Chapter 147: If the Ending is Bad
TL: Etude
The one thing that universities are never short of is people, and a large population signifies considerable purchasing power.
Jiang Qin started with creating forums and continually organizing events to gather traffic. His primary goal was to build a massive pool of traffic.
With traffic, any business expansion becomes infinitely possible.
Now, he had the traffic pool.
Thus, group buying became the final step in monetizing this traffic.
TrafficGroup BuyingProduct DeliveryPayment.
In an era where smartphones and online payments were not widespread, this was the best monetization chain he could think of. Traditional group buying logic relies on sufficient purchasing power to boost sales and, thereby, convert into profit.
Previously, making money from forum advertising was just a way to fund the group buying venture.
Whether this consumer model would be accepted by university students, and how long it would take for them to embrace it, remained uncertain. The discounts and promotions in the early stages were an invisible cost.
For instance, offering discount coupons to new users or promotions for new products required financial support.
Without these discounts and promotions, it would be difficult for group buying to quickly absorb all the traffic from Zhihu.
So, resorting to various strategies was indeed a reluctant but necessary measure. After all, in Jiang Qins mind, group buying was the final weapon to be wielded. He was willing to save on other aspects as much as possible.
And now, he and his makeshift team had finally persevered to this stage.
Half an hour after returning from the University of Science and Technology, all the employees of Room 208 gradually returned to the Entrepreneurship Center. Shi Miaomiao was carrying half a steamer of buns and a half cup of soy milk, seemingly having rushed back during lunch.
Jiang Qin didnt want to interrupt everyones lunch, so he quickly got them seated and went straight to the point.
Group buying is about to launch, and we have a lot of work to do in a short time. Ill assign the specific tasks now.
Lu Feiyu, youll lead the content team to shift our focus, initiating topics like product recommendations and food sharing as a preliminary setup.
Tan Qing and Su Nai, youre in charge of liaising with merchants, ensuring the accuracy of product information and pricing to avoid any errors after launch.
Wenhao, since youve met Yue Zhu, youll be responsible for coordinating with Wanzhong Mall. Make it clear that they will handle all order deliveries.
Lanlan, check with the part-time society again to confirm the recruitment of campus delivery staff, and proceed with a simple training as planned.
And Xuemei, keep an eye on Shengshi, urging them to get the materials ready as soon as possible, and they must be in place by the day after tomorrow at the latest.
With their tasks assigned, the Room 208 team plunged back into a bustling work atmosphere.
The content team started acting like live-streaming sales hosts, writing detailed promotional articles for the main products listed by merchants in the first person.
Dong Wenhao began communicating with Yue Zhu about the logistics of product delivery times and frequency.
Wei Lanlan returned to the East Campus to coordinate the recruitment and training of delivery staff with the part-time society.
Lu Xuemei went to Shengshi to confirm the progress of billboard and poster production.
Everything began to move forward in an orderly fashion.
Now, everything was ready, except for one final issue that needed resolvingpick-up.
This depended on the subjective willingness of the consumers, as it couldnt be standardized. Some had classes in the afternoon, others in the morning, leading to varying pick-up times.
Jiang Qins team was short on manpower, and it was impossible to find part-timers who could stay in the dormitory buildings all day. So, they might have to trouble the dormitory aunts.
The dormitory aunts were managed by the schools logistics department, which fell under the administration department. The top leader should be Vice Principal Zhang Bo Qing, whom he had met a few days ago.
Hmm.
Principal Zhang was a good man, specializing in resolving issues for entrepreneurs and filling in the gaps in their ventures.
After some thought, Jiang Qin decided to find an opportunity to meet with the vice principal to discuss the issue of re-employing the dormitory aunts.
Boss!
Shi Miaomiao suddenly looked up, Dont you have a class this afternoon? Why havent you left yet?
Jiang Qin was momentarily startled. What class?
English.
Jiang Qin smacked his lips, put on his coat, and prepared to head to class. He wasnt going because he liked the class; rather, his absenteeism had reached a critical point. If he missed another class, he would fail without even taking the exam. Failing a course wasnt a big deal, but he wasnt skilled in many areas, and failing too many courses could lead to being advised to leave the university.
If only students didnt have to attend classes.
Driving to the Finance Departments teaching building, Jiang Qin, unsurprisingly, arrived late.
To his surprise, Cao Guangyu was also late, cowering against the wall like a small chick, unmoving.
Old Cao, why arent you going into the classroom?
I got caught for being late. They made me stand as a mild punishment.
Jiang Qins mouth twitched, Standing punishment in university? Is there no law and order left?
Cao Guangyu, gesturing for him to lower his voice, explained, Bad luck this time. Got caught by the student union. Theyre conducting a campaign to improve academic atmosphere. Absolutely no leniency.
You better stand properly then. Im leaving.
Dont go. Theyre checking attendance in the classroom right now. If you go now, youll be walking straight into trouble.
Damn, I dont know anyone in the student union. Ill hide for now. Jiang Qin reluctantly retreated.
Cao Guangyu laughed, Were you also late because of a date? No, wait, wheres Feng Nanshu? Are you dating a ghost?
Jiang Qin gave him a sidelong glance, Is dating all you think about? I just came from the Entrepreneurship Center!
Pot calling the kettle black, Cao retorted.
As they were talking, the student union members, led by Zhu Feng, exited the classroom. Jiang Qin turned to hide, ready to accept a deduction in his score but not the standing punishment. But before he could hide, Zhu Feng called out his name from behind.
Jiang Qin!
Im not afraid of point deduction, but I refuse to stand as punishment, Jiang Qin declared.
Zhu Feng looked at him, Whos punishing you? Let me introduce you, this is Zhuang Siyu, the president of the student union.
The short-haired senior, Zhuang Siyu, smiled slightly, Jiang, do you have a moment to talk?
Taking notes for being late?
Its not about being late. I didnt even record your name. Your girlfriend answered for you. We just turned a blind eye, pretending to know nothing.
Zhuang Siyu was surprised, The super pretty girl earlier was his girlfriend?
Of course, Zhu Feng confirmed. Why else would a girl foolishly answer for a guy? You think we cant tell?
Can we not discuss my love life? Just deduct the points.
Actually, we need a little help from you. Could you come to the office for a moment?
Cao Guangyus eyes bulged, thinking to himself, Wasnt this about enforcing academic discipline? So, you targeted me specifically?
Jiang Qin sternly instructed Cao to stand properly and then followed Zhu Feng and Zhuang Siyu to the office.
Were hoping to get some sponsorship from you, said Zhu Feng.
Jiang Qin raised an eyebrow, surprised that someone would try to fleece him: What sponsorship?
Zhuang Siyu coughed, Did you know about the debate competition organized by the four major universities?
I heard something about it from Yao, the sister in the Literature Club.
We need funds for the trip, and making team uniforms and flags costs money. Could you help out a bit?
Zhuang Siyu took out a form from her bag, passing it to Jiang Qin. It contained some information about the debate competition and the required sponsorship amount.
Jiang Qin initially didnt want to agree. He was used to fleecing others, not being fleeced himself. But his interest was piqued when he saw the list of judges, particularly the name of the chief judge: Zhang Bo Qing.
Principal Zhang is a judge?
Yes, Principal Zhang asked me to come here and inquire if youd be willing to sponsor.
Jiang Qins mouth twitched, feeling that Zhang Bo Qing probably thought he had been over-supported with the entrepreneurship funding and was trying to recoup some of it. However, he did want to meet with Principal Zhang to discuss the re-employment issue of the dormitory aunts, and this seemed like an opportunity presented on a silver platter.
Meeting a principal who managed school affairs wasnt easy; one couldnt just see him whenever they wished. With the group buying about to launch, setting up another meeting time seemed impractical. It would be better to discuss the matter while under the banner of his sponsorship during the debate competition.
Moreover, discussing this under the banner of his sponsorship, Principal Zhang would certainly have to consider his contribution, increasing the likelihood of a favorable response.
I could consider sponsoring, but whats in it for me?
Zhuang Siyu immediately replied, We can promote your forum. After all, its a joint competition between four major universities, with high attention.
Jiang Qin picked up the form to take a look. How far has the competition progressed?
Were still at the intra-school stage. The finals are coming up soon, and the winning team will represent Linchuan University against the other three universities in the final debate, Zhuang Siyu answered every question.
Has the topic for the school finals been chosen?
Whether individual fate is in ones own hands or controlled by society.
Jiang Qin paused for a moment. I can sponsor, but can I attend the debate?
Zhuang Siyu hesitated briefly, Are you interested in debating? Of course, you can.
But I hope you can change the topic. The one you mentioned doesnt quite resonate.
To what?
If the ending is bad, theres no point in starting, versus if the ending is bad, one should still enjoy the process.
Zhuang Siyu frowned in thought. This topic its interesting
Jiang Qin pursed his lips. I want to know how people view this issue. If its convenient, lets use this for the finals.
Ill need to discuss it with the judges.
Then I want two seats, as close to the front as possible, preferably near Principal Zhang.
After finalizing the sponsorship details, Jiang Qin privately requested Zhuang Siyu to remove Cao Guangyus name from the latecomers list, and then they waved goodbye.
Old Cao, you owe me a meal, Jiang Qin demanded as soon as he returned to the corridor.
Why should I? Cao Guangyu grinned.
Jiang Qin spat, I sacrificed my charm to ask the student union president to scratch your name off the list. Dont you think you should treat me to a meal?
Cao Guangyus mouth twitched, Do you think Im an idiot?
Do you not believe in my charm, or that your name got removed?
Heh, I dont believe either.
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