NOVEL NEXT Chapter 21 - Take a taxi and bankrupt the three of them!
Chapter 21: Take a taxi and bankrupt the three of them!
The manager scowled, “Who are they?”
“They’re all previous potential customers. I don’t know what’s happening. Just like a good deal, they all called at nearly the same time to buy a car.”
“By the way, according to what Old Wang and the others said, it seems they ordered the car after watching some kind of video.”
“Video?” The manager paused for a moment.
Haven’t been doing much lately. The headquarters didn’t spend much to get celebrities to endorse and invest.
Why are so many customers suddenly coming in?
Did something happen that he wasn’t aware of?
The manager quickly grabbed his phone, opened the short video website, and searched for red flags. But what he found wasn’t an introduction or an advertisement for the car. It was a short video. He opened it and realised he was clueless!
Domestic cars are featured as racing cars! What advertising could beat this? Even if they spend a fortune hiring racing drivers for photoshoots, they still can’t match this!
Now, he finally got it. It’s like a stroke of luck. Now, the top priority is to send cars to other 4S shops. Otherwise, these 27 units won’t get filled at all. But he made several calls.
He’s in despair! It’s not just West Sea City. H9s at all Hongxia 4S stores nearby and nationwide are sold out!
Pressure mounted on the headquarters. At this time, an emergency meeting unfolded at Hongxia headquarters. The general manager stood at the forefront, looking at all department managers seriously.
“Just now, over 30 dealers called, saying they have many customers wanting to order cars simultaneously.”
“More customers will test drive in the future! If their reports are accurate, thousands of H9s may sell this afternoon!”
Wow~~.
These words shocked everyone. The normal monthly sales were about 3,000 units. But selling 1,000 cars in just one afternoon? This was just over 30 dealers. If all unreported dealers were added up nationwide…
“Quiet!” The general manager gestured for silence. “I watched it. The reason is a variety show.”
“An online taxi driver drives a Hongxia car. I won’t go into details. Watch the video later.”
The issue now was once there was a widespread buying wave, the entire country would run out of stock.
“If we can’t catch up, customers will likely not get their cars for half a year after ordering.”
“This is an excellent opportunity. We mustn’t miss it.”
“So, I’ve made the following decisions.”
“First, notify the production department to speed up production. Double overtime wages and provide dinner subsidies! Enhance treatment for front-line workers to ensure nationwide supply as much as possible.”
“Second, the public relations department uses the mentioned video and find ways to increase publicity. We must keep it popular. As long as it’s trending, our cars will sell.”
“Third, inform the dealer in West Sea City to bring 100,000 yuan to meet the online taxi driver. Ensure they hand the money in person, express gratitude, and maintain a positive attitude!”
“Do you understand everything?”
Everyone: “Understood!”
“Very good. If this is successful, everyone’s year-end bonus will be doubled!”
…
Meanwhile, Lin Yang was about to have a meal. He noticed a significant increase in his system points. They must have been depleted last night.
This time, there were already more than 5,000!
He had no clue what was happening. His video gained traction at noon. More and more people joined the live broadcast to watch the Great God. There were only 60,000 viewers in the morning. Now, it has surged to 100,000!!
Hundreds of thousands tuned in to watch him eat online.
[Popularity]+1+1+1+1…
[Popularity]+1+1+1+1…
….
[The front row is crowded. Is this the owner of the Hongxia car? Why does it not look as mighty and domineering as I imagined? It looks like a star.].
[Speaking of which, 100,000 people watched him eat in the live broadcast room. Isn’t this guy’s card too big?].
[Leave if you don’t like to watch it. No one is forcing you to watch it, and they can’t make you money, so why not give you a show to welcome you?].
[That’s right, this live broadcast platform can’t even buy gifts. The whole process is free, and you can’t spend money if you want to, and you really treat yourself like an uncle.].
[The anchor is still racing; can I ask you to be my teacher?].
….
After his meal, Lin Yang didn’t take a break and returned to work immediately. Perhaps the heavens noticed he missed the morning’s ride. He received one shortly after getting back to work.
Ding~~.
[Departure time]: Depart now
[Distance from you]: 0.68km
[Estimated income]: 29
Departure point: Times Square intersection
Destination: Zhangjia Village Residential Complex.
[Whether to accept the order!].
[Ding~~. The ride was successfully received!].
Five minutes later, three young men entered the car, appearing roughly Lin Yang’s age but noticeably undernourished, with a skinny and haggard appearance. Their eyes seemed vacant as if they had lost their souls. After confirming their order, Lin Yang ignited the car and followed the navigation to their destination. The car was visibly full, but an odd atmosphere hung. Though the trio was together, no one spoke, each staring blankly outside.
Observing this, Lin Yang was puzzled but didn’t dwell on it, focusing on reaching the destination. Ten minutes later, the car stopped, and Lin Yang smiled, saying, “Here we are, three handsome guys!”
The young man in the co-pilot seat asked expressionlessly, “How much?” Lin Yang suggested using the app for payment, but the passenger handed over a bank card, requesting, “Driver, can you swipe the card?”
Lin Yang hesitated, as the POS machine provided by the program team was intended for online platform payments. Apologising, he explained that platform rides had to be paid through the app.
Surprisingly, the passenger calmly responded, “No money in WeChat Pay, no money in Zhifu Bao. What should we do if we don’t use a credit card?”
This left Lin Yang stunned. He awkwardly smiled, saying, “29 yuan, and you still want to swipe your card?” It was an unusual situation for him. Card swiping for such a small amount was uncommon in the era of prevalent online payments.
However, the young man insisted, “No way, only the card can be swiped!”
Lin Yang had no choice but to retrieve the POS machine, inserting the card and bursting into laughter at the situation’s absurdity.
[Popularity]+1+1+1+1…
[Popularity]+1+1+1+1…
….
[I’ve seen people who give cash, I’ve seen people who pay online, and it’s the first time I’ve seen people who pay by card when they go out to take a taxi! This must be a difficult situation. Looking at several people who are malnourished, they don’t have much money in their pockets.
[Seeing this scene reminded me of the experience of queuing for two hours to go to the bank to withdraw 12 yuan. When the lady at the counter asked me in surprise if I took 12, I felt that the whole bank was looking at me, and I was ashamed to throw it home.].
[The program group is really humane and even has a POS machine. Why do I feel like this is a script? It feels ridiculous to carry a POS machine with you for an online car-hailing car.].
[That’s because you are ignorant. I drive a taxi and always carry a POS machine in the car, and special situations may happen at any time. Not everyone in this world knows how to pay online.].
….
Lin Yang suppressed a smile as he reluctantly swiped the card. Despite knowing he shouldn’t laugh, he couldn’t help it. However, when he inserted the card and entered the amount, the expected virtual receipt didn’t appear. Unable to contain himself, Lin Yang looked at the young co-pilot and declared, “Insufficient balance!”
Without any change in expression, the young man calmly responded, “Swipe three pieces of 8 first!”