Reborn in 08, Public Enemy of Competitors

Gaosha Commercial Street, A-San BBQ.

On the table were edamame, peanuts, stir-fried snails, lamb skewers, grilled eggplant, grilled kidneys, and so on.

Qin Feng watched as Shen Mo put the Nokia 5300 aside and couldn't help but ask curiously, "Who are you chatting with? Liu Xin?"

Lu Wenbin took a sip of snails and asked, "Hey, what's going on between you and Liu Xin?"

"What could possibly happen between her and me?" Shen Mo took a sip of beer.

Lu Wenbin said, "It's nothing. Why would you suddenly skip class to get a haircut, and with such a hairstyle? Something must be going on between you two."

Then, turning to look at Yuan Hua, who was gnawing on a kidney, he asked, "Hua Zi, tell me, what exactly happened?"

"This...this..."

Yuan Hua was caught in a dilemma, but Shen Mo said quite calmly, "I broke up with her."

"They broke up?!"

Lu Wenbin sighed, "Sigh, I told you before that girls in the fashion design school are hard to pursue, but you didn't believe me."

Yuan Hua defended Shen Mo's feelings, saying, "You're wrong about that. It was Shen Mo who dumped Liu Xin."

"You dumped Liu Xin?"

"No way, you pursued her for almost half a year, and you just broke up with her like that?"

Qin Feng was greatly surprised. "Didn't she say that she would consider being your girlfriend if you behaved well?"

"How did Yin Susu in 'The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber' warn Zhang Wuji? The more beautiful a woman is, the more likely she is to lie. You'd be better off believing I'm Qin Shi Huang than believing her."

Shen Mo scoffed, his words full of mockery of love.

Dating interferes with making money, and being a simp wastes your life.

Countless bloody lessons prove one thing: women only affect the speed of making money; otherwise, they are of no use.

"Don't say that. Maybe Liu Xin is really thinking about dating you because you've done well."

Qin Feng said, "Besides, you've spent a lot of money on Liu Xin. Don't you feel like you're losing out by giving up now?"

"Old Qin, whether it's work or love, if it doesn't come to you, no matter how much others talk, it's all just empty promises."

Shen Mo said, "Therefore, never have that kind of thinking; it will only increase sunk costs. You must know when to cut your losses..."

"hiss!"

Lu Wenbin, Qin Feng, and the others looked at each other in bewilderment.

Yuan Hua scratched his head and gasped.

Shen Mo couldn't help but look you over a few times. "What happened to you? Didn't you wash your hair before you left?"

Yuan Hua blinked. "No, I feel like after hearing what you said, I'm going to grow a brain in my head."

"In short, money is for women to see, not for women to spend."

Shen Mo said, "Think about it, think about it carefully. You spend so much money on a woman, and she ignores you. But if you used that money to treat me to some barbecue, what would you call me then?"

"Brother Mo!!"

The three of them spoke at the same time.

Lu Wenbin clicked his tongue. "Since you're so open-minded, what are your plans next?"

"I don't want to talk about any of that damn romantic love stories right now, I just want to make money!"

"What's the use of just envying others? We must take action, don't you think?"

These words seemed to resonate with Yuan Hua, Qin Feng, and the others, causing them to fall into deep thought.

Shen Mo wanted this effect: a hero needs three helpers, and starting a business is definitely not something you can do alone.

Leaving aside Liu Bang's Fengpei team and Zhu Yuanzhang's Huaisi Group, just in the internet sector alone, Jack Ma had the Eighteen Arhats of Ali, Robin Li had the Seven Swordsmen of Baidu, Ma Huateng had the Five Tigers of Tencent, and even Wang Xing of Meituan, Zhang Yiming of ByteDance, Huang Zheng of Pinduoduo, and Zhang Xuhao of Ele.me, the core of their startup teams were roommates, classmates, or alumni.

I am no exception!

Fortunately, Shen Mo knew his three roommates very well.

They truly are "the Crouching Dragon and the Young Phoenix," damn it, they're all geniuses!

………………

They clinked glasses and drank, their faces flushed with merriment.

Qin Feng clinked glasses with Shen Mo. "You're right, we need to make money. But how do you plan to do it?"

"You absolutely mustn't say you're making money through World of Warcraft power leveling or gold farming."

Yuan Hua nodded. "At most, I'll make a thousand or eight hundred yuan a month, which is about the same as carrying bricks on a construction site."

Lu Wenbin put down the half-eaten kidney, "That's no fun. Speaking of making money, I'm actually starting my own business right now."

"You're a rich kid and you're starting your own business?" Yuan Hua's eyes widened.

Lu Wenbin clenched his fist. "You see, that's why I want to start my own business and prove myself."

Shen Mo suppressed his smile. He wasn't afraid of rich kids indulging in a life of pleasure, but rather of their ambitions. Miss Zong from Wahahaha was a prime example.

Qin Feng couldn't help but ask curiously, "So what kind of business did you start?"

"Open an online store," Lu Wenbin said bluntly.

"You actually run a Taobao store!"

Apart from Shen Mo, Yuan Hua and Qin Feng both showed surprise.

"This is a trend, a new direction."

"Ever since Hangzhou Normal University produced Jack Ma and created Alibaba, many universities in Hangzhou are now encouraging students to open online stores."

"I heard that the Yiwu Vocational and Technical College has even started a 'Taobao class,' which allows students to use their 'online store sales' to earn academic credits."

Lu Wenbin took a bite of the meat skewer and a sip of beer.

Yuan Hua pressed further, "What about our school?"

"Of course, it's no exception. The 'Red Shield Launch' youth entrepreneurship training program, sponsored by the Jiangsu and Zhejiang Administration for Industry and Commerce and co-organized by Alibaba, was launched recently at the activity center of our university. The auditorium is for 600 people, but seven or eight hundred people showed up..."

Lu Wenbin vividly described the scene that night.

Qin Feng suddenly realized, "No wonder you run an online store, so that's how it is."

"Our school is now providing strong support, and the Work-Study and Entrepreneurship Center has even incorporated e-commerce into its work-study programs."

"We also regularly organize training sessions to teach students how to open and decorate their shops..."

"Du Manqing, the most beautiful girl in the fashion design department in Liu Xin's dorm, also runs an online store on Taobao."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Lu Wenbin regretted them and cautiously observed Shen Mo's expression.

"Du Manqing is also running an online store?"

A hint of amusement flashed in Shen Mo's eyes.

I suddenly realized that getting to know Liu Xin wasn't without its benefits. Although she's a tea person, she's very good at networking and socializing at a young age.

My best friend is not only pursued by many people, but they are also all rich and powerful.

There's the daughter of the college's vice dean, the daughter of a decoration company owner, and of course, there are Wenzhou's rich and beautiful women like Du Manqing.

He was a good person; in his past life, he tried his best to bring him and Liu Xin together, and even gave him a small gift on his birthday.

If used properly, these resources could very well be transformed into a boost to one's own entrepreneurship.

In that instant, Shen Mo felt as if he had discovered a new continent: women were not meant to be pursued, but rather to be used.

Liu Xin can absolutely be used as a tool to break into new circles!

Skip the middleman and profit from the difference, find an opportunity to get to know her best friends, and let them help her with self-cultivation—no, entrepreneurship!

………………

Seeing Shen Mo's expressionless face, Lu Wenbin breathed a sigh of relief. "Go ahead and open, but like me, business is terrible, nobody's coming."

"Then we need to find a way to attract traffic."

Yuan Hua frowned and said, "Go to Mop, Tianya, KDnet, Tieba, and other forums to post and promote it."

"It's not as simple as you say. Taobao ranks them based on sales volume, popularity, and credit rating."

Lu Wenbin rolled his eyes. "Online stores with high credit ratings rank higher, while those that are just starting out and have no credit rating can only be ranked on pages 50 or 60, or even pages 100 or 200. Which buyer has the patience to flip through 50 or 100 pages?"

Yuan Hua asked, "Credit points? Is that what you mean by hearts, diamonds, and crowns?"

"That's right."

Shen Mo nodded. Unlike the evaluation system of later generations, Taobao in 08 adopted a credit score system.

Earn points through transactions: 1 point for a "positive review", 0 points for a "neutral review", and 1 point deducted for a "negative review".

The total score determines the store's level: less than 250 points is "heart" and more than 1 points is "crown".

Those in the 251 to 10000 point range are "Diamonds", and each major level is further subdivided into 5 minor levels.

For example, the word "diamond" has grades from "diamond one" to "diamond five".

Above "Crown Five" is "Gold Crown," which has accumulated over 5 points.

Stores with diamond, crown, or gold crown ratings receive traffic support and preferential treatment from Taobao, while newly opened heart-level stores have almost no exposure. Therefore, many stores fail immediately after opening.

After listening to Shen Mo's explanation, Qin Feng suddenly understood. "Oh, I see. What should we do then?"

"Or, buy someone else's online store. The transfer fee for Diamond 1 is 600, Diamond 2 is 850... Crown 1 is 10,000."

Lu Wenbin said helplessly, "If you want, just find someone to boost your diamonds."

Yuan Hua's eyes widened: "Diamond-swiping?"

"It's about using fake transactions to boost an online store's ranking to diamond or crown levels, making it easier to do business once the store is ranked higher."

"Damn it, it's all because of Taobao's messed-up reputation system. If I don't use fake reviews, I won't get a single order in a month."

After grumbling for a while, Lu Wenbin saw Shen Mo stroking his chin and couldn't help but ask.

"Have you figured out how to make money? How about opening an online store?"

"I don't run online stores; I want to help you run them well."

Shen Mo took a sip of wine, shook his head, and chuckled.