Chapter 148: Put Away That Damned Charm of Yours

When the two vehicles were driven back to the Steel Institute, the gathered companions stared with wide-open eyes.

He Yuemei and Shen Cuiyue had gone to the bank to handle the wire transfer, and after sending off the company car driven by the finance officer and the trade union cadre, Rang Weidong had already called everyone together for dinner.

The two brothers had followed their eldest brother's instructions along the way, going to the small store at the Steel Institute's guesthouse to buy two tubes of toothpaste and some towels.

Then, fetching a bowl of water, they enthusiastically began scrubbing the cars!

Rang Weidong had told everyone that they could bring along their boyfriends, girlfriends, or other family members.

Yet nobody ran off to find anyone or made phone calls; instead, they all crammed into the 212 jeep, playing around and tinkering with the steering wheel.

They felt a bit hesitant to touch that seemingly unassuming canvas-topped vehicle.

Yet simply by squeezing a bit of toothpaste onto the damp towels and wiping, that previously dusty little car began to shine brighter and brighter, piece by piece, as if wiping away the very windows of the soul.

The students at the Steel Institute still possessed some professional knowledge, and stepping closer to observe, one of them asked, "Are you using toothpaste as an abrasive?"

Rang Weidong replied with a nod, "The paint on these imported cars is different. I noticed at the time that it probably contains metallic paint components, and it will shine brilliantly after polishing. What do those English words on the body mean?"

Someone immediately flipped out a small dictionary from their pocket: "Wait, Renegade... traitor, rebel? What does this mean? Why would you drive a car and curse it as a traitor?"

In the 1980s, those words carried the derogatory weight of a blood feud, making it even harder for everyone to comprehend imported cultural phenomena like body-wrapped decals and custom car styling.

All three cars Rang Weidong bought had these features, so he simply treated them as commuter toys: "Let's go, dinner first."

The two brothers declared that they had just gotten hooked on scrubbing and would just have someone bring back some casual food later.

The male students were so captivated they practically wanted to eat right inside the cars: "While we wait for Sister Yuemei and Manager Shen, are these cars going to be driven back to Jiangzhou?"

"If only it had a hardtop, it's so pretty."

Rang Weidong patted the car: "These cars are reserved for the Beijing branch. You all learn to drive first; once you get your license, you can drive the 212. Whoever wins this year's sales championship will have the use of this car next year. Of course, when I come to Beijing, it belongs to me. In the future, we'll have better cars, better income rewards, and a more badass—well, a greater value to society."

The college students truly understood, immediately cheering in unison!

The male students were even more excited, burning with desire to produce immediate results.

With the two girls back, they walked over to the nearby campus restaurant, mainly because they were reluctant to walk too far.

Rang Weidong now frequently presided over factory meetings and had developed that executive air: "So, how has the six-month part-time sales experience been? Lao Han, He Yuemei, and Zhang Lingyun have chosen to join the sales company after graduation—what are your thoughts?"

If they had previously been groping in the dark to learn his "game theory,"

Korean-style pioneering had already set a prime example: "Big Brother Han called back specifically to analyze his current work situation. Hearing it got us all fired up; after graduation, we hope to be able to stand on our own two feet just like him."

Rang Weidong nodded and recounted his own developments after leaving Beijing: "Rongdu might be due to the nature of the people I recruited, or perhaps influenced by the local leisurely, comfortable environment where people easily coast. The five college student salespeople I had over there lacked a bit of drive. Of course, this might also be because they happened to experience a reduction in commission rates, which made their mindset a bit complicated."

Crammed together, the crowd listened with rapt attention, astonished to learn that only the Beijing team was still enjoying a commission of five yuan per camera.

"The eight people in Echang were extremely proactive, fond of launching raids in all directions, using trains to travel to surrounding provinces and cities for sales.

The twelve people in Yuezhou had very sharp economic minds; half of them used their own money or even borrowed from classmates to buy piles of cameras and vanished who knows where to sell them—quite interesting, isn't it? They preferred taking the goods to sell independently, yet without taking advantage of me.

Shanghai was even more impressive: more than half of the ten people there were worker-peasant-soldier students or former students who stayed at the school. They possessed an intense attitude towards success—*I must make this happen; today I am storming this university and must pull out all the stops to sell my products inside.* Most of them came from rural backgrounds with mediocre academic records; if they couldn't stay in a big city, they would likely have to return to their original hometowns and work units. Having caught a glimpse of the world in Shanghai, they refused to return no matter what."

Even while seated around the restaurant table, everyone leaned forward, thirsting to catch every single word.

The feeling was utterly extraordinary.

Just as when Rang Weidong first described the game theory of life to them, what he was talking about now was the kaleidoscopic panorama of human society.

This was not something a twenty-year-old youth should be able to perceive.

The veteran security guard had seen far too much and instinctively observed young people this way.

Shen Cuiyue quietly slipped away to order food, arranged for drinks and beverages, and then stood quietly by the wall, positioning herself with precise coverage so that others wouldn't notice this corner or disturb the group of youngsters.

Occasionally, she looked back at the two younger brothers scrubbing the cars with all their might in the dusk, a smile involuntarily tugging at the corners of her mouth, causing a passing male student to look so lovelorn he tripped over a chair and bumped into a table.

Only then did she snap out of it, realizing she was radiating that damned alluring charm once more. She quickly reverted to a plain, unremarkable expression and waved dismissively at the company executives looking back from the table to signal everything was fine.

Rang Weidong expertly won over their hearts: "I never considered adjusting the commissions in Beijing because I feel that you aren't striving to improve yourselves just for this bit of commission. You should hold yourselves to higher standards. For instance, to speak frankly, Zhang Lingyun and Sister He, one or both of you should leave for Yuezhou, Echang, or even pioneer new provinces yourselves. You shouldn't position yourselves as mere salespeople, but as regional managers, provincial management personnel..."

How could this not make hearts race and spirits soar?!

Just moments ago, they might have considered the 212 jeep to be the absolute pinnacle and the Renegade an untouchable miracle; now, they were instantly filled with boundless ambition!

Applause broke out uncontrollably.

Perhaps it was during that hour of pedaling bicycles in the afternoon that Zhang Lingyun's mindset had been personally coached by the coach like a player on a soccer team, placing him far ahead of the others:

"Sister He should go to Yuezhou. I feel that Yuezhou is the forefront of reform and opening up, and it needs someone composed and meticulous like Sister He to hold down the fort. I will head back to my hometown in the Northeast. Since Manager Zhang is already in Shanghai, I'll strive to get the Three Northeastern Provinces up and running first, but I hope the Beijing branch will give me plenty of support—after all, the Northeast will definitely need a relay station here."

With him taking the lead, the others immediately learned to earnestly analyze their own strengths and weaknesses.

Next, two seniors from the fourth year indicated they would adopt Echang's experience, mobilizing manpower to develop Tianjin: "Over the past half-year, we've also absorbed and developed quite a few classmates and fellow provincials, and some of their performances are quite exceptional. They can gradually be recruited as fresh blood."

The last two sophomores felt a bit anxious, yet expressed their determination to follow orders faithfully, study more during their school years, and assist their senior brothers and sisters more often.

Inwardly, Rang Weidong felt a surge of delight while maintaining a calm expression as he nodded: "Just as I was fortunate enough to catch wind of the camera backlog rumor while playing cards during a freight journey and came up with the whole concept of cheap cameras—it's not that I am exceptionally brilliant, but that the era happened to reach this turning point. With military enterprises transitioning to civilian goods and the immense demand from ordinary people, as long as the products we make are roughly decent and don't completely disgust consumers, they will sell. That's why they say when you stand at the eye of the storm, even a pig can fly."

This description was definitely something none of them had ever heard before.

Moreover, it completely differed from all the contemporary propaganda about striving hard, contributing to the country, or pursuing personal achievement.

It was an absolute breath of fresh air, just like his game theory had been initially.

Rang Weidong merely hinted to them: "You are the same. Back then, you dared to stand up at the university symposium, seeking out a truck driver of similar or even younger age than yourselves, defying the social concept that college students were heaven-sent elites with boundless futures to plunge into the market economy. That was your courage and your choice, and it was also an opportunity. Those who come later will surely be more outstanding than you, but they won't necessarily have your head start. So I am speaking candidly to remind you all: this is a choice that can bring lifelong wealth."

Reminding them that once they boarded the ship, they should commit wholeheartedly to doing a good job, and they would definitely not be mistreated: "Korean-phase... no, Manager Zhang in Shanghai has just started, currently receiving a salary of two hundred yuan plus sales commissions. But at this point, we should only regard this income as a starting point. In the future, simply relying on the major product channels in our hands, if each of you in your respective territories fail to amass a net worth of a million or tens of millions, you won't even have the face to say you hang out with me."

Hearing this, a few fellows felt their blood vessels practically bursting.

Yet Zhang Lingyun, who had already pedaled forward in his thinking, remained calmer: "Therefore, I thank Weidong for leading us into this new field. I'll stay in Beijing until National Day to fully experience the entire photography exhibition and assist with other work. Over these two months, taking advantage of the summer vacation before universities close, I'll go to the northeastern universities to lay the groundwork. Is there anything you need us to do now?"

The key was not to get carried on a cloud, but to keep their feet firmly planted on the ground and get things done.

Rang Weidong briefly introduced his purpose in coming to Beijing: he definitely needed to hold final discussions with the Hebei Film Factory and the *Sunshine Daily* regarding the photography exhibition, and more importantly, explosively expand the sales of Triumph film, turning a state-backed product like Triumph film into their fifth major product line.

Everyone immediately burst into enthusiastic applause.

At that moment, dishes were served, and everyone scrambled to receive them—not out of hunger, but to get settled quickly so as not to delay their meeting.

Shen Cuiyue brought over a few more packs of cigarettes: "Weidong doesn't smoke, and you all should learn to smoke less or quit entirely. Work requires it, fine, but your health is the foundation of revolution, and he is our role model."

Firmly establishing her position as a core pillar in every aspect, she quietly stepped back again.

Sure enough, everyone involuntarily contented themselves with unsealing the packs and tapping the cigarettes against their palms without lighting them.

They attentively listened as Rang Weidong finished this section: "The All-China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives has asked me to go talk tomorrow. I'll take a few of you along to experience exchanges at this level. Whether it succeeds or fails will not alter the pace of our advance—that is my style. We don't gamble; we solidly handle production and sales, but we strive to seize opportunities at the crest of the wave. When we catch one, we soar fiercely for a stretch; when we don't, we lie in wait and work perseveringly for self-improvement!"

This style clearly influenced everyone; they listened in silence, and someone became so absorbed they absentmindedly lit a cigarette.

Rang Weidong raised the stakes another notch: "Finally, I'm going to handle the filming of the sanitary napkin advertisement, striving to get it broadcast on the Brick Station before National Day. Some of you can tag along to learn."

How could anyone fail to follow such a boss wholeheartedly?

They all voiced their assent.

He Yuemei followed up: "Then what should I do when I go to Yuezhou?"

Rang Weidong taught her step-by-step: "I already have a sales company in Yuezhou, cooperating with the Cantonese cuisine master chef at the Swan Hotel, but he mainly relies on his culinary skills for dividends; specific commercial sales operations still require us to step in. I'd rather you go to Yuezhou to stabilize the overall situation, and then sort out which goods are most suitable for transportation and sales into the Southwest and Northern regions. Leverage the advantage of our own fleet to squeeze every single copper coin of profit!"

The female finance lead of the Beijing team silently nodded, jotting it down in her notebook.

Naturally, the Beijing companions still hoped the company could satisfy their product supply as much as possible: "Actually, what constrains us right now is that we only have this fixed quota of goods each month. Cameras were only increased to two thousand units starting last week; before that, it was a thousand units a week, which wasn't nearly enough to sell."

"I saw the boss operate the sanitary napkins today; I'll sort out my notes and learn with everyone, but shouldn't the product quantity also be increased a bit?"

"The tape recorders are also great. I'm going to focus on pushing this gadget at the Foreign Languages Institute. This repeat function is amazing, especially the mechanical principle of using magnetic tape for repetitive friction—the professors over there took one look and called it miraculous."

Rang Weidong explained: "It's not just Beijing anymore; Shanghai, Yuezhou, Echang, and Rongdu are all selling. In reality, Jiangzhou itself hasn't been selling much; everything is supplied to various regions. The camera factory's previous capacity was eight thousand, and now as the deputy factory director in charge of sales, I've demanded that weekly production reach twenty thousand units this summer. Who manages to secure a larger quota depends entirely on their own sales ability. In fact, you should be striving to coordinate and elevate the situation in your respective provinces."

He was cultivating this startup team like feudal lords of various territories.