Chapter 43 The Power of Beauty Surpasses Everything

"It is better to be safe than sorry. If our public reputation is genuinely ruined, it won't be easy to make amends later," Du Yu said, then glanced at Wang Xiaowei, who was busy eating. "This is what we call prevention before disaster strikes."

Although Du Yu had at least received some education, Wang Xiaowei had been at the bottom of his class since school days, so these concepts required Du Yu to teach him step by step.

Sitting on the chair, Du Yu watched the ravenous Wang Xiaowei and then looked at Ma Yue, constantly searching his mind for various useful methods.

Suddenly, Du Yu's eyes lit up.

Right, the celebrity effect!

While advertising already existed in this era, the tactic of having internet influencers or streamers check in at local businesses had not yet been widely used.

If they could find someone with local prestige and influence—ideally someone approachable—to come check in, take photos, and then figure out a way to generate publicity, it would definitely create a buzz!

At that time, not only would it help clear the negative rumors surrounding their shop, but it would also launch a massive promotional campaign!

This was truly a brilliant idea!

While silently congratulating himself on his sharp mind, Du Yu turned to ask Ma Yue.

"Xiaoyue, do you know any television reporters or local celebrities? Anyone with a bit of warmth and influence will do."

Ma Yue was still picking meat out of his bowl. At this remark, her eyes widened.

"Brother Yu, what are you planning to do?"

Du Yu pointed toward their doorway. "Relying solely on hanging fish outside to promote the place isn't enough; the publicity impact is still a bit too weak."

He pulled a chair closer, leaned in, and explained his celebrity effect plan in detail.

Facts proved that Du Yu was a bit too ahead of his time. Even Ma Yue was hearing about this kind of business model for the very first time.

"Can we really do that?"

Upon careful reflection, if a celebrity or a television reporter were to actually visit their shop, she reckoned ordinary folks would naturally come running to join the excitement.

Upon hearing this, Wang Xiaowei felt a thrill run through every bone in his body.

"Brother Yu, we absolutely must invite a beauty!"

The words had barely left his mouth when Du Yu slapped him across the back of the neck.

"Do I not know your little ulterior motives? Since you can't go to the Red Rose Salon, your mind has wandered to this instead?"

With his secret motives exposed, Wang Xiaowei immediately flashed an awkward smile, though he kept muttering, "I bet plenty of people share my thought process. If we invite a stunning beauty, we won't just get the celebrity effect—we'll get the beauty effect too!"

This left even Du Yu amused. "Where on earth do you come up with these theories?"

However, Wang Xiaowei had genuinely given him food for thought this time.

The halo of a beauty was always effective. If they could invite someone famous and gorgeous to the shop, it would undoubtedly cause quite a sensation.

Yet the core problem right now was obvious: he had the ambition, but lacked the connections.

Where to find such a person had suddenly become a major issue.

Ma Yue, on the other hand, reacted quickly enough.

"Why don't we ask President Han? Their hotel deals with all sorts of people; she might actually have some leverage in this regard."

That was indeed a promising direction.

"Alright. In a day or two, the two of us will go catch some more fish, and this time I'll deliver them personally. No matter what, I have to talk to President Han face-to-face."

It was getting late, and if they didn't head back soon, they would miss the last bus.

Du Yu packed up some food, having eaten his fill, but his elderly mother was still waiting at home on an empty stomach. No matter what, he had to bring back something delicious to honor her.

Wang Xiaowei sat in the vehicle with a constant smile on his face.

"Brother Yu, what kind of person do you think we can invite?"

Things hadn't even begun to take shape, yet Wang Xiaowei was already getting carried away.

Du Yu chatted with him casually.

"This isn't something we can decide; it all depends on the extent of President Han's connections."

At the very least, it had to be a leading star anchor from the television station; otherwise, all their trouble would be for nothing.

Wang Xiaowei gently patted his own bald head. "Brother Yu, can I go with you to President Han's place next time?"

Before Du Yu could answer, he hastily added to cover himself, "I don't mean anything else by it; I'm simply worried you'll wear yourself out."

Du Yu found it all rather amusing.

"Do you even believe your own words? I reckon you've stopped thinking about the Red Rose and set your sights on celebrities now, haven't you?"

Bickering along the way, the two finally arrived home.

Du Yu was in a fairly good mood today. Although his business had nearly been ruined by meddlers, it had at least provided him with a fresh perspective for the future.

Tomorrow morning, he would take Wang Xiaowei to catch more fish, restock their inventory to the brim, and then report to President Han.

If possible, he should also hunt down some fresh novelties, making any reason to seek out Han Xinyi feel even more natural.

Unexpectedly, before they even stepped inside, they heard a voice that was both familiar and repulsive coming from within the house.

"Speaking of the young people in our village, little Yu is by far the most promising. Not only has he successfully opened a shop, but he's also running his business so well. Some of those other youngsters wanted to follow his example, but I gave them a stern talking-to—they simply cannot compare to little Yu."

Well, the village head had actually made a personal visit to their home.

Inside, Li Chunhong was casting an awkward glance at the village head's family, completely unsure of what to say.

Who in this village was better at turning with the wind than them?

Seeing that Du Yu had achieved good grades previously, they had practically encouraged Zhao Qinqin to associate closely with his family.

Yet the moment it became clear Du Yu couldn't go to college, they grew anxious to demand repayment for the money they had lent. They had even gone out of their way to distance themselves, acting as though Du Yu's family was some kind of disgrace.

Now, seeing that his family was making money once again, their tone had grown courteous once more.

Still, remembering that they still owed a small sum to the village head's household, Li Chunhong had no choice but to bite the bullet.

"You are flattering him far too much."

The village head and his family were exceedingly clever. Upon entering, they hadn't mentioned their purpose at all, chatting instead about mundane household matters.

Although Li Chunhong knew little about the shop's operations, she was well aware that her son's money-making endeavors did not come easily. Fearing they had come to borrow money, she quickly sought an excuse.

"The truth is, Du Yu's shop has only been open for a short while, and things aren't very stable yet. The boy keeps his thoughts to himself; if anything goes wrong, he's never willing to share it with me."

Seeing that Li Chunhong wasn't taking the bait, the village head attempted to steer the conversation further.

To everyone's surprise, Du Yu abruptly pushed the door open.

As he looked at the village head's family, a smile naturally surfaced on his face. Then, his gaze shifted straight to Zhao Qinqin.

"I keep saying you've been harboring secret desires for me for ages. Making a scene at my shop during the day wasn't enough; you actually chased me all the way to my home?"

Hearing Du Yu repeat those words, Zhao Qinqin was practically fuming with rage.

She glared daggers at him with both eyes, countless times over.

Li Chunhong was utterly bewildered. "Xiaoyue, what on earth are you talking about?"

"Our shop was running smoothly today, but somehow we managed to offend this grand princess here, who insisted on making a scene at my place. It caused quite a bit of damage to our shop's reputation and even cut our afternoon revenue in half."