Who Would Fall in Love After Being Reborn?

Chapter 167: Pay a Hundred to Go Out

TL: Etude

The dormitory’s stockpiling festival quickly reached a peak in both group registration and order volume.

Under these circumstances, the recommended products by Room 208 did have some impact. They managed to generate ten online orders for Wanzhong Mall. Though the number was not large, and the items were inexpensive things like alarm clocks and desk lamps, it was still a good start.

Additionally, the end of the month was approaching, and the students who were going to run out of money had already done so.

Take Cao Guangyu, for example, who had resorted to pairing steamed buns with instant noodle soup, living even more frugally than Zhou Chao, known for his impoverished background.

Given these circumstances, it was quite an achievement for Wanzhong Mall to have scraped together ten orders.

Just wait for the next month.

Once the living expenses for the next month were distributed, they planned to launch a combo attack with the mall, aiming to thoroughly exploit the college students!

“Boss, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, just the dry weather. I’ve been having some toothache lately.”

Jiang Qin concealed his fierce expression of ‘milking them dry’ and entered the front plaza’s Xi Tian with Dong Wenhao, waiting for Wanzhong Mall’s delivery truck.

The task of receiving the goods was handled by specially arranged part-time students, so there was no need for him, the boss, to personally intervene. However, considering it was the first delivery, Jiang Qin still wanted to supervise it himself.

“Boss, your milk tea.”

“Manager Dong, your milk tea.”

Hu Xin, the part-time manager of Xi Tian, brought over two cups of milk tea and placed them in front of the two.

Hearing the word “manager,” Dong Wenhao was overjoyed, his chest puffing out so fiercely that he almost burst the zipper of his down jacket.

“Wenhao, what’s wrong?” Jiang Qin looked at him curiously.

Dong Wenhao quickly deflated his chest and chuckled awkwardly, “Nothing, just the dry weather. My chest feels a bit painful.”

After hearing this, Jiang Qin exclaimed admiringly, “Ever since you started wearing lipstick, even the places you feel pain are quite unique. Do you want to find a secluded spot to rub it?”

Dong Wenhao, who had just sipped his milk tea, almost choked to death upon hearing this. “I misspoke, I meant chest tightness.”

“What time is it?”

“It’s already 8:10.”

Jiang Qin frowned, “Wasn’t the delivery scheduled for 8:00?”

Dong Wenhao suddenly remembered and took out his phone to make a call. After a while, he spoke dejectedly, “Manager Zhang said there might be some traffic and asked us to be patient.”

“Is it the same Manager Zhang who asked us to change the delivery time last time?”

“Yes, that’s him.”

Jiang Qin sipped his milk tea, “Is he the one delivering today?”

Dong Wenhao shook his head, “He’s a manager. How could he possibly deliver the goods himself? He must have sent someone.”

“Then he knows jack shit.”

After saying this, Jiang Qin left Xi Tian with his milk tea, and Dong Wenhao followed him. The two of them found Kong Hui, the part-time student responsible for receiving the goods, and the three of them squatted by the roadside to wait.

It wasn’t until 8:35 that a truck with the logo of Wanzhong Mall’s Freight Department slowly approached, eventually stopping in front of the statue at the front plaza.

The delivery man, Ma Liang, was in his early thirties, with a shiny bald head, wearing a polished blue down jacket. He stepped out of the cab with a cigarette in his mouth and puffed away after landing.

The three men by the roadside just watched him from across the street, silent.

Five minutes later, after finishing his cigarette, Ma Liang leisurely took out his phone and made a call, all of which Jiang Qin observed.

The call was to Kong Hui. Jiang Qin instructed him to answer as usual, and after the call, the three of them headed over to the other side.

“Bro, I’m here to pick up the goods.”

Ma Liang glanced at Kong Hui and gestured towards the back of the truck, indicating that he should fetch the goods himself.

Seeing Ma Liang’s intimidating demeanor, Kong Hui didn’t dare say much. He opened the truck’s cargo area, checked the list, and was about to take the goods and leave when Ma Liang stopped him.

“That’s it? The profit isn’t even enough to cover the fuel for this trip.”

“Huh?” Kong Hui didn’t understand.

Ma Liang frowned deeply, “Don’t you get it? I’m out of fuel. Can you give me a hundred bucks so I can go fill up?”

“Our boss never mentioned anything about fuel,” Kong Hui said, turning to look at Jiang Qin.

“Damn, are all college students nowadays so clueless? It’s almost nine o’clock. If it weren’t for you guys, I’d have been off work already. Don’t believe me? Come and see, my fuel tank is empty. How am I supposed to get back?”

Ma Liang, cursing and fuming, appeared determined not to leave without a hundred bucks.

Seeing this, Jiang Qin stepped forward, asking Kong Hui to proceed with the delivery.

It was indeed nearing nine o’clock, and the delivery was an entire hour late. Those who had ordered must have been waiting impatiently.

Securing customer satisfaction was the priority.

As Kong Hui was about to leave, Ma Liang quickly stepped in to stop him, but Jiang Qin pulled him aside to the curb, flashing a hundred yuan bill in the light.

“Here’s the fuel money.”

“See, you know how to do business,” Ma Liang said cheerily as he took the money, even pinching it to check its authenticity.

Jiang Qin, still smiling, watched him get back into the truck. “Bro, drive safe and don’t smoke while you’re refueling!”

“Boss, are we really just giving him a hundred bucks?” Dong Wenhao was infuriated. The freight department was paid by Wanzhong and their fuel costs were reimbursed. Demanding fuel money from a partner was outright extortion!

“In the eyes of the outside world, college students are easy targets. What else can I do?”josei

Jiang Qin took out his phone from his pocket, scrolled through his contacts, and called the security office at the entrance.

Under the night sky, Ma Liang hummed a tune, feeling pleased as he drove towards the campus gate, simultaneously making a call to Manager Zhang.

“Hey, Zhang, I’ve delivered the goods.”

“Yeah, I’m heading out now. Don’t drink too fast, wait for me!”

“Damn stupid college kids. If it weren’t for them, I’d have been drinking by now. But these students are so timid; I ask for a hundred bucks for fuel, and they actually give it.”

“What? What could possibly go wrong? They’re just kids. I scare them just by frowning, they didn’t even dare to let out a peep.”

“Complain to Manager Yue? Then I’ll just say I didn’t bring money for the delivery and borrowed a hundred for fuel, planning to return it tomorrow. But, Zhang, if they don’t complain, isn’t this easy money?”

He was laughing heartily when suddenly his expression changed, and he slammed on the brakes.

“Wait a sec, Zhang, I’ve got something here, I’ll talk to you when I get there…”

Ma Liang stopped the truck and squinted outside, only to see several burly security guards from Linchuan University at the gate, all signaling for him to get out of the truck.

The security guards at Linchuan University were robust, unlike the elderly ones at residential security posts. Particularly the security chief who loved eating jujubes was intimidating with his large build, dark skin, and especially fearsome when expressionless.

“What’s going on?”

Ma Liang engaged the handbrake and got out of the truck, only to hear the lead security guard speak, “Exit fee, a hundred bucks.”

“An exit fee?” Ma Liang looked incredulous.

“Yes, for an external vehicle, you must pay a hundred bucks.”

“I’ve only been here for less than half an hour, and you’re charging a hundred? Isn’t that extortion?”

“You don’t seem to have been to college. For external vehicles, a fee of a hundred bucks is required to exit.”

Ma Liang indeed hadn’t attended college, but that didn’t mean he was foolish. He certainly wasn’t going to pay the fee, yet he needed to leave!

So, he took out his phone and called Manager Zhang.

After a while, Dong Wenhao received a call from Manager Zhang. Jiang Qin asked him to put it on speaker, and Manager Zhang’s irate voice came through.

“What’s the deal with Linchuan University? A hundred bucks to exit? Is there no law? Haven’t you coordinated properly? My guy is in a hurry to get back for the next delivery. Isn’t this a waste of time? Who’s going to take responsibility for the delay in delivery?”

“Ah, my apologies, Manager Zhang. It seems we didn’t coordinate well on our end. Very sorry about that.”

“Who are you?”

“I’m the boss of the group buying, Jiang Qin.”

“Well, then hurry up and sort it out instead of wasting time here!”

Jiang Qin took a deep breath, “How about this? To avoid delaying your schedule, you pay the fee first. Once I sort it out tomorrow, I’ll get them to refund the money, okay?”

Manager Zhang angrily hung up and relayed Jiang Qin’s words to Ma Liang, who immediately praised the cunning plan.

However, not long after hanging up, Manager Zhang received another call from Ma Liang.

“Zhang, it’s not working!”

“What do you mean it’s not working? Didn’t I tell you to pay?”

“They’re not accepting it. They only want the bill given by Jiang Qin, otherwise, they said I can’t leave today!”

“…”

Manager Zhang’s heart skipped a beat, sensing trouble, and quickly called Dong Wenhao.

At that moment, Dong Wenhao’s phone was with Jiang Qin. The two were having milk tea at Xi Tian. Seeing Manager Zhang’s call, Jiang Qin immediately hung up.

“Boss, why not just report it to Manager Yue? Why have the security hold the truck?” Dong Wenhao was a bit confused.

“Reporting to Manager Yue might lead them to make excuses, like they forgot to bring money on the way and urgently borrowed a hundred for fuel. They’ll claim it was just a miscommunication and they’ll return it tomorrow when delivering. This way, it would seem like we’re being petty. But by holding the truck, it’s them who have to come to us.”

Dong Wenhao felt a tingle in his scalp, “Really?”

“I’ve seen too many people like this; they all play the same game. They’re betting that we won’t make a complaint, and then that hundred bucks becomes theirs.”

Jiang Qin glanced at his phone, noticing another call from Manager Zhang and continued to disconnect.

Finally, on the fifth call, he answered, putting it on speaker. Manager Zhang’s voice, now humble and polite, came through.

“Mr. Jiang, I’m really sorry. I just heard from Ma Liang, he borrowed a hundred bucks from you for fuel?”

“No, no, no. To say he borrowed makes it seem so formal. It was my token of respect to Brother Ma.”

Jiang Qin grinned, giving Dong Wenhao a look. Dong Wenhao’s face changed, thinking how they indeed insisted it was a loan, just as the boss had predicted.

“Mr. Jiang, you’re too humorous. The thing is, our truck really did run out of fuel, and Ma Liang didn’t have money on him. He had no choice but to borrow, he just didn’t explain it well.”

“Oh, so it was a loan. Then don’t bother returning it. Just make two banners for me, with ‘Group Buying / Wanzhong Mall Direct Delivery, arriving at 8:00 AM sharp every day’, and hang them on the truck when delivering, okay?”

“Ah? But the security office is also asking for a hundred bucks.”

Jiang Qin’s smile grew wider, “What does the money demanded by the security have to do with me, Jiang Qin?”

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