"Shooting buyer-show photos isn't hard at all. You just find a model, find a place, shoot according to my requirements, then touch it up afterward," Cheng Zhu said.
He actually knew that wasn't what Wang Anquan really wanted to hear.
But how could he possibly discuss things that Qidian wouldn't allow to be described, in a taxi, in front of an outsider like the driver?
Wang Anquan tried to speak several times, then gave up.
Cheng Zhu raised his hand and patted his shoulder. "Given the special nature of our products, it's not very convenient to shoot buyer-show photos at a photography studio."
At this moment, Cheng Zhu suddenly remembered that in this era, photography studios were also rising along with e-commerce.
So-called photography studios were large areas built with many different sets, used by e-commerce sellers as photo backdrops.
"Well-run studios are actually quite profitable," he thought. Over the next few years, it could be another way to make money.
Hearing this, Wang Anquan's heart started racing again. If it wasn't convenient to shoot in public places, then there were only a few types of locations left.
Seeing that Wang Anquan had already started imagining things, Cheng Zhu mischievously added, "The shooting environment also needs to emphasize a homey feel—like sofas, beds, bathroom sinks, bathtubs…"
"Wait, Brother Zhu! If you're shooting these kinds of products in places like that, then wouldn't it be… inconvenient for me to be there?" Wang Anquan stammered.
"Oh? You actually know your stuff, huh!"
"Since you're so considerate, remember—don't come when the time comes!" Cheng Zhu grinned.
…
…
The taxi driver weaved through traffic recklessly the whole way, cutting in and overtaking cars at will, and quickly delivered the two of them to their destination.
When getting out, Wang Anquan took advantage of the fact that no one was around and gathered his courage. "Brother Zhu, when the time comes… can I appreciate your masterpiece?"
Damn it—why are you still thinking about the photos?
"Just for that attitude alone, you'll be the first one to see them," Cheng Zhu said with a grand wave of his hand.
Buyer-show photos were meant to be seen anyway. What was the big deal?
At this point, they had arrived at the second factory, which was a bit larger than the first.
The boss looked to be around forty, his attitude lukewarm, and he firmly refused to do dropshipping.
Cheng Zhu didn't mind at all and directly took Wang Anquan and left.
"Who are you looking down on?" Wang Anquan felt a bit indignant.
"It doesn't matter. I already told him which factory our samples came from," Cheng Zhu said.
"And then?" Wang Anquan pressed.
"Nothing else. Just that one day, he might find out that factory's machines are running nonstop, with workers on two shifts," Cheng Zhu raised an eyebrow, radiating confidence.
Wang Anquan understood and gave a single word: "Nice."
Cheng Zhu wasn't surprised by that factory owner's attitude.
In his previous life, Cheng Zhu had done e-commerce in Yiwu, which had a world-famous small commodities market and abundant suppliers.
He had been privately close with many still-charming female shop owners and had heard plenty of complaints.
Many people would wander the market claiming to take samples, but were really just freeloading and would never place orders later.
After getting burned a few times, some business owners' mindsets changed.
This factory owner was in his forties, his thinking somewhat rigid. His stomach probably couldn't digest the pie Cheng Zhu was offering.
Over the course of an afternoon, Cheng Zhu and Wang Anquan endured the blazing summer heat and visited all three planned factories, plus an extra one.
In the end, he still felt the first factory was the best.
In fact, after visiting the first factory, Cheng Zhu already felt it met his needs.
But people always think the next option might be better.
And doing business meant seeing more, running around more.
You couldn't just decide the first factory was good enough and retreat immediately.
He always remembered a line spoken by Erlang Shen—played by Jiao Enjun—in the drama *Lotus Lantern*, when he was lecturing Chenxiang.
It was roughly about how if you always thought your training was "good enough," then when it came time to face a real enemy, you'd always fall just short.
In Cheng Zhu's mind, Erlang Shen from that drama was a classic example of the "beautiful, strong, and tragic" archetype.
…
"Everyone would rather believe the Lotus Lantern was broken than believe Erlang Shen was also a kind person capable of wielding its power."
"I'm in Guanyun County now. Since it's all 'Guan' territory, I should listen to Erlang Shen of Guankou," Cheng Zhu thought, with his usual mix of superstition and erratic logic.
At this moment, both he and Wang Anquan were starving.
They randomly picked a small eatery. The food wasn't great, but they still ate a lot.
"Brother Zhu, should we just go with the first factory?" Wang Anquan asked.
"We'll stay the night and keep visiting factories tomorrow," Cheng Zhu shook his head.
"Huh? What if it's all for nothing and the first factory still ends up being the most suitable?"
Wang Anquan wasn't afraid of hard work. He could endure hardship—that was why Cheng Zhu liked bringing him along.
But the day's experiences had given him a bad feeling.
"What, do you think your time and stamina are that valuable?" Cheng Zhu said.
"That's not what I meant," Wang Anquan quickly explained.
"I know," Cheng Zhu smiled.
He continued, "Right now, we're the ones choosing. When you have the power to choose, you should look at as many options as possible."
"When it's time to actually sell products, we'll be the ones being chosen."
"When you have the power of choice, you need to use it to the fullest. Got it?" Cheng Zhu started dispensing motivational talk, regardless of whether Wang Anquan was too full to take it in.
Wang Anquan was just about to say he'd learned something, when Cheng Zhu suddenly changed the subject.
"Of course, when it comes to choosing models, I won't be bringing you along. You look like someone who isn't picky at all—you'd probably settle on the first one you see. I'm different. I like auditions."
Wang Anquan: "..."
That night, the two checked into a clean, comfortable hotel. When it came to hotels, Cheng Zhu was never careless.
He also didn't want to receive small cards shoved under the door in the middle of the night.
They booked a standard twin room—and even then, getting those cards would be ridiculous. What, trying to pull a 'two brothers cost extra' routine?
That night, Wang Anquan snored loudly. Cheng Zhu was furious and eventually overpowered him in volume.
…
…
The next day, the two young men visited three more factories in this unfamiliar small town, and the conclusion was:
"The first factory really was the best!"
Cheng Zhu admired his own foresight. After feeding Wang Anquan so much motivational talk the day before and making him run around until his legs were about to break, Wang Anquan still felt that Brother Zhu's level was insanely high.
His obedience and admiration remained absolute.
"This matters. If you can't lead a team, you'll end up working yourself to death."
After a full day of consideration, the owner of the first factory finally gave Cheng Zhu an answer, saying he'd try doing dropshipping.
That alone made Cheng Zhu feel this trip had gone far more smoothly than expected.
"Boss, you're impressive. You deserve to get rich," Cheng Zhu said over the phone.
Then, as usual, he maintained his persona as a seasoned QQ e-commerce veteran, as if he'd been selling these products for years.
After the call, the man who'd been bluffing nonstop took Wang Anquan to the nearest internet café and worked through the night to apply for a Taobao store.
Stores selling QQ-style products often had very interesting names. Cheng Zhu remembered several amusing ones from his past.
So he picked a playful name as well:
—Persistent Access.
Watching from the side, Wang Anquan felt the name carried countless layers of meaning.
After finishing everything, Cheng Zhu said to Wang Anquan, "Here, go play some games on the computer yourself."
"Brother Zhu, what about you?" Wang Anquan asked.
Cheng Zhu waved his phone. "I still have work to do."
He and Ye Zi had been consistently keeping up flirtatious chats.
Cheng Zhu picked up his phone, cleared his throat, forced a bit of vocal fry, and sent a voice message in a low voice:
"Are you there, baby?"
TL: If you want to read ahead by at least ten chapters, patreon.com/EdibleMapleSyrup