Luna opened one day before Blue Phoenix, launching simultaneously with its Yangcheng store on March 16th.

Compared to Blue Phoenix’s promotional bombardment, Luna’s opening was quiet – just some firecrackers and a few flower baskets marked its business opening in Xidan, with Yangcheng following the same low-key approach.

How to distinguish between Blue Phoenix and Luna?

The former was like a general store, selling clothing of any style based on the buyer’s mood.

When Liu Fen or Li Fengmei found red attractive, they’d stock more red clothes; when green caught their eye, they’d increase orders for green items.

Luna was different – it had designers. Chen Xiliang hired two with different styles but required them to align toward one general aesthetic.

Walking into Luna’s store, you could feel this sense of order.

A quiet opening didn’t mean neglect, but the first day’s sales were indeed modest – Beijing’s store sold less than 700 yuan, while Yangcheng performed even worse, barely exceeding 500.

That evening, Chen Xiliang called, his voice laden with worry:

“Sister Xia, our first factory batch has 200,000 yuan worth of goods. If they don’t sell…”

“Don’t rush. Wait for Editor Cui and the newspaper to make their move.”

Xia Xiaolan wasn’t favoring her store over Luna – in terms of long-term development, she had more faith in Luna. Blue Phoenix was just her means of accumulating capital. As an architecture student, she knew real estate would be a sunrise industry for years to come, and the clothing business would be profitable throughout the 80s-90s – why would she pass that up?

Blue Phoenix was for quick profits and helping her accumulate real estate while giving her mother and aunt a platform for their careers – that was its purpose!

Luna was different – it aimed to build a brand, become a clothing enterprise, and develop long-term. Though Zhou Cheng provided the investment, Xia Xiaolan now, while not completely sharing assets with Zhou Cheng, could mix smaller funds… While Zhou Cheng invested in Luna, the business remained jointly owned by Xia Xiaolan and Chen Xiliang.

Her considerations for Luna weren’t about quick profits – even its promotional approach was more upscale.

Chen Xiliang was anxious out of concern, but after Xia Xiaolan’s reassurance and remembering previous arrangements, he could only wait patiently.

“By the way, did you contact Wang Mingming’s agent?”

“I did, but they said Wang Mingming isn’t very interested in our clothes…”

Xia Xiaolan had told Chen Xiliang they couldn’t afford Hong Kong celebrities for advertisements, but Luna could provide Ms. Wang Mingming with free seasonal new releases as a ‘sponsor.’ This shameless attempt to ride Wang Mingming’s fame met resistance – clearly, the other party wasn’t naive and didn’t want to give Luna free publicity for small benefits.

Xia Xiaolan had no choice. Luna was just a seedling – the Spring Festival Gala was a mere coincidence. If Wang Mingming refused, she and Chen Xiliang couldn’t force clothes on others.

Xia Xiaolan gritted her teeth, “Send them, still free, two specially customized pieces each season. Details must differ from mass-produced clothes, suitable for stage performances. We can’t force her to wear them, but sending them is our choice.”

Since Yangcheng wasn’t far from Hong Kong, they could have someone deliver to Wang Mingming. Xia Xiaolan wasn’t ready to give up this free-walking billboard.

If she didn’t wear them, so be it – they’d only lose the cost of a few clothes and shipping.

If Wang Mingming ever appeared in public wearing Luna, Xia Xiaolan would seize that single instance to release a press statement calling “Ms. Wang Mingming a cherished friend of the Luna brand.” Few could match Manager Xia’s thick skin – she came from sales, where the thin-skinned couldn’t survive. Rising to her position, Xia Xiaolan had long trampled shame underfoot.

This was a business strategy – perhaps shameless, but Xia Xiaolan never aimed to win moral awards!

After success, these would become inspiring stories. If future smugglers could whitewash their reputations, Xia Xiaolan’s avoidance of grey areas already showed strong moral character.

China was a nation of copycats.

Not because Chinese people lacked copyright awareness, but because years of technical blockades meant economic development required imitation… In such an environment, expecting a startup clothing brand to maintain high moral standards while advancing rapidly made Xia Xiaolan scoff.

Did they think entrepreneurship was like a shoujo manga, powered by cheat codes throughout?

Using Wang Mingming’s popularity for promotion required thick skin – she was at her peak, and Hong Kong’s entertainment industry was influencing all of Asia. Wang Mingming wasn’t just popular in Hong Kong; even before mainland China’s reform and opening up, they couldn’t stop pop singers’ “decadent sounds.” She was popular everywhere Chinese people lived.

Chen Xiliang had exceeded expectations, getting Wang Mingming to perform at the Spring Festival Gala in Luna’s sample. With mainland actresses, Xia Xiaolan wouldn’t need such effort – mainland actresses needed money, so why wouldn’t they wear free sponsored clothes? Were they crazy?

If all else failed, after exploiting Wang Mingming’s opening publicity, they could hire a famous mainland actress as a spokesperson for TV advertisements.

They couldn’t afford CCTV ad slots, but local stations would do.

Capital TV and Yangcheng local stations – they only had stores in these two places anyway… When Xia Xiaolan shared her thoughts, Chen Xiliang agreed: “Who says we must hire Hong Kong actresses!”

Alright, Chen, that tone’s sour enough – it’s not that we don’t want to, we just can’t afford it yet.

Xia Xiaolan remained optimistic, “When we have money later, we’ll hire big stars for ads.”

Big stars didn’t only endorse luxury brands – that future Asian King even represented Meters/bonwe for years. Xia Xiaolan had an advantage others lacked: she knew who would stay popular and who would self-destruct. Though not a fan herself, those who left impressions even on non-fans like her were evergreen screen presences.

After coordinating with Manager Chen, Xia Xiaolan awaited the opening.

Between the Xidan and Xiushui Street stores, she and her mother each watched one. Comrade Liu Fen was busy now, temporarily serving as Luna’s accountant. With the three shop assistants still proving themselves, they handled only sales while Liu Fen checked accounts daily.

“You take the Xidan store, it might be busier, and aren’t your roommates all going there?”

With Liu Fen putting it that way, Xia Xiaolan had no objections. Given the current situation, Xidan was livelier than Xiushui Street – foot traffic couldn’t compare, Xidan would definitely see better business.

Being a weekend, Room 307’s residents rose early, arriving at Xia Xiaolan’s home very early.

“Aren’t you all too early?”

Xia Xiaolan hadn’t even reached the store yet – all preparations were completed last night, allowing for an unhurried start today.

Su Jing rolled her eyes, “Think we’re buying that much? We’re here to help with your opening!”