Have you ever cared about me?

  It's already past nine, but the conference room is still brightly lit. Outside the long window, the neon lights have just come on and the shadows of cars are swarming about. This kind of night scene always has a melancholic beauty to it. The Jinshi Group is located in the high-rise office area of Guomao Phase III, occupying an exceptionally advantageous geographical location. The night view of the triangular area formed by the new CCTV building and the Fortune Center is spread out before one's eyes.

  The chairman's seat, Yan Bingyan sat upright with a serious expression, behind him was the clearly visible rectangular cityscape of Beijing, the dazzling night lights colliding on the floor-to-ceiling glass, like millions of starlights bursting forth, which also made the man's tall and slender figure seem dreamy and illusory.

  The people sitting on both sides of the conference room were all high-level executives of the company, who carefully and cautiously reported their work to Yan Baiyan one by one. Everyone in the Jinshi Group knew about Yan Baiyan's strictness and seriousness when it came to work. If there was any slight mistake, at best, they would not receive bonuses, and at worst, they would be directly expelled from the group.

  Compared to the dignitaries' cautious words, Yan Baiyan looked like he had already gotten used to it. The well-tailored silver-gray shirt softened his stern facial features, but he sat there silently, and even when he slightly furrowed his brow, the lines around his eyes, nose, and eyebrows seemed cold and severe.

  After the marketing and finance department heads finished their reports, Yan Bo finally had a slight reaction, his slender fingers stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Being able to achieve 27% growth in China in the first quarter when many luxury brands are rushing into the Chinese market is very good."

  Executives from the marketing and promotion departments all wiped away the sweat beads on their foreheads, and finally felt a weight off their minds. Being able to get "well done" out of Yan Bo's mouth was already the greatest praise.

  "In the next 3 years, Jing Shi plans to open 25-30 new flagship stores in China and will continue to expand investment in second- and third-tier cities. Relevant departments should make preparations, I need a complete plan book."

  Nian Boyan's words brought whispers from the high-level officials on both sides, and one of them directly raised an objection. "Director Nian, I think it would be better to switch to e-commerce channels in the next phase. Many brands are trying to transform their marketing models, and e-commerce is a good choice."

  This proposal has been met with both approval and disapproval.

  Nian Baiyan listened quietly, sipping tea from the cup on the table without haste, until the other person finished speaking. He then put down the cup and said, "Manager Liu, I'm delighted that you're always keeping an eye on current financial news, but before making a speech, have you carefully considered its feasibility? Hmm?"

  One sentence made Manager Liu's face suddenly change color, and he stood there awkwardly, not daring to make a sound.

  "The rapid development of e-commerce in China has indeed given many brands hope, and this zero-inventory operating model can indeed reduce operating costs. For example, our channel fees can be as high as 35%-40%, but for e-commerce brands, the channel fee is only 15%. However, while it's profitable, they've ignored the environment of the Chinese market."

  Yan Bo looked sternly, his eyebrows furrowed, "In the US, the overall online shopping environment has matured, but in China, diamonds wanting to sell purely online still need a long process to achieve. The online consumption habits of Chinese consumers are still gradually forming, and during this formation process, the trust level of Chinese people towards online sales is very low. Without offline experience and perfect after-sales support, it will lead to lower customer satisfaction. If you want to grab the market, you still need to take a path that combines physical stores with online sales. This is what we're doing now. Completely canceling direct-operated stores? That's just pie in the sky for this period."