Sang Ying opened the door to her rented apartment. The freezing air that rushed in made her shiver. Wen City is located in the central part of the country. It is neither North nor South, so it lacks the central heating found in the North, yet it does not share the mild warmth of the South.
During her first year of university in Wen City, Sang Ying, who grew up in the North, could not adapt to the climate. As an Alpha who had loved fitness and combat sports since childhood, she caught two severe colds that year.
It was all due to the cold.
Now a senior, she was accustomed to Wen City’s winters, but she still felt the biting chill.
She pulled back the curtains of the small window. The weather was poor today. It was overcast and gloomy, as if it might rain.
In Wen City, it rarely snowed; it only snowed once or twice a winter. In her hometown of Ping City, there was plenty of snow, and in her memories, the world was blanketed in white for long stretches.
Her Omega father had to go out alone today.
Sang Ying pulled up Uncle Xue’s contact number. She and her father shared similar personalities; they would not ask for help if they could avoid it. However, to her, her father was always the top priority. Compared to his safety, the idea of being a bother did not matter at all.
She did not hesitate to press the call button.
“Hello, Xiao Ying?”
“Uncle Xue, are you busy today?”
Uncle Xue was very approachable; he knew that Sang Ying would not call without a reason, and nine times out of ten, it had to do with her father.
“You child, why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Uncle Xue said. “I will drive over to your place to check on him right now.”
“Thank you so much,” Sang Ying said, feeling deeply grateful. “Could you please do me a favor and not tell my father that I called you?”
“I know. Did your father tell you not to bother me?” Uncle Xue laughed. “Don’t worry, his stubborn temper is truly something.”
With Uncle Xue’s reassurance, Sang Ying finally felt at ease. Just then, the courier arrived to pick up the orders, and Sang Ying refocused to handle the shipment.
There were only four orders from last night’s sales. The courier packed them up quickly and laughed, “Business is not easy, is it?”
Sang Ying was familiar with this courier and replied, “It really is not.”
“But why did you decide to start your own business?” the courier asked. “As a top student like you, a student at Wen University, you should not have any trouble finding a job after graduation.”
“I am just giving it a try,” Sang Ying said without elaborating.
The courier sighed. “Let me tell you, I have been doing deliveries for over five years. In these five years, I have seen too many young people fail at e-commerce. While there is still time, you should find a steady, proper job.”
Sang Ying smiled. “Thank you for the advice. Are you not in a rush?”
“I am! I am heading out now.” The courier put on his helmet, not forgetting to add, “Listen to me, it is the truth from someone who has seen it all.”
After the courier left, Sang Ying counted the inventory on the shelves. It was not much, but based on their current sales speed, it would be enough to last until the Lunar New Year.
She looked around the small room. It was only a little over ten square meters. There was no renovation; it had cement floors and white walls. She had decorated one wall slightly to serve as a background for her livestreams.
Fortunately, the rent was not high. She and Ding Han could save enough by eating a little less luxuriously each month.
She started the business because of her passion. Since she was young, she liked chemistry; she enjoyed conducting experiments by following chemical formulas whenever she had free time. After entering university and studying chemistry, her love for it only grew.
She wanted to personally create skincare products that were suitable for the public and promote her own brand with her own hands.
Sang Ying sat at her desk and registered a Weibo account named “Qingdeng Skincare,” edited a post introducing fourteen products, and attached the store address.
That night, she mentioned the new Weibo account during her livestream. After she finished, she noticed she had gained a few followers.
One ID looked familiar: “Yinyin77.”
This was a big client from her livestream. Sang Ying clicked on the profile and found nothing; the avatar was blank, and the account had been registered just today.
It looked like it had been created specifically to follow her.
Sang Ying also followed the user back and sent a private message to say hello.
[Qingdeng Skincare: Hello, may I ask if you have received the skincare products? If you experience any issues after using them, please feel free to let me know.]
The other person replied quickly.
[Yinyin77: Hmm.]
[Qingdeng Skincare: Then, I wish you a good night.]
Xia Tingwang looked at the short three-line conversation on her phone, trying to imagine the little streamer saying, “Then, I wish you a good night,” in that raspy voice of hers.
She closed her eyes and thought about it for a few minutes, but since she knew very little about voices, she could not conjure the sound in her mind.
Xia Tingwang got up and shuffled out of the bedroom in her slippers.
It was past midnight; most of the servants were asleep, and the entire villa was quiet.
Only one or two servants were mopping the floor. Seeing her come downstairs, they looked somewhat nervous. “Miss, do you need anything?”
“A cup of coffee.”
“Yes!”
Xia Tingwang turned and headed back to her room, curling up in a hanging chair and staring blankly. She could not endure the silence of the bedroom for even three minutes before she got up, turned on the projector, and clicked on a livestream replay.
The entire wall was filled with the face of the little streamer, and her voice filled the room.
Only then did she finally feel at peace.
With the coffee in her hand, she looked up to see the beauty on the wall, and Xia Tingwang smiled. What a wonderful thing this was.
However, Xia Tingwang took a sip of coffee and squinted her eyes. It would be even better if this beauty could speak directly into her ear.
The result of going to bed late was waking up late; she did not get up at 7:30 as planned. Butler Xu was the only one allowed to enter Xia Tingwang’s bedroom before she woke up.
Butler Xu crouched by the bed, stroking her hair affectionately. “Miss, it is Butler Xu. It is time to wake up. It is 7:40, and Assistant Bai said there is a meeting this morning that you cannot be late for.”
Xia Tingwang rolled over impatiently. She felt a visceral repulsion as soon as she heard the word “meeting.” “How annoying.”
“You are the CEO, there are bound to be many meetings at the end of the year,” Butler Xu coaxed her gently with a smile. “Just bear with it for a bit longer; the New Year is almost here.”
Perhaps it was something in his words that clicked, but Xia Tingwang sat up. Looking up, she saw the face of the little streamer paused on the wall.
She had forgotten to turn off the projector before falling asleep.
She tilted her head and got up, still drowsy, but her mood inexplicably improved at the sight of that face.
Her good mood plummeted the moment she entered the company and walked into the conference room. She walked to the main seat with a cold expression.
She did not close her eyes to listen to the voices today; these annoying sounds were indistinguishable; they were all just mechanical.
There were many year-end meetings. VW was a legacy brand with over twenty years of history. Even though sales had declined in the past six months, it was still far beyond what other ordinary brands could match.
Today’s meeting was mainly to analyze the pros and cons of their partners, so Xia Tingwang could decide whether to continue the collaborations for the coming year.
After the long, boring meeting ended, Xia Tingwang returned to her office, followed by Director Huang from the Marketing Department.
“Well?” Xia Tingwang leaned back in her leather chair.
“CEO Xia, this is the proposal I prepared,” Director Huang said as he handed her a document. “It is about livestream e-commerce. Please take a look.”
Livestream e-commerce.
Xia Tingwang flipped through it with interest. The proposal was well-written, outlining the benefits of livestream e-commerce and ways to initiate promotion methods.
“What did Vice President Liu say?”
Such matters usually did not need to reach Xia Tingwang’s desk; as CEO, the Vice President could make these decisions.
Director Huang hesitated. “She does not agree.”
As expected. In Xia Tingwang’s mind, VP Liu was “Old-Fashioned Number One.” It was entirely within her expectations that she would not agree to such a trendy promotional method.
“Let us not rush this,” Xia Tingwang said. “I need to observe the market a little longer.”
Xia Tingwang had always been decisive at work, stating directly whether something would or would not work. Since she had not given a direct refusal, it meant there was still a chance. Director Huang smiled and backed out.
The livestream proposal on the table was logical and organized, and Xia Tingwang fell into deep thought.
Professor Guo called, and Xia Tingwang answered immediately. “Are the results out?”
“Yes, CEO Xia,” Professor Guo said. “Everything is compliant and safe.”
Xia Tingwang nodded. Professor Guo added, “And the ingredients are highly professional. To put it this way, it is in no way inferior to any major brand on the market.”
Xia Tingwang’s eyes brightened.
After hanging up the phone, she pondered over the proposal, a certain idea taking root in her mind.
As a CEO, it was in her character to act on her ideas. She pressed the intercom and said, “Assistant Bai, who is in charge of our VW official Weibo account?”
Three minutes later, the staff member in charge of the official Weibo stood in her office, looking nervous and timid.
Xia Tingwang handed him her phone. “The account and password.”
The staff member held her phone with both hands, entered the account and password, and successfully logged in.
“Don’t worry, I will not post anything,” Xia Tingwang said. “Just continue your work as usual.”
“CEO Xia, you can post whatever you like.” The staff member kept his head down.
Xia Tingwang waved for him to leave. She held the phone and used the official VW Weibo to follow “Qingdeng Skincare” and sent a private message.
Sang Ying had just finished class and was walking toward the cafeteria with Ding Han. Her phone had buzzed during class, but she had not had a chance to check it.
[You have received a new Weibo private message.]
“Shall we go to the small cafeteria?” Ding Han asked. “I want some small crispy cakes.”
“Sure.” Sang Ying kept her head down and clicked on Weibo.
Could it be the big client, Yinyin77?
[VW Group: Hello, I am the person in charge of the VW Group. We have reviewed your products, and they meet our company’s requirements. We would like to collaborate with your company. Here is my phone number: 1xxxxxxxxxx. I look forward to hearing from you at any time.]
Sang Ying stopped in her tracks and grabbed Ding Han next to her. Ding Han turned around. “What is wrong?”
Sang Ying was speechless. Ding Han was scared by her reaction. “Sang Ying! Do not scare me. What happened?”
“Xiao Han,” Sang Ying said as she held up her phone. “Look at this.”
Ding Han shifted her gaze to the phone, and after clearly reading the content, she was equally stunned. “Is VW the VW I know?”
She took the phone and clicked on the Weibo profile. The verified blue checkmark and the millions of followers told her that this was indeed the high-end domestic luxury brand she knew.
“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!” Ding Han exclaimed three times. “Sang Ying! Are we dreaming? A brand this big wants to work with us?”
Sang Ying was just as excited. Ding Han put the phone back in her hands. “Quick! Hurry and call them!”
“Okay.” Sang Ying dialed the number and pressed call.
Beep, beep. Every ring sounded like the rhythm of Sang Ying’s heartbeat.
It was beating so hard it felt like it might jump out of her chest.
The moment the call connected, Sang Ying introduced herself, “Hello, this is Sang Ying from ‘Qingdeng Skincare’.”