Volume 1: Laying the Foundation Chapter 10: Fashion Godfather

  Of course, these things were unclear to the three people present. Chen Lu and others could not have foreseen future developments, and Chen Xiaoqi did not bring a comprehensive guide to world economic development with him when he crossed over. He just knew a 21st-century common sense - knowledge is productive force! What determines the fate of a country and nation is still knowledge.

  At that time, China was in the early stages of opening up and was eager to introduce foreign forces. As a result, not only did it destroy the foundation that had been accumulated with great difficulty, but also delayed the implementation of key subjects that had already entered the implementation stage. Decades later, the basic disciplines were interrupted, and as a result, China, with its vast population of over 1 billion people, was inferior to others in chemical technology, metal smelting, CNC machine tools, large-scale integrated circuits, and even agricultural planting and animal husbandry. They couldn't even produce large aircraft, and their engines couldn't withstand high temperatures and had short lifespans, failing to reach the technical level of Europe and America in the 1970s and 1980s. The yield strength of submarine steel was even lower than that of foreign oil tankers and merchant ships. What's more, most people in basic industries didn't understand the technology, and at a time when CNC machine tools had already begun to enter ordinary households in the US and Japan, China couldn't find a single qualified CNC machine tool training school! Except for cheaters, there were only cheaters!

  Chen Xiaoqi's Fangzi pipe is useful, of course. He copied it from the "Fine Chemical Handbook". At that time, he had also done two experiments by himself, one was this and the other was phthalein blue. However, how to synthesize phthalein now, he didn't understand very well. But as long as there is a basic theory and chemical structure, it's not necessarily impossible to study if the conditions are right.

  It's also a laboratory environment, the difference is only in the simplicity and completeness of the conditions, the required reagents and acid-base etc. are all basically available, so Chen Xiaoqi's formula was verified within an hour - completely no problem.

  This has delighted three people. Without mentioning the great economic value this prescription will bring in the future, the most important thing is that it proves Chen Xiaoqi's sincerity. No matter what time, being true and sincere is the most precious thing, nothing can compare to it, and being able to make a fortune is just the icing on the cake.

  Chen Xiaoqi also breathed a sigh of relief. Although he had succeeded in the lab before, that was because of the exceptionally complete experimental conditions and mature processes verified over decades in the 21st century. In this era where even the purity of chemical reagents couldn't be guaranteed, if something went wrong, no one could predict what would happen. But now everything was fine, and the three people were overjoyed. They had a very comfortable lunch, and Wu Lao from the accounting room also recognized this young master Chen who suddenly appeared out of nowhere. For convenience, he directly called Chen Xiaoqi "Seventh Young Master". This wasn't because he thought Chen was arrogant or anything, but rather it was a sign of respect. Just like how people in nightclubs now call prostitutes "miss", it's all about being polite. Only people with dirty minds would think otherwise.

  Laboratory success does not necessarily mean that it can immediately enter into substantial production, which still requires continuous experimentation and adjustment, and most importantly, a suitable opportunity to promote new products. The current Dahua Dyeing Factory is already operating at full capacity, with orders received until next spring, and in terms of the scale of this factory, it has actually reached its limit, and now adding new projects is completely unnecessary.

  Similarly, Chen Xiaoqi also knew that product diversification needs a foundation. Now the Dahua Dyeing Factory has just established itself in Qingdao and it is not suitable to do things that may kill itself too early.

  After finishing this section, Chen Xiaoqi was about to work on the design drafts for Dennis. However, after completing more than a dozen drafts, he suddenly felt that something wasn't quite right. After some thought, he realized that he had made a big mistake - he had put the cart before the horse. In the 21st century, creating a valuable brand is not primarily about hastily designing and manufacturing a few special products, but rather about having a comprehensive plan in place. First, you need to determine which industry your product belongs to and which customers it targets. Next, you need to determine what kind of concept or feeling, taste, style, etc. your product will bring. Only then comes the product itself.

  And around the product itself, from design, production, packaging, retail, and promotion, a complete plan needs to be put in place, it's absolutely impossible to rush into it. Often many people just discover that a certain product might make money, then invest in it, initially they may gain some profit when there is a market vacuum, but as consumers become more rational and picky, especially compared to the perfect packaging and operation of similar products, defeat can also come quickly. This is also what Lang Xianping has been emphasizing, the essence of the industry, if you don't grasp that essence, relying solely on product quality and function will not last long.

  If he hadn't known before, that would have been fine. Now that he's aware of it, there's absolutely no need for such an unnecessary mistake to happen. So for the next seven days, Chen Xiaoqi didn't do anything else and stayed hidden in the Bohai Hotel, busy writing his manuscript, first outlining the framework and then filling in the content, enriching it bit by bit.

  He didn't plan to write a standard textbook of several hundred thousand words, he didn't have that ability. He just roughly outlined the operation mode of some well-known brands in later generations, but even so, he was busy for seven days and only completed a draft of less than 50,000 words.

  During this period, Chen Shoutian was busy with his own factory, while Lu Jiaju seemed to be carefree and idle every day. Except for occasionally having dinner with some clients, he spent most of his time running back and forth between the Bohai Hotel and the Dahua Dyeing Factory.

  Regarding the matter of Chen Xiaoqi and Chen Shouting becoming sworn brothers, he had already drafted several telegrams and written a few letters to be sent out separately. It's not necessary to worry too much about it, as the time hasn't been fixed yet.

  On the third day, Chen Xiaoqi had already written out some content. Seeing that Lu Jiaru seemed to be very leisurely, he suddenly got an idea in his mind and grabbed Chen Jiaru to help him translate what he had written into English. After translating a certain amount, the two people would exchange again, with Lu Jiaru revising and supplementing Chen Xiaoqi's simplified characters into traditional characters, while Chen Xiaoqi would polish up the places where Lu's English translation was not good enough or not precise.

  The whole work had been going on for seven days, and Chen Jiaju was already shocked by the content expressed in this manuscript that he couldn't say anything. He only had one thought in his mind - if Chen Xiaoqi wasn't a genius, then he must be a freak.

  On the seventh day, Mr. Dennis Craig and another foreigner brought two followers to Bohai Hotel, opened the door and saw Chen Xiaoqi and Lu Jiaju two people were buried in a large pile of manuscripts for final sorting and binding, the basic framework has been established, the cover is simply written with a brush title - "CK Brand Operation Plan".

  Dennis, with a very enthusiastic open arms, exaggeratedly smiled and said: "Ah ha! My dear Chen! Long time no see, it's really making me miss you so much!"

  Chen Xiaoqi dodged his exaggerated enthusiastic hug, only grasping his right hand and shaking it forcefully. Immediately, Dennis's fake smile turned into a painful twisted expression. He chuckled and said: "I think you're not missing me, but my get-rich plan?"

  Dennis helplessly spread his hands and shrugged: "Oh, maybe, but does it have to be said so bluntly? You see, I'm really sincere, really, Chen, you're the smartest person I've ever met, I really can't wait to see your masterpiece!"

  "Alright, alright, we won't discuss this boring topic. So, Dennis, I've prepared what you need, but I'm not sure if you're ready to accept it. To be honest, I'm quite worried about your... uh, how should I put it? Your taste."

  "Dennis threw up his hands, eyes wide with excitement. "Oh! Good heavens, how dare you say such a thing! Mr. Chen, I must remind you that this is an attack on my person, a slur against me - Craig, sir! Your words are utterly ungentlemanly! I take great umbrage at this!"

  Chen Xiaoqi smiled and shook his head, handing over the "CK Brand Operation Plan" to him. Then he stared at Dennis's expression changes.

  Dennis furrowed his brow and took over the thin booklet, flipping through it casually before closing it, looking at Chen Xiaoqi with some displeasure: "Mr. Chen, what is this that you've written? I haven't found what I need anywhere in here. Where are your design drawings? Your astonishing designs? You can't be trying to fool me with just these few sheets of paper, can you?"

  Chen Xiaoqi turned back to Lu Jiaju with a smile and said, "See? I wasn't wrong at all. The arrogant French didn't even bother to take a serious look at our painstakingly crafted masterpiece before rashly expressing their opinions. My previous concerns were indeed not unfounded! Is it too risky to entrust such a perfect plan to someone like this? In our words, this is called 'a pearl thrown into darkness'!"

  Dennis was ridiculed by two people, and he was somewhat disheartened, reluctantly putting his attention back on the text, frowning and starting to read it line by line. Slowly, his expression changed from impatience to astonishment, from confusion to shock, and finally, his hands trembled, his face turned red, his eyes widened, and a burst of excited light mixed with the color of gold coins radiated out without restraint.

  "Dennis grasped the document that brought him endless shock with both hands, exclaiming loudly: 'Ah! Good heavens! God! What have I seen? This is a masterpiece of genius, this is an invaluable treasure! This is the holy sword that makes warriors invincible! Mr. Chen, how did you come up with this? How could you possibly think of these things?'"

  "Ha! How about it, Dennis? You should believe me now. You shouldn't have any doubts about my intelligence and talent. That's not only an insult to me, but also a distrust of your own judgment."

  Dennis nodded vigorously: "Yes, yes! I should apologize to you with the utmost sincerity! I'm a hundred and twenty percent sorry! You are indeed an unquestionable genius! Ah! With this thing, no matter what product it is, even if it's a pile of dog shit, I can package it into gold and sell it for a good price! Chen, dear Chen, you're too great!"

  Chen Xiaoqi smiled silently. So, what exactly was it that made this Frenchman Denis so flustered? In the 21st century, it wasn't anything special - just a mishmash of modern brand marketing plans, insurance company training manuals, and multi-level marketing brainwashing schemes that could be found all over the internet. Chen Xiaoqi couldn't quite recall the details, but when he put them all together, he was surprised to discover that this might actually be something with practical applications, especially in an era where people were still so naive and willing to believe in beautiful illusions. A marketing strategy that was decades ahead of its time had emerged.

  In China at that time, this plan was completely useless, but in post-World War I Europe, especially in the UK and France, it was a different story. At that time, the French could be said to have money burning a hole in their pockets, with the common people struggling to rebuild, while those who had made fortunes from the war were scouring around for valuable treasures to spend their wealth on. However, it was clear that they had already grown tired of the so-called luxury goods available at the time. They urgently needed something new and exciting to stimulate their consumption and pleasure-seeking desires. So when a novel idea emerged, one based on their recognized self-worth, identity, ideology, and social status, they would throw their money around without hesitation.

  Chen Xiaoqi's plan was aimed at the so-called "new women" who had just emerged at that time, namely when the women's liberation movement reached its first peak, accompanied by women who actively participated in work and various social aspects during World War I. They were essentially the target group of the entire plan. Of course, the ones who would eventually pay up were those idle men who were as annoying as a stray dog searching for new targets everywhere.

  Chen Xiaoqi just threw out a few rough sketches, and Dennis, an almost professional fashion designer, was left with his eyes wide open and his mouth agape. These clothing styles, which looked extremely bold, avant-garde, and fashionable in this era, were novel and unique from every angle, and it could be said that there were no similar products in existence. Add to that the crucial ideological buzzwords, and when they were showcased through broadcasts, newspapers, stage performances, and other forms of promotion, it would have been strange if people who thought they had found something that scratched their itch didn't go crazy!

  What's more, Chen Xiaoqi also matched up with dozens of lingerie sketches that look very sexy and seductive, including tight-fitting bodysuits, sensual underwear, as well as epoch-making products - three-piece cloth briefs and bikinis!

  It's just a rough sketch, but the passionate and romantic Frenchman has already started to fantasize. He immediately thought of dozens of colors and patterns, perfectly capturing the curves of those sultry women, that fatal temptation that makes people lose their souls, it's unbearable to think about, ah! Good heavens! How come I didn't think of this?

  Under the notarization of a British lawyer named Lee Joseph, Chen Xiaoqi and Dennis signed a cooperation agreement. With prior groundwork, this contract was signed with unprecedented ease, especially after seeing Chen Xiaoqi's generosity being truly worth it. Dennis even felt a slight sense of shame at one point, after all, Chen Xiaoqi had gotten too few shares. Of course, this shame quickly disappeared without a trace. You can't expect Western robbers to have any guilty conscience, no matter how many times they've committed murder, arson, looting, and genocide; after confessing in church, everything is forgiven by God!

  Dennis walked away with the plan and several drafts, seemingly stepping on four taels of cotton, and even forgot to leave the two tailored suits for Chen Xiaoqi. Later, when the servant came over to deliver the clothes, he apologized repeatedly, and Chen Xiaoqi, apart from smiling helplessly, instructed him not to forget to inform Dennis to collect various English and Chinese chemistry textbooks and textile clothing books and magazines.