After being reborn, the school beauty's entire family knelt down to repent.

Upon seeing Chen Ming, the woman quickly said:

"Boss, you have to help me! He's selling counterfeit goods..."

Chen Ming raised his hand to interrupt her, turned to look at the boss, and asked, "Is what she said true?"

The boss's face changed, and he stammered, "I...I..."

Chen Ming sneered, "Looks like it's true. You've got some nerve, daring to sell counterfeit goods on my turf!"

The boss turned ashen-faced with fright and stammered, "Boss Chen, I... I just made a mistake for a moment..."

"Foolish?" Chen Ming sneered.

"Are you out of your mind? You're treating your customers like fools! What do you think an underground market is? A place where you can deceive consumers at will?"

He changed his tone and said loudly to the crowd, "Fellow neighbors, I must give you an explanation for what happened today! The underground market was built by me, Chen Ming, and my goal is to make it a fair, just, and trustworthy trading place."

"Any business that dares to sell counterfeit goods or cheat customers on my turf, I will never tolerate!"

He pointed at the trembling shopkeeper and said sternly, "Today, I'm imposing double the compensation for this lady's losses, plus a fine of one thousand yuan! If there's a next time, get out of the underground market immediately, and don't let me see you again!"

The boss's face was as ugly as if he had swallowed a fly, but he dared not object and could only agree with a long face.

A burst of enthusiastic applause erupted from the crowd, praising Chen Ming's impartiality and integrity.

Holding the double compensation, the woman gratefully said to Chen Ming, "Thank you, Mr. Chen, you're such a kind person!"

Chen Ming waved his hand, indicating that she didn't need to be so polite.

After dealing with the counterfeit goods incident, Chen Ming returned to his office, lit a cigarette, and frowned.

Punishment alone cannot solve the problem at its root.

For underground markets to develop sustainably, they must establish a sound management system.

An idea flashed through his mind: a credit rating system!

Just like e-commerce platforms in later generations, it assesses the integrity of merchants' business operations and regularly publishes the rating results.

In this way, consumers can have a clearer understanding of a merchant's credibility and choose a more trustworthy merchant.

In addition, to encourage consumers to actively report violations, he plans to establish a reward mechanism for reporting violations, creating an atmosphere of public oversight.

Chen Ming became more and more excited as he thought about it. He picked up his pen and began to draft an implementation plan for the credit rating system and the whistleblower reward mechanism.

Over the next few days, Chen Ming threw himself into formulating the new system.

He's not the kind of person who just comes up with ideas on a whim; he has to carefully consider how to implement the credit rating system and how to reward whistleblowers.

He locked himself in his office, where the ashtray was piled high with cigarette butts.

The papers on the table were scattered haphazardly, making it seem to anyone who didn't know better that he was conducting some kind of secret research.

Finally, a preliminary plan was completed.

Chen Ming gathered all the merchants in the underground market together for a meeting.

Although it was called a conference, it was really just a simple setup with a stage and a few rows of benches set up in the center of the underground shopping mall. It looked very basic, but it was of great significance.

"Dear bosses, I've invited you all here today because I have an important announcement to make."

Chen Ming stood on the stage, holding a megaphone, his voice booming, displaying a leader's demeanor.

"As everyone knows, there was an incident a few days ago involving the sale of counterfeit goods. This made me realize that if our underground market wants to develop in the long term, we must establish a sound management system."

A buzz of discussion arose from the audience. Some nodded in agreement, while others whispered amongst themselves, seemingly less optimistic about Chen Ming's new system.

Chen Mingqing cleared his throat and continued, "I plan to implement a credit rating system. Simply put, it will evaluate businesses based on their integrity in operating, and then publish the rating results regularly."

"Merchants with higher ratings will receive more discounts and promotional resources. For those with lower ratings, we will regularly organize training sessions to help you improve your service quality and business operations. As long as you put your heart into it, becoming a five-star merchant is not a dream!"

He paused, observing the reactions of the audience, and then added, "I know that some people may find this system too troublesome, or worry that it will affect their business."

"However, I want to tell everyone that only by establishing a trustworthy business environment can we attract more customers and make our underground market more prosperous. This is for everyone's benefit!"

Someone in the audience raised a question: "Mr. Chen, what are the rating criteria? How can fairness and impartiality be guaranteed?"

Chen Ming had anticipated this question and confidently replied, "I will list the rating criteria in detail and post them on the bulletin board. As for fairness and impartiality, everyone can supervise and report any issues."

"To encourage everyone to actively report violations, I have also established a reward mechanism for reporting. If the report is verified, a cash reward will be given!"

These words immediately caused an uproar in the audience. Some cheered excitedly, while others whispered among themselves, feeling that the reward for reporting was a bit like "whistleblowing," which was not very honorable.

A burly man with a face full of scars and a thick gold chain around his neck stood up and said in a deep voice:

"Mr. Chen, with this reward for reporting, isn't there a risk of malicious reporting? What if someone deliberately smears a competitor?"

Chen Ming smiled and said, "Boss, I've considered the situation you mentioned. We will verify the reported information, and if it's found to be malicious, the whistleblower will have to bear the corresponding consequences. Our goal is to maintain a fair competitive environment, not to encourage everyone to fight each other."

Next, Chen Ming explained in detail how the credit rating system and the reporting reward mechanism work, and patiently answered various questions from the merchants.

The meeting lasted for nearly two hours, ending only as darkness fell.

The implementation of the new system has not been smooth sailing.

Some businesses expressed concern about the new system, fearing that their interests would be harmed.

Some even secretly conspired to resist the implementation of the new system. Upon learning of this, Chen Ming did not take any strong measures.

Instead, they approached each of the merchants individually, reasoning with them and appealing to their emotions, ultimately dispelling their doubts.

A few days later, a huge notice board was erected at the entrance of the underground market, which detailed the credit rating standards, the reward mechanism for reporting violations, and the rating results of the merchants.

A large crowd gathered in front of the notice board, all discussing the matter.

"Look, Old Wang's clothing store is rated A, no wonder business is so good!"

"Li Ermazi's grocery store is only a C-level shop, no wonder his business is so slow!"

"From now on, I'll only buy things from merchants with high ratings, that way I'll feel more at ease!"