The film and television city starts from the courtyard

Zhao Shucheng smiled and said, "Mr. Ma, my name is Zhao Shucheng. I own several chain supermarkets and would like to discuss cooperation with you."

"Cooperation? I'm not in the mood to talk about cooperation right now. I'm going back to Zhuji."

Zhao Shucheng said with a smile, "Boss Ma, why are you in such a hurry to turn people away? The reason you came here is to produce clothing under your own brand, and even to earn foreign exchange, right? Are you really willing to just turn back like this?"

"What can I do if I'm not willing to give up? The clothing company hasn't made a ripple at all, which shows that this road is not easy. I'll go back and hone my skills, and one day I'll come back to fight back."

Zhao Shucheng laughed and said, "Why wait until one day? My IKEA supermarket may not be a big company, but it's on Nanjing Road, so it can naturally help with publicity and build its reputation. Besides, it's good if Boss Ma can have more sales, isn't it?"

Boss Ma didn't expect Zhao Shucheng to say that. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "But I'm cooperating with Boss Bao, and the brand was registered by Boss Bao. Now that I'm cooperating with you, shouldn't I at least tell Boss Bao?"

Zhao Shucheng said with a smile, "I don't think it's necessary. After all, President Bao may not have much energy for this brand for the time being. Besides, what we're doing is helping President Bao maintain his undefeated myth, isn't it?"

Boss Ma suddenly realized that Zhao Shucheng's words made sense. He was doing this for the good of the company and for the good of Boss Bao, so he arranged to meet with Zhao Shucheng to discuss the cooperation.

Zhao Shucheng's motivations weren't solely for A Bao or the profits from Boss Ma's clothing business. What Zhao Shucheng valued more was the creativity of Boss Ma's employees. They could replicate the "fire-burnt cotton" technique in just one or two months, even producing near-perfect imitations. Naturally, other clothing items could also be quickly replicated to achieve similar production volumes.

This reminded Zhao Shucheng of the tricks some clothing companies had in later years: after walking around fashion shows abroad and getting pictures, they could immediately copy the products back in China and even launch them domestically first, making a fortune.

Although Zhao Shucheng didn't directly produce such high-quality replicas, it didn't stop him from having Boss Ma and others procure materials from other clothing brands in a rush, thereby developing his own brand.

If we can really get Mr. Ma and his team to quickly learn about other clothing fabrics and materials, then establishing a textile research center, or even becoming an OEM manufacturer for other well-known brands, might just be a way to make money.

Chen Jianghe, who rose to fame with his chicken feathers, was able to secure orders from foreign companies and successfully export his small commodities overseas precisely because of Huang Mao and his gang's high-quality counterfeiting skills. Although the clothing industry cannot replicate original designs and there are copyright issues, it still allows Zhao Shucheng and Boss Ma to dominate half of the domestic market.

Moreover, high-quality counterfeits may not necessarily be unsuccessful. While they may not work in developed countries, they can still find good markets in some developing countries and even in places like Africa.

Zhao Shucheng successfully signed a cooperation agreement with Boss Ma. Boss Ma went back to supervise the factory's production, while Zhao Shucheng and Vivian wore clothes produced by Boss Ma's factory and promoted them at IKEA supermarket.

Thanks to the celebrity effect, although the brand's clothing is not as popular as Three Sheep was back then, its sales are still rising steadily.

At the same time, several branded clothing items that Abao introduced from Hong Kong were also fully stocked in the clothing company, and sales were quite good.

However, the general manager of the apparel company was eager to take the company public and urged Abao to recommend a reputable securities firm as soon as possible.

However, several securities firms in Shanghai are now eyeing Luwan Department Store, which is about to go public and is also the apparel company's biggest competitor.

Abao naturally knew that most of the securities firms in Shanghai were related to Qilin Group. He had been rejected when he approached them for cooperation last time, so he could only look for securities firms in other places to cooperate with.

Mr. Cai wanted to know which brokerage firm Abao was planning to partner with, but Abao simply said that someone had already been chosen and he would give it a try.

Ah Bao actually wanted to use his uncle's connections to find a brokerage firm in Hong Kong to cooperate with.

Uncle said, "Ah Bao, didn't you say you'd help me find some Hong Kong brands to represent? How come after going around Hong Kong, you want me to help you find securities firms now? You're like a toad trying to eat swan meat. Do you think you can jump that high? Can you handle the fall?"

"We'll get back up wherever we fall. If the counter is gone, I'll just find another one in a shopping mall. If we want to continue, we need to have our own place on Nanjing Road. When we were investing in stocks, we had to keep an eye on dozens of stocks, and we still did quite well, didn't we? If the apparel company can successfully go public, we'll only need to focus on one. Building bridges and roads doesn't cost anything, right? Why wouldn't we do something so good?"

Uncle felt that Abao was being a bit too aggressive and said, "Abao, are you angry with Zhao Shucheng?"

Why should I hold a grudge against him?

"You still say you don't have one? It's just because he has his own shop on Nanjing Road and sold the products you couldn't sell, that's why you want to have your own place on Nanjing Road. But we've always been in foreign trade and stocks, and we have no experience in physical business."

Abao retorted, "Nobody knows everything from the start. Zhao Shucheng knew nothing before, came to Shanghai with only a few tens of thousands of yuan, and now he has his own business using money from the stock market. We can do it too. Besides, money in the stock market is always illusory. Having your own place in the market means you can make money legitimately, and you can continuously launch your own brand. Why shouldn't we do it?"

The old man said with some concern, "I hope this is the result of your careful consideration, and not just a whim."

"Of course, this wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision; it's the result of my painful reflection. In the past, we relied on personal connections to get Mr. Xu from Hulian Department Store to help us get Sanyang up and running. But as soon as Mr. Xu left, Hulian Department Store stopped cooperating with us, and it became extremely difficult to promote the brand. Isn't that because we don't have our own department store on Nanjing Road?"

Abao said somewhat angrily, "But if the apparel company can go public this time, we will not only be a securities firm, but also a shareholder of the apparel company. At that time, we can directly bring the brands in without having to look for connections everywhere. Why not?"

"Doing business isn't about who makes the most money, it's about who survives the longest. Don't dream of instant success; take it one step at a time, steadily and surely, understand?"

Ah Bao didn't really agree with Uncle's point of view, since Uncle's advice was based on experience from many years ago. However, after his trip to Hong Kong and his experience with the current business environment there, Ah Bao deeply understood the importance of time.

Of course, Xuezhi's encouragement also prompted Abao to make up his mind so quickly. Seeing Xuezhi this time and hearing her praise Zhao Shucheng made him feel that time was of the essence and he wanted to compete with Zhao Shucheng to see who was the most influential figure in Shanghai.

Zhao Shucheng had no idea that A Bao already had the idea of ​​competing with him, or rather, that he didn't consider anyone in Shanghai to be a match for him.

Moreover, Zhao Shucheng was well aware that ever since A Bao met Li Li and hesitated between the three women, his own fortune had begun to decline.

Although Zhao Shucheng often doesn't believe in fate, it doesn't stop him from having experienced so many worlds and still holding some reverence for it.

Ah Bao's rise to fame can be largely attributed to Wang Mingzhu; even his acquaintance with Lingzi was through Wang Mingzhu. However, after Wang Mingzhu left No. 27, Ah Bao's career began to decline.

Ah Bao wanted to create his own brand, but after Wang Mingzhu left No. 27, the General Manager Xu of Hulian Department Store, which he relied on, was also transferred, making it impossible for him to cooperate with Hulian Department Store. Following Lingzi's departure from Night Tokyo, Ah Bao felt like he had no home. Even though he wanted to get Boss Ma's products into Nanjing Road, he first had to resolve the issues with the clothing company.

This all foreshadowed A Bao's decline from its peak. At least before, A Bao had been sailing smoothly, but now it was struggling. Besides being busy with his supermarket business, Zhao Shucheng had been focusing most of his energy on the stock market, though he himself hadn't actually participated.

After all, since the beginning of the year, the stock market has been opening high and closing low, especially after the year-end frenzy, which has been followed by a prolonged period of decline. Macroeconomic policy adjustments and capital withdrawal have plunged Shanghai's stock market into a continuous bear market.

After entering July, the stock market plummeted to its lowest point ever. Even though the market was hopeless, thousands of people still entered the market every day, indicating that countless "leeks" (new investors who are exploited and taken advantage of) were being created.

Of course, Zhao Shucheng wasn't just busy with his own affairs. Vivian, after resting for a while, not only healed her heartbreak but also wrote lyrics and composed several songs.

Zhao Shucheng naturally wanted to support Vivian's career. Through his company in Hong Kong, he arranged for Betty to import a set of the most advanced music equipment available at the time, and set up one of the top recording studios in the country for Vivian to record her own album.

Vivian was surprised that Zhao Shucheng would set up a recording studio just for her and accompany her throughout the recording process, which made her somewhat smitten with him.

Zhao Shucheng could naturally see it from Vivian's eyes, but he didn't confess immediately. Instead, he enjoyed this ambiguous relationship.

Vivian, on the other hand, did not directly express her feelings. Instead, she cherished her relationship with Zhao Shucheng and did not want any major changes.

However, after Zhao Shucheng accompanied her to record the song, he officially moved into the old house he bought and became Vivian's neighbor.

Of course, what touched Vivian even more was that Zhao Shucheng would make breakfast every morning, always to her liking, and sometimes even the breakfasts she often ate in Hong Kong.

When Li Li learned that A Bao was having dinner at Honglu Restaurant, she waited until A Bao finished eating and then approached him, saying, "President Bao, it's been a long time!"

Ah Bao smiled and said, "Miss Li, what have you been busy with lately?"

"Raise fish! Small fish will grow into big fish."

Ah Bao said, "Then congratulations, you're going to make a lot of money."

Li Li asked, "How's Mr. Bao? Has his taste changed recently?"

Ah Bao said, "I still don't like eating fish."

"It's okay, I'll ask you again in a few days."

"Is there a difference?"

Li Li said, "What if you suddenly feel like asking one day and miss out? I heard that Boss Bao has been appearing on Nanjing Road frequently lately?"

Ah Bao said, "It's all the same wherever you go; the big fish eat the small fish."

Li Li said, "President Bao, if there's anything you can do to help with Zhizhen Garden, please just let me know."

Abao went out for drinks with Tao Tao and learned that Linghong and Teacher Ge had made a mess of Night Tokyo, and everyone was hoping Lingzi would come back soon. Lingzi's birthday was in two days, and Abao decided that if Lingzi didn't return by then, he would close Night Tokyo down.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye. Abao and the others were in Night Tokyo preparing to celebrate Lingzi's birthday, but Lingzi never showed up.

However, what Abao and the others didn't know was that Lingzi had actually returned to Shanghai, and even returned to the house she had previously rented from Teacher Ge, but she didn't show up at her birthday party.

Two days later, Lingzi returned to Tokyo Nights and treated Teacher Ge and Abao to dinner. She had spent all her money traveling to Japan, so she was determined to start over and open her own restaurant again.

Abao didn't come to eat; he only came to Night Tokyo after finishing his own business, and naturally learned of Lingzi's plans.

When he heard that Reiko planned to renovate Night Tokyo, he immediately offered to pay for the renovations.

Reiko refused Abao's offer and expressed her hope that Abao would leave Night Tokyo and run the shop independently. She even asked Abao to take back the lucky card she had given her years ago.

Abao didn't expect Lingzi to come back this time as if she wanted to distance herself from him. He took out a lucky card from his wallet and handed it to Lingzi, but also promised that he would continue to help Lingzi as always. However, Lingzi didn't appreciate it at all and even kept him at arm's length.

Abao suddenly felt that Lingzi was a stranger to him. She was not the Lingzi he had met in Tokyo back then, nor was she the landlady who used to work here.

Ah Bao knew very well that he and Lingzi could never go back to the way things were, so he could only leave dejectedly.

When Zhao Shucheng passed by Jinxian Road, he saw that Night Tokyo was under renovation. Perhaps at this moment, Night Tokyo was not just undergoing minor repairs, but rather a complete overhaul.

Zhao Shucheng understood that Lingzi had returned, and Abao and Lingzi had parted ways. He wondered if Abao would regret it at this moment.

He seemed to treat every woman around him very well, but in reality, he only had obligations to each of them, without any feelings or commitments. As a result, they gradually left Abao.

Whether Lingzi returns or not is unimportant to Zhao Shucheng, but the timing is crucial. Although Zhao Shucheng hasn't watched the full TV series, he knows through the system that when Lingzi was renovating in Tokyo, the stock market was entering a new phase.

Zhao Shucheng immediately returned to the supermarket on Nanjing Road and instructed his employees to inquire about the latest stock market information. He also used his connections to find people to gather information.

As expected, new changes occurred in the stock market. Starting September 3rd, institutional investors were allowed to open securities accounts, opening the door for institutional participation and allowing more funds to flow in. Furthermore, the Shanghai Stock Exchange officially transitioned from a regional market to a national market. (End of Chapter)