Chapter 99

Wu Di climbed onto the middle bunk, took out a book, and started flipping through it. After a nap, he would be home in the evening.

At noon, he received a call from Meng Yao. The little girl's voice was very soft, and her tone was unusually normal.

"Adi, I have a question and I want to hear your opinion. The company is in a mess right now..."

Meng Yao recounted the decision Wu Di had made the previous night. Wu Di pretended to think for two seconds and asked:

"Do you think this company has a future?"

"It should have. I heard the boss is very rich and just invested in jade, which is worth a few hundred million! Besides, that old woman who used to be against me is gone, and the new director is very nice to me. Even the assistant who interned with me is now flattering me. It feels great!"

"If the company has potential and you want to stay long-term, you should still choose a low base salary with high commissions."

"But I have to go back to Rongcheng for an interview in January. If I pass, I'll have to return in the first half of the year."

"Can't you consider staying in Beijing?"

"I'm afraid not. Unless I earn a lot of money in a short time and buy a house to bring my mother over, but it seems the only way now is to win the lottery. I really don't want to leave Wen Lan."

"Is it also because you don't want to leave me?"

"You're dead! I'll deal with you tonight!"

"Actually, I think you should do what makes you happy. Work hard and learn as much as you can; that's the best thing. I won't be around tonight; I'm going back to my hometown for a couple of days. By the way, do you really miss me?"

"You! You wait! This girl won't let you off! Hmph, I recorded the call and will tell Wen Lan tonight!"

"Hero, heroine, please spare me. I won't do it again. But I really don't want you to go."

"Relax, we're good sisters. We still have half a year, right? Let's not worry about the future. I've decided to go for the high salary!"

Wu Di thought:

"Whether you want a high salary or high commissions, can't I just make both high? Buying a house within half a year? How can I make this girl stay in Beijing? Strange, why do I care if she stays or not? If she leaves, Wen Lan will be alone, which would make things easier to handle. But... Wu Di, how can you be so shameless!"

When he got home at 9 PM, his mother, who was thin and dark but very energetic, scolded him as soon as she saw him:

"If you dare not come back, I won't care and will go straight to Beijing to chase you and make you find a wife!"

"Mom—"

"Have you found one? Now that you have money, your standards are high, and I can't control you anymore. But I warn you, if you bring back some new type of person, I won't let you in the house."

"Alright, alright. The child just got back and hasn't even put down the bag. Why talk about those things? Hurry up and eat, or it will get cold!"

Wu Dan secretly made a face at Wu Di, but her mother noticed and hit her.

"Go to bed! You're already in the second year of junior high, and your grades are still so bad. What will you do in the future?"

Wu Dan slunk back to her room.

The opening ceremony was scheduled for Wednesday because they invited leaders from relevant departments. Mayor Wang was very accommodating and agreed to let his secretary represent him. The relevant leaders were all invited by Zhu Ziming, who seemed to have done well in sales and was quite well-connected.

Hearing that Wu Di had returned, the two guys came over. They were a bit tanned but very energetic. They insisted that Wu Di participate in the ribbon-cutting ceremony the next day. Wu Di smiled and said:

"I just invested some money in this store, and the legal representative is my mother. This time, I'm just back to take a look and meet Mayor Wang to express my gratitude and pave the way for you guys in the future."

"This little pig is a cunning businessman. He took advantage of the opening to ask Ford for a discount. Before the opening, he already drove away more than fifty cars. Do you know the price?"

"Wasn't it only thirty or so yesterday? So popular? What's the price?"

"Eighty percent off the base price! A price never seen before! All the discounts are from the manufacturer! But this time, it's a risky move. We promised to sell a hundred cars before the opening, and the factory gave us such strong support. There's still one day left, and the pressure is quite high."

"No problem. If we can't sell them, I'll buy them myself and give each of you one!"

The fat man and the little pig exchanged glances.

"We were going to surprise you, but now we've lost our own car! In fact, there will be a grand signing ceremony tomorrow, with over a hundred customers signing on the spot!"

"What do you mean?"

"When we started building the store, the little pig started advertising. During the week of trial operations, the consultation calls almost overwhelmed us. It wasn't just buying cars; it was like a frenzy! Later, we decided to arrange three signing ceremonies for the opening. One is the signing with Ford, just a formality. Another is the signing for a joint investment to build the largest service center in Yu Province. The last one is the signing for a hundred car owners. So, besides the fifty who have already signed and picked up their cars, tomorrow will be the real big scene, with signing and immediate delivery!"

"Wow! You guys are really daring!"

"Either don't do it at all, or do it big! You don't know, the threshold of my house has almost been worn out by people asking for jobs, proposing marriage, and wanting to buy cars cheaper. I've turned them all down and haven't dared to go home these days!"

"Me too."

Pang Kuan also looked a bit shaken.

"Still, we need to stick to our principles. Relatives and friends cannot be involved in the business. If there are any issues, just push them onto me."

"You think so, kid. Knowing you're back, you'll be surrounded tomorrow! Get ready for it."

"We've already pushed everything onto you, even Auntie is doing it!"

"Damn! But I've already thought about it. If they want to join the company, they can, but the after-sales department is hiring a lot. Everyone must go through the normal application process. If anyone gets in through connections, both the person and the one who hired them will be fired. All relatives and friends who join must start from the bottom. If they show off in front of colleagues, they'll be fired. If they have real talent, they can be considered for a management position after two or three years. But you two must hold the line; otherwise, the store won't last two years!"

"We think the same. Didn't you say no relatives at the beginning? No one would dare open that door without your approval. I'll go back and write down what you said, print it out, and distribute it. If they can handle it, they can apply; if not, they can forget it."

"Sigh, it's hard to find jobs these days, especially for relatives from the countryside. But I can consider paying for them to go to technical schools or vocational training. If they can't learn, they can't expect to be fed. You can have a family meeting to discuss it. It's just a bit of wealth; why make such a fuss?"

"These are all people trying to take advantage. Don't worry; once they hear they won't earn money for a year or two, they'll all back off!"

The opening ceremony was scheduled for 9 AM. The mayor's secretary gave a speech, followed by a grand signing ceremony. The after-sales technicians sent by Changan Ford and the people the fat man hired to pretend stood in four rows of a hundred people, causing a lot of discussion.

Due to thorough preparation, the 120 car owners only needed to sign new contracts, so everything went smoothly. However, things went wrong later. Zhu Ziming had reserved a few salespeople, but when they heard it was the last day of the discount, nearly twenty more customers demanded to sign on the spot, causing a shortage of staff. More people kept coming.

Wu Di, seeing the situation, quickly came up with a solution. He announced that any customer interested in buying a car could pay a 20,000 yuan deposit and leave, with detailed negotiations to be held the next day at the same discounted price. After explaining, a long queue formed at the finance office, and Zhu Ziming stood by, smiling wryly:

"Everything has its pros and cons. Selling a hundred or two hundred cars at a discount on the opening day certainly attracted many customers, but most of them would have bought the cars even without the discount. The uncertainty is just greater.

The next half year will likely be a slow season. Was this the right move or the wrong one?"

Next came the main event, a parade of the car fleet. The 4S store spent tens of thousands to coordinate, mainly to avoid traffic issues, as over a hundred cars would occupy several streets! Each car owner not only had this clause in their contract but also received a 200 yuan subsidy. Journalists were present, and the evening news praised the event, encouraging local entrepreneurs to return and create jobs for laid-off workers.

After a busy day, they finally finished at 10 PM. Checking the results, a total of 120 car owners came to pick up their cars, with 11 paying in full on the spot. Another 32 paid a deposit, and adding the 50 who had already picked up their cars, the total exceeded 200!

"Are people nowadays so rich? It feels like selling cars is like selling cabbages!"

"What I'm most worried about is the sales for the next half year. This volume has already exceeded my estimate for the 4S store's half-year sales! These people have all bought cars ahead of time due to the discount, and with the low price set, it will be even harder to sell in the future. Fat Pig, it's up to you two now."

Pang Kuan smiled:

"No problem. The one who should be worried now is Ford's General Manager Shi. I checked, and more than half of these 200 customers are from other cities, even from the provincial capital. The other 4S stores must be upset, as their customers have been taken away. Hahaha."

So there's another side to this? Wu Di felt relieved. Over the years, everyone has been improving. It's not obvious in daily life, but once they are placed in the right position and given a push, their potential naturally emerges.

This is what is called opportunity.