Huayu: You were supposed to be a top star, but you've become capital?

At 9:30 p.m., the noise in the banquet hall gradually subsided.

Lin Shen toasted with several senior executives of Jaeger-LeCoultre for the last time, politely said goodbye, and left accompanied by his assistant and bodyguards, boarding a business vehicle bound for Guangzhou.

As the car drove onto the Guangzhou-Shenzhen Riverside Expressway, the dazzling night view of the bay area was visible outside the window.

Lin Shen finally had time to take out his personal phone, and the screen was already piled high with message notifications.

First, Yang Mi sent a WeChat message: "Wow, you're something else, dropping a bombshell without a word. But what you said makes sense, so I'll give you a thumbs up. [thumbs up] But next time, could you please give me a heads-up beforehand? My heart can't take it."

Lin Shen smiled and replied, "I'll definitely do it next time, thank you, Sister Mi."

Next up is Zheng Shuang: "Lin Shen! You're so handsome! You said it so well! [starry eyes]" followed by a string of various emoticons expressing admiration.

Lin Shen replied, "Thank you, Shuangzi [smile]"

Zhao Liying's message was more concise: "Lin Shen, I just finished filming and I saw the news. I admire you. [clasped hands]" It was probably posted during a break from filming "The Journey of Flower".

Lin Shen responded with the same fist-clasped emoji.

Next came a message from Chen Weiting: "Shenzi, you're brave! But next time something this explosive happens, give us a heads-up. This matter also involves Jaycee Chan, and a lot of people are watching."

Lin Shen knew he meant well and replied, "Understood, thank you for reminding me, William. I understand."

Tang Yan, who will soon be playing A Ning in "The Lost Tomb" and will have many scenes with Lin Shen, also posted a message:

"Lin Shen, I saw what you posted. It's very powerful. I look forward to our collaboration soon and making a great film together. [smile]"

Lin Shen replied: "Thank you, Sister Tangtang. I'm looking forward to it too. See you on set."

At this moment, a message from Chen Xiao popped up, its style completely different, very direct:

"Lin Shen! Just finished work and saw this, awesome bro! That's such a strong statement, so satisfying! Someone should stand up and say that! I admire you! [clasped hands][clasped hands][clasped hands]"

Lin Shen looked at the message and could imagine Chen Xiao's straightforward personality. He smiled and replied:

"Brother Xiao, you flatter me. It was just something I felt compelled to say. Thank you for your support. [clasped hands]"

Besides these, there were also a bunch of messages from people I knew or wasn't that close to in the industry. Some were genuine likes, some were probing, and some were just polite formalities.

Lin Shen replied to a few of the important ones, and gave polite thanks to the rest.

Xiao Yang was holding a tablet, monitoring public opinion in real time and reporting back from time to time.

"Brother Shen, our Weibo post has been forwarded over a million times, and several official media outlets have also reposted it..."

Ke has completely fallen silent. Even with fans and online trolls working together to control the comments, they can't keep up. However, there are some dissenting voices saying that we are creating a persona and trying to ride the wave of popularity...

Lin Shen hummed in agreement: "Given the current situation, it's like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. Apart from those who are paid to do things and those who are truly stupid, who would dare to openly disagree now? Let's just ignore it."

He wasn't concerned with these aftereffects; he swiped his finger and opened a chat window with the person in charge of the trajectory tracking.

"I will arrive at Boss Zhou's factory at nine o'clock tomorrow morning to make a final check on the preparation of the bulk goods. I will go straight to the factory when I arrive."

The other party quickly replied: "Received, Mr. Lin! Everything is ready. I have also informed Director Zhou."

-----------------

On the morning of September 17th, in an industrial park in Haizhu District, Guangzhou, a low-key dark gray Buick GL8 minivan slowly drove in and stopped at the entrance of Mr. Zhou's factory.

This car was temporarily rented by the team locally. The car that was photographed extensively at the airport and MixC yesterday is now quietly parked in the hotel garage to avoid potential fans or paparazzi waiting in the wings.

Lin Shen got out of the car first. He was dressed in casual clothes that were easy to move in, and wore a black baseball cap and a mask. But his tall figure made him immediately recognized by Boss Zhou and his group who were waiting at the door.

"Mr. Lin! Welcome, welcome!" Boss Zhou greeted him with a big smile, followed by several of the factory's core subordinates, making it a rather formal occasion.

Business owners in Guangdong province are particular about showing respect and courtesy when receiving important clients. Even though Lin Shen requested a simplified approach, the necessary etiquette and importance must still be observed.

"Boss Zhou, you're too kind. There's no need to wait here." Lin Shen pulled down his mask and shook hands with Boss Zhou. "Let's go straight to the workshop to check the goods; time is of the essence."

"Alright, alright, Mr. Lin, you're very efficient. Follow me." Boss Zhou immediately stepped aside to lead the way, explaining as they walked, "We've set aside a testing area, and the samples are all ready."

The group passed through the slightly noisy but orderly cutting and sewing workshops and finally arrived at the finishing workshop.

Here hangs a large number of garments that are almost finished and awaiting final quality inspection and packaging; these are the first batch of goods from Track.

"Mr. Lin, look, this is the final confirmed denim fabric. We've adjusted the washing formula and finishing process according to your requirements."

"They're much softer now, but still have a good structure, and the colorfastness has passed rigorous testing." Boss Zhou picked up a pair of finished jeans and handed them to Lin Shen.

Lin Shen took it and first examined its appearance. The stitches were even and fine, the lines were straight, and the hardware was of good quality.

He carefully touched the fabric, feeling its texture and thickness, and then looked at it against the light to see if the color transition after washing was natural. Finally, he checked the craftsmanship of details such as the pockets and belt loops.

"Hmm, this feels right." Lin Shen nodded, handed the pants to Xiao Yang next to him, and then picked up a T-shirt next to him.

I carefully inspected the stitching of the neckline and shoulder lines, stretched the fabric to check its elasticity, and examined the tightness of the weave against the light.

"Has the neckline of the T-shirt been reinforced?" Lin Shen asked.

"It's done! We even added nylon reinforcing strips, and it's been tested repeatedly with water. It retains its shape very well and isn't easily deformed," the factory manager quickly replied.

Lin Shen looked at each item one by one: a trench coat-style shirt dress, a knitted cardigan...

He observed very carefully and would occasionally ask some professional questions, such as the type of a certain thread, the overlocking process of a certain part, the pretreatment of special fabrics, and so on.

Boss Zhou and several managers answered the questions earnestly, secretly admiring the celebrity boss, who was truly knowledgeable and could not be fooled.

After reviewing the overall picture, Lin Shen had a basic understanding of the situation.

The quality of the bulk production reached over 95% of the sample garment's standard. Although there were minor flaws in some details, the overall quality control met or even slightly exceeded his expectations within the reasonable range of industrialized production.

Boss Zhou has indeed put his heart into his factory.

"Boss Zhou, everyone," Lin Shen's gaze swept over the several somewhat nervous factory key personnel in front of him, and he nodded affirmatively.

"This batch of goods exceeded my expectations in terms of quality. The workmanship is solid, the details are meticulous, and it fully meets the standards agreed upon in our contract. There are even some areas that can be improved. Thank you all for your hard work."

These words were like the best reward, and the hearts of Boss Zhou and the others finally settled down, with smiles appearing on their faces.

"Of course! Mr. Lin's high standards are a blessing for us, forcing us to improve our own craftsmanship!"

Mr. Zhou rubbed his hands together, beaming, before finally getting to the topic he was most interested in.

"Well...Mr. Lin, when can we arrange production for this large order?"

Lin Shen already had a well-developed supply chain plan in mind.

When the Track brand was first launched, its core advantage was the personal appeal of its founder, but the product itself was the foundation.

The initial orders must meet the initial surge in fan demand, while also allowing for flexibility in terms of subsequent word-of-mouth marketing and organic traffic generation, and controlling inventory risk.

"The first batch of bulk orders totals 80,000 pieces across all styles," Lin Shen announced.

Boss Zhou's eyes lit up! Eighty thousand pieces!

This is a significant order for his factory, which has multiple production lines, and requires careful production organization. It offers substantial profits and can effectively reduce fixed costs.

Lin Shen continued, "The specific proportions of the styles will be as agreed upon beforehand, but will be slightly adjusted based on the pre-sale data."

Jeans accounted for 50%, totaling 40,000 pairs; basic T-shirts accounted for 30%, totaling 24,000 pieces; and shirt dresses accounted for 20%, totaling 16,000 pieces.

For all styles, the minimum order quantity for each color and size (S, M, L, XL) must be no less than 800 pieces to ensure comprehensive SKU coverage and avoid stockouts of popular colors and sizes.

Boss Zhou quickly did the mental calculations and nodded repeatedly:

"No problem! We've already prepared 70% of the required amount of raw materials in advance, and the production line is ready to start at any time! We guarantee to complete production, quality inspection, and initial packaging by the time you request!"

"This is only the first batch." Lin Shen's words made Boss Zhou's heart beat even faster.

"At midnight on National Day, the official website and Taobao flagship store will simultaneously launch pre-sales, with a pre-sale period of 7 days."

Based on the 7-day pre-sale data, we will give you the first reorder instruction on October 8th. The reorder quantity is expected to be between 30% and 80% of the first batch of orders, which is 24,000 to 64,000 pieces.

At that time, you may need to coordinate production capacity and respond quickly.

"Furthermore," Lin Shen looked at Boss Zhou and gave a longer-term perspective,

"The trajectory isn't limited to this season. If the market feedback meets our expectations, our second wave of collaborations in the fall and the winter collection will follow immediately."

"Our quarterly order volume is expected to be no less than 150,000 pieces. Mr. Zhou, your factory's capacity and quality control determine how fast and how far we can go."

Upon hearing this, Boss Zhou felt reassured and even somewhat excited.

This is not just a large order in the immediate future, but also a long-term partner with stable and significant growth potential! He immediately expressed his opinion:

"Don't worry, Mr. Lin! I, Lao Zhou, may not be able to promise anything else, but when it comes to quality control and delivery time, I will absolutely deliver on my word!"

For subsequent payments, our factory will definitely provide the best production lines and the most skilled workers! Don't worry about production capacity; I can coordinate with our sister factories to ensure it's met!

"Okay." This was exactly the attitude and promise Lin Shen wanted.

"In addition, my team will deliver the first batch of the brand's standard care labels, brand hang tags, anti-theft tags, and matching packaging to the factory within five days."

Please assign someone to relabel and repackage the products after final quality inspection. This is the final step in building the brand image, and we cannot afford to make mistakes.

"Of course! I'll personally oversee it!" Boss Zhou patted his chest and assured him, "It'll be done beautifully, meeting the required standards!"

All major matters have been finalized, and Boss Zhou extended a warm invitation:

"Mr. Lin, it's noisy in the workshop, and you must be tired of standing. Why don't you come to my office for a cup of tea and rest your feet? I have some Phoenix Dancong tea that a friend gave me. It's from this spring, and it's quite good. Please have a taste."

Lin Shen checked the time and, seeing that there were no urgent arrangements, nodded in agreement: "Alright, then I'll trouble Boss Zhou to try your fine tea."

The group left the workshop and headed to the office building.

Meanwhile, after a night of online buzz, the hashtag #LinShenSpeaksOut# remained trending, with mainstream media giving their verdict and the general public showering it with praise.

Lin Shen's Weibo followers have seen another significant increase, much to the delight of his fans, who are now firmly labeled as a positive role model.

Although the Lin Shen incident has been definitively settled in the mainstream public opinion arena, the corners of the internet are never peaceful.

Around 10 a.m., a marketing account with only tens of thousands of followers, which usually mainly reposts juicy gossip from the entertainment industry, suddenly posted a vague blog post:

"I heard some gossip. A certain top influencer with the surname L, who recently gained a lot of goodwill from the public for speaking out for justice, seems to have touched a nerve with some people.

I heard that several luxury brand endorsements and S+ level film and television projects that were in deep contact have suddenly stopped or become ambiguous. The message from them is that they need to reassess the risks.

...Tsk tsk, you really shouldn't say things carelessly, and you shouldn't offend people indiscriminately. *hugs my blanket tightly, I'm scared.*