I met my whole family through Baidu Tieba.

Chapter 200 Boss Shen certainly has style

The noodle shop owner had finished his cigarette, but he was still standing in front of the Hongwei Convenience Store.

It's not even four o'clock yet, lunchtime is over and dinnertime hasn't arrived yet. There's not much business at the noodle shop, and going back would just be pointless, so I might as well stay here and watch the excitement for a while.

Zhang Hongwei had the same thought.

He even went over to listen and figured out what Tang Yongming and that little girl were talking about.

"It's already going wrong before the fight even starts. It might not even get started."

After telling the noodle shop owner about the incident, Zhang Hongwei said with a hint of schadenfreude.

The noodle shop owner was also somewhat gloating, so he simply handed Zhang Hongwei another cigarette, and the two of them smoked together, both looking with great interest at the entrance of the bookstore next door, seemingly quite pleased with the problem Tang Yongming was facing.

They didn't actually have any grudge against Tang Yongming.

It's simply because Zhang Hongwei and the noodle shop owner are both the kind of people who refuse to embrace new things.

They don't even know how to use the internet. They just stay in their shop every day, living on this back street, as if their lives could go on like this forever. Whenever they encounter someone who starts trying new things, they subconsciously hope that the person will fail—not out of hatred, but only in that way can they prove that their refusal to embrace new things was the right thing to do.

"I told you, all these websites are fake, scams—"

After taking a drag of his cigarette, the noodle shop owner looked at the bookstore next door and said this.

As the two were enjoying the lively atmosphere, a night-time carriage approached from afar, passing by Lai. When Lai arrived at the Shuteng Study, the boy got off, and the other boy also disembarked.

Zhang Hongwei also mentioned to the noodle shop owner, "This seems to be the owner of that website."

When Shen Kang came to the bookstore before, he went over and listened for a while, and that's how he learned about Shen Kang's identity.

"Is it a doll too?"

Upon seeing Shen Kang's appearance, the noodle shop owner felt even more that those so-called "websites" were unreliable.

What can a doll make?

Zhang Hongwei was also squatting on the ground, smoking, and looking over there with a happy smile.

Next door, Shen Kang stopped his car and approached Ji Feiyan and Tang Yongming. "What's the specifics of the draft?"

Tang Yongming immediately handed the manuscript written by Ji Feiyan to Shen Kang.

Shen Kang started reading.

Ji Feiyan stood to the side, silently watching Shen Kang, feeling a little nervous, wondering how Shen Kang would evaluate her writing. She also felt a little expectant, after all, she was quite confident in her writing skills; perhaps...

How could she make Shen Kang notice this advantage, thus increasing her standing in his eyes?

Shen Kang read very quickly, and finished reading it in no time. Then he looked up.

"It's well written."

As for this article, it does maintain the style of Ji Feiyan's posts on the Beiming Community. In fact, it's clear that she's put more effort into it, and the quality is slightly higher than her previous posts. That petit-bourgeois flavor is still wafting into his nostrils.

Upon hearing Shen Kang's evaluation, Ji Feiyan's eyes lit up, and she smiled sweetly.

Tang Yongming was somewhat disappointed: What does Boss Shen mean by this? Is he also planning to support Ji Feiyan and let her use this to get defeated?

Unexpectedly, Shen Kang immediately changed the subject: "However, Boss Tang's concerns are also reasonable. Let's brainstorm together and see where we can make further changes."

Tang Yongming is the first GG user in their Beiming Community's three-party GG model, so they definitely want to do their best. Ideally, their first GG should have a significant effect, which would be beneficial for Beiming Community to receive more such three-party GG users in the future.

Upon hearing Shen Kang's words, Tang Yongming was overjoyed.

Then, Shen Kang stood at the entrance of the bookstore, looking around, and began to think about how to create a soft advertisement that would satisfy Tang Yongming.

Looking around, Shen Kang immediately spotted two middle-aged men smoking cigarettes, squatting on the ground in front of the convenience store next door.

Then Shen Kang's gaze swept over them and then looked into the distance.

It was a house facing the street, the door open, the inside somewhat dark, making it difficult to see inside. A yellow dog, tied with a thick rope, lay on the ground by the door, dozing with its eyes half-closed. Sunlight streamed down from the awning, partially blocked, casting a clear line of light and shadow on the dog.

Further away, there was a tree, and leaves were beginning to fall.

Across the street, there was another house with its door open. In front of the door was a rattan chair, and an old man was lying on it, wearing a cotton hat, basking in the setting sun.

The backstreet was really secluded, with very few people, and the whole world seemed very quiet.

Shen Kang gradually came up with an idea.

Then he looked away and glanced at the bookstore in front of him. After looking it over, he went inside and wandered around. His thoughts gradually became clearer. He then picked up a pen and paper, found a place to sit down, and began to write.

The content wasn't too much, and Shen Kang finished writing it after a while.

Then he picked up the Polaroid camera Tang Yongming had prepared and became the photographer, directing Ji Feiyan to set up some photos of herself in various places around the store. Afterwards, following the format of Ji Feiyan's manuscript, in a certain...

I inserted annotations where there was text and pasted the photos on top.

After completing all this, Shen Kang finally gave the revised ad copy to Tang Yongming.

"Boss Tang, how about this?"

Tang Yongming took it and started reading.

Since it was written by Shen Kang, Ji Feiyan was very curious about it, so she simply stood aside without making a sound and read it along with him.

Unlike Ji Feiyan's promotional copy, Shen Kang started by giving a theme: "An Encounter About Escape and Reunion." There was a note following: "There must be a theme," which roughly conveyed the idea.

This annotation was clearly meant for Ji Feiyan.

Then the main text follows:

On a weekend afternoon, I was busy with trivial matters as usual, until I pushed open that dark green wrought iron door and suddenly realized that there really is a place where people can "hide away" in this noisy world.

A faded hemp rope bell dangled from the doorknob, its soft ringing like a gentle sigh. Instead of pungent commercial fragrances, the air was filled with the damp scent of a post-rain forest—a miniature moss garden tucked away in a corner, ferns unfurling within misty glass domes, and terracotta potted plants dotting the bookshelves, their leaves still glistening with water droplets. The clerk explained with a smile, "These plants 'drink' the dust from the book pages every morning; they're like the bookstore's little cleaners."

Upon seeing this, Tang Yongming couldn't help but look up and remind him, "Boss Shen, my shop doesn't have any miniature moss garden!"

Shen Kang said, "I know there isn't, but I think it's possible. Anyway, it's not expensive. Think about it carefully and see if it feels right. Or you can hold off on giving an answer and observe the overall feeling for a while longer before making a decision."

Before Tang Yongming could even begin to figure it out, Ji Feiyan started to study it based on what was written on it.

Thinking about the scene described above, she suddenly felt that having a miniature moss garden would actually make things much better! It would be more classy.

Indeed, Shen Kang's taste is truly elegant and outstanding.

Ji Feiyan opened her eyes from her reverie, glanced at Shen Kang, and thought to herself.

Tang Yongming, after thinking for a while as Shen Kang had suggested, also opened his eyes, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, and continued reading:

I walked along the mottled gray wall and found that there were no neat bookshelves.

The old elmwood table was piled high with unopened parchment packages, like gifts waiting to be unwrapped: on the low cabinet sat a rusty typewriter, postcards from the last century, and jars of "inspiration candies" (mints labeled "have one when you can't write") with handwritten labels —

"A rusty typewriter, postcards from the last century, and inspiration candies —"

Tang Yongming muttered to himself as he read what was written on it.

This time, there was no need to ask; he answered immediately, "Boss Shen, is this something you think you should have?"

Shen Kang nodded, "Mhm, mhm."

Ji Feiyan continued to look at the things Shen Kang described and began to imagine them.

I don’t know if it’s because she loves Shen Kang, but whatever he writes, she thinks it’s good, classy, ​​elegant and outstanding.

Tang Yongming imagined it for a moment, then remained silent and continued reading:

The biggest surprise was the "Regret Shelf" around the corner, where all the books returned by readers lay, each with a farewell note from the person who returned it on the title page. I randomly picked up a copy of "The Little Prince" and saw a mother's words: "My child has grown up; this book should return to where it is needed more."

"Yes, yes, that's exactly the feeling!"

Upon seeing this, Tang Yongming suddenly exclaimed excitedly, "This is the feeling I've been looking for!"

"The 'Regretful Bookshelf,' and this sentence, 'The child has grown up, this book should return to where it's needed more,' that's exactly the feeling! This is so desirable!"

Tang Yongming was very excited.

He himself was a bourgeois person, but Ji Feiyan's bourgeois style, with its extremely detailed descriptions of scenery, always made him feel like he was whining without any real feeling, and it didn't really hit the mark for him. This was probably why he was always dissatisfied.

However, Shen Kang's writing, while not as detailed as Ji Feiyan's and with more straightforward language, is significantly more substantial. The bourgeois elegance in this particular passage, in particular, is even more pronounced in its simple, descriptive style, which truly resonated with him.

Ji Feiyan was also somewhat amazed, especially by Tang Yongming's performance, which clearly reflected that in Tang Yongming's mind, the ad copy written by Shen Kang was obviously more satisfactory than the ad copy written by her.

However, Ji Feiyan didn't feel jealous at all. On the contrary, she thought that her idol truly lived up to his name. Someone with such strong abilities could excel at anything.

After a moment of excitement, Tang Yongming became even more eager to continue reading:

After choosing my book, I slipped into that "secret corner" separated by a canvas curtain.

The beanbag chairs are in varying shades of ginger yellow, like a warm cloud. Lifting the blanket reveals a leather pencil case hidden inside the armrest. Pulling it open, you'll find a fountain pen, ink, and blank cards—apparently, this place encourages guests to write down a few words and drop them into the mailbox in the corner.

Following the example of those who came before me, I doodled a dozing cat on the card, and when I put it in the mailbox, I heard a ding-dong sound. I wonder whose mailbox it will be sent to.

The coffee was a delightful surprise. When ordering, the barista handed me a hand-drawn "Booklist Coffee" guide, each drink corresponding to the essence of a book: "One Hundred Years of Solitude" was a hand-drip Yirgacheffe, bitter with a sweet aftertaste, like the rainy season in Macondo; "84 Charing Cross Road"...

"The 'Night Flight' is like an English black tea, mellow and lingering, like a letter across the ocean." I chose "Westward at Night," and the latte that was served had the outline of the African savanna outlined in cocoa powder—

Tang Yongming had stopped making a sound and simply watched silently as he walked on.

As dusk deepened, I casually rummaged through a hidden compartment under the sofa cushions and discovered a stack of Polaroid photos—silhouettes of guests who had spent afternoons here. There was a schoolgirl in a uniform holding a book and making a peace sign, an elderly man with white hair dozing against the window frame, and the most recent one, taken yesterday, showing a girl in a beret smiling at the camera. The clerk said that if you leave your photo, you can get a "Time Capsule Special" drink next time you come.

When I left, the clerk didn't hand me a plastic bag, but instead put the book into a canvas bag with a brass bookmark on the corner that read, "The time you stole here has become your light."

Walking down the street, the setting sun cast long shadows, and I suddenly realized that the most charming thing about this bookstore was not the coffee or the decorations, but that it turned every afternoon into a game about "escape" and "reunion." You always want to know whose stories you will meet today, and what kind of traces they will leave behind.

Now, I'm planning to go again next week. Not for any other reason than that the card in that mailbox might be mailed to a stranger tomorrow; and the photo in the hidden compartment will one day, in the future, reunite with me in this moment—

In Shen Kang's promotional article, many of the photos he had just taken of Ji Feiyan were still included.

It's almost dusk now, and the light is perfect for creating a great atmosphere in photos. Plus, Ji Feiyan is quite pretty, and she even specially picked out the clothes for today. She looks good in the photos; she's a great model.

Combined with the instant photo quality, the photos inserted into this article made the scenes described in the article seem to come alive.

"So elegant, so incredibly elegant!"

Tang Yongming couldn't help but shout this, very excited.

He was absolutely certain that this was the kind of guy he wanted!

Shen Kang thought to himself, "Elegant my foot, isn't it just showing off? But as long as the customer is satisfied, that's all that matters."

After calling out, Tang Yongming couldn't help but add, "But Boss Shen, some of the things you wrote down here, I don't have in my shop—are you really going to buy them?"

If Tang Yongming had seen the scene described by Shen Kang when the shop was first opened, he would have immediately followed Shen Kang's instructions and purchased all the items described.

After all, what he wanted to open was a stylish bookstore, and the things Shen Kang described would undoubtedly make his bookstore much more stylish!

That was when the store had just opened.

The store has been open for more than a month now.

Tang Yongming, who initially felt he was omnipotent and could make a fortune as soon as he opened his business, was gradually brought to his senses by the harsh realities of society.

They started to consider issues such as costs and potential benefits more.

He doesn't have much money left. If he really follows Shen Kang's description to make purchases and then it doesn't work out, wouldn't he be losing money?

Sigh, he just wanted to play a quick game, how did it suddenly lead to new expenses? ————

"My personal suggestion is that it's best to buy them all."

Shen Kang offered his advice: "If you do the math, these things may seem like a lot, but actually, they don't cost much to buy. Plus, many of them can be secondhand, making them even cheaper. From an overall cost-effectiveness perspective, it's still very worthwhile."

Ji Feiyan chimed in, "Yes, Boss Tang, Shen Kang is quite right." After a pause, she added, "And to be honest, when I first saw your bookstore, I had a strange feeling of it being both Western and rustic, a bit too rustic. But if you renovate it like Shen Kang suggested, it will feel much more stylish."

What she said is true.

When Ji Feiyan first saw Tang Yongming's shop, she had this feeling. So when Tang Yongming said that what she wrote wasn't the feeling he wanted, she thought to herself, "It's your shop's problem, not my writing."

After reading what Shen Kang wrote, Ji Feiyan became even more certain that it was the problem with Tang Yongming's shop. After Shen Kang changed the description of some things in the shop, didn't it immediately improve the feeling?

Hearing both of them say this, Tang Yongming hesitated for a moment, then sighed and said, "Alright then. These things..."

"West, I'll go buy the necessary items. But Mr. Shen, what about that 'regretful bookshelf' you wrote here?"

"

He pointed to a paragraph in the text, "Am I supposed to copy this verbatim? Does this mean my bookstore is actually going to allow customers to return books they're not satisfied with?"

Tang Yongming has indeed become more and more aware of his role as a boss, and he immediately noticed the problem.

Shen Kang then said, "That's right, we should allow customers to return items."

Tang Yongming couldn't help but say, "What if customers read through all the books and then return them? Wouldn't I go bankrupt? What's the point of keeping my bookstore open then?!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Kang chuckled, "That's a good thing!"

"Boss Tang, your business thinking is too rigid. You need to think about this problem from a different perspective."

Tang Yongming was taken aback: "From another angle?" He didn't know what Shen Kang meant by that.

Seeing his confusion, Shen Kang explained, "Yes, let's look at it from another angle. What's wrong with returning books? Maybe returned books will sell even better."

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