"If it were ten million, I could help find someone to resolve it. Twenty million, to be honest, with my current influence in the political arena, I truly can't manage it."
Qin Yan replied with a serious expression.
"Then what should we do?"
Chen Feng was stunned for a moment.
Alas, he was still too naive, thinking a town mayor could solve a twenty-million yuan funding problem.
In reality, while twenty million might not sound like a lot, it was a substantial sum.
In Lianhua Town, any enterprise that could earn twenty million a year would undoubtedly be a star enterprise.
"It's also easy, you can ask Cheng Lu to help."
Qin Yan responded calmly.
"Cheng Lu's help? Can she?"
"I am just the mayor of Lianhua Town, and my network and resources are limited. Cheng Lu is different; she's from Jiangcheng, and Jiangcheng has many connections. If she can find just one person with connections in Jiangcheng, the twenty million can be solved."
Qin Yan explained.
"Is it too abrupt to suddenly ask Cheng Lu for such a big favor?"
Chen Feng looked conflicted.
"Chen Feng, this mindset of yours is very wrong and needs to be corrected. When navigating the political arena, you must have a thick skin. Asking for help is incredibly common in politics; there's no such thing as 'too abrupt.' Besides, from what I know of Cheng Lu, she would be thrilled if you asked for her help. In fact, the bigger the favor, the happier she'll be."
Chen Feng gave an embarrassed smile at Qin Yan's words.
After a moment's thought, advancing the crayfish project to the next level was not only related to his future but also to the prosperity of Wulin Village. As the village head of Wulin Village, he had a responsibility to help the villagers live better lives.
Therefore, even if he felt embarrassed, he had to ask Cheng Lu.
That evening, Chen Feng specifically invited Cheng Lu to dinner. While dining, he explained the twenty-million yuan advertising fee matter to Cheng Lu.
"Chen Feng, did I hear you correctly? You're inviting me to dinner?"
Cheng Lu said excitedly.
In her impression, Chen Feng was a straight man, his mind filled only with work every day, never thinking about how to make girls happy.
Today, the sun must have risen from the west, for him to invite her to dinner.
"We've been colleagues for so long, and our cooperation has been very pleasant. It's normal to treat you to a meal."
Chen Feng replied, his face slightly flushed.
"Chen Feng, be honest, is there something you need my help with?"
Cheng Lu asked directly.
Chen Feng was good in many ways, but he couldn't hide his feelings in front of girls.
Seeing his reserved demeanor, it was clear he had something on his mind.
"How did you know?"
Chen Feng's face grew even redder.
"I'm not blind, how could I not tell? We can have dinner, but you must tell me what it is first."
Cheng Lu stated plainly.
"How about we talk while we eat?"
Chen Feng said sheepishly.
"We're friends, why be so formal? Hurry up and tell me."
Cheng Lu urged.
"It's like this, I plan to elevate the Wulin Village crayfish project further. Therefore, I need twenty million yuan for advertising fees..."
Chen Feng said, looking down.
Honestly, every time he asked Cheng Lu for something, it was for a favor, and he felt very apologetic.
"Chen Feng, did I hear you correctly? The total investment for the crayfish project is only around ten million, and you need twenty million for advertising?"
Cheng Lu asked in astonishment.
"Yes, the development of the crayfish project has reached a bottleneck. It won't result in losses, nor will profits continue to rise. To break through this bottleneck, we must adopt a new strategy: brand marketing. To make the Wulin Village crayfish project a household name, we must invest a huge amount in advertising."
Chen Feng explained.
"Chen Feng, I understand what you mean, but I have two questions. First, crayfish already has a household name brand, Qianjiang Crayfish. Is it possible to create another brand? Second, while there are successful precedents for building brands through aggressive advertising, there are also failed ones. Have you considered what the consequences would be if the crayfish brand building fails?"
Cheng Lu asked with a serious expression.
"Miss Cheng, actually, Mayor Qin has already asked me these two questions. Let me repeat myself: while crayfish does have the well-known brand Qianjiang Crayfish, if we were to copy Qianjiang Crayfish's brand strategy, it would definitely fail. Therefore, I plan to adopt a differentiated brand operation, much like the brand operation of Cha Yan Yue Se milk tea. As for what happens if the crayfish brand strategy fails, it's predictable: my career in politics would be over."
"Chen Feng, your approach of using the Cha Yan Yue Se milk tea brand strategy is quite good, and I support it. However, aren't the consequences of failure too significant?"
Cheng Lu asked, frowning.
"If tens of millions are lost under my watch, I will certainly be held accountable. That's quite normal."
Chen Feng replied calmly.
"What I mean is, the crayfish project's development is quite stable now. Is there really a need to push for further improvements? Soon, you, I, and Qin Yan will all be taking on positions in Lianhua Town, so there's no need to create more complications, is there?"
Cheng Lu probed.
"Miss Cheng, if I only wanted to muddle through my political career, your and Qin Yan's suggestions would both be excellent. However, if I want to achieve great things in politics, I must have a spirit of adventure. Even if I fail, I will have no regrets. If young people lack any sense of adventure, are they still truly young? Furthermore, I believe the probability of failure for the Wulin Village crayfish brand strategy is not high..."
Chen Feng's words were quite pleasing to Cheng Lu.
Indeed, men shouldn't be too conservative.
She and Qin Yan were women, and it was normal for their thinking to be more conservative.
Chen Feng was different; he was a man with ambition and aspirations, and it was destined that his thinking wouldn't be conservative.
"Chen Feng, since you are confident, then I will help you find a way to get the twenty million yuan for advertising. However, for me to help you with such a big favor, just treating me to a drink won't be enough."
Cheng Lu said with a smile.
"Miss Cheng, you are my great benefactor. Helping me with such a significant favor and only treating you to a meal is indeed a bit stingy. Tell me, what else would you like me to treat you to? As long as you say it, I will fulfill it."
"Treat me to drinks!"
Cheng Lu continued with a smile.
"Treat you to drinks?"
"Yes, treat me to drinks. To be honest, seeing your broad vision makes me very happy. When people are happy, they naturally want to drink."
"No problem, dinner plus drinks. Let's go now."
Chen Feng said, then went outside to hail a taxi.
Although Lianhua Town couldn't compare to Mingshan Town, it was still better than a rural area, and there were quite a few taxis on the road.
An hour later, Chen Feng brought Cheng Lu into a restaurant.
Originally, he wanted to take Cheng Lu to a fancy hotel, but Cheng Lu refused, saying they were friends and there was no need to be so extravagant; an ordinary restaurant would suffice.
"Waiter, two bottles of red wine."
Cheng Lu called out directly.
"Miss Cheng, red wine has a strong kick. How about we start with one bottle? We can order more if needed."
Chen Feng advised.
He had been in politics for some time, and like Qin Yan, his alcohol tolerance had improved. Not to mention two bottles of red wine, even twenty bottles wouldn't get him drunk.
However, Cheng Lu was different. He hadn't seen her drink much recently, and suddenly drinking so much would definitely make her drunk.
"It's my birthday today, and I'm happy. If I get drunk, so be it, it's fine."
Cheng Lu said, half amused, half exasperated.
Chen Feng was truly a blockhead. Didn't he know the saying that a man has no opportunity if the woman isn't drunk?