"All these channels are just too slow. What I need now is a way to get the product out there in the shortest time possible."
Evan Lin looked at Lily Zhong in front of him, paused, then continued, "That's exactly why I plan to use a celebrity for the first wave of promotion. The candidate I've settled on is Serena Tong."
This was a plan Evan had thought up long ago.
With the current output of the Youth-Preserving Beauty Pill, there's no way it can be a mass-market product. To get enough returns quickly, the simplest method is to sell to women with enough money, while also gaining mainstream recognition.
The value of a brand far exceeds that of the product itself, and the rewards are bound to be much greater.
"Serena Tong? The ice-cold goddess who's getting more and more famous thanks to Mysterious Detective?"
Hearing Evan's words, Lily Zhong was stunned for a moment.
"You know about her?"
Evan looked at Lily's expression, feeling rather curious himself.
When it came to celebrities, Evan didn't really have much concept.
The reason Evan thought of Serena Tong was simple: up to now, she was the only celebrity he'd ever interacted with, and from their previous meeting, he felt her looks were perfect for promoting the Youth-Preserving Beauty Pill.
On top of that, Serena Tong was pretty popular.
What surprised Evan was that Lily Zhong actually knew about her too.
After all, in Evan's impression, Lily Zhong always seemed busy with work—she didn't seem like the type to care about celebrities.
"Who doesn't know her?"
Hearing Evan ask, Lily Zhong couldn't help but roll her eyes. "She starred in 'Heavenly Sword Immortal' when she was eighteen. I still remember her character so clearly. Back then I was still in college, and my whole dorm was obsessed with that show—especially all the gossip about Serena Tong as Lillian Ye and Lance Li as Zack Zhao. The rumors were everywhere."
"The guy was handsome, the girl was gorgeous. Honestly, I thought they might actually date off-screen. But apparently Serena Tong turned Lance Li down, which is kind of a shame when you think about it."
Talking about this, Lily Zhong sighed, looking genuinely sorry for Serena Tong.
"Didn't expect it—Ms. Zhong, you actually chased stars back in the day."
Evan teased her.
Lily Zhong shot Evan a look. "I'm only twenty-six, okay? I'm still young! Chasing celebrities is totally normal!"
Hearing that, Evan was a little taken aback.
To be honest, Evan had always thought of Lily Zhong as a really mature adult. When they'd interacted before, she'd always seemed more rational than emotional. Even later, when he had her help Big Tank with business, it was because she worked so hard.
Now, hearing Lily say she's only twenty-six, Evan realized for the first time that she's just a young woman. The reason she works so hard is probably because of her gambling-addicted, headache-inducing dad—she has no choice but to push herself.
"Did I say something wrong?"
Seeing Evan suddenly go quiet and just stare at her, Lily thought she'd said something wrong and started to feel a little anxious.
"No," Evan shook his head. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Ms. Zhong, have you ever thought about going back to school?"
"Back to school?"
Lily was caught off guard by Evan's question.
"Yeah. I just think being a student is way more relaxing. You could enjoy life a bit now—don't worry about money, you could go for a master's degree or something."
Evan nodded.
From the start, Evan had never thought of treating Lily Zhong as just a tool.
Before his rebirth, even when Evan was at his worst, Lily Zhong had always shown him kindness and encouragement. But back then, Evan was a mess—he stopped paying attention in class, and eventually Lily could only feel disappointed and frustrated.
Later, when Evan seemed salvageable, Lily didn't hesitate to offer free tutoring after class. Just for that, Evan hoped Lily could live a happier life.
"I've actually thought about it. I'm planning to get an MBA—it'll make managing the company easier." Lily nodded, then looked at Evan, ready to speak. As if she'd already guessed his point, she continued, "I know what you mean. You just want me to live happily, without too much pressure, right?"
"But honestly, my life is already pretty good. And being able to do things for you makes me feel like I deserve the help you've given me."
She smiled, her gaze toward Evan growing even softer.
Evan, hearing this, wisely dropped the subject so he wouldn't hurt Lily's pride.
"So, back to the original topic—I plan to have Serena Tong help promote the Youth-Preserving Beauty Pill and grab market share as fast as possible."
"It's a good idea, but there are two issues right now." Lily put away her smile and became all business. "First, our company is just getting started. A top celebrity like Serena Tong won't risk her image for a little money by endorsing an unknown product and taking on all the potential risks."
"Second, Serena Tong is currently signed with Imperial Star Entertainment. Even if she agreed, rumor has it her company has shelved her, and on top of that, she was just hit with a scandal that could wreck all her years of hard work. If we make her our spokesperson, our product and company could get dragged into it too. Should we consider someone else?"
"Serena Tong will definitely be happy to help, so you don't have to worry too much about that. But what scandal are you talking about?" Evan was a little curious.
Ever since he helped Serena Tong out in Capitalview last time, Evan hadn't really kept up with her news. He'd been interested in whoever tried to mess with her, but that person seemed to have disappeared.
"A few months ago, the media reported that Serena Tong met up late at night with a local rich kid during a fan event in Capitalview. Her agent tried their best to protect her image but couldn't stop it, so it looked like Serena was willing to do anything for money—even driving her agent away in the end."
"The whole thing blew up for a while, but then it somehow got suppressed. There was even a photo with the story—let me find it for you."
Remembering, Lily walked over to the computer, did a quick search, found the picture, and handed it to Evan.
Evan glanced at it, and his expression instantly turned strange.