Mixed in 1980

Chapter 479 Traffic
"A lawyer's letter? What's that?"

Qiu Xiaoqiu took the lawyer's letter from the boss, read it carefully, and couldn't help but laugh: "Are you crazy? You want us to pay 2600 million in compensation?"

There are two parties seeking compensation: the owner of the goods, Chen Yanyin, and Chen Laosi Stone Shop, which is a brokerage firm.

There are two entities that are being asked to pay compensation: Qiu Xiaoqiu herself and the MCN agency behind her, Wulu Media, a leading live streaming company.

"Who knows?" the boss shrugged.

A hand was already on Qiu Xiaoqiu's large ball, pressing gently: "A lawyer's letter is useless, but they have already filed a case, and it will probably go to court soon."

Qiu Xiaoqiu whimpered, her eyes sparkling: "Let the court proceed, it's not like it's the first time. Why not take this opportunity to release another video and generate some buzz?"

"We'll film later, help me cool down first."

……

A bizarre stone shop opened in Panjiayuan was exposed, and inevitably, curious fellow shoppers came to investigate.

Mr. Zhang, the owner of Yuxi Jewelry, also curiously came over. As soon as he entered, he saw Chen Yanyin and said, "Oh my, I've run into a distinguished person today."

"Mr. Zhang, what brings you here?"

"It's all over the internet, so I came to check it out. What brings you here, Ms. Chen? I haven't seen you in the store much lately," Mr. Zhang joked.

Chen Yanyin rolled her eyes: "My shop!"

Mr. Zhang was slightly taken aback: "Your shop? Heh, I was hoping to see some excitement, but it seems I came all this way for nothing. Are you planning to get into this business?"

"Just messing around, just looking for something to do."

Chen Yanyin gestured for Boss Zhang to sit down and asked Xie Yun to brew a pot of tea: "We've only been open for a few days and we've already gotten ourselves trending on social media. We're really annoyed."

As soon as Mr. Zhang sat down, he started fiddling with his prayer beads: "It's still all over the internet. I heard you sued Qiu Xiaoqiu and are demanding 2600 million in compensation?"

"That's what happened."

After Xie Yun brought the tea over, Chen Yanyin gestured for Boss Zhang to drink: "We had already agreed on several deals and received payment, but after this incident, everyone is demanding refunds."

"Oh, that's a pity."

Mr. Zhang narrowed his eyes slightly, picked up his teacup and took a sip: "I'll send a video to Miss Chen later to bolster her confidence?"

Chen Yanyin asked in surprise, "You also use short videos?"

"There's no way around it, short videos are just too popular, everyone's rushing to do this. I even set up a short video operations center specifically for live streaming," Mr. Zhang explained.

"That's great, then I'll trouble you."

"No trouble at all, I can even gain some traffic." Boss Zhang hurriedly waved his hand.

Chen Yanyin clearly intended to deal with Qiu Xiaoqiu. Helping with publicity, while not exactly a lifeline, was still a favor.

In the future, when encountering picky customers who want high-end jade, they can also seek help from Chen Yanyin.

After finishing his tea, Boss Zhang rushed back to the shop, called the filming team over, and took out his phone to replay Qiu Xiaoqiu's video.

In the video, Qiu Xiaoqiu is holding a lawyer's letter: "Family members, Xiaoqiu has been sued."

"Look at the lawyer's letter, demanding 2600 million in compensation. It scared Xiaoqiu to death. I never thought that a few words from Xiaoqiu would be worth so much money."

His voice was soft, yet it carried a hint of provocation.

"How sarcastic. If they knew they really had to pay 2600 million in compensation, would they still be so arrogant? Tsk tsk... I heard that internet celebrities make a lot of money."

Mr. Zhang shook his head slightly. Once the filming team arrived, they immediately began filming and quickly edited the footage, completing the shoot in less than two hours.

Mr. Zhang doesn't have many fans, only a few hundred thousand.

The company's operations center has more than a dozen accounts, with tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of followers. Once all of them are launched, the exposure will be considerable.

Mr. Zhang's videos are presented in the form of dialogue.

Online, he established the persona of "Teacher Zhang," claiming to have been involved in jade and antique collecting for decades and to have acquired numerous titles through associations, thus maintaining the persona.

He's a true expert after all!

Female host: "Professor Zhang, what are your thoughts on Qiu Xiaoqiu being sued?"

Mr. Zhang: "We're definitely going to lose the case."

Female host: "Why?"

Boss Zhang: "What else could it be but spreading rumors? I went to see Chen Laosi's stone shop, and everything there is genuine; there isn't a single fake."

Female host: "Teacher Zhang, netizens are questioning where so many good jadeite and gemstones can appear in such a concentrated manner. They can only be found in the hands of the National Treasure Helper."

Boss Zhang: "No one else has it, but Miss Chen does. Do you know Miss Chen?"

Seeing the female host shake her head, Mr. Zhang continued, "Miss Chen, also known as Chen Laosi, is the one in our jade and Hetian jade collection." As he spoke, he gave a thumbs up.

"I can say with certainty that when it comes to collecting jadeite and Hetian jade, if Ms. Chen says she's second, no one dares to say they're first."

"She is the top player in the country, without exception."

The female host exclaimed in surprise, "Teacher Zhang, what you're saying is too exaggerated. You keep saying you're number one. If this gets out, netizens will start to question your motives."

Mr. Zhang waved his hand: "Exaggeration? Not at all. Before, no one knew that it was Miss Chen who opened the shop. Now that they know, just go to Panjiayuan and ask any shop that sells high-end jadeite and Hetian jade, and see if they recognize it." "Miss Chen is a legend in the industry."

"It's just that people outside the circle don't know. Veteran players like us have to curry favor with Ms. Chen and ask her for help from time to time."

Female host: "Could you elaborate?"

Mr. Zhang: "Let's chat then. This story starts from Yangrou Hutong. Locals in Beijing definitely know that in the 1990s, jewelry stores were clustered together in Yangrou Hutong."

"I remember that year was 1994."

"Miss Chen is only five or six years old, still a little girl. She was led to Yangrou Hutong by her mother. The grandeur of that wealthy family is truly different."

"Others come to buy goods, but they come to buy everything."

"If you could walk around all the jewelry stores in the alley and buy all the good stuff, all the owners in the alley would be celebrating that day, having found a big fat sheep."

"Guess how fat this sheep is?"

“After they buy, they start placing orders. All the jewelry stores in the alley help them source jadeite and Hetian jade from the source, buying them by the ton.”

"Everyone was excited when they caught a fat sheep, and they all worked hard to help her get the goods. Hey, guess what happened? We were the fat sheep."

“Back then, I bought a lot of Hetian jade pebbles and sold them to her. They were first-grade Hetian jade pebbles, costing several thousand yuan per kilogram. Later, when I tried to buy from her, they were worth tens of thousands of yuan per gram. Who can I complain to?”

“Starting in 1996, good Hetian jade pebbles became very scarce. Ms. Chen’s family began collecting mountain jade. First-grade white mountain jade was priced at 800-1000 yuan per kilogram.”

"80 to 100 million per ton."

"Back then, I sold seven or eight tons of it. And guess what? In 2011, Ms. Chen started shipping it out. Do you know what the price was?"

"From 50,000 to over 100,000 yuan per kilogram."

“I sold it to her for 1 million yuan a ton back then, but I bought it back for over 100 million yuan a ton. Now that I think about it, I regret it to the core.”

"Who are you calling the fat sheep and the sucker?"

"From 2011 to 2014, Ms. Chen spent three whole years wholesaling the mountain jade she collected. How much do you think that was?"

"I was the one who acquired the last batch of mountain jade, about one and a half tons. The quality was very good. At that time, I even found people to raise money, and we raised a total of 2 million yuan to buy it."

"What they sell are all second-rate items; they keep the really good stuff in their hands. They have plenty of it, so why would they need to sell counterfeit goods?"

"Teacher Zhang, are you kidding me?" The female host didn't believe it and felt it was exaggerated.

Mr. Zhang laughed and said, "If you don't believe me, go to Panjiayuan and ask around in a high-end shop, or ask in Yangrou Hutong."

"I'll go and inquire about it later."

The female host nodded and then asked, "Even if Chen Laosi's stone shop sells genuine goods, and Qiu Xiaoqiu is suspected of spreading rumors, it shouldn't warrant a compensation of 2600 million, right?"

Mr. Zhang laughed and said, "Miss Chen has a wide network of connections. The store has just opened and many customers have already placed orders and paid for them, but they haven't come to pick up their goods yet."

"Being falsely accused by Qiu Xiaoqiu led to many customers returning their goods, and Qiu Xiaoqiu must be responsible for the resulting losses, as clearly stipulated by law."

"Qiu Xiaoqiu probably doesn't realize how serious this is. If she were smart enough, she should consult a lawyer now."

……

The video quickly went viral, and since it happened to coincide with a trending event, its views skyrocketed, attracting a lot of criticism as well.

"It's like listening to a story."

"Buying tons and tons of Hetian jade and jadeite back in 1994? There were only a handful of wealthy people back then. That's nonsense."

"Someone has come out to clean up the mess."

However, similar videos to those of Boss Zhang keep appearing, all featuring bosses from Yangrou Hutong and Panjiayuan who deal in high-end jadeite and Hetian jade.

Their statements were almost identical!
The goal is the same: if we can't offer help in times of need, we'll add to what's already good. Everyone has business dealings with Chen Yanyin.

When I receive something good, I always ask Chen Yanyin to check it out. Occasionally, when I encounter a difficult customer who wants top-quality Hetian jade pebbles, I will ask Chen Yanyin to spare one or two pieces.

Within the entertainment circle, at least in Beijing, Chen Yanyin has a lot of influence.

With so many videos appearing at once, it was impossible for Qiu Xiaoqiu not to see them. He couldn't help but panic: "Won't I really have to pay 2300 million in compensation?"

"Where would I get so much money?"

In a panic, I went to the boss and explained the situation. The boss laughed and said, "Don't worry, it's not that serious. Even if the goods are returned, they are still there. At most, we will compensate you for the loss."

"At most, we'll lose a few hundred thousand."

"Perfect timing, let's seize this opportunity to generate another wave of traffic. Isn't she amazing? Buying tons and tons of Hetian jade? Let's use this to create buzz."

"There are many people who resent the rich now."

“Record another video later, stir things up, and hire an online army to guide the discussion. It’s like getting a free wave of traffic. As for compensation, that’s no big deal.”

Upon hearing this, Qiu Xiaoqiu laughed: "You're so clever. Let's do it this way. If we seize this opportunity, our fan base might break ten million."

The boss placed his hand on her large ball again: "Don't worry, it'll definitely work. I'll get the company's other live streamers to help you boost traffic."

"With 10 million followers, you will become the number one streamer in the antique and collectibles industry, and the first streamer in the industry to have more than 10 million followers."

(End of this chapter)