"One is a three-million-yuan procurement project that requires our company to provide a detailed proposal and quotation. The other is a two-million-yuan scientific research project that requires a technical exchange. If it's a go, they're willing to give our drone project two million in research funding, but we'll have to share any awards from the research results with them!"
What? Feng Feifei thought she was hearing things. 'Are you kidding me? You're a rookie, and you went out for half a day and brought back five million? We only managed two million in the first half of the year—and that was mainly because of product issues. The key thing is, the product issues aren't even solved yet, and you just went out and landed five million.'
"No, wait, Chen Xiao, could you say that again..." Feng Feifei said apologetically.
So Chen Xiao repeated himself. This time, Feng Feifei listened intently. After confirming he had said the exact same thing as before, the smile in her beautiful eyes became impossible to hide. "Chen Xiao, you've really surprised me!"
'Huh? I surprised you? When did that happen? Don't say things that will give me the wrong idea!'
Chen Xiao quickly shook his head. "No, not at all!"
Feng Feifei's eyes crinkled with mirth, like crescent moons. "Don't be so modest," she said happily. "Do you have any idea how close you came to making my jaw drop today?"
'So it's my fault if your jaw drops? If System Daddy wasn't forcing me to stick with this company, I'd sue you for making such a false accusation!'
Feng Feifei had no idea they were a chicken and a duck trying to have a conversation. Young Chen Xiao's thought processes couldn't be measured by normal standards.
"But on a serious note, Chen Xiao, in your judgment, what's the success rate for this deal?"
"I'd say it's about eighty or ninety percent certain, but to avoid any unexpected complications, we should get the proposal and quotation to them as soon as possible!"
Feng Feifei said, "Yes, but we're short-staffed right now, so I'll have to trouble you to..."
"I don't know how," Chen Xiao stated matter-of-factly.
'Huh? How can he be like this!' Then she thought about the five-million-yuan order. 'Well, nobody's perfect!'
"Alright then, I'll have Yuan Kai do it. As the head of the sales team, getting this done will count as his achievement. As for the academic exchange, I'll personally go with you. I'll handle the technical side of things myself!"
'See? Isn't that a much more enlightened way of thinking? What a great arrangement!'
Chen Xiao returned to his desk and turned on his computer. 'Sigh, nothing to do. So boring. How about a game of LoL?'
He wondered if the system would dock his daily basic stipend. He shuddered at the thought. Eight thousand yuan for a single game was a bit too steep a price to pay.
"Love the grind. Know how to grind, don't just grind blindly. As a salesman, results are what matter most. With good results, you're hauling gold bricks. Without results, you're just hauling rocks from a latrine pit!"
'Huh, the system responded. Does this mean as long as I get results, I'm good? Alright, then I won't hold back! I'm basically playing on imperial orders!'
'As long as the system is fine with it, nobody else's opinion matters,' Chen Xiao thought viciously.
As closing time approached, Yuan Kai returned from outside, looking triumphant. His work had gone well today; the client had finally agreed to go out for a meal!
When it comes to business, deals were rarely closed in the office. After all, what happened at the negotiating table was all about saving face; the real business was done under the table. If a client was willing to eat with you, that meant you had a shot!
He tossed his briefcase onto his desk and happened to see Chen Xiao staring at his computer screen with a grave expression, one hand furiously clicking the mouse while the other tapped at the keyboard.
'This dumbass. Sales is about going out and talking to people. What's the damn point of working so hard in the office?' Yuan Kai thought with disdain.
"Chen Xiao, you're coming with me tonight to entertain a client!" When taking clients out, you needed to bring an underling along—partly to show off your own status, and partly because you needed someone to run errands.
"Busy. No time," Chen Xiao replied without looking up. He was being difficult on purpose. The conflict between him and Yuan Kai was irreconcilable, so it was better to bring it out into the open rather than risk being stabbed in the back.
'Damn, what's with the attitude!' Yuan Kai wanted to curse him out, but then thought better of it. Chen Xiao wasn't giving him the time of day; pressing the issue would just be humiliating. He was also genuinely afraid that Chen Xiao might just walk over and beat him up. After all, at that age, a guy could be young and aggressive.
'A wise man knows not to pick a fight he can't win. I won't get into a shouting match with you, but I'll be damned if I can't find a way to deal with you.' He turned and headed for the general manager's office.
Feng Feifei had been on cloud nine all afternoon. This Chen Xiao had given her one surprise after another. As long as this one deal came through, their funding problems would be solved. Development for the next-generation product could go full steam ahead, and the company's future would be bright. From this perspective, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call Chen Xiao the company's savior. The significance of this deal far exceeded its monetary value.
So when Yuan Kai walked in, he saw Feng Feifei looking as if she were riding high on the winds of success—absolutely radiant.
"Manager Yuan, you're back!" she said, gesturing for him to sit.
Yuan Kai bowed slightly. "President Feng, I just got back as well. I made good progress today. The client has agreed to have dinner!"
Feng Feifei paused for a moment, a flicker of dissatisfaction crossing her mind. 'So the client agreed to dinner? Then go have dinner. The company won't give you a hard time with reimbursement as long as it's within the allowed budget. There's really no need to report something like this to me.'
But she was in a good mood today, so she just nodded. "Good. You've worked hard. Now that you've made progress, keep up the good work!"
"Don't worry, President Feng. I will give it my all. The company is in a tough spot right now, but I will definitely pull us through!"
Feng Feifei nodded. It was always nice to hear such declarations from subordinates, but she rarely took them seriously.
"Also, President Feng, there's a situation I need to report to you."
Feng Feifei gestured for him to continue.
"President Feng, I don't think Xiao Chen on our team is going to work out. He's only in his second month of probation, and I've already discovered that he's a passive slacker, isn't keen on learning, has poor sales skills, and has no respect for his superiors. He just does whatever he wants. I suggest we replace him quickly so he doesn't hinder the company's development!"
Feng Feifei's expression instantly turned serious. "Is that your assessment?"
'President Feng really does value my opinion,' Yuan Kai thought, nodding emphatically. "As a salesman, he doesn't even possess basic business skills, and he refuses to follow his supervisor's arrangements!"
"What are the specific examples of this behavior?"
"First, regarding his business skills, based on my observations, he is currently incapable of communicating with clients on his own. He lacks professionalism and has terrible communication skills. As for obeying his supervisor, for instance, when I arranged for him to meet a client with me tonight, he just told me he was busy!"
Feng Feifei gave him a strange look. "Chen Xiao single-handedly negotiated two projects today, for a total of five million yuan. His main priority today is to follow up on the proposals, so he is, in fact, quite busy. I was just about to talk to you about this. Can you postpone that client dinner? Tonight, you need to prepare the proposal and detailed quotation for the deal Chen Xiao is following up on. And just as you said, he is a rookie, after all, and some of his professional Skills aren't strong enough yet. So I'll have to trouble you to work overtime on this tonight. After all, if this project succeeds, it'll be an achievement for your department!"