N-M Chapter 48: There's not a single normal person left.
Chapter 48: There's not a single normal person left.
Seeing Lin Chen's intense reaction, Tang Xin felt a little uncomfortable and regretful.
But her boss was pressuring her, so she had no choice but to do it. Why don't you understand me, Lin Chen?
She shook her head. Perhaps transferring Lin Chen to her office was a mistake.
Back in his office, Lin Chen felt a surge of frustration.
He never expected Tang Xin to "sell" him so readily.
If this kind of thing gets exposed, the consequences can be big or small.
He's willing to work for the company, after all, he gets paid, but that doesn't mean he's willing to take the blame.
He wasn't a particularly good person, nor was he a particularly bad one; he just wanted to have a clear conscience. He had already made up his mind: he wouldn't answer any unfamiliar numbers for the next few days, no matter what happened.
It's the weekend again.
Lin Chen was about to leave work when he noticed that the light in Deputy Director Liu Xingyu's office was still on, so he went in to say hello.
"Director Liu, are you still busy?"
Liu Xingyu was always low-key and honest in the office, with no airs, a gentle and easy-going personality, and would occasionally bring afternoon tea for everyone. Lin Chen had a good impression of him.
This deputy director was always busy, but no one knew exactly what he was busy with.
After all, he doesn't get involved in anything.
"Yeah, I still have some things to take care of." Liu Xingyu looked up and replied, then suddenly remembered something and quickly called out to him, "By the way, Lin Chen, are you free this Saturday?"
"What's wrong, Director Liu? Is something the matter?" Lin Chen usually has to rush to finish writing his novel on weekends, so his schedule is quite full.
Liu Xingyu smiled and said, "I need your help with something."
Lin Chen: "Please speak."
Liu Xingyu: "Just go to People's Square tomorrow. Remember to bring your advanced certificate. It won't take you too long."
Lin Chen wanted to ask more about what happened, but Liu Xingyu received a phone call and politely walked out with a smile.
Lin Chen continued writing his novel that evening. The novel had reached a bottleneck, probably because he had never tried writing a long novel before, and he was finding it a bit difficult. Subscriptions also started to decline.
Fortunately, the word count is high enough that the royalties can cover it, but it's unrealistic to expect to live off one book for a lifetime.
The next day, Lin Chen still brought the certificate to People's Square, after all, Director Liu had spoken, so he didn't know what urgent matter it was.
Unexpectedly, the square was packed with people; a product promotion event was being held there.
Lin Chen didn't see Liu Xingyu in front of a large booth in the center, but bumped into Chen Ya instead.
She wore a formal dress that accentuated her full bust and long legs, making her stand out in the crowd.
Upon seeing Lin Chen, she was taken aback for a moment: "Lin Chen, were you sent by Director Liu? Or are you just out for a stroll?"
"Director Liu called you here, were you here too?"
"Um."
"Why did he send us here?"
Chen Ya pointed inside. The stall was filled with water purifiers from a brand called "Lanyu".
"Selling water purifiers."
Upon hearing this, Lin Chen was completely stunned.
A few years ago, when Lin Chen worked at the water supply station, the company had this business, requiring employees to sell water purifiers when people got their tap water connected. However, in rural areas, water purifiers were considered expensive items and were not easy to sell, so the workers were too lazy to promote them.
At the time, Lin Chen couldn't understand why a water supply company, a nationally renowned enterprise serving the people's livelihood, would not focus on improving water quality and ensuring drinking water safety from the source, but instead promote water purifiers and engage in such low-class products.
However, I haven't heard of this in the past few years. I didn't expect Director Liu to get involved in this kind of business.
Was it an arrangement by the leader, or did he do it himself? Lin Chen was a little confused.
Their "Lanyu" water purifier's slogan is as loud as the company's: "Let the people drink clean and safe water."
Of course, the water quality in Suicheng is indeed poor, so this stuff probably has a real market, otherwise Director Liu wouldn't be so enthusiastic. Originally, Lin Chen didn't know what he was busy with all day, but it turns out he's been focusing his attention on this.
Liu Xingyu was really at a loss. His position at the company was basically up. The deputy director of the office was just a shell with no real power, and Tang Xin was even younger than him.
He only receives a fixed monthly salary, which is far from enough to cover the expenses of his large family. He has six children and two wives, so the pressure of making a living is still very high.
Fortunately, his position as deputy director allowed him to collaborate with these distributors and earn some "extra income" together.
Not long after, Liu Xingyu rushed over and said to Chen Ya and Lin Chen politely, "Thank you both for coming to help today, but I won't treat you unfairly."
Chen Ya frowned: "What do I need to do?"
Liu Xingyu: "You don't need to do anything, just stand here and look beautiful."
Goodness, they're using their beauty to get her to be a free model.
"Director Liu, although I am handsome, I really can't do this job." Lin Chen thought he would have to rely on his looks to make a living, after all, his face does have an irresistible charm for women aged 8 to 80.
"I'm not asking you to be a model," Liu Xingyu handed over a beautifully printed instruction manual, pointing to the gleaming water purifier. "Your task is to cooperate with me in conducting experiments and use your professional expertise to explain the principles of the water purifier to the public."
Lin Chen flipped through the instruction manual and almost burst out laughing. It boasted incredible claims, saying that this water purifier not only purified water efficiently but also released "natural antibiotics," possessing "adjunctive treatment" and "cancer-preventing" effects; it even claimed that children who drank it would become smarter and the elderly would live longer...
He glanced at the so-called filter cartridge, which contained nothing more than a few pieces of charcoal, capable of filtering out some impurities at most.
This can cure diseases, fight cancer, and prolong life?
This is clearly a scheme to fool the people and swindle them out of their money.
Lin Chen asked with some concern, "So what exactly do I need to do?"
Liu Xingyu: "It's very simple. Just cooperate with my demonstration later. You're a company-certified senior engineer with good speaking skills. Your words carry weight, and ordinary people believe in that. Did you bring your senior certificate? Take it out and put it on the table to show your authority."
Lin Chen tried to decline, but Director Liu took the certificate directly and placed it in the most conspicuous position on the stall.
The advanced certificate he had worked so hard to obtain was being used to endorse this kind of scam... Lin Chen felt his face burning with shame.
Fortunately, the certificate didn't have his name printed on it, otherwise he would have really lost his temper on the spot.
It was obvious that Director Liu wasn't interested in him, but rather in that piece of paper.
Liu Xingyu handed Lin Chen another draft: "This is the process and script. Memorize it quickly, and follow this when you're done."
Lin Chen was in a bit of a dilemma. He couldn't refuse outright, and besides, the water purifier wasn't entirely useless. It could indeed filter out some impurities, and it would be a good addition to the home. It just didn't have as many functions as it was advertised.
Sales have officially begun.
Chen Ya didn't dare offend Director Liu, so she shouted a few times, which attracted a large crowd to gather around.
The appeal of beautiful women should not be underestimated.
Liu Xingyu also adopted a professional demeanor: he first introduced himself as being from Xinhai Company, then showed off his title of "Domestic Certified Senior Engineer," and even pointed to Lin Chen's certificate to prove its authenticity.
Next, he brought out a set of experimental equipment and began a live demonstration.
He had Lin Chen fill a glass with murky water from the tap, filled with sediment, and used a magnifying glass to show the "countless impurities" in the water, exaggerating the "danger" of drinking water and listing the "harm" of the elderly and children drinking this kind of water for a long time.
This kind of scare marketing is common in rural areas, and it's surprising that Director Liu is also well-versed in it.
He then turned on the water purifier to filter the murky water. The filtered water was indeed much "cleaner" than the original water. In Lin Chen's opinion, using a stocking to filter the water would not have much of a difference in effect.
Immediately afterwards, Director Liu began to use various pseudo-technical terms to mislead the public, such as "nano-antibacterial" and "quantum filtration," exaggerating the water purifier's capabilities.
Finally, he pulled out a stack of so-called "authoritative certification certificates" and circulated them among the public, a truly first-rate tactic.
Lin Chen witnessed another side of Director Liu today.
Eloquent and quick-witted, with a silver tongue.
He can lie without batting an eye.
This guy is a real talent. The office is indeed full of hidden gems—it's a waste of his abilities for him to be a deputy director in the company. If he were in sales, he would definitely be a top salesperson.
Several well-dressed uncles and aunts who looked to be from well-off families were persuaded and gathered around to inquire about the price in detail.
"How much does this water purifier actually cost?"
Liu Xingyu exchanged a glance with the brand representative next to him and announced loudly, "Affordable price, only 4999."
Only 4999??
Lin Chen thought to himself, "Wow!"
I originally estimated that this thing was just a few water pipes, some charcoal, and a water tank, and would sell for at most a few hundred yuan. I never expected that they would dare to price it at five thousand. This is not just exorbitant profit, it's outright robbery.
These people also seemed to think it was too expensive and started to bargain:
"Can you make it cheaper, 4000?"
Director Liu: "No, no, 4999 is already a price we're selling everything we own to benefit the people. We're basically making zero profit; it's purely a way to give back to society."
The other party insisted: "4500".
Director Liu looked pained: "You really know how to bargain... Well then, I see you're really serious about it, so I'll swallow my pride and try to negotiate with the manufacturer again... 4899! That's the absolute lowest price I can get, it can't go any lower."
The other party raised the price again: "4600, or we're leaving."
Director Liu immediately put on a pained, self-sacrificing expression, pounding his chest and stamping his feet: "Fine, let's just consider it making friends. We really won't make a single penny; it's all for promoting the brand. Please don't tell anyone else this price!"
Lin Chen watched in stunned silence.
That acting, that expression, that rhetoric... damn, even he almost believed it.
The image of Director Liu as an honest person has completely collapsed in his mind. This is not doing business, this is fraud.
Using the company's name and his certificate—this is insane! There's not a single normal person in the office!
However, when he feels that everyone else is acting strangely, it's probably just a problem with him.
He could no longer contain himself and shouted, "Everyone, open your eyes wide and don't be fooled!"
After saying that, he ignored Liu Xingyu's astonishment, grabbed the advanced certificate on the table, squeezed out of the crowd expressionlessly, and left without looking back.
You can lie all you want, but don't come after me!
I'm not playing along.