What It's Like Being a Vampire

Before his transformation, Xiang Kun shied away from anything remotely related to mundane matters like opening a shop, managing, advertising, and so on, simply because he found them troublesome, and nothing irked him more than trouble.

It’s not that he now enjoyed trouble, but his brain was continuously running at high speed. Even when he was idling, his brain would automatically collect and assess surrounding sensory information and analyze what people were saying.

Whenever he heard an intriguing question or a question posed by someone he deemed important, he would instinctively start considering possible responses and devising plans.

This was the outcome of intensive, target-specific training over an extended period and multiple evolutionary changes.

So, the moment Xiang Kun stepped into “Youlong Restaurant” and deciphered that the restaurant owned by You Meng was struggling, his subconscious began contemplating solutions.

It seemed the dishes You Meng cooked were definitely satisfactory. Still, this is only the baseline for running a profitable restaurant—many other factors come into play.

“We are living in an era of widespread information dictated by mobile internet; the general public is bombarded with all kinds of information every day. Unlike twenty years ago, when we trusted a brand if it had a commercial on TV, assuming that any brand willing to invest in advertising must be reliable. Nowadays, people are constantly exposed to advertisements of all sorts and have grown weary of these commercials. Even subtle product placements are easily spotted, often met with aversion, leading to resistance. The effectiveness of these methods is incredibly limited,” Xiang Kun slowly explained.

You Meng was puzzled, “Then how do you suggest we advertise? Even big corporations still create advertisements and find spokespeople, don’t they?”

Xiang Kun said, “Those corporations are big spenders; they don’t need to worry about efficiency, just making a splash. But when you’re on a budget and still need to create high-impact advertisement, strategy is crucial. Didn’t you mention earlier that after the ‘Huanong Brothers’ got popular, bamboo rat meat suddenly became trendy? Not only did the market for it grow, but its price also went up. If we consider their videos as advertisements for bamboo rat meat, why do you think they were so successful?”

After accidentally stumbling upon a couple of Huanong Brothers’ videos on ‘B Station’ while listening to Tang Baona sing, he became aware of the group’s rise to fame propelled by the popularity of bamboo rats.

After pondering over it, You Meng responded, “Because the netizens didn’t find their videos to be advertisements?”

Xiang Kun shook his head, “No, even if they explicitly marketed them as bamboo rat advertisements, netizens were still more than happy to watch and spread them around.”

“The key lies in two words: Content.”

“In this age of information explosion, content is king.”

“Sure, you can spend money to top the trending list, cover every platform with your advertisements, and have your advertisements always in the user’s line of sight.”

“But good content can initiate netizens to spread it voluntarily. In this era, everyone acts as a media outlet to some extent, making the proliferation of information incredibly easy and convenient. This is the most cost-effective and influential method of promotion for independent businesses with limited funds.”

Baffled, You Meng, nodded. He exclaimed how Xiang Kun, with his years of experience in the IT field, had put up quite an argument. Suddenly, something came to his mind, “I remember, a few days ago, I watched a video in my cousin’s circle of friends. The title was lengthy, something about ‘The DaTang money transfer,’ just a short film of ten odd minutes, and damn it, it moved me to tears. I reposted it on my feed, my nephew did, my wife did… We all knew it was a UnionPay ad. Damn! Even when there is no benefit involved, good content can motivate us to share. This is what you’re talking about, right? Content is king.”

Xiang Kun said, “So, we need to create some attractive content that will draw attention to you and your shop, making your shop a trendy spot. This way, the foot traffic on the commercial street will no longer be the key determinant of your success.”

You Meng sighed, “Easier said than done. Over these years, I’ve only shared one advertisement voluntarily, and there is only that pair of Huanong Brothers.” “Well, I do have a plan in mind, we can discuss it in detail later.”

When Xiang Kun finally saw the plot of land You Meng was talking about, he was quite satisfied.

From a typical perspective, the property was inconvenient. The roads were terrible, it was isolated and located about a kilometer from the nearest village residence—not an ideal location by any means.

But for Xiang Kun, it was the perfect place for seclusion.

Moreover, there was a substantial amount of unoccupied land nearby that could be expanded upon if needed.

Towards the back was a vast forest with rough and complex terrain. At first glance, it seemed like an endless wilderness, a stark and grim landscape, unnavigable for ordinary people. But Xiang Kun was already daydreaming about training amongst the trees or practicing with a bow and arrow.

The place seemed to have been abandoned for some time. The buildings also were in awful condition. As You Meng was about to take out his phone to contact the property owner, he noticed Xiang Kun quietly moving towards a corner, prompting him to follow out of curiosity.

Suddenly, You Meng was startled. Right in front of them, a dark-colored cobra raised itself from the grass, broadened its neck, and assumed an attacking stance targeted at Xiang Kun, who was slowly edging nearer.

Out of anxiety, You Meng subconsciously looked around for something that could be used as a weapon—a bamboo pole, a stick, anything. He and Xiang Kun used to catch snakes when they were kids, but those were harmless grass snakes, not deadly cobras that could wipe out an entire village!

However, before he could finish panicking, he saw Xiang Kun stretch out his right hand as if to pet the cobra and then swiftly grabbed it by the head.

“Holy shit!” You Meng finally let out a gasp of horror. He looked at the captured snake, utterly surprised, shaking his head, “I had almost started writing your epitaph in my head…’

Xiang Kun observed the cobra wrapped around his arm with an immobile mouth, began visualizing the scenario of the Giant Owl patrolling its territory in his mind and deployed a “mental deterrence” tactic on the snake.

A few seconds later, Xiang Kun tossed the snake back onto the ground, giving You Meng another small scare. The cobra swiftly disappeared among the bushes.

Feeling the numerous wild creatures in the vicinity and movement in the distant deep forest behind the farm, Xiang Kun’s mood was even happier. He envisioned the scenes of peacefully interacting with various wild animals. With the experience of ‘taming’ Golden Retriever, he was confident in his abilities to communicate with other animals.

“We don’t need to check inside. If I were to rent this place without operating a farm, should be no problem, right?” Xiang Kun turned and asked You Meng..