use this time to discuss the specific details of the cooperation. If the authorization agreement is finalized, how does Xingyao Media plan to help me promote my products? What are the fees? What is the guaranteed minimum sales volume?"
Qin Hao nodded, took out a cooperation proposal from another business, and handed it to Shen Mo and Xu Yuntian: "President Shen, President Xu, this is our preliminary cooperation proposal. You can take a look at it first."
"We plan to arrange for two of our top live streamers to host a special live stream. As for the pricing, we will adopt a commission plus slot fee model. The commission rate will be calculated at 15% of the sales revenue, and the slot fee will be 200,000 yuan. As for the guaranteed sales volume, we can guarantee a minimum of 5 million yuan in sales revenue. If this is not achieved, we will refund the entire slot fee."
Shen Mo took the cooperation proposal and looked at it carefully. Xu Yuntian also joined in to browse it. The proposal was very detailed, with clear plans for all aspects, including the live streaming process, publicity and promotion, and after-sales support.
"This commission rate is a bit high." Shen Mo frowned after reading it and said, "A 15% commission, plus a service fee of 200,000, the cost is not low."
“Mr. Shen,” Qin Hao patiently explained, “Our top streamers charge this price for a single live stream slot, and we also invest a lot of resources in pre-event publicity and promotion, including placing ads on major social media platforms and organizing fan interactions. This price is already very competitive. Moreover, our guaranteed sales of five million is a promise that no other company in the industry would make.”
After a moment of contemplation, Shen Mo said, "Okay, I agree to this plan. As soon as the authorization letter arrives, we can sign the contract and arrange the live broadcast as soon as possible."
Qin Hao smiled and said, "No problem, Mr. Shen is indeed very straightforward. Then we'll wait for Mr. White's good news."
Time ticked by, and the atmosphere in the office grew increasingly tense. Xu Yuntian kept glancing at his phone, afraid of missing Bai Ruide's call.
Shen Mo, on the other hand, seemed quite calm. He sipped his tea and chatted with Qin Hao, discussing everything from the trend of live-streaming e-commerce to the current state of the bar industry. The two hit it off more and more as they talked.
Just as the half-hour deadline was about to expire, Xu Yuntian's phone suddenly rang.
Xu Yuntian quickly answered the phone and pressed the speakerphone button so that Shen Mo and Qin Hao could both hear it.
Bai Ruide's voice came from the other end of the phone, sounding a little tired: "After an emergency meeting of our senior management, we unanimously agreed to issue Mr. Shen an authorization letter, allowing him to conduct online live sales through Xingyao Media."
Upon hearing this, Shen Mo smiled with satisfaction: "That's more like it. I need to receive the authorization letter and qualification certificate before the end of this workday. Is that alright?"
“No problem, Mr. Shen, we will arrange for someone to process it as soon as possible and make sure it is sent to you before the end of the workday this afternoon.” Bai Ruide quickly agreed, not daring to delay in the slightest.
"Okay, that's settled then." Shen Mo said, and then hung up the phone.
Xu Yuntian's face showed a relieved smile, and his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down completely.
Shen Mo stood up and extended his hand: "President Qin, it's a pleasure to do business with you!"
"It's a pleasure doing business with you!" (End of Chapter)