How can you become a star without money?

Chapter 151 Then You Might Have a Stepfather [10,000-word Update, Please Subscribe]

The next item up for auction is a Montblanc Peking Opera mask fountain pen, a prime example of artistic luxury, with a starting bid of 20 yuan.

Guo Guangchang of Fuxing was the first to offer 25.

The original bidding rule of 11,000 was changed to 51,000 after Wang Yao's interference.

The bid from this current richest man in Shanghai naturally represented the attitude of the hosts, and everyone else tacitly refrained from following suit.

Except for Wang Yao.

"30." Liu Yifei's unique voice carried a hint of helplessness this time.

The room fell silent instantly. Guo Guangchang's smile was approving, but he didn't seem to care.

Ke Lan looked at Su Mang again.

At this point, Su Mang was somewhat numb, and she began to reflect.

Was Wang Yao sent by Deng Wendi to give her lessons?

Guo Guangchang did not continue bidding, and the pen once again fell into Wang Yao's hands.

The award presenter was Sun Li, who was also the representative of Shanghai celebrities in the entertainment industry tonight.

"Congratulations, Mr. Wang, on acquiring this rare collector's item. You are contributing to environmental protection in Southwest China," Sun Li said with a broad smile.

"Thank you, Sister Li." Wang Yao nodded and took the microphone. "Actually, I bought this pen as a gift for Mr. Guo."

After he finished speaking, the room erupted in uproar once again.

?

What does that mean? You raise the price with Guo Guangchang and then give it to him?
Are young people these days really this unscrupulous in using connections?

Guo Guangchang, who had been smiling amiably in the audience, frowned slightly upon hearing this. Whether he got a photo or not was not important to him; he was only there as a representative of the Shanghai business community.

But his businessman's intuition told him that the young man on stage seemed to be trying to use him.

"Many people may be hearing about my company for the first time. Actually, I started it four months ago when I was in college. As a kid from a rural area in northern China, I studied e-commerce, a less popular major in college. When I was a junior college student, it was difficult to find a job related to my major during my internship."

However, I am unwilling to give up my beloved e-commerce major because I firmly believe that the e-commerce industry is an important tool that will change the cultural consumption habits of China and even the world.

So I made a bold decision: to start my own business. Since there weren't any suitable e-commerce jobs in the market, I decided to create them myself. I firmly believed that following the future would keep me on the right track. But starting a business requires capital. After researching extensively and consulting with my teachers,
Finally, filled with enthusiasm, I applied to angel investment funds in Shanghai. I applied to many, but only the Incubator Foundation approved my application and granted me a loan of 30 yuan.

Four months ago, with the help of the school and society, I used this precious 300,000 yuan to successfully put Spark E-commerce on the right track, living up to expectations. Although Spark is not large now, with monthly sales of less than 20 million yuan and fewer than 1,000 employees, I will always be grateful to the Incubation Fund for giving me that opportunity.

Later, I found out that Mr. Guo was a major partner of the Incubation Angel Fund, and it was one of their auditors who gave me this opportunity. It's a case of "you gave me a peach, I returned a precious jade."

On behalf of nearly a thousand e-commerce professionals at Xinghuo, I present this pen to Mr. Guo today.

With a solemn expression and dignified tone, Wang Yao described the confusion and pain of a third-year college student when choosing a career, which moved many people.

But what's even more shocking than moving is that after only four months of entrepreneurship, monthly sales reached 20 million yuan and there were 1,000 employees. What kind of genius entrepreneur is this?
What's even more outrageous is that Wang Yao was a junior in college just four months ago.

Wouldn't he still be a junior in college four months from now?!

He's a junior in college. He sells tens of millions of dollars a month, spends lavishly at top-tier banquets and auctions, and is also handsome.

Was your "Time Bazaar" gala dinner filmed on some kind of melodramatic idol drama set?
The audience was in an uproar, and the media were completely dumbfounded. There were just too many hot topics to cover.
How should we report this?
What was even more shocking was Guo Guangchang himself.

He assumed Wang Yao was just a second-generation rich kid, since, in terms of appearance and demeanor, this boy didn't seem like the kind of child an ordinary family could raise.

But to my utter surprise, he turned out to be a self-made entrepreneur, and it seemed that he had some intricate connection with me.

Fuxing Group is indeed one of the main sponsors of the incubation fund, but if Wang Yao insists that Fuxing approved the loan, that's absurd.

Because angel funds are officially managed, they are only responsible for disbursing funds annually and verifying the effectiveness of the investments; they have no approval authority whatsoever.
But after saying all that, it's clear that Wang Yao was being forced into this role, being presented as a conscientious entrepreneur supporting "university students starting businesses in Shanghai".

Moreover, if Wang Yao's business were just a small company, that would be one thing, but to achieve sales of tens of millions in just four months of entrepreneurship is definitely a seed-level company in any industry.

Moreover, Shanghai itself lacks representative e-commerce companies, so Wang Yao's company is bound to be on the list.

He seemed to have seen through Wang Yao's main purpose in attending the meeting tonight.

Is the purpose of this grand spectacle to let the whole country know that an e-commerce company called Xinghuo has emerged in Shanghai, and that it seems to be related to the revitalization of China?

What a clever use of momentum.

As a representative entrepreneur in Shanghai, Guo Guangchang had almost no reason to refute this, because as the leader, he had to express his support and encouragement for any company listed in Shanghai.

Facing the fountain pen that Wang Yao was holding in his hands.

Guo Guangchang felt as if he had encountered a hot potato.

"Young man, I never imagined we had such a connection. The essence of public service is giving roses and having fragrance linger on your hands. We at Fuxing are workers dedicated to contributing to the business environment in Shanghai."
Your spark is just one of the millions in our Shanghai family. Your achievements today are not due to me, Lao Guo, but to the entire Shanghai family. However, seeing such a vibrant and quick-witted young person as you fills me with immense pride. After all, Shanghai businesspeople are full of talent.
"I'll accept your kind gesture and this pen today, but I'll return the favor by visiting your company another day." Guo Guangchang smiled gently, deftly deflecting Wang Yao's offer by throwing away all his hats. In the end, although he accepted the pen, he considered it a return favor.

This can be seen as a way of proving that the two companies have no connection.

She didn't want Wang Yao to get close to her.

"Trading 30 for a company with an annual revenue of 2 million is nearly a thousand times the return. Mr. Guo is the real Buffett of China! If Mr. Wang has any financing plans in the future, he can contact us." Shen Nanpeng from Sequoia Capital, sitting at the same table, said with a smile and handed over a business card.

He naturally understood why Wang Yao was putting on this show: besides increasing the company's visibility, he wanted to attract large amounts of capital for expansion.

In the e-commerce field, Hongshang is currently the most influential and professional company, and Shen Nanpeng really likes Wang Yao's unconventional approach.

"Thank you for your consideration, Mr. Shen. I will definitely visit you another day." Wang Yao raised an eyebrow slightly, somewhat surprised and pleased.

The other people at the table also politely offered their praise.

Watching the older generation in the audience treat Wang Yao like a star, the host on stage, Ke Lan, exclaimed, "I never imagined that President Wang and President Guo would have such a connection. This is truly a miracle!"
This connection further highlights the role of philanthropy. Without Mr. Guo's decision, there would be no jobs for Mr. Wang and nearly a thousand other employees. This is the passing on of the torch of philanthropy.

As a host, I can't help but elevate any point I see that can be elevated.

Guo Guangchang's lips twitched slightly as he glanced at Ke Lan.

Stop flattering me! If you keep doing that, countless people will be coming to my door asking for investment opportunities tomorrow!

The "miracle of 300,000" meme gave the media present a lot of inspiration, and they felt they could make up a lot of stories later.

Meanwhile, some reporters with keen senses and a penchant for making wild guesses secretly wondered if the "star" in "spark" was actually the "star" in "reunion".
After collecting all the business cards, Wang Yao returned to the table and found that Zhang Meng and Liu Yifei were both looking at him strangely.

"Are you really a college student?" Liu Yifei couldn't help but ask.

She always thought Wang Yao was about her age, but she never expected him to be her younger brother.

Zhang Meng's feelings became even more complicated. Her original sense of unworthiness intensified, and she even felt somewhat inferior.

"I'll be graduating soon and becoming a fresh graduate," Wang Yao remarked.

Everyone was speechless.

The revelation of Wang Yao's identity caused a sensation at the event.

Zhang Lan glanced at Wang Xiaofei, then at Wang Yao, and sighed deeply.

The actresses in the industry are all eyeing the opportunity with excitement.

A future billionaire before even graduating from university!
He started from scratch, a country boy!

And he's also incredibly good-looking; he's the epitome of a dream man!

Even though they saw that Wang Yao already had Liu Yifei and Zhang Meng, two completely different types of women, they were still eager to try and figure out how to strike up a conversation.

Those like Lao Wang from Huayi, who knew about Wang Yao's other identity, were even more eager to get involved after learning that he also owned such a promising e-commerce company.

E-commerce companies currently have the best cash flow. If Wang Yao wasn't exaggerating, his monthly working capital of tens of millions could leverage at least 3 to 8 million in cash flow. If he were to run a Ponzi scheme, it would be even more terrifying.

It seems that the cooperation with Kanpianer.com needs to be even closer.

At the same time, there were also shrewd people who saw business opportunities in Wang Yao's actions.

Sun Ruihong is a Taiwanese businessman whose ancestral home is Xiamen. He was among the first group of businessmen to return to the mainland. His Xinhe Group has six major clothing brands since 1993. Among them, the NMANI brand has partnered with the LV Group to promote globally, and the jorya brand is a high-end custom-made dress brand exclusively supplied to celebrities in the entertainment industry in Taiwan.

Currently, the company has more than 500 self-designed brand stores at home and abroad, and its operating model is the same as that of international fast-moving consumer goods giants such as Zara.

In the Chinese fashion industry, Sun Ruihong ranks among the top ten and is also the most strategic partner of "Shi Ba" magazine, participating in related activities almost every year.

Most of the time, he is there to support the brand ambassadors, but today, seeing Wang Yao on stage repeatedly, enjoying unparalleled glory, and bringing so much buzz to his company, is truly remarkable.

He just checked and found that Wang Yao is currently trending on almost every platform. This isn't the Shiba Charity Night; it's practically Wang Yao's trending topic night!

But he seems to have learned a new promotional model: who says that a spokesperson is already a star?
Doesn't having a famous boss or founder also bring brand exposure?

Xinhe Group is also preparing for its IPO this year, which is the time when it needs the most exposure and sales. He came here mainly to see Fan Bingbing. He hopes to invite Fan Bingbing as a co-branded partner or spokesperson to increase Xinhe Group's brand awareness in mainland China, so he plans to help Fan Bingbing gain attention during the Cartier auction.

Since Fan Bingbing is currently a short-term special ambassador for Cartier, if this auction can help raise the brand's level of attention for her, she will gain more benefits in future endorsement collaborations.

This can be used as a form of publicity stunt, as the Xinhe Group brand is on the same level as Cartier, since both are endorsed by Fan Bingbing.

Cartier is sponsoring a rose gold watch this time, priced at 25 yuan.

This watch initially sparked a bidding war between Xia Yu and Lu Yi, quickly reaching a high price of 50 yuan after the auction began.

The entertainment industry is finally starting to make a move.

Sun Ruihong and Fan Bingbing, who was sitting next to her, exchanged a glance, nodded to reassure him, and then raised their placards.

"80."

This attracted the attention of the entire audience, making him the second bidder after Wang Yao to raise the price by 30 yuan.

Faced with the sudden emergence of a dark horse, Xia Yu and Lu Yi both gave up, firstly because they didn't want to offend the future brand owner, and secondly because it really wasn't worth wasting money.

Sun Ruihong, who has always been low-key, was experiencing so much attention for the first time, and her feelings were somewhat complicated, but she maintained a smile on her face.

"Cartier." Wang Yao frowned upon hearing this bid.

This brand was one of the easiest endorsements Fan Bingbing could secure, and it was originally within Jianlian's reach, but the price of 80 was clearly beyond expectations.

After all, the item itself is worth 25 yuan, which is the highest premium so far.

“You could buy three of the same grade and still have a surplus,” Jessica Jung exclaimed.

This was her first time attending such an auction; she had only ever seen such things in TV dramas before, and she never imagined that there would actually be so many wealthy people in real life.

The Chinese are so kind-hearted; they are so willing to spend money on charity.

Moreover, she now finally has a clear understanding of Wang Yao's identity.

She was glad she had the nerve to hitch a ride with Wang Yao last night; otherwise, she probably would have had to wait for those business banquets arranged by her company to meet such a wealthy person.

At that time, I won't be able to just eat, drink, and watch the show like I am now.

She had heard from her former agent that the rich people in Korea were quite intimidating.

"Add 190,000," Wang Yao said after a moment's thought.

I'm going to give Fan Bingbing a push. As long as it exceeds one million, whether I get the photo myself or that Mr. Sun gets it, it could indirectly lead to an endorsement deal this year. It's a win-win situation.

Liu Yifei glanced at him and raised her sign, indicating "99".

After the price was announced, there was a chorus of hissing and laughing sounds in the room.

This Mr. Wang has already spent over a million tonight, and he still wants to spend more?
There are only 13 items in total. This young man isn't going to show any mercy, is he?

Sun Ruihong's expression changed. She first looked at Wang Yao, and then at Fan Bingbing.

Upon discovering that Fan Bingbing was smiling at Wang Yao, he felt a bit gloomy and raised his sign again.

"101."

"The first item to break one million tonight has been auctioned. Thank you to Mr. Sun of our Xinhe Group for his contribution to charity." Wu Dawei energized the atmosphere and led to applause.

Sun Ruihong smiled and nodded, indicating that she could look in Wang Yao's direction.

I noticed that the young man was leading the applause, his handsome face full of a sincere smile.

Sun Ruihong was stunned. She only came to her senses after being pulled onto the stage by Fan Bingbing. She cleared her throat, expressed her views on environmental protection, mentioned several of the company's brands, and finally decided to give the watch to Fan Bingbing.

Spending millions to gift a beautiful woman—that's sure to spark a lot of discussion.

Fan Bingbing really didn't want it, since accepting it would definitely make headlines again, but she couldn't resist Sun Ruihong's urging, and to avoid further embarrassment, she had no choice but to accept it.

Although the auction had been going on for almost forty minutes, everyone was still engrossed and in high spirits. After all, this year's auction had been quite exciting, with the first million-dollar item raising the atmosphere considerably.

The subsequent Bulgari diamond-set watch easily surpassed 800,000 yuan after the auction began.

The bidder was Zhang Lan.

Although she stopped her son from wasting money twice, she still wanted some visual appeal, and since the watch was a women's model, she figured no one would try to take it from her.

But to everyone's surprise, Wang Yao made another move.

"99." Liu Yifei's voice was somewhat numb.

At this moment, many people in the venue were puzzled.

Does this college student have some kind of conflict with Zhang Lan and her son? Why does he always seem to steal their thunder?

Wang Yao definitely didn't do it on purpose. He was determined to secure the Bulgari deal, not only for Fan Bingbing's business, but also for future endorsements for other people in the company, and to establish connections in advance.

In these auctions, the higher the price premium, the more it represents the level of customer recognition for the brand. Therefore, most brands will treat these "easy targets" as core VIP customers.

Even if a normal customer spends tens of millions of yuan every year, the products they buy have investment or financial attributes.

However, this premium purchase represents recognition of the entire brand.

Besides, it's all public funds spent, and ultimately it all becomes company assets, so it's definitely great value for money.

"He didn't take this picture to give to you, did he?" A strange thought suddenly popped into Wang Xiaofei's mind, and he turned to ask Zhang Lan.

"Are you sick?" Zhang Lan rolled her eyes.

Zhang Yuqi was amused by this.

If you really bought it as a gift for Zhang Lan, then you might have a stepfather soon.

"101." Zhang Lan thought for a moment and raised the price.

"111 million." Liu Yifei raised her paddle again.

Zhang Lan gave up immediately, indicating that she would give it to Wang Yao.

Liu Yifei happened to be the presenter for Bulgari's award, and the camera shutter noise became noticeably louder when the two of them went on stage together.

Aside from the handsome man and beautiful woman pairing, the main suspicion is that Wang Yao's actions were simply to win Liu Yifei's favor, making it easy to fabricate rumors.

Ke Lan seemed to have some issues with Liu Yifei. Departing from her usual gentle and refined hosting style, she asked several tricky questions and then specifically asked Wang Yao, "Mr. Wang, what do you think of the support that Fei Fei and other Chinese Americans have for our charity activities?"

Furthermore, the issue of her place of origin was mentioned, which is also the weakness that has been most severely criticized by Liu Yifei in recent years.

Even though her expression remained normal, her previously languid and unfocused eyes quietly began to light up.

“I don’t know many Chinese Americans, but she’s one of them,” Wang Yao said with a smile, defusing the situation.

Kolan raised an eyebrow slightly, smiled without saying anything, and did not press the matter further.

Liu Yifei blinked, her gaze subtly fixed on Wang Yao's profile.

Wang Yao turned to continue speaking, saying that the watch was purchased for his mother because he had heard that Bulgari represents the world's top and most prestigious women's watches. He knew his mother would not agree to buy it normally, but she would accept it in the name of charity.

Their deep filial piety is truly touching.

A representative from Bulgari personally went on stage to express their appreciation for Wang Yao's filial piety and invited him and his mother to attend the upcoming autumn launch event.

The guests in the audience were once again deeply moved.

Just when everyone thought Wang Yao had spent over two million and should stop,
However, Wang Yao then made a bid for another top-tier luxury item: a gold couple's watch from Tiffany & Co., with a starting bid of 30 yuan.

This time, the bidder was not Liu Yifei, but Zhang Meng, who offered "41.888".

At this moment, everyone seemed to realize something.

Mr. Wang probably just really likes watches.

Moreover, this time it was very strange; after Wang Yao made his bid, no one else made a bid.

This directly resulted in Tiffany, which should have been auctioned off to Bulgari and Cartier, only fetching less than half the price.

Wang Yao was also surprised.

The Tiffany presenter was Lin Zhiling, who is currently very popular. She not only elevated the award ceremony with her speech, but also personally escorted Wang Yao off the stage, showing excellent service.

It's just that Tiffany's brand management isn't in a good mood.

(End of this chapter)