Chapter 56. Deception. Making empty promises. Psychological tactics. ...

Early in the morning, cheerful birdsong drifted in from outside the window, and Ye Baoling woke up in her bed.

She yawned, got up to wash up. Last night had been a bit too intense, and she had bruises all over her body. Afraid that Sister Ping would find out later, she quickly changed into a more conservative set of clothes.

Ping brought her a plate of beef shank spaghetti, a milkshake, and a serving of fruit.

A good day starts with breakfast.

"Miss, your father wants you to eat breakfast and then go see him."

Ye Baoling ate her beef and asked, "What did he want to see me about?"

Ping couldn't help but mutter, "Who knows? I heard from Qin that your dad had a fight with that old vixen last night. I guess your dad was a little too happy about what you did at the company, and the vixen got jealous and started causing trouble. Ever since she had this son, she's stopped pretending to be virtuous."

Ye Baoling didn't bother to guess what her father wanted to see her about; it was probably nothing important. After eating breakfast, she went downstairs to drive to work.

Now that she no longer needs to hide her identity, she can finally drive her luxury car out.

As soon as she drove out of the underground parking garage, her father was waiting for her at the entrance of the garden.

Ye Baoling had no choice but to stop the car and roll down the window: "Dad, what's wrong?"

"Didn't I tell you to come find me?"

Ye Baoling laughed and made an excuse: "I was thinking about company matters when I went downstairs, and I forgot."

How could you forget that?

Clearly, he didn't care about his father.

Ye Kaimin was skeptical and couldn't say anything to her.

She asked, "What do you want?"

"It's nothing." Ye Kaimin bent down slightly and whispered to his daughter in the car, "I just wanted to remind you that after causing such a big commotion yesterday, you should tone it down at the company. Don't let anyone find something to use against you and complain to your grandfather."

Ye Baoling sounded slightly impatient: "You don't need to worry about my work. I know what I'm doing."

Ye Kaimin found her words quite tactless, but since they were in the garden, he couldn't say much to her. "Put away your arrogance and at the company, do your best to protect your brother's empire!"

Ye Baoling almost rolled her eyes to the top of her head. She really wanted to retort, "Go to the hospital and get your son's DNA tested first."

“Dad, if you say something like that to me again, I’ll tell Grandpa. Who am I protecting the country for? I’m protecting the country for the Ye family, for the eldest son of the family.”

Ye Baoling held back her words, protecting the country for herself.

Ye Kaimin quickly shushed him twice: "Keep your voice down, my ancestor. You understand what I mean."

"I don't want to understand. I'm in a hurry, I'm leaving." Ye Baoling rolled up the car window, and before her father had gone far, she stepped on the gas and drove towards the door.

Startled, Ye Kaimin quickly took a few steps back, looking quite disheveled.

There were servants working not far away, and Ye Kaimin could only curse his unfilial daughter in his heart, helpless.

*

Ye Baoling drove to the Yulong Building, where she could finally take the elevator to the 7th floor openly.

Before I even entered the office, a colleague said, "I just saw Miss drive a brand new luxury car to work?"

Someone immediately asked, "What luxury car?"

"I think there are only a few V7s in Hong Kong, and they are very expensive."

"Tsk tsk! I really admire the young lady. How could she have kept it so well hidden before?"

"If it were me, I'd love to drive a luxury car and wear designer clothes every day, showing off my wealth in front of you nobodies."

"Shh! Shh!" someone warned us to stop talking.

When the group turned around, they saw Ye Baoling arrive, dressed in a long-sleeved shirt and trousers, the clothes of some well-known brand unknown.

"Good morning!" Ye Baoling greeted everyone with a smile.

Everyone realized what was happening and quickly said, "Good morning, Miss!"

Ye Baoling didn't correct everyone that they should call her Manager Ye, because she didn't care.

Upon seeing the young lady enter the office, everyone excitedly continued their discussion.

"Her 'Good morning' felt like gold was being sprinkled on me, it was so charming."

"Is it really necessary to go to such lengths?"

"Can you tell what brand she's wearing? It looks really good."

"I can't tell, but I can smell the money in it. It must be very expensive."

...

Ye Baoling is wearing a cheap, niche brand outfit that costs a few hundred yuan a set; she's worn them before.

That's how people are; when your status changes, how others see you will also change.

After putting her things down, she first called the third group in for a meeting.

She briefly explained her desire to win over Lisa.

"So, besides talking to Lisa about shooting the commercial, we also need to gain Lisa's trust and find a way to use her connections to talk to her husband about how to open up the American market for jasmine iced tea."

Ah Zhen suggested, "This should be Lisa's first time in Macau. Why don't we book a VIP room at the casino and invite her to have a go?"

Ye Baoling shook her head: "No, Lisa's father was a gambler. He gambled away the family's fortune and eventually committed suicide by shooting himself, which made her childhood very miserable. This is her childhood nightmare, so we can't arrange this trip."

Yang Baozhu asked curiously, "Miss, how do you know her father is a gambler?"

"I asked a friend to find out."

Ah Zhen immediately flattered, "It's great to work for Miss, she has a wide network of connections."

Gao Lizhen smiled and nodded vigorously.

Ye Baoling instructed, "Lisa likes crystals, so go buy a crystal rabbit pendant later. It shouldn't be too big, just a small one that can be worn as a tag around your neck."

Ah Zhen: "Isn't it too cheap?"

Yang Baozhu thought for a moment: "Make the packaging box look better."

Ye Baoling already has a plan: "If this crystal has a story, then it won't be cheap."

After the meeting and the work arrangements were completed, Ye Baoling went upstairs to find Lin Zhong.

Lin Zhong was in a particularly good mood today, after all, Ye Baoling had eliminated his competitors without him having to lift a finger.

He greeted Ye Baoling with a smile: "Yesterday your grandfather gave me a severe scolding, scolding me for covering for you and for not respecting him as the chairman. I didn't dare to say a word."

Ye Baoling laughed and said, "I'm sorry, Uncle Zhong. I made you get scolded. When I got home, he scolded me for almost an hour too."

"He might curse, but he's secretly pleased." Lin Zhong understands Ye Qizu's temperament very well.

Ye Baoling came today mainly to discuss the arrangements for the logistics department with Lin Zhong. After Qi Yuxiu was dismissed, the logistics manager will definitely arrange for someone else to fill the position.

Ye Baoling recommended Wang Simin for the position of head of the logistics department.

Lin Zhong smiled and said, "Miss, you know the logistics department best. Since you recommended this person, there's definitely no problem."

"She is capable, but she lacks connections. She is more than qualified to be a manager."

Lin Zhongxuan opened the pen cap and wrote down Wang Simin's name.

After chatting for a bit, Ye Baoling inquired, "After Shen Wanjie was dismissed, who became the general manager of the herbal tea company?"

Lin Zhong put the pen back on the pen holder: "In order not to affect the company's listing, we will not announce Shen Wanjie's dismissal for the time being. Cai Yongming will likely be transferred to serve as acting general manager, and Qu Zhengming will be made vice president. However, the final arrangement will have to be discussed with the chairman."

This was in line with Ye Baoling's expectations. "My grandfather will listen to you too. I'm going to talk to Xian Bi's agent about the endorsement tomorrow. If we get it, it will definitely be very beneficial for the company's listing. However, it will cost some money. Uncle Zhong, you should give my grandfather a heads-up first."

Lin Zhong: "4 million is too expensive, definitely not."

"Of course I know it won't work, and I will try my best to keep the price below one million. But I believe that the benefits that Xianbi will bring to the company's listing will definitely far exceed ten million."

Seeing Ye Baoling's determination, Lin Zhong agreed, "I'll try to persuade the chairman. But is there enough time? Ye Qingtang's IPO is just around the corner."

"If we can reach an agreement tomorrow, we'll most likely shoot the commercial within two days, and it'll definitely be on TV this week."

"Okay. You go and negotiate, I'll try my best to persuade the chairman. Even if I can't persuade him, it's okay, I'll allocate the budget from other places for you."

Ye Baoling was relieved to hear Lin Zhong's words. "Thank you, Uncle Zhong."

After discussing work, Ye Baoling was about to leave when Lin Zhong asked her if she wanted to have lunch together.

"I have a date," Ye Baoling said with a smile, politely declining.

Lin Zhong laughed and said, "Young people should go on more dates."

Ye Baoling didn't actually have a date; she was going to Qiyuan because the hot potatoes were selling so well that Liu Haonan had contacted her several times, asking if she wanted to sell them.

Now no one dares to check her attendance. She didn't leave work at noon and drove directly to Lihua Building.

Qiyuan currently has four employees besides Ye Baoling, but none of them have a private office, making it very inconvenient to talk.

Ye Baoling wanted to discuss confidential investment matters with Liu Haonan, so Chen Yulan made an excuse to send the others out on business.

Ye Baoling pointed to the left: "Isn't the office next door always empty? Let's rent it together, knock it down, and create two or three separate offices."

Liu Haonan thought it was a good idea, as it was a minor issue given their company's current financial situation.

"Since Jiaming Shares changed its name to Hot & Spicy, its stock price has risen a bit outrageously, and recently it has gone even crazier, rising more than 4 times. The company's performance is very average, and the stock price will collapse sooner or later. Should we get out first? Or reduce some of our positions? Take out the cost and keep the profit."

A 4-fold increase isn't crazy; this stock is poised to rise 22 times!

Otherwise, why would it be hailed as a "demon stock" by later generations?

Ye Baoling remained firm: "We will not reduce our holdings. The market might continue to surge. What we need to do now is hold on."

"If Hot and Spicy is a good stock, I might be able to hold onto it. But right now, I'm really trembling."

"Just keep an eye on the trend. Let me know when the stock price reaches 6 yuan."

Can it go up another 6 yuan?

Liu Haonan was surprised. Wouldn't that mean it would increase more than tenfold in a short period of time?

That's a bit crazy.

But seeing the boss's resolute attitude, he, as an employee, had no choice but to comply.

Ye Baoling then asked, "How's the 30 million we invested in the index doing?"

"The Hong Kong index rose by about 4 points, while the US dollar index rose less, but still by 2.8%."

There were also millions in profits.

That's the beauty of having a large sum of money.

Ye Baoling instructed: "Keep the US stocks unchanged. Sell the 20 million invested in the Hong Kong stock index. After the funds arrive the day after tomorrow, gradually build up positions to buy Golden Beans and Bright Eyes."

Liu Haonan didn't understand Ye Baoling's logic in buying these kinds of stocks.

"I thought you were going to attack the new Ye Qingtang."

Ye Baoling wanted to buy Ye Qingtang, but not now. She shook her head and made up an excuse: "Since Hot and Spicy is performing so well, maybe stocks with names like that will perform well in the future?"

"This really feels like gambling."

What is gambling for others is not for her.

She lacks martial ethics and comes with her own cheat code.

Ye Baoling laughed and said, "It's alright, we can afford to lose it. Don't we still have ten million in US stocks?"

No matter what, she still has some savings.

Liu Haonan had already heard from his former colleagues that Ye Baoling was the eldest daughter of the Ye family. He had thought that Ye Baoling was the illegitimate daughter of some relative of the Ye family, but he never expected that she would be the eldest granddaughter of Ye Qingtang, the owner of the Ye family.

She can definitely afford to lose money.

Liu Haonan smiled and said, "Then I will build a position as you suggested."

"Can."

*

They arranged to meet at the hotel where Lisa was staying in Macau.

They greeted each other with a warm hug. Lisa complained that the weather here was driving her crazy and the food wasn't to her liking, and she just wanted to go home as soon as possible.

Ye Baoling, who speaks to people in a human way and to ghosts in a ghost way, naturally echoed her, expressing understanding and sympathy.

While they were chatting, Lisa suddenly sniffed the air and exclaimed, "What delicious food did you bring? It smells amazing!"

Ye Baoling smiled and said, "We brought a lot of delicious food. Maybe there's something you like. I know you're all very busy, so we can eat and chat at the same time."

“That’s great. You’re so thoughtful, honey. We haven’t had lunch yet.” Lisa and her assistant were working.

He Jiayi and Yang Baozhu laid out the food they had specially packed from the French restaurant in Hong Kong on the table.

Lisa grew up in France, and she has a French palate, looking at the fragrant buttery tarts, roasted bullfrog, and yogurt-baked potatoes...

She asked in surprise, "How did you know I like to eat these foods?"

Ye Baoling: "I heard yesterday that you haven't been eating well for a week, so we specially searched all over Hong Kong and found the most authentic French restaurant. We packed these dishes and hope you like them."

That really touched my heart.

Lisa laughed and said, "I love it so much! I can't wait to start eating as soon as I smell the aroma."

They sat down to eat, and when Lisa took her first bite of mashed potatoes, she was so moved she almost cried.

Only delicious food can truly touch people's hearts.

"Darling, you've saved me."

They sat together, eating and chatting. Ye Baoling knew a little about everything, from Chinese to foreign cultures, so she could talk about anything.

When Lisa got thirsty after eating, He Jiayi immediately handed her a chilled jasmine iced tea.

Because it was so thoughtful, Lisa couldn't help but compliment it a few more times, saying, "Your iced tea is really delicious."

Is it really delicious?

"It's really delicious. We all love it."

Ye Baoling naturally followed up by asking, "Lisa, do you think our iced tea will have a market in the United States?"

Lisa glanced at the iced tea bottle. "You want to sell it in the American market?"

"I have that idea."

“First of all, you need to know that the American beverage market is very competitive. You don’t have brand awareness, so it will definitely be difficult at the beginning.” Lisa was obviously very experienced in this area. Then she changed the subject, “However, the American market is huge, and there are a lot of people who love to drink beverages. If you find a very powerful local distributor, you might have a chance.”

Ye Baoling nodded: "That makes sense. Lisa, you seem to know a lot about the beverage market?"

Lisa smiled mysteriously and said, "Yes, you've come to the right person. My husband is the largest beverage distributor in the United States."

Ye Baoling looked genuinely surprised. "Really?"

Looking at Miss Ye's natural acting skills, He Jiayi and Yang Baozhu would have thought she was completely unaware of the situation if they hadn't discussed it beforehand.

"real."

Lisa proactively asked, "Do you need me to help you get introduced to someone?"

"Of course! If possible."

Ye Baoling was so excited that she hugged the other person.

Lisa gave them a heads-up: "But you should be prepared. My husband is a very picky person. I can only make an introduction. I may not be able to convince him to become an agent for your products."

“When you take a case of our iced tea back with you, I’m confident your husband will be interested after he tries it.”

OK!

Now we're finally going to talk about Xian Bi's endorsement of Ye Qing Tang Jasmine Iced Tea.

Lisa immediately changed her attitude, saying, "Although we are friends, there's not much room for me to compromise on this matter."

Ye Baoling: "Yes, although we are friends, we're talking about business. I mentioned to you last time that we'd like to change the way we work together, not with endorsements, but just by shooting a video ad. We hope we can negotiate the price down."

“Honey, filming a video ad is like becoming a spokesperson.”

Ye Baoling glanced at her watch; it was almost 12:30. There was a TV in the hotel suite. "Can we turn on the TV?" she asked.

Lisa, unsure of what she was going to do, quickly nodded, "Of course."

He Jiayi turned on the TV and then switched the channel to HKTV.

At 12:30 sharp, the TV was broadcasting an advertisement for Ye Qingtang Jasmine Herbal Tea.

Lisa was surprised. She had only heard that the news about Xianbi drinking herbal tea was very popular, but she didn't expect that the other party would actually make an advertisement.

The advertisement only mentioned that the man wanted to watch the football king's friendly match but couldn't. It didn't mention Xian Bi's name, nor did it show Xian Bi's image or picture. However, it created a strong psychological suggestion that the advertisement was related to Xian Bi.

"You guys made an ad so quickly?" Lisa was clearly surprised and a little angry.

But it's not good to show it, since this advertisement really doesn't contain any information about Xianbi at all.

Ye Baoling knew that the other person would feel uncomfortable seeing it, but she still had to show it to her.

She explained, "This advertisement was already in production before the news about Xianbi drinking jasmine herbal tea came out. At that time, we had two plans. If we could get Xianbi to endorse the product, this advertisement would be the first in a series of advertisements, and then Xianbi would film the second one."

Lisa nodded: "That's quite interesting."

Ye Baoling continued, "The news of Xian Bi drinking herbal tea went viral, which was completely unexpected. Actually, whether Xian Bi is the spokesperson or not doesn't have much impact on us now. But as the planner, I hope that this series of advertisements can have a second installment. Of course, as you can see, the first installment is already more than enough for the company. In Hong Kong, the brand awareness of Ye Qingtang Jasmine Iced Tea has already been established. It's just that I personally have some regrets."

Lisa understood. For the company, shooting this advertisement was not a problem; the main issue was that Ye Baoling wanted to shoot it.

She readily agreed, "$150,000, darling, that's the biggest concession I can make."

With a wave of her hand, Ye Baoling quickly took out a folder, opened it, and placed it on the table.

"Lisa, this is a list of endorsement fees for star players with the title of 'King of Football' over the past two years. $100,000 is the annual endorsement fee. As I just mentioned, we only shoot one TV commercial, not print ads, so $50,000 is a more reasonable price."

That's some serious haggling!

"My God, this is impossible." Lisa refused, still eating her grilled bullfrog.

Ye Baoling handed the other party some bullfrog legs, saying, "You do the math. The endorsement is $100,000, so $50,000 for print ads and $50,000 for TV commercials, $50,000 each, isn't that reasonable?"

Is this how it can be calculated?

Lisa blinked. "You Chinese are so good at calculating. Even if it's a $100,000 endorsement a year, when you only need a part of it, that part will definitely be more expensive."

Ye Baoling did not refute the other party, but nodded: "What you said makes sense. Let me calculate, 50,000 US dollars is equivalent to 390,000 Hong Kong dollars, so let's take a round number and add it to 400,000 Hong Kong dollars, is that okay? It's a very auspicious number."

That's equivalent to adding just over a thousand US dollars.

"What's auspicious?"

"In our dialect, 4 means to get rich."

"oh……"

He Jiayi and Yang Baozhu almost laughed.

Ye Baoling didn't give them time to think and continued, "Xian Bi only needs to spare one hour for our advertisement to be filmed. 400,000 Hong Kong dollars per hour, who else but Xian Bi can afford that? You have to understand, this isn't America. America has over 200 million people, while we only have a little over 5 million. This fee is astronomical for us. For you, it's just spending an hour going to Hong Kong for leisure and a trip. Also, if we have future collaborations in the US market, and this advertisement airs there, we will make up the endorsement fee according to the market price. We can also provide Xian Bi with jasmine iced tea for free for 10 years..."

Ye Baoling speaks excellent English and is very eloquent; she also draws beautifully baked cakes that are fragrant and crispy.

Why not make money when you can earn HK$400,000 per hour?

Ye Baoling: "We really like Xianbi and hope to collaborate with you, Lisa, but the company only gave us this budget. If it works out, we'll finalize it today; if not, we'll just consider this dinner a pleasant get-together."

Lisa blinked, and finally had to say, "I'll go talk to Xianbi about it. You guys wait for me here."

Lisa and her assistant went out to find Xianbi.

She returned about twenty minutes later, smiling, and said, "Xian Bi likes your iced tea, and he agreed."

He Jiayi and Yang Baozhu were so happy they almost jumped for joy. Who would have thought that the asking price of 4 million would be negotiated down to 400,000?

Before they came, they said they would try to reach an agreement within 1 million.

Ye Baoling opened her arms and hugged Lisa, "Thank you, darling."

Before leaving, Ye Baoling gave Lisa another gift she had prepared.

Lisa opened it and saw a crystal rabbit pendant hanging from a red string.

"Oh, how beautiful."

“There are 12 zodiac animals in China, and your zodiac animal is the rabbit. This is a rabbit that has been blessed.” Ye Baoling told her what blessing was, and then said, “It can protect your property.”

"real?"

"real."

Lisa was skeptical. She had heard that there was some kind of powerful mysterious force in the East, but she had never encountered it and did not believe it.

Ye Baoling took out a small card from the jewelry box, which read: October 8th, Thursday.

"This is the instruction the fortune teller gave you."

Lisa looked puzzled: "Fortune teller? What instructions?"

"Your family may lose a lot of money on October 8th this year. God advises you to stay away from casinos and the stock market before October 8th."

"We don't gamble."

"Then stay away from the stock market."

"Is there really anything magical about it?"

If it were prophesied by Jesus, Lisa might believe it immediately.

But in her imagination, the sorceress was like a witch.

Ye Baoling suggested: "You can sell your stocks before the 8th and see what happens on the 8th. If nothing happens, you can buy them back. Call me then and I'll help you take down the fortune teller's sign."

This made Lisa laugh, but she didn't believe it.

Ye Baoling knew, of course, that she wouldn't completely believe it, and that was the right thing to do.

*

Ye Huaizhang usually travels in a very low-key BMW driven by his family chauffeur.

I had arranged to meet a friend today to discuss some personal matters, which is why I took the car keys and chose the one he liked from among the many luxury cars in the garage.

After getting on the bus, I fastened my seatbelt, opened the armrest box to put my things in, and found a bright orange sign inside, with dirt still stuck in the cracks of the sign's texture.

He paused for a few seconds before remembering that it was the bronze plaque he and Ye Baoling had found on the top of Silver Snake Mountain last time.

I couldn't help but pick it up and examine it closely. Before, on the mountaintop, it was pitch black at night with almost no lights, so I couldn't see the texture clearly. This time, I can see it clearly.

This texture looks familiar.

Where have I seen this before?

He suddenly remembered seeing it in his grandfather's diary...

Upon returning to the company, Ye Baoling immediately went to find Qu Zhengming and Lin Zhong. They were all surprised to hear that they had acquired the rights to film a TV commercial for Xianbi for HK$400,000.

"How did you do that?!"

Deception. Promising something in return. Psychological tactics.

Ye Baoling joked, "It's about coercion and enticement."

With a budget of less than 500,000, Lin Zhong had the authority to make the final decision directly, so he immediately instructed the legal department to follow up on the contract.

Two days later, an advertisement featuring Xian Bi and a depressed young man was released, attracting numerous media attention. Ye Qingtang did not publicly announce that it had hired Xian Bi as its spokesperson, but the media reported that "King of Football Xian Bi has finally become Ye Qingtang's spokesperson."

The key figure in making this possible was Ye Qingtang's eldest daughter, Ye Baoling.

This is also the first time that the media has officially reported on Ye Baoling.

The eldest granddaughter of the fifth generation of the Yip family, a wealthy family in Hong Kong, who had never been exposed before.

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

Author's note: Lisa: How did I agree to that?

Ye Baoling: 400,000 yuan an hour, making a fortune.