Chapter 3

"Today's meeting is mainly to report on this month's performance. Here, I want to criticize Old Zhang. Your third group's performance is at the bottom again."

Old Zhang, who was holding a thermos and drinking goji berry tea, paused in his drinking.

Dozens of people in the meeting room all turned their gazes to the third group.

Their looks were a mix of sympathy and schadenfreude.

"I want to reiterate that as a team leader, besides developing and maintaining your own clients, you should also focus more on team building.

For those who just coast through their days, you should let them go and focus your energy on more promising new members.

Our company wants wolves, not gentle sheep. Those who can't keep up will only drag the whole team down!

If you can't even lead your own team well, how can we compete for the top performance in the district this year..."

Old Zhang looked up at Wang Zhiping, who was speaking sternly with a deadpan face, and frowned.

Why is he picking on me so early in the morning? Have I offended him recently?

He turned his head to look behind him.

Sure enough, Meng Lang was shrugging helplessly at him.

Great! It seems to be this kid again...

...

Half an hour later, the meeting ended.

Wang Zhiping, however, called Old Zhang into his office and gave him another lecture. Through the glass window, one could see the spittle flying as he berated Old Zhang.

"Hey! Did you offend someone again?"

Meng Lang was frowning at the scene inside when a well-built man, about 1.8 meters tall with a buzz cut, came over and teased him.

"I heard it clearly just now. 'Nanbo Wang' was talking about our third group, but his words were all aimed at you..."

This man was named Ma Qiao, and he was also a salesperson in the third group.

As for 'Nanbo Wang,' it was the nickname they gave Wang Zhiping in private because of his domineering leadership style and his constant talk of being number one during meetings.

"Who knows? I just said something to him in the elevator, and I didn't expect him to be so fragile and start implicating others. Old Zhang is taking the fall for me this time.

I wonder if he forgot to take his medication this morning and is lashing out at everyone..." Meng Lang said helplessly.

"Heh! Not surprising. You're new, so you don't know that Nanbo Wang has a few days each month like this.

Most likely, he's taking out his frustrations from home on us here."

"Oh? How do you know that?" Meng Lang raised an eyebrow.

From his appearance, no one would believe that this 1.8-meter-tall, fit, and sunny man was actually a gossipy chatterbox.

In the company, from interpersonal relationships to rumors, there was nothing he wasn't interested in.

"Hehe, you don't know, but Nanbo Wang's father-in-law is a core executive at the provincial headquarters. Do you think he could be in this position at his age, managing over a hundred people, without that connection?

But choosing to marry into wealth has its price..."

"How? Is his wife abusive?" Meng Lang asked excitedly.

"Not physically, but emotionally, I think it's true. They say her weight is this much!" Ma Qiao held up his index and middle fingers.

"Whoa!" Meng Lang couldn't help but gasp.

Imagining the scene, Meng Lang suddenly understood why Nanbo Wang had a few bad days each month.

Even the most hateful person has a pitiable side.

I shouldn't have lashed out at him this morning; it seems a bit inhumane.

"So, you've run into his bad days, got it? I advise you to be low-key for a while, or you'll be out of here soon."

"Wouldn't you be happy if I left?"

"Happy? Of course, I'd be happy. I'd open a bottle of champagne to celebrate. Since Old Zhang asked me to mentor you, how many deals have you messed up for me?"

Thinking about recent events, Ma Qiao couldn't help but twitch his lips.

"Last time, I talked myself hoarse, and the client was finally about to buy a dividend insurance policy. You came in and said, 'After deducting management fees, the interest rate is lower than a bank's fixed deposit.'

The time before that, when I was selling a million-dollar health insurance policy, you almost analyzed the client's family medical history on the spot.

Do you know how to do sales?

Do you know what it means to say only the good things?

Insurance is for protection and returns money if there's no illness. That's what people want to hear!"

"But the client is over fifty and has no children. If they put all their money into it, with low dividends, and if they need to withdraw it for an emergency, they might get back less than half. What about their later life?

And that million-dollar health insurance policy, with its dozens of pages of contract terms, is a pitfall. Whether they can get compensation when they're sick is another question. Shouldn't you explain the situation clearly?"

Ma Qiao looked at Meng Lang speechlessly.

"Are you a spy sent by China Ping An or an undercover agent from Pacific Life?

What kind of god trained such a fierce warrior? Are you trying to undermine the competition from within?"

Meng Lang stiffened his neck, "The Meng family's ancestral teaching: wealth and rank obtained unjustly are to me like floating clouds!"

"That sounds like something Confucius said. If Mencius knew his descendants were using this as a family motto, he'd probably jump out of his grave in anger."

"Hey? I didn't expect you to have some culture in your head! But you don't know that Confucius and Mencius, though from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, were not in the same era. They never met!

Mencius is at most Confucius's great-grandstudent. If we talk about seniority, Mencius should call him 'Master's Master'!"

"Whoa!" Meng Lang felt like he had been choked by the ink in this guy's head.

"Do you know the biggest crossover case of the 21st century? It's an insurance salesman who stopped reading Carnegie's success books and started reading 'The Spring and Autumn Annals'!"

"Hehe! Don't think all salespeople are uncultured. The core of sales is dealing with people, and anything related to making money is about dealing with people.

Don't look down on finance and IT talents, but the easiest way to earn your first million is still in sales!

Most small and medium-sized business owners in China started in sales, and more than 50% of the CEOs of Fortune 500 companies have a sales background.

Examples like Li Ka-shing, Zong Qinghou, and Dong Mingzhu are everywhere. The waves of time reveal the true colors of heroes."

Meng Lang looked at this treasure of a boy in shock.

"Tell me, are you a rich second-generation kid sent down to the grassroots for training?"

"Hey! You figured it out?" Ma Qiao grinned, "Alright, no more pretending. If I didn't like you, I wouldn't have said so much to anyone else.

How about a drink in my Lamborghini sometime?"

"Sure, if you think putting on a bikini makes a Lamborghini. Let's be realistic and sign a big deal to buy a Wuling Mini instead."

As they were bantering, "Click!" the office door opened, and Old Zhang came out with a dark face.

"Meng Lang, come with me." Old Zhang said and entered the third group's meeting room.

Under Ma Qiao's teasing gaze, Meng Lang walked in reluctantly and closed the door.

Expecting a scolding, he was surprised when Old Zhang sat down and immediately changed his expression, sipping goji berry tea with the calm demeanor of a retired official.

"Uh... Sorry, Uncle Zhang, for causing trouble for you and the third group. Should I apologize to Manager Wang?" Meng Lang said.

"Forget it, I know your temper. You'd probably argue with him again within three minutes.

Your task now is to act like nothing happened and be a quiet, handsome man!" Old Zhang rolled his eyes and continued drinking.

"Aren't you going to scold me?"

"Am I not scolding you now?" Old Zhang slammed his hand on the table, startling Meng Lang, who then realized it was for Wang Zhiping's benefit.

"Thanks, Uncle Zhang."

"Heh! Your dad asked me to take care of you. But to be honest, your personality really isn't suited for sales.

With your bottom-of-the-barrel performance, you won't last long.

Listen to Uncle, go back home and take over your dad's pig farm."

"No way! I don't want to stay in a small county. I finally got out, and I won't go back!" Meng Lang said stubbornly.

"Alright, it's good that young people have ambition. I won't stop you. When you're beaten down enough, remember to say hello to your dad for me."

"Clack, clack, clack!" Old Zhang slammed his thermos on the table a few more times.

Meng Lang was speechless, "You guys don't have any faith in me?"

"Ha! In our line of work, you either have to be ruthless and cunning, or worldly-wise yet innocent and naive.

You can't do the former, and for the latter... you only have half of it."

"Really? I thought I was making progress! Uncle Zhang, which half do you think I have?" Meng Lang's eyes lit up.

Old Zhang looked at Meng Lang and slowly sipped his tea.

"Slurp~"

"Worldly-wise and naive."

Meng Lang: "..."