Chapter 62 It Is Time to Show Our Cards

Xue Gang walked behind the clothing stall with a somewhat dejected air. Passing by General Manager Liu, he noticed that the normally aloof General Manager Liu was already beaming with smiles.

Her enthusiastic calls of "Uncle" and "Auntie" were sweeter than those of Bai Lu standing next to her.

Could I be wrong?

Still somewhat unwilling to let it go, Xue Gang hurried behind the double-row cart and checked the cardboard boxes. They were all packed with clothes, every single box filled to the brim.

Yi Yi wore an earplug, partially hidden by her disheveled hair. She walked up to Xue Gang, covered her mouth with her hand, and whispered, "Master, all the peripheral personnel are in place. At your command, we can move in."

Xue Gang looked at her with a complicated expression. "Yi Yi, there's no way we can arrest this guy!"

"Why not? Didn't we already hold a meeting to study this? Didn't you say that whatever Lu Fan talked about in the meeting was called a Ponzi scheme or something?"

"Yi Yi, you lack work experience, so you might not understand these things. What is a scam? A scam is when someone suffers a loss or gets cheated—that's a scam. But I honestly didn't expect this Lu Fan to actually be selling clothes!"

"Isn't selling clothes a scam too?"

Xue Gang shook his head. "That doesn't hold up. Since nobody suffered a loss or got cheated, it's not a scam. Just like he said, it's purely a marketing tactic."

"Then, Master, what about the money we paid?"

Hearing this, Xue Gang's face darkened instantly.

Right, what about my money?

Was he supposed to use his police status to demand it back?

He felt he couldn't afford to lose that much face!

At that moment, he suddenly remembered that morning when he handed over the money, the other party had specifically said a few words. Had the man seen through his disguise, or was he just giving special advice thinking he was an industry amateur?

Out of options, Xue Gang could only walk up to a vendor and offer him a cigarette.

To his surprise, the vendor didn't accept it at all.

"Brother, who has time to smoke right now? Look at these customers. Let me tell you, we backed the right person this time. Whatever method President Lu is using, the more I think about it, the more awesome it is."

"It's freaking awesome! You've got a great eye, Brother, paying ten thousand yuan right off the bat and seizing the initiative."

Xue Gang felt like he had been stabbed in the back again.

However, he couldn't care about that now, so he thickened his skin and said, "Brother, can I discuss something with you?"

"Shoot!"

"Are you going to place an order later?"

"Of course! The scene is this booming, anyone who doesn't place an order is an idiot!"

Xue Gang took a deep breath and said, "How about this: I can transfer the ten thousand yuan I paid into your name, and you can withdraw the cash and give it to me? I'm a bit slow and afraid I can't handle a scene this big."

The man looked at Xue Gang seriously.

"Are you an idiot? President Lu has already spoon-fed you, and you don't even know how to open your mouth? Let me tell you, Brother, spending the day with you, I can tell you're a solid guy. Doing business is just like sleeping with a virgin—it's awkward the first time, familiar the second, and by the third or fourth time, you're roaring with excitement. Don't be shy; just set up your stall and go all out with the goods, come hell or high water. Don't feel embarrassed, what's there to be ashamed of? A man's wallet is his pride. If your wallet is bulging, you've got face both at home and out in the world; if your wallet is flat, everyone treats you like dirt."

Xue Gang asked several more people in succession. Some advised him, while others had reservations, afraid that doing so would displease Lu Fan and result in being cut off from future inventory.

Not a single person agreed to his request.

Xue Gang could only squat on the side and smoke, looking thoroughly helpless.

That was ten thousand yuan—almost equal to a whole year's salary. If he couldn't get it back, how would he explain it to the precinct?

If he used his own savings to cover it, how could he even bring it up?

If this matter spread through the team, he would lose every ounce of his dignity.

Just as he was sighing heavily, Yi Yi suddenly came skipping over, squatted down beside him, and whispered, "Master, our people on the periphery spotted a suspicious group of guys. They're also keeping watch, and it looks like they're targeting this stall too."

Xue Gang instantly perked up. "Give me the comms."

...

Although Lu Fan was managing the overall situation and maintaining order, his gaze remained mostly fixed on Xue Gang.

Seeing the man's dejected appearance gave Lu Fan a strong sense of accomplishment.

Fighting against heaven is endlessly joyous.

Fighting against men is endlessly joyous.

This feeling was even better than making money.

By now, the queue had shrunk by more than half, and the rest would probably be finished in another half hour.

Once these people finished buying, he planned to pack up. Although continuing to stay would still yield some sales, those were just tiny scraps he couldn't be bothered with.

Bai Lu and Liu Yue'e were getting tired of holding the boxes, so they placed the cardboard boxes right at their feet, each clutching a stack of small change. As they collected payments, they shoved all the bills directly into the boxes.

The grilled gluten vendor was working at lightning speed. As soon as he finished grilling, the little ice cream girl would run and deliver them to the customers.

Lu Fan walked over and grabbed two to eat.

It tasted just like the ones from his past life!

Time ticked by second by second, the line dwindled, and soon it was the final batch.

Lu Fan stopped Liu Yue'e and Bai Lu from counting the money. Things were already conspicuous enough; counting cash out in the open on the street would only provoke people further.

He hadn't forgotten what happened on the first day; if he hadn't brought the fake gun, it could have been very dangerous.

This time, however, glancing past Xue Gang, he had brought a real gun and had nothing to worry about.

Huh?

Why was he looking excited again?

Did he still want to make a move on him?

Lu Fan felt a lingering doubt. After all, in any era, miscarriages of justice happen.

Still, his old man was a police officer too; with that background, nothing too serious should go wrong.

Until the very last customer was seen off, Lu Fan clapped his hands. "Everyone, pack the unsold clothes back into the boxes and clean up the area. Today's work is officially a complete success!"

"President Lu, can we place orders now?"

Lu Fan smiled. "Of course, but on the condition that you bring cash."

"I'm going to withdraw it from the bank ATM right now!"

"Don't rush, everyone. First, register and see how many each of you can order. Second Sister, you're in charge of tallying since they were all introduced by you."

"Okay~"

Jiang Ermei's face was flushed with excitement, and her voice trembled slightly.

Without needing Lu Fan's instruction, she began handing out order forms to the crowd.

"Let me tell you, each of you should take 1,000 pieces to get a lower wholesale discount. Once you go back and introduce a few more people, you'll instantly qualify as first-tier distributors."

"No way, no way. 1,000 pieces will cost over thirty thousand yuan! I'll just take 200 pieces back to test the waters first. If there are a lot of people signing up, I'll come back for a bulk order."

"Fortune favors the bold, cowardice starves the cautious. Can a third-tier distributor compare to a second-tier one? There's a profit margin difference of four yuan per piece alone."

Ignoring them, Lu Fan bypassed the crowd and walked toward Xue Gang.

Since the sales had concluded smoothly and the money was securely in hand, it was time for a showdown!

Part two released, requesting monthly tickets! One more part to go!