Starting from a Bar to Sign Internet Celebrities

Chapter 467: Chapter 255: Chen Jincheng Dumbfounded: I’m Just Making an Investment

He had analyzed that a product had a huge target audience, but when it launched, almost no one bought it.

Back in 2020, some blogger named Lan got his start by dissing him, eventually replacing him to become a wildly popular investment blogger who, at one point, amassed over ten million followers.

Chen Jincheng clicked on the video from this Teacher Lin, Lin Hongxiao, and heard him begin his earnest analysis. "The internet is buzzing about influencer Chen Jincheng’s 300 million investment. A lot of my followers have been asking me to weigh in, so since you asked, here are my thoughts."

Chen Jincheng laughed when he heard this.

’He just wants to chase clout, but he has to use his fans as an excuse.’

"How should I put this? I am not at all optimistic about Chen Jincheng’s investment. Just like all those other self-important influencers and celebrities who fail at investing, he lacks the requisite professional knowledge."

"To put it simply, the beer industry has long been saturated. In fact, peak demand has even started to decline. The top six major beer corporations already control 92.6% of the market."

"What little market is left is dominated by craft breweries. There’s no empty space. For him to dive headfirst into this industry... he’s going to get crushed."

"Maybe he can leverage his fame to sell a little beer, but unfortunately, he’s just an influencer. His ability to handle pressure is low, and he’s completely dependent on his fans’ support. The moment his fans stop buying what he’s selling, he’ll be plunged into a severe financial crisis."

"Therefore, under these circumstances, it’s a foregone conclusion that Chen Jincheng’s investment will go down the drain. I don’t know who conned him into investing in beer, but I’d still offer him a piece of advice: don’t bite off more than you can chew."

"Besides, the beer industry’s inner workings are incredibly complex. Newcomers are always ganged up on and crushed..."

After finishing the video, Chen Jincheng smiled. There was a reason this Lin Hongxiao character had become famous, after all.

His analysis was slick and systematic, seemingly well-reasoned and supported by evidence.

’There was just one tiny problem: the guy was spouting off without even knowing what Chen Jincheng was actually planning to do. And he was talking such a big game while doing it.’

However, a look at the comment section showed that the support for him was nearly unanimous.

"Teacher Lin is right. Chen Jincheng should just stick to being an influencer instead of trying to play investor."

"Haha, that analysis was spot-on. Chen Jincheng is great at making videos, but when it comes to investing, he’s a total nobody."

"I also think Chen Jincheng’s going to bomb this time."

"That’s our Teacher Lin for you! @Chen Jincheng!"

"@Chen Jincheng, hurry up and listen to what the teacher has to say."

"..."

Chen Jincheng couldn’t help but chuckle as he read through the mentions.

’If there weren’t so many idiots in the world, how would these ’investment teachers’ sell their courses and fleece their flock?’

「In a studio.」

Lin Hongxiao was beaming as he watched the stats on his video climb steadily. "This Chen Jincheng’s clout is really something else. The numbers are shooting up so fast."

His assistant standing nearby chuckled. "Teacher Lin, he might be popular, but dropping 300 million on an investment all at once makes a lot of people jealous. To be honest, most of them are hoping he loses his shirt."

Lin Hongxiao scoffed. "There’s no doubt about it. Investing in the beer industry is a fool’s errand. Without massive financial backing, he’ll never be able to capture any market share."

Just then, his assistant suddenly said, "Teacher Lin, that Chen Jincheng guy just left a comment on your video."

Lin Hongxiao was surprised. "What did he say? Did he thank me?"

"No, just... see for yourself!" the assistant said awkwardly.

Lin Hongxiao immediately checked the comments and, sure enough, found Chen Jincheng’s reply: "Video saved. Can’t wait to dig this up and rub it in your face later!"

The comment made Lin Hongxiao’s cheek twitch. The guy was clearly challenging his analysis.

’Is this guy an idiot?’

’I already explained it so clearly. Did he not understand?’

’And he wants to rub my face in it?’

’As if he’ll get the chance.’

Chen Jincheng’s sudden appearance and response in the investment blogger Lin Hongxiao’s comment section immediately drew a great deal of attention.

Those in the comments who agreed with Lin Hongxiao’s analysis were especially quick to reply to Chen Jincheng.

"Chen Jincheng, don’t be so stubborn. Just listen to the teacher; he knows what he’s talking about."

"Can’t wait to watch you crash and burn!"

"You’re getting way ahead of yourself. Can’t wait to watch that 300 million go down the drain!"

"..."

Thanks to these comments, the hype around Lin Hongxiao’s video grew even more intense. More and more people took notice of the public clash between Chen Jincheng and Lin Hongxiao.

No one could understand it. Chen Jincheng was doing perfectly well as an influencer, making great videos. Why did he suddenly decide to get into investing?

And for 300 million, no less.

The crucial part was that anyone with half a brain could see Lin Hongxiao was right. Chen Jincheng’s investment was a lost cause. So what was he even trying to argue about?

As the buzz exploded, the incident even caught the attention of Tiao Yin’s management—specifically, its CEO, Han Shangyou.

He made it a habit to keep an eye on the major trending topics that emerged on the platform each day.

Initially, he had only given the news of Chen Jincheng’s investment a passing glance. After all, he too could tell right away that the venture was shaky.

But soon, he noticed something different and had his assistant forward all the relevant materials and videos.

He saw that the story was being amplified by news media accounts. Many of them were hyping it up.

The news media!

They had always been the mouthpiece of society, and as such, many news corporations wielded significant influence.

But with the rise of the internet, the authority of traditional news media was shifting online. Almost no one read newspapers anymore; instead, they were all creating official social media accounts.

Now, it was clear these news outlets saw a better method of promotion on Tiao Yin and were experimenting with it.

If they could be made to see the huge benefits of promoting on Tiao Yin, they would surely invest more heavily in developing their Tiao Yin accounts.

And when that reached a certain point, Tiao Yin itself could become the new mouthpiece, and then...