Chapter 109 – Protecting the Big or Small
After returning from the banquet, Jian Luo could feel the power of the fruit.
Nowadays, he felt energetic. Not to mention reading, studying, or writing, even staying up all night didn’t make him tired at all.
Jian Luo, who rarely looked in the mirror for eight hundred years, said, “I feel like I’ve become a bit more handsome, haven’t I?”
Lu Shifeng, not far away, didn’t bother to turn his head, “Is that so?”
“Yeah, I feel like my skin has improved, and I seem to have grown a bit taller. My eyes also have a sparkle.” Jian Luo shook his head in front of the mirror, “Haven’t you noticed?”
Lu Shifeng just gave a casual “Hmm,” and said, “I noticed.”
“…”
Such an indifferent man.
Jian Luo snorted lightly, “Look if you want to, or don’t.”
Lu Shifeng finally took his gaze away from the documents, turned his head elegantly, and glanced at him, “Jian Luo.”
“What?” Jian Luo asked.
Lu Shifeng said, “Don’t care too much about appearances.”
Jian Luo blushed, “I’m not bothered; I was just talking!”
Lu Shifeng nodded, “Hmm, it’s okay. Dragon clan members usually inherit the majestic appearance of their fathers, so you don’t have to worry about them.”
“…”
What does this indifferent man mean?
There’s really nothing to talk about with such a stubborn guy. After tidying up, Jian Luo went to work. To facilitate product delivery, he had already opened an online store on the interstellar network. Currently, the only product available is dried fruits.
Most of the dried fruits have arrived now. The next step is dealing with reviews and after-sales issues. To handle these matters more efficiently, Jian Luo specifically set up a room as their workspace.
Vivi was discussing something with Anya.
Jian Luo entered, “What are you talking about?”
“Boss.” Vivi, always the most resourceful of the three, approached him, “When we were handling after-sales orders just now, we suspected someone deliberately cashing out.”
“What?” Jian Luo asked.
Vivi led him over and pointed at several orders on the screen, “Although these five orders have different addresses, we just discovered that their contact numbers are the same. Moreover, they are in the same area. Just now, these five orders simultaneously requested a refund, claiming quality issues, but the other party refused to upload photos of the problems.”
Jian Luo bent down to take a look. He said, “Can you trace the account ID of the orders?”
Vivi nodded, “Five new accounts, all participating in group purchases. Our group purchase rules require different accounts.”
Jian Luo thought for a moment, “In that case, later, send him a text, asking him to upload photos of the quality issues. Otherwise, reject the refund.”
Vivi agreed, “Alright, I’ll do that.”
Knowing they were working hard, Jian Luo happened to have a small kitchen next to the office. So, he went in to prepare some fruit platters to bring out for them.
As he was about to do so, Vivi’s voice came from nearby, “Boss, he replied.”
Judging by her tone, Jian Luo could tell it was a refusal. He walked out and looked at the screen. The person on the screen was confidently stating, “You promised a refund for quality issues. The goods were already rotten when I received them. How can I keep rotten things at home? I’ve already thrown them away without taking photos. Now refund me immediately, or I will expose you online, complain to the end.”
Vivi sighed, “What should we do?”
After a moment of contemplation, Jian Luo said, “Grant him the refund.”
“Why!?”
Several elves were shocked.
Jian Luo sat down on the nearby sofa, “We approach this rationally, but if this incident is exposed, other consumers will only know that our after-sales service is poor and refuses compensation. Even if there are rational people, the power of rumors is frightening. Misinformation spreads, and our reputation among the public will suffer. The potential fallout from losing the money from these five orders could lead to us losing 50 more orders and damage our image in the eyes of the public.”
Vivi bit her lip, finally nodding, “Understood.”
Jian Luo patted her shoulder, comforting her gently, “It’s okay.”
Though Vivi was still angry, she understood the bigger picture. In the end, she processed the refund for that person. Elves who had never experienced the cunning of the human heart were thoroughly frustrated.
To lighten the mood, Jian Luo decided to go back and prepare a big meal for them at noon to replenish their energy.
Vivi and the others, after a brief period of frustration, regrouped. Considering the high volume of inquiries and after-sales orders to review, they couldn’t afford to waste time on one person. Everything seemed to have settled down, but gradually, Anya noticed something amiss, “Vivi, come take a look.”
Vivi walked over.
Anya pulled up the documents, pulled down nearly 500 orders, and said, “In just the past 10 minutes, these 1,000 orders have applied for refunds one after another, all claiming quality issues. However, they haven’t uploaded any photos of the quality issues, and the reasons all state that the dried fruits have already been thrown away.”
Vivi frowned deeply.
Cai Cai, the elf who rarely spoke, spoke up, “Although these orders have different addresses, they are in the same galaxy. Interestingly, most of them belong to the same group.”
If the speculation was correct, then it was almost certain that the entire group was maliciously cashing out.
Vivi said, “It must be because we granted a refund to the first person, and they informed others, so now everyone is imitating.”
Anya looked at the number of orders, “If these people inform another group, we’ll face a massive wave of returns.”
This problem was becoming very serious.
The elves had never seen such shameless behavior. Vivi found Jian Luo and roughly explained the situation.
Jian Luo squinted, “No photos at all?”
Vivi replied, “None.”
“Send a message to all of them, demanding photo uploads,” Jian Luo said. “If there’s no upload, reject them all.”
Vivi nodded, “Alright.”
As it was impossible for them to have the photos, over 500 refund requests were all rejected.
While Jian Luo was cooking, just when everyone thought things were settling down, Cai Cai, who was in charge of online customer service, said, “What is StarNet?”
Jian Luo, now highly sensitive to any potential issues, asked, “What’s going on?”
Cai Cai replied, “I’ve received many inquiries asking if what’s said on StarNet is true.”
Jian Luo knew it wasn’t good. He quickly logged into StarNet and found himself trending on the hot search:
# Livestream Host Jian Luo’s Product Mishap #
The most trending blogger made a statement:
“When we received the goods, all the dried fruits had already gone bad. We immediately contacted Jian Luo’s customer service, but the promised refund was simply non-existent. The customer service was unyielding. We were initially looking forward to it and trusted them, but the result is just like this. Humanity is a race with no achievements, why can’t we farm properly?”
This trending topic soared to the top.
Surprisingly, there were quite a few agreeing comments:
“I agree, the dried fruits I received are not tasty at all.”
“They ask for photos for returns, did I ask them to upload photos when I made the purchase?”
“I also think it tastes awful.”
“Just after money, humans have such an unsightly appearance. Are we that short of money?”
Jian Luo calmly read through the comments and said to Vivi, “Let’s privately chat with those who mentioned issues with the dried fruits. If there’s a problem, we’ll issue a refund. Customer service needs to be handled well.”
Vivi said, “No need to ask, most people’s Star Webs and shopping accounts are linked. I’ll check it out.”
Searching through the large orders, the one who just mentioned the bad taste, Vivi looked and then said to Jian Luo, “This person received the goods yesterday, placed another order today, and has approached Cai Cai expressing approval of the dried fruit taste. She requested a discount for the second purchase from Cai Cai, but she was already on a group-buying price, which is already very favorable. So, Cai Cai refused.”
“…”
Jian Luo’s mouth twitched.
Anya on the side said, “Why are these people like this, spreading rumors with just a mouth.”
This trending topic now had even higher heat. Jian Luo thought for a moment and said, “I’ll reply to them.”
Jian Luo logged into his main account and replied to the highest-trending netizen’s Weibo, “Hello, I’m Jian Luo. We’ve understood your situation. Firstly, we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused. It’s only right to refund for problematic dried fruits. Requesting photos is not meant to trouble you. Before packing, to ensure quality and taste, we used the best freezing chain and transportation.”
“We need the photos for two reasons: firstly, to analyze the problem in the process of the dried fruits going bad for improvement in the future, and secondly, as the origin of the dried fruits is the Elf Clan, elf mages also need photos for analyzing the quality. We hope for your understanding.”
His reply quickly made it to the trending topics, and there were also rational voices below:
“Without photos, who knows if it’s real or fake.”
“Isn’t this bullying people?”
“Knowing they are humans, taking advantage of such a weak race for cheap deals?”
“Don’t bully him, okay? He’s still pregnant. If anything happens to the Dark Star, you’ll be responsible, right?”
The blogger who received Jian Luo’s direct response probably didn’t expect such a straightforward reply. Moreover, the swift change in public opinion caught everyone off guard. Having dominated arrogantly for years, being countered by a human was hard to accept.
Just when Jian Luo thought the matter had concluded, the blogger suddenly released photos with a caption: “I found these dried fruits in the trash. Please assist with the refund. Thank you for not turning a blind eye.”
The attached photos showed slightly dirty dried fruits. At first glance, there seemed to be no issue, but some parts were indeed moldy and blackened. With the release of these photos, public opinion on the internet shifted again:
“Live streams indeed don’t have good products.”
“Whoever buys falls for it.”
“I was planning to buy, thanks for the heads up.”
Jian Luo called Vivi, “Are these our dried fruits?”
Vivi, Anya, and a few others gathered to inspect. After careful examination, they reached a conclusion, “These are indeed our dried fruits.”
A heavy silence filled the room.
The somber atmosphere gradually spread. Initially, everyone was happy with the business’s high sales. Even though the profit per person wasn’t exceptionally large after splitting, everyone was motivated. From production to packaging, they even communicated multiple times with the logistics team linked to Yuemoon.
They all wanted to do their best, treating every consumer with care. They thought it would be a perfect transaction, but unexpectedly, they encountered such a significant setback at the beginning.
Vivi sighed, “How did it come to this?”
Anya patted her shoulder, “It’s okay, we’ll do better next time.”
They all unconsciously looked at Jian Luo. Since earlier, he had been staring at the photo without moving his eyes, showing a deep sense of shock.
After a moment of hesitation, Anya spoke, “Luo Luo…”
Jian Luo said, “Wait, I’ll be back soon.”
He sent the photo to Jiang Jiang. Although Jinjiang always crashed, as the former sole programmer of Jinjiang, the little prince who single-handedly supported the entire website, Jiang Jiang was very capable.
Jian Luo said, “Check if there’s an issue with this image.”
Jiang Jiang’s response was always quick, “Wait a moment.”
Without the need for explanation from one and a plea not to explain from the other, after a few minutes, Jiang Jiang returned, “Yes, there seems to be tampering with this image. If you want it fixed, I’ll do it for you tonight.”
Jian Luo said, “Thanks, I’ll treat you to dinner when I get back.”
“Take care of yourself. Now that the months are advanced, I’ll treat you to dinner when you return safely,” Jiang Jiang sighed, “Let’s not be so polite between us.”
Jian Luo smiled.
Knowing that there was room for things to happen, he felt relieved. In the afternoon, Lu Shifeng scheduled another prenatal checkup for him. Judging by the time, it was about time to go.
During this checkup, the doctor was very satisfied with his health condition and reminded him, “The due date should be approaching. Our ordinary dragon cubs usually only need a gestation period of 6 months. However, your body is not in good condition, and you’re carrying three. To mature them all will increase the burden on your body, hence the delayed due date. But it’s okay. According to my estimation, your due date might be advancing. If everything goes well, it should be in three months.”
Jian Luo remembered it was four months earlier, “One month in advance.”
The doctor nodded, leaning down to look at Jian Luo’s belly, “They are developing well, but from today onwards, you need to exercise more. There should be a proper amount of daily physical activity to ensure that the children can grow up healthy and strong.”
Jian Luo nodded.
“Moreover, you are now entering the final stage. This stage is the peak period for prenatal depression. This kind of depression is not external but physiological. So, if you feel sad or unhappy with life, you can communicate with the Marshal or someone you trust in a timely manner. You don’t need to feel embarrassed; it’s all normal.”
Jian Luo: “Depression?”
He had always felt that this term was distant from himself.
The doctor glanced at Lu Shifeng beside him and said, “Yes, depression. You need to adjust your mentality. I will also inform the Marshal and the others.”
Jian Luo smiled, “I won’t have depression, don’t worry. At most, I’m concerned about whether this child will be easy to deliver. When I watched documentaries before, some mothers screamed in pain, and some had difficult deliveries. At this time, families would discuss whether to prioritize the older or the younger ones in their family…”
The doctor stared at him in shock.
Jian Luo choked up. That was something normal families would discuss, but his words didn’t need asking as oftentimes, no one would prioritize the older one, right?
T/N: Hey there! There is plenty more where that came from, so stay tuned! And stay healthy! Straighten your posture, so some stretches and drink some water before continuing hehe~
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Also, check out the other series we have on HoH!
If you like cats, check out Revenge of the Garfield
If you like dragons, check out I’m Pregnant with the Hope of the Entire Planet and The Dragon and the ‘Princess’
How about some mystery or showbiz? Check out Morbid Addiction & Perfection
What about the perfect, most non-toxic male lead ever? Laws of Love
How about MC nursing ML back to health? Forced into the Deep
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