Chapter 85: I'm Just a Middleman, How Could I Make Money Off My Good Friend?
Did Xia Changyu want to give her the project?
Lin Yibai thought this wasn’t a very smart idea. After all, who would give such important work to a college student who was still studying? At first, she wanted to say no and back away.
But… was it really impossible?
Because of how their fields are connected, the economics and management departments in many universities are basically combined. Some schools even merge them into one department called “business and management.”
Lin Yibai's major was right next to the e-commerce major, so she had learned a bit about it too.
Now, with Xia Changyu asking her for help…
After a short moment of hesitation, Lin Yibai finally said, “If you really don’t care how much money you make and just want the project to run, then I can give it a try!”
Xia Changyu finally let out a long breath of relief.
As long as Lin Yibai agreed, everything else would be easy to handle.
He himself was also still a college student, so he didn’t look down on people his age at all. He said honestly, “You should know, my main work is in foreign trade. So this project in the local market is just something I want to try. If I make money, that’s great. If not, that’s fine too.”
Lin Yibai said, “Then… I’ll try?”
Xia Changyu smiled and reached out his hand. “I’ll count on you, then.”
“……”
After leaving Xia Changyu’s place, Lin Yibai’s mind was still a bit confused. How did she suddenly end up with such a big project?
Xia Changyu gave her 30,000 yuan as the project budget.
To her, this really was a big project. Of course, the money wasn’t given all at once.
Instead, she would need to report to the finance department every time she reached a new stage and needed more funds.
After returning to the hotel, Lin Yibai sat in front of the window, thinking for a long time.
Finally, she gritted her teeth and said with determination, “Fine, let’s do it! Who’s afraid? …Who says college students like us are all talk and no real skills?”
Besides, she definitely wasn’t going to do the whole project by herself. That would be way too exhausting. She had to make good use of the people around her.
For example, she sent an invite to a certain fellow student.
“Brother Yang, something good came up, get over here, quick!”
At a logistics center in Fucheng City, a box of drinks accidentally fell and broke during handling.
The supervisor came out yelling, and the things he said weren’t exactly polite.
The logistics supervisor shouted angrily, “If you can’t handle it, then get out! If you don’t want to do the job, there are plenty of others who will!”
Yang Chenjun was among those being scolded.
Some damage during transport was totally normal, but for some reason this middle-aged, bald supervisor had a terrible attitude today. He was venting all his anger on the part-time college students.
He just really looked down on them.
Ding-dong~
Yang Chenjun glanced at his phone when he had a chance.
The message said,
“Brother Yang, come quickly! Just found a big job. If we do it well, we could make several thousand!”
Yang Chenjun: “??”
Was this a scam? Or did Xiao Bai win the lottery?
Just then, the supervisor noticed Yang Chenjun looking at his phone.
He had already been complaining about the students, saying they were cheaper than hiring real workers, so when he saw this, he exploded again.
“You’re still playing with your phone? Seriously?!”
Yang Chenjun: "?"
He said slowly, "Me checking my phone, did that somehow disturb your dead mother's ashes or something?"
The supervisor got furious. "You!"
Yang Chenjun kicked a half-broken bottle of cola on the ground. The bottle burst open and splashed the supervisor’s face. Then Yang Chenjun grabbed the supervisor by the collar, full of anger, and shouted.
"I’ve put up with your crap for long enough! We’re here to do part-time work, not to get yelled at by you! If you dare say one more word, I swear I’ll smash your glasses!"
Seeing the fierce look in Yang Chenjun’s eyes, the supervisor’s legs actually started shaking. People like him were tough only with words, but when faced with someone who fought back, they gave in faster than anyone.
The real problem was, in some people’s eyes, college students were treated worse than dogs.
The bald, middle-aged supervisor swallowed hard. He knew these young guys were full of fire. If they really got angry, they might actually beat him up!
Right away, the supervisor softened his tone and said, "Brother, brother, let’s calm down. A real man solves problems by talking, not fighting."
Yang Chenjun snapped back, "Calm your damn self!"
He finally realized, these people just bullied the weak and were afraid of the strong. They loved taking out their anger on the college students working part-time.
There was nothing more to say. At that point, none of them wanted to keep working the job anymore.
And the young students were no little rabbits either. With Yang Chenjun setting the example, the others who had been holding back their anger also threw down their things and walked off.
The supervisor stood there stunned, screaming, "Don’t leave! If you all leave, what am I supposed to do? If you quit, there’ll be no one left to work! If the manager finds out, I’m dead!"
In that logistics center, there were barely any young people left. It showed exactly why people kept complaining these days.
“Young people don't want to work in factories or on the front lines anymore.”
Why don’t they realize why young people don’t want to do those jobs?
In the small pink-colored hotel, Lin Yibai had no idea what kind of dramatic experience Yang Chenjun had just gone through. She was sitting in front of her computer, thinking about the project.
Ding-dong~
Ding-dong~
“Xiao Bai, what’s this good job that can earn a few thousand? As long as it’s not illegal or breaking the law, I’ll do it. Are we digging coal in the mountains or diving for fish in the sea?”
Lin Yibai: “!!”
Seriously? What was Yang Chenjun even thinking?
I’m your good friend, how could I possibly set you up like that?
Xia Changyu gave me 30,000 yuan, and I was planning to give you 3,000 as your part.
Of course, I’m only outsourcing part of the job to him. The project is much bigger than just the part I want Yang Chenjun to handle.
After thinking for a moment, Lin Yibai typed back:
“It’s a job setting up an online store. A client came to me and said they want to open a Taobao shop. So I wanted to ask if you’re interested.”
Yang Chenjun asked, “You mean... just opening an online shop?”
Lin Yibai replied, “Yep, building it from scratch. But the product photos are already done. I’ll just send them to you when the time comes. Do you want the job?”
“Brother Yang?”
Yang Chenjun first doubted, then confirmed: “Wait… it’s really just that simple?”
Lin Yibai: “Yes.”
Yang Chenjun still felt something was off. He typed:
“Xiao Bai, are you messing with me? How can such an easy job really pay me 3,000 yuan?”
Lin Yibai replied: “Take it or leave it.”
Yang Chenjun immediately sent an emoji of someone sliding on their knees and typed dramatically:
“I’ll do it, I’ll definitely do it! I just didn’t expect that such a small task could really pay 3K! Xiao Bai, why don’t you just feed me poop with your own hands? Otherwise, I feel guilty taking this money.”
Lin Yibai responded: “No need to go that far.”
After finishing the chat, Lin Yibai let out a long sigh of relief.
The first part of the project, setting up the online store, had now been taken care of.
And she really did trust Yang Chenjun’s abilities. Even though he always hung around the logistics center doing part-time jobs, and even joked about eating poop when offered a good job, he was actually someone who took work seriously.
Lin Yibai opened up the paused online course on her computer again. There were still many things she didn’t know, but at least she was doing her best to learn!
Step Two.
The most important part: testing for traffic.
This would determine the focus and direction of everything that came next in the project.
Lin Yibai typed with her fair hands on the keyboard and sent a message to a Taobao shop owner group chat:
[@Mr. “A Ten-year Veteran Shop Owner” Chen, may I ask, how can I accurately attract the right kind of traffic?]
If you don’t know something, just ask. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about.