Campus Ace Girl-Chapter 551 - 552: The Perfume Hits the Market, Breaks Record with 2600 Words
The fully revised English translation.
As soon as the Secretary-General entered and saw Gu Yuanshan inside, he chuckled inwardly, feeling quite certain about the situation.
He put down the high-quality coffee and black tea he had brought, then turned to Gu Anxi with a smile. "Your older brother, Mr. Wang, asked me to deliver these. He said you enjoy drinking this coffee. Additionally, this black tea is a gift for Mr. Bo."
Gu Anxi hummed in acknowledgment and exchanged a few polite words with the Secretary-General. Gu Yuanshan stood by, sighing deeply in his heart. This child is so favored by Mr. Wang. Is it a blessing or a curse?
He wanted to offer some advice, but he didn’t dare touch upon the sensitive subject, fearful that others might find out.
While Gu Yuanshan looked on anxiously, the Secretary-General turned to him with pleasantries. "Mr. Gu, you’re here enjoying tea so early in the morning. Is the tea at home not fragrant enough?"
Gu Yuanshan knew he was being teased, but since this man was one of Wang Jingyao’s trusted aides, he had to endure it. He forced a smile. "Jingchuan, please stop joking with me."
The Secretary-General and Gu Anxi exchanged a look, both seeming to understand. The Gu family certainly had a turbulent night!
Gu Yuanshan felt there was little point in staying any longer; the visit had only brought him further disappointment.
He had initially thought that by assisting from the sidelines, Congwen would be able to escape his suffering. But now it seemed his efforts were merely superfluous. He couldn’t fathom when Congwen had developed such... peculiar tastes!
Gu Yuanshan bid his farewell and left alone. However, as he reached the first-floor lobby, he heard Wang Jingchuan’s voice from behind. "Brother Yuanshan."
Gu Yuanshan turned and saw the Secretary-General catching up to him.
He forced another smile. "Why didn’t you stay a bit longer?"
The Secretary-General sighed. "Official duties are pressing. Only matters concerning Anxi can persuade me to step out for a breath of fresh air. You, Brother Yuanshan, are a man of leisure and wealth; you wouldn’t understand the hardships we face to survive. As you saw last night, the slightest disturbance involving Mr. Wang immediately agitates that man Min, making him eager to cause trouble for Mr. Wang. If the Wang family hadn’t established such deep roots, and if Mr. Wang weren’t so astute, the Min family would have usurped their position long ago."
Gu Yuanshan naturally understood the intricacies of these power plays. He also knew that the Bo family and Mr. Wang were now allies, while the Jiang family had already pledged allegiance to Min Xin.
The Secretary-General’s words now were clearly a stern warning, urging him not to align himself with the wrong faction.
Mr. Wang might tolerate such a mistake once, but not twice.
At this, Gu Yuanshan sighed. "I naturally understand, Brother Jingchuan. Rest assured, I won’t do anything foolish."
Given what that Min fellow had done, there was no way Gu Yuanshan could ever side with him.
The Secretary-General gave a meaningful smile. "Mr. Gu is mindful of the bigger picture. But can others in the Gu family maintain such a perspective? If this isn’t brought to light, it might be fine. But once it is, who knows if others might be tempted to seek a more powerful patron?"
Gu Yuanshan’s expression immediately darkened.
The Secretary-General patted his shoulder. "So, Brother Yuanshan, be vigilant. Don’t let yourself be manipulated by a woman, lest you lose both the lady and the war. From this moment on, the proper course of action is to erase every trace of matters that should not be known to outsiders."
Cold sweat trickled down Gu Yuanshan’s forehead. He realized Tang Yuan, being so close to him, knew many of his secrets. What if she became desperate and decided to drag everyone down with her?
With that, he thanked the Secretary-General, returned home, and proceeded to turn his study upside down, meticulously destroying certain items until no trace remained. Only then did he feel a sense of relief.
After this upheaval, he moved into the small villa on the estate. Tang Yuan felt uneasy, but as things seemed to quiet down, she relaxed slightly. Gu Mingzhu, however, pursed her lips and asked softly, "Mom, Dad is acting this way because..."
She hesitated for a long time before daring to whisper, "Did you do something to betray Dad?"
Tang Yuan snapped immediately, "What nonsense are you talking about!"
Gu Mingzhu bit her lip and murmured an apology.
But deep down, she knew. I’m not Dad’s child; I’m the offspring of that Min fellow. She had heard the servants gossiping, calling her ’that Min fellow’s child’ and saying that only Gu Anxi was the true young lady of the Gu family.
She cried alone in her room all night, and no one paid her any mind.
Mom only cares about whether she can stay in the Gu family; she doesn’t care about my feelings at all. What I don’t understand is, if I’m Mr. Min’s child, why doesn’t Mom take me to him to acknowledge our relationship? Isn’t Mr. Min much more powerful than the Gu family? Besides, Mr. Min’s wife, Zhou Yu, doesn’t have any children. Wouldn’t that be a perfect opportunity?
Gu Mingzhu returned to her room and sat silently, thinking for a long time. I should gradually try to get closer to the Min family. Let them see how outstanding I am. Perhaps I can become a daughter of the Min family in one fell swoop. I am a direct blood relation, while Gu Anxi is merely the Wang family’s goddaughter. The difference in importance is self-evident.
These thoughts considerably brightened Gu Mingzhu’s mood. She redoubled her efforts, studying and working even harder. Tang Yuan found this perplexing but was also somewhat comforted. This child has finally matured...
Spurred by Gu Mingzhu’s diligent efforts, Gu Fragrances achieved astronomical sales.
In the second quarter, global sales reached 3.24 million units, breaking several records. Tang Yuan’s spirits lifted considerably. On several occasions, she subtly and overtly tried to speak with Gu Yuanshan, but the servants outside his door always stopped her.
"Mr. Gu does not wish to see anyone."
While Gu Yuanshan refused to see Tang Yuan, he made a surprising move: he promoted Gu Mingzhu to Manager of the Gu Brand Department. Remarkably, Gu Ning, who had recently returned to the Gu Corporation, raised no objections.
The siblings, Gu Yuanshan and Gu Ning, thought that since Gu Mingzhu was now so diligent and successful, they might as well let her toil for the Gu Corporation. In any case, everything belonging to the Gu family would eventually go to Gu Anxi. Let Tang Yuan and her daughter taste what it felt like to labor for someone else’s gain.
「Midsummer」
Gu Yuanshan finally emerged from the small villa and would occasionally work in his former study. He still ignored Tang Yuan, but his demeanor towards Gu Mingzhu was relatively mild.
Gradually, Tang Yuan began to let the matter fade from her mind. She wasn’t particularly concerned about her marital relationship with Gu Yuanshan anyway; as long as he treated Mingzhu well, that was enough.
Now, seeing Mingzhu being entrusted with significant responsibilities, she felt a surge of pride. Gu Yuanshan and Gu Anxi could never reconcile. If the Gu family’s assets didn’t go to Mingzhu in the future, who else could they go to?
So Tang Yuan began to pull out all the stops, relentlessly promoting Gu Mingzhu. For a time, Gu Mingzhu gained considerable fame in Beicheng, and the perfume was indeed selling exceptionally well.
At the height of this excitement, the Cloud He Group announced major news.
The Development Department of Cloud He Group had developed a new series: a summer-themed perfume. It was a limited-edition summer collection launched in collaboration with Disney. At the press conference, the host announced, "Cloud He Group’s first global batch of 1 million units will be fully launched in one week!"
This number was astounding.
A journalist on the scene immediately questioned, "For a niche product, isn’t such a large-scale investment rather impractical? Gu Corporation’s flagship series only sells 3.24 million units per quarter. Your company..."
Manager Wang from the Development Department, who was hosting the press conference, smiled faintly and said, "The Qixi Festival is just a few days away, and our summer limited-edition series is aimed at consumers celebrating it. As for whether it will sell, that will depend on the user experience."
He paused, then added, "We don’t compare ourselves with competitors; we only compare with our past achievements. We’ll see if this summer limited-edition can break Cloud He Group’s previous quarterly record of 6 million units."
The journalist was instantly silenced. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂
Manager Wang continued, "I have great confidence in these sales figures. Tomorrow, the first teaser advertisement will be released. We welcome everyone to experience it then."
No matter what else the reporters asked, Manager Wang revealed no further details.
Gu Anxi sat in the Vice President’s office, watching Manager Wang answer questions. She faintly smiled. "This high-profile assignment is certainly beneficial for Manager Wang."
Secretary Tang also smiled, then whispered, "The advertisements will officially launch tomorrow. I’m sure everyone will be astonished!"
Gu Anxi gave a slight smile. "Actually, the perfume market’s pie has already been divided. No matter how much of a commotion one makes, it’s hard to achieve a breakthrough. That 6-million-unit record isn’t unbreakable simply due to its fragrance."
Secretary Tang nodded. "The Gu Corporation’s sales this quarter were also boosted by significant online and offline advertising. In reality, the profits weren’t that impressive."
Gu Anxi looked at her and chuckled softly. "Tang Yuan is just spending a fortune to build a public persona."
Secretary Tang said no more. The recent rumors about the Gu family in Beicheng are indeed quite numerous... But I truly admire Vice President Gu. Before the product launch, Vice President Gu had never mentioned that this summer limited-edition series had such a function. If a colleague from the Product Experience Department hadn’t mentioned it, no one would have dared to even consider it. Vice President Gu is truly remarkable...
This perfume is going to sell out! It’s going to cause a frenzy!
「Meanwhile, at the Gu Residence」
Gu Mingzhu quietly watched the press conference, a cold smile playing on her lips.
I refuse to believe that after selling those 1 million units, Gu Anxi can sell significantly more. The market is already nearly saturated by several of Gu Corporation’s products. Perfume isn’t a daily necessity like food...
