pjbooks Chapter 95 [Contract Finalized]
Chapter 95 [Contract Finalized]
Chapter 95 [Contract Finalized]
"How come I'm seeing Boss Liu's video at number one on the leaderboard again? Did I get reborn? Did I go back to two weeks ago?! (horrified face.jpg)"
It was clearly just text, but it appeared as if a voice message had been sent in the QQ group called "Secret Base" on Liu Zhuohao's phone screen.
He was added to this group by "Biting Cat," a well-known content creator in the dance section; it's a small group.
Aside from a few official work groups run by Crowra, this is the only private community Liu Zhuohao has joined.
But he rarely speaks here, and even less often clicks in.
The group's daily topics always revolve around criticizing new anime series, game guides, travel experiences, or gossip within the industry, creating a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere.
These content creators seem to enjoy the creative process itself and the exchange with like-minded people more.
The atmosphere of treating video content as a career and constantly thinking about creative ideas is not obvious in the group.
Even after the viral video of him protesting went viral, Liu Zhuohao never appeared in this group, nor did he pay much attention to it.
However, he knew in his heart that there must have been no shortage of discussions about him.
The hottest topic in the group right now is about my latest video:
The factory manager joked, "This is truly a case of 'dimensional reduction attack'!"
"From offline stalls to trending topics online, and from trending topics online to local news, isn't the next step to expand nationwide?"
Old E: "I saw the news clips. Aside from those who just repost the CCTV Evening News, wouldn't you say Boss Liu is the first blogger on our site to actually publish original content on legitimate local news? He's got real star power!"
Sanwu: "Definitely! I've never seen a second one like it."
"I've never seen a blogger like this before, who not only has a thriving online presence but also actually has a physical store and is running it honestly."
Factory manager: "From the perspective of crisis public relations and content marketing, his handling of this incident can be described as textbook-level."
"Turning danger into safety, turning misfortune into blessing, not only solving the problem but also gaining exposure, impressive."
Group messages kept refreshing, the topics revolving around him, including exclamations, analyses, jokes, and subtle envy.
Liu Zhuohao watched quietly, occasionally swiping his finger across the screen, without typing a single word.
Unlike the last time he joined the group, he didn't send any messages or participate in their conversation.
And the only one who remained silent, just like me, was the person who had pulled me into the group chat, Biting Cat.
"cough."
A soft cough pulled Liu Zhuohao's thoughts back to reality from his phone screen.
He raised his head.
Before us is a simple meeting room inside the Chen Family Food Processing Factory.
The long table is clearly divided into two sides, with a crow and a fat cat sitting on one side, representing the small, broken website platform.
On the other side, Chen Youyin and his niece Chen Min and others sat in the main seats, with a factory lawyer sitting next to them with a folder open.
Liu Zhuohao himself was accompanied by a lawyer.
This is a local senior lawyer, surnamed Zhou, whom my cousin Liu Zhuoyue contacted to deal with potential lawsuits. He is in his forties and is known in the industry for his meticulousness.
Although the previous whistleblower incident did not lead to litigation due to official intervention, Attorney Zhou's experience in interpreting contracts and negotiating business made Liu Zhuohao much more relaxed when formally signing the contract.
Fat Cat's voice echoed in the conference room. He had finished the initial pleasantries and moved on to explaining the core terms: "—Therefore, the core value of this preliminary 'Trial Operation Cooperation Agreement' lies in the fact that it provides a dynamic evaluation framework based on actual market performance for subsequent long-term formal cooperation."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over Chen Youyin and Liu Zhuohao across from him, and spoke steadily: "Specifically, during the next six-month trial operation period, if our side, that is, our platform, can provide value-added operational services for this cooperation project beyond the basic traffic support..."
"For example, embedding technical backlinks on relevant video pages that can directly redirect to product purchase pages, compiling order information and synchronizing it with suppliers, intervening as the platform to provide additional customer trust protection and mediation mechanisms when disputes arise in transactions, and launching additional, targeted on-site traffic support programs when project sales encounter bottlenecks —"
With each item he mentioned, he would lightly tap his finger on the table, as if adding weight to the chips.
"Therefore, these quantifiable and assessable additional contributions should be regarded as an important basis for influencing our share of the profits in the subsequent formal contract. We hope to define these possible contribution dimensions and their evaluation standards more clearly in the appendix to the trial operation contract."
After Fat Cat finished speaking, he looked at Liu Zhuohao and Attorney Zhou.
Some of these contract terms sound complicated.
But their intention is clear: to draw up a specific charter to ensure that the contributions made by both parties during the trial operation will be reflected in the formal contract six months later.
Attorney Zhou gently pushed up his glasses and continued, "We understand and respect the platform's position of wanting to demonstrate its unique value, but we must emphasize that in this cooperation, we, namely Mr. Liu Zhuohao and his team, play the most crucial role in sales conversion and brand building."
His gaze met the fat cat's calm eyes: "Platform endorsement is the cornerstone of building trust, that's true."
"But the first decision point that makes users want to buy, and the direct driving force that ultimately completes the purchase, undoubtedly comes from our content creation, reputation guarantee, and direct interaction."
"I think everyone here would agree on that."
He paused briefly to give others time to raise their objections.
But clearly, no.
Then, he slowly revealed his own plan: "Therefore, the core indicator of our proposed trial operation evaluation plan should focus on the sales revenue directly generated by us."
He opened the document in front of him and read out the carefully calculated figures: "We suggest setting tiered targets. If, during the six-month trial operation period, the total sales driven by our content are consistently above three million yuan, that is, an average of over 500,000 yuan per month."
"Therefore, in the subsequent formal contract, we will insist on maintaining the revenue sharing ratio initially agreed in the trial operation contract, which is 40%."
"And if total sales can reach more than four million RMB, that is, an average monthly sales volume of ————"
He explained softly that the higher the sales volume, the more important their position should be in the future distribution of the market, as the core sales channel.
It could be 50%, 60%, or even more!
"Moreover, I had already made a request to Mr. Chen offline before, which was that the items my online fans buy through my channels should be discounted by a little bit compared to what you sell to other customers offline, even if it's just a dollar or two."
Liu Zhuohao added, "It doesn't necessarily have to be a discount throughout the entire process. It can be a discount at intervals, such as the initial sales at the beginning, or discounts during subsequent holidays."
"I just glanced at the contract, and it does contain relevant content."
"But I think it needs to be clarified who should bear the cost of this part of the discount. I suggest that it be split equally among the three parties."
Chen Youyin wasn't idle either.
Their legal department also clearly expressed their demands: "As the product supplier and logistics support provider, our evaluation criteria should mainly revolve around product quality control and customer after-sales satisfaction. We are responsible for every link in this long chain, from production, quality inspection, packaging, cold chain logistics to safe delivery to customers."
The legal counsel adjusted his glasses and said pragmatically, "For e-commerce sales of these frozen and refrigerated prepared meat products, the spoilage rate is one of the core cost indicators."
"
"The industry standard is to keep the total loss rate between 6% and 10%."
"We promise to strive to keep the overall loss rate below 5.6% during the trial operation period. If this can be achieved, we hope to maintain the revenue sharing ratio of the trial operation contract in the formal contract."
He then shifted the focus, proposing his own incentive terms: "If we can further reduce the loss rate to below 4%, considering the investment in refined management, technological upgrades, and additional quality control costs required, we will request a corresponding increase in our profit-sharing percentage. If it can reach 3% or even lower—"
His meaning was equally clear.
The revenue sharing for future formal contracts will be determined based on the total product loss rate.
The meeting room fell silent for a moment, with only the low hum of the air conditioner.
The preliminary plans from all three parties are on the table; these are the results of repeated negotiations over the past few days.
"That makes perfect sense."
Liu Zhuohao's voice broke the silence that had been somewhat heavy due to the details of the terms.
He leaned forward slightly, his gaze sweeping over the people around the table, and summarized in a more straightforward and easier-to-understand way: "It might sound a bit convoluted when it comes to specific legal provisions."
"Simply put, it's about the three of us. Whoever does more and contributes more to this business in the past six months should get more in the long-term contract."
"Everyone agrees with this requirement, right? The platform focuses on traffic generation, I focus on sales, and Boss Chen focuses on quality control and after-sales service."
.
"That's certainly reasonable," Chen Youyin nodded in agreement first, but immediately shifted the focus to the platform, "However, I think the extra in-site traffic support plan the platform mentioned is still a bit too vague."
He frowned and tapped his fingers lightly on the table. "I, Old Chen, am a straightforward person. I just want to know, besides the initial push, what other support can you provide afterward? I really can't think of any other unseen assistance you can offer."
He still has reservations about the value of platforms in selling goods.
This is also the most instinctive concern of many traditional business people who are new to traffic cooperation.
"Boss Chen, actually we—" Fat Cat had to patiently explain again, trying to describe the potential benefits brought by the data and community operations.
Liu Zhuohao didn't interrupt; he just listened quietly.
This is a question that will be discussed many times in the future.
In this small city, the widespread adoption of food delivery services may not happen until 16 or 17. Many businesses will choose to join Meituan for convenience.
However, things took a turn in the following 24 and 25 years, as the platform's commission rates became increasingly higher, causing great hardship for merchants and delivery riders.
This is just a small city, without as many districts and counties as big cities.
Some businesses have chosen to leave the platform, regressing to doing business by distributing business cards to nearby office buildings, schools, and hospitals.
Customers can place orders directly on WeChat, and then the merchant will contact a familiar rider for delivery, thus eliminating the platform fee. The revenue is split between the merchant and the rider.
In the early stages of a business, before you've built a reputation and established connections with riders, leveraging the platform's resources is still quite necessary.
He had a clear understanding of the trade-offs and the appropriate pace involved.
While the other side was still arguing, Liu Zhuohao picked up his phone again; there were three private messages.
Biting Cat: "Congratulations! You're on the homepage again, that's awesome!"
"After seeing your photos of the local scenery, I'm suddenly interested in Chaoshan. I'm planning a trip there soon. Would you be able to recommend a few places you think are worth visiting?"
"If the timing is right, maybe we can even meet up?"
He paid special attention to that small group today, not because he suddenly had a social desire or was curious about how others praised him.
It was because, above that string of group chat notifications, the biting cat suddenly messaged him privately.
"It seems he's not entirely without ambition." This thought flashed through Liu Zhuohao's mind.
He quickly scrolled through the history and found that when her rights protection video went viral, she did not make any special remarks, just discussed the topic normally, and her attitude remained very calm.
He tapped his fingers on the screen, replying with several iconic tourist names: "Palace Archway Street, Little Park,"
Han Wengong Ancestral Hall, Guangji Bridge, and Kaiyuan Temple—these are all places frequently visited by tourists and truly represent local culture.
He then politely replied, "I'm sorry, I'm currently busy preparing for a new store and a new video, so I'm really too busy to personally entertain you."
The message was sent and received a reply almost instantly.
The biting cat: "It's nothing! You go about your business! I'm just going to stroll around and eat some food to relax, no need to bother you~"
Upon seeing this, Liu Zhuohao paused, perhaps he was overthinking it, and the other party was simply seeking travel advice.
He was preparing to put away his phone and focus on returning to the negotiating table—
"By the way, just a side note—your comment section seems a bit turbulent lately? I casually browsed through it and saw some rather strange accounts stirring up trouble."
"Don't worry too much about these things. Once you reach a certain level and become popular, especially someone like you who is popular, it will definitely touch a nerve with some people. Some people will be envious, and some people will simply dislike it."
"You should be worried when no one's criticizing you."
Looking at these messages, which were clearly meant to offer comfort and share experiences, Liu Zhuohao glanced at the group still locked in a tug-of-war at the table, then quickly replied, "Thanks for the reminder."
"I know that. I usually only look at the highly-rated comments. The rest are handled by employees. Malicious or inflammatory comments are deleted."
"There were probably a lot of them recently, and we didn't have time to clean them properly."
The biting cat: "That's good! It's good that Boss Liu can keep a calm mindset."
"When I first became popular, I was criticized terribly, and I almost broke down. I hid and cried every day — (covers face)"
Thinking about it now, it's so embarrassing.
Liu Zhuohao looked at the message, which was both self-deprecating and honest, and didn't reply. He simply placed his phone face down on the table.
At this point, the argument at the table finally came to an end.
The three parties reached a compromise on the supplementary terms, and a revised draft contract was sent to the printer, making a regular sound.
The newly printed documents were delivered.