Chapter 48: If You Don't Want to Lose Me, Then Let Me Do as I Please!

Cartier International High-End Brand, China Summit.

Liu Qiangxi was full of confidence, holding the microphone and giving an impassioned report. Ever since “Rising Storm” began airing, Sumu’s endorsement had taken the internet by storm. People were saying, “Whatever Qiang wears, he wears.” As a result, their brand’s sales saw a remarkable increase. Of course, there hadn’t been any scenes in shopping malls of people fighting to buy out their stock—after all, they were a high-end brand with quite expensive prices. But with this kind of data, Liu Qiangxi was securely seated as the regional director for China for years to come.

“This year’s performance is up by 2.2% compared to last year, and that’s only up to this point in time. I believe that in the coming months, it will continue to rise! The market share for Cartier’s haute couture is set to climb soon—this is the result of our collective effort. At the same time, we must thank our brand ambassador, Mr. Sumu, who has opened new horizons for us with his talent and influence!

Today, we are honored to have Mr. Sumu sit in on our summit. Please allow me to invite Mr. Sumu to the stage to say a few words to our brand and friends from the media. Everyone, please welcome him!”

Thunderous applause erupted.

“Wow! Brother Qiang is here!”

“My God, they actually invited him! That’s fantastic—Sumu is so handsome!”

“I was never interested in him before, but Gao Qiqiang really made me a fan!”

“Our brand is amazing—we even get to see celebrities!”

The crowd grew genuinely excited upon hearing that Sumu had been invited. Over the past month, the name Gao Qiqiang was everywhere. Especially when paired with that background music, “Listen”—everywhere you looked, there were video edits of Gao Qiqiang. It was easy to imagine just how high Sumu’s popularity and commercial value were at this moment.

Now, Sumu took off his mask and walked onto the stage, drawing an unprecedented wave of enthusiasm. The industry media snapped away at their cameras, already planning tomorrow’s headlines: “Brother Qiang Attends Brand Summit—Sumu, the New Darling of Haute Couture!”

Sumu himself cared little for such empty fame. Labels like “fashion guru” or “trendsetter” had never meant much to him. To put it plainly, fashion was all about money—if you had enough to buy luxury goods, even a fool could look international.

When Liu Qiangxi first invited him, Sumu had hesitated, thinking of declining. But later, Liu Qiangxi implied there might be other cooperation projects in the works, though he hadn’t said so directly over the phone.

But Qian Jida’s keen sense for money sniffed out the scent of profit and finally persuaded Sumu to attend.

By now, Sumu had reached the front of the stage and taken the microphone.

Liu Qiangxi: “Welcome, Sumu!”

Sumu: “Hello, everyone.”

Liu Qiangxi: “Sumu, choosing you as our brand ambassador might be the best decision I’ve made since becoming regional director for China.”

Sumu put on a polite smile. Truly a thick-skinned fox of the business world, to say something like that with a straight face. Wasn’t this the same man who’d questioned whether playing a villain might negatively impact the brand? If it hadn’t been for the signed agreement, they might have replaced him at the banquet that very night. And now it was apparently the right decision?

Sumu replied sincerely, “Yes, and I must thank you for choosing me, Director Liu. You have such an eye for talent.”

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Liu Qiangxi laughed, “You’re being modest, Sumu. With your current popularity, all this success is well deserved. Whether it’s me fulfilling my promise to increase your endorsement fee by 20%, or wanting to add another two years for a new project endorsement, it’s all thanks to your abilities.”

A new project endorsement?

Sumu was taken aback. He knew about the 20% fee increase, but this additional new project hadn’t actually been discussed yet. Was Liu Qiangxi just announcing it ahead of time? No denying, Liu Qiangxi had big plans—but he hadn’t even offered the money yet.

“Wait a moment.” Sumu suddenly shifted his aura, instantly transforming into Gao Qiqiang: “An additional new endorsement is fine, but... you’ll have to up the price.”

Liu Qiangxi: “...”

Media: “!!!”

Audience: “!!!”

“Pfft, hahahaha!”

“Wow, Sumu is just Gao Qiqiang in real life.”

“So genuine, I love it!”

“He’s right—if it’s a new project from our brand, the price should definitely go up.”

The crowd was genuinely surprised by Sumu’s presence, then quickly amused by his straightforwardness.

On stage, Liu Qiangxi forced a smile—he hadn’t expected Sumu to respond so boldly. He’d just been calculating a bit for himself. With so many industry media present, this was a good opportunity to make the announcement. Even if Sumu didn’t take the new endorsement, at least it generated buzz. He’d actually planned to discuss the details with Sumu after the summit.

He had to admit, after “Rising Storm” aired, Sumu’s popularity, influence, and the fans’ perception of him all soared. For the foreseeable future, at least, positive feedback would be frequent.

Many other brands were already watching Sumu closely. According to what Liu Qiangxi had heard, both Givenchy and Burberry had recently reached out to him—formidable competitors for the future.

Current market trends were all about capturing the youth demographic. High-end luxury was a brand’s upper limit, but what actually brought sales and income was always the younger generation. So many brands were adjusting their strategies, seeking to appeal to the preferences of young people: individuality, trendiness, new-generation stars, hip-hop, rappers, singing and dancing, basketball, underground battles, music festivals, rock bands, nightclub EDM, and so on.

These elements would become the main direction for all brands in the future. Their competitors had already started sponsoring variety shows featuring these elements or collaborating with new-generation celebrities to drive brand transformation.

Naturally, Liu Qiangxi couldn’t fall behind. He wanted Sumu to not only endorse haute couture but also try out their youth-focused trend projects. Yet Sumu gave him no quarter, demanding more money right from the start. After all these years, was there no sentiment at all?

“Ahem.” Liu Qiangxi adjusted himself and chuckled, “Sumu, you’re refreshingly direct—everyone loves your personality. We can talk about the collaboration details later. For now, would you say a few words to everyone?”

“Certainly.” Sumu didn’t hold back. He was the victor in this little exchange, and he would carry himself as such. Even if the other party was the financial backer, at this moment, he was the hottest star. If you don’t want to lose me, you’ll have to let me have my way. So, using your staff to brush up my skill proficiency isn’t out of line.

“Thank you to the brand for the invitation. I’d like to say a few words today. I’m very happy to be here—mainly because of this... So, everyone should understand... At the moment what I’m thinking is if... well... of course, I couldn’t possibly... but I still hope that... hmm, in the end, let’s just... Also, this... Here’s to our shared success! Thank you!”

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“Bravo!”

“Sumu spoke so well!”

Thunderous applause.

Liu Qiangxi: “...”