Chapter 104: Zhang Yang’s Troubles

“Have you heard?”

“An African and a Japanese guy got into a fight over some American fertilizer!”

“A fight? For real?”

“It’s true. I saw the news online. They were going at it hard, right in the middle of the street…”

“Are you serious?”

“Dead serious!”

“Is this fertilizer really that amazing?”

“Incredibly so. I heard that after using it, crop roots can grow two meters deep!”

“Oh my god, that’s insane!”

“…”

November 16th.

A news story appeared on the Huteng^[1] web portal.

The headline immediately grabbed the attention of countless netizens.

“Shocking: Two foreigners brawl over fertilizer bound for Huaxia! The truth behind the incident is…”

“…”

People couldn’t help but click on it.

The moment they did, they were greeted by a news report written in extremely hyperbolic language, detailing a “violent incident” on the streets of New York!

Next to a truck labeled “Huaxia Jinkela^[2] Transport Vehicle,” an African man and a Japanese man with a tiny mustache were brawling over the fertilizer.

In the photos, the two looked like they were fighting fiercely, their faces contorted in rage as they grabbed each other’s collars, seemingly on the verge of a full-blown melee.

Meanwhile, a tall American man had climbed down from the truck and was trying to break up the fight with a look of utter conflict on his face.

“Jinkela: A gold-medal winning product from the American SHENDIYAGE^[3] (San Diego) Agricultural Technology Fertilizer Awards…”

“Since its debut, this product has taken the United States by storm with lightning speed, becoming the ‘golden fertilizer’ sweeping across American farms…”

“As everyone knows, African agriculture is underdeveloped. Upon hearing this news, Arkham, a young man from Africa, traveled thousands of miles to get here…”

“Ichiro Koizumi^[4], residing in Nagasaki, Japan, also carries the heavy responsibility of revitalizing Japan on his shoulders. He crossed the vast ocean…”

“They have sworn to obtain Jinkela!”

“…”

“…”

The news introduced the backgrounds of the Japanese and African men.

The descriptions were filled with phrases like “enduring untold hardships,” “crossing vast oceans,” “traveling thousands of miles,” and “trekking over mountains and rivers…”

Strangely, as people read on, they felt a sense of hot-blooded passion reminiscent of a shonen manga^[5]. By the time they finished, everyone felt that these two men had truly gone through so much.

“Is this fertilizer really that badass?”

“Holy crap!”

“Eighteen hundred catties of wheat per mu?”

“Mama mia, shouldn’t I buy some for my mom?”

“…”

The netizens were especially shocked when they saw the long string of chemical equations and conclusions at the end that no one could actually understand!

However…

Some netizens suddenly realized something was off!

“Pfft!”

“San Diego, USA… spelled as SHENDIYAGE?”

“Crap! Do they use Chinese Pinyin in San Diego now?”

“Why do I feel like I’m being scammed?”

“…”

The moment many netizens noticed the English lettering for San Diego in the corner, they snapped out of it…

Some users sitting in front of their screens literally spat out their drinks!

Soon, this news story—which first shocked people and then made them choke on their food—was pushed to the top of the portal’s trending list by the netizens.

By noon.

Another news item appeared on the portal!

“Shocking! Video of the Japanese-African brawl exposed! The scene spiraled out of control, extremely bloody…”

Netizens in late 2005 were still quite innocent.

When they saw a headline like that, how could they resist?

Many people in front of their screens took a deep breath!

Then, they stared intently at the screen!

And then…

“Jinkela! Jinkela! Ours! Ours! Jinkela! Ours!”

(The small truck loaded with Jinkela was intercepted.)

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“Japanese & African: Jinkela! Jinkela! Ours! Ours!”

“African: I want Jinkela! African agriculture is underdeveloped^[6], we must have Jinkela!”

“Japanese: I want Jinkela! Japan lacks resources, we must have Jinkela!”

“…”

“…”

As they watched the “argument” on the screen, the netizens stared with blank expressions!

“Damn it!”

“Don’t tell me this is the ‘scene spiraling out of control’ and ‘extremely bloody’ part?”

“Screw you! I even turned off my speakers and mentally prepared myself for something graphic. Then I open it and you show me this?”

“Do Africans and Japanese people speak such clunky Chinese? And you, American guy, you speak clunky Chinese too?”

“Why do I feel like I’ve been tricked?”

“It’s not a feeling, you really were tricked. This is an advertisement! I just turned on the TV and they’re broadcasting this exact ad…”

“???”

“…”

“Fertilizer mixed with Jinkela won’t leach! Won’t evaporate! Zero waste!”

“Fertilizer mixed with Jinkela can absorb nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium from two meters deep!”

“World fertilizer prices are rising, so mix your fertilizer with Jinkela! One bag does the work of two!”

“…”

Across various television stations.

Netizens who had just logged off the internet turned on their TVs and stared dumbfoundedly at the scene.

When they heard the cringeworthy Chinese-English “American, look! San Diego!”—which sounded like “A-mei-ni-kan, Shang-di-ya-gou”—their minds went completely blank.

Many people couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

They felt as if their intelligence was being ground into the dirt. This was just too ridiculous!

Yet, for some reason, watching such a ridiculous advertisement was actually quite fun. They even wanted to watch it again!

Immediately following that…

The second round of advertisements appeared!

This time, it wasn’t just ridiculous; it reached a whole new level!

“The energy in every grain of Jinkela is like an atomic bomb…”

“The raw materials for Jinkela cost up to millions of dollars per kilogram…”

“…”

The netizens felt a jolt of shock!

Everyone was utterly flabbergasted!

It’s that powerful?

An atomic bomb?

Millions of dollars per kilogram for raw materials!

Holy crap, is bragging tax-free now?

………………….

“President Zhang, there are so many common-sense errors here. Is it really okay for us to boast like this?”

“What’s the problem? If Boss Zhang provided the material, it’s definitely fine. I trust him…”

“I see a lot of people cursing us online… they feel our advertisement is an insult to their intelligence. President Zhang, to be honest, I think it is an insult. When I saw the script, my whole body went numb…”

“What are you afraid of? Don’t be. If Boss Zhang Yang says it works, then it definitely works…”

“Oh…”

Shen Liang, a marketing graduate from Zhejiang University^[7], stared at the wave of online backlash with deep concern.

As Zhang Genshui’s chief strategist, he was worried.

This advertisement…

It was incredibly shocking and crude. After watching the final cut, he had nearly fainted.

It was 2005…

While false advertising certainly existed, no one had ever dared to lie so boldly as to claim a single grain of Jinkela fertilizer contained the energy of an atomic bomb.

He felt his entire worldview being overturned.

However, seeing that the nouveau riche Zhang Genshui didn’t care in the slightest, he finally chose to nod and go along with it.

By the afternoon, when the marketing department’s phone started ringing…

Shen Liang suddenly realized the lines were being blown up!

He went to answer a call.

He fully expected the person on the other end to be screaming insults.

Instead, to his shock, it was an order!

…………………

November 16th.

8:00 PM.

Netizens playing Plants vs. Zombies suddenly saw a system notification.

It seemed a new version of Plants vs. Zombies was available for upgrade…

Subconsciously, they clicked the update button.

Once the upgrade finished, they realized the core gameplay hadn’t changed much.

Instead…

“There’s an extra bag of Jinkela fertilizer additive?”

Their eyes went wide.

Normally, a Sun-shroom only provided 15 units of sun, growing to provide 30 units once it matured, which took two minutes.

But now…

After players spent money to use Jinkela, the growth time was slashed from two minutes to one minute and forty seconds, and the sun production at maturity jumped to 40 units!

After reading the description for the Jinkela fertilizer additive, many people began to question their reality.

“Wait a minute!”

“Don’t tell me this entire update was just to add a bag of Jinkela?”

“Damn it!”

“We updated just for a bag of fertilizer?”

The players stared at their screens, stunned as if they’d been hit by an electric shock.

Not long after…

The news headlines started appearing!

“Shocking: Jinkela Product Placement in Game Costs Tens of Millions in Advertising Fees!”

“Shocking: Zhang Yang Bows to Capital; Jinkela Triumphant!”

“The Bizarre Jinkela Ad Actually…”

“…”

………………

Two more days passed.

It was now November 18th.

At Mumaen Technology.

Chairman Liu Zhongshan suddenly announced at a meeting that he would be temporarily stepping back to the second line of management. He was handing over the reins to his daughter, Liu Ruohan, and hoped everyone would support the young president.

The news caused an immediate uproar among the staff!

The first thing Liu Ruohan did upon taking the stage was to summon Shen Yi, the former head of Human Resources…

Seeing Shen Yi’s solemn expression, Liu Yun’s mind went blank.

Even though Liu Ruohan promised that positions would remain unchanged for the time being and everyone should continue their work as usual, Liu Yun couldn’t help but feel the unease of a new regime taking over.

When she returned home…

She turned on her computer.

Immediately, she saw news about Zhang Yang!

Jinkela had paid Zhang Yang ten million yuan in advertising fees to feature in Plants vs. Zombies.

Liu Yun was stunned!

Then, when she turned on the television, she saw the Jinkela advertisement.

Her expression was a sight to behold.

The ad was riddled with common-sense errors…

They had even spelled “San Diego” using Chinese phonetics…

“Who on earth made this ad?”

“Isn’t this insulting the audience’s intelligence?”

“Society is becoming so impulsive these days…”

“Can any pig-brained idiot come up with an ad campaign now?”

“…”

Liu Yun shook her head.

After watching a TV drama for a while, it was past midnight.

Drowsiness finally took hold.

She let out a yawn and climbed into bed.

The next day, when she arrived at the office, she saw the people in the marketing department looking incredibly excited.

“The person behind this Jinkela ad is a genius!”

“Who is this person!”

“Check it, look into it thoroughly!”

“…”

Liu Yun found it strange.

However, she didn’t pay it much mind and simply returned to her office to start her day’s work diligently.

Liu Zhongshan still trusted her.

But…

She knew that since Liu Zhongshan’s departure, the new President Liu had always been skeptical of her abilities, so she figured it was best to stay steady and hardworking.

A short while later…

She heard a commotion coming from the marketing department.

She walked out to investigate.

“Director Liu, I knew it… this ad came from Zhang Yang’s hand!”

“It’s Zhang Yang’s work again. Heavens, this is amazing!”

“On the surface, the ad is full of holes, but it’s incredibly catchy. It makes people want to create their own videos based on it. It’s practically a brainwashing virus…”

“God, this man is a marketing master…”

“I don’t know why, but I have a feeling that a new era is coming.”

“…”

Hearing this…

Liu Yun remained in a state of confusion.

She had seen the Jinkela ad too.

But she thought it was absolute trash. She found it very hard to agree with terms like “marketing master” or “advertising genius.”

Subconsciously, she sought out Fan Qiang to ask why.

But when Fan Qiang saw her, his excited expression seemed to stiffen. He didn’t seem particularly willing to say much to her, only telling her to go online and look up Jinkela, especially on video sharing sites.

Then, Fan Qiang left.

Ever since Liu Zhongshan’s withdrawal, Fan Qiang seemed to be distancing himself from her more and more.

She couldn’t help but feel the sting of how quickly people moved on once someone lost their influence.

However, she soon logged onto the internet.

As soon as she opened a video hosting site, the first thing she saw was a series of parody videos edited by netizens.

“Jinkela: Discovery and Exploration^[8]!”

“Plants vs. Jinkela.”

“Jinkela: The Voice of the Farmer…”

“Jinkela: Romance of the Three Kingdoms^[9]…”

“Seven Miles of Jinkela^[10]…”

“PolyGram^[11] Jinkela…”

“…”

Liu Yun browsed the web and suddenly realized that the Jinkela advertisement had been remixed into countless versions by netizens.

Many famous songs and TV dramas in this world had been overlaid with Guichu-style^[12] voiceovers and visuals featuring Jinkela.

For a moment, it was incredibly addictive. After watching a few, Liu Yun felt like she was being brainwashed by Jinkela!

Some rookie editors had even started using electronic music samples to remix Jinkela.

The effect was incredibly powerful.

This was a style of video that had never appeared before!

“Any pig-brained idiot can come up with an ad concept now?”

Her mind suddenly flashed back to the disdain and speechlessness she felt yesterday after seeing the advertisement.

In this moment…

Her eyes widened.

She suddenly realized she was the clown.

It turned out that you simply couldn’t understand the things Zhang Yang was playing with, and by the time you finally did, it was already too late!

Before, she thought the advertisement’s creator was insulting Zhang Yang’s intelligence.

But now…

It seemed her own intelligence was the one being insulted by Zhang Yang.

*

November 19th.

The Jinkela advertisement’s impact was explosive, and in its wake, product sales skyrocketed.

“Didn’t I say Boss Zhang would be fine?”

“A powerhouse like Boss Zhang, how could people like us ever hope to understand him?”

“…”

Zhang Genshui puffed on his local tobacco.

The smell made Shen Liang cough repeatedly.

However, Shen Liang felt his knees go weak.

He felt like kneeling before Zhang Yang!

“Zhang Yang… he’s someone who creates trends…”

“I have a feeling…”

Just as Zhang Genshui was enjoying his tobacco with a look of self-satisfaction…

His phone rang.

“Huh? You want me to introduce you to Boss Zhang? What kind of ad do you want to run?”

“Lawnmowers? No problem, leave it to me!”

“…”

*

The gaming industry.

While all the other bosses were wearing themselves out trying to negotiate advertising deals…

Zhang Yang was in his office, sighing.

“Sigh… how did the fact that I’m the mastermind behind the Jinkela ad get leaked?”

“Lawnmowers? I suppose I could integrate lawnmowers. They could be used to clear out the zombies once when a player can’t pass a level. Players have been complaining that the game is too hard and some levels are impossible, but should I really update the game again? It’s not great to have updates every few days…”

“But with so much advertising money on the table, it’s hard to refuse!”

“What a headache!”

“…”

(End of Chapter)