Chapter 079: The Boss Is Always the Boss—Wang Tiancai’s Submission

The night passed without incident, and morning arrived in the blink of an eye.

At dawn, Wang Tiancai and the other three salespeople were having breakfast together on the first floor of the hotel.

“Let’s discuss our strategy,” Wang began. “Today, our main priority is to drive down the prices of those troublemakers. Once the price hits our target, we immediately start buying up the stock. Agreed?”

“No problem,” Li Yuehe responded first, followed by Chu Hongyuan and Cai Yun.

An agreement was an agreement—none of them intended to go back on their word. After all, they were colleagues and didn’t want things to become too strained. With the details settled, the four of them left the hotel one after another to set up their stalls and begin selling.

Meanwhile, Xu Kuangdao and Chen Yuanhua, who had already arrived in Port City and were staying at another hotel, had received the latest news.

“Hahaha! What kind of people did Zhang Tianfeng recruit? In just one day, fourteen of them have quit—useless!” Xu Kuangdao’s arrogant laughter echoed through the room. Chen Yuanhua, sipping his morning tea at the table, glanced up and said, “But the four who remain are tough. Zhang Tianfeng must have promised them all sorts of benefits to make them stay.”

“Don’t worry, Brother Chen. Unless Zhang Tianfeng is willing to burn money to keep them, I’ll make sure they suffer every consequence,” Xu replied confidently.

Ever since he had left his family for Tangwan Town, Xu hadn’t had a single easy day. Every time he thought his plan was flawless, something would always go wrong—and it was always that wretched Zhang Tianfeng who found the loophole and exploited it.

This time, he and Chen Yuanhua had joined forces: first, having Silver Mill stockpile toys produced by Blue Fang Toy Factory, then cutting off the factory’s finances and sales channels at the root.

Now, it was the final battle. If he could flatten Zhang Tianfeng this time, the boy would never get back up again.

...

Zhang Tianfeng woke up at 9:30 that morning. His life’s ambition was to sleep until he woke naturally, to live a life free of alarm clocks—and he was working towards that goal.

He had just finished washing up when there was a knock at the door.

Opening it, he saw Gao Ran, already dressed with a sun hat and sunglasses.

“Seriously? I stayed up late last night contacting the box factory for you, and here you are, sleeping in,” she complained as she walked in and sat on the sofa. “You’ve got ten minutes to get ready. We need to head to the box factory.”

“Alright, you’re the boss. Whatever you say.”

This girl was getting bold—give her an inch and she’d take a mile. Just wait, one day she’d get what was coming to her.

After a quick wash, he bought a pineapple bun and a cup of coffee on the way, and they set off for the box factory.

It was in another part of town, and it took them half an hour to get there. Only when Gao Ran saw the packaging designs and advertising slogans that Zhang Tianfeng brought out did she finally understand what his so-called “blind box” scheme actually entailed.

The promotional materials clearly stated the types of items and their set prices. The main products were still the tin green frog and the Transformer, with accompanying items such as calligraphy brushes, fountain pens, paint brushes, nail clippers, small mirrors, and so on.

The main products were priced at five yuan, the accompanying items ranged from two to five yuan, and the total price for a gift package was set at ten yuan.

Once a customer made a purchase, there were two possible outcomes. For example, someone might receive a tin green frog, a fountain pen, and a calligraphy brush. At retail price, those three items already exceeded ten yuan, giving the customer a sense of having gotten a bargain. If they received nail clippers or a paint brush, they might lose a few coins’ worth.

The gain was at least one yuan; the loss, only a few coins. Plus, each package included a raffle ticket—and the prizes were the real highlight.

There were one hundred third prizes, each offering ten yuan in cash. Fifty second prizes, each worth one hundred yuan. Ten first prizes, each granting a cash reward of one thousand yuan. And the grand prize: one Toyota Crown sedan, valued at four hundred thousand yuan.

The odds for each prize were set just right. To have a chance at even the third prize, a customer would theoretically need to buy at least ten blind boxes. Of course, that was only in theory; luck still played a part.

Once this poster was released, people wouldn’t focus on the third or second prizes. All eyes would be on that grand prize—a Crown sedan worth four hundred thousand yuan.

“I’m just wondering,” Gao Ran said, “how much stock do you plan on purchasing, and how big are you going to make this operation to actually give away that grand prize?”

She continued, “You only gave yourself five days. In those five days, you still need to help my father with the car body advertising. Do you really have the energy for all this?”

“I couldn’t do it alone, but don’t forget, both the Chen and Xu families are desperate to unload their stock on me. With their help, it’s more than enough.”

As he finished speaking, the owner of the box factory came in with a price list in hand. “Here’s the total for your order.”

Glancing at the bill, Zhang Tianfeng couldn’t help but sigh. One hundred thousand yuan—no holding back there.

“Boss, by tomorrow night, someone will come to you with the exact same box order as mine. Consider this me sending you a new customer—give me a discount, will you?”

“Tomorrow will take care of itself. Pay now, and if your referral really comes through, I’ll refund you the difference. If not, don’t expect a penny back.”

“Fine, you’re a friend of Boss Qin, I’ll trust you.”

They signed the contract, paid up, and left. Another hundred thousand gone, just like that.

The more money he spent, the less he seemed to feel it. In the past, earning a hundred yuan was backbreaking work; now, a few words sent hundreds of thousands out the door.

After leaving the box factory, Gao Ran led him through another wholesale market. Zhang Tianfeng knew the Chen and Xu families had people shadowing him, keeping track of everything he did.

No matter—it was all part of his plan to feed the enemy false information and throw them off track.

He was busy until dusk before finally dragging his weary body back to the hotel.

...

As soon as he stepped onto his floor, he saw Wang Tiancai and the other three sitting dejectedly outside his door.

“What’s going on with you all?” he asked.

“Boss, the enemy is strong. They have so much stock, the four of us couldn’t buy it all up,” Wang said bitterly, eyes full of defeat.

The fifteen thousand yuan Zhang Tianfeng had given them was gone by around three in the afternoon. Realizing they couldn’t wait any longer, Wang changed tactics and began dumping stock at low prices, hoping to quickly recoup some funds. But the opposition just kept flooding the market, foiling his plan.

“I gave you two days—what’s the rush?” Zhang Tianfeng frowned. “You started making blind decisions without fully understanding the enemy’s strength. I really don’t know how you ever became sales director.”

“Boss, I don’t think this is my fault—the enemy’s just too strong.”

“Passing the buck, are we? Good—my opinion of you just dropped another notch. Anything else to say?”

Zhang Tianfeng’s piercing gaze made it impossible for any of the four to look him in the eye.

After a long silence, he finally spoke. “Gao Ran, please have Brother Fu take them to the warehouse.”

“Wang Tiancai, I’m giving you all one night. Tomorrow morning, I’ll come find you. If you can’t answer my questions, you’re all fired.”

The youngest of the four was twenty-eight, yet here they were, being scolded by an eighteen-year-old boy. Even with the lure of money, it was humiliating.

Yet as soon as they entered the warehouse and saw the posters with the new rules, Wang Tiancai gave a bitter smile. “The boss is truly the boss. Everything was within his expectations—even the mistakes we would make.”

“Guys, today’s decision was wrong, and I take a lot of responsibility. I’ll step down as sales director. One of you should take over.”

“Don’t say that, Wang. It was a joint decision—we can’t let you take the blame alone…”

“No need to say more. Let’s just wait. The boss said he’ll come question us in the morning—about what, he didn’t say. I guess it’ll be about our mistakes and what he plans to do next.”

Wang Tiancai sat down in a corner. “This boss is something else. If you want to stick around and learn from him, work hard. If not, just go to sleep.”

The other three were silent for a moment before heading to their own corners, each lost in thought.