In order to live in seclusion, I tricked my roommate into falling in love

Chapter 178: Aren’t You Bumping into My Own Business?
Selling underwear through live streaming is a perfect fit for Zi Xiaowei.

His effortless literary and artistic style combined with the unique edge effect of underwear can easily create a hot topic and then generate sales among a large number of netizens.

Following the sales of 4 million pieces of underwear on Double Eleven, the sales surged again to 5.7 million pieces, with a total GMV of more than 1.7 billion yuan.

Countless netizens were amazed in the live broadcast room, saying that this is indeed a master who can sell 140 billion cars!

Even a single guy like me couldn't help but place an order and bought two pieces. I don't know whether to give them to my mom or a female colleague.

But even after selling so much, Zi Xiaowei still drove back to the northern suburbs in the middle of the night, regardless of Boss Dai's scolding.

Just to continue going up the ridge to pick sweet potatoes in the morning.

Sure enough, early in the morning, the old men practicing Tai Chi and Secretary Zhou all surrounded him to ask about the two student start-up companies that wanted to donate 200 million yuan to renovate the park yesterday.

Especially Old Tang, who majored in landscape architecture, was eager to be rehired and participate. "Should we start with the wetland park behind here? I thought they were useless when they started this a few years ago. What's the point of doing so little? The whole area has too much old sedimentation that needs to be repaired. I know there's a small path behind..."

It may take some time for the students to pass on the information, but these old professors will definitely know it quickly, after all, this is the student they recommended.

So how could you possibly miss this special “Work Report” session?

Zi Xiaowei took out the small stools from the car and gave them to everyone.

He methodically explained how the internet celebrity media company made its money: "We have to pay taxes anyway, and 12% of our annual profits can be donated, which also offsets the tax-free portion. So we're thinking about using the funds to renovate the campus, starting with landscaping some simple, uninhabited wasteland. If we can continue this approach, maybe in a few years we can make this area back there even more beautiful."

The senior professors still found it unbelievable: "How can you make hundreds of millions of yuan in a few months? Is this money legal?"

Zi Xiaowei further emphasized, "They made hundreds of millions in about an hour. This is the hallmark of the internet economy today. If they capitalize on the extremely widespread reach of top influencers, coupled with the booming automotive market, it's a true phenomenon of their time. Yesterday, they could only earn tens of millions."

You can only earn tens of millions!

He is not afraid of hurting his back while showing off.

Fortunately, the old men were more surprised by the technical issues and felt that the amount was just a number.

Mr. Zhou frowned the whole time.

But he leaned in from his folding chair and listened intently: "Is there anything that violates policy here?"

Zi Xiaowei squatted, shoveling dirt in an incubator. "This is a period of technological change," he said. "Everyone is trying to determine whether this change will boost or hinder productivity. For example, this car company's explosive production capacity is certainly a major development, but this sales model has eliminated the jobs of many grassroots sales staff. What should we do?"

As he spoke, he pointed toward the school gate with a shovel. "All these desperate people are throwing themselves into livestreaming? They don't know anything, so they resort to vulgar, ugly, and sensationalist tactics to attract attention. The internet celebrities gathered outside the school gate who couldn't make it are negative examples. But simply denying this legitimate business model isn't right, is it? So, while there's no problem with the policy, we're also discussing starting a social science research project."

Mr. Zhou immediately asked, "What are your ideas?"

Zi Xiaowei answered carefully, "I was also confused. This is the inevitable progress of the changing times. Can you say that after the Industrial Revolution, the workers' sudden increase in efficiency killed the artisans? Or that modern online shopping killed the retail stores? Of course, we can't blame advanced development for exploring new directions, but we can't simply blame backward people for not working hard to improve and change. So how should we deal with it?"

The old men surrounded him in three layers.

Of course they know how to think, and even if most of them are scholars, they understand the power of these historical processes.

They almost asked, "Now that you put it that way, it seems like the situation is really serious?"

"After online shopping... I think retail stores have also survived. I haven't seen the specific data."

"It's really hard to strike the right balance when exploring new directions like this..."

"Commercial companies and capital operations are definitely profit-driven. They can trample on all laws and regulations and the people's livelihood!"

"Yes, how should we deal with it?"

Zi Xiaowei concluded, "The car company CEO taught me something: since new developments have taken away many jobs, we should create more. So, on the one hand, we're developing the park to create more jobs so that our team can learn and improve. On the other hand, we're also thinking about what new jobs we can create for ordinary people, beyond triathlons and the three lucky charms."

Everyone then quickly asked what triathlon and the three auspicious treasures were.

Mr. Zhou's expression brightened. "Have you found it?" Zi Xiaowei smiled. "We often say that the happiest future society would be one where robots do everything, and well-fed and well-clothed humans just need to enjoy life. Sometimes I wonder, wouldn't that be boring? You have to have a hobby, right?"

The retired old men nodded vigorously: "After a lifetime of hard work, it's hard to relax and enjoy life. So you must have some hobbies."

Zi Xiaowei took out his phone and took a picture of the flowers and plants. "This shouldn't be difficult, right? Everyone has a phone and can take pictures. Look at those shameless internet celebrities who risk their lives for a meager income, and those food delivery drivers and ride-hailing drivers crisscrossing the city. Can we make some money taking pictures?"

The old men were all a little confused. How could they make money?
Zi Xiaowei carefully simulated: "Do you like this photo of a flower? You can buy it and download it for ten cents. The majestic mountains across the way are shrouded in mist and are lush and verdant. If a thousand or ten thousand people buy it, wouldn't that count as income? This is the characteristic of the mobile internet era. A live streamer can have 10 to 20 million viewers, and a good-looking photo can also attract hundreds or thousands of people. Snapping dozens or hundreds of photos a day doesn't cost anything. All it takes is some practice in photography..."

Zi Xiaowei squatted there, shaking the folding machine in his hands, looking exceptional. "Internet technology can be compared to a knife. It can be used as a guillotine to cut the market, or as a kitchen knife to cook delicious dishes. The key lies in who holds it."

Mr. Zhou sat in a folding chair and thought quietly for a long time, turning around to see everyone's reaction.

Professor Tang was most direct: "Xiaowei can think this way. His thinking quality and realm are no longer that of an ordinary student."

Zi Xiaowei smiled and waved his hand. "My classmates from two or three companies often discuss this together. Before applying to Southwest Associated University, I worked as a teacher for several years. I've personally experienced the reforms of these years and I'm sure they have touched me deeply. I'd like to share my insights with you guys."

The old professors were happy because they were fellow travelers.

Unexpectedly, Mr. Zhou said at this time: "Then I will talk to Xiaowei again, especially to tell him some of the lessons I learned from my failure."

In fact, judging from the tone, he already completely treats Zi Xiaowei as his student or junior.

Someone immediately said that was a failure.

Some old men even made faces at Zi Xiaowei, signaling him to listen carefully.

It was already quite chilly in the early morning of winter. Zi Xiaowei felt that he should either get a new energy vehicle to discharge electricity outside, or get a small stove to make a fire for heating.

He had been turning over and loosening the soil and was sweating a little, but he wasn't cold.

The old man was wearing a down vest so he wouldn't catch a cold. I found a small blanket in the car and covered Mr. Zhou's legs with it.

It was cooked without any flattery or pleasing at all, just as naturally as the food served to the elders at home.

This is the style of interacting with retired old men.

It’s not about their old relationships that most people have forgotten, but about the words of the old people that are right in front of us.

If you understand and learn, you can really avoid many detours.

Mr. Zhou slowly put on a nostalgic smile. "Actually, I wasn't very sensitive to the internet boom, but just two years before I retired, a wave of internet entrepreneurship suddenly swept through my school, and the city's education system was very supportive. Around that time, one of my students launched a work-study employment website, aiming to build bridges between students looking for jobs, parents in need of tutors or part-time jobs, and businesses..."

Zi Xiaowei suddenly realized: "Oh, I know, I know. I used this at Normal University back then, and then something went wrong in my sophomore year."

The smile turned to bitterness: "Of course I fully support it. It also pushed the school to allocate resources to the local area. It became the internet star of the United Nations University. The first science and technology industrial park was built around it in this way."

Zi Xiaowei wiped the dirt off his hands, then it was his turn to sit on the small stool, leaning forward and nodding seriously.

This is the most valuable lesson.

Mr. Zhou gazed at the towering mountains in the distance. "For eight years, he forgot his original intention for doing this: to help students improve their lives and put their studies into practice. He lost himself in the pursuit of fame and fortune, and his goal became to make more money. He recklessly pushed the company to go public, engaging in fraudulent speculation and illegal activities. In the end, he ruined the company and himself."

Zi Xiaowei said nothing and nodded slowly.

The old secretary patted his knee and said, "So many things have happened in the past and present, and the fishermen's songs have started at midnight. I hope you can understand where my instructions and focus are."

Oh, this is clearly the core business of the Chinese Department.

Zi Xiaowei calmly replied, "People have heard of so many events from the past and present, and have treated them all as jokes. Personally, I think that's just a helpless attempt at lightheartedness. Chen Yuyi's statement, that all historical events, past and present, have their own interpretations, even coming from a fisherman fishing in the middle of the night, carries a warning. I've learned something from this."

The old man really couldn't be more satisfied.

(End of this chapter)