Chapter 116 Exclusive Development in Jinjiang
The "Happy Club" program airs one main episode and one bonus episode every two weeks, with a rebroadcast on Saturday and Sunday of the following week.
Although it was a rebroadcast, the viewership rating was one percentage point higher than the original broadcast.
Within a week, the show was gaining traction, becoming a topic of discussion everywhere. The games featured in the show spread among children, and many adults joined in the "I Act, You Guess" game. It was being talked about everywhere, and anyone who hadn't seen the show felt out of touch.
Therefore, when the show was rebroadcast, everyone who hadn't seen it before turned on their TVs.
Those who had already watched it felt unsatisfied and started watching it again.
These days, there are few entertainment options and a limited variety of TV programs. Even though the Spring Festival Gala's exciting programs are often broadcast on several channels in rotation, there are still many viewers. Such novel and interesting programs are still worth watching again even after being rebroadcast.
Even on my second viewing, I still laughed at those iconic scenes and discovered many small details that I hadn't noticed before.
Not only did Ruyi Clothing achieve record-breaking sales, but its dried fruit business was also extremely booming.
Previously, Li Guangqian had to visit each store individually to distribute goods, but now distributors come directly to him to purchase.
Su Ruyi had to urgently request additional stock, otherwise there wouldn't be enough to meet the demand!
Plastic factories that supply plastic packaging also saw their business boosted.
This year's dried fruit production is higher than last year's, but the actual fruit production is not as high as last year. Heavy rainfall has led to reduced production, and fruit prices have also increased overall.
However, due to excessive rainfall, transportation and preservation became major problems. If the fruit was not sold and stored in time, it would rot in the ground before it could be transported out.
Therefore, the purchase price at the farm is still very low, and many buyers are unwilling to come and buy because the amount of damage is too large and they cannot withstand the risk.
Some villages were even blocked by landslides caused by continuous rain, making it impossible for vehicles to enter and requiring donkeys or people to transport them out.
That's how it is when you're at the mercy of the weather; you'll always encounter all sorts of difficulties.
Not to mention now, even decades from now, humanity still hasn't conquered nature. We can only say it's much better than it is now, but we'll still lose everything if we encounter extreme weather.
The pressure of unsold fruit falls on the dried fruit factories.
As a veteran Party member, Ms. Su Ying didn't want to see her fellow villagers work hard all year only to lose money. Without any pressure from the county, she gritted her teeth and increased production, harvesting all the fruit and processing it into dried fruit.
Last year's output already put enormous pressure on the dried fruit factory. If Su Ruyi hadn't transported a lot of goods to Da Mao in exchange for supplies, those dried fruits might not have been sold even if they had been stockpiled until this year.
Su Ying was prepared to lose all the money she had earned last year and this year, since she had a salary and wouldn't starve.
Su Ruyi brought her good news, telling her to send over all the stock as soon as possible.
Su Ying knew that Lu Ting would no longer run the Da Mao route this year. Although this route was very profitable, it was also extremely risky.
Therefore, after making a fortune, Lu Ting retired from the limelight and started to engage in real business.
Su Ruyi stopped sharing the meat soup. Now that they had so much stock, could they possibly sell it all?
Don't be fooled by how cheap the fruit is locally; it's very expensive elsewhere. Dried fruit is also quite pricey, mainly due to the high costs of logistics and other expenses, which significantly increase the overall cost.
Even with Li Guang and a few others, and even with newspaper advertising, sales were still limited.
“I know you want to help me, and I appreciate your kindness, but I don’t need you to throw money away like I do.”
Su Ying disagreed, saying that she could dedicate everything to her beliefs, but she would not force her children to do the same.
Su Ruyi and Lu Ting have many people under their command, which can be distributed as benefits, but this is still an additional expense and not a solution to the problem.
Su Ruyi said cheerfully, "Mom, I was just about to tell you about the good things I've been up to lately!"
Su Ruyi proudly explained to Su Ying in detail how she invested in television programs.
Because there was no television at home, and many TV channels were unavailable in their small village, Su Ruyi hadn't mentioned it before, only showing it off after confirming the success of her investment.
"The advertising conversion rate of this program is very high. Wholesalers are calling us every day to buy. So you don't have to worry about not being able to sell it. You only need to focus on production and ensure quality. You can leave the sales to me with confidence."
This year, Su Ruyi will sell dried fruit in small bags, with the smallest bag retailing for 2 cents and containing only a small piece.
This is specifically sold to elementary school students. Such TV programs are very popular with children, and they will definitely be willing to buy the same snacks featured in the program.
Children are also a major consumer force. Now that life is better, many children have some pocket money.
Various types of packaging are available to target different groups of people.
This year, Su Ruyi formalized it and established a food company.
She rented a piece of land at the new site of the plastics factory to build a food factory, and the central kitchen for braised food will also be built here.
Su Ruyi rented this land not only because of Lu Ting's relationship, which made the rent very cheap, but also because the plastic factory was under military-style management, and the entire factory area was under very strict management.
Food safety is of utmost importance. These days, unfair competition is rampant, and the methods used are often despicable. There are many lawless scoundrels.
Li Mei sought cooperation with Su Ruyi because she felt threatened and wanted to find a powerful backer.
Her braised food shop is very popular, with long queues often forming outside.
Many people were envious and knew they couldn't replicate the flavor themselves, so they tried to use illegal means to coerce Li Mei into selling the secret recipe to them at a low price.
However, the shop that Li Mei rented belonged to Lu Ting, as Su Ruyi had previously instructed, so someone was watching and prevented those people from succeeding.
Actually, when she was setting up her stall in front of the construction site, some people saw that she was a woman and wanted to push her away and steal her business. It was Lu Ting who stepped in to keep things in check, letting people know that Li Mei had powerful backers, so they dared not make any more small moves.
Su Ruyi felt more at ease building the factory here. Even if she had a falling out with Lu Ting in the future, based on her understanding of his character, he wouldn't be so petty as to resort to underhanded tactics.
After hearing this, Su Ying didn't stand on ceremony and cleared out all her inventory for Su Ruyi, and continued to expand the purchase of fruit to make dried fruit.
Su Ying provided the raw materials for dried fruit, while Su Ruyi created her own brand for packaging and sales.
Even between a mother and daughter, accounts should be kept clear.
Su Ying delivers goods at market price and will not deliberately lower the price, and Su Ruyi will not deliberately raise the price to receive goods just because the other party is her biological mother.
The second episode had more advertisements than the first episode. In the first episode, apart from Ruyi Clothing's exclusive title sponsorship which used overt advertisements, other products were all subtly advertised within the program, with the camera only panning over them.
The second episode will feature advertisements displayed on billboards within the program. These billboards are carefully designed and integrated into the stage, avoiding the unsightly appearance of advertisements on telephone poles while still being eye-catching enough.
Advertisements scroll across the bottom of the screen from time to time, displaying contact information.
Last episode's "Guess the Lemonade" game turned into a guessing game about who ate super spicy braised food, which was a very blatant way of advertising on the show.
In one of the performances, an advertisement for Lu Tingxin's new real estate development was directly incorporated into the story. The male and female protagonists both bought houses in that complex and discovered each other while taking a walk there.
Although Wang Xiaowei is young and this is her first time inserting an advertisement into a program, she still blends in very naturally and doesn't seem deliberate.
Nobody advertises like this anymore, so it's subtle and effective. Even though the show is full of ads, you don't really notice them, but you still remember them. It's very effective.
The TV station's leaders were shocked; they had no idea such a bizarre tactic was being used.
They were initially worried that Su Ruyi appearing in so many commercials might annoy the audience, but now they don't have to worry anymore.
The second episode set a new record, ranking first in viewership ratings outside of CCTV during the same time slot.
This result far exceeded expectations, and the station held a celebration banquet that very night.
The advertising department has also ushered in a golden age. Previously, they had to go out and solicit advertisements, but now others are coming to them.
Su Ruyi only secured advertising slots within the program; she did not participate in the advertisements aired before, during, or after the program. As the program gained popularity, the prices for these time slots also skyrocketed.
Besides Su Ruyi's own brand, there are still plenty of advertising slots available in the show.
Nowadays, TV stations don't have as many restrictions on advertising. As long as they're not worried about affecting the show's effectiveness, they can insert ads at will.
However, Su Ruyi didn't act rashly. She followed her original plan and partnered with suitable advertisers. The television station also needed to review the applications; she couldn't tarnish her prestigious reputation just to earn more advertising revenue.
Even so, Su Ruyi's investment quickly yielded returns. Besides benefiting her own brand, she also made money from it.
When she received her share of the profits, Su Ruyi gave a large red envelope to every staff member of the production team.
Su Ruyi has a very good relationship with the Economic Television Station now because she is very generous and business-like. She focuses on making good programs and does not randomly place people in her positions. Therefore, whenever the station has a new program, they like to seek cooperation with her first.
After the impact of "Happy Club", Hunan TV has become more tolerant of individualistic and innovative programs.
I don’t know if it’s because Su Ruyi was very optimistic about the novel program “Happy Club” before the show started, but all the projects sent to Su Ruyi were very different from traditional programs and were very bold and innovative.
Overall, they are all more entertainment-oriented, probably because they think that young people like Su Ruyi prefer more cheerful programs.
Su Ruyi did not intend to choose similar programs, so she ultimately invested in an intellectual quiz show with prizes and a challenge competition show.
The guests on both shows were selected from ordinary people, unlike "Happy Club," which already had its own popularity and relied solely on the show itself to attract attention.
Both shows are very exciting. The excitement of the first show lies in the constant challenges. Each time you advance, you can get a prize, and the prizes get bigger as you progress. Contestants can choose when to give up. If they don't give up in time, they will fail to complete the later challenges and will lose all the prizes they won't get.
This kind of competition, which involves gambling, not only makes the players very nervous, but also makes the audience hold their breath.
The questions on the show are incredibly diverse, truly testing the contestants' knowledge.
Another program features games that are inherently challenging and exciting, creating a sense of tension and excitement for the audience.
These two program formats are novel in China, but they have actually existed for a long time.
It had been mentioned before, but because the budget was quite high, it was put aside for the time being.
The viewership of the Economic Television Station is gradually increasing, and the station's entertainment programs are currently a gap in television programming, so it is vigorously developing this area.
These two programs were then proposed, and the first person that came to mind as a collaborator was Su Ruyi.
Despite the promising start of "Happy Club," few people are still willing to invest in such programs. While the show itself is undoubtedly excellent, the fact that the invited guests are all somewhat well-known artists is also a significant factor.
Aside from the latest episode which invited actors from currently airing dramas, all the previous episodes invited actors from early movies and TV series, using nostalgia to attract viewers.
The guests on the new show are all ordinary people, and the lack of an existing audience is too risky; a blank slate also means high risk.
Even those willing to cooperate won't invest too much money.
The people at the Economic Television Station are very familiar with Su Ruyi's style. She doesn't care about anyone's feelings and only cares about the program itself, so they did their homework thoroughly.
Su Ruyi was very satisfied after watching it and submitted the two programs according to the previous model.
The money I earned from "Happy Club" was spent before it even warmed my pocket, and I even lost a lot of money.
Su Ruyi's decisiveness and generosity are also due to the booming success of her braised food franchise.
Since they started advertising on the show, they've attracted a lot of people who are willing to spend money to collaborate with them.
Television programs nowadays are still quite credible, and people generally believe that anything advertised on television is trustworthy.
Many people have money but are struggling to find investment opportunities, so they see this business as a viable option.
More cautious people will even go to the site to check it out. If they find that the braised food business is indeed doing well, they will buy some to try, making them even more certain.
Because of the high cost of cold chain logistics, Su Ruyi and Li Mei currently only plan to open stores in the provincial capital and surrounding areas, and the total number is expected to be no more than ten this year.
They do not intend to expand blindly until they are ready.
However, they will also be researching and developing vacuum-packed products that can be stored for longer periods, making it easier to sell them to other places.
Because of the effective advertising, the number of people bringing money to seek cooperation far exceeded expectations. Therefore, the best candidates were selected from among so many applicants, and the franchise fee was higher than previously set.
However, this franchise fee isn't intended to exploit franchisees. Part of it serves as a security deposit, which will be fully refunded if no problems arise during the cooperation period. The remaining fees are all used for the brand itself; the higher the brand value, the greater the partner's profits.
The store's decoration and staff training were all arranged in a unified manner, which brought business to Lu Ting's decoration company.
Su Ruyi sighed, "There's no shortage of daring people in this era."
The initial investment was not low, and although Li Mei's store was thriving, it was still extremely risky.
I didn't expect so many people to be willing to invest, and they were so quick to contribute money.
Most of the investors are nouveau riche who have made a fortune in recent years. Because they have become rich overnight, they are very bold and don't even blink when they throw money around.
Su Ruyi handed over the braised food business to Xu Xiaonan, who was in full charge of it.
Xu Xiaonan has been studying business administration through correspondence courses at a provincial university for the past two years and has now graduated ahead of schedule, receiving her graduation certificate and degree certificate.
She was extremely diligent and eager to learn, not only frequently seeking advice from her teachers but also keeping up with her work.
The value of distance learning courses is still very high these days, and there are many people who genuinely want to learn, rather than just seeking a degree.
Xu Xiaonan not only learned knowledge, but also met many people in the correspondence course and built her own network of contacts.
Su Ruyi then handed over this business to Xu Xiaonan. Many of the contract terms for the franchise operation were decided by Xu Xiaonan and the teachers after discussion, and they were very similar to the model that Su Ruyi was familiar with.
Such models are rare in China now, and even fewer are so formal and systematic, making this a bold attempt.
"Mr. Su, these are the confirmed franchisee information."
Xu Xiaonan, dressed in business attire, handed the documents in her hand to Su Ruyi.
Xu Xiaonan now dresses very formally every day, wearing a shirt and suit pants, and adding a women's suit jacket when it gets a little cold. She wears chunky-heeled leather shoes, looking very capable and exuding the style of an urban white-collar worker. She is becoming more and more imposing.
"I'll give you an answer before I leave work today." Su Ruyi looked at the thick stack of documents and took a deep breath.
Xu Xiaonan is very conscientious in her work and must have investigated these people very carefully.
We are currently in the brand-building stage, and we cannot allow a few individuals to tarnish our reputation. We would rather not make this money than let just anyone get involved.
Su Ruyi took a contract out of the drawer and handed it to Xu Xiaonan.
Xu Xiaonan opened it and was immediately stunned.
"President Su, this..."
“I’ve said before that I won’t treat the people around me unfairly. Now that you’re in charge of this business, you should get a share of the equity. This is to help you work better, and since I’m a part of it, I can be more dedicated.”
"No, these shares are far too valuable! If I hadn't followed you, I wouldn't be where I am today. I can't accept these shares!"
This was a share transfer agreement, which Xu Xiaonan dared not accept.
She always regarded Su Ruyi as her benefactor. If it weren't for Su Ruyi, she wouldn't know where to go after graduating from high school, and she might be married and have children by now.
In their small county, many girls get married and have children within a few years of graduating from school, devoting all their energy to their families at a young age and worrying about trivial family matters every day.
Given her previous circumstances, the man she could marry must have been of similarly low means. Poverty-stricken couples face endless sorrows, and now she'll probably be struggling to afford even a single meal of meat.
Unlike now, when she can eat whatever she wants, who would have thought that one day she would be so picky about meat?
Moreover, Xu Xiaonan plans to take out a loan to buy her own house in Lu Ting's new housing development.
She never knew before that girls could own their own houses, instead of having to get married.
Although her family doted on her and she had everything her brother had, they would never consider buying her a house, even if they had one. They felt that was something her future husband should be concerned with.
This is a long-standing tradition, a deeply ingrained concept.
Xu Xiaonan doesn't think so now, and she has the ability to do so, all because of Su Ruyi.
Therefore, she felt that it was only right for her to work hard, and that her salary was already the envy of many people, so she never thought about taking a share of the shares.
The food company currently focuses on two main areas: dried fruit and braised food.
Given the current situation, as long as the products don't fail, there's great potential.
"Whether it's the garment factory or the food company, I distribute resources this way. Li Guangqian got what was rightfully hers, and I won't treat you unfairly either. Okay, stop arguing with me. If you think I'm a good boss, then work hard and let me make money while I can relax."
Xu Xiaonan pursed her lips, but ultimately accepted the gift without making any promises; she would prove herself through her actions.
The next day, Xu Xiaonan went to the sales office of the property developed by Lu Ting and directly took out a loan to buy two houses.
I plan to keep one apartment for myself and the other for my parents.
As a result, she was penniless, and because her down payment was very low, the pressure of paying the mortgage every month was enormous.
Xu Xiaonan is deliberately putting pressure on herself, determined to build up her braised food brand with a do-or-die attitude.
Li Guangqian was so excited that he didn't know what to say. Tears streamed down his face. This wasn't an exaggeration; he genuinely hugged Su Ruyi's arm and cried.
"Boss, I'm so lucky to have met you! I'll be your slave from now on!"
Su Ruyi tried to pull her hand away in disgust, but despite her great effort, she couldn't manage to pull it out.
"Let go right now, Lu Ting will be here soon. If he sees you like this, do you still want your head?"
Li Guangqian immediately let go, not because he was afraid of Lu Ting, but because he didn't want to ruin the relationship between his eldest brother and his brother-in-law.
"Boss, I won't say anything else. Just watch how I perform in the future."
Xu Xiaonan's investigation was very thorough, so Su Ruyi didn't have many objections to the first batch of collaborators and approved them all.
Next came the selection of a store location, decoration, and other matters. Since everything had been prepared in advance, it didn't take too long.
When the quiz show sponsored by Su Ruyi was launched, these stores also gradually opened for business.
The show received a great response as soon as it aired. Although it was not as popular as "Happy Club", the data was still quite impressive.
Moreover, this program changed some people's impression of the Hunan Economic Television. Although "Happy Club" was popular, it was also criticized by the media because its content was too entertainment-oriented.
Quiz shows are different; they are not only highly entertaining but also broaden people's knowledge, making them well-regarded programs.
The host is Li Qing. Unlike her image in "Happy Club", she appears more intelligent and composed here, readily recalling many knowledge points and demonstrating a vast knowledge base.
Li Qing's parents are both teachers, and her grandparents also work in the cultural field; she comes from a scholarly family.
She has loved reading since she was a child and has a wide range of interests.
Although she received great acclaim for hosting "Happy Club" and was praised for her confident stage presence, it was in the new program that she was able to truly showcase her excellence and personal charm.
Li Qing has now truly become the top female host of the Hunan Economic Television, irreplaceable and beloved by everyone.
She has many suitors, all of whom are young talents from wealthy families or with strong personal abilities.
Once, when Su Ruyi went to the TV station to take care of some business, she encountered people driving luxury cars and holding large bouquets of flowers waiting for Li Qing to get off work at the TV station entrance. And there was more than one person there!
When Li Qing came out, she ran into Su Ruyi, and Su Ruyi's expression was clearly somewhat awkward.
Su Ruyi pretended not to see it and walked away calmly. She didn't have much time to care about other people's love lives; at most, she would secretly gossip about it behind their backs.
What Su Ruyi didn't expect was that while she was enjoying the gossip, a huge bombshell dropped on her head.
Someone secretly slipped a photo under the door. The photographer was quite far away, so the photo was a bit blurry, but you could still clearly see that Lu Ting was kissing a girl in the photo, and that girl was not Su Ruyi.
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