Reborn in 08, Public Enemy of Competitors

Early morning, Xuelin Street.

After the final exams, the university town was almost empty as students gradually went home, leaving only those preparing for postgraduate entrance exams, internships, and make-up exams.

Shen Mo and his group sat at a breakfast stall. On the table were pan-fried buns, pan-fried dumplings, meat buns, and two bowls of sweet and savory tofu pudding.

Lu Wenbin scrutinized Qin Feng for a while. "Fengzi, why are your dark circles so heavy? Did you secretly do something naughty again last night?"

"Young man, you need to be careful. Even though you have big arms, you're not a kidney warrior."

Yuan Hua patted him on the shoulder, "When you're young, you don't know the value of kidneys; when you're old, you can only weep in vain for your daughter."

"Bullshit! How dare you slander someone's innocence out of thin air!"

Qin Feng ate two steamed buns and a clove of garlic. "I was so excited about how I could earn tens of thousands more through Woshou.com that I couldn't sleep all night."

"Stop!"

Shen Mo looked around. "Woshou.com is just for accumulating funds. Although it brings in over 20 yuan a month, the key now is the shopping guide platform. Everyone should understand this. Don't lose your way or your ambition just because this is profitable, understand?"

Everyone nodded in agreement, when suddenly the phone rang.

Shen Mo picked up the Nokia and pressed the answer button.

The two AUX air conditioners I ordered have arrived!

It's fair to say that in Hangzhou, you can live without heating in winter, but you absolutely need air conditioning in summer!

"Master, over here!"

Shen Mo arrived at the student activity center, waved to the two delivery drivers, and then led them up to the third floor.

"Boss, your building didn't have a pre-installed space for air conditioners, so we'll have to install two brackets on the exterior wall."

The experienced craftsman opened the outside window, inspected it carefully, and then spoke.

"Money is not a problem, get it installed as soon as possible."

Shen Mo waved his hand, interrupting the other party's preamble.

"The boss is great! Xiaoming, let's get to work!"

The experienced craftsman grinned, quickly unpacked the box, revealing the outdoor unit and main unit of the air conditioner, and called to his apprentice to get to work.

"Holy crap, the air conditioner!"

Xu Kun, Zhuang Bifan, and the others eagerly followed over.

"Hey Mo, can I ask you something? I'll bring a straw mat tonight, and I can sleep here from now on, okay?"

Chen Bo squeezed through and rubbed his hands together.

"Of course, this air conditioner is provided for you."

A shrewd glint flashed in Shen Mo's eyes.

"Brother Mo is awesome! Brother Mo is so magnanimous!"

"This isn't just air conditioning, it's Mo-ge's love for us! The breeze hasn't even blown out yet, but my heart is already cool!"

While everyone was excited, they also felt a little guilty.

I feel so bad about getting free broadband, free air conditioning, and even a place to sleep.

How about I write a couple more lines of code tonight as a way of repaying Brother Mo?

………………

The commotion next door naturally caught the attention of Du Manqing, Ye Xiao, and the others.

Du Manqing came out and noticed the large cardboard box by the door. "What's this...?"

Shen Mo crossed his arms. "Install air conditioning!"

"Oh dear, how could I forget something so important!"

Du Manqing gently patted her forehead. "I need to buy one too. What brand is yours?"

"Aux!" Shen Mo said. "It's not that Gree can't afford it, but that it's more cost-effective."

Du Manqing said casually, "Then I'll buy the same thing as you. Could you take me to where you bought it?"

Shen Mo said, "Okay, but we'll have to wait until after get off work."

Du Manqing smiled and said, "It's a deal. I'll treat you to dinner."

Time flies, the sun sets, and with a shout of "Time to go home!", everyone rushes back to move their mats and bedding over.

Shen Mo gave Yuan Hua and the others a few instructions, and then saw Du Manqing standing in the corridor with a crossbody bag on her back.

She wore a lemon-green T-shirt on top and an ice-blue knee-length skirt on the bottom, looking fresh and soothing, full of the vibe of midsummer.

"Go, go, let's eat first!"

"Where should we eat?"

"How's Linglong Town?"

Du Manqing slowly walked down the stairs.

"So high-end?"

Shen Mo raised an eyebrow. The exquisite town by West Lake is not cheap for ordinary students.

"Of course, I should thank you properly."

Du Manqing smiled sweetly, "Thanks to you, my online store is about to reach Diamond Level 2."

Congratulations!

Shen Mo went downstairs and waved to flag down a taxi.

Just as he was about to open the passenger door, Du Manqing stopped him, pointing to the back seat, "Sit here."

"That could easily lead to misunderstandings and might affect my chances of finding a girlfriend in the future."

Shen Mo said this, but his body was very obedient as he climbed into the back seat.

"screw you!"

Du Manqing spat and gave the taxi driver the address.

"Ahem!"

Shen Mo cleared his throat. "Didn't you want to ask about Taobao stores? I have a suggestion."

"What?"

Du Manqing's eyes reflected the flowing light and shadow of the neon lights outside the window.

Shen Mo smiled knowingly. "Your clothes are selling so well now, the next step should be to register your own trademark and go for a branded approach!"

These words were like a pebble thrown into Du Manqing's heart, stirring up ripples that could not be calmed down along the way.

The two sat facing each other in the exquisite town, with Du Manqing absentmindedly flipping through the menu in her hand.

"They all look good."

Shen Mo casually flipped through a couple of pages of the menu: "Grandma's braised pork, three-cup chicken, and Longjing shrimp. What do you want to eat?"

Du Manqing snapped out of her daze and said, "Secret recipe prawns, crab roe tofu, iron pot fish head, and a papaya stewed with snow frog, please."

"Okay, just a moment."

The waiter took notes, and after confirming that everything was correct, he turned and quickly walked towards the kitchen.

Du Manqing said seriously, "You just mentioned brands, could you tell me more about them?"

Shen Mo asked, "You must know that what you're selling on Taobao is actually considered a white-label product, right?"

"Um."

Du Manqing nodded helplessly.

Her family's garment factory has been manufacturing for domestic and international brands for many years, so she knows all too well the difference between white-label and branded products.

Clothes produced on the same assembly line can have vastly different prices depending on whether they are branded or not.

No matter how well you do it, you're just doing the work for someone else; you'll never become a real brand.

When I first enrolled in fashion design, I wanted to help the factory transform after graduation. After all, if you're a white-label brand and don't build your own, you'll be a white-label brand forever!

"Although your clothing designs are popular now, they will be out of style as soon as the season changes."

Shen Mo explained, "It's different from other brands. Once people recognize your brand, they'll continue to patronize you when the seasons change."

"If I were to develop 'Manman Wardrobe' as a brand, do you think it would have a chance?"

Du Manqing rested her chin on her hands, her gaze intense.

"The name 'Manman Wardrobe' is nice, but it's not suitable as a brand name."

"What kind of name do you think we should choose?"

"That depends on you. Do you want to focus on the women's apparel market, or do you want to sell men's apparel, children's apparel, shoes, and socks?"

"What if we only make women's clothing?"

Du Manqing became increasingly interested.

Shen Mo stroked his chin. "As for women's clothing, it depends on which direction you're going."

"The British style can be described using the homonym of 'Fairy Maiden,' as '菲瑞美登' (Fairy Maiden)."

"If it's a trendy fashion brand, then it needs to be more unique, like 'Manyou,' which implies freedom and unrestraint..."

"What if I wanted to create a brand that appeals to women of all ages?"

Du Manqing's eyes were filled with anticipation.

"Then let's call it 'Manzi,' meaning graceful figure, or 'Yaman,' 'Shiman'..."

Shen Mo smiled. "Of course, there's an even more direct way. How about we reverse your name, Manqing, or Qingman?"

"Green...green vines...?"

Du Manqing's cheeks flushed slightly as she looked down and fiddled with the rim of her glass.

Shen Mo smacked his lips. Luckily, it was 2008, and the return rate for women's clothing was less than 10%.

In a decade or so, a bunch of malicious returns and people taking advantage of loopholes will drive the return rate up to 60% to 80%.

Merchants are forced to make giant hang tags, truly a case of "one generation cuts down the trees, another generation is exposed to the scorching sun."

………………

One dish after another was placed on the table, and the waiter said with a smile, "Gentlemen, your dishes are all ready."

Du Manqing hesitated to pick up her chopsticks, staring blankly at the bowl, her brows furrowed with deep sorrow.

"You can take your time to think of a name. If you really intend to build a brand, it's best to find a reliable trademark agency or law firm."

Shen Mo picked up a piece of braised pork and ate it while talking.

Du Manqing narrowed her eyes. "Like that female lawyer who came to see you last time?"

"Oh right, she works at Zehou Law Firm."

Shen Mo casually praised Lin Qingyan's abilities a few times.

Du Manqing poked the crab roe tofu in her bowl with her chopsticks, seemingly asking a casual question.

"Can I get a discount if someone recommends it?"

"I only have business dealings with Lin Qingyan, we're not close at all. Mentioning my name won't help."

Shen Mo shrugged.

"That's alright!"

Du Manqing smiled and said, "Since you recommended it, it must be reliable. I'll choose Zehou."

The two chatted and laughed. Shen Mo ate quickly, while Du Manqing ate slowly, taking a minute or two to eat a single shrimp.

If this is how it is when eating shrimp heads, what would happen if we ate turtles?

Shen Mo reached into his pocket and pulled out Du Manqing's bank card.

The gentle strains of the Yue Opera "The Butterfly Lovers" drifted through the restaurant, the soft, melodious Wu dialect filling the air.

"You and I are like the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl crossing the Magpie Bridge, amidst clear lotus leaves and a tranquil pond, where mandarin ducks are always together..."

Shen Mo leaned back comfortably in his chair to digest his food. Sure enough, other people's food tasted better, especially the little rich woman's.

Du Manqing took out her wallet. "You're not allowed to take this meal from me. I'll pay."

"Of course you have to pay! With the ideas I just gave you, I wouldn't tell her anything if she asked me for it!"

Shen Mo smiled. It's not bad to occasionally be a kept man!

"Haha, I think it's worth it too."

Du Manqing paid the bill readily and decisively. "Let's go to that Gome store you mentioned."

"Don't rush!"

Shen Mo stopped him for a moment, placed the bank card on the table, and gently pushed it over.

"You...returned it so quickly?"

Du Manqing's almond-shaped eyes widened in surprise. She had thought Shen Mo would repay the money, but she hadn't expected it to be so soon.

"That's considered slow. I originally planned to pay it back in two weeks."

Shen Mo said, "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting for a few more days."

Look at this, is this even human language?!

Du Manqing was both annoyed and amused. "How could I complain about it being slow? If it were someone else, they would be considered trustworthy if they could pay it back in six months."

Shen Mo shrugged. "They are them, and I am me."

"Yes, yes, you are you."

Du Manqing touched the corner of the bank card.

That's 10 yuan!

It was all paid off in less than three weeks! What was it made of?