Chapter 170 - 137: You’re So Bad (Part 2)
Chapter 170: Chapter 137: You’re So Bad (Part 2)
The three of them chatted excitedly until after ten, when Lin Wanyu started hurrying Gao Yuan to go take a shower.
Once all three were tucked in bed, Lin Wanyu snuggled close and whispered in Gao Yuan’s ear, "Babe, tomorrow is Christmas."
"What about Christmas?"
When Gao Yuan was younger, he used to be quite enthusiastic about these holidays, but now he had no interest in them whatsoever.
"I’ve got a surprise for you!"
After saying this, she cuddled up to Gao Yuan and fell asleep.
Tonight, she and Li Mengqing had both behaved themselves. ’Maybe they were being considerate since I was tired from the drive, or maybe they’re just saving their energy for tomorrow!’
「The next day.」
First thing in the morning, the three of them went downstairs to work out. This session, once again, was not a pleasant experience.
Perhaps because Gao Yuan had become more famous, even more people than before watched him as he worked out. A few female trainers, in particular, were openly staring at him.
They paid no mind to Lin Wanyu and Li Mengqing right beside him.
After breakfast, Gao Yuan headed out to work. Today, he didn’t need to give Li Mengqing a ride.
Li Mengqing had officially resigned, becoming jobless just like Lin Wanyu.
As he reached his car in the underground garage, he noticed the lights of a Buick GL8 parked next to it flash on.
The GL8’s rear door slid open, revealing Xiao Xiao sitting in the back seat.
Seeing Xiao Xiao smiling at him from inside the car, Gao Yuan strode right over and climbed in.
This van of Xiao Xiao’s had obviously been modified; a partition separated the front from the back, so there was no worry of the driver seeing what was happening behind them.
The moment Gao Yuan sat down, the door slowly slid shut.
As the door closed, Gao Yuan immediately wrapped an arm around Xiao Xiao’s neck and pulled her in for a kiss.
A long moment later, Xiao Xiao swatted Gao Yuan reproachfully a few times before pulling out a wet wipe to clean the lipstick from his lips.
"You’re terrible!"
Gao Yuan chuckled. "Didn’t you open the door for me to get in?"
"I let you get in, but not for *that*!"
Xiao Xiao rolled her eyes at him.
’How long had they been apart? Gao Yuan was still so insatiable.’
"So, what are your plans for Christmas?"
’Even the way she rolled her eyes was enchanting,’ Gao Yuan thought, feeling the urge to drag her upstairs right then and there.
"I’m going back to Shanghai, of course!"
"Xiaoyu is waiting for me at home today!"
’Then why did you come back with me yesterday? Aren’t you tired, running back and forth like this!’
"I have some business here. I’ll head back after I’m done."
Her words reminded Gao Yuan of her vast fortune; it was no surprise that she had business interests in Hang City.
"Alright then. I was thinking, since you’re here by yourself today, that I’d spend it with you."
Gao Yuan was being a bit disingenuous.
He only dared to say it because he knew she was returning to Shanghai.
Xiao Xiao shot him a look but didn’t call his bluff. Instead, she said pointedly, "Well, how about I bring Xiaoyu over here then?"
Gao Yuan instantly cursed himself for running his mouth. ’Stupid! Why did I have to say that?’
"She has school. Let’s not put her through all that trouble."
Xiao Xiao smiled, not bothering to quibble with him over it.
They chatted for a few more moments before Gao Yuan got out of the car. Xiao Xiao departed first.
Gao Yuan went to his company, made a brief appearance, and told Sun Qiang to arrange a Christmas bonus for everyone before heading to the Lin Group.
’New Year’s Day was only five days away. I wonder if the Lin Group can get the finished set of skincare products manufactured before then.’
「Inside Lin Hongnian’s office.」
Seeing Gao Yuan, Lin Hongnian immediately guessed the reason for his visit.
Gao Yuan had placed another large order yesterday, and Lin Hongnian had found out about it that evening.
He made a call to have samples brought over, then sat down to chat with Gao Yuan.
"Xiaoyuan, how’s that TikTok brand of yours coming along?"
Gao Yuan noted that Lin Hongnian hadn’t asked about anything else, just this. ’He understood at once. Elder Lin has been keeping an eye on GY all along.’
’He must have seen GY’s recent sales figures and gotten envious.’
"It’s going well. As of now, it looks very likely to succeed."
Gao Yuan didn’t hide anything. The matter was transparent, and TikTok would likely use this collaboration as a shining case study in their own marketing.
All the more reason not to hide it from Lin Hongnian.
"Then do you think the Lin Group could try something similar?"
Lin Hongnian asked the question that was truly on his mind.
Gao Yuan didn’t answer right away, pondering for a moment before saying, "You could, but you can’t just copy GY’s model."
"Oh? And why is that?"
The answer wasn’t hard to grasp. The key to GY’s success was that Gao Yuan himself had become famous first; everything else was a knock-on effect.
Music is a powerful thing; it can touch people’s hearts at just the right moment, which made many people subconsciously give GY their initial trust.
And this was where the issue of trust came into play.
Why had domestic skincare brands always been languishing? It wasn’t because Chinese companies were unwilling to spend money on marketing, nor was it because the products lacked quality.
It was because Chinese consumers simply didn’t trust them.
On one hand, the marketing of major international brands was already deeply ingrained in the public consciousness, and their quality was, admittedly, somewhat better.
On the other hand, there was the issue of trust. Domestic products always seemed to start cutting corners after achieving a little success. There would be a problem here, or they’d drop the ball there.
They would completely destroy whatever initial trust they had managed to build.
You couldn’t just blame the skincare industry for this, either. It was the same in other sectors. From something as large as a house to something as small as an eyebrow pencil, consumers had been burned so many times they’d grown wary.
That’s why they’d rather spend more money to buy foreign brands.
It was just like the infant formula scandal a few years back. Domestic manufacturers actually dared to add *those things* to their products. That wasn’t just pushing the envelope; it was a direct assault on the consumers’ most basic trust!