Chapter 149: Wow, What Powerful Connections!

The next day, on a beautiful early winter morning.

Jiang Qin went downstairs to the dormitory and approached the dorm auntie to build rapport, while also probing her willingness to take on a part-time job.

Upon hearing she could earn double pay for simply sitting in the dormitory, the auntie was delighted and began chattering nonstop, though she often digressed to family matters and mother-in-law issues, irritating Jiang Qin.

“Jiang Qin, when looking for a wife, be sure to find an obedient one. Don’t be dazzled by beauty, as the prettier they are, the more stubborn, and they’ll likely quarrel with your mother.”

“What about someone both obedient and beautiful?”

“Heh, where could you find that? Are you drunk this early?”

Jiang Qin shrugged and stood up to stretch his legs, thinking the auntie could really talk. He should have called Guo Zihang, letting him fully utilize his talents.

Love can blind people. Maybe in her excitement, the auntie wouldn’t even want a commission.

After bidding the dorm auntie farewell, he headed to the cafeteria for breakfast but was immediately met with an irate call from Lu Xuemei.

“Boss, our promotional materials might not make it in time.”

“Why wouldn’t they be ready?” Jiang Qin was puzzled.

Lu Xuemei ranted, “Shengshi said they have too many orders this month and want to delay delivery by two days. I said no, but they said they couldn’t do anything about it and told me to ask for a refund if I have a problem with it!”

“So arrogant. Did the boss, Li, win the lottery?”

December is the golden period for promotions due to the Winter Solstice, Christmas Eve, Christmas, and even New Year’s Day, with all these holidays clustered together, prompting many malls and stores to go all out with marketing campaigns.

To meet the rush, Shengshi Advertising has been working overtime until 11 pm every night, with the lights on late.

Two-thirds of the materials needed for the group-buying launch have been completed, but Shengshi refuses to work on the remaining third.

Lu Xuemei has been back and forth three times, but they keep delaying with excuses. This time, she’s had enough.

Jiang Qin wasn’t surprised, as this is a common tactic used by many factories.

First, they do part of the work to make you think it’s almost done, so you can’t cancel the order.

Then they use the saved time to work on other orders, creating the same effect to take on more business than their capacity allows.

But at this critical juncture, such tactics are pure procrastination. Shengshi Advertising used to provide good service, so why are they resorting to such underhanded methods now?

“We’re a long-time client of Shengshi. Logically, there must be another reason?”

“Yes, Shengshi has a new factory manager who is completely opportunistic. Seeing that I’m a university student, he disregards me but fawns over anyone driving a luxury car, practically calling them ‘daddy.'”

“An Audi counts as a luxury car?”

“He drives an Audi himself.”

Jiang Qin took a few bites and decided to take drastic measures to ensure the smooth group-buying launch. After finishing his meal, he headed straight to the Cuizhu Community opposite and called in reinforcements from Uncle Gong.

The black sedan with wings sped down the road and soon arrived at Shengshi Advertising’s entrance.

“Uncle Gong, drive right in and block the workshop entrance!”

“No problem!”

Uncle Gong floored it, driving straight into Shengshi Advertising’s factory and blocking the main entrance to the workshop, looking formidable.

“Great, thank you, Uncle Gong. I appreciate you making this trip so early in the morning.”

“Young Master Jiang, ever since you bought the car, I’ve felt a bit uneasy taking my salary. It’s a pleasure to be of help.”

The window rolled down, and Jiang Qin beckoned Lu Xuemei over, asking her to get in. Seeing Jiang Qin’s Bentley with a driver left Lu Xuemei awestruck.

Damn, what powerful connections!

Lu Xuemei reached out to touch the car, but Uncle Gong promptly coughed twice, catching her movement in the rearview mirror and stopping her from going further.

It was around 8 am. Workers who had finished breakfast came to start their shifts but found the entrance blocked by a car. Seeing the car logo, they didn’t dare say anything and could only call the factory manager.

The new manager, furious about a car blocking the entrance, rushed over intending to scold someone but froze upon seeing the car, immediately switching to a smile and tapping on the window.

After the first tap, Jiang Qin and Lu Xuemei didn’t react.

After the second tap, Jiang Qin still pretended not to notice.

Only after the third tap did Jiang Qin open the door with a beaming smile.

“You must be Manager Chen. I heard university students’ orders don’t matter and that we should ask for a refund if we have a problem. Is that the kind of fire a new official wants to start? You really gave me a scare.”

“No, no, that must have been the workers talking nonsense!”

“That’s what I thought. What kind of idiot would say something like that? They must have a screw loose!”

Chen swallowed hard, glancing between the Bentley and Uncle Gong, forcing a smile without objecting.

A Bentley alone isn’t intimidating, but a Bentley with a driver is. Moreover, the out-of-town license plate meant it couldn’t be a rental.

After that, things became easier. The new manager ordered the workshop to prioritize the group-buying advertisements and repeatedly tried to pry into Jiang Qin’s background.

However, Jiang Qin didn’t indulge him, dropping his smile once the group-buying ads entered production.

Some people are like that – they don’t respond to politeness but yield to forcefulness. Being nice only makes them think they’re important.

“Manager Chen, where did the previous manager, Li, go?”

“Manager Li is my brother-in-law. I’m his younger brother-in-law. He had some family matters, so he let me stand in as the acting manager.”

Hearing this, Jiang Qin felt relieved and didn’t ask further.

To be honest, if this advertising company had truly appointed this guy as the manager, Jiang Qin would have considered finding a new partner. But since he’s only an acting manager, this issue can be set aside for now.

Suddenly, Jiang Qin remembered something. “Do you have any advertising caps here?”

“Yes, we have cotton, canvas, and polyester baseball caps in all colors and styles.” The manager immediately had someone bring over a stack of samples.

“Could you make me a batch of yellow ones with the group-buying logo printed on them?”

“How many would you like?”

“Let’s start with a hundred. Deliver them tomorrow along with the advertising materials to save you a trip.”

“…”

The manager wanted to ask for a delay due to the tight schedule but swallowed his words, remembering Jiang Qin had come because of his own delays.

He had just taken over the factory operations and wasn’t familiar with the clients. He had been rude to Lu Xuemei, a university student, thinking she would be easy to bully.

But if he ended up offending a major client and helping his brother-in-law, he would surely get his legs broken.

“Boss, what do we need the caps for?”

“The group-buying launches the day after tomorrow. With the promotional activities and mall discounts, we’ll have delivery staff all over campus wearing the little yellow caps. Doesn’t that sound exciting? Even stray cats and dogs will have to stop and take a second look!”

After picturing Jiang Qin’s description, Lu Xuemei agreed it did seem exciting. “But… will we have that many orders?”

Jiang Qin smiled, “If there aren’t enough orders, we’ll have the delivery staff run around creating a false sense of prosperity. It’s a way to build trust.”

“I see…”

“Xuemei, you stay here and keep an eye on things. Don’t let them stop working after we leave. If you’re thirsty, go to Manager Chen’s office for tea.”

Manager Chen nodded enthusiastically, his tone much more polite toward Lu Xuemei.

Afterward, Jiang Qin left Shengshi Advertising. Originally planning to return to campus, he reconsidered, not wanting to waste the opportunity since he had brought Uncle Gong along. So he decided to head to Wanzhong Mall instead.

He Yi Jun always thought he wanted to scam people, so Jiang Qin had only signed the agreement last night. Showing up in a Bentley would likely earn him some extra trust.

At the very least, it would let Old He know his background was also formidable, and he wouldn’t easily dig a hole for his partner to fall into.

Unfortunately, Jiang Qin arrived just as He Yi Jun was scolding his high school daughter, their argument audible from afar.

Jiang Qin shook his head, thinking he should leave since outsiders shouldn’t meddle in family matters. But when Old He heard he was there, he immediately dragged his daughter to the meeting room.

“See that?”

“What am I supposed to see?”

“That’s Jiang Qin from Linchuan University, who just won first place in the university’s inaugural academic competition, becoming the first-ever ‘Academic Star’ in Linchuan University’s history. Can’t you learn from him and at least pass to save me some face?”

“??????”

Jiang Qin’s mouth was agape. He thought, “Old He, you sure have a good memory. Even if I tried, I couldn’t recite that whole spiel as smoothly as you just did.”

No wonder Dong Wenhao and Wei Lanlan had looked so awkward when he left Wanzhong Mall. Not just them – Jiang Qin himself felt embarrassed hearing it.

“Academic Star? I must be the Mother of Ultraman!”

He Yi Jun’s daughter was quite pretty, with bangs and long hair, around 1.65 meters tall. But her rebellious temperament was evident as she refused to make eye contact, typical of a defiant teenager.

Hearing about academic achievements and passing grades, the young lady immediately exploded, kicking the door open and storming out. “You want me to just pass? That’s asking for my life!”

“My apologies, Mr. Jiang. I’m too busy to manage her, and she’s becoming increasingly disobedient,” He Yi Jun said with an embarrassed laugh before taking a seat.

Jiang Qin waved it off nonchalantly. “It’s fine, I’m not laughing.”

“Did you come to see me about something today?”

“Just wanted to tell you, the ‘Academic Star’ trophy is quite heavy.”

He Yi Jun nodded understandingly. “Of course, knowledge is the weightiest thing in this world!”

Jiang Qin’s mouth twitched. He thought, “If I had known this award meant so much to you, I wouldn’t have bothered coming.”