Since we are both reborn, of course I would choose the rich woman!

Chapter 341 Please Go Out with Me! (6k views, please subscribe)

In late September, the night after the Geek Phone launch event, a wave of scalping swept across the Chinese internet.

A large number of netizens began posting on Xianyu, Tieba, Weibo, and even the increasingly popular Douyin, asking for pre-orders of the Geek Phone, and it was limited to the first 1,000 orders.

The internet is going crazy right now; the first thousand geek phone orders have been inflated to over 20,000 yuan.

In other words, if you're a tech enthusiast and accidentally snagged one of the first 1,000 orders after the phone's release, you could resell that order and make at least 13,000 yuan.

The key is.

Even with prices inflated to this level, the competition for orders online has not stopped.

Starting at a high of 23,000 yuan, by the early morning of the third day after the Geek Phone launch event, the order price had been inflated to 36,000 yuan, and then the order price began to fluctuate around that price.

On the internet, there are three things that are inherently highly viral.

One is money.

One is beauty.

Another bizarre event is one that defies most people's imagination.

For example, Lao Ba's Secret Recipe Mini Burger, Winter Swimming Strange Pigeon, A Giao, or Handmade Geng, and other self-media bloggers.

All of this can be summed up in one word: breaking into new circles.

The launch of Geek Phone, with its price exceeding that of Apple phones, first sparked heated discussions among bloggers in the digital field. The voices of these people, whether expectant or critical, brought Geek Phone to the attention of a small circle. Subsequently, the official accounts of Geek Phone, Lu Yao's real Weibo account, Douyin account, Xiaomi Group's official account, and Lei Jun's own real account all released information that Lu Yao would send autographs to the phones.

After the first thousand users of the Geek Phone posted screenshots to show off, the Geek Phone's marketing spread like wildfire, making many netizens who didn't usually follow the tech world aware that many people were placing orders to buy it.

The ever-increasing prices have left countless netizens astonished.

Within just a few hours, reports of people being scammed while transferring orders have surfaced online, and scalpers have also revealed that they were cheated out of their deposits.

As for whether it's true or false, netizens have no way of knowing.

Anyway, as for those who just want to watch the drama unfold, netizens have already had their fill.

While enjoying the gossip, many netizens are also curious:
"It's just a phone, right? Is it really necessary to go to such lengths? Even if the phone manufacturer's boss personally delivered the phone, it wouldn't be this crazy, would it?"

"Marketing, those who know, know."

"Now it seems that Mr. Lü is indeed a marketing master. This newcomer to the mobile phone industry has broken into the market directly through marketing on his first attempt. But no matter how much marketing there is, it shouldn't be this frantic, right?"

In response to the doubts raised by many netizens, many more level-headed netizens commented:
"What do you know? This is absolutely worth it! Not to mention that Lu Yao reimbursed our airfare, hotel, and meals, it's worth the money. Just getting Lu Yao's autograph and appearing in the same frame as him is worth a lot of money."

"If anyone runs a business, and then hangs a photo of themselves with Mr. Lü on their office wall, what do you think will happen when their business partners come and see it?"

Now more netizens immediately understood:

"You mean I can spend tens of thousands of yuan to get a trip to Shangnan with all expenses paid, including flights, hotels, food, and accommodation, as well as get Mr. Lü's autograph and a photo with him, and finally, I'll get an expensive mobile phone for free?"

"Damn, this is really profitable!"

"The owner of a company valued at billions sent me a phone with a thousand-word message?"

Dry!
Even if this were written into a novel, no one would believe it. Fueled by the internet boom, the resale price of geek phones has once again skyrocketed.

Many wealthy self-employed individuals (referred to as "managers" in Shanghai), or owners of small or even medium-sized enterprises, realized that this was indeed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, especially in the more developed areas of Jiangnan, where they had known about Lü Yao for a long time.

They simply hadn't had the chance to get to know each other before, and now that they finally had this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, they certainly weren't stingy with the money in their hands.

Business people think very differently from ordinary people, so by noon on the third day after the Geek phone launch event, the price of the first thousand orders for the Geek phone had already been inflated to around 100,000 yuan.

Even Lü Yao himself was a little shocked by the price.

He learned this trick from Lei, who came from elsewhere, but back then, Xiaomi Suqi's orders would only have a markup of a few tens of thousands of yuan at most; anything higher would not be appropriate.

After all, the first batch of Xiaomi Suqi cars were priced at less than 300,000 yuan, and Lei Jun did not initially express any intention to personally deliver the cars or open the doors for the owners, so the initial price markup for Xiaomi Suqi cars was not that exaggerated.

The subsequent price increases for Xiaomi Suqi Ocha and Xiaomi Yuqi orders are due to scalpers vying for orders, which can then be sold to users who want to pick up their cars as soon as possible.

However, it's really a bit exaggerated and inappropriate that a phone priced at 7899 can be hyped up to this price.

Many netizens have therefore raised doubts:
"Holy crap, is it really true?"

"Are all those people shouting out prices just poor losers trying to join in the fun?"

"Don't bother joining the fun. This is clearly a group of online trolls hired by Lu Ze. A single order for a crappy phone can sell for 100,000 yuan? That's more than ten times the profit. Are you crazy?"

However, these doubts circulating online were quickly refuted by some wealthy individuals online:

“Brother, give me one of the top 1,000 orders right now, and I’ll give you 120,000 immediately. I’m in Beijing, and I’ll reimburse your airfare and hotel if you come here! As long as you have an order, I can make the payment first after I’ve verified it via video.”

That's just how rich and arrogant he is.

The world of the wealthy is truly beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

I used to think that rich people also have their own troubles, and that money isn't everything. But after being beaten down by society, people realize that while rich people may indeed have their troubles, their happiness is something most people can't even imagine.

As for the objectification and alienation of people by material wealth... that's not a big deal.

Because most people are inherently shallow and can only derive pleasure from objectification and alienation, they are naturally incompatible with purer and nobler pleasures.

Humans are such despicable creatures.

As the first rich guy started showing off, more and more rich guys began to follow suit, seeking real-world pleasures through the internet.

Even Lü Yao himself was a little taken aback when he saw the online posts.

2016 truly lived up to its reputation as a year of rapid growth and prosperity. There were indeed many wealthy people, and nowadays, the wealthy are no longer hiding their wealth; they are eager to flaunt it and gain amazement and satisfaction from others on the internet.

Seeing the booming trend online, Mr. Lei, who stayed in Shangnan, couldn't sit still.

The situation for geek phones is very good right now. Even if the trend weakens later, Lei Jun estimates that the monthly shipment volume of geek phones should remain between 200,000 and 500,000 units, and then decrease month by month.

In other words, Geek Phone's order volume is conservatively estimated to be one million units in the next three months.

If the demand for one million units cannot be met, then Geek Phones is very likely to fall into a public opinion crisis in the future, just like Smartisan Technology, which is currently struggling on the brink of survival.

and so.

Three days after the Geek Phone launch event, Lei Jun once again used his traditional skills, approaching Lü Yao with a strong, unstoppable, and almost resolute determination: "Mr. Lü! I have to advise you, our phone order volume has now exceeded 600,000, but our product line's monthly production capacity is only 200,000 units."

"With the current order volume alone, we're already a month behind. The longer it drags on, the worse it will be for us. No matter how supportive and understanding our fans, netizens, and users are, they can't wait a whole month for us to ship our orders."

Not to mention that some users who are ranked after 300,000 orders may have to wait for two months!

Lei Jun used the story of Smartisan Technology to remind Lü Yao that the stable operation of a product is inseparable from a good delivery cycle.

Lu Yao certainly understood Lei Jun's concerns. He also knew about Smartisan's Smartisan phones, which had been promoting the so-called "craftsman spirit" since their inception. The founder of Smartisan did indeed have a group of loyal fans online.

Even when Lü Yao was studying abroad, he bought a second-hand Smartisan phone as a backup.

It must be said that the Smartisan phone has a pretty good build quality.

Unfortunately, the founder of Smartisan didn't understand the supply chain and was too meticulous about the details of making phones. In the end, the phones they made had many problems, resulting in high prices, mid-range configurations, and low performance.

Production capacity crisis, product durability, physical buttons on the phone, removing the back cover to install the SIM card, and high pricing were among the problems that left the founder of Smartisan, who was making his first phone, overwhelmed and exhausted. However, the founder loved the brand he created, which led to the enduring debate with a phone reviewer.

But no matter what, the Hammer T1 was a failure.

This is something that no amount of effort or passion can change.

But Lu Yao's geek generation (geek1) is different. Although this is Lu Yao's first time cooperating with Xiaomi to make mobile phones, he is not a newcomer to using mobile phones or doing business. Xiaomi, which he is cooperating with, has accumulated several years of mature experience in making mobile phones.

Therefore, Lu Yao's GEEK1 is a very mature product. In fact, Lu Yao himself was already using the GEEK1 as his main phone before the GEEK1 was released.

There were no problems during daily use.

So Lu Yao's idea remained unchanged: "The current flourishing scene is the result of our marketing. Once this wave of hype dies down, our order volume will definitely not be that large. It would be better to continue producing mobile phones according to the original production capacity, otherwise it will be difficult to deal with large-scale inventory buildup later."

But this time, Lei Jun was absolutely firm: "Mr. Lü, I've thought about this issue carefully, and it shouldn't be the case. But I can't guarantee you anything about the future, so here's what I'm thinking: Xiaomi Group will be fully responsible for the money to increase production capacity and even expand production lines. Consider it an advance payment from Xiaomi Group. We can pay it back later when we make a profit."

Before Lü Yao could speak, Lei Jun continued, "If there is a loss, Xiaomi Group will bear the entire loss."

Lü Yao opened his mouth, somewhat speechless.

It's clear that Mr. Lei is eager to improve.

The current wave of sales for geek phones is truly boosting the brand image of the Xiaomi Group.

So rather than saying Lei Jun is always making advance payments, it's more accurate to say he's investing, gambling, betting that as the brand image of Geek Phones improves, Xiaomi Group's brand image will also improve, allowing Xiaomi phones to sell at higher prices than they are now.

As a rising star in the mobile phone industry that has rapidly emerged in just a few years, Lei Jun has already foreseen future trends in the mobile phone market through changes in the supply chain. In the future, the performance of major mobile phone components will become increasingly higher, and the integration of mobile phone components will also become increasingly higher. At that time, the profit margins left for mobile phone manufacturers will become increasingly narrow. If Xiaomi cannot improve its brand image, then its so-called "cost-effectiveness" strategy will become a noose around Xiaomi's neck.

So at this moment, Lei always seemed to be making a desperate gamble.

Lei Jun, a marketing whiz, understands better than anyone that once a brand's tone and positioning are fixed, it's extremely difficult to reverse or change them. That's why he's so determined and anxious.

Seeing Lü Yao's hesitant expression, President Lei said, "I think I understand what you're thinking, President Lü. You want to maintain the brand's high-end image by creating scarcity; but keeping our fans and users hanging for too long is not good either. I will try my best to balance the scales."

This time, Lü Yao was persuaded.

He looked at President Lei with some helplessness, thinking to himself that President Lei was indeed President Lei, having come three times to persuade him, and even actually succeeding in persuading Lü Yao.

Lu Yao agreed, "Then let's do as you say, Mr. Lei. You've been working hard in Shangnan lately. Let's go for a physical therapy session together later. I know a really good one."

Mr. Lei refused outright, saying, "No, I have to go back and make arrangements immediately. Tomorrow's autograph session will have to be handled by you alone, Mr. Lü. I can't help you with that."

Lu Yao's demeanor is very stable, and his ability to control the situation is excellent. President Lei is very confident in Lu Yao's performance in public.

Lu Yao didn't try to persuade him to stay. After having a simple lunch with Lei Jun, Lei Jun left in a hurry. He was going to use all the available production capacity of Xiaomi Group to ensure the supply of Geek phones as much as possible.

As for their own products that were just released recently... well, they'll just have to make do for now.

……

Three days after the Geek Press Conference, Lü Yao's autograph session finally began.

Lu Yao, who had already made all the preparations, held the meeting at the largest Geek Mobile offline flagship store in Huasheng Life Plaza. More than 300 Geek Mobile users had already received the notification and arrived at Shangnan.

However, to maintain order at the autograph session, Geek Phone only offers 200 autograph slots per day, so the autograph ceremony for the first 1,000 people will last for five days.

This was originally a marketing event designed by Lü Yao, so Lü Yao wore a blue round-neck undershirt, a gray casual suit jacket, and black trousers. Apart from the first watch that Wang Shu gave him on his wrist, he wore no other accessories.

When signing autographs, Lü Yao would stand and bend over to sign for people, and then take photos with them.

Finally, he presented the phone with both hands and handed it to the owner.

Lu Yao broadcast the entire first day's signing ceremony live.

Despite appearing to be worth tens of billions, Lu Yao, whose net worth is actually over a hundred billion, acted like the most humble salesperson, handing out phones to every tech enthusiast present and providing them with ample emotional value.

In 2016, the term "emotional value" hadn't been overused, and not many people even knew the concept, but the emotional value that people genuinely felt was real.

After each signing ceremony, Lü Yao would treat all the users who had participated to a meal and then see them off.

Lü Yao did not broadcast this process live.

However, many of the tech-savvy phone users who came to the signing ceremony were online bloggers and internet celebrities who had bought their phones from scalpers through multiple intermediaries. These people have a natural and keen sense for internet traffic, so they naturally wouldn't miss the moment when Lü Yao treated them to dinner.

As a result of the tireless promotion by these online celebrities, Lü Yao's sincerity and friendliness towards geek users were publicized on the internet.

This "reserved program" that Lü Yao had never revealed left many people who wanted to grab the "geek phone ticket" but ultimately gave up feeling extremely frustrated and regretful, especially those who weren't short of money but missed out on this opportunity.

I wish I had known that Mr. Lü would treat me to dinner!

Even if it costs more money, it's worth it, damn it.

The time allotted for the signing ceremony is limited, but once they get to the dinner table, it's a different story. What they can talk about, say, and even do changes completely.

If all else fails, can we at least add each other on WeChat?

Whether or not a big shot like Mr. Lü is in your WeChat friend list, the value of that list is completely different.

Just as many netizens who watched the live stream of the dinner party thought, by the day after the visa was issued, many netizens had already started showing off online that they had added Mr. Lü on WeChat.

"I thought Mr. Lü would be a particularly dashing and ambitious young successful person, but I didn't expect Lü Yao to be so approachable. He even added us on WeChat."

"I've added Mr. Lü on WeChat too, hehe~ Although I'm just an ordinary person, Mr. Lei liked my post last night~~"

"[Crying][Crying] I can tell from your profile picture you're a really pretty girl! Damn it! @吕贼, I've never asked you for anything, but I really like this girl! Please don't make a move on her, please! [Crying]"

For some inexplicable reason, this comment on the internet quickly went viral, receiving likes and being pinned to the top of the charts.

After seeing this, Lü Yao replied directly and tagged the girl who had added him on WeChat: "@潇湘烟雨, this guy seems to like you."

Xiaoxiang Misty Rain: "Wow~~ President Lü, you actually follow and tag me!! (☆ω☆*)"

Lu Yao continued to offer emotional support: "Well, there's nothing I can do about it. You're right, brother. You really are very beautiful."

Seeing that Lü Yao was replying and playing around with the thread, netizens also chimed in, "Wow, President Lü is personally acting as matchmaker, aren't you going to confess your feelings?"

"Yeah, bro, I see you look pretty good in your Weibo photos too."

"Do you want to be a coward for the rest of your life, regretting your cowardice today; or do you want to be a hero for this moment, living the rest of your life without regrets?"

"To confess or to cower, that is the question!"

The guy who posted the message was actually moved: "@潇湘烟雨, the atmosphere is so good, I'll just confess—I like you! Please go out with me!"

Then netizens continued to egg her on, tagging the girl "Xiaoxiang Yanyu" repeatedly.

About an hour later.

Xiaoxiang Yanyu replied: "I think this is too hasty, and I already have someone I like."

Two sentences blocked all the options for a brave man.

The netizens who had been egging him on burst into laughter.

"Seriously, bro? You're really that brave?"

"Netizens' words are deceiving!"

"Damn, that scared me to death. I almost thought the girl was considering whether or not to agree during those half hours."

This was just a minor ups and downs in Lü Yao's marketing campaign. After having his fun, Lü Yao moved on to the next signing ceremony.

Because the entire process of issuing the certificate was disclosed, especially the final dinner and the fact that people were able to add Lü Yao on WeChat at the dinner, it made many people very interested.

Unlike many people who were just there for the spectacle, quite a few business people, especially those involved in retail, technology supply, and advertising alliances, genuinely wanted to discuss cooperation with Lü Yao, but they simply hadn't had a suitable opportunity to contact him before.

Either they were being stopped, or Lü Yao was deliberately avoiding them.

But it's different now.

This Geek Phone launch event is a good opportunity; perhaps I can take this chance to have a chat with Lü Yao.

When it comes to business, texting is useless; video calls have limited effect; the only way to truly demonstrate sincerity, strength, and even charisma is face-to-face negotiation.

The very act of "meeting" is itself a demonstration of sincerity.

So, on the third day after the signing ceremony, a mysterious buyer suddenly appeared on the internet, offering an astronomical price of "one million" to buy the remaining spots among the top 1000 geek phone buyers.

You can have as many as you want.

The message offering a reward for the purchase was even posted across the entire internet. This mysterious buyer mobilized a huge publicity campaign, promoting it extensively on Weibo, WeChat official accounts, Baidu Tieba, and Douyin.

The sheer scale of the publicity and promotion left Lü Yao somewhat bewildered.

Who is this?
Why are you going to go so far?

The news of this online search for remaining spots was spread so widely that the advertising costs alone must have been considerable. However, while the publicity seemed to be in full swing, the overly high-profile and expensive acquisition made the marketing event seem unrealistic, leading outsiders to believe that it was a deliberate marketing ploy by Lü Yao's geek company.

Lü Yao was a bit flustered.

Isn't this like putting a brand-new geek phone on a fire to roast?
This is outrageous!

This must have been sabotage by a competitor!

At the same time, Lü Yao immediately asked Gan Xiaoxi to investigate the matter. Lü Yao also began to speak out online using his real account: "It is difficult to distinguish between truth and falsehood on the Internet. Just take a look at these sensational posts and have some fun. Everyone must be rational when following the gossip and not easily believe the Internet."

He knew, of course, that doing this was a bit like "protesting too much," but he had to do it to clarify that this matter had nothing to do with him or Geek Phone.

really.

As soon as Lü Yao posted this, it attracted a lot of teasing from both new and old fans:

"Hey Lu, you're kind of crying wolf here. It's okay, it's all marketing, but your marketing methods are much more interesting, I'm happy to watch."

"Hahahaha, that's right. Although I hate commercials, I'd be happy to watch one if it's as interesting as one from Tyrande."

(End of this chapter)