"Xucheng Academy already has a main campus agent and secondary agents. These people are either key members of the student union or core members of clubs. What gives you two the right to waltz in here without a word and try to break the rules?"
Zhao Maolin's eyes were cold as he demanded harshly.
The two young men across from him had bypassed the regional manager to negotiate agency rights directly, which was the first rule they'd broken. Not only that, they had also privately raised the commission rates for tertiary agents, breaking the rules for a second time.
'Who gave them the nerve?'
'Just which regional manager cultivated such "geniuses"?'
"Manager Zhao, could you please take a look at these documents? Maybe you'll be willing to make an exception for us?"
Despite Zhao Maolin's attempt to intimidate them, Chen Yansen remained perfectly composed, not a hint of panic on his face as he handed over a thick stack of A4 paper.
"That won't be necessary. You can leave now. I'm not giving you the agency rights—"
Zhao Maolin scoffed and waved a dismissive hand. But just as the refusal was about to leave his lips, his eyes inadvertently caught the information on the page.
"Liu Yutong, Class of 2010, School of Information Engineering, Student ID ***, ID Number ***, ... "
"Tian Tian, Class of 2010, School of Literature and Communication, Student ID ***, ID Number ***, ... "
"Jiang He, Class of 2010, Music Academy, Student ID ***, ID Number ***, ... "
"..."
Line after line, column after column of densely packed text filled his vision. It was all information on incoming freshmen.
"A total of 1,154 potential new accounts, Manager Zhao. If you're on board, these students will be loyal China Telecom customers for all four years of their university life. And if you can support us with custom plans and promotional materials, I'm absolutely certain I can double that number."
Seeing him thumbing through the documents, Chen Yansen said with a smile.
"Are you two sophomores or juniors?"
Hearing this, Zhao Maolin slowly looked up. He studied the two of them for a long moment before asking.
Seniors were all busy with their dissertations and job hunting, so of course they wouldn't have the time or energy to fight over a campus agent position.
'And freshmen?'
'He hadn't even considered it. It was completely out of the question!'
"Does that mean you agree, Manager Zhao?"
Chen Yansen didn't rush to answer, calmly turning the question back on him.
"If I don't agree, I'm afraid that as soon as you walk out the door, you'll take this data and head straight for a China Unicom or China Mobile store, won't you?"
Zhao Maolin asked with a grin, his eyes narrowing slightly.
'He'd initially thought these two were idiots for trying to poach from the main campus agent before they'd even secured the rights. He never imagined they already had a Plan B.'
"Of course."
Chen Yansen's smile was disarmingly frank.
'China Telecom was just his first stop, not his only option. If they couldn't come to an agreement, he'd just move on to the next one.'
"I can give you the agency rights. The promotional materials you want are no problem either. I can even provide manpower support. But I have one condition: you have to tell me how you managed this."
Zhao Maolin asked curiously, giving the documents in his hand a little shake.
"You explain it to Manager Zhao."
Chen Yansen patted Wang Zihao on the shoulder, motioning for him to step forward.
Wang Zihao nodded, then took out his phone. He showed Zhao Maolin a dozen or so QQ group chats, each with two to three hundred members, and then opened a PowerPoint presentation—a freshman guide created by Chen Yansen.
He spoke at a measured pace. His logic wasn't ironclad, but he had a clear train of thought. He showed none of the stage fright or nervousness typical of someone his age.
'This ability to consolidate resources alone is more than enough to make him a manager.'
A flicker of surprise flashed through Zhao Maolin's eyes, and he marveled internally.
When he heard Wang Zihao say that the plans for the thousand-plus pre-sold SIM cards had been completely fabricated by Chen Yansen, he was left utterly dumbfounded.
'He'd met plenty of people who were both bold and meticulous, but he'd never encountered anyone quite like Chen Yansen.'
'Every step, every link in the chain, was calculated in advance.'
"So, another condition for us to work together is that I have to honor these plans you've created? Aren't you worried I'll just refuse, leaving you with an unholy mess to clean up?"
Zhao Maolin said, looking at Chen Yansen, his tone deceptively light.
"They may be fake, but they aren't baseless fabrications. I designed them based on China Telecom's campus plans from the last three years, factoring in the upcoming policies for 3G speed increases and price reductions."
"Besides, China Telecom and Penguin have had a partnership for a while. Qzone Yellow Diamond and QQ Super VIP are already offered for free with the 59-yuan corporate plan, so it stands to reason they can be offered with the campus cards too."
"As for the data allowance, we can add it to the plans in the form of top-up data packs..."
Chen Yansen spoke with an easy, self-assured eloquence.
Zhao Maolin carefully reviewed the plans Chen Yansen had designed. Just as the young man claimed, they were indeed quite reasonable.
"OK, let's go over these one by one. The 19-yuan plan: 100 text messages, 300MB of provincial data, and domestic calls at 0.2 yuan per minute. That's fine. I can add an extra 100MB of provincial data per month to the existing Feiyoung plan."
"We'll skip the 39-yuan tier. It's identical to a plan we're about to launch anyway."
Zhao Maolin beckoned them over. The three of them gathered around his desk and began to hash out the details.
"The 59-yuan plan: 300 text messages, 2GB of provincial data, 500MB of nationwide data, and domestic calls at 0.2 yuan per minute. Overage data is 10 yuan per GB... I can agree to the rest, but the price for overage data has to be 30 yuan per GB. My hands are tied on that one!"
Zhao Maolin pointed upward, indicating that his authority was limited; he could only make adjustments to the data and text message allowances.
Chen Yansen nodded in understanding.
'It couldn't be helped. Before the widespread adoption of 4G and Wi-Fi, mobile data was astronomically expensive, and the distinction between provincial and nationwide data was still a thing.'
Seeing him agree, Zhao Maolin continued, "A SIM card sells for 100 yuan, and 100 yuan in credit is automatically added upon activation. This is a gentleman's agreement between the three major carriers. Xiaochen, you absolutely cannot mess with the price."
'In his eyes, Chen Yansen wasn't the type to play by the rules, which is why he gave the extra warning.'
"I understand, Manager Zhao."
Chen Yansen agreed readily with a smile.
'Privately, he scoffed. 'What bullshit "gentleman's agreement"? Before he was reborn, e-commerce platforms were flooded with one-cent SIM cards.''
'Rules were made to be broken!'
"I can give you an 80-yuan commission for every card you sell. A portion of the rest has to go to the regional agent. After all, when it comes time to set up promotional booths and activate the cards, you'll need cooperation from the staff at the on-campus service center."
Zhao Maolin explained patiently.
"Eighty?!"
Wang Zihao's eyes lit up, and he let out a subconscious, hushed exclamation.
'An 80-yuan commission on a 100-yuan SIM card! That was far beyond his expectations.'
Zhao Maolin took in Wang Zihao's reaction. Though he appeared generous and forthright on the surface, he was laughing inwardly.
"I'll have my people prepare the posters, banners, and other materials. Just leave your contact information. Any other questions?"
Zhao Maolin paused, and seeing no objection from either of them, he continued.
"Manager Zhao, aren't you forgetting something?"
Seeing this, Chen Yansen cursed inwardly, 'Old fox.' He deliberately raised his voice and asked, his expression turning cold.
'That son of a bitch. He actually dared to treat me like an idiot!'
"Ah, Xiaochen, I've told you everything. What else could you possibly need? Feel free to ask."
Zhao Maolin boomed with laughter, patting his chest as if to give his guarantee, but the corner of his eye twitched almost imperceptibly.
"Manager Zhao, is there no commission on the top-up rebates? If that's the case, then I guess we'll just have to go try our luck with China Unicom or China Mobile."
Seeing him still playing dumb, Chen Yansen didn't hesitate. He started gathering his things and motioned for Wang Zihao to get ready to leave.
Every year at the start of the school season, the three major carriers would not only sell SIM cards but also run promotions like "Recharge 100, Get 100," "Recharge 200, Get 200," or "Recharge 300 and Get a Free Phone."
And the biggest source of commission from a single SIM card came from those very top-up rebates!
The commission rate was over 60%!
In the future, as the pool of new users dried up, the three carriers would become so desperate to attract sales agents that they would offer an astronomical commission rate of 90%!
Zhao Maolin's gambit was simple: he saw they were young and figured he could fool them with an 80-yuan offer.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Xiaochen! Let's talk about this!"
Seeing that they were actually about to walk out, Zhao Maolin panicked. He rushed to block the doorway with his body, his face plastered with a placating smile as he tried to talk them down.