Chapter 52, Chapter 52: A Sensation

Things progressed in a way that was somewhat unexpected for Ye Baoling.

When they arrived at the lounge, Hambi's manager, Lisa, actually came out to discuss an endorsement deal with her.

But Lisa, seeing the easy target offered to her, demanded an exorbitant price, asking for a $500,000 annual endorsement fee.

Ye Baoling wanted to know how much room there was for further discussion.

Lisa smiled and shook her head: "Darling, this is already a friend's price because I like you."

This hypocritical American.

Ye Baoling responded with the same insincere smile.

They chatted for a while longer and exchanged contact information. Before Ye Baoling left, Xian Bi asked her if she had any more jasmine iced tea.

"You just said it tastes better with ice, I want to take it back to the hotel and try it."

"Of course. It's best to refrigerate it for 2 hours before drinking it." Ye Baoling took out the remaining two bottles of iced tea from her handbag and gave them to him.

As Ye Baoling emerged from the VIP lounge, she looked up and saw Lai Yancong waiting by the corridor. As she walked past him, she smiled and said, "Thank you, I'll contact you later," before leaving.

He Jiayi sent her two pagers.

The first pager was asking if she had seen Xianbi.

The second complaint was about the damned real estate agent disappearing; they were waiting for her at gate number 3.

Before even exiting Exit 3, Ye Baoling saw He Jiayi leaning against a pillar with her head down.

The confidence we had when we arrived is matched by the dejection we feel now.

As soon as Ye Baoling stepped out of Gate 3, He Jiayi happened to see her and rushed forward, asking anxiously, "How did it go?"

Ye Baoling shrugged: "What do you think?"

He Jiayi smiled helplessly: "If we had known this would happen, we should have asked the higher-ups to use their connections. They would definitely have been able to get in touch with Xian Bi's agent. That damned agent."

A colleague from the brand department, A-Jian, said apologetically, "I'm so sorry, Manager Gu, I didn't expect this agent to be so unreliable."

"Go back and ask the bosses to think of a solution." He Jiayi was still unwilling to give up.

They walked towards the parking lot.

A-Jian had given Ye Baoling three bottles of iced tea before, hoping to help her lose weight: "Manager Gu, could you carry the iced tea from your bag for me?"

"It's not heavy, that's all."

"That's all? Oh, the reporters drank it."

"It was given to Xianbi to drink."

He Jiayi froze on the spot, then exclaimed in surprise, "You saw Xian Bi?"

"Yes, I saw him." Ye Baoling didn't stop walking, a smile on her face.

He Jiayi caught up: "He also drank our jasmine iced tea?"

"Drank one bottle, took two bottles with him."

"Ahhhhh!" He Jiayi almost took off on the spot, and excitedly patted A-Jian on the shoulder.

She immediately remembered something more important: "Did the reporters get any pictures?"

Ye Baoling raised an eyebrow slightly. "Of course. What if I don't get the shot? Wouldn't all my work have been for nothing?"

He Jiayi was very curious: "How did you do that?"

Ah Jian also came over.

Ye Baoling recounted what had happened, and He Jiayi couldn't help but praise her repeatedly: "Baolin! Your adaptability is amazing! Wow, you're so good!"

He Jiayi, who admired strength, could no longer hide her admiration for Ye Baoling. "I declare that from today onwards, you are my idol!!"

Ah Jian also said, "Manager Gu, you're amazing."

Ye Baoling accepted all the praise and smiled, "However, his agent's asking price of 500,000 US dollars is outrageous."

He Jiayi quickly did the math: "Five hundred thousand US dollars, that's almost four million Hong Kong dollars! He might as well rob a bank! But it doesn't matter, we're not really hiring him as a spokesperson."

Back at the Yulong Building, Ye Baoling called Qi Yuxiu from the convenience store on the ground floor and told her that they had just met with Xian Bi's agent.

Hearing that the other party was asking for US$500,000, Qi Yuxiu felt relieved. "I was really worried that Hambi would be too cheap. If we really hire Hambi as our spokesperson, it will definitely be a hit in Hong Kong. Let's go for it."

After hanging up the phone and returning to the product department office, Ye Baoling reported to Qu Zhengming about her meeting with Xian Bi that day.

A $500,000 endorsement fee is almost impossible to get approved. Qu Zhengming will discuss this with his superiors later.

"The most pressing issue right now is how to make the most of this publicity now that you've secretly had someone take a picture of Xianbi drinking iced tea."

Ye Baoling shared her thoughts: "The reporter I found can publish the first draft of the news directly, but in order to avoid others questioning whether we are hyping it up, I suggest that the first draft of the news should include photos of our beverage packaging and remove the name Ye Qingtang."

Qu Zhengming asked in bewilderment, "Erase Ye Qingtang's name? Then all your efforts today will have been in vain?"

"We will remove the brand name Ye Qingtang, but leave the words 'Iced Tea'. First, this is to avoid any appearance of impropriety, as this is not an advertisement for us; second, it will pique people's curiosity and encourage them to follow up."

"It's right to avoid suspicion. But what if nobody's interested?"

Wouldn't that be like launching a surprise attack?

"The possibility of something spontaneously going viral without any behind-the-scenes manipulation is too low, and leaving it entirely to fate is too passive. Therefore, we still need to control the rhythm and direction of public opinion. Tomorrow morning, we'll publish the first news article in the morning paper to bring this matter to the forefront. At noon, we'll invite guests on radio or television programs to actively discuss this issue, making it a hot topic. After that, we'll gradually ignite public opinion..."

After listening to Ye Baoling's explanation, Qu Zhengming couldn't help but ask curiously, "You can do it like that?"

"sure."

Qu Zhengming nodded emphatically: "What do you need me to do now?"

"Finding suitable TV programs for collaboration may be expensive and difficult, so we can try radio programs first."

Qu Zhengming said, "We have a long-term cooperative radio program. Jasmine Iced Tea has placed a lot of advertisements on F108 channel this time. It should be possible to cooperate with F108. The editor-in-chief is a friend of mine. I will make the contact."

"That's great. I was thinking of asking a friend to help me connect with them."

"You don't need to ask your friends, the brand department has plenty of resources."

“President Qu, I hope to keep the fact that I secretly had someone take a picture of Xian Bi drinking iced tea a secret for now, because it won’t look good for our reputation if it gets out.” Ye Baoling was mainly afraid that Qi Yuxiu would find out. “I have three people on my side who know about this, and with President Qu, we should be able to handle this matter.”

Qu Zhengming agreed with her concerns.

The two immediately divided the work and went about their tasks.

Ye Baoling first went to inquire about the factory's shipment status.

Wang Bingchang has been overseeing the factory, and by tomorrow at the latest, major chain supermarkets and convenience stores will stock Ye Qingtang Jasmine Iced Tea.

All advertisements were finalized today; those that needed to be printed were printed, and the copywriting and designs for radio stations, newspapers, and magazines were all delivered.

The new advertisements were launched one after another early the next morning.

Meanwhile, the sports column of the Citizen Daily published a news article about Xian Bi looking up while drinking jasmine iced tea.

The news photos deliberately removed the "Ye Qingtang" label.

The title is: Football King Hambi falls in love with Chinese herbal tea, to the point of licking his lips.

By noon, several radio programs were discussing which herbal tea Xianbi had fallen in love with.

In the product department office, Ye Baoling, Gao Lizhen, He Jiayi, and others listened intently to F108's most popular midday chat radio program.

[Host: The Citizen Daily has really made a splash this time, capturing such an interesting photo.]

[Guest A: Xianbi is a foreigner, how could he like to drink Chinese herbal tea? He should prefer cola.]

[Guest B: I studied that photo carefully, even with a magnifying glass. The bottle says "iced tea," not "herbal tea."]

[Guest A: Iced tea? I've never heard of iced tea.]

[Host: Could it be Ye Qingtang's Jasmine Iced Tea? Did you hear the ad before our show started? 'Ye Qingtang Jasmine Iced Tea, sweet, refreshing and cooling...' Could it be that?]

[Guest B: Jasmine iced tea? Does Ye Qing Tang offer such an herbal tea?]

[Host: Yes, it's new. It's not exactly a traditional herbal tea; it's a new flavor.]

[Guest A: It's salty and drinkable, probably a new, improved version. I'm a little curious about the flavor. I'll go buy a bottle and try it later.]

[Guest B: Wow, Ye Qingtang has struck it rich! Football legend Hambein is giving them free advertising! Look at the news article, 'Hambein is so in love he's licking his lips,' how tempting!]

...

Everyone who heard this on the radio couldn't help but clap and laugh.

Go Ryeo-jin said, "This show has a huge audience. It's sure to generate a lot of buzz."

He Jiayi: "I called HKTV's 'City Chase' and gave them the scoop, asking them to investigate this matter!"

Without hesitation, He Jiayi immediately disguised herself as an enthusiastic spectator and fan and called the TV station.

As the incident gained more and more attention, in the evening the Hong Kong Evening News published a photo of Xian Bi drinking Chinese herbal tea from another angle without removing the "Ye Qingtang Jasmine Iced Tea" label.

The marketing department office kept receiving calls asking whether the jasmine iced tea Xian Bi drank was actually from Ye Qingtang.

Some fans even asked if Xianbi would be their spokesperson.

That evening, HKTV's "City Chase" really followed this matter in all aspects. They even filmed that when Ham Bi went out, he had a half-empty bottle of Ye Qing Tang Jasmine Iced Tea in the side mesh pocket of his backpack.

The reporter concluded by holding a bottle of jasmine green tea with a coded label: "This is the new flavor of Chinese herbal tea. I just tried a sip, and it really tastes delicious, completely different from other herbal teas on the market. No wonder the football king loves it."

At this point, the hype reached its peak.

After a day of media buzz, the newly launched jasmine iced tea welcomed its first wave of curious consumers.

Distributors also reacted quickly, with many increasing their purchases based on sales figures.

After that, the "Depressed Youth" TV commercial officially went on air. Because of its dry humor, it was very popular among young people, and the product sold out in the next few days.

*

Ye Baoling was summoned to Qi Yuxiu's office.

"What happened? I heard that you were the one who started this big news about Xianbi drinking tea!"

Ye Baoling feigned innocence: "Sister Xiu, I wish I had that kind of ability. This was truly an unexpected stroke of luck. Who would have thought that sports reporters would be like paparazzi, so bored that they would secretly take photos and publish news? Later, when the news broke, President Qu demanded that we follow up with promotion, and I had no choice but to be swept along."

Qi Yuxiu looked at Ye Baoling and realized she didn't seem to be lying.

Regardless of whether Ye Baoling acted intentionally or unintentionally, this promotion led by Ye Baoling was a great success, and both Ye Baoling and Qu Zhengming benefited from it.

Qi Yuxiu could no longer trust the other party as she had before.

However, she couldn't possibly give up the pieces in front of her.

"Pauline, what do you think we should do next to turn things around?"

Ye Baoling suggested, "Why not attack Shen Wanjie directly, bring him down, and do it all in one go?"

Qi Yuxiu frowned slightly: "How do we attack?"

"I suspect that Wan Xiwen is Shen Wanjie's illegitimate daughter."

Qi Yuxiu was very interested in this. "How so?"

Ye Baoling couldn't say outright that it was something the cleaning lady had overheard. She said, "That day I overheard Wan Xiwen calling Shen Wanjie 'Daddy,' which explains why Wan Xiwen, who didn't have much work experience, was directly parachuted in as the project manager for a new product, and why Shen Wanjie took such good care of her."

Qi Yuxiu nodded: "I understand. But this alone is probably not enough."

Ye Baoling subtly suggested, "Is there anything else we can take advantage of?"

Is there anything else?

Qi Yuxiu remembered, "The formula has been changed! It seems that the researcher Zeng Zhentao is coming back soon. Let me think about it. Please allow me to think about it."

*

News of Xianbi drinking Chinese herbal tea quickly spread to Southeast Asia, where distributors rushed to buy the product overnight while there were still promotional offers.

Ye Baoling then had a press release issued to spread the news that Southeast Asian distributors were snapping up Ye Qingtang Jasmine Iced Tea.

In less than a week, we completed half a quarter's sales target for the new product!

Financial media outlets began reporting extensively on the matter, predicting that Ye Qingtang's stock price would rise higher than originally expected after its listing.

The huge success of the Jasmine Iced Tea promotion made Ye Baoling an instant star in the company.

Almost everyone at Ye Qingtang knows Gu Baolin, a newcomer to the company who rapidly increased product awareness at minimal cost and maximized sales by converting that popularity into revenue, making her a model of efficient operation.

Shen Wanjie wanted to give some credit to Wan Xiwen, but Qu Zhengming handed over the list of those to be rewarded in front of Lin Zhong while reporting to him.

This infuriated Shen Wanjie, but he couldn't vent his anger, so he could only suppress it for the time being.

Immediately afterwards, Ye Qizu spent 10 minutes at the senior management meeting praising the newcomer named Gu Baolin.

After the meeting, Ye Qizu kept Lin Zhong and Ye Kaishen behind separately.

Ye Qizu said, “You all need to think about how to best reward her. Although I praised her at the meeting, I was speaking to the senior management. Their incompetence is what caused the company to need a newcomer to turn the tide in promoting its new products. Gu Baolin is just a newcomer in her twenties. It wouldn’t be good to promote her too high, as she might attract unwanted attention. But if the reward isn’t adequate, we’ll lose talent. You all need to think about this carefully.”

Ye Kaishen considered Gu Baolin to be one of his own, saying, "She can be promoted to deputy manager. The deputy manager position is a bridge between superiors and subordinates, and it is very suitable for a capable newcomer like her."

Lin Zhong also thought it was a good idea, but as a deputy manager, he would have to attend meetings of the middle and senior management, and he wasn't sure if Ye Baoling would be willing to do so.

He said, "Why don't we ask her what her intentions are first, and then we can give her a bonus as a reward?"

"Okay. You decide. We should try our best to retain talented people."

Ye Qizu was quite envious of this "other people's child".

Because it was Friday, it was rare for everyone at home to be together for dinner.

When everyone talked about the news of Xianbi drinking Ye Qingtang herbal tea, everyone had a smile on their face.

After all, this is something that truly benefits Ye Qingtang, and it's a major boon for the company's listing; everyone benefits.

Ye Kaisi asked curiously, "Dad, have you met this Gu Baolin?"

Yeh Chi-tsu: "I was planning to meet her today, but she's not here. We can invite her to the company's IPO celebration banquet."

Liang Meiyun smiled and said, "Her name sounds a little similar to Bao Ling's."

Ye Kais shook his head: "Ling and Lin are completely different pronunciations."

Ye Qizu snorted coldly: "Indeed, they don't resemble him at all. They're not even as good as someone's toes or tail."

Ye Baoling: "..."

Ye Kaimin remained silent.

Halfway through the meal, Ye Baoshun said, "Grandpa, Dad, Mom, I want to live at school after the semester starts."

Liang Meiyun was the first to object: "Why should we live at school?"

Ye Kais's face darkened: "Ye Baoshun, what tricks are you up to now?"

Ye Baoshun: "I'm graduating soon and want to focus on writing my thesis while I'm at school."

Ye Kaisi didn't believe it at all: "If you had made up some other excuse, I might have believed you, but you just want to be left alone so you can go out and fool around, right?!"

The father and son started arguing.

Ye Qizu impatiently put down his chopsticks: "Alright. Can't you even have a proper meal? You're graduating soon, why are you still living at school? Go register at school, you can write your thesis at home, and you can do an internship at a company in your spare time. You're not a child anymore, stop making your family worry about you."

Ye Baoshun was scolded and dared not speak again.

The men had all left early after their meal, leaving only Liang Meiyun and Ye Baoling drinking sweet soup.

Just then, Ye Kaishen's wife, Feng Yufang, came over for a visit. She brought a few small pomelos, saying they were from the countryside in the mainland and tasted very sweet.

Ye Kaishen is handsome and shrewd. His wife is not particularly good-looking and is feisty, but she is also very clever and good at flattering others. She has a good relationship with Liang Meiyun and Zheng Junni.

Married women have their own topics of conversation, but Ye Baoling, who is not yet aware of being married, left after finishing her sugar water.

*

At 11 p.m., Ye Huaizhang arrived as promised.

He's been relatively free lately since he finished dealing with things at Dapeng Port, but Ye Baoling is very busy, and she always politely declines his invitations to come.

The young couple hadn't seen each other for over a week. After sitting down in the seating area as if he knew the place well, he couldn't help but joke, "A bottle of herbal tea has made Xianbi run around in circles, becoming big news in Hong Kong."

Ye Baoling denied it, saying, "I sincerely wanted to cooperate with him, but his price was too high, and I couldn't afford it."

How much do you want?

“4 million.” Ye Baoling sat on the sofa in front of him, pointed to her shoulder, and said, “I’ve been so busy these past few days that my muscles are all stiff. Give me a massage.”

Ye Huaizhang reached out and massaged her shoulders.

sore.

She hissed, "Quiet down... Think about it, how many iced teas do we need to sell to earn back 4 million? That's outrageous. I've heard that other stars of similar caliber only make a maximum of 100,000 US dollars. Even if he only asks for 10,000 US dollars now, I won't work with him."

Ye Huaizhang: "Tell me, his agent is the older sister of my college classmate. His brother-in-law is also the largest beverage distributor in the United States."

"Did I tell you it could be free?"

That definitely won't work.

"At least I can make sure you can see him smoothly, without being in such a sorry state."

"Where is the embarrassment? I'm quick-witted, and my mistakes sometimes lead to better results, don't they? And it doesn't even cost a penny."

"Yes, you're amazing."

Ye Baoling recalled what he had just said, "You just said that your classmate's brother-in-law, who is also the husband of Xian Bi's agent Lisa, is the largest beverage distributor in the United States?"

"Yes, what's wrong? Want to expand into the American market? Jasmine iced tea is worth a try, but other drinks are not recommended, as white people don't usually drink them."

"I was just asking casually."

He massaged her shoulders, then moved down to massage her arms.

Suddenly, a faint ringtone came from inside. Ye Baoling was startled for a moment before realizing it was her older brother's phone ringing.

She threw her handbag on the other side of the sofa when she came back, instead of putting it in the walk-in closet. She couldn't reach it, so Ye Huaizhang hooked the bag over for her.

He picked up his mobile phone and pressed the answer button: "Hello... Oh, Ryan... Yes, okay... When? I can do it the day after tomorrow... OK, see you on Sunday."

After hanging up the phone, she noticed that her man's face was dark and long.

Ye Baoling explained, "The reporters who helped us this time arranged to have dinner together."

"Why can't I call you, but others can?"

The man is angry.

Ye Baoling quickly explained in a low voice, "Last time at the sports center, I was in such a hurry that I was afraid the reporters wouldn't be able to contact me, so I gave out my phone number."

The man pressed on, "We're not at the sports center now, so why would he be calling you?"

Ye Baoling straddled his lap, her arms around his neck: "Others aren't as tolerant of me as you are. I can't exactly tell people I don't know well not to call me all the time, right?"

Oh.

Ye Huaizhang let her hang around his neck, ignoring her.

She said sweetly, "Honey..."

The next moment he pinned her down on the sofa.

Before long, the sound of abundant water filled the room. She remembered a popular saying on the internet: There is no conflict between husband and wife that cannot be resolved by doing it once. If it cannot be resolved once, then do it twice.

Just as the fierce battle was raging, a knock came at the door.

"Young Miss! Young Miss!"

It's Ah Hong, the maid downstairs.

Ye Baoling pushed him away a little, and after he had caught his breath, she replied, "What is it?"

"Da Yesheng wants to see you. He has something to say to you."

Ye Baoling didn't want to go, "You said I was asleep."

As soon as she finished speaking, he thrust into her forcefully. Ye Baoling bit her lip tightly, not daring to make a sound. Seeing how crazy he was, she retaliated by biting his chest.

Ye Huaizhang almost cried out.

Ruthless, his wife is ruthless.

At this moment, Ah Hong outside the door still wouldn't give up, "Miss, Da Yesheng said he has something important to discuss. If you don't go, I won't be able to explain myself."

Ye Baoling was speechless. She was afraid that if she didn't go, her father would come looking for her, so she could only say, "Okay. I'll go in a bit... I'll go in a bit."

She urged him in his ear, "Hurry up."

He can't be any faster.

After dawdling for another ten minutes or so, she quickly showered, changed her clothes, and went to the Shengyue Restaurant next door.

Perhaps influenced by the old man's words that night, Ye Kaimin seemed to have gone crazy and said to her, "I think you and Gong Jiahua are getting along quite well lately. You two should settle down and try to get married by the end of this year or the beginning of next year. Otherwise, Baoxin will be the one to get married before you."

So Ye Baoxin is a little younger than her.

Ye Baoling didn't argue, but picked up the phone in the small side room and called Gong Jiahua.

After the call, she said first, "Jiahua, are you still out having fun? I put it on speakerphone, and my dad asked you when we can settle down and make our relationship official?"

Gong Jiahua exclaimed in surprise, "Um... um... I don't have that idea yet."

He doesn't have the guts.

Ye Baoling looked at her father: "You heard that, he has no idea..."

No ideas? What's wrong with all the young people these days!

Why would you pursue her daughter if you have no interest in her?

Ye Kaimin was so angry that smoke was practically billowing from his nostrils.

"Stop going to work. Go learn something useful. I'll use my connections to get you into a school."

In Ye Kaimin's view, learning something useful is nothing more than improving one's education level to make it easier to find a partner in the future.

"We'll see." Ye Baoling was too lazy to waste any more words. She yawned, "Dad, I'm really sleepy."

Ye Kaimin: "..."

"I'm going to stay at my grandma's house for one night tomorrow. I'm going to sleep now, goodnight."

After saying that, she went downstairs to her room, ignoring what Ye Kaimin was still rambling on about.

Ye Huaizhang knew her room well; he had already taken another shower and was now lying in bed reading.

He didn't ask what her father wanted from her, but simply said, "Don't forget you're coming home for dinner tomorrow night."

Ye Huaizhang had told her about this on the phone a couple of days ago; it was his parents' 30th wedding anniversary.

"Okay, let's go back and stay for the night."

She was so sleepy that she wanted to fall asleep as soon as she lifted the covers.

He poked her in the back: "Aren't you going to pay off your debts?"

"What debt?" After asking, she immediately realized that if it happened twice a week, she owed him at least three times.

She pulled the blanket over her head: "Go to sleep. I have to work overtime tomorrow."

"Okay, then I'll go alone tomorrow."

"Huh? What?" She pulled back the covers to look at him. "Where are you going?"

Ye Huaizhang then realized that she hadn't understood what he had said.

"I'll go to the Qingzhuan Tunnel by myself tomorrow and look for clues in the Silver Snake Mountain section."

It turns out he was talking about paying off this debt.

Ye Baoling had indeed promised to go with him to find clues, because they both believed that the Qingzhuan Tunnel might be related to Silver Snake Mountain. Otherwise, why would the tunnel go around Silver Snake Mountain?

If the goal is to achieve internal circulation, the Ye family's own large garden can provide that; there's no need to build such a massive project.

She said, "If I can find the time tomorrow, I'll go with you. If not, you can go and take a look first. But most likely I won't be able to find the time."

Ye Huaizhang complained about her: "She makes herself busier than the big boss."

"I'm the deputy manager now. Although I haven't been officially appointed yet! I got promoted in just a few months based on my own abilities. Can you do that?"

Yes, he had never worked outside before, and he had to admit that if he had to fight his way up from the bottom, he might not have been able to defeat her.

Few people are as cunning, as witty, or as quick-witted as her.

Ye Huaizhang asked curiously, "So, you've been keeping a low profile all this time?"

Otherwise, how could he have managed to graduate from Form Four?

"For me, academic qualifications don't matter." The young lady was really going to sleep.

Sure enough, I went to the company to work overtime the next day to wrap up various promotional tasks, and I was busy all day.

At noon, Ye Baoling sat by the window to rest, recalling what Ye Huaizhang had told her the night before: Lisa's husband was the largest beverage distributor in the United States.

Next, she wants to become the deputy manager of the marketing department, and she needs to prepare for her future work in the marketing department.

Hambi was no longer important to her, but Lisa was very meaningful to her.

Ye Baoling turned around and asked, "Where has Xian Bi been these past few days?"

Gao Lizhen, who had been following Hambi's movements, told her, "He's in Japan."

Hambein's recent trip to Asia to make money took him to several developed countries and regions, and he probably won't be returning to the United States anytime soon.

Ye Baoling has Lisa's office phone and fax number, but Lisa hasn't returned to China. How can she contact her?

She thought for a moment and then asked her colleagues, "Can you find out which hotel Xianbi stayed at in Japan?"

It wasn't mentioned in the local newspapers.

Ye Qingtang did not have a branch office in Japan. Ye Baoling remembered that the Citizen's Daily had an office in Japan, so she called Lai Yancong and eventually got the fax number of the front desk of the hotel where Xianbi was staying.

Ye Baoling sent a fax to the hotel, addressed to Ms. Lisa, Xian Bi's agent.

The fax contained a message from Ms. Gu of Ye Qingtang, who wanted to discuss in detail with Lisa the endorsement collaboration for Xianbi.

As expected, she received a call back from Lisa in the afternoon.

Lisa was deeply impressed by Ye Qingtang, after all, someone had told her about the sensation he had caused in Hong Kong.

In one phone call, the American woman began with a barrage of compliments: "I really enjoy your iced tea. It tastes just average when it's not iced, but when it's iced, it's amazing! Oh my God, it's even better than Coke."

Ye Baoling smiled and said, "We are so glad that you like our jasmine iced tea. We are truly honored. Yes, when chilled, jasmine iced tea tastes even better than cola. I am sure of that."

"Xianbi loves to drink it, and we even bought a case at the supermarket before we left. But we were afraid of being photographed by reporters, so we secretly covered it with our clothes."

Oh, cunning Lisa, she knows perfectly well the importance of not giving others free advertising.

Ye Baoling explained, “I didn’t expect things to cause such a sensation. But overall, it’s because the people of Hong Kong love Hambi so much, and Ye Qingtang is a favorite among Hong Kong residents. People always try to connect the two. Unfortunately, this has become a problem for us. We originally sincerely wanted to invite Hambi to be our spokesperson, but the company didn’t spend a penny, yet we got such a huge effect. Now the finance department is unwilling to approve the endorsement fee. They think the price is unbearable for us. If every person in Hong Kong buys a bottle of iced tea, we won’t even earn back this endorsement fee. I’m really sorry…”

Lisa tried to interject several times but couldn't get a word in edgewise: "Oh, darling, I understand your company's thinking. If you're really sincere, I can try to help you negotiate the endorsement fee down."

The sensational effect in Hong Kong last time made Lisa realize that Ye Qingtang is also a national brand in Hong Kong. Moreover, the other party did not pay a single penny of endorsement fee, and took such a big advantage from Xianbi. If she can negotiate some endorsement back later, it can be considered as making up for some of the "losses".

“Lisa, you are such a beautiful and friendly lady. I love Hambi so much, and so do my colleagues. I really want to work with you. If we don’t do an endorsement, could Hambi film a TV commercial for us? We’ll cover the filming costs.”

Lisa thought for a moment and said, "Honey, we're going to Macau next week. We can talk about it in more detail then, okay?"

OK!

no problem.

Once we arrive in Macau, I'm guaranteed to win over Ms. Lisa.

-----------------------

Author's Note: To get to the reveal scene as soon as possible, I've been writing 8000 words a day for the past two days, I'm giving it my all. I should be able to get to the reveal scene tomorrow, I'll try my best! [kissing emojis]