I've been reborn, I'm definitely going to become an internet celebrity!

Chapter 119 [The Olive Branch]

—Return rate.

Although Liu Zhuohao is considered a newcomer in the self-media industry, he often pays attention to live-streaming e-commerce and video content, and he is very familiar with the term "return rate".

In e-commerce, success isn't just about placing an order.

We can only confirm that the order has been completed after the customer has received the goods, or even a week later.

Otherwise, customers might place an order and immediately request a refund before the item is shipped, or they might return the item halfway through delivery, refuse to accept the delivery, or even receive the item and then request a refund.

There are even people who have received the goods for more than half a month, and the items may have been used countless times, but still click to apply for a refund!

"Mr. Li wanted to add you as a friend, but you turned off friend requests, so I pushed it to you."

As soon as Liu Zhuohao hung up the phone, the website administrator sent him a message on QQ.

He wasn't discussing sales figures with me; instead, he gave me a QQ number.

Mr. Li.

He was familiar with this title.

Although Mr. Xu, Mr. Chen, and Mr. Li represent three eras of Bilibili, these three individuals are not simply taking turns on the stage.

During the period when General Manager Xu was in charge, General Manager Chen and General Manager Li also held considerable influence.

Moreover, as the site administrator mentioned before, Mr. Li has always been very concerned about the establishment of an e-commerce channel on this small website.

My friend request was accepted immediately, and then a video call came in right away.

Liu Zhuohao clicked "accept," the screen flashed, and the image lit up.

Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, the night view of Shanghai is reflected on the glass as a blurry patch of light.

A woman sat by the window, with long hair, wearing a white shirt, and the cuffs rolled up.

She didn't move or speak, but just stared at him through the screen for a second, clearly scrutinizing him.

"Hello, Mr. Liu."

Her voice was steady, and she had a very friendly smile on her face.

"Hello, Mr. Li."

Liu Zhuohao replied without deliberately lowering his posture or trying to project an aura.

So far, many of the people he has come into contact with are of a much higher social status than the people he knew in his previous life.

No matter how assertive the woman in front of him was, she didn't give him the same sense of pressure as the old leaders he faced at the regulatory bureau, or the director in the administrative jacket when the filming ended at the stall.

This Mr. Li is just one of the high-level executives of a small, run-down website in Shanghai, just like Station Master Xu.

The people I actually meet in real life are people who are right beside me, people whose words can affect my life.

There is still a difference between merchants and officials.

"Congratulations, Mr. Liu. I've been keeping an eye on your order data, and currently—"

'

Mr. Li glanced to the side, seemingly monitoring the data in real time. "461 orders, very good data, considering that only an hour has passed."

She got straight to the point.

"I just spoke with the supplier on the phone and urged them to ensure the quality as much as possible. We want to do our best to leave a good impression and attract repeat customers with this first batch of goods."

Liu Zhuohao replied, expressing his liking for this direct approach.

As users, some people may not like Mr. Li.

But for a businessperson, this communication method is direct and convenient.

It's all about money.

"It's a very clear idea." Mr. Li nodded. "The first batch of customers is indeed very important, both for their own experience and for the reviews they leave after experiencing it."

"Our customer service team has not encountered any particularly troublesome customers during the communication process, and the order placement and payment process has been very smooth."

"What I can say for sure right now is that your videos are on a good track and haven't caused too much resistance from Bilibili users."

Liu Zhuohao's first impression of General Manager Li was completely different from his first encounter with the stationmaster and Crow.

She naturally didn't see herself as one of those bloggers who just chatted and joked around in those groups.

Liu Zhuohao didn't need to use his own rhythm to help her break free from that "two-dimensional" atmosphere and see herself as a "three-dimensional" person.

She's a real person, very pragmatic.

Liu Zhuohao didn't respond, waiting for her to continue.

"Xu Yi keeps talking about you to me." President Li took a sip of tea and said through the screen, "He said that the comments section of your beef ball video was quite unique. Not many people were cursing it; they were all seriously discussing whether it tasted good or not."

Unlike every employee or blogger Liu Zhuohao had met on Bilibili, she didn't address Xu Yi as "site manager," but instead called him by his first name.

"Maybe it was just good luck."

He replied.

"Luck? That's too modest. I've not only watched your videos, but I also know everything you said to Xu Yi and to Crow." She put down her cup. "Confident and well-prepared—that's the only word I can use to describe you."

"You seem to be very experienced in this area, presenting GG to clients very smoothly and putting their reservations at ease."

"Have you studied GG studies?"

In just a few words, Liu Zhuohao sensed her keenness and sharpness.

It cannot be said that the stationmaster could not see that he was confident; he just may not have said it directly.

"Maybe it's because I really enjoyed watching public service announcements when I was a kid."

Liu Zhuohao made up a story on the spot, trying to explain his behavior: "Like there was a guy washing feet, a guy throwing away cans, an old lady saying she was busy, a guy who was busy doing good things, I wonder if Mr. Li has seen any of these?"

Mr. Li was stunned for a moment.

Then she smiled—a genuine smile, not the polite smile one gives when meeting someone for the first time.

"I think there are very few Chinese people who haven't seen these public service announcements."

She said, "Unless they are too old or too young."

She paused, her expression subtle, visible through the camera and the screen.

"You're right, if GG is well-made, the audience will be willing to watch it." Then, Mr. Li suddenly changed his sitting posture, leaned forward, and rested his elbows on the table. "I wonder if Boss Liu has ever considered joining us?"

Liu Zhuohao was stunned for a moment. Was this an invitation to join the company?

She hopes to become an employee at Bilibili (a Chinese video-sharing website).

"Or, to pursue further studies."

She continued, speaking slowly but clearly, "Shanghai has a much wider world to offer. Although our little website isn't very big now, you can probably see its future potential, right? It's a giant ship about to set sail!"

She looked at him and waited a second.

"As expected, you chose us because you are optimistic about the future of our website."

Liu Zhuohao didn't speak, but she seemed to realize this from her own expression and continued talking to herself.

"I sincerely invite you to join Bilibili as a senior specialist in the Marketing Business Group. It's a hands-on, frontline position where you can gain valuable business experience."

When Mr. Li said this, he was very direct and without hesitation or thought. He probably had already thought about the position and benefits before this video call: "We are willing to invest in your future and help you complete your studies."

"While you are studying, you can also contribute ideas to the company as an employee, as long as you meet the performance targets."

She paused for a moment, then said, "I can promise you in advance that after you graduate, I will arrange for you to enter a management position, such as the director of some business groups."

"You should understand what it means to enter a management position and lead a team."

3

"You have the potential to become someone like me and Xu Yi in the future, one of the leaders of the website. We all have high hopes for you."

She really was inviting me to join Bilibili.

Moreover, the compensation offered was quite generous in some respects.

If you were a young person under twenty years old who had just graduated from high school, you would definitely be tempted by such an invitation.

That's the director of the business group.

Although Bilibili is not big enough to support its own office building, it only occupies one or two floors in an office building.

But that was also a director position.

Academic performance, salary, career advancement opportunities —

If I agree to this, I will become a senior executive of a platform that is highly likely to go public in the future and has a huge influence among young people.

If I weren't a reincarnated person, I would definitely have accepted such an offer.

But unfortunately—

"I'm still more interested in the food and beverage industry," Liu Zhuohao replied tactfully. "Besides, I've already made some promises in my local area, so I have to give it a try."

He could clearly see the look of surprise on Mr. Li's face on the screen when he refused.

However, she quickly put on a smile.

"If you refuse, it only means that I haven't given enough."

From the moment the call connected until now, Mr. Li has been very direct. "Or rather, you want more than that. I remember you're only, um, eighteen?"

She asked somewhat uncertainly.

"Yes, I'm eighteen. My birthday has already passed this year."

"Liu Zhuohao replied.

"That's really amazing."

She said, "I contacted you this time as a way of saying hello and seeing if I could invite you to join us. Since you refused, then forget it."

"If you have any ideas about e-commerce in the future, you can contact me directly, not Xu Yi. He's not really interested in these things."

"That guy and Lao Chen are both quite idealistic, but money is absolutely essential to achieving anything."

Liu Zhuohao did not respond.

The screen remained silent for two seconds.

Behind Mr. Li, the night of Shanghai filled the windows, blurring the lights into a hazy blur, making them indistinct.

"OK."

Mr. Li leaned back, his tone suddenly softening, "Then you go ahead with your work. I'm quite curious about how the follow-up data is going."

"Although the profit margins for both of us are relatively thin in this collaboration."

"But for us at the station, this is definitely a big step forward."

Making grand promises seems to be her passive skill; in just this short time, Liu Zhuohao has already eaten several of them.

The video call ended.

The moment the screen went dark, Liu Zhuohao stared at that profile picture for a few seconds.

He didn't offer any advice or suggestions regarding e-commerce.

Because they couldn't persuade him.

Users of Bilibili will not buy it; on the contrary, it will arouse their opposition.

I know this, the station manager knows this, and of course, Mr. Li knows this too.

But even if you know it, you still have to do it.

A website needs to be profitable in order to continue operating and even grow into a large and powerful entity.

After talking with the site administrator, Liu Zhuohao thought about the matter and concluded that given the current community atmosphere of Bilibili, the possibility of making a profit through videos was very low.

When users generally resist and refuse to buy, GG vendors will lower their prices.

In other words, if Bilibili wants to make a profit, it has to look for other avenues.

In fact, Bilibili has been doing just that, from live streaming to games, to premium memberships, membership shopping, and investments in comics, animation, movies, and TV series —

They are trying to salvage the video industry by generating revenue from other avenues.

"Mr. Liu—"

After hanging up the phone, now alone in the house again, Liu Zhuohao couldn't help but mutter about the grand promises Mr. Li had just made: "What would happen if I were to lead this little website?"

If we follow her planned route—

Four years later, in 19, I was twenty-three years old and the director of Bilibili.

By then, Bilibili had already gone public and had its own office building. Its live streaming, membership shopping, games, online and offline services were all very mature.

Even in the loss-making video sector, putting aside revenue, it is undoubtedly the top long-form video platform in terms of user activity and brand awareness.

If I could have entered the company in 19 as a manager with enough say, I might have been able to change something.

Even if the job doesn't work out, you can always back out. With the resume of "Director of Bilibili Business Group" in your pocket, you can find a better job anywhere.

It can be said that the risk is very small and the reward is very large.

"wrong."

Liu Zhuohao interrupted his thoughts and reverie.

The premise for doing this is that I have to give up my current entrepreneurial plan and choose to continue as an employee, working hard in a company that is already taking shape.

"Although the little website is now a giant ship about to set sail."

"7

"But I still want to travel by myself on a boat."

"We cannot abandon the real economy."

Liu Zhuohao suppressed the desire that had arisen in his heart because of that huge pie in the sky: department head of Bilibili, director of a business group, even vice president, president, and the leader—

These titles sound really tempting.

Ultimately, however, these are just empty titles, positions held by the company behind Bilibili.

Yes, I can indeed consider myself a crew member, and I can leave this ship of Bilibili at any time. But at the same time, Bilibili can also throw me, a crew member, off the ship at any time.

Oh, that's called being expelled.

He had no intention of handing over the power of life and death to someone else.

"Boss, boss!"

Liu Zhuohao had just ended a video call with General Manager Li when he suddenly heard the sound of a door opening and Huang Weixiong's loud noise. He then realized that it was already past midnight and it was time to close up shop!

"Is our online beef ball business doing well?"

He got up and walked to the living room, where he saw a group of young men carrying large and small bags, shouting and making noise.

"Some people from Chen's shop came to our stall just now. They didn't know where our shop was, so they came directly to our stall."

Huang Weixiong had just opened his mouth, but hadn't finished speaking yet.

"They brought so much beef and beef balls!"

Behind him, Li Zekai picked up the large and small bags he was carrying with both hands, his face full of smiles.

"Damn, how are we going to finish this?"

Cheng Bing and Yang Boran also have some.

They each said a sentence, their expressions and tones filled with excitement.

"—It's actually not bad."

Liu Zhuohao was taken aback at first when he saw their expressions, but then the hesitation he had felt when he was alone disappeared. He smiled and replied, "Knowing you can't finish it all, why don't you hurry up and take some home?"

"If the family can't finish it, we can give some to relatives and friends."

"These are all good stuff. The beef and beef balls delivered by Chen's are absolutely freshly slaughtered and made."

>