「Two hours later.」
Wang Ziyan held up the last empty cardboard box, a brilliant smile on her face as she reported to Chen Yansen, "They're all sold out!"
In less than three hours, 200 MP3 players and 100 MP4 players were completely sold out.
"Holy shit! Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands... Chen Yansen, we've struck it rich!"
Wang Zihao tossed the empty crate into the air, dancing for joy with tears welling up in his eyes.
'Young people are so easily satisfied!'
Chen Yansen smiled faintly, muttering to himself. A revenue of around thirty thousand, with a profit of just thirteen thousand.
'Back in my day, this much money wouldn't have even been enough to buy a single bottle of liquor.'
'What the hell is there to be so happy about?'
"What the hell? I queued up all morning, and now you're telling me you're out of stock?"
"Boss, are you guys coming back to Zhongqiao tomorrow?"
"I'll pay twenty extra! Can anyone sell me an MP4?"
The crowd grew rowdy. A dozen or so men and women were gathered around the booth, all clamoring and voicing their dissatisfaction.
Chen Yansen had been thinking about packing up and heading home, but he lifted his wrist to check his phone. It was 10:30 in the morning. Another run would take at least forty minutes, which meant they could just about manage it.
"Brother Sen, you stay here. I'll go back with Master Huang to get more stock."
Wang Zihao volunteered.
The desire for money in his eyes was so intense it was practically shooting out.
"Master Huang, sorry to trouble you with another trip."
Chen Yansen turned and said politely to Huang Boxiang.
"It's my job."
Huang Boxiang nodded without the slightest hesitation and agreed at once.
After all, Chen Yansen was paying him two hundred yuan a day and covering gas. Another trip was really no big deal.
"Haozi, four crates of MP3s, two crates of MP4s. And don't forget the freebies and accessories."
Chen Yansen reminded him carefully.
"Don't worry!"
Wang Zihao made an "OK" gesture, then hopped into the passenger seat and waved goodbye to them.
Not daring to waste a second, Huang Boxiang slammed the accelerator to the floor. The car shot down the country road like an arrow.
"Alright, folks! My colleague is on his way back to the warehouse for more stock. It should take about forty minutes. If you're willing to wait, please form a proper line. When the new shipment arrives, we'll sell them in order."
Chen Yansen walked toward the crowd and announced loudly through a megaphone.
"Now that's more like it!"
"I've waited two hours already. You think I can't handle another forty minutes?"
"Hey, you up front, don't even think about cutting in line, or I'll beat your damn brains out!"
"Ouch, my back is killing me from all this standing."
A small commotion rippled through the line, which stretched for dozens of meters, but it quickly subsided.
After all, few people were bold enough to start a physical fight right in front of the Inspection Institute.
Verbal sparring, of course, was another matter.
"Congratulations, Brother Jensen."
Wang Ziyan sat obediently on a small stool, her feet kicking idly. Her eyes, fixed on Chen Yansen, were filled with intense admiration.
The three of them had made thirteen thousand six hundred yuan in a single morning!
To put it in perspective, it would take their parents' generation over half a year of hard work to save that much money.
But Chen Yansen had done it in just a few hours.
"Congratulate me for what? Making money?"
Chen Yansen looked at Wang Ziyan, his expression serious.
Right then, she had delicate brows and captivating, almond-shaped eyes. Even without a trace of makeup, and despite a bit of baby fat on her cheeks, she was still stunningly beautiful.
"For your plan succeeding, of course! Now you don't have to worry about Uncle Chen finding out and taking a belt to you."
Wang Ziyan wiped the sweat from her forehead and replied with a sweet smile.
"I was never worried."
A corner of Chen Yansen's mouth lifted into a supremely confident, almost brazen smile. The fine beads of sweat on his jaw glistened under the sun.
"Brother Jensen, when I grow up..."
Wang Ziyan glanced around before asking cautiously.
"No! Absolutely not! It's out of the question!"
Chen Yansen cut her off with a wave of his hand, his expression more serious than she had ever seen it.
"I haven't even finished speaking and you're already shooting me down. Don't you think that's a bit harsh?"
Wang Ziyan's expression stiffened as she snapped, her voice filled with anger.
"I don't think so."
Remembering what Wang Ziyan had done to him in his previous life, Chen Yansen let out a cold sneer.
With that, he simply ignored her, leaving her to sulk while he pulled out his phone and opened Mobile QQ.
A series of notification chimes went off!
"Chen Yansen, I heard from Haozi that you two signed up for the C2 course at Da Xiang Driving School. No offense, but that's pretty lame. I got my license last month."
"You wanna go shoot some hoops? My treat!"
"You son of a bitch, Chen Yansen, you're never on QQ!"
"Hit me back when you get on. I'm hitting K-Town with Zhou Xue and Li Maimei next week. If you and Haozi are free, you should come along."
The first chat window was from Meng Jie—one message a day for three days in a row.
'No wonder she's still single at thirty. She doesn't even know how to talk to a guy without sounding so aggressive.'
Chen Yansen shook his head and couldn't help but roast her under his breath.
"Actually, if you're interested in me, you don't have to go through Wang Zihao to find out about me."
Seeing she was online, Chen Yansen quickly tapped out a reply on his phone's T9 keypad.
BEEP BEEP BEEP—
On the other end of the screen, upon receiving Chen Yansen's message, an undeniable smile of delight instantly spread across Meng Jie's face.
But the moment she read the message, the smile froze on her face, as if time itself had stopped.
'Am I interested in Chen Yansen?'
'Definitely.'
'She couldn't deny that.'
Though they had been classmates for three years, they hadn't interacted much beyond schoolwork.
Before, her impression of him was that of an angsty, alternative kid caught up in some puppy love, nowhere near handsome. His only redeeming quality was his decent grades, but even those were just good enough for a second-tier university; he was hardly a top student.
At the recent graduation party, however, he had completely changed her perception of him.
Not only did he have a new, clean-cut hairstyle, but he had also broken up with Zhou Keyuan in a clean, decisive manner.
That carefree, almost roguish smile on his face had stirred an indescribable flutter in her heart.
Having never been in a relationship, she couldn't quite tell: was this what it felt like to have a crush?
Yet, the thought of actually making Chen Yansen her boyfriend made her feel a faint sense of resistance.
She'd never met a real player before, but she was convinced deep down that Chen Yansen was the textbook definition of one.
But this strange feeling in her heart was like an invisible hand, pulling her, making her unable to suppress the urge to see him, even if it was just to chat.
"Who's interested in you? I told you, we're just bros."
Meng Jie mulled it over for a moment before replying, still trying to maintain her tough, "one of the guys" persona.
"Alright, 'bro.' We should sleep together sometime."
Chen Yansen shot back.
"Fuck! Can you be serious for once?"
Meng Jie covered her face with her hands, her heart pounding. She could never predict what a guy like Chen Yansen would say next.
"I'll pass on the basketball and karaoke. I don't have time."
The busy-making-money Boss Chen flatly refused. Flirting with girls was just a side hustle for President Chen; making money was his main business.
"Who are you chatting with that's making you so happy?"
Wang Ziyan snuck a peek at his smiling face and couldn't help but ask.
"Kids shouldn't pry into things that don't concern them!"
Chen Yansen smoothly pocketed his phone, giving her no chance to see the screen.
"Hmph—"
Wang Ziyan pouted and raised her little fists, but when Chen Yansen remained unfazed, she had no choice but to return to her seat, prop her chin on her hands, and sulk in a daze.
Fortunately, the wait wasn't long. Before they knew it, Wang Zihao was back, having made a triumphant return with the new stock.
The line immediately erupted into a commotion once more!