Chen Junnan was running all over Beijing alone, meeting with investors everywhere with his business plan in hand, while also urging Liu Zhengliang to quickly finalize the product design. According to Professor Du's theory, this fitness equipment primarily exercises the neck muscles and ligaments, with much weaker emphasis on the thoracic vertebrae. In plain terms, it focuses on the back of the neck area. If force is incorrectly applied to the atlas muscles higher up, the effectiveness would be minimal. Below the atlas is the axis, followed by the five cervical vertebrae, and beneath them lie the thoracic vertebrae—this is the standard configuration everyone shares, with no one having an extra or missing bone. The problem, however, is that cervical vertebrae vary in size from person to person. To exercise them, the surrounding muscles must perform resistance movements, but where should the fulcrum be? If the fulcrum is fixed, the product may not suit all consumers; if it's not fixed, how can the movement be scientifically designed? This posed a significant challenge in the design.
Liu Zhengliang didn't want to go to his mother's place after work to listen to her nagging, so he went to his grandfather's house to study on his own. At his grandfather's, Ai Chen dared to visit. While Ai Chen peeled apples nearby, Liu Zhengliang kept pondering over the initial product drawings.
Not daring to interrupt, Ai Chen went to the kitchen to help the old man with chores. Liu Zhengliang's grandfather asked, "Girl, how far have you two progressed in your relationship?"
Ai Chen felt a bit embarrassed, thinking the old man's question was quite pointed.
Grandpa continued, "You're both not young anymore; when it's time to take steps, move forward faster, three steps in two. My grandson has been dulled by too much studying since childhood; you need to help enlighten him. There are so many interesting things for men and women to do together—what's the point of him staring at a computer all day?"
As dinner was nearly ready, Ai Chen went to call Liu Zhengliang and saw him worrying about how to design the fulcrum. She asked, "Does this fulcrum really need to adapt to everyone's physiological characteristics?"
Liu Zhengliang replied, "Of course. If the product model doesn't fit the user, the exercise effect won't be good."
Ai Chen had Liu Zhengliang let her try the sample. Once she put on the device and adjusted it a couple of times, she immediately said to him, "Why not design it like an adjustable bicycle seat? Look at cyclists—some sit upright, others lean forward—their seats are movable in several directions. Why insist on making it fixed?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Zhengliang exclaimed, "Brilliant! That solves it. Whether the fulcrum rests on thoracic vertebra T9 or T10 can depend on personal habit; there's no need for such precision."
When Chen Junnan showed the product sample to investors, one remarked, "I see no fewer than one or two hundred people each year pitching all sorts of bizarre products. How is yours more effective than others? Even if it is effective, why should users believe it? The cost for users to build trust in you is too high; this can't possibly become a hit product.Chen Junnan retorted, "If even the 'intelligence tax' could become popular, why can't my legitimate scientific invention do the same?""The investor said, "Young man, don't get too excited. I'll invest 200,000 in you, but I want 20% equity. Get this project off the ground first. But if you want to promote this product on a large scale, you'll need TV commercials, like what Oak International did with their products a few years ago. As soon as people turn on the TV, they see it. Whether they believe it or not, they're willing to buy it."
That evening, Chen Junnan discussed it over the phone with Che Mingming. Che Mingming said, "Do you really need his 200,000? What if the product still doesn't take off after burning through that money? Will you just dissolve the company? Or let them liquidate you? Not only would the company no longer be yours, but Professor Du's invention would be taken away too."
Chen Junnan said, "How does a medical student know so much about this?"
Che Mingming replied, "It's because you're starting a business. I've been researching this stuff every day lately. I'm just worried you'll jump at every idea without thinking and get scammed by someone. If you ask me, we're in the internet era now. We should use our own money to create the product mold. If we can't mass-produce it, just make a few. You can promote it by giving lectures on Douyin or Kuaishou live streams."
Chen Junnan found a contract manufacturer in Tianjin and produced the first prototype. A prototype is different from the finished product—it doesn't have all the additional features yet. Chen Junnan mailed one to Liu Zhengliang and said, "Why don't you ask Aunt Tian to try it first? See if our product can actually treat illnesses."
Liu Zhengliang went to Aunt Tian's shop and gave her the "Top Notch." Aunt Tian asked, "Can this thing completely cure cervical spondylosis?"
Liu Zhengliang explained, "You need to combine it with diet. After exercising, you should eat high-GI foods and high-protein foods. High-GI stimulates insulin secretion, which acts like cement, and protein is the bricks. This helps muscle growth. Once your muscles grow, the pressure on your cervical spine decreases, and the discs won't be compressed."
Aunt Tian asked, "I know about protein, but what are high-GI foods? And why are we talking about insulin? I don't have diabetes."
Liu Zhengliang said, "They're foods that break down quickly in your stomach—like fried dough sticks, deep-fried twists, steamed buns, instant noodles, and French fries."
Aunt Tian laughed, "Oh my! I have plenty of those in my shop. I thought you meant some fancy delicacies. So it's just filling food? You intellectuals love using fancy terms. Alright, I'll listen to you. Exercise for half an hour a day, then eat deep-fried twists and steamed buns, right?"
After two weeks of practice, Aunt Tian's neck pain really went away. She used to walk with her neck tilted, but now she was swaying her hips again. After another month, she went to chat with Liu Zhengliang's mother and said, "Your son is amazing. This thing he made for me works better than any medicine."
Aunt Tian asked Liu Zhengliang, "Where can I buy this thing?"
Liu Zhengliang told her that they only had a prototype so far. The market hadn't been developed, and they hadn't secured any investment because the terms offered by investors were completely unacceptable. So, for now, they were selling it on Taobao. It had been over a month, and they hadn't sold a single unit. Chen Junnan sat there every day doing live streams, greeting every viewer who came in with a "welcome," but as soon as people saw his face, they'd leave within three seconds.Aunt Tian said, "You educated folks don't know how to attract customers. Do you know how to do it? You need to find persuasive people—only when they promote for you will it work."
She immediately pulled Liu Zhengliang and Chen Junnan into a patient support group. In the group, there was an older man who was a retired fighter pilot. He used to perform extreme maneuvers daily, with his neck enduring multiple G-forces, and by his fifties, his neck had become unreliable. Aunt Tian told Old Zhao he needed to exercise. The pilot replied, "I lift weights every day." Using Liu Zhengliang's talking points, Aunt Tian said, "The muscles in your neck can't be trained by weightlifting." Initially skeptical, the pilot tried the product for a month and was soon utterly convinced. Old Zhao even brought out his old military officer ID, held it up to his phone, and started live-streaming to promote the product on Kuaishou. While demonstrating it, he'd occasionally share stories from his days testing aircraft in Qingdao, like how he chased away American spy planes. Within two or three days, they received over six hundred orders.
That evening, when Chen Junnan opened Taobao, he burst into tears. He called Liu Zhengliang and said, "Liangzi, we've done it. We've got money now—we can make big money on our own. Who says starting a business means spending on TV ads? We can generate traffic online. If a million people see our product, a thousand will place orders. This costs nothing and cuts out the middlemen."
Seeing the potential, Aunt Tian approached Liu Zhengliang: "Isn't Top Notch lacking investors? I want to invest." Liu Zhengliang asked, "How much are you thinking?" She replied, "Is five million enough?"
Where Chen Junnan outshone Liu Zhengliang was in knowing how to spend money. Making money isn't the real skill—knowing how to use it is. If you gave Liu Zhengliang five million, he'd be clueless, but Chen Junnan allocated every penny wisely, a perk of growing up in a wealthy family.
In less than half a year, Chen Junnan's company had gathered over a dozen live-streamers and signed deals with several platforms. With steady traffic, they attracted consistent orders. Top Notch released three product generations, each adding new features without any advertising—just sold online, moving hundreds of units daily. Liu Zhengliang advised, "No rush to split profits now. Solidify the business first and focus on volume."
Logically, with money in hand, Chen Junnan could've partied at Sanlitun at night. But his mind was on Che Mingming. Whether she teased him or praised his achievements, he drew a sense of accomplishment from her. Sometimes, all that hard work is just to hear a woman say, "Man, you're amazing!" Che Mingming wasn't one to say it lightly, and Chen Junnan rarely heard it.
When Chen Junnan invited Che Mingming to Beijing for the weekend, she asked Liu Zhengliang, "Should I go or not?"
Liu Zhengliang said, "Go if you want to."
Che Mingming mused aloud, "Do you think Chen Junnan has honorable intentions? A young woman like me spending the weekend with him—it doesn't sound proper."
Liu Zhengliang replied, "I know he's fond of you. It's up to you to decide."
Che Mingming quickly cut in, "Don't say any more. He should tell me that himself."Yes, these words should be spoken by the man himself to the woman. When someone else steals the lines, it just isn't exciting anymore. It should be after the two have strolled through Tianqiao, climbed the Great Wall, and at night, lain on the carpet atop the ski resort hotel in Zhangjiakou's Wild Fox Ridge, gazing at the Milky Way. The Milky Way was brilliant, and with no one else around, the ski resort was quiet. Chen Junnan quietly moved closer.
Logically speaking, if you're pursuing a young girl who hasn't experienced much, you should take her to revel in the bustling world, living freely and unrestrained, galloping on horseback to share the splendors of life. But if you're pursuing a woman who has seen the world, you should bring her back to simplicity, creating small romantic moments to coax her. However, Che Mingming was definitely not inexperienced, yet she certainly hadn't seen the grander side of life either.
Chen Junnan thought for a long time but couldn't figure out what to say. After a while, he finally blurted out, "Do you snore when you sleep?"
Che Mingming was amused by him: "Such a perfect atmosphere, and you just ruined it with that one sentence. Look at me—I don't know how to speak sweetly, so I just keep quiet and count the stars."
OpenNovel