Ch 73: The World’s Number One Resort

The journey back from Sora was dull. At first, the tourists spent half a day watching the sea, then they all stayed in their cabins, not going out. Sora Island’s scenery was just too beautiful and thrilling. Everyone had a great time, and now that the trip was over, they could finally update their social media.

“Highly recommend! The scenery at Great Tang Resort is absolutely amazing! The fruits at the Fruit Kingdom were delicious!”

“Not a racer myself, but Thrilling Racing is a driver’s paradise. Hitting 350 mph felt like flying!”

“The Instagram-famous swing is even more breathtaking in person. So exhilarating!”

The tourists racked their brains to describe their experiences. Besides sharing on WeChat Moments, they also updated their Douyin and Weibo accounts. The hashtag #GreatTangOverseasResort was already trending on both platforms. After posting, they naturally tagged #GreatTangOverseasResort.

Most of the tourists weren’t influencers; they were just sharing for fun. After posting, they started looking forward to the Chinese New Year.

It was the 22nd day of the lunar month, just seven days until the Chinese New Year.

…

Meanwhile, at East China University in Jiangnan Province, dorm mate No. 3 was studying as usual. With finals in progress, she had only two more exams to go before her break.

“Finally done…” Half an hour later, she stretched. She had been studying diligently for three hours and needed a break.

She drank a glass of water, then took out her phone and unlocked it.

Since Great Tang Resort became popular on Douyin, she had become a loyal fan of @GreatTangOverseasResort. Her biggest pleasure every day was to watch beautiful scenery videos from the resort whenever she got tired of studying. However, the updates were too infrequent, and after rewatching them multiple times, she still felt unsatisfied.

Not content, she decided to actively search #GreatTangOverseasResort on Douyin’s search bar.

It was just a try, but unexpectedly, she discovered a whole new world.

The official Great Tang Resort videos appeared at the top of the search, but underneath were videos posted by tourists.

Blue Sea Lake, Snow Village, and Bianjing Ancient City from the tourists’ perspectives… Watching these made her even more excited. Besides the familiar attractions, she also keenly noticed two new ones, the first being the Fruit Kingdom.

The fruits in the Fruit Kingdom looked vibrant and juicy, appearing incredibly crisp and tender.

“Trust me, this is absolutely the best fruit in the world!”

“Ahhh, the self-serve fruit forest is just perfect. I wish I could live here forever…”

She hadn’t tasted the fruit, but judging by the praise from the video creators, it seemed like a highly enjoyable experience.

The Fruit Kingdom had fresh air, a clean and tidy environment, and the crisp ‘crunch’ of fruit echoed from the tourists’ lips. Just hearing it was a satisfying experience.

“Gurgle—”

Her stomach growled as she glanced to the side. On the table was a washed apple she had prepared to eat after studying, but it looked a bit misshapen, and the skin was slightly wrinkled. Compared to the Sora fruit in the video, it was like comparing heaven and earth.

Suddenly, she wasn’t hungry anymore.

She continued scrolling through the videos and found another new attraction: Thrilling Racing.

She clicked on it.

“Now, Racer No. 3 is the first to cross the wild track—”

“Roar! Ahhh—”

Just as she clicked in, an energetic male voice echoed, accompanied by a strong background sound, mixed with cheers and gasps of awe. From the video’s final effect, these were original background sounds, not music added later on Douyin.

The videographer stood next to a brand-new racetrack, facing a giant LCD screen. The phone camera was pointed directly at the screen.

The LCD was divided into fifty squares, and now, twenty of those squares were dark.

She became intrigued and watched closely.

“Oh my god…”

She thought this was just an ordinary racing competition, but three seconds later, her expression became dazed. On the massive LCD screen, cars sped through various scenes as if equipped with rocket engines. Old Third had just gotten her driver’s license recently and estimated that the speed of these racing cars was at least 200 mph.

Racing at 200 mph was normal. But these cars seemed to be rushing to reincarnate, colliding with each other, veering off the track, and flipping 720 degrees in the air… What was happening? Were they crazy?

In the blink of an eye, five more screen sections went dark.

Old Third realized that the LCD screen in the video represented the cars. With the intense music playing, the spectators cheered enthusiastically, showing no signs of shock or fear. Instead, they were full of excitement.

The 15-second short video quickly ended, leaving Old Third holding her phone in a daze. Since she studied post-production, she could tell the video was unedited and in its original form.

With such a massive accident, how could everyone be so indifferent? Old Third felt the spectators were too cold-blooded; the world had gone a bit crazy.

As a fan of Great Tang Resort, she felt uneasy.

Thrilling Racing was far out in the Pacific Ocean; she wondered if such a huge traffic accident would make the news…

After calming down, Old Third took a sip of water.

The video was posted by @YouLoveScallions six hours ago. It had 1.08 million likes and 30,000 comments.

The video had gone viral.

“Oh my god, that looks so thrilling! I want to try it!”

“One million dollars… Great Tang really went all out. I’m so tempted.”

“It really tests psychological resilience and adaptability. I heard the best record is 10 minutes and 27 seconds. I guess only professional racers stand a chance at the prize.”

“Rubbing my hands together, anyone interested in visiting Great Tang? Let’s form a group!”

“Planning to go during my annual leave. Is it too late to book now…?”

…

Old Third clicked on the comments section, expecting to see some moral condemnation. However, the top comments were all along the lines of “Looks fun, I want to go.”

Old Third: ??? What did she miss?

She scrolled further down and finally saw @YouLoveScallions’ response.

@YouLoveScallions: To clarify, the video was filmed in the Thrilling Racing zone at Great Tang Resort. There were no injuries! It’s a special attraction at Great Tang. I played twice; even when crashing into other cars or falling into the river, it’s completely safe. Its safety is top-notch, world-class! It’s just really hard to make it to the finish line in one piece. My million-dollar prize, gone!

The explanation by @YouLoveScallions was very clear and had over 60,000 likes.

Old Third remained skeptical; the collisions in the video looked intense, nothing like a game!

She scrolled through more comments, then closed @YouLoveScallions’ video and continued scrolling down.

“Spent 100 dollars for a first-person perspective! Thrilling and exciting.”

“Crying, couldn’t get past the town bridge after two tries…”

“Great Tang Resort is so much fun; I don’t want to leave.”

…

Other videos of Thrilling Racing didn’t have as many likes as @YouLoveScallions’ video, but they offered various perspectives. From the information pieced together, it seemed that Thrilling Racing didn’t involve any injuries.

If this safety technology could be applied to modern vehicles, it would be a groundbreaking innovation!

Knowing that Great Tang Resort didn’t pose any danger to people, Old Third breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn’t into celebrities or dramas, but somehow, she found herself fangirling over a resort…

“Old Third, what are you doing?” Old Third was watching enthusiastically when Sun Xiang from the top bunk woke up. Seeing Old Third staring at her phone, she was quite surprised.

Sun Xiang glanced at the time; it was 10 a.m. They had an English exam in the afternoon. Was Old Third really playing on her phone instead of studying today?

“This isn’t like you, bookworm,” Sun Xiang thought, a sudden suspicion forming in her mind.

“Great Tang updated with new videos! Not just the usual Great Tang Resort… Xiang Xiang, search for the keywords,” Old Third said excitedly. Normally calm and composed, it was rare for her to be this animated.

Sun Xiang climbed out of bed.

It was just as she had guessed. She was the one who initially got Old Third hooked, but now Old Third was even more obsessed than she was…

While Sun Xiang felt a bit conflicted, she still quickly grabbed her phone.

It was the stunning videos of Bianjing Ancient City that had captured her attention back then. Now, being able to see the latest updates from Great Tang firsthand… She felt absolutely thrilled!

…

“Mr. Han, here is my draft for the ‘Great Tang Pizza Lucky Draw Proposal.’ For every purchase, customers will receive a voucher, and the voucher code can be used to participate in Pizza King’s online lottery… Pizza King will be joining other brands in establishing a presence on Sora Island after the New Year. I want to use this opportunity to launch the Lucky Draw campaign,” Han Tao said.

While the tourists were returning on the “Great Tang No. 1,” back in Luohai City, Han Tao, having just returned to China, hurriedly drafted the Lucky Draw campaign plan for Great Tang Pizza.

Though Han Tao was reluctant, the Lucky Draw event for Great Tang was written into the contract, so he had to go through with it.

Since it had to be done, he figured he might as well do it as well as he could.

The proposal, created with the help of his department colleagues, took three days and nights to finalize.

“What’s the duration of the campaign, the number of winners, and the budget?” In the president’s office of Pizza King, Han Shuguo flipped through the plan Han Tao had handed over, then asked.

As the head of Pizza King’s China division, Han Shuguo’s priority was, of course, the company’s best interests.

“For every 50 yuan spent, customers will receive a lucky draw voucher. The campaign runs from the first day of the Lunar New Year to the Lantern Festival on the 15th. We plan to select 100 lucky winners, with each winner’s Great Tang expenses ranging from 50,000 to 100,000 yuan… The total investment for Pizza King will be between 10 million to 30 million yuan,” Han Tao said, trying to keep his composure.

Compared to the cost of the lucky draw prizes, the main expenses would be in the initial advertising, voucher production, and store promotions.

After speaking, Han Tao anxiously watched Han Shuguo. This was the first multi-million yuan project he had been in charge of since graduation.

Han Shuguo continued to carefully review the Great Tang Lucky Draw proposal. The plan was around twenty pages long, with key points highlighted in marker. He read it meticulously.

In the midst of the quiet atmosphere, Han Tao grew increasingly nervous.

“The proposal is well done, but… a hundred winners is too few. Increase it to three hundred,” Han Shuguo said, closing the proposal after half an hour.

Pizza King would cover the expenses of the lucky winners’ trip to the Great Tang Resort, including round-trip transportation, accommodation, standard meals at the Gourmet Restaurant, and full-access passes to all the resort’s activities. While the expenses would have limits, they would still be VIP-level compared to regular tour packages.

“Three hundred?” Han Tao was stunned. At a minimum cost of fifty thousand yuan per person, that would amount to at least fifteen million yuan.

“Draft a new plan, and I’ll handle it with the board,” Han Shuguo nodded.

“Mr. Han, if the campaign doesn’t make a significant impact, all that money will go down the drain…” Han Tao hesitated. He had taken on this project partly out of self-interest, but now, he felt an unprecedented pressure.

“Just follow my instructions,” Han Shuguo waved him off and casually flipped through other documents.

Han Shuguo had already assessed the potential of the Great Tang Resort when signing the contract. He had people consult with travel agencies, and based on tourist feedback, the resort turned out to be even more impressive than he had initially thought.

In today’s world of global entertainment, the lucky draw idea was very feasible. However, Han Shuguo knew his nephew well; this campaign was likely suggested by the resort side.

He didn’t care whose idea it was—as long as it worked.

Currently, Pizza King was facing competition from Big Burger and other local pizza chains. Over the past year, their performance had declined compared to the previous year, and Han Shuguo wanted to change the situation.

An investment of tens of millions wasn’t huge; Pizza King could afford it.

“Understood, Mr. Han.” Han Tao opened his mouth to say something, but eventually just agreed. At this point, all he could do was make sure the campaign was a success.

Pizza King worked efficiently. Once the lucky draw campaign was finalized, they launched a grand promotional effort.

With over seven hundred branches nationwide, Pizza King was one of the leading fast-food brands in China, rivaling Big Burger.

By the third day, Pizza King’s advertisements and banners had been delivered to branches across the country.

It was now the 27th day of the lunar month, just three days before the New Year.

☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️