Transmigrating As a Poor Fake Heiress with Trillions in Family Asset - Chapter 51

Chapter 51: Refusing the “Citywide Purchase”

Chinese New Year: Do you choose to work overtime to earn extra money, or go home for a family reunion?

This is a dilemma for many office workers. For most, it’s not even a choice—companies often offer a fake “option” while effectively forcing them to stay.

Before the holiday, Jing-Selection asked all its employees, including those in its subsidiary courier company, if they were willing to work through the Spring Festival. Everyone expected the typical pressure, but when some employees requested to go home, the management approved their leave without hesitation.

The staff realized that at Jing-Selection, overtime was truly voluntary. Still, many chose to stay for the extra pay, and some even opted to work remotely from their hometowns. At the company’s annual party, every employee received an extra red envelope—ranging from a few hundred to tens of thousands of yuan—on top of their year-end bonuses.

The reason for the overtime was the launch of the collaboration between Jing-Selection and Kou’s Group, a project that had been in the works for a month.

…

The Meeting That Shook the Office

One month prior, the first meeting for this project was held at Jing-Selection’s headquarters. To everyone’s shock, Kou Yan himself arrived and sat in the conference room.

“Why is President Kou here personally?” whispered the staff. “Usually, they just send a high-level executive.”

“Maybe President Sang and President Kou are actually dating? They look so good together.”

Even the managers at Jing-Selection were a bit intimidated by Kou Yan’s presence. Sang Jing stood up to open the meeting: “Welcome, President Kou. Today, we are here to discuss the ‘Citywide Purchase’ collaboration.”

Many were confused. Aside from its malls, Kou’s Group was mostly involved in state-linked industries. And weren’t the malls and Jing-Selection rivals? Recent reports showed that mall revenues had dropped due to the rise of e-commerce.

Sang Jing addressed their doubts. “Our goal at Jing-Selection is convenience. What’s more convenient than having items from a mall delivered to your door when you’re too lazy to go out?”

The room lit up. This wasn’t just online shopping; it was a lifesaver for the “homebodies.” Gong Fang quickly asked, “Can we even deliver food from the mall’s restaurants?”

Sang Jing looked at Kou Yan with a smile. “Would President Kou allow us to sign with the restaurants?”

Kou Yan nodded calmly. “All brands and merchants under contract with Kou’s Mall will collaborate with Jing-Selection.”

…

Resistance from the Merchants

While the vision was grand, many merchants in the malls were terrified. They had already been hit hard by the rise of Jing-Selection. When they were notified that the mall was partnering with their “enemy,” rumors flew.

“Is this a trap by Sang Jing?” some executives wondered. “She’s using President Kou’s feelings for her to make the malls collapse entirely!”

Kou Yan had been unyielding. His stance was: “If you want to renew your lease at Kou’s Mall, you must sign the cooperation agreement with Jing-Selection.”

This forceful approach made the brands feel like pawns. Eventually, two brand presidents—a man and a woman—personally visited Sang Jing.

“President Sang,” the man said hesitantly, “can we… choose not to participate in the ‘Citywide Purchase’?”

Sang Jing was stunned. “You mean you don’t want your brand featured on the Jing-Selection app?”

“Correct. We prefer to stick to physical retail only. We don’t see the need for this,” he replied.

Sang Jing explained that this wasn’t traditional e-commerce—it was essentially a courier service picking up items for local customers. But they remained firm. Sang Jing didn’t believe in forcing people. “I understand. I will speak with President Kou and have your brands excluded.”

Relieved but nervous about Kou Yan’s reaction, they thanked her. Sang Jing immediately scheduled a meeting with Kou Yan. His assistant, knowing the “Husky Mama” was coming, cleared his entire afternoon schedule instantly.

…

The Voluntary Principle

That afternoon, Sang Jing sat in Kou Yan’s office. “The partnership between Kou’s Group and Jing-Selection… it isn’t based on a voluntary principle, is it?”

Kou Yan paused. “I assumed if it were voluntary, no one would be willing to take the risk.” He added dominantly, “Their leases require them to participate in mall-wide activities. This is a small activity.”

“But I don’t want to force them,” Sang Jing countered. “Jing-Selection isn’t a ‘bandit’ app. We don’t force contracts.”

She couldn’t understand why anyone would refuse. With over 100 million users, even with lower margins, the sheer volume of sales would be massive. But if they didn’t want the money, she wasn’t going to beg.

Kou Yan looked at her and softened. “I see. I will re-survey the merchants and give you the updated data tomorrow.”

When the news reached the mall merchants that they could freely choose whether to join, they let out a collective sigh of relief. Finally, they weren’t being forced into the “lion’s den.”