2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 135 Trip to Shanghai

Saturday, October 7.

As usual, Gu Qingqing and the other two arrived at Shanchi Automotive Industry. After this week's filming was completed, Zhao Xianbo and Qin Siyu's work would be over. The filming task for the Taobao store was completed, and the university was also on summer vacation.

"Boss Tan, is it okay if we work part-time at your factory during the summer vacation?" Qin Siyu asked with a smile, stopping Tan Jincheng who was about to leave.

She had already heard that Gu Qingqing was helping Boss Tan run his Taobao store this summer instead of going home. She also wanted to stay and do a summer job to earn some living expenses for the next semester.

"Are you sure? College students are coming to work in a factory for summer jobs?" Tan Jincheng looked at her with a puzzled expression.

“College students need to eat too, so what’s wrong with working in a factory during the summer? Is that okay?” Zhao Xianbo chimed in with a smile.

In Zhao Xianbo's eyes, Boss Tan, who was only two years older than him, was quite kind. He paid 200 yuan a day plus a 50 yuan subsidy for transportation, and lunch was provided.

Occasionally, when he has time to drive himself and his friends back home, he'll treat them to a meal; he's quite generous.

"The part-time wages in the factory are not that high. It's probably only a hundred or two hundred yuan a day, and it's much more tiring than filming."

"What's the big deal? We don't have anything to do at home anyway. Instead of wasting two months at home, we might as well make some money to spend. Besides, Qingqing is here too. If we leave her here, she'll have some company," Qin Siyu said, glancing at Gu Qingqing beside her.

Tan Jincheng couldn't help but glance at her. She, who always dressed simply and without much frills, had her hair tied up in a small ponytail today, making her look capable and full of energy.

"What do you think?"

Gu Qingqing laughed and said, "Why are you asking me? You decide for yourself."

Her tone carried a hint of shyness.

"Alright then, whatever you want. Go to the HR department and find Chen Jinwen. Just tell him I've agreed. You can discuss the details with him. I have to go to Shanghai, so I don't have time to talk to you any further."

Then, Tan Jincheng added, "It's inconvenient for you to travel back and forth, so let Manager Chen arrange a staff dormitory for you. I remember there are still some available."

The two quickly and happily replied, "Okay, thank you, Boss Tan."

Gu Qingqing then asked, "Are you going to Shanghai? Another business trip?"

Tan Jincheng's eyes darted around, and he waved for Zhao Xianbo and Qin Siyu to hurry up and get to work. After they had gone some distance, he smiled and said to Gu Qingqing, "Yeah, let's go sign the endorsement contract. Are you interested in seeing the celebrities?"

"Is it Chun Ge? What are they doing in Shanghai?" Gu Qingqing asked curiously.

"My agency is based in Shanghai. If I'm lucky, I might even run into other celebrities."

Gu Qingqing hesitated for a while, but couldn't help asking, "Is it appropriate for me to go? Will it affect your work? And how long will I be gone?"

"Today I'm going to sign the formal contract and discuss the advertising shooting plan. If things go smoothly, I can be back today; if not, I'll stay overnight and come back tomorrow."

No matter what, Gu Qingqing was still an 18-year-old girl, and she was still curious about meeting celebrities on TV. Even if they weren't her idols, she finally mustered up her courage after confirming the itinerary.

"Are you sure it won't affect your work? And should we keep this a secret? It seems like not many people in your company know about it, right?"

"It doesn't really have any impact. Once the contract is officially signed, they will promote it themselves. It's a form of marketing, so there's no question of secrecy."

This is the benefit of collaborating with popular talent show contestants. They also need exposure, and signing endorsement contracts before their official debut is a form of self-promotion. This is also a major highlight in the finals.

Flash's publicity plan is to not conduct large-scale publicity before the finals. After the finals, advertisements will be launched in print media, online, and local TV stations.

The initial buzz was maintained by the management company, which saved them money.

Thanks to Zhang Mingcan, Tan Jincheng solved his most pressing funding problem before heading to Shanghai. Jinpeng Trading provided 300 million yuan in bridge financing, and a bank loan of 500 million yuan with a one-year term at a low interest rate, bringing in a total of 800 million yuan and relieving his worries.

For this promotion, Tan Jincheng wanted to try online advertising. In 2005, there were already 1 million netizens. These 1 million netizens may not have much impact on the current sales of Flash, but at least they are people who are willing to accept new things, and they are mostly young people.

To be honest, Chris Lee's stage image is really hard to describe. It gives off a kind of low-class feeling, especially during the finals and in recent years, when the internet has been making all sorts of memes about her.

By having her as their spokesperson, Flash Motors might inadvertently give the general public the impression that the brand is also low-end. But it doesn't matter, Flash Motors is indeed quite low-end these days. How high-end can a car produced in a factory with just over 100 employees be?

Ideally, we could incorporate Flash in future memes, like my brother, you're still famous even if you're not.

As for what happens next, they can gradually change their image by replacing other spokespeople. Xiaomi was initially synonymous with low prices, but by 23, it was still able to sell for several thousand yuan and was still able to manufacture cars.

So, from any perspective, Chris Lee's current image and status are a good match for FlashCar, which is most beneficial for FlashCar's promotion. Having someone with Liu's ethereal image riding a cool black FlashCar in an advertisement seems a bit out of place; Chris Lee in a leather outfit would be much more suitable.

If things go wrong, it might even spark the purchasing desire of some young people who buy these "ghost fire" items.

"Are you going or not? If you are, don't hesitate. I still need to pick up the lawyer. Don't worry, the lawyer is a woman in her 30s. If you need to stay overnight, you can stay together."

Seeing Gu Qingqing's conflicted expression, as if she wanted to meet people but was also a little scared, Tan Jincheng asked with a smile.

"Then, shall I go play?"

"Let's go, we'll be back today if we're quick. It's my first time meeting a celebrity, I might be scared, so you'll have to support me."

Gu Qingqing pursed her lips: "What kind of support can I give you? I've never seen anything like this before."

"Yes, you're much prettier than Chun Ge, so they won't think I'm a fan with some bad intentions and try to raise my price later."

"No way."

"Stop dawdling and let's go. It's almost 8:30. We'll be arriving around noon. If we're any later, we'll really have to spend the night in Shanghai."

"Okay, I'll go tell my classmate."

Tan Jincheng himself couldn't explain why he invited Gu Qingqing. Perhaps it was because the two were already quite familiar with each other, or perhaps it was just a coincidence, or perhaps it was something else entirely.

Gu Qingqing rushed into the filming studio, gave Qin Siyu and Zhao Xianbo a brief explanation, and then hurriedly left, leaving the two of them looking at each other in bewilderment.

“Qingqing’s relationship with this Boss Tan is definitely not as simple as a part-time job,” Qin Siyu said to Zhao Xianbo.

Zhao Xianbo rolled his eyes: "I'm not stupid. Just do your job and don't worry about anything else."

Zhao Xianbo and Gu Qingqing's roommate Zhao Wenjia are from the same hometown. Zhao Wenjia recommended this job to Gu Qingqing. She had previously said that the filming would be near the school, but it turned out that the two of them were going to film in Beicang.

Although Gu Qingqing would always come along, claiming to be learning how to operate a Taobao store, Zhao Xianbo would sometimes find that Gu Qingqing was not in the Taobao store's office area at all during filming breaks. Sometimes she was nowhere to be seen, and sometimes she would be wandering around the factory alone. This didn't seem like she was doing a part-time job at all.

Another point is that Zhao Xianbo discovered that whenever Gu Qingqing was with Boss Tan, there was a chance to have Boss Tan drive them home after get off work in the evening, and they could also have a nice meal. Otherwise, there was no chance.

If you can't even notice so many details, you must be out of your mind.

Since his rebirth, it's been like clocking in at the market; this time, Tan Jincheng is going to check in at the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

There's no high-speed rail, no cross-sea bridge. Luckily, I have my own car, so I can drive on the highway. These days, going out isn't that convenient. If you're going somewhere nearby, you have to endure minibuses dropping you off halfway, and if you're going somewhere further, you have to transfer all sorts of times on the old green trains.

In some remote areas, the fear of going out to work remains significant because it is simply too inconvenient.

Tan Jincheng also remembers an interesting story. Around 2010, when he returned to his hometown for the Spring Festival, one of his cousins ​​had found a girlfriend. The girlfriend wanted to take him home for the Spring Festival to meet her parents. The area was quite remote, so the guy had to take a train, then a bus, then a motorcycle, and then walk a mountain road.

Because of the rain, the two trips back and forth were exhausting for the guy. He was so scared that he broke up with the guy when he got back. He even got a beating from his dad for it, who accused him of being a snob.

"Sister Zhou, I'm counting on you today. There's a formal endorsement contract and an advertising contract coming up later. Could you please review them and make sure they match what we discussed before?"

Tan Jincheng sat in the passenger seat and turned to talk to Zhou Biyu, the lawyer in the back seat. Zhou Biyu was 37 years old and had the short hair typical of professional women, making her look very capable.

This was recommended by the law firm that had been working with Tan Jincheng before; they are quite familiar with the legal terms of contracts involving celebrity endorsements and advertising.

"Don't worry, if it's the same ones we discussed before, then there won't be any problems today, as long as they don't change the wording," Zhou Biyu said with a helpless smile.

This Mr. Tan seemed to be terrified of entertainment industry contracts, whether he'd heard about them from somewhere or watched too many TV dramas. He studied them very seriously, and if the introducer hadn't repeatedly assured him, Zhou Biyu would have thought this young man didn't trust her professionalism.

Actually, the terms of the two contracts have been largely agreed upon. All that's left is to sign them. The spokesperson is on vacation anyway, and the advertising shoot can be scheduled. There shouldn't be any major problems.

However, it's quite possible for them to raise the price at the last minute. These agencies basically cater to different people. They had previously mistakenly thought that Boss Tan was a fan of the spokesperson and were even thinking about whether they could raise the price a bit more.

Thinking of this, Zhou Biyu glanced at Gu Qingqing sitting next to her, who looked slightly nervous. It was obvious that this girl was not Boss Tan's secretary, or even a company employee, because she had nothing with her except a small backpack.

Looking at Tan Jincheng in front of her again, Zhou Bi and Yu found it hard to imagine that with such a beautiful woman by their side, they would choose such a seemingly chuunibyou (a Japanese term for someone with delusions of grandeur) spokesperson.

(End of this chapter)