Chapter 022: Please, Don't Let It All Come Crashing Down

Ji Shuwen was scrolling through her Weibo notifications. She was a person who loved to share, frequently posting photos from her travels. Although she didn't have many followers, she viewed it as a way to document her life.

After returning home yesterday, she had posted photos of herself and her best friend wearing traditional Hanfu. Several friends had stumbled across the post and showered her with enthusiastic praise. She was quite fond of the city of S City; with its lush greenery and slow pace of life, it was perfect for a getaway. Unfortunately, her vacation was short. She thought that if the opportunity arose, she would visit again to explore the places she hadn't had the chance to see yet.

After replying to a few friends, Ji Shuwen continued scrolling through Weibo. Suddenly, her attention was captured by a post. What drew her in most was the eye-catching image attached to it. She recognized it instantly: it was traditional Chinese-style "Liuli" (Glazed) fruit pastries. She hadn't expected someone to actually make them, and seeing six different flavors in six distinct colors arranged together was absolutely stunning.

Her gaze shifted from the image to the account that posted it:
#Yu’s Grocery Store#
[New Arrival: Yu’s Spring Water Born]
[Function: Detoxification and Beauty]
[Click to visit the store]
[Attached Image.jpg]

Yu’s Grocery Store’s new arrival? Was it the same Yu’s Grocery Store she knew?

Wondering this, Ji Shuwen quickly clicked the link. Upon reaching the Taobao shop, she discovered it was indeed the same store where she had made a purchase before. She hadn't expected them to release a new dessert so quickly, and one that was so visually exquisite at that.

She checked the comments section; there were over a hundred discussions. But hadn't this shop only been open for... three days?

"Ahhh, it’s so beautiful!"
"It’s those Liuli fruits that were trending a while ago! I didn't expect a vendor to create so many variations; this is truly a feast for the eyes!"
"It looks great, but isn't the price a bit high?"
"I'm just here to appreciate the art."
"Licking the screen—I’ll just pretend I’ve eaten it."
"Confirming with my eyes: this is a store I can't afford."
"I checked the previous post; the other new item, the lotus seed ice cake, is also stunning!"
"Regardless, I’m following them first."
"..."

Ji Shuwen finished reading, noting that the follower count was over a thousand and still rising. She was amazed. To have achieved such results after only three days of business? Looking at the timestamp of the Weibo post, it had only been up for a few hours. It was highly likely that Yu’s Grocery Store had invested in promotional traffic. However, whether a shop could retain those followers after the initial boost depended entirely on its own quality.

Clearly, Yu’s Grocery Store’s capabilities were formidable. Ji Shuwen followed them without hesitation. She still remembered how good that iced black tea had tasted!

Immediately, Ji Shuwen followed their Taobao shop as well and reached out to Gu Xiaoya.
"Did that Oolong tea actually work for you?"
"I don't know if it was the tea, but I lost four pounds the next day!" Gu Xiaoya replied from the other end of the phone.

Ji Shuwen sent the Taobao shop link to Gu Xiaoya. "Yu’s Grocery Store seems to have opened an online shop. They have accounts on many platforms; you should follow them and see what others are saying."
"Got it."

In truth, Ji Shuwen had been debating for the past two days whether to buy from Yu’s Grocery Store again. Although the product was effective, she was a little afraid that it might contain questionable ingredients, so she had planned to wait. But after seeing the shop today and watching it grow, she felt it was worth keeping an eye on. More importantly, as the store's popularity surged, they surely wouldn't dare to be so high-profile if there was something genuinely wrong with their products, right?

With that thought, Ji Shuwen headed straight to the online shop. It was clearly new, yet the sales volume was already significant. Where were all these customers coming from? Were they repeat buyers?

Thinking this, she turned to other platforms to check for information, especially DouVideo. After all, it was a massive pool of traffic. A search for "Yu’s Grocery Store" brought it up immediately. Ji Shuwen discovered that the store had even more followers on DouVideo, already exceeding ten thousand. The account had posted six videos, each representing a product. The lotus seed ice cake and the "Spring Water Born" that were so highly praised on Weibo had both garnered over a hundred thousand likes on DouVideo, while the others had tens of thousands. The comments ranged from hundreds to thousands.

This data truly astonished Ji Shuwen. If they were driving their own traffic, that took serious money!

She clicked into the comments section of the Oolong tea video:
"Glad you guys are on DouVideo, here to support!"
"Haha, the weight loss effect is so obvious, I'm supporting too."
"No exercise, no dieting, just drank the Oolong tea and still lost weight."
"Just ordered five bottles, bought the other new items too. Waiting for delivery."
"Are the comments serious? This is really expensive!"
"It’s not false advertising; I lost weight for two consecutive days after drinking it."
"Aren't you worried there's something bad in it? Remember the plum juice scandal with laxatives? They're bold!"
"We bought it at the physical store. If there was a real problem, we could find them. Besides, we don't think there's any issue; those who have tried it know."
"Physical store? Where is it?"
"No. 8 Wanning Ancient Street, S City."
"The rent there isn't cheap."
"Exactly. Investing in a shop there, given the quality of Yu’s Grocery Store, would cost hundreds of thousands just for the setup. I heard the leases are one-year terms, so the total investment must be over a million!"
"I live nearby and often go to join the crowd. If you're lucky, you can get free samples. The taste is the best I've ever had in this category."

After reading through, Ji Shuwen fell silent. There were pros and cons, but there was an inexplicable sense of conviction—some people sounded incredibly certain.

Next, Ji Shuwen shifted her focus to the fresh milk and plum juice. Compared to the other products, these were slightly less discussed, with most people focusing on their functions.

"Has anyone tried the fresh milk? Can it really improve immunity? 188 yuan for 200ml—the price is insane."
"The feedback for other items in this shop is pretty good, so the quality should be fine, right?"
"That's the tricky part. Improving immunity is a long-term goal; it’s hard to see results in the short term. The cost is really high."
"My child has a weak immune system. After seeing the feedback on the iced black tea and Oolong tea, I’m really tempted. The milk should be fine, right?"
"Don't rush, wait and see."
"If you're in the same city, you can go see it in person."
"I think we should get those anti-fraud streamers to investigate it; then we’d know for sure if it works."

"I love plum juice, but I can't imagine what 188 yuan for 300ml of plum juice would taste like."
"It's delicious, and it really quenches thirst. Most importantly, it truly promotes digestion. After I finished it, my bloated stomach felt relieved instantly."
"Actually, I don't care about the digestion part; I just like the taste. I just clicked in and found Yu’s Grocery Store; I thought it was fake, but after verifying it, I followed them immediately. The quality of their products is top-tier."

The claims about the fresh milk improving immunity and the plum juice aiding digestion were topics of heated debate. Ji Shuwen specifically clicked on the profiles of some of the "old customers" in the comments section and found they weren't burner accounts; they were active, established accounts. Some even had many followers, and judging by their comments, they were clearly wealthy individuals. This undoubtedly increased the credibility of "Yu’s Grocery Store."

At the very least, Ji Shuwen was convinced.

Without hesitation, she clicked on the shop's storefront and started adding items to her cart. Except for the milk, she bought one of everything else. She would try them one by one! If they were good, she would buy them occasionally to improve her quality of life.

She took a screenshot of her order and sent a message to Gu Xiaoya.
"After looking into it, I couldn't help but buy some." It was a bit impulsive, but not reckless consumption. She had personally experienced the miraculous effects of the iced black tea.

The dialog box showed "Other party is typing..."
Soon, a message arrived: "Me too! (Attached Image.jpg)"
Gu Xiaoya had ordered 10 bottles of Oolong tea.

Ji Shuwen couldn't help but smile; they were truly best friends with great synergy. Finally, her gaze fell on the shop's ever-increasing follower count.

*Please, don't let this shop fall from grace,* she thought.