Pei Qian turned off the live-stream and finally relaxed on the other side.
He was no longer in the office. Instead, he came to Fish-Catching Internet Cafe and used his cell phone to watch the last segment of the food competition.
That was because the company had already knocked off before the competition was over.
Pei Qian had repeatedly ordered his employees not to work overtime. Of course, he could not break the rules himself. Thus, he chased them out of work on time and left with his employees.
When he arrived at Fish-Catching Internet Cafe, he ordered dinner and watched the end of the Street Food Contest while eating.
The end result of the Street Food Contest was in line with Pei Qian's expectations.
This event cost a lot of money. They hired famous food vendors from all over the country, booked the entire restaurant in luxurious hotels, and spent money on food and photography.
The event itself did not bring Tengda any popularity. The Cold-Faced Lady might have appeared but it was harshly criticized by the judges until it was worthless. It had achieved a negative advertising effect.
It was obvious that the Cold-Faced Lady brand would only get worse.
The most important thing in the food and beverage industry was returning customers. The key to retaining them was their taste and reputation.
The taste that had been praised to the skies had been beaten back to its original state now that the Cold-Faced Lady's reputation had collapsed. Not many people would go to the Cold-Faced Lady's shop to eat. Thus, the money needed to maintain the normal operations of the shop would be wasted.
Pei Qian had an even bolder imagination.
If the Cold-Faced Lady continued to be in such a dead state and did not make any profit, Pei Qian could try to advertise and spend more money.
Advertisements cost much more than normal operations!
Of course, the prerequisite was that the Cold-Faced Lady was completely dead so that they could not save it no matter how much they advertised.
He could not rush things now. He had to wait and see.
Pei Qian was in a good mood at that thought. Even the food in Fish-Catching Internet Cafe tasted better.
...
Qi Yan received a message from her colleagues not long after she returned home from her work at night.
"The video for today's competition has been edited and uploaded."
Qi Yan replied immediately. "Yes, you've worked hard. Have a good rest."
This video had to be edited properly according to Meng Chang's original plan. It had to be done according to the standards of a variety show and with various special effects. It had to ensure the effect of the show.
However, Meng Chang's plan no longer counted.
Qi Yan called He Desheng to ask for instructions. He Desheng said that they did not have to take the video too seriously. They could just edit it and post it online.
Thus, Qi Yan's colleagues started editing after the event ended. They did not add any special effects and uploaded it directly onto the internet.
The video was just approved when Qi Yan arrived home.
She took a look. This video was just as she had expected. There were not many viewers.
Qi Yan could not be bothered with these things anymore. After all, the Street Food Contest would end here in her opinion. There would not be any follow-up.
This video would most likely be buried in the ocean of the Internet like most videos online.
Of course,they could spend as much money as they wanted on the home page, but that did not seem necessary.
Even though the competition today was considered successful, Qi Yan could not understand the meaning of this method at all. She could not help but doubt her future career path in the Cold-Faced Lady.
At that moment, she received another message from another colleague.
"Sister Qi, there seem to be many people discussing this competition online. There are even people analyzing the deeper meaning behind this competition!"
Qi Yan looked confused as she read the message. A question mark floated above her head.
It was understandable to discuss this competition, but what was the deeper meaning behind this competition?
This food stall competition was originally just to promote Cold-Faced Lady's marketing activities. What deeper meaning could there be?
Qi Yan searched online and quickly found the contents of the netizens' discussions with these doubts.
The Cold-Faced Lady brand might be no longer popular but there were still many discussions online.
After all, Cold-Faced Lady had advertised on the entire internet when she was the most popular as the representative of the internet celebrity food and beverage brand. All sorts of strange marketing activities had left a deep impression on netizens.
Subsequently, netizens began to discuss whether 'Cold-Faced Lady' was a new business model or a scam. It was only until the Cold-Faced Lady closed down that this discussion gradually came to an end.
Therefore, many netizens would still participate in the discussion once news related to the Cold-Faced Lady appeared online.
This time, netizens were discussing the problem of "where would the cold-faced lady from Meng Chang's era go". The Street Food Contest was a fuse.
The article that had been forwarded and discussed the most was an article titled 'The Breaking and Rebuilding of the Cold-Faced Lady's Reputation Through The Street Food Contest".
This article had only been published for less than an hour, but it already had tens of thousands of views and hundreds of comments. What's more, it was still rapidly increasing.
Qi Yan took a look and felt that this author's name was very familiar. She flipped through his previous article and realized that this was actually the author who wrote "Cold-Faced Lady's so-called internet thinking is nothing but an act"!
The previous article was written before the Cold-Faced Lady closed down. It was a perfect last hit.
The words "Meng Chang is like a child sitting in the passenger seat of a car, posing as if he was driving, thinking that he was in control of the direction of the car and collecting money from the passengers as the driver. However, in fact, whether it was the car or the road, they were not in his control." It could be said to be a killing blow to the cold-faced lady's heart at that time.
At that time, Qi Yan had read the article and was very impressed by the author.
At that time, Cold-Faced Lady looked like she was doing well, but there was already an undercurrent.
It definitely had many problems, but not everyone could see them clearly.
Not only could the author of this article see the root of the Cold-Faced Lady's problem, but he could also use such easy-to-understand terms and apt analogy to convey these contents to others. He was definitely an expert.
This time, he actually wrote another article about the Cold-Faced Lady.
What would the article say this time?
The cold-faced lady was already dead. If this author was only announcing his foresight and adding insult to injury, there was no need for this article.
Confused, Qi Yan clicked on the article.
"The Cold-Faced Lady went bankrupt just like the author predicted. It's said that Meng Chang became an executioner with millions of debt on his back. His whereabouts are still unknown. All of this proves the foresight of the author. It also proves that Meng Chang's emphasis on 'Internet thinking' and 'following the trend of the times' are just beautiful words. They can deceive investors but they can't deceive the business rules."
"Many people say that the Cold-Faced Lady is done for. There is no possibility of her turning the tables. I thought so before today. However, after collecting some industry information and seeing today's Street Food Contest, I changed my mind."
"It's said that Tengda Corporation has already acquired 70% of the Cold-Faced Lady's shares and obtained absolute control. While I'm not sure what aspect Boss Pei has taken a liking to the Cold-Faced Lady, I'm 100% sure that Boss Pei has found a way to break out of the 'post-Meng Chang-era Cold-Faced Lady'. This Street Food Contest is just the beginning!"
...
Qi Yan was confused and surprised.
As an insider of the Cold-Faced Lady, she knew very well what the situation was like in this Street Food Contest. This was a marketing event designed by Meng Chang to promote the Cold-Faced Lady.
Thus, the analysis of the article seemed ridiculous. Why was the Street Food Contest the solution to this situation?
However, on further thought, Qi Yan felt that it was possible.
Boss Pei had specifically asked to change the recording to live-stream. He had also asked the judges to be honest and harsh in evaluating the cold-faced lady.
Boss Pei was so busy. Was there a need to ask about such a small matter?
Could it be that these two insignificant changes were not Boss Pei's whim, but had a deeper meaning?
Qi Yan quickly continued reading.
...
"The author has analyzed it before. Internet food and beverage brands like Cold-Faced Lady have similar problems: heavy marketing and so-so products. In layman's terms, they are bragging too much, and their own products cannot reach the level of their marketing."
"I once said that no one would be much more stupid than anyone in any era. Even the smartest person can only deceive consumers for a while, not for a lifetime. Everyone has an answer in their hearts whether the cold noodles cooked by Cold-Faced Lady are delicious or not. No matter how good their marketing is, if the taste of the cold noodles cannot reach their expectations, it would still be empty in the end."
"The crux of the Cold-Faced Lady's problem also reflects Meng Chang's biggest flaw as a entrepreneur: He has been trying hard to look up and into the distance, but he has not been down to earth."
"Therefore, Cold-Faced Lady's failure is inevitable."
"However, after the Cold-Faced Lady changed her boss, Boss Pei sent everyone a brand new business idea through the Street Food Contest. That is: Seek facts, value products, and respect talent!"
"This is a world of difference from the Cold-Faced Lady management philosophy under Meng Chang's leadership. Or rather, it's completely opposite."
"In the Street Food Contest this time, we can see that the Cold-Faced Lady's roasted cold noodles is on the same stage as the roasted cold noodles of outstanding vendors across the country. The judges are not biased towards the host, the Cold-Faced Lady. They were objective and strict, they pointed out many problems with the Cold-Faced Lady's cold noodles."
"That means two things:"
"First, we now have a definite answer as to what the cold-faced lady's taste was like during Meng Chang's time. It's better than ordinary roadside stalls, but it's not as good as what Meng Chang bragged."
"This is equivalent to the official verdict. It completely negates Meng Chang's over-exaggerated marketing methods and tells all consumers the truth about the cold-faced lady's taste in food."
"Second, since we have denied Meng Chang's management concept, we are also announcing the establishment of a new management concept to everyone!"
"Meng Chang has been bragging about how delicious Lady Cold-Faced's cold noodles are. However, his true colors were revealed in today's Street Food Contest. No matter whether it was the heat of the cold noodles, the amount of condiments, or the timing when the water was sprayed, Lady Cold-Faced's chefs did not do a good job. They were not even as good as some outstanding vendors."
"This means that Meng Chang's so-called 'strict requirements for taste' was only lip service. He didn't really study and develop the taste of cold noodles."
"What Boss Pei is conveying to everyone is actually this concept: The cold-faced lady will strictly control the details in the future and further improve the taste and texture of the cold noodles. At the same time, he will have to be realistic about the taste and stop creating any false publicity!"
"Other than that, the most important thing is the importance of talent."
"The Street Food Contest this time has gathered all the outstanding food vendors from all over the country. Boss Pei has displayed a thirst for talents through this competition. He has dug out the experts among the people who are really good at cooking snacks and gave them a better stage to showcase themselves!"
"Therefore, this Street Food Contest might look like an ordinary marketing event but the significance behind it is very significant."
"You can see it as a summary: It summarizes and criticizes Meng Chang's wrong management concept previously. You can also see it as a declaration, announcing the right management concept that the cold-faced lady will adopt in the future!"
"How will the Cold-Faced Lady develop in the future? Can this brand, which has already turned cold, be brought back to life by Boss Pei? Let us wait and see!"
The hundreds of words stunned Qi Yan.
Her first reaction was it was a little nonsensical.
The Street Food Contest was one of the many activities planned by Meng Chang. Qi Yan had also participated in it the entire time. She knew very well that in Meng Chang's heart, this activity was the same as many other marketing activities. It was just to generate popularity for Cold-Faced Lady.
Therefore, when Meng Chang designed this event, he definitely did not think too much about it.
Boss Pei on the other hand...
Boss Pei had indeed asked about it and He Desheng had also sent a message to the judges to change from recording to live-streaming, he had also asked the judges to change their evaluation of the Cold-Faced Lady.
However, how could two simple changes derive such a complicated conclusion?
Could this self proclaimed journalist have misunderstood Boss Pei's intentions?
After Meng Chang left, Qi Yan became the person-in-charge of the Cold-Faced Lady. She participated in the entire planning of the Street Food Contest. She felt that it was a misinterpretation perhaps because she was involved personally in the process.
However, on further thought, she felt that it could be that her level of understanding was too shallow. It was related to her career, so she had to think more.
She stood up and took an apple from the fridge. She read the article once more from beginning to end, falling into deep thought as she munched on it.
"There are indeed some points that cannot be explained."
"Boss Pei is very busy. The Cold-Faced Lady is considered the most insignificant small department among Boss Pei's many businesses. Boss Pei rarely even asks about a huge business like Fish-Catching Take-Out, let alone the Cold-Faced Lady."
"I report directly to Boss He. Then, Boss He will gather all of Dream Realization Ventures' information and report to Boss Pei. It can be seen from the structure of the entire organization that Cold-Faced Lady is a relatively marginalized department."
"However, Boss Pei still took time out of his busy schedule to give pointers to this Street Food Contest."
"Most of the marketing activities have been canceled except for this competition. What's more, Boss Pei specially instructed us to change it to live-streaming. He also asked the judges to be honest..."
"Could it be that it is really as what the author of the article said? That this is actually a method of using little effort to solve a big issue?"
"Boss Pei happened to see a Street Food Contest in Meng Chang's marketing campaign. That's why he decided to improvise and casually change two seemingly insignificant points in the event. However, he completely changed the nature of the event?"
Once she accepted this setting, Qi Yan read the article again and found that she could match all the details!
Qi Yan could not help but feel enlightened. "I see. I was too stupid and did not understand the true intentions of our leader!"
"Boss Pei did not say it explicitly. He probably wanted to test my ability to understand and understand as the new person-in-charge! If I still know nothing about Boss Pei's intentions after this competition and do not make any changes, I might be replaced immediately!"
"Even if I'm not replaced immediately, Boss Pei's impression of me would definitely plummet. Boss Pei would think that I'm a useless subordinate..."
"That was close, that was close. Luckily, the author of this article helped me!"
Qi Yan secretly rejoiced and quickly recorded the key points in the article.
According to the interpretation of the article, Boss Pei was actually conveying a new business idea to all consumers through the food competition. At the same time, he was conveying a new concept to all the staff of Cold-Faced Lady.
Don't just say and do nothing like Meng Chang. Be realistic and strictly control the details. Ask these experts honestly to improve the taste and texture of the roasted cold noodles and other food;
They should not be like Meng Chang, who talked the talk but did not walk the walk and valued talents. They had to respect and value even the roadside food vendors. They had to see how outstanding they were.
Abandon unrealistic marketing techniques, be it daily operations or publicity, and be realistic. They had to be sincere to consumers and not try to induce and deceive consumers.
She went through the entire event from beginning to end after she was done summarising. The more she read, the more she felt that everything was perfect and natural.
"Strictly speaking, the technique that Boss Pei used can be called 'breaking and rebuilding'."
"He knows Cold-Faced Lady's current situation very well. It's reputation has collapsed and was ruined and it doesn't taste good. This is a dead end. All consumers have the mentality of 'the boy who cried wolf'. They no longer trust Cold-Faced Lady."
"At this time, no amount of publicity would help. Since that's the case, we should stop those useless marketing activities."
"Boss Pei's way of getting out of this situation is to make use of this Street Food Contest to completely negate Meng Chang's way of doing things. He wanted to break the impression that all consumers have of the Cold-Faced Lady brand and improve its taste. Only then can this brand be reborn!"
"Then, I should cooperate with Boss Pei now to... retain these talents!"
These outstanding vendors found from all over the country were still staying in the hotel arranged by the Cold-Faced Lady because it was already night time after the competition ended. She could not possibly let them take the high-speed rail overnight. That would be too impolite.
Everyone would check out at noon tomorrow to take a high-speed rail or a plane to leave tomorrow afternoon.
Weren't the vendors who had won the first place the talents that Boss Pei was looking for?
She had to think of a way to fight for it!
Qi Yan immediately found the list of winners and contact details on her computer.
"Wait, should I select only from the Cold-Faced Team or from the other vendors as well?"
Qi Yan thought about it carefully. "We just have to find the first place in the Cold-Faced Team to improve the Cold-Faced Lady's taste. However, this competition is a Street Food Contest, not a roasted cold noodles competition."
"This competition was Meng Chang's idea after all, Boss Pei did not change it. That means he approved of it. Since Boss Pei approved of this Street Food Contest, it means that other food stalls are equally important."
"I think we should keep all the winners and ask for their opinions."
Qi Yan had been in a very confused state ever since she took over the Cold-Faced Lady.
Previously, she was only the person in charge of various marketing activities under Meng Chang. After suddenly taking over all of Cold-Faced Lady's work, she had always felt a little lost.
If even someone like Meng Chang could not make the Cold-Faced Lady take off. Qi Yan felt that it was even more impossible for herself.
However, Boss Pei had now given the cold-faced lady a clear path.
Even though she was not sure if she would succeed, Qi Yan had at least found the direction she was working towards.
She suddenly felt full of energy as she began to plan for the future!
...
At the same time, in Jingzhou, Ming House.
Li Shi had just finished his meal with his friends and sent them off one by one.
He was just about to go home and rest when he saw Xue Zhebin walking towards him with his cell phone in his hand, looking pleasantly surprised. "Boss Li! Quick, take a look at this. Is this what you guessed before? Did Boss Pei take action?"
Li Shi was stunned for a moment. He took the cell phone and looked at it. It was the article titled 'The Breaking and Rebuilding of the Cold-Faced Lady's Reputation Through The Street Food Contest'.
He read it carefully from beginning to end, and then smiled.
"Indeed! I knew that Boss Pei would take action soon after gaining control of the Cold-Faced Lady, but I didn't expect it to be so soon!"
Li Shi was happy and a little proud.
He had successfully predicted Boss Pei's actions this time!
Both Xue Zhebin and him had invested in the Cold-Faced Lady and obtained some shares. They bought some at a low price after all. Currently, they held about thirty percent of the shares.
These shares might still be worthless at the moment but Li Shi was very sure that in the near future, these shares and dividends would definitely earn back all the money that he had invested previously with interest!
This article had been analyzed very clearly. The Cold-Faced Lady was not far from being revived since Boss Pei had already made his move.
"Wait a minute."
Li Shi read the article from beginning to end, savoring it.
Xue Zhebin was a little surprised. "What's wrong, Boss Li? Is there a problem?"
Li Shi shook his head. "No problem, but there are some flaws."
"I can tell that this author is quite something. He probably had experience in finance and investment industries before he started working in self-media. He's quite clear about the situation in the industry and has sharp eyes. His writing style isn't bad either."
"However... The article he wrote was far from enough to describe the workings of Boss Pei, Meng Chang, and the cold-faced lady.
"Of course, this can't be blamed on him. After all, there are many details that outsiders have no way of knowing. This author did not have the means to find out, so he naturally could not write about it."
"Take the news conference when the Cold-Faced Lady was first established for example. Meng Chang was on stage, Boss Ma was in the middle of a verbal confrontation, and Boss Pei was intentionally or unintentionally targeting the Cold-Faced Lady. He made the investors wait and see, but no one took over... These scheming plots were not written at all."
"The author of this article thinks that Meng Chang messed up the Cold-Faced Lady first based on the information he gathered. Boss Pei modified the Cold-Faced Lady after that. However, the relationship between the two is much more complicated than he imagined. In fact, Boss Pei was behind the Cold-Faced Lady ever since it was established. The reason why the Cold-Faced Lady and Meng Chang ended up like this can't be separated from Boss Pei!"
"If this news can be revealed... it would be even more critical to the reversal of the Cold-Faced Lady's reputation!"
Xue Zhebin nodded in realization. "That's right!"
"The best way to reverse the reputation of the Cold-Faced Lady is to tell everyone that the Cold-Faced Lady has changed bosses. Boss Pei asked the Cold-Faced Lady to hold this Street Food Contest to convey this message."
"If everyone could understand the various details of the Cold-Faced Lady from its establishment to its collapse, it would be able to shift everyone's disgust towards the Cold-Faced Lady to Meng Chang and recognize the brand again because of Boss Pei."
"Boss Li, you mean..."
Li Shi chuckled. "Contact this author and tell him that I have some exclusive insider information about the cold-faced lady. I hope to borrow the power of his article to let more people know."
Chapter 827: Gourmet Adviser
January 17th, Tuesday.
Pei Qian woke up as usual and went to Fish-Catching Internet Cafe for breakfast.
Today was another day where he was racking his brains to spend money.
There was still half a month to settlement. Pei Qian was under immense pressure to spend money.
Sloth Apartments had made a profit from working with Fanglan Residence's furniture. The Fully-Automated Intelligent Bickering Machine had been sold for a sum of money. He had repeatedly bought and sold the shares of Cold-Faced Lady which ended up in profit. The downloadable content of a few old games had been sold quite well. There was also the ten million US dollars that IOI's sponsor had withdrawn from the breach of contract...
Pei Qian would have fainted on the spot had he not thought of a plan beforehand.
Apart from the normal expenses for the various departments, Pei Qian chose to spend the bulk of his money on the 'Mission and Choice' project.
To Pei Qian, the smartest part of this project was to let Tengda Corporation's two most important departments, Tengda Games and Fei Huang Workspace, be in charge at the same time.
One was making games and the other was making movies. In reality, they were two projects. However, they were viewed as one project by the system and successfully exploited the loopholes in the system.
The system stipulated that only one project could be postponed to the next cycle. Pei Qian used the combination of games and movies to double the amount of funds that the project could absorb.
Since the project would be postponed until the next cycle, Pei Qian could spend more money in this cycle. As long as the amount was not so huge that the project could not be completed in the next cycle, everything would be fine.
Thus, Pei Qian called Hu Xianbin and Huang Sibo respectively and casually said that he had tens of millions of yuan to give to them. He wanted them to think about what else they could spend on this project and make full use of it.
Huang Sibo was stunned as well. The movie had been going so well, and now he had a windfall?
However, Boss Pei's task had to be completed. He had to make the best use of his time to figure out how to increase the budget and make good use of the money.
He Desheng called again not long after Pei Qian hung up.
"What's wrong? Is there a problem with the Cold-Faced Lady?" Pei Qian was very cautious and asked subconsciously.
He Desheng: "Boss Pei, don't worry. Everything is going smoothly with the Cold-Faced Lady. Everything is going according to your wishes. There are no big problems."
"I mainly want to report about Meng Chang this time. Didn't you specifically tell me to keep an eye on him?"
Pei Qian relaxed slightly. "Oh, Meng Chang. Go ahead."
After the Cold-Faced Lady closed down, Meng Chang sold all his shares to Tengda cheaply and even paid up a small portion of his debt.
However, even so, Meng Chang was still carrying a debt of several million yuan. He was still the judgment debtor.
Pei Qian took the initiative to pay up the debt to the suppliers and transferred Meng Chang's debt to Tengda.
In other words, Tengda was now Meng Chang's creditor.
He Desheng investigated Meng Chang's situation when Pei Qian asked about it some time ago. Meng Chang obviously had not given up and went to look for many investors to make a comeback. However, he was rejected from all of the important positions that he had applied for.
Logically speaking, victory and defeat were common in war. Meng Chang had failed in his entrepreneurship but his personal ability was still there. Why did no one want him?
That was because Meng Chang did not have a solid foundation before he established the Cold-Faced Lady brand. His resume was nothing more than graduation from a famous school, work experience in the marketing department of a large company, and so on.
If he had not gotten a sum of money from Dream Realization Ventures, he might not have been able to create such a huge business.
In other words, Meng Chang had seriously overdrawn his future while managing the Cold-Faced Lady.
Now that the Cold-Faced Lady had completely failed. The investors who believed in Meng Chang had suffered a terrible loss. Meng Chang, the founder, had overdrawn his entrepreneurial potential. Naturally, he could not obtain any more opportunities.
He Desheng said, "Boss Pei, Meng Chang should understand that he's at his wit's end. He's been running around the capital for the past week. He should be clear-headed now that he's hit the brick walls."
"It would be his best opportunity if you are willing to lend him a helping hand."
"That's why he said that he was willing to work in Tengda. I'm just not sure what kind of job he would be in charge of and how much salary he would get. Boss Pei, what do you think..."
It looked like Meng Chang had no other way out.
Pei Qian knew very well that Meng Chang must have some hatred towards him. If not for Dream Realization Ventures' repeated buying and selling of his shares, his script might not have become like this.
As long as Meng Chang had other methods, he would definitely not come to Tengda to work for him.
However, he would have to take things as they come. Pei Qian also liked Meng Chang's spending ability.
In terms of spending power, Meng Chang was the most satisfying person Pei Qian had ever seen.
The only problem was Meng Chang was good at spending money but he could also cause a huge commotion. Pei Qian's situation would only worsen if he was in charge of marketing.
At that moment, he needed to think in the opposite direction.
Meng Chang knew marketing very well and knew how to spend the most money to achieve the best marketing effect. On the other hand, he should also know how to spend the most money to achieve the worst marketing effect, right?
It was just like how a top student could easily score 100 marks. Naturally, he could score 0 marks as well. It was not easy for a flunky to score 0 marks because he could not avoid it if he did not know the correct answer. What if he guessed correctly?
Pei Qian pondered for a moment and said, "Tell him to start working next month. I want to set up an advertising company specially for him. This advertising company can only take on work within Tengda Corporation. It's mainly in charge of advertising planning, brand publicity, and so on."
"As for his salary, you can tell him that it will definitely not be low. However, we still have to talk about how to distribute his salary in person. I plan to provide him with two different pay models for him to choose from: One will be a high base salary without commission, and the other will be a low base salary with high commission. Let him decide for himself."
"As for the actual work contents... I'll personally teach him when the time comes."
He Desheng quickly said, "Alright, Boss Pei. I'll tell him now."
...
At the same time, in Beijing...
Qi Yan invited the winners of the Gourmet Competition yesterday to the store of the Cold-Faced Lady and entertained them.
As Qi Yan had expected, many vendors declined Cold-Faced Lady's invitation to join them.
That was because these vendors were relatively famous in their areas. There would usually be a long queue when they set up their stalls. Their business was extremely good. What's more, most of them were locals. They could not bear to leave their hometown and was not in need of money. Naturally, they did not want to drag their families in relocating.
However, there were still a few younger vendors who were willing to talk to Qi Yan in detail. They would consider it after understanding the situation.
They were vendors too but their situation was different.
These stall owners were generally younger. They still had some hopes and expectations for the future. Their career aspirations had not been completely destroyed by life.
They had decided to listen to Qi Yan's proposition. If the conditions were tempting enough, they could consider working away from home for a few years to try it out.
It would be good if they were to succeed. They might even be able to earn the money that they could earn only after setting up their stalls for a few years. It did not matter if they failed either since they would just return to set up their stalls.
Among these people, the stall owner that Qi Yan admired the most was Zhang Yahui. He was very young, only twenty-six years old. He dropped out of high school to set up a stall with his parents because of his poor family background. He was more flexible and liked to study on his own. The roasted cold noodles that he made were very famous in the area. Anyone who had eaten it would praise it.
During the street food contest, the cold noodles he made received unanimous praise from the judges.
Qi Yan explained her intentions to everyone: She hoped to hire them as Cold-Faced Lady's Gourmet Advisors. Their job would be to study the cooking methods and flavors of various food stalls and try their best to mass-produce the snacks that they were good at in a more streamlined manner.
This job had its pros and cons to the vendors.
The drawback was that the salary of this job was slightly lower than the income they earned from setting up their own stalls. What's more, they had to come to Beijing to eat, live, and other daily expenses.
The advantage was that this job was much easier than setting up their own stalls. What's more, this was a very good opportunity, they might have a better future.
They might earn a lot by setting up their own stall, but it was also very tiring. They would usually work from dawn until late at night with almost no rest. What's more, they might encounter all sorts of unexpected situations, making their income very unstable.
On the other hand, working as a 'Gourmet Adviser' here as a nine to five job would be much easier. What's more, they might have a better future. If they could really make a name for themselves, their future income might be much higher than if they were to set up a stall.
The stall owners weighed the pros and cons and were very hesitant. It was difficult for them to make a decision in a hurry.
Zhang Yahui was obviously inclined to accept this job.
His idea was that he was still very young. He could not possibly limit his future and set up a stall in a small city forever, right?
There was nothing wrong with setting up a stall since he was making quite a lot of money as well. However, Zhang Yahui was more inclined to working a decent job in a big city.
Zhang Yahui knew very well that it was very easy to return from a big city to a small city. However, it was very difficult to gain a foothold by climbing up from a small city to a big city.
The Cold-Faced Lady's invitation was undoubtedly an opportunity to gain a foothold in the big city. If he missed it, he probably would not get it again in the future.
Zhang Yahui considered for a moment and said, "I'm quite satisfied with your conditions. However... I'm a little worried about whether I can take on this position."
"Can I find out more about the job of a 'Gourmet Adviser' first? It's not a small matter to relocate. Both of us would be quite awkward if there's a deviation in expectations."
The other stall owners nodded in agreement.
Many vendors were actually tempted, but they did not dare to agree immediately because they were not confident in themselves.
They felt that they were just a food vendor. How could they be "Gourmet Advisors"? That did not sound reliable. What if the Cold-Faced Lady changed her mind after two months and fired them?
Qi Yan thought for a while. "That's easy. Take a look at the cold noodles cooked by Cold-Faced Lady first, analyze the problem, and give some pointers. As long as you can improve the taste of the cold noodles, it means that you can do this job. We can hire you without worry, and you can work without worry. How about that?"
Zhang Yahui nodded. "Alright."
This was equivalent to a simple interview. Improving the taste of cold noodles was the content of the interview. After the interview, both parties would have more confidence.
Chapter 828: Improving the Roasted Cold Noodles Taste
Qi Yan brought the vendors to the Cold-Faced Lady's kitchen.
The other vendors might not be good at roasted cold noodles, but they all followed along. They wanted to see how Zhang Yahui would 'guide' them and what kind of job the so-called 'Gourmet Adviser' was in charge of.
After Qi Yan briefly explained the situation to the chef, he immediately began to make cold noodles.
Zhang Yahui and the other vendors gathered around and watched intently.
This chef had also participated in the Street Food Contest previously, so he knew Zhang Yahui and the other vendors. He felt uncomfortable performing the art of making cold noodles in front of them, but he had to follow the previous method since Qi Yan had requested it.
Zhang Yahui looked on very seriously.
While they had both participated in the food competition and were both in the cold noodles group, both of them were busy making cold noodles at that point in time and had no time to pay attention to others. Thus, Zhang Yahui did not know how his cold noodles were made.
Now that he looked at it up close, he realized that the biggest difference between making the cold noodles that he made and the chef made was "accuracy".
A simple example would be that the chef would use a timer to record the time it took to cook the noodles. He would also use a thermometer to measure the temperature of the cold noodles. He would only beat the eggs and add condiments when the temperature was suitable.
Zhang Yahui relied on his experience when making his own cold noodles. However, he was more talented and had made one too many servings of cold noodles. Thus, even if he did not use these tools, the batches of cold noodles he made each time would not be too different.
Qi Yan did not pay much attention to the process of roasting cold noodles. Instead, she paid attention to the expressions of the chef and the vendors.
This chef was hired by Meng Chang with a high salary. He was a true hotel chef. He was no ordinary person even though he was not at the level of the head chef of a five-star hotel.
The Cold-Faced Lady had so much marketing expenses after all. They could easily squeeze out a little and hire a more expensive chef. Meng Chang had been advocating how good the Cold-Faced Lady's taste was, which would not be the case if he were to find an ordinary chef to do the job.
However, for a chef hired with a high salary to be unable to make better roasted cold noodles than a roadside vendor did not seem to be worth the money as well. What's more, there were not many consumers who bought the noodles. Qi Yan had always been puzzled by this.
The cold noodles were done very quickly. The chef cut the cold noodles into sections according to the standard process and set them aside after carefully setting the plates.
"It's done," the chef said to Qi Yan.
Qi Yan nodded and said to the vendors, "Everyone, have a taste. Feel free to raise any opinions."
The stall owners each took a piece and savored it carefully.
Zhang Yahui said, "Yes, it's exactly as the judges said previously. The water content is not very good, the texture is a little tough and not soft enough. As for the taste of vinegar... it's alright, it's not as serious as the judges said."
After a moment of silence, the chef explained, "I added a little more vinegar today."
Obviously, he had accepted the judges' pertinent comments yesterday. The chef humbly listened to their opinions. Today, he added a little more vinegar to improve the taste of the cold noodles.
The chef said to Zhang Yahui, "Why don't you make one batch for me to learn from you?"
Zhang Yahui quickly said, "I don't dare to exclaim that I'm an expert. I simply cooked one too many batches of cold noodles, groped in the dark and had reached an understanding of my own."
Zhang Yahui sounded humble, but he still changed places with the chef. After pouring oil into the desk, he picked up a piece of cold noodles dough and laid it on the table.
This time, it was the chef's turn to observe.
They were both making roasted cold noodles. However, the chef realized that there was a difference in the details when he was looking at the timer and observing Zhang Yahui's techniques.
The difference in the taste of cold noodles could be due to these details.
Zhang Yahui's roasted cold noodles were ready in no time. He invited everyone to try them.
Qi Yan had tried both types of cold noodles. Indeed, she could tell that Zhang Yahui's cold noodles were more delicious.
A person's tongue would not lie.
An entrepreneur had a divine theory previously. Someone had criticized his brand of food and beverage for not being delicious. He had angrily said, "That's because your taste buds haven't been enlightened since you've only tasted food made by your mother, so you can't tell what's good or bad."
This divine theory was also spread as a joke.
Of course, there was a gap between people's ability to taste delicacies. Otherwise, anyone could become a food critic.
However, it would be pure nonsense to say that the food tasted bad because his taste buds were not enlightened.
Anyone could tell that it was delicious as long as the food tasted good.
On the other hand, if ordinary people found it disgusting, it was often really disgusting.
The chef did not insist that his roasted cold noodles were more tasty. Instead, he admitted defeat and asked Zhang Yahui about the details in the process.
Zhang Yahui answered seriously as well. However, most of the time, his actions were based on his feelings and could not be explained clearly.
The chef listened intently and sighed with emotion. "I see... It looks like it's my problem. I thought too simply of the roasted cold noodles. I never thought that such a simple snack would have so many details and tricks..."
Qi Yan suddenly understood why a real hotel chef could not make cold noodles as good as a food stall owner.
On one hand, it was because of his technique. On the other hand, it was because of his attitude!
The chef would definitely be able to beat Zhang Yahui by a few streets if it were any other dishes. That was because these dishes had recipes and the chef had undergone strict professional training. There was no way he would lose to an unorthodox chef.
However, it was different for snacks. There were no clear recipes for snacks. The chefs of various restaurants would not specially research how to make pancakes or roasted cold noodles. Thus, even the chefs of hotels had similar starting points as the food vendor.
Obviously, this chef did not think highly of food like roasted cold noodles Thus, he did not spend much effort on it. He only thought that he would definitely make better tasting food than those made by the roadside stalls.
However, there was no obvious difference between his roasted cold noodles and those sold by roadside stalls.
Of course, he might not be able to figure it out even if he studied it carefully.
There were so many cities in the country, and every city had countless stalls. So many vendors had tried different ways but only a few ways prevailed. How long would it take for the chef to figure it out on his own?
The skills and attitude made it impossible for the chef to win by making the cold noodles.
Customers felt that the Cold-Faced Lady did not have an obvious taste compared to ordinary roasted cold noodles sold at the roadsides. Moreover, the prices were higher so they felt that they had paid an IQ tax since it was not more delicious.
Qi Yan could not help but feel emotional. Sure enough, there were specializations in the industries.They did have to hire professionals to do the job.
They were both chefs. It was one thing to make regular dishes taste good, but another to make snacks that tasted good.
Qi Yan suddenly realized that this was probably what Boss Pei wanted to convey.
One of the key reasons for Meng Chang's failure was that he did not understand this point. He thought that he could just find an expensive chef to make delicious roasted cold noodles.
However, he had never thought about whether the expensive chef was good at making roasted cold noodles. Would the chef be willing to consult the vendor about the details and techniques of making cold noodles?
Meng Chang had been emphasizing on the taste of the cold noodles, but it was all verbal and he had not taken any action.
Qi Yan felt that Boss Pei was obviously hinting to her not to walk down Meng Chang's old path. She had to be down-to-earth and honest!
The other vendors also began to share their insights.
Qi Yan could tell that even though these vendors had not undergone professional cooking training, their common point was that they had a certain taste, strong hands-on ability, and loved to further develop the tastes.
Otherwise, they would not have been able to teach themselves and make ordinary snacks so popular.
They had attitude and ability. As long as the Cold-Faced Lady paid to train them with some culinary knowledge, and then streamlined their cooking methods and refined them... it would definitely improve the taste of snacks of the Cold-Faced Lady!
At that time, not only would they be able to make roasted cold noodles, they would also be able to make other types of snacks!
Qi Yan immediately decided on that thought. "I think everyone's abilities are good enough to be a Gourmet Adviser. I guarantee that the Cold-Faced Lady will be able to provide a bigger platform for everyone to fully utilize their talents!"
...
At the same time, in Jingzhou...
Li Shi was talking to the author of the article about Boss Pei, Dream Realization Ventures, and Cold-Faced Lady through voice chat.
"That's all I know."
"There might be some other hidden aspects. Boss Pei is good at scheming after all. What we see might only be a part of his plan. However, we have no way of knowing these things."
"You can use these materials according to your needs."
A male voice came from the other end of the line. "Thank you very much. These details are really exciting. I didn't expect the Cold-Faced Lady to have so many stories behind!"
"May I ask who you are and where you obtained this insider information? Don't worry, I'm just curious. I won't write it in the article."
"Of course, it's okay if you don't want to reveal it."
Li Shi chuckled. "I'm just an ordinary investor with a student mentality."
The person on the other end of the line did not continue asking seeing that Boss Li was unwilling to speak. Instead, he said, "Don't worry, I will write this article very soon. It will definitely be very exciting!"
Li Shi suddenly thought of something and said, "Oh, there's something else. I heard that Meng Chang is at his wits' end now. Boss Pei intends to give him some work to do, but I'm not sure what position he's in charge of."
The person on the other end of the line pondered for a moment. "This..."
"Alright, I understand. This seems to be a very important piece of information."
"I'll start writing now so that the story behind Cold-Faced Lady can be revealed to the world!"
Chapter 829: Meng Chang's Magical Cloud, Boss Pei's Five Finger Mountain
In the afternoon...
After a busy morning, Qi Yan finally arranged everything that she had planned.
She had officially offered to hire these outstanding vendors as the Cold-Faced Lady's gourmet consultants. Zhang Yahui immediately agreed. The other vendors were still hesitating. They said that they would give their answer after a few days.
Obviously, many vendors were bringing their families along. They had to communicate with their families before making this decision.
However, Qi Yan was very sure that this would be a win-win decision for the Cold-Faced Lady and the vendors.
These Gourmet Consultants would follow the proper recruitment process. Qi Yan also intended to learn from Fish-Catching Take-Out. She wanted to set up a small gourmet laboratory that included professional chefs, outstanding food vendors and nutritionists who would be in charge of chemical testing and nutritional balance. They would develop new snacks together.
Fish-Catching Take-Out was Boss Pei's business, and he would definitely approve of it.
Boss Pei would probably be very impressed if she created a food laboratory for Fish-Catching Take-Out, right?
Even though she had never met Boss Pei before, Qi Yan could roughly guess his intentions based on her understanding of him.
The Gourmet Laboratory was also very important to street food.
Meng Chang was not wrong to compare local snacks to fast food in China. However, at the same time, he had to realize that there was a long way to go before local snacks became a real fast food brand.
Those fast food brands looked very simple. They were nothing more than fried chicken, fries, hamburgers, and so on. However, the entire supply chain, crafts, and research ability of the new products could not be underestimated. They had accumulated over a decade or even decades. They could not be caught up in a day or two.
Perhaps Meng Chang knew this very well and felt that it was impossible for him to do it. That was why he chose the conceptualization and the path of earning quick money.
There was a saying that there were only two ways in the world: one was the right way, and the other was the easy way.
Meng Chang chose the easy way while Boss Pei chose the right way.
Qi Yan felt that she had to carry out Boss Pei's will in her position and strategy since Boss Pei had already found a way to break out of the situation, giving the cold-faced lady a chance to be reborn, and had already given a clear path to this terminally ill brand.
While Qi Yan did not know what the Cold-Faced Lady would become in the future, she was suddenly filled with confidence!
She stood up to get a cup of coffee after she was done with her work. At the same time, she checked on her colleagues in the office.
The overall situation was more complicated.
Apart from the store front, Cold-Faced Lady also had an office area. She rented a workstation in an office building near the store. Meng Chang was quite willing to spend money on the project. There was coffee, drinks, afternoon tea, snacks, fruits, and so on. The working environment was also very good.
After Tengda took over, everything remained the same. There were no signs that they were going to cut down on benefits. Everyone was very satisfied.
However, everyone's current working attitude was different.
Some of them were obviously trying to slack off. They looked confused and lost. Some of them looked complacent and wanted to find something to do, but they did not know where to start.
After the Cold-Faced Lady changed boss, the original marketing activities were basically cancelled. Those in charge of marketing activities went all out to organize the Street Food Contest. However, now that the contest was done, they naturally had nothing to do.
There were also some people who were filled with worry for the cold-faced lady's future.
They might not have seen the article, nor did they know about Boss Pei's plans for the Cold-Faced Lady. They only felt that the company was going to fail sooner or later based on the current state of idling around. They would survive one day at a time, thus, they were more passive.
Qi Yan felt that she had to think of a way to boost everyone's morale.
She had some ideas after being enlightened by Boss Pei. However, these ideas needed to be carried out and needed the cooperation of the others. If everyone continued to be so negative, Qi Yan would not be able to complete the tasks very well even if she were to assign tasks.
However, if she wanted to boost morale, she had to find an opportunity to convince everyone.
However, if she were to give a speech or inject steroids, the effect would definitely not be good. It might even backfire.
Qi Yan thought about it. That article was good.
Now, her colleagues did not have any fighting spirit and felt lost. The main reason was because they were unclear about the Cold-Faced Lady's past, present, and future development. They would know about Boss Pei's plans for the Cold-Faced Lady as long as they read this article, everyone's working condition would definitely improve!
She immediately found the author online and was shocked to find that he had published another article!
What's more, the title of this article was even more explosive than the previous one: Cold-Faced Lady: Meng Chang's Magical Cloud, Boss Pei's Five Finger Mountain!
Qi Yan was stunned. Cold-Faced Lady again?
Publishing two reports in such a short period of time, was he going against the Cold-Faced Lady?
Qi Yan was as confused as she was surprised.
That was because she knew very well that this author only wrote real articles. There was no need for him to write two or three essays for the same issue, repeatedly rubbing salt onto the wound.
From this point of view, this author was much better than those marketing accounts.
This was another article about the Cold-Faced Lady, which must be because the author had found a new content and angle.
However, the article on 'The Breaking and Rebuilding of the Cold-Faced Lady's Reputation Through The Street Food Contest' had already detailed the difference between Meng Chang and Boss Pei's management concept. It seemed to have been written very clearly on the topic of Cold-Faced Lady.
The new article was titled 'Magical Cloud' and 'Five Finger Mountain'. What was he trying to do?
Was he filming Journey to the West?
Qi Yan clicked open the article with confusion.
...
At the beginning of the article, he briefly mentioned the previous two articles. They were 'Cold-Faced Lady's so-called Internet thinking is nothing more than an act' and 'The Breaking and Rebuilding of the Cold-Faced Lady's Reputation Through The Street Food Contest'. These two articles predicted the bankruptcy of the Cold-Faced Lady led by Meng Chang and the series of changes that Boss Pei would undergo after taking over the Cold-Faced Lady.
The author even added a link between the two essays as a reminder to the readers. It was also a hint to the readers: I'm not trying to ride on your popularity and kick you while you're down. I had already raised my doubts when the Cold-Faced Lady was at her peak. This article of mine is full of good stuff. It's completely different from those marketing accounts that look for information online!
Then, he entered the main text.
However, before that, the author had specially used a short paragraph to hint to the readers that the article this time was different from the previous two times.
"I decided to change my writing style after much consideration due to the content. I'll review the entire Cold-Faced Lady's rise and fall from Meng Chang's point of view. There might be some subjective views and historical references by this author, but I can guarantee that the key plot of the entire story is objective and practical. If there are any flaws or fallacies, I welcome everyone to criticize and correct me."
Qi Yan was even more surprised.
The previous two articles were written from a bystander's point of view. They were mainly objectively narrated and analyzed. The articles themselves might be filled with laughter and curses and there were some 'divine metaphors' that people took delight in talking about and were generally in more traditional ways.
However, this time, the author was going to write from Meng Chang's perspective?
Qi Yan felt that the article was not simple and continued reading.
...
"November 8th, 2011, was a Tuesday. On this day, a young man named Meng Chang came to the building of Dream Realization Ventures in Jingzhou. He wanted to start his career there."
"He had a very grand plan and a very loud slogan, but almost no one can guess what he was really thinking about."
"Meng Chang should be someone with a performance personality and his acting skills are not bad."
"However, what he did not know was his heart must be filled with regret two months later, when he looked back at this Tuesday morning."
"The Cold-Faced Lady went from being established to becoming popular all over the internet, and then to being doubted and destroyed. That's exactly what the ancient saying goes: 'A country falls as abruptly and rapidly as it rises.'"
"Before the Cold-Faced Lady, no one would have thought that such a popular online restaurant brand would fail so quickly and completely."
"The fate of the Cold-Faced Lady has been decided since that Tuesday morning."
"Meng Chang chose Dream Realization Ventures as his first target for a very simple reason: he felt that the money there would be easy to obtain."
"Meng Chang will be called a 'perfect entrepreneur' in the near future, however he is not qualified to stand in front of the table now. His resume is not bad, but he has nothing else. His resume and eloquence alone are not enough to support him in fulfilling his dreams and goals. Other investors will give him money, but this money will definitely be accompanied by an unlimited liability agreement or buyback agreement. That is something Meng Chang cannot accept."
"In fact, Meng Chang only took 'hot money' in one instance from the beginning to the end. What's more, he is only in debt for a few million yuan. He's completely incomparable to entrepreneurs who are in debt for hundreds of millions."
"However, other entrepreneurs might not have signed similar agreements because of recklessness. It could also be because they still believe that their entrepreneurship can succeed. Meng Chang might not have signed similar agreements because he was cautious. It could also be because he knew from the beginning that his entrepreneurship was just a performance: He would be left with nothing after all the glory."
"As Tengda Corporation expanded, Boss Pei, the 'God of Investment' who would reap profits with every investment, decided to transfer his energy to other places. Dream Realization Ventures would follow the rules he set and invest money in those startups step by step. This allowed Meng Chang to see an opportunity."
"Meng Chang got the money as he wished and used 'Boss Pei Investments' as a topic to create hype. He even held a special news conference to explain the beautiful future of the cold-faced lady to the investors. From this, it can be seen that Meng Chang's passion for marketing is deeply ingrained in his bones. He desperately pursued popularity without considering the possible backlash in the future."