Chapter 14
One hundred thousand! This number exploded like a thunderclap in the middle of summer, reverberating through the hearts of Li Ziqing and her roommate in room 312, the aftershocks lingering long afterward. After the initial euphoria and disbelief subsided, the cold reality surged in like a tidal wave, engulfing the two of them.
Li Ming's old Nokia phone, unable to withstand the constant text message notifications (new orders, buyer inquiries, logistics notifications), finally ran out of battery the next morning, and the screen went completely black. Li Ziqing fared slightly better, but she was also almost overwhelmed by the frantically popping avatars on her chat window and the snowflakes of pending orders flooding in from her Taobao account.
"Li Ming! This buyer asked if we can ship today?"
"The address seems to be wrong, and I can't get through on the phone!"
"Another order for 20 jin (10 kg) of pecans has come in! Do we have any left in stock?"
"The logistics point says the deadline for accepting packages is approaching today. What should we do with these parcels?"
On the phone, Li Ziqing's voice lacked its usual composure, carrying an obvious sense of panic and distress. She had never experienced such a chaotic scene before; those numbers that were originally encouraging had now turned into heavy pressure.
Li Ming's situation was even worse. A small notebook lay open in front of him, filled with hastily written order information, but it was quickly covered and disrupted by new information. Without professional order processing software, everything was handwritten, making it inefficient and prone to errors. The goods piled up in the corner of the dormitory, waiting to be packed, almost occupied half the aisle, attracting the attention of the dormitory supervisor and the astonished looks of his roommates.
"Mingzi, you... are you doing wholesale?" Liu Qiang clicked his tongue as he looked at the mountain of packages.
Zhao Zhen crossed his arms and leaned against the bed railing, looking at Li Ming, who was busy and sweating profusely, with a complicated expression. His tone carried a hint of sourness and scrutiny: "Looks like your 'small-scale fuss' has caused quite a stir. Can you handle it?"
Wang Hao silently handed over a simple Excel order template he had written himself (stored on a floppy disk), and pushed up his glasses: "Try this, it might be a little faster than writing it by hand."
Li Ming thanked him and took the floppy disk, his heart heavy. He knew the problem went far beyond order processing. The surge in orders meant rapidly depleting inventory, a severe shortage of packaging materials, chaos in logistics cooperation (they had only had sporadic cooperation with a small courier point near the school before), and, most importantly, a test of their physical limits. He and Li Ziqing both had classes, so they could only deal with everything during lunch breaks, evenings, and after evening self-study. After two consecutive all-nighters, his eyelids were so heavy he could barely keep them open.
“This won’t do.” In a brief phone call, Li Ming’s voice was hoarse with fatigue, but his tone was unusually firm. “We have to find the right people, we have to establish procedures.”
The first person pulled in was Liu Qiang. This honest and simple classmate, seeing Li Ming's predicament, offered to help with packing and moving. His strength and willingness to work hard immediately relieved Li Ming's biggest physical burden. Li Ming didn't treat him unfairly, clearly stating that he would be paid per piece. Liu Qiang rubbed his hands and smiled sheepishly, "Helping Brother Ming is what I should do." But Li Ming insisted that he needed to build this business on rules from the very beginning, rather than on pure friendship.
The second person to proactively approach him was Zhao Zhen. After observing for two days and confirming that this wasn't just a flash in the pan, he approached Li Ming and got straight to the point: "Li Ming, what your operation needs most right now is someone who can coordinate externally and streamline the distribution channels. Liu Qiang can handle the physical labor of packing and shipping, but negotiating prices with logistics companies, stabilizing the supply chain, and even dealing with potential platform audits—you can't handle that." He smiled confidently, "I have connections and experience in these areas. Let me join you; I'll be responsible for marketing and external liaison, and I'll take a 20% stake. That's not unreasonable, is it?"
Li Ming looked at Zhao Zhen, quickly weighing his options. Zhao Zhen's addition could swiftly resolve many of their external troubles; his family background and social skills were indeed a valuable asset. However, "Confident Guy's" ambition and desire for control could also become a future threat. But with the situation pressing, he couldn't afford to hesitate.
"Ten and a half percent," Li Ming countered, his eyes sharp. "Furthermore, all important external decisions must be approved by me."
Zhao Zhen raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised by Li Ming's composure and negotiation skills, then readily extended his hand: "Deal! Happy cooperation!"
Although Wang Hao wasn't particularly interested in "doing business" itself, he was very interested in Li Ming's idea of "using technology to optimize processes." After Li Ming promised to invest in upgrading servers and developing more convenient management tools, he tacitly agreed to use his technical skills as support, essentially as an unofficial contributor.
And so, a makeshift team, with Li Ming at its core, Li Ziqing in charge of customer service and finance, Liu Qiang in charge of warehousing and shipping, Zhao Zhen in charge of market logistics, and Wang Hao providing technical support, was hastily but inevitably set up under immense operational pressure.
With a clear division of labor, efficiency indeed improved. Zhao Zhen used his connections to quickly secure deals with two more reputable logistics companies, obtaining more favorable prices, and renting a cheap small warehouse near the school; Liu Qiang, along with two newly recruited temporary classmates, worked diligently, and the packing and shipping speed increased significantly; Wang Hao optimized the order export and printing program; and Li Ziqing developed standardized customer service response scripts and began meticulously recording every income and expenditure.
Li Ming oversaw the overall situation while devoting most of his energy to finding and expanding new sources of supply. He knew that the temporary surge in orders stemmed from the chance effect of forum promotion, and to sustain this success, he had to ensure product quality and a stable supply. He returned to Lincheng and signed more formal supply contracts with several suppliers, paying a partial deposit in advance to secure the supply.
During this process, his understanding with Li Ziqing deepened. Often, a single glance from him was enough for her to know which account needed checking; a phone call from her was enough for him to understand which link had encountered a new problem. This bond, forged in the crucible of battle, was far more solid than romantic dalliances. Occasionally, after checking the accounts late at night, the two would lean against the cardboard boxes in the warehouse, share a bottle of mineral water, and gaze at the quiet night outside the window, finding a brief respite.
"Are you tired?" Li Ming asked.
"Tired." Li Ziqing nodded honestly, wiping the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve, but then laughed, "But it's very interesting. It's much more interesting than staying in the music room playing etudes over and over again."
Li Ming smiled too. What he saw in her was a resilience and potential that had been unleashed, a resilience that transcended her status as a wealthy young lady.
However, the trouble didn't end there. As the online store's reputation spread within a small circle, some discordant voices began to emerge. First, the platform sent a routine investigation letter, inquiring whether the sudden surge in transaction volume involved fraudulent orders (Zhao Zhendong used his connections to smooth things over); then, two malicious negative reviews appeared, claiming that the received goods had quality problems and demanding exorbitant compensation (Li Ziqing patiently communicated with Li Ming, who decisively agreed to a return, refund, and additional compensation, thus settling the matter peacefully).
An even bigger storm came from Li Ziqing's family.
One evening, Li Ziqing received a phone call from her father, Li Yuanshan, whose tone was sterner than ever before.
"Ziqing, I heard you've been getting quite close to a guy named Li Ming lately? And what are you doing... selling things online?" Li Yuanshan's voice, coming through the receiver, carried an undeniable air of authority. "Nonsense! Is that a respectable business? Does our Li family's daughter need to go out into the world doing this kind of petty peddling? You've even invested money? Stop it immediately! Take your money back! And stay away from that scheming country bumpkin!"
Li Ziqing's face turned pale instantly. She gripped her phone tightly, walked outside the warehouse, and argued in a low voice, "Dad! This isn't nonsense! We're seriously starting a business! Li Ming is very capable..."
“Ability? Hmph,” Li Yuanshan sneered, “I think it’s just that you’re good at fooling little girls! Anyway, remember what I’m saying. Otherwise, don’t blame me for taking action.”
The phone call was disconnected. Li Ziqing leaned against the cold wall, feeling powerless and aggrieved. She knew what her father's attitude meant; it wasn't just opposition, but a condescending rejection.
She returned to the warehouse, and Li Ming keenly sensed that something was wrong with her mood.
"What's wrong?"
Li Ziqing hesitated for a moment, but still relayed her father's warning, omitting the hurtful words "impure country bumpkin".
Li Ming listened silently, his face expressionless, but his eyes gradually calmed, like a bottomless, icy pool. He had long anticipated this day. The scrutiny and resistance from the richest man in western Shanxi came faster and more directly than he had expected.
"What do you think?" He looked at Li Ziqing, his voice calm.
Li Ziqing raised her head to meet his gaze. Her eyes, which had initially held a hint of panic, gradually regained their firmness: "I will not give up. This is my own choice." She paused, then added, "The money is my own New Year's money, and I have the right to use it as I see fit."
Looking at her, Li Ming felt a surge of warmth in his heart, but even more so, a heavy pressure. He was about to face not just trivial business troubles, but the hostility of the helmsman of a vast business empire.
Just then, Zhao Zhen walked in with a frown, holding a fax he had just received.
“Li Ming, there’s a bit of trouble. I just received news that a trading company under the Zhou Group has recently started contacting several of our previous suppliers, and the terms they’re offering… are more favorable than ours.”
Zhou Group? Li Ming's pupils contracted slightly. That was a giant in the Shanxi real estate industry. Its young master, Zhou Ruilin, was a notorious playboy at school and, among Li Ziqing's many suitors, the one with the strongest background and the most direct methods.
Was it a coincidence? Or... part of the "measures" Li Yuanshan mentioned? Or was it Zhou Ruilin's own idea?
Internal troubles were not yet resolved when external threats arrived.
Li Ming looked at the goods piled up in the warehouse, listened to the ear-piercing sound of Liu Qiang's packing tape being pulled, felt the worried look in Li Ziqing's eyes beside him, and heard the bad news brought by Zhao Zhen.
This first pot of gold brought not only joy and capital, but also a series of crises that far exceeded his expectations.
Her father's warning still echoed in her ears, but her business rivals had already quietly reached out.
Can his fledgling, fledgling team withstand the combined pressure from traditional forces and competitors?
The night was deep, and the warehouse lights cast a long shadow of him, making him look like a lone knight about to face a howling storm.
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