Liu Qing's secretary took the hint and immediately walked over to Chen Jincheng and Sister Hong. "You two, let's go over there to discuss the contract."
"President Liu, there's no need to collaborate. I wish you prosperous business," Chen Jincheng said with a smile as he stood up, flatly rejecting Liu Qing's proposal.
He didn't need this paltry sum, which felt more like a handout. Of course, he wasn't particularly angry. After all, they were the ones who would ultimately lose out.
An ad featuring a B-list celebrity like Li Yueling would never get 3 million likes unless it got incredibly lucky and went viral.
The only benefit Jinglan Company would get was the ability to use her pretty, innocent face in their ads.
But so what?
There are plenty of beautiful women out there.
After standing, he turned to Liu Qing's secretary without a hint of hesitation. "Hey, beautiful. Ever thought about becoming an online influencer? You've got the looks for it. If the idea appeals to you, come find me at Second Generation Star Media across the way!"
In the face of such blatant poaching, Liu Qing's expression soured, and her elegant brows knitted together.
Seeing this, Chen Jincheng grinned broadly and led Sister Hong away.
Outside Jinglan Women's Clothing, Sister Hong frowned. "Boss, we were just used as a bargaining chip. Since you've passed on the deal with Jinglan Women's Clothing, and you already have a proposal, why not try Jinghong Women's Clothing upstairs?"
"Let's go. That's exactly what I was thinking," Chen Jincheng agreed with a nod.
'This is the best option.'
'Liu Qing used me, looked down on me. Getting angry is pointless. The best revenge is to go to her rival and use the very proposal she scorned to crush her. That's what will truly make her squirm.'
After taking the elevator up a floor, Chen Jincheng found Jinghong Women's Clothing. Compared to Jinglan Women's Clothing, this one felt less fashionable and more staid.
For a women's fashion company, just based on first impressions, Jinglan Women's Clothing clearly had the edge. Since they were in the same office building, on floors right above and below each other, they were bound to have a history of conflict.
'Perfect.'
"Welcome. May I ask who you are?" the young woman at the front desk asked as soon as she saw the two of them.
Chen Jincheng stepped forward with a warm smile. "Hello, we're from Second Generation Star Media, the company downstairs. We'd like to discuss a business opportunity with your boss. Could you please let her know we're here?"
"Please wait a moment. I'll go inform her." The receptionist walked away, glancing back at Chen Jincheng. A handsome man was always nice to look at, but more importantly, he seemed a little familiar.
A moment later, the receptionist returned. "Our boss will see you now!"
Chen Jincheng followed the receptionist into the office of the president of Jinghong Women's Clothing. Behind the desk sat a slightly heavyset, middle-aged woman. Standing beside her was a young female secretary who also had a great figure, legs, bust, and face.
'He had to admit, the secretaries at both of these clothing companies were top-notch. They both had the potential to become B-list influencers.'
The receptionist immediately reported, "President Li, these two are from Second Generation Star Media downstairs."
"Please, have a seat." Li Ya nodded, gesturing for Chen Jincheng and Sister Hong to sit. Her voice was somewhat gruff, suggesting she might be from the north.
After taking a seat, Chen Jincheng got straight to the point. "President Li, hello. My name is Chen Jincheng. I'm here today to talk about promoting your clothing line. We at Second Generation Star Media have some very talented female artists."
Hearing this, Li Ya replied tactfully, "I'm very sorry, but we're already in negotiations with Li Yueling and are about to sign the contract."
Sister Hong immediately jumped in with a smile. "President Li, Li Yueling just signed with Jinglan Women's Clothing downstairs for four million."
Li Ya's expression changed slightly upon hearing this.
This was clearly not good news for her.
She immediately pulled out her phone to call Li Yueling, only to find a new message from the celebrity's agent. It was an apology, confirming that Li Yueling had just signed with Jinglan Women's Clothing.
Her expression darkened.
'Beaten to the punch again.'
Seeing her chance, Sister Hong chimed in, "President Li, Li Yueling isn't the only option for a promotional campaign. And celebrity endorsements aren't always the most effective way to go. Why not listen to our proposal from Second Generation Star Media?"
Li Ya glanced at them and sighed. "Fine. Let's hear it."
Chen Jincheng smiled. "President Li, we want to create a viral video promotion for you. You might not have much faith in this approach, so first, I'd like you to go on Tiao Yin and search for the 'Window-Wiping Dance,' the 'Chest-Shaking Dance,' the 'Chest-Puffing Dance,' and 'Second Generation Star Media.'"
Li Ya was skeptical, but she had promised to hear them out. She picked up her phone and began to search.
She was certainly familiar with Tiao Yin. She'd even had someone set up an account for Jinghong Women's Clothing and post a few videos, though they hadn't performed well.
She searched for the terms he'd mentioned one by one, her expression growing more and more astonished.
The "Window-Wiping Dance," "Chest-Shaking Dance," "Chest-Puffing Dance," and "Second Generation Star Media" were all trending topics, absolutely exploding online.
The "Chest-Shaking Dance," in particular, had combined to become one of the top three trending topics on Tiao Yin for the day.
And crucially, all of these campaigns were the work of Second Generation Star Media.
Only a major celebrity scandal—like an affair or tax evasion—could generate this kind of heat. A standard ad campaign, even with an A-list star, couldn't come close.
Her eyes began to sparkle.
'This Second Generation Star Media is more than they appear.'
Chen Jincheng seized the opportunity. "President Li, Second Generation Star Media can create a video for Jinghong Women's Clothing on Tiao Yin. We guarantee it will reach three million likes, and we'll tag @JinghongWomensClothing in the title to drive traffic directly to you. The price is only two million."
This certainly caught Li Ya's attention.
'A custom-made video for Jinghong Women's Clothing on Tiao Yin, guaranteed to get three million likes and drive traffic to our page... two million is definitely not a high price for that.'
'Three million likes... that means at least fifty million views, right?'
'She was in the women's apparel business; she'd produced plenty of video ads. She couldn't afford A-list stars but had hired a few B-listers, so she knew exactly what kind of views those ads typically generated.'
'Even without the star power, two million for a video with three million likes is an absolute bargain.'
'What about faking the likes? Tiao Yin itself acts as a third-party monitor for this kind of sponsored content. They wouldn't let someone ruin their platform's credibility.'
As she considered this, Li Ya smiled. "Mr. Chen, you make a compelling case. But there's one major issue: how can you guarantee three million likes?"
Chen Jincheng chuckled. "President Li, I understand your concern. So, let's make it a performance-based deal. If the video doesn't reach three million likes, Second Generation Star Media won't charge you a cent. If it does, you pay us the two million."
That did it. Li Ya was finally swayed. This was the most sincere offer he could make. Sometimes, business partnerships required a leap of faith.
She slapped her hand on the desk and ordered her secretary, "Go prepare a contract. Draw it up exactly as Mr. Chen has proposed."
"Right away, President Li." The secretary nodded and left the office.
Li Ya then turned to Chen Jincheng. "Mr. Chen, in that case, would you like me to show you the apparel we want to promote?"
"Please, lead the way, President Li," Chen Jincheng said with a smiling nod. He and Sister Hong then followed her toward the design and production area.
When they reached an area with finished products, he saw that the items displayed on several mannequins were nightgowns. So, they were promoting women's sleepwear—and a sexy line at that.
Li Ya added, "This is our company's new line of women's sleepwear. Jinglan Women's Clothing downstairs is also promoting a sleepwear line, so we're really counting on you for this campaign, Mr. Chen."
As Chen Jincheng examined Jinghong Women's Clothing's sleepwear line, he felt like something was missing.
The design was very similar to a bestselling line of seductive sleepwear from his past life. The main difference seemed to be the hem. The hems here were short, but the version from his past life had high slits up both sides, revealing the entire leg all the way up to the hip. It raised the allure by more than just a little.
'If you're going to go for sexy, you have to go all the way.'
"President Li, would you mind if I made a couple of alterations to this nightgown?" Chen Jincheng asked tentatively.
His question caught Li Ya off guard.
Sister Hong quickly explained, "President Li, our boss has a very strong grasp of male psychology. He understands what makes a woman attractive to a man. You saw the 'Chest-Shaking Dance'—that was his creation."
'This was another company's finished design, after all. She was worried her boss's desire to take a pair of scissors to it would offend President Li.'
'She couldn't bear the thought of this deal falling through after they'd just made it.'
But Li Ya recovered quickly, grabbing a pair of scissors from a nearby table and handing them to him. "Mr. Chen, it's just one nightgown. Who knows? Your suggestion might be excellent."
Chen Jincheng didn't hesitate. He walked over to a black nightgown and cut the hem on both sides, creating two high slits.
Instantly, the sex appeal and allure jumped to a whole new level.
Li Ya was stunned. "Mr. Chen, that's a very creative idea, but a design like that would show a bit of underwear. It would never pass the censors and would actually hurt our promotion!"
Chen Jincheng just smiled. He picked out a pair of sexy panties from a nearby display and put them on the mannequin. This not only solved the problem she'd mentioned but also added a new layer of tantalizing, half-hidden allure.
This time, Li Ya's eyes truly lit up. She hastily called over a production manager, pointed at the modified nightgown, and said, "Relay this order: re-tailor the entire sleepwear line according to this new design."
Just then, the secretary returned with the prepared contract and handed it to Li Ya. But Li Ya immediately said, "Redraft the contract. Change the payment to three million."
'It was her way of returning the favor.'
'Besides, if he could really deliver a three-million-like video ad for Jinghong Women's Clothing, then a three million fee was well worth it.'
The secretary was surprised by the extra million but went to handle it immediately.
A short while later, both parties had signed the contract and scheduled a time for the shoot.
"President Li, we'll start filming as soon as you have the clothes delivered tomorrow morning!" Chen Jincheng said before leading Sister Hong into the elevator.
After the elevator doors closed, Sister Hong said, "Compared to President Liu, President Li is much better to work with. She's less of a cutthroat merchant and even raised our fee to three million. But getting a video to three million likes is no easy feat."
Sister Hong was still worried, but she added, "Of course, even if we don't hit the target, it's worth it just to have made a friend in President Li. Besides, we were going to shoot a video anyway."
Chen Jincheng, however, wasn't worried at all.
'It was a sure thing.'
When the elevator doors opened, both of them froze. Liu Qing was standing right there, waiting for the elevator.
The situation was awkward for everyone.
In the end, Chen Jincheng simply offered her a slight smile and led Sister Hong out of the elevator.
Seeing this, Liu Qing took the initiative to speak. "Mr. Chen, I'm still very hopeful we can try collaborating with Second Generation Star Media. About the price I quoted earlier... I can add another twenty thousand."