Chapter 245: College Student Screwing Bolts, Hope My Son Won't Be Like You

Before the main gate of Luzhou Prefecture, white walls and dark tiles glowed under brilliant lights.

Luxury cars crowded the entrance; Mercedes, BMWs, and Audis were commonplace, while Bentleys, Porsches, and Ferraris were far from rare.

It was hard to imagine that Luzhou in 2012 had already become so wealthy.

At that moment, a Ghost with a panda color scheme slowly drove up, drawing passersby to stop and poke their heads out to look.

A Rolls-Royce worth seven or eight million was nothing special in Luzhou, but a license plate with four eights in a row still sparked endless imagination.

Who the hell is this?

Such a flashy license plate number!

Once the car stopped steadily, a pale white foot, previously wrapped in a sandal, stepped out from inside.

Immediately after, a young woman in a white shirt and wide-leg blue jeans got out of the car with a smile.

"Tao Jingwen said he wanted to bring a few friends. I figured they are mostly local brand merchants in Luzhou hoping to join Pinba or get more platform resources. You decide tonight; you can give Tao Jingwen face, but you don't have to give it all."

Chen Yansen followed, pushed the door open to get out, and instructed Song Yuncheng.

To be honest, he and people like Tao Jingwen and Xu Minggang were at most drinking buddies, not much better than mere acquaintances.

Once there was no intersection of interests, even if they bumped into each other face-to-face, they probably wouldn't even exchange greetings.

Therefore, when Tao Jingwen said he wanted to bring friends, Chen Yansen agreed readily.

If the other party wanted to act as a broker to connect people, that was naturally no problem.

After all, cooperation usually benefits both sides, so Chen Yansen had absolutely no need to refuse.

Song Yuncheng nodded slightly and followed behind Chen Yansen.

Gao Weilin sighed, turned his head to glance at Xiao Li; now the boss didn't need him to drive, but these social engagements were unavoidable.

He thought for a moment, made a comparison, and felt it was better to be the boss's driver.

The three of them went around the screen wall, passed through the front hall, and, guided by the waiter, walked straight inside, passing small bridges, green waters, courtyards, and pavilions.

Although he had been here twice before, Chen Yansen still felt amazed; to enclose such a large plot of land in the bustling district of Luzhou over ten years ago and spend hundreds of millions to build this imitation Jiangnan garden.

Connections and funds were both indispensable.

"Brother Chen, long time no see." Xu Minggang stood outside the private room; the moment he saw Chen Yansen, he warmly rushed forward to greet him.

"President Xu is too polite; you even came out personally to pick me up. If you do this again, I won't dare answer your phone."

Chen Yansen joked with a smile.

"Tsk, look! It's only been a few months, and we're already strangers again! Call me Brother Xu!" Xu Minggang said with a stern face.

"Who else is inside?" Chen Yansen smiled and changed the subject, asking.

"The presidents of Changhong, Royalstar, and JAC, plus the owner of Huazhang Liquor Store. Tao Jingwen had no choice; social debts are hard to settle. If the cooperation can be discussed, discuss it; if not, you don't have to give Old Tao face."

Xu Minggang explained briefly.

Obviously, this sentence was what Tao Jingwen had asked Xu Minggang to convey on his behalf.

"Rest assured, I know my limits." Chen Yansen responded and followed Xu Minggang inside.

Inside the private room were two round tables; Tao Jingwen was accompanying four middle-aged men, sitting at the eastern table drinking tea and chatting.

The people at the other table, judging by their attire, were mostly assistants, secretaries, and similar roles, there to drive the bosses or warm their beds later.

"President Chen, let me introduce you to a few new friends."

Tao Jingwen hurriedly stood up, pulled Chen Yansen to sit down, and pointed to the middle-aged man in a suit on the far left: "This is Zhang Renwu, the general manager of the Luzhou Changhong branch."

"President Chen, I have long heard of your name." Zhang Renwu bowed slightly and shook Chen Yansen's right hand, saying.

"President Zhang, a pleasure." Chen Yansen responded in a relaxed manner.

He did not show any contempt or neglect just because the other party was only the president of a branch company.

"This is Jin Junhua, the chairman of Royalstar Appliances."

"Liang Zhirong, the general manager of JAC Motors."

"Xu Xiangdong of Huazhang Liquor Store, also a liquor tycoon in our Huian Province; a lot of liquor products on various online wine websites go through President Xu's channels."

Tao Jingwen introduced them one by one.

Chen Yansen shook hands and exchanged greetings with each, giving Tao Jingwen ample face.

Changhong and Royalstar had already joined the Shangcheng Mall last December, so everyone had already established a cooperative relationship.

Liang Zhirong of JAC Motors had actively come to join the fun, which made Chen Yansen feel greatly surprised.

Although Pinba and Chery had a precedent of selling cars online, the daily sales data was not high; only when the brand increased advertising investment and subsidy intensity could they barely sell two or three thousand units.

But the promotional value far exceeded the actual sales value!

Could it be that Liang Zhirong had similar plans?

Chen Yansen pondered silently.

"President Chen, Huazhang Liquor Store also joined the Shangcheng Mall in February this year; please take good care of us in the future."

Xu Xiangdong was around fifty years old, with a beard, and was the only one among the group wearing a casual jacket, with beaded strings hanging around his neck and on his hands; he didn't look like an entrepreneur but rather like a bead-selling boss in an antique street.

"Thank you, President Xu, for your support of Pinba; let's look out for each other. Please sit." Chen Yansen smiled faintly and replied politely.

Before long, waiters brought out plate after plate of exquisite cold dishes and hot dishes, filling the redwood dining table completely.

Xu Xiangdong picked up several bottles of wine from behind and placed them on the table: Feitian Maotai vintage, Macallan 1990, and Yamazaki 18, with the cheapest bottle costing twenty or thirty thousand.

When Tao Jingwen introduced him, he said he was a liquor tycoon in Huian Province, and that was no exaggeration at all.

In fact, practitioners within the province regarded him as the 'Godfather of the Liquor Industry'; apart from the bosses of Gujing and Yingjia, Xu Xiangdong's net worth could definitely rank third.

He had wineries abroad, domestic baijiu brands, and beer factories, with annual sales in the billions.

However, these achievements were not enough to look at in Chen Yansen's eyes.

"President Chen, I heard that Chery's sales on Pinba are quite good?" After drinking two cups with Chen Yansen, Liang Zhirong of JAC Motors couldn't help but get straight to the point.

"President Liang, this depends on everyone's psychological expectations; if JAC's target is 2,000 units per month, then Pinba has no problem."

Chen Yansen looked at the other party and said in a flat tone.

In 2012, the Jianghuai automobile factory's products were mainly bus chassis, light trucks, and light vans. Yun Su had purchased over a thousand light trucks from Jianghuai for cargo transport.

Two thousand vehicles per month?

Liang Zhirong's eyes lit up—he was in charge of the sedan business, and last year's sales had barely reached a hundred thousand units.

If Pinbei really could sell 2,000 vehicles a month, that would be 24,000 a year, and his performance would easily climb by 25%.

"Mr. Chen, to be honest with you, Jianghuai has also been thinking about joining Pinbei. You just said 2,000 vehicles a month—do you really mean it?" Liang Zhirong stated his position first, then asked uneasily to confirm.

"Liang Zong, Pinbei is a flash-sale platform for goods. The premise of moving volume is that Jianghuai has to offer enough preferential policies and a simple vehicle-pickup procedure." Chen Yansen reminded him with a smile.

"No problem, Mr. Chen! If you're free in the next couple of days, you're welcome to come to Jianghuai, and we can sit down and talk it through."

Liang Zhirong looked at Chen Yansen with eager anticipation.

Chen Yansen wasn't very interested in this kind of business that wouldn't earn much money, so he called Song Yuncheng over.

"No need for all that trouble. Pinbei has a mature brand and campaign plan for auto sales. This is Song Yuncheng, Director of Key-Account Business Development at Pinbei. Whatever you need, Liang Zong, feel free to discuss it with Director Song."

Chen Yansen pushed Song Yuncheng forward.

Song Yuncheng smiled faintly, handed over a business card, and briefly described Chery's success story—in a few sentences she won Liang Zhirong's trust.

In terms of work, Song Yuncheng's ability was by no means lacking—otherwise she wouldn't have held the position of Director of the Key Accounts Department.

Chen Yansen had always kept public and private matters strictly separate. Zhang Wenbo, Xiang Pengfei, Chen Xu and the others—if their ability didn't measure up, they could only hold the title of team leader.

Meng Jie, in Sister Chengzi Tech's finance department, was still just a little intern, drawing a monthly internship salary of just over three thousand.

Three minutes later, Song Yuncheng returned to another table and sat back down.

"Sister, are you an employee of Sister Chengzi Tech?"

A girl with chestnut long hair beside her asked, tilting her head.

"Uh, sort of." Song Yuncheng couldn't be bothered to explain and replied offhandedly.

"Is Chen Yansen easygoing in private? Does he yell at employees?" the girl pressed on.

Gao Weilin, sitting across from them, had been looking down at his phone. Hearing this, he couldn't help but look up and size the girl up.

Not yet twenty, youthful and pretty, with two shallow dimples on her cheeks.

When she had first taken her seat, he had assumed she was some boss's secretary. Now, taking a fresh look, he noticed the greenness and childishness on her face.

Combined with that almost idiotic way of probing, Gao Weilin was all the more convinced—either she was some boss's daughter, or some boss's little "secretary."

Song Yuncheng's delicate brows knit slightly. "Why are you asking this?"

"I—I was thinking of going to work at Sister Chengzi Tech in the future." The girl blurted out a random excuse.

"I can't really comment on the boss's private affairs. Wait until you pass the interview and start working, then you'll find out for yourself." Song Yuncheng refused flatly.

After saying that, she turned her head away and stopped paying the girl any attention.

Xu Jiujiu saw this and looked helpless. Actually, she had still wanted to ask: does Chen Yansen have a girlfriend, is he good to his girlfriend, when will they break up—that sort of weird question.

But Song Yuncheng clearly didn't want to deal with her, so she turned her gaze onto Gao Weilin instead.

"Uncle, you're so cute—you must be a warm-hearted person. Can I ask you a bit of gossip?" Xu Jiujiu said coquettishly.

Gao Weilin waved his hands repeatedly. "I'm just a driver. I don't know anything."

"..." Xu Jiujiu opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

Chen Yansen, sitting at the next table, listened to the conversation. His gaze lingered on Xu Xiangdong's face, and from the similar brows and eyes between the two, he guessed their relationship.

But he didn't pay it much mind. He chatted happily with Changhong's Zhang Renwu and Royalstar's Jin Junhua, and as they talked, the conversation turned to the upcoming 418 Home Appliances Festival.

JD. com, Suning, Gome, Dangdang, Yixun, and Pinbei—six major platforms in an all-category melee. Although it would affect Changhong and Royalstar's nationwide price-control system, it was also the best time for the two brands to boost their performance.

After all, the bulk of the price difference came out of the platforms' pockets.

Chen Yansen naturally wouldn't waste the opportunity. He pulled Zhang Renwu and Jin Junhua aside and worked out the traffic plan for the second half of the year.

Put simply: 418 supports Pinbei, and in the second half of the year Pinbei will back Changhong and Royalstar to the hilt.

Zhang Renwu and Jin Junhua were curious, not knowing why the two of them had agreed so readily.

Even Tao Jingwen and Xu Minggang couldn't help exchanging a glance, full of doubt: have these two changed their stripes? They pulled out Double Eleven-level promotional intensity the moment they opened their mouths.

"Then thank you, Mr. Zhang and Mr. Jin, for your support." Chen Yansen's eyes narrowed slightly as he said with a smile.

After three rounds of drinks, their faces were flushed and they were slightly tipsy.

Chen Yansen still had to attend Sister Chengzi Factory's unveiling ceremony the next morning, so he suggested ending the drinking session.

Tao Jingwen had been thinking the same thing and immediately seconded it.

The group slowly walked out of Luzhou Mansion, got into their respective cars, and waved goodbye.

Meanwhile.

In the dormitory of Sister Chengzi Factory No. 4 in Luyang District, Sun Haiyang tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

"Haiyang, does your ass hurt or something? Stop flipping over—the bed board is creaking like crazy, I can't sleep no matter what." Yao Xin in the lower bunk protested.

"Xinzi, I just feel like—my parents spent over a hundred thousand to put me through college, and I turn around and come to a factory to tighten screws. The pay's not bad, sure, but it doesn't sound good, does it?" Sun Haiyang said with a worried frown.

"With the kind of college we went to, people outside joke it's one of Luzhou's 'Four Little Dragons.' So what if we're tightening screws? Seven or eight thousand a month!" Yao Xin said, curling his lip. He didn't carry Sun Haiyang's psychological baggage.

Others in the same dorm had gone to office buildings to be white-collar workers—either telemarketing or online customer service—but when you asked about their income, it was only three thousand.

Without the slightest hesitation, Yao Xin had accepted the offer for a production operator at Sister Chengzi Factory—colloquially known as tightening screws.

"Are you both college students from Luzhou?" a middle-aged man in the next bunk who hadn't fallen asleep asked in a low voice.

"Yes, Uncle Li." Sun Haiyang replied.

"Sigh, college students not finding a white-collar job but coming to tighten screws—I hope my son won't end up as miserable as you two someday." the middle-aged man said bluntly.

"..." Sun Haiyang.

"..." Yao Xin.

(End of chapter)