Whispers in the Break Room
The VIP room returned to silence, broken only by the gentle hum of the central air conditioning and the soft clicking of Lü Yi fiddling with the mini-fridge door. Lin Feng leaned back on the sofa, eyes closed, seemingly oblivious to the earlier incident. The hard cover of his newly acquired driver's license emanated a subtle presence through the pocket of his down jacket.
The tea that had been brewed earlier on the coffee table had gone cold. Salesperson Chen glanced at the two almost untouched teacups and a thought flickered in her mind. She put on an even more ingratiating smile than before, and spoke in an exceptionally gentle voice, "Mr. Lin, Mr. Lü, the tea is cold. Shall I brew you both a fresh pot of hot tea? We have some excellent Jin Jun Mei tea in our shop; would you like to try some?"
Lin Feng didn't even open his eyes, only nodding almost imperceptibly. Lü Yi waved his hand. "Whatever, whatever. Do you have any Coke? Iced!"
"Yes, yes, I'll get it for you right away." Salesperson Chen quickly agreed, quietly gathering up the cooled tea set, picking up the tray, turning around and leaving the VIP room, carefully closing the door behind him.
Once she left that breathless space, Salesperson Chen finally felt a slight relief. She hurried towards the staff break room at the back of the showroom, her mind still replaying the shocking scenes from just moments before.
The tea room was empty, save for the low hum of the water dispenser heating water. She placed the tray by the sink, first giving Lü Yi a can of iced cola and setting it aside, then began washing the teaware, preparing to brew tea again. Her movements were somewhat mechanical, her mind already far away.
Just then, the door to the break room opened, and a woman in her mid-thirties, dressed in a well-tailored, dark gray women's suit, with exquisite makeup and a capable demeanor, walked in. She was the sales manager of this 4S store, surnamed Wang. Manager Wang immediately noticed Salesperson Chen, who was absentmindedly washing cups, and then remembered that the sales contract for that GX had just been entered into the front desk system, so she came over.
"Xiao Chen, busy?" Manager Wang's voice was low, with a hint of a smile. "I heard you just closed a big deal? A top-of-the-line GX? Cash on delivery? Not bad, you've got the best finish in the year-end rush." She walked over to Salesperson Chen, picked up a clean cup from the sterilizer, and poured herself a glass of water.
Salesperson Chen snapped out of his daze and quickly nodded, "Manager Wang, it's... a contract that was just signed."
"The client is still in the VIP lounge?" Manager Wang took a sip of water, gestured with his chin towards the VIP lounge, and casually asked, "Looks quite young, what do they do? So straightforward." As a sales manager, he was naturally sensitive to the background of clients who could afford high-end cars; this was necessary for assessing client value and potential relationship maintenance.
Salesperson Chen paused in her work, glanced at the tea room door to make sure no one was coming in, then lowered her voice and turned to Manager Wang, saying, "Manager Wang, those two over there... they're not simple." Her tone carried a subtle mix of excitement and lingering fear.
"Oh? How is it not simple?" Manager Wang became interested and put down his water glass.
Salesperson Chen swallowed hard, lowered his voice even further, but spoke quickly, "They liked the car, and paid very readily, without even blinking. But after all the paperwork was almost done, and the temporary license plates were issued, Mr. Lin realized—neither of them had a driver's license!"
"No driver's license?" Manager Wang frowned. "Then this car..."
"My heart sank. I thought the deal was definitely off, and I even told them we could negotiate a refund through the proper channels." Salesperson Chen's face showed lingering fear. "But guess what? That Mr. Lin just took out his phone, made a call, and said, 'I'm at the 4S store, I bought a car, but I don't have a driver's license right now.'"
Manager Wang's eyes turned serious.
"And then!" Salesperson Chen emphasized, his voice filled with disbelief, "Less than half an hour, really, just half an hour! Someone came over, saying he was Mayor Wei's secretary! He personally delivered a brand new driver's license. I glanced at it, and the photo was indeed Mr. Lin, and the issuance date was today! Then this Secretary Zhang even offered to help with getting the official license plate, and even the license plate number could be chosen freely! Mr. Lin didn't specify what number he wanted, just said anything was fine, and Secretary Zhang took all the documents to process it, saying it would be done in an hour or so!"
She finished speaking in one breath, and felt her heart race again.
After listening, Manager Wang's hand, holding the water glass, froze in mid-air. Her expression shifted from curiosity to seriousness, followed by deep shock. She had worked in this industry for over a decade, rising from frontline sales to manager, and had seen countless clients of all kinds: wealthy bosses, low-profile tycoons, second-generation rich kids with connections... But this was something completely beyond her usual experience: a single phone call, and within thirty minutes, the mayor's secretary personally delivered her driver's license, handled the license plate arrangements, and even allowed her to choose any number... This level of influence was far beyond what she had encountered in her daily life.
This cannot be simply summarized as "being rich" or "having connections." It represents a direct, efficient, and almost unconventional reach of power.
"My God..." Manager Wang finally let out a slow breath after a long while, looking towards the VIP room with a complicated expression, his voice extremely low, "Just who is this... young master from which wealthy family? Has he come here to experience life?"
She instantly realized that this was no longer just a simple "big client," but a "special entity" that absolutely could not be neglected and even needed to be treated with utmost care. The profits and performance brought by this transaction were certainly important, but even more important was leaving a good impression through this contact—no, even just avoiding leaving a bad impression could be an intangible resource.
"Xiao Chen," Manager Wang quickly composed herself, regaining the composure of a professional manager. She put down her water glass, leaned closer to Salesperson Chen, and asked rapidly in a voice only the two of them could hear, "What price did you quote him? What was the final price?"
Salesperson Chen quoted a figure, which was the discounted price they had previously applied for. "It's the lowest price you granted me, and I negotiated it down a bit further."
Manager Wang frowned slightly, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the counter. This price would normally be considered quite favorable for GX, but for a customer like this...
"No," she made a quick decision, her tone decisive. "This price isn't enough. How about this, within my authority, you apply for the lowest possible discount... no, wait..." She suddenly changed her mind. "Lowering the price too much directly, making the intention too obvious, might make people uncomfortable, thinking we're snobbish or that there's something wrong with the car."
She hesitated for two seconds, then had an idea. "Keep the price as you agreed. But add all the extras and accessories you can give away! The highest-grade window tint, all-weather floor mats and trunk mat, original dashcam, ceramic coating, interior cleaning and maintenance package... and maintenance vouchers—give away the maximum amount I can within my authority! Just tell him it's a special year-end promotion for specific models, to thank him for his support of the brand. Be natural, don't seem too deliberate."
Salesperson Chen nodded quickly. "I understand, Manager Wang."
"And another thing," Manager Wang added, looking at her, "Don't worry, your sales commission will be calculated based on the original contract price; you won't be shortchanged by a single penny. The extra cost of the gifts will be covered by my special customer maintenance fee." This was to maintain morale; he couldn't let the salespeople feel their interests were being harmed by giving away gifts.
"Thank you, Manager Wang!" Salesperson Chen felt relieved and excited at the same time. This meant that she would receive her full commission for this deal, and if she handled it well, she might even get credit from the manager.
"Go and take the tea and cola over quickly, don't keep our distinguished guest waiting." Manager Wang waved his hand.
Salesperson Chen nodded quickly, poured the brewed Jin Jun Mei tea into an exquisite white porcelain pot, and placed the can of iced cola on a tray, ready to take it over.
"Wait," Manager Wang suddenly called out to her again.
Salesperson Chen stopped, then turned back in confusion.
Manager Wang strode over and glanced at Salesperson Chen. Today, Salesperson Chen was dressed in standard work attire—a fitted women's blazer over a light-colored shirt, a knee-length pencil skirt, stockings, and mid-heeled leather shoes, looking professional and appropriate.
Manager Wang reached out, but not to help her tidy the tray. Her fingers slipped inside the collar of Salesperson Chen's suit jacket, gently pinching the fabric of her shirt and pulling it down slightly, revealing a little more skin and collarbone around the top button. The movement was quick, carrying a subtle, teasing, and suggestive tone characteristic of women.
She took a half step back, looked him up and down, a meaningful smile that was somewhere between a joke and a serious expression on her face, and said in a low voice:
"Xiao Chen, this is a rare 'big shot'... Why are you dressed so conservatively? We salespeople, image and demeanor are part of our professional service. We need to make people feel comfortable and at ease, understand?"
Her words weren't too direct, but the meaning couldn't be clearer. With clients of this caliber, a touch of just the right amount of feminine charm, without appearing frivolous, could act as a lubricant, bridging the gap and at least preventing the client from seeming too rigid or boring.
Salesperson Chen's cheeks flushed slightly, but she immediately understood what her manager meant. She wasn't unaware of these unspoken rules in this industry, especially when dealing with high-end clients; she just didn't use them often, and it depended on the client. But this "Mr. Lin" today... seemed truly worthy of her attention.
She didn't say anything, but simply nodded to Manager Wang to indicate that she understood.
Then, carrying the tray, she turned and walked towards the VIP room. In that instant, her free hand slid down the inside of her suit jacket with lightning speed and natural ease, her fingertips lightly brushing against the fabric of her shirt, pulling it down about a millimeter. At the same time, she took a slight breath, straightened her back, and made her posture appear even more graceful and confident.
Her facial expression quickly adjusted, and she put on that well-trained, sweet yet measured smile again.
She walked to the door of the VIP room, took a deep breath, raised her hand, and gently knocked on the door with her knuckles.
"Mr. Lin, your tea is ready."