OFR – Chapter 200 The terrifying number of traffic.

Now, not only has the discussion in the Q&A section of Zhenpin Tian shifted in direction, but the store’s overall popularity has also stabilized due to the newly released banner announcement.

Mi Xuan, who had been closely following this annual industry clash, initially thought she could finally take a breather. However, after glancing at the follower count of Meiwei Tian, she was shocked to find that despite Zhenpin Tian’s high-profile announcement, Meiwei Tian’s popularity was still skyrocketing.

Although it wasn’t increasing at the insane rate of tens of thousands of new followers every few minutes as before, it was still growing rapidly.

Before she knew it, Meiwei Tian’s follower count had already surpassed 1.2 million.

At this rate, another 300,000 to 400,000 followers would put them on equal footing with Zhenpin Tian.

“This… What should we do? Are we really going to lose the title of the industry’s most popular store this year? Sigh, I just hope tomorrow’s sales volume can completely crush Meiwei Tian.”

Watching the numbers, Mi Xuan wrinkled her nose and sighed.

Yes, Meiwei Tian was catching up too fast!

Their growth rate even exceeded that of Zhenpin Tian!

In just half a month, they had risen to such a high level of popularity, putting immense pressure on Mi Xuan.

Moreover, although other competitors had wisely refrained from making further public statements against Zhenpin Tian, Mi Xuan knew that they were still talking about it in private.

Many e-commerce merchants were part of industry chat groups, and Mi Xuan had originally joined a large group of over 2,000 members on behalf of Zhenpin Tian.

But today, she had been kicked out.

The meaning behind this action was clear.

Still, Mi Xuan didn’t take it to heart or lose confidence.

After seeing Mu Hao update that shocking auction list, she was certain that these competitors, led by Meiwei Tian, would have a hard time toppling Zhenpin Tian from its position as the industry’s most popular store this year.

For one, Taobao’s official policies didn’t support this kind of malicious competition. The opposition could only use smear campaigns and manipulative tactics to suppress them—it wasn’t like the live-streaming industry, where direct battles were possible.

And more importantly, the title of “Annual Industry Popularity King” wasn’t determined solely by follower count. It was based on a comprehensive evaluation of factors such as total transaction volume, active online users, positive ratings, customer satisfaction, and product quality.

Of course, the three most crucial factors were follower count, transaction volume, and active user engagement.

Right now, Meiwei Tian’s follower count was still growing rapidly. By the time the auctions started tomorrow night, it could very well surpass Zhenpin Tian.

Even though Mi Xuan had absolute faith in Mu Hao, she couldn’t help but feel a little anxious.

“Sigh… What should we do? I should discuss this with Mu Hao.”

Mi Xuan sighed, then opened her special contacts list on QQ and clicked on the only name there—Mu Hao—to start a chat.

Mi Xuan: “Waaah, Mu Hao, our store’s popularity took a huge hit from all this drama, but Meiwei Tian is still gaining tons of followers from the hype! What do we do? I just checked, and their products aren’t even as cost-effective as ours, and they have fewer listings! But so many people are still flocking to them—it’s so frustrating!”

After sending the message, she anxiously waited for a reply.

It didn’t take long before Mu Hao responded.

Mu Hao: “Mm. Don’t worry, it’s fine. Right now, start hiring 20 to 30 part-time customer service reps. Make it quick. They just need to answer basic inquiries politely.”

“…Huh? What? Hire customer service now?”

Mi Xuan was stunned. She had no idea what Mu Hao meant.

She had been talking about follower count, but his response seemed completely unrelated.

It even felt a little out of place.

Mu Hao: “Yes, hire them now. Quickly.”

His next message came swiftly. His tone was serious and urgent, with no hint of a joke.

His seriousness immediately snapped Mi Xuan into focus.

Yes, no matter how confused she was, she would always trust her boss unconditionally.

…

By now, it was already past 5 p.m., and the evening was setting in.

Sitting on the villa’s sofa, Mu Bai wasn’t idle.

He wasn’t about to sit back and let things play out.

He had already reached out to major online forums and communities related to flowers, herbs, and dragonfish—platforms like the Dragonfish Forum, the Nanjing Flower and Plant Exhibition Trade Forum, and the Southern General Merchandise Forum.

Mu Bai could see that the Taobao industry showdown had reached a stalemate.

This deadlock was beneficial for Meiwei Tian, but for Zhenpin Tian—once the clear industry leader—it was a disadvantage.

After all, Zhenpin Tian was the reigning champion, while Meiwei Tian was the challenger and disruptor.

A champion standing at the top could easily fall from grace with even a minor misstep, leading to public disappointment and backlash.

Just like what was happening to Zhenpin Tian now—

Even though Mu Bai had invested a fortune in rare products to draw attention, their follower count had only stabilized. It wasn’t growing, let alone skyrocketing.

Meanwhile, a challenger or disruptor only needed a slight advantage—no matter how insignificant—to be magnified endlessly.

That’s exactly what was happening with Meiwei Tian.

Even though their products were more expensive, of lower quality, and less cost-effective than Zhenpin Tian’s, they were still attracting a flood of new followers.

Mu Bai knew he needed something stronger.

A game-changer.

A move beyond Taobao itself!

Because the plant and animal market on Taobao was a niche industry with a daily active user base of just two to three million.

That was the maximum reach. Everyone who could be attracted had already been drawn in. Even if Mu Bai worked harder, the best he could do was restore their previous peak popularity.

But that wasn’t enough.

Not even close!

He needed a massive influx of traffic—enough to shake up the entire Taobao plant and animal industry!

And he had found a way.

At precisely 6 p.m., banner ads for Zhenpin Tian suddenly appeared across multiple high-traffic platforms:

• The homepage of the Southern General Merchandise Forum
• The secondary pages for herbal medicine, plants, and aquatic animals
• The Dragonfish Forum’s homepage
• The Nanjing Flower and Plant Exhibition Trade Forum’s top recommendations
• The Jianghai Province Aquatic Animal Forum

These were some of the largest, most active online communities for plants, herbs, and dragonfish enthusiasts.

And each of them featured promotions for Zhenpin Tian, backed by highly reputable community leaders.

Most notably, on the Southern General Merchandise Forum, Mu Bai’s account—an ultra-premium user with over a billion in purchases—gave Zhenpin Tian an immense credibility boost.

In an instant, the words “Zhenpin Tian” flooded the entire southern internet market for plants, herbs, and dragonfish.

At the same time, a colossal wave of external traffic—one that didn’t originate from Taobao but was large enough to shake the platform—surged into Zhenpin Tian’s store at an unprecedented rate!