Chen Li Shu stood up and politely asked, "Hello, are you the chief editor of the newspaper?"
The man smiled and said, "Yes! My name is Wu Hua, and I'm mainly here today to discuss purchasing advertising space for charity with you."
Chen Li Shu frowned and asked, "Excuse me, before we discuss this matter, I'd like to ask what your relationship with Wu Lu is?"
As if sensing Chen Li Shu's concern, Wu Hua quickly explained, "Although we both have the surname Wu, we are not related at all. If you are worried, you can send someone to our family to look at the genealogy."
"There's no need to look at the genealogy. I was just curious and asked." Since the other party had even suggested looking at the genealogy, it was clear that the family tree would not reveal any useful information.
Chen Li Shu had a way to investigate the truth of the matter, but not now. Since the other party claimed to be here to discuss cooperation, she might as well listen to his plans and see if any useful information could be extracted.
So, Chen Li Shu changed the subject and said, "Editor Wu, could you please explain your cooperation plan in detail?"
Wu Hua nodded and then generously admitted, "To be frank, Wu Lu has been apprehended by the police. I heard that this matter has had a severe impact, and his outcome will likely not be good.
I heard this plan from him. We've been doing a lot of free content, and while we've gained some reputation, we've been operating at a loss. The nutrition we can get from CCTV, this big tree, is also limited.
The lower the wages we give to our workers, the worse the content becomes. I think your plan can help us maintain our reputation and also generate profits. It's a win-win situation, so I came to you personally to discuss this cooperation.
No matter what, Wu Lu is a member of our newspaper. I am very sorry for what he did to you. To compensate you, this cooperation can be a nine-one split. What do you think?"
A nine-one split wouldn't mean a loss for Wu Hua. This plan was still in its trial phase. If it was successful, they would undoubtedly charge a hefty price from later participating merchants.
However, this matter was of little concern to her. A nine-one split was much better than her previous budget. Chen Li Shu licked her lips and then said, "Okay, but I need to convene a meeting to discuss the future development. If everyone thinks this plan is viable, I will draft a contract and have our employees go to your newspaper to sign it. What do you think?"
Wu Hua raised an eyebrow and readily agreed, "Of course, no problem. Then this matter is happily decided. Whether it succeeds or not, please inform me."
After discussing the cooperation, Wu Hua found an excuse and left.
Chen Li Shu watched his retreating back and immediately called Gu Xing Dong, "Help me investigate someone."
Gu Xing Dong's helpless voice came from the other end of the phone, "It's rare for us two to call each other, and you don't even ask about me, or talk about the issues between us. The first thing you say is to ask me to investigate someone."
Chen Li Shu listened to Gu Xing Dong's complaint, and a blush appeared on her face. She said coquettishly, "We're old married couples, what's all the fuss about?
Besides, this is work-related. Only your network can give me some peace of mind. I can't trust anyone else, so I specifically called you."
It wasn't sweet talk, but it was better than sweet talk. Hearing Chen Li Shu's reliance on him, Gu Xing Dong couldn't help but smile. He said tenderly, "Who should I investigate?"
"Wu Hua, I want to see what his relationship with Wu Lu is."
"Okay." After Gu Xing Dong agreed, he hung up the phone.
About ten minutes later, Gu Xing Dong brought back the investigation results.
The results showed that Wu Hua and Wu Lu had no significant relationship and were even rivals in the company. It was only because Wu Lu came from a good family that, despite being just an editor, he often used the chief editor's authority to cause trouble for Wu Hua.
Confirming that Wu Hua was a safe person to cooperate with, Chen Li Shu immediately sent a message to Zhang Bin, asking him to draft a contract and go to the newspaper office to sign it.
Not long after the contract was signed, the newspaper staff spread the news. They announced the cancellation of the fashion clothing selection competition and decided to use their influence to help those in need. This plan was jointly launched by the newspaper and the head of Shu Se Group, with Shu Se Group also being the first charitable representative.
This news immediately caused quite a stir.
"Is Shu Se Group the clothing brand that appeared on the Spring Festival Gala? They even sponsored clothes for actors for free back then. I thought this merchant had ulterior motives!"
"It's not ulterior motives. I think they have great vision. How else do businesses sell things? But what other company can distribute money like Shu Se Group to help those in need?"
"This is a truly reputable brand. If I were asked to donate money to help these unfortunate people, I probably couldn't. I don't earn much myself. But if buying clothes can help these people, who wouldn't buy a few pieces of clothing a year? Things like this, which are within our ability, can be done."
"I checked the pricing of the clothes in Shu Se Group's stores. I can only describe it with one word: value for money. We won't lose out by buying them!"
"..."
With the reputation established, Shu Se Group received a large number of orders from all directions in the following days, quickly becoming one of the best-selling brands in Kyoto.
This news caused some to rejoice and others to worry.
The person who was most worried was likely Yang Li Li. She angrily pushed all the ornaments on the table to the ground, her eyes bloodshot, and she gritted her teeth, saying, "Why? Why is Chen Li Shu always so lucky? Fashion magazines have been updated year after year, and as soon as Chen Li Shu arrived, the newspaper's promotional methods were completely changed!"
Jiang Yu Wei came to report her work. When she opened the door and saw the mess in the office, she was stunned and instinctively shouted, "Yang Li Li, are you crazy?"
Yang Li Li turned her head, glared sharply at Jiang Yu Wei, and roared, "Get out! I don't want to talk to anyone right now."
Jiang Yu Wei did not listen to her and instead approached her fearlessly, offering comfort, "Why are you in such a hurry? Actually, the change in the newspaper's rules doesn't have much impact on us.
As soon as this happened, I arranged for people to rush to talk to the editor of the fashion newspaper for cooperation. Our company's reputation outside is also good. I understand your desire to deal with Chen Li Shu, but you can't rush things.
Yang Gang also told me his plan. With such an important piece on hand, are you still afraid we won't win?"
That was true, but...
Thinking of this, Yang Li Li's anger seemed to be doused by a basin of cold water. She slumped back into her chair, feeling dejected. It was mainly because she had relied on selling her body to obtain this cooperation.