Chapter 21: Precision Advertising

No sooner said than done, Yu Ze went straight to the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of iced black tea. On the internet, iced black tea and oolong tea were the most frequently mentioned items; iced black tea had a cooling effect, while oolong tea was for weight loss. Naturally, he chose the former.

Holding the bottle, Yu Ze twisted it open and took a sip. The moment the liquid hit his palate, he was stunned.

In their village, tea was a major source of income, and people generally made their own to drink. For instance, his family owned their own tea mountain, which was a primary revenue stream. Consequently, Yu Ze had always been in the habit of drinking tea. Although the variety grown in their village wasn't particularly high-end, the taste was decent, especially when pan-fried by hand, which gave it a unique flavor.

Yet, compared to this iced black tea, his family's tea seemed like mere scraps. It was delicious!

However, given the price, he couldn't bring himself to spend 188 yuan just for the taste. He wanted to see if it truly had any special effects. With that, he braved the blazing sun and went out for a stroll. He was someone who was sensitive to heat; as soon as summer arrived, he would be drenched in sweat.

Very quickly, he noticed something strange about himself. It seemed... he really wasn't afraid of the heat anymore? Yu Ze pondered this and continued wandering outside for a long time.

"Hey, kid from the Yu family! What are you doing out in this heat? Don't go getting heatstroke!" A middle-aged woman wearing a bamboo hat passed by. She looked at Yu Ze standing under the scorching sun and warned him immediately, her eyes full of pity, as if she were looking at a fool.

No, even a fool would know to hide in the shade during the hottest part of the day.

"I know," Yu Ze said, pausing as he caught her gaze before quickly heading back home. Feeling a sense of comfort radiating throughout his entire body, he looked down at the bottle of iced black tea in his hand, his eyes filled with confusion. Though he had confirmed the drink indeed possessed special properties, it really was scientifically inexplicable.

***

Far away in S City, Yu Zui had no idea her younger brother was questioning reality. At that moment, she was checking the information on her social media platforms. She had posted content, but as a total nobody, she hadn't made even the slightest splash in the vast sea of data.

Only on the DouVideo platform had a few followers trickled in—mostly Qiao Yuxin and some old customers. However, since she had integrated the main quest into her plans and aimed to complete future side quests more effectively, Yu Zui felt that increasing her fame was essential.

After verifying that her posts were fine, she turned her attention to the system. "System, you mentioned last time that you could help if needed. Are you free now?" Yu Zui asked directly.

"Yes," the system replied.

Hearing this, Yu Zui spoke up. "How do you handle traffic redirection?"

"These public platforms have built-in big data guidance. I simply utilize their existing algorithms. Previously, I pushed your 'Slim as a Flash' livestream to wealthy individuals in S City who were looking to lose weight."

Yu Zui’s jaw dropped. The system was incredible! It was truly a precision strike, and it was leveraging someone else's big data platform at that.

"Is this illegal?" Yu Zui couldn't help but ask. She was a law-abiding citizen; if any traces were found, people would only focus on Yu’s Grocery Store, not the system.

"No one can track the traces."

"Do you have to pay a price for this?" Yu Zui continued, concerned. In her mind, there was no such thing as a free lunch. She had never dared to accept handouts. Of course, this business system that had fallen from the sky was a different matter—it was just too good of an opportunity to pass up. She did have her doubts, but upon deep reflection, she realized she had nothing the system could possibly want. She was just an ordinary person, a drop in the ocean of humanity. It wasn't certain who was actually taking advantage of whom in this partnership. So far, she had certainly benefited quite a bit, so she felt it was only right to show some friendly concern for the system's situation.

"No, I have not caused any harm to this planet."

This statement made Yu Zui’s heart skip a beat. So, there were restrictions on the system's existence on their planet? This certainly put her mind at ease.

Setting that thought aside, Yu Zui continued, "In that case, I won't be modest! I hope your targeting can be more precise. For example, recommend iced black tea to people afraid of the heat; suggest oolong tea to those wanting to lose weight; for those in poor health, or families with elderly and children, recommend the fresh milk; for those who like sweet and sour flavors or have indigestion, recommend the plum juice; as for the new desserts, target those with a preference for such things..."

Yu Zui rattled off a long list of specific requirements.

"Do you not need to filter for things like family wealth?" the system asked after she finished. According to its analysis, many people with these needs wouldn't be willing to spend that kind of money. In some terms, that would be considered ineffective traffic.

"It's for popularity! The main quest you issued is to become a world-renowned grocery store, yet you only care about making money?" Yu Zui asked with a chuckle.

"Does the host not like money?"

Yu Zui raised an eyebrow. "My mood is more important than the main quest."

"I simply thought that if the host gets what she wants, she would work harder on the quests," the system replied with its own internal logic.

"Does completing quests benefit you in any way?" Yu Zui asked directly. Since they would be working together for a long time, she decided to use this opportunity to get things clear.

"I can upgrade," the system replied.

"Good. In that case, let's work hard together. I'll focus on making money, and you focus on upgrading. We'll advance together," Yu Zui said. She didn't intend to ask further; knowing too much wasn't necessarily a good thing. She only needed to know that the system stood to gain something concrete. This way, both she and the system had a shared goal. As for what would happen after the goal was reached, that was a matter for the future. Perhaps it would take her a lifetime to complete it. In other words, until the goal was met, the system was her greatest safeguard.

"Understood," the system agreed.

Following that, the system began executing the tasks Yu Zui had arranged. As for Yu Zui, she continued to pour her energy into managing the grocery store—restocking, organizing displays, and processing online orders.

What Yu Zui didn't know was that under the system's influence, Yu’s Grocery Store was being pushed at lightning speed to the attention of specific demographics. These people took the opportunity to learn about the store. Although the conversion rate was small, because the reach was so vast, Yu’s Grocery Store actually became a minor sensation online.