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

In late autumn in Hangzhou, the air was slightly chilly.

The top-floor conference room in Alibaba's Xixi campus is enclosed and solemn, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking rows of internet office buildings, making the long, black lacquered conference table shine.

This is the scene of a closed-door meeting of core SKA merchants, the highest-level event for women's apparel on Tmall.

Those who can sit in this room are all top players in the Taobao women's clothing market in 2015, industry giants who monopolize the entire network traffic and control half of the Taobao women's clothing market.

The long conference table was packed with people, the atmosphere solemn yet subtly revealing the relaxed arrogance among the bigwigs.

The left side is filled with the original top-tier Taobao brand leaders who came from the local market: Zhao Yingguang, founder of Han Du Yi She; Fang Jianhua, founder of Inman; Chairman of Artka; founder of Chuyu; and CEO of Liebo.

This group of people are the biggest winners of the Tmall e-commerce boom over the past few years. They have been riding the wave of the Internet dividend and are full of confidence.

On the right are the heads of Tmall operations for established offline brands and international fast fashion giants that have entered the online arena: executives from Uniqlo, Ochirly, ONLY, and other brands. They are all dressed in suits, with calm expressions, exuding the discipline and strength of traditional big brands.

Everyone else was a well-established veteran in the industry, except for one person.

In the far back corner of the meeting room, Qingxiao sat alone.

He was dressed in a simple black casual suit, not deliberately dressed formally, making him stand out as particularly young and awkward among a group of seasoned middle-aged businessmen.

He kept a very low profile throughout, with his hands folded under the table, and remained silent from beginning to end, almost transparently quiet.

Everyone was either looking down at the paper data reports in their hands or exchanging quiet pleasantries with each other; no one paid any special attention to this seemingly inconspicuous young man.

Qingxiao lowered his eyes, his fingertips gently pinching the transparent glass, the glass wall covered with a thin layer of coolness.

He appeared to be daydreaming, but in reality, his dark eyes were silently scanning the expressions, movements, and micro-expressions of everyone in the room.

He took in everyone's arrogance, laxity, and conceit.

This seemingly peaceful debriefing meeting was actually the final calm confrontation between the old and new e-commerce forces, and the last peak celebration before the demise of Taobao brands.

The meeting was personally chaired by Lao Zhou, the head of Tmall's Taobao Brand Business Unit. As a senior executive of the platform who holds the power of life and death over merchants, his aura overwhelmed all the bosses present.

As the hushed conversations in the room gradually subsided, Lao Zhou placed his hands on the table, scanned the entire room, and spoke in a deep voice: "Today, I've convened a closed-door meeting with all the core SKA merchants. The proceedings are not publicly disclosed, and we're here for two things. First, to conduct an in-depth review of the overall data for the women's apparel category during the 2015 Double Eleven promotion. Second, to finalize the 2016 Tmall women's apparel merchant recruitment rules, traffic allocation strategies, and category competitive landscape."

After he finished speaking, the conference room fell completely silent.

The high-definition projection screen lit up instantly, and the dazzling white light projected the golden TOP 5 list of women's clothing for the 2014 Tmall Double 11 shopping festival, with each name resounding throughout the e-commerce industry.

First Place: Han Du Yi She (Original Korean Style Brand on Taobao)

Second place: Uniqlo (international fast fashion brand with offline stores)

Third place: Inman (a leading Taobao brand specializing in cotton and linen art and literature)

Fourth place: Artka (a benchmark Taobao brand for retro design)

Fifth place: Chuyu (a Taobao brand with a casual and artistic style)

The data is clear and striking, immediately apparent.

Old Zhou stared at the list, his tone shifting from relaxed to tense, carrying a hint of barely perceptible worry: "Everyone, let me be fair first. 2014 was the most glorious and peak year for our first-generation Taobao brands. Of the top 5 women's clothing brands online, four were local Taobao brands, and Han Du Yi She firmly defended its title as the champion of the women's clothing category during the annual Double 11 shopping festival. This achievement is unprecedented in the entire history of e-commerce development."

Upon hearing this, the group of Taobao brand owners at the table all wore smug smiles and unconsciously straightened their posture.

Zhao Yingguang nodded slightly, his expression calm and composed, as if he were sitting firmly on the throne.

Fang Jianhua smiled and exchanged a quiet glance with the CEO of Liebo beside him, his eyes brimming with boundless confidence.

But the next second, Lao Zhou abruptly changed his tone, his voice instantly becoming heavy, shattering the joyful atmosphere in the room.

"But! I must say something so blunt in front of everyone."

He raised his hand, his fingertips emphasizing the three words "Uniqlo" at second place on the list, his voice deep and resonant: "In 2014, Uniqlo officially climbed to second place online. According to our platform's internal calculations, starting in 2015, Uniqlo will monopolize the top spot on Tmall's women's clothing Double 11 list for three consecutive years."

These words instantly cooled the previously relaxed and lively meeting room.

Old Zhou's gaze turned serious as he swept over the group of Taobao brand founders whose expressions had subtly changed: "Gentlemen, this is not a prediction, but the inevitable result of data analysis. Starting this year, Tmall has undergone a major strategic overhaul, and its merchant recruitment team has been fully opened to the public. A massive number of offline national brands, international fast fashion brands, and traditional brick-and-mortar giants have all made a major move to Tmall."

"The traffic dividends, market share gaps, and price advantages that once belonged to our Taobao brands are being rapidly squeezed and eroded."

He sighed and revealed the truth that everyone was unwilling to admit: "I've privately discussed it with my team, and the future of our purely local Taobao brand is really uncertain."

These words resonated deeply in the quiet conference room.

After a brief silence, Fang Jianhua, the founder of Inman, broke the silence first. He waved his hand, his face showing the composure and confidence of a veteran entrepreneur, and said with a smile, "Old Zhou, what you're saying is too pessimistic, it's completely unfounded worry!"

He leaned forward slightly, his tone full of confidence: "Those traditional offline big brands and international brands may seem large and well-known, but they simply don't understand how online e-commerce works! They don't understand traffic logic, user operations, fan maintenance, or the rules and strategies of Taobao!"

"Uniqlo's surge in popularity during the 2015 Singles' Day shopping festival was merely a fluke, purely due to luck. Their offline team struggled to adapt, and the hype will inevitably wane next year; they won't be able to make a significant impact!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the CEO of Liebo immediately echoed, his tone brimming with a strong sense of superiority: "That's right! We, this group of early Taobao brands, have been working our way up on Taobao for nearly ten years, deeply cultivating online users and thoroughly understanding all the platform's rules. Our speed of new product launches, our ability to test products, our fan loyalty, and our live streaming and product detail page operations are things that established offline companies can never learn in a lifetime!"

The chairman of Artka nodded in agreement and said calmly, "The online market ultimately belongs to online people. Traditional brands have rigid thinking and cumbersome processes, and they can't keep up with the fast pace of e-commerce. They simply can't compete with us."

The founder of Chuyu chuckled and said, "In my opinion, the so-called counterattack by big brands is just a gimmick by the platform and is nothing to be afraid of."

For a time, all the Taobao brand leaders present were of one mind, full of confidence and high spirits, and did not take the counterattack from international brands and offline brands seriously at all.

Every face on everyone's head was etched with the arrogance and blind optimism of the winners of the era.

Qingxiao, sitting in the corner, took in all of this.

His fingertips unconsciously traced the cold glass, a chilling sneer filling his heart.

Others may not be able to see the future, but he possesses complete memories of the era and knows clearly what fate awaits everyone.

2015 was just the beginning.

The 2016 Double Eleven Women's Clothing TOP 10 list will completely rewrite everything.

Uniqlo, ONLY, Bosideng, LeDing, La Chapelle, and other major offline brands and international fast fashion brands completely dominated the top five spots.

The once-glorious first-generation Taobao brands have completely collapsed: Han Du Yi She barely managed to stay in fourth place, while Inman, Artka, Liebo, and Chuyu have all completely fallen out of the top ten list.

The golden age of Taobao brands, which had once been legendary, came to an abrupt end in just two years, leaving no one unscathed.

This group of industry veterans, who are currently full of vigor and arrogance, will soon be facing the end of their era.

Qingxiao lowered his eyes, concealing all the mockery and insight in them, and continued to maintain a silent and transparent demeanor, quietly watching the show.

He didn't want to speak, didn't want to spoil everyone's fun, and even less wanted to embarrass himself in front of these stubborn seniors.

But things in life are often not as one wishes.

Old Zhou glanced around the room, looking at the group of blindly confident bosses. He frowned slightly, clearly disagreeing with their views, yet powerless to persuade these old people who were immersed in their past glories.

His gaze slowly wandered, sweeping over the spirited faces, and finally settled on Qingxiao, the youngest and only one in the room who remained silent and low-key.

"Qingxiao".

Old Zhou suddenly spoke up, breaking the heated discussion.

Everyone's gaze instantly shifted and fell on Qingxiao in the corner.

Surprised, curious, disdainful, amused, and gossipy gazes pressed down upon us.

Anyone present was a seasoned veteran in the e-commerce industry with a decade of experience, while Qingxiao was just a newcomer who had suddenly appeared.

Fang Jianhua raised an eyebrow, his eyes showing a hint of disdain as he scrutinized him.

Zhao Yingguang held his teacup, looking at him with a half-smile, waiting to hear the young man's naive arguments.

The entire room fell silent; everyone was waiting to see what tricks this young man would come up with.

Old Zhou looked at Qingxiao and said in a calm tone, "You are the youngest, but your previous industry predictions and sector analyses have been extremely accurate, far surpassing many veteran practitioners. Today, everyone here is a senior in the industry, so please don't be shy and share your thoughts."

Being publicly named was unavoidable.

Qingxiao remained calm and composed, without the slightest panic. He slowly put down the water glass in his hand, his fingertips leaving the cold glass.

He slightly raised his head, his gaze calm and level, looking straight ahead at the room full of industry leaders. His tone was calm yet assertive, each word clear and distinct:

"President Zhou, esteemed seniors, in my opinion, your assessments just now are precisely the biggest hidden danger for the future."

"Traditional brands aren't ignorant about e-commerce; they're just temporarily disdainful and unwilling to stoop to it. Once they understand the rules and humble themselves, their absolute advantages in supply chain, brand heritage, and offline channels will inevitably crush Taobao brands."

He paused, then said firmly, "My point of view is very simple: starting in 2015, Taobao brands absolutely cannot compete head-on with traditional big brands and international fast fashion."

"We are at a disadvantage in every aspect: brand, supply chain, brand awareness, and financial strength. A head-on confrontation will only lead to our demise. The only way out is to avoid the main battlefield of competition and instead focus on niche markets that big brands don't care about, are unwilling to do, or can't do. Only by capturing the minds of exclusive users can we have a glimmer of hope."

The moment the words fell.

The conference room erupted in a cacophony of snickers and mocking laughter.

"Hahaha! Avoid competition? That's incredibly naive of you, young man!"

"The market is only so big, where can you hide? Can you escape the competition?"

"Young people are still too inexperienced; they only see the surface and don't understand the underlying logic of the industry!"

"Doing e-commerce is always a head-on battle; there's no reason to avoid the market."

Fang Jianhua smiled and shook his head, his eyes full of the contempt and lecturing of an elder towards a younger generation, and said earnestly.

"Mr. Qing, I understand your desire for stability, but the business world isn't child's play. The e-commerce arena has always been about survival of the fittest and head-on competition. It's about competing on style, price, operations, and traffic. Only the brave will win in a head-on confrontation; you can't escape the future by hiding."

The CEO of Liebo scoffed, "How much scale can a niche market really have? It can't sustain a large scale, it won't amount to anything, and in the end, it'll just be small-scale operations!"

The bigwigs all echoed his sentiments, no one agreed with Qingxiao's point of view. Everyone regarded his heartfelt words as the naive and empty talk of a young junior who lacked experience and was just talking on paper.

Faced with a room full of doubts, ridicule, and lecturing, Qingxiao did not argue, defend himself, or rush to refute.

He simply nodded slightly, his expression indifferent, and picked up the water glass on the table again.

The warm water slid down my throat, calming all the turmoil in my heart.

Deep within his clear eyes lay a hint of coldness and certainty that no one could see.

It doesn't matter.

How relaxed and arrogant these industry leaders are now!

Two years later, when the industry undergoes a reshuffle, they will suffer a devastating and complete fall.

All the ridicule and contempt we show today will eventually turn into endless regret and remorse in the future.

As for Qingxiao, he already held the ending in his hands, waiting for the wind to rise before walking his own path.