Chapter 014: Niu Li’s Triumph, Zhang Tianfeng’s Counterattack
The elderly man had worked at the post office in his younger days; after finishing his duties each day, he would settle down to read the newspaper—a habit he had kept up to this day.
He had witnessed the changes in the country, etching them into his memory. He had also wished to improve his family’s fortunes, but aside from his eldest daughter, who had achieved some success, the remaining five children had been a constant source of worry. They refused to venture out, unwilling to take risks.
So when Zhang Tianfeng explained his reason for wanting to go to Deep City, the old man agreed within seconds. In his words, a person must change with the times; to bury oneself in this remote place called Xiyan would mean never achieving anything significant in a lifetime.
Thus ended the late-night conversation between grandfather and grandson. With the old man holding down the fort at home, the greatest threat—Niu Dayun—had been dealt with, and family tensions had dissolved on their own with the influx of money. Zhang Tianfeng could finally rest easy.
The next morning, Zhang Tianfeng boarded the bus bound for Xiyan City.
“Hey, did you read Summer Romance?”
“Of course I did! It’s all the rage lately. Do you think Zhong Yi will ever wake up?”
“She has to! Otherwise, Zhang Ziqian would be devastated!”
“I’m not so sure. Stories like these are always written to make the readers cry.”
“Don’t you dare! If Banjiu actually writes it that way, I’ll hunt him down!”
Overhearing the whispered discussion of the young women nearby, Zhang Tianfeng turned his face away, stifling a smile. They were talking about the first part of Summer Romance—the very story he had written under the pen name Banjiu.
The phrase goes, “At a hundred steps, you’re only ninety percent there.” In his previous life, Zhang Tianfeng had left too many things unfinished, so he’d chosen this pen name as a warning to himself: always see things through to the end.
The wholesalers were truly resourceful; the story had spread even here. Good. The time had come to reap the rewards.
Upon arriving in Xiyan City, he hailed a taxi straight to the wholesale market.
Every vendor was surrounded by throngs of people—some buying in bulk, some fishing for news, others retailing goods.
After observing for a few minutes, Zhang Tianfeng headed directly to Stall 205.
Inside, Qin Yuelan sat on a stool, her face clouded with worry, sighing heavily.
“What’s wrong? Not happy to see me back?”
“Wow, you’re finally back.” Qin Yuelan quickly stood up. “There’s a real problem—Niu Li, for whatever reason, slashed his prices in half.”
“He’s now claiming that anyone who buys from him gets the Summer Romance story for free—however many pieces of jewelry they buy, that’s how many copies of the novel they get.”
“His goods have now flooded all of Xiyan City. I went out this morning and saw that several of our former high-end customers have switched to him.”
“Oh, that is rather interesting.”
Zhang Tianfeng had predicted that Niu Li would try to seize the market by tying the small vendors to his operation, perhaps offering some profit concessions—but this was too much. The cost of trinkets was already low, but to halve the price and give the story away for free—how was he making any money?
“Interesting? Aren’t you worried?”
“He’s doing my work for me. Why should I be anxious?” Zhang Tianfeng replied. “Show me the accounts.”
“You weren’t here, so several customers left empty-handed. I haven’t managed many sales lately—don’t blame me.”
“Sixteen orders, net profit of 890. That’s pretty good. Well done, Sister Lan.”
He took out 300 yuan. “Here’s your payment. I’ll make up the rest later. Go prepare as many ingredients as you can—bring them tomorrow morning.”
“Sometimes I really want to crack open your head and see what’s inside. It’s a critical moment, and you’re still so calm.”
Zhang Tianfeng smiled without answering.
If he couldn’t win even with memories from a previous life, what kind of reborn man was he? He’d let Niu Li swagger for a little while longer. By tomorrow at the latest, whether or not Qin Lin showed up, he’d finish this.
After Qin Yuelan left, Zhang Tianfeng began to inventory the shop, leaving only a few Summer Breeze bracelets and brooches on display, storing everything else away.
Before long, Niu Li strode in with his entourage.
“Well, looks like you’re packing up early. Not even next month yet.”
“Got time to poke fun at me, but have you thought about how you’ll recoup your investment?”
At the mention of capital, Niu Li ground his teeth in anger.
It was all Zhang Tianfeng’s fault. If not for him, Niu Li would never have thought to steal from Gao Ran, and would never have gotten tangled up with Qin Lin.
That man was a big shot from the provincial capital, specializing in pirated goods, with an entire fleet at his command.
Niu Li had no way to escape; he’d had to put all his resources on the line to compete with Zhang Tianfeng.
“You keep up that tough talk. I’ll have you crying in rhythm!”
“Then you’d better bring an instrument—and a box of tissues too, or you’ll have nothing to wipe your tears with.”
“Hmph! Let’s go!”
Zhang Tianfeng’s calm composure gave Niu Li the sensation of punching cotton—no resistance at all.
Wasn’t youth supposed to be reckless? All Niu Li saw in Zhang Tianfeng was audacity in business, but none in life.
Back at the warehouse, Niu Li flopped down on his stockpile to rest.
“Boss, aren’t you going to do more? That kid is crafty.”
“How much trouble can a little farmer cause? I’ve put everything I have into this—it’s already more than he deserves.”
Niu Li had gotten information on Zhang Tianfeng from Qin Lin. Since he wasn’t with the pirate fleet, Niu Li felt confident.
He’d spent the thirty thousand he’d saved over the years to win over wholesalers and vendors. No matter how talented Zhang Tianfeng was, he couldn’t possibly win.
New accessories? He had three small workshops on standby, fully stocked with materials. Whatever Zhang dared to sell, they could reproduce ten thousand copies within half an hour.
New stories? Niu Li spent fifty thousand to secure exclusive use of a small print shop for three days. Any new story that appeared could be printed and distributed citywide in half an hour.
He’d also paid thirty thousand to Qin Lin to rent five vans, dedicated to deliveries.
He’d prepared for everything, even the unexpected. What did Zhang Tianfeng have to fight back with?
Niu Li slept soundly, completely unafraid.
Meanwhile, Zhang Tianfeng began his counterattack.
Once he’d tidied the shop, he locked the door. He had three tasks tonight.
First, use up all the raw materials to make new necklaces.
Second, write the next installment of Summer Romance.
Third, design promotional posters and signage.
Starting with the easiest, he took out a blank sheet of paper and began sketching the poster.
“This summer, let true lovers find their happiness.”
“Exclusive Summer Romance Event!”
“Every purchase at ‘Harbor Blue Sail’ earns you a blessing point. Reach 3,000 blessing points, and Zhong Yi will awaken.”
“Special offer: Seaside Harbor City image consultation—50 yuan per session.”
“Note: The shop owner is a graduate of Ocean University’s design department, former wardrobe designer for the famous actress Miss Wang. Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back.”
“Note 2: The shop owner is the author of Summer Romance. This is the only store—nowhere else.”
This was the simplest, most direct form of fan support activity from his previous life. It had already been overdone in the worlds of celebrities, major IP works, and various other industries.
But in this era, where people were only beginning to embrace new things, and in this remote city, it was more than enough for Zhang Tianfeng to win the battle.
At five in the afternoon, his fourth uncle came up to collect the new signage, poster designs, and the twenty thousand yuan Zhang had earned.
By tomorrow morning, these ads would be plastered on buses, passenger vans, and taxis.
It was easy enough to get ads on buses and vans—just pay the drivers and they’d gladly oblige. But taxis were a different story.
In this era, driving a taxi was a mark of pride—easy money, and lots of it.
But Zhang Jizheng, with years of experience, hadn’t just idled his days away. He had friends in every industry—except for government circles.
He patted his chest and promised that by tomorrow, at least two hundred taxis and fifty large vehicles would be displaying their ads.