Bai Lu got scammed, but I became a superstar through e-commerce.

"Qingxiao, I just calculated it. We lost seventy or eighty thousand yuan, which is for more than three thousand pieces of clothing. More than half a year ago, you couldn't even sell three thousand pieces in a year. Now your store is up and running and you have some money, but I know better than anyone how you got that money. You squatted on the floor of your rented room packing until two in the morning, your hands were worn out and you put on two band-aids and continued to get goods. You were jostled around in the corridor of Sijiqing Market, carrying woven bags up five floors three times. Every penny was hard-earned money."

Qingxiao remained silent.

He anticipated that such advanced thinking as strategic losses would be unacceptable to Bai Lu, who had not yet made his debut at that time, and it was perfectly normal for him to not accept it.

"You just said that there's a high probability we won't get this money back. You can accept that, but I can't. I can tolerate you supporting me through your e-commerce business; you help me with my food, clothing, shelter, and transportation, and I remember that, knowing I'll pay you back. But now you want to use e-commerce to promote me as a celebrity?"

She shook her head vigorously.

"This isn't just about 75,000. This is the first step. The first step already cost 80,000. How much more will you have to spend after that? Hundreds of thousands? Millions? How many pieces of clothing do you need to sell to fill this hole? Are you trying to work yourself to death?"

She took a deep breath, her eyes glistening with tears, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

"Besides, what's the point of me, Bai Lu, getting on this path with your money? I've wanted to be a star since I was a child. I've worked hard for so many years. I've been cheated, I've been rejected, I've even fallen asleep eating steamed buns on the bus, but I've never let anyone else pay for me. This path is mine, and I have to walk it myself."

Qingxiao leaned back in his chair, looking at her. Instead of being angry, he smiled.

She really is a proud and stubborn little deer.

Bai Lu spoke eloquently, his eyes reddening, his nose reddening, and his tiger teeth biting his lower lip, refusing to let go.

"Are you finished speaking?"

"That's all."

Qingxiao pulled his chair forward a bit: "Then let me ask you a question."

"ask."

"You used to work at Sijiqing Film Studio, shooting sixty pieces in two hours a day, earning twenty yuan per piece. What kind of job was that?"

Bai Lu was stunned for a moment: "Those cheap synthetic fiber clothes are not breathable, and they leave red spots all over the body when photographed."

Why did you stop filming later?

"Because you said you don't need to go anymore."

"No," Qingxiao leaned back in his chair, his voice steady. "It's because my store took off. I created a best-selling item, a burgundy batwing-sleeved sweater, and daily sales went from zero to fifty orders, then to a hundred. Do you understand the logic behind creating a best-selling item?"

"If we don't have a blockbuster product, and I tell you you don't need to go, would you really not go?"

Bai Lu shook his head.

"Does taking photos cost money? Testing images with Taobao's direct traffic service costs several hundred yuan a day, and the click-through rate determines whether a product will become a hit. Does listing cost money? Does promotion cost money? Does inventory cost money? All of these require upfront investment."

"There are no inherently best-selling products. When you see a product selling a hundred units a day, all the money it burned on promotion, image testing, and inventory costs was a loss. When I poured the last few thousand yuan in my pocket into paid advertising, I didn't think it would definitely take off. I just had a vague feeling that the product's add-to-cart rate was rising, the conversion rate was rising, and the quality score was rising. All the data told me that it had a chance."

"What if it doesn't get up?"

"Then this money will be wasted. I'll lose several thousand yuan in promotion fees, I won't be able to pay back the debt I owe Sister Shu, and I'll be completely broke. But so what? That's how Taobao Express works. Before you invest money, you don't know if it will go viral. You only have one judgment. You judge whether it's worth continuing to invest based on its click-through rate, add-to-cart rate, and conversion rate. The data doesn't lie."

Bai Lu fell silent.

She thought she understood what he was saying, but she wasn't sure if she did.

Qingxiao pointed to the script on the table: "You are this link now."

Bai Lu was taken aback; he was using e-commerce as an analogy to describe her.

"My investment in this short film is essentially the same as my testing of images and products in Taobao Express."

"You're beautiful, everyone can see that. You work hard, I know best how you look in front of the camera. Every buyer's show photo you take gets almost twice the click-through rate of your competitors—that's your click-through rate. The conversion rate for the main images you take for my store keeps increasing—that's your 'conversion rate.' Merchants are coming in one after another, and the price has gone from 300 a day to 5,000 a day—that's your commercial value. All your data exceeds the industry average, I have no reason not to promote you. If all the data for a product is green (positive), and I still invest in paid advertising, I'd be a fool. But if every data point for a product is off the charts, and I still don't invest, wouldn't I be even more foolish?"

Bai Lu opened her mouth, wanting to say, "I'm not a style, I'm not your clothes," but then realized that the words didn't sound right.

"But... how much will this cost? This isn't something that can be stopped at a few thousand dollars for a direct train ticket."

"Of course it's more than just tens of thousands. You might think tens of thousands of yuan is a lot for a short film right now, but do you know what? A short film is just your first small hit. There are web series, TV dramas, and variety shows to follow, and you have to invest in each one."

Qingxiao paused for a moment, then, of course, he also needed to learn how to offer empty promises to give Bai Lu some confidence.

"But once you have your own work and popularity, you can recoup all your losses with just one endorsement. This is business, not charity from me; it's my investment in you based on my vision. It's exactly the same as creating a viral hit. If I think your click-through, collection, and add-to-cart conversion rates are low, I definitely won't spend money on promotion. The reason I dare to invest is because your data is good. This is a rational decision, not some favor. I'm investing in you not because you're Bai Lu, but because the data tells me you're worth investing in."

"What if all my data is green?" Bai Lu asked.

"But I will stop promoting it." Qingxiao smiled slightly. "Don't worry that my money will be wasted. Isn't the point of making money to spend it in a worthwhile way?"

Bai Lu stopped talking. She lowered her head, reached out and flipped open the budget sheet on the table. Her gaze lingered on the prices of prop rentals and post-production costs for a long time before she looked up at Qing Xiao.

"Are you telling the truth?"

"Really?"

"In the early stages, when you invest in paid advertising, do you never consider whether it can guarantee a return on investment? Are you aiming for later returns?"

"It's true. Because in retrospect, none of the styles with good data are loss-making. Even if there are losses in the early stages, they can all be made back later."

Bai Lu's gaze returned to the script, and her voice was very soft: "Then your shop must have a lot of best-selling items."

"Of course, but none of the styles have the same data as Bai Lu's," he walked up to Bai Lu, took the budget sheet from her hand, and placed it on the table. "You don't have to believe me, but you have to believe the data, so your reason for refusing is invalid."

Bai Lu looked up at him, the redness in her eyes had faded a bit, but she still wouldn't let it go.

"Who says I don't believe in data?" She pursed her lips, her voice softening slightly. "I'm just unsure if I deserve it."

Qingxiao looked at Bailu with doting eyes: "We both strive every day. I'm trying to turn my life around, and you're trying to become a star. I deserve it, and so do you."