Guide To Lying Flat And Getting Rich As A Kept Alpha - Chapter 20
20
Luo Hetu first found a public phone booth, took out Cheng Youqing’s business card, and called her.
The call was answered by Cheng Youqing’s assistant, who said that Ms. Cheng was busy but would call back later. Luo Hetu waited for ten minutes before finally receiving a return call.
“Here’s the thing: my supplier ran out of blank discs. Do you know any stores or manufacturers that have enough blank discs in stock? I went to two audiovisual shops earlier, and neither had any blank discs for sale.”
Cheng Youqing paused for a moment. “That’s it?”
Was this a small matter?
Luo Hetu suddenly felt a bit guilty, realizing belatedly that the chairman of the Cheng Corporation, amidst her busy schedule, was calling her back just because she needed a supplier for a few blank discs.
Hiss.
She might have been a bit too bold.
“My assistant will give you a number. Just contact her.” Cheng Youqing said calmly before the voice on the phone switched to her assistant.
The assistant provided Luo Hetu with a phone number, which belonged to the person in charge of a disc manufacturing factory.
“How many blank discs does Boss Luo need?” the factory manager asked in a thick Yangcheng accent, which was a bit hard to understand.
Luo Hetu replied, “Not too many…”
She just wanted to try it out. Buying too many would be useless if they didn’t sell.
“Well, not that many, huh? How about a thousand discs to start? I’ll have my brothers in Jiang City arrange the shipment.”
Luo Hetu: …
She was starting to regret calling Cheng Youqing. The people a big-shot CEO connected her with weren’t the type to sell just a few discs. She hesitated before saying, “A hundred will do.”
The manager grumbled but still contacted his “brothers” in Jiang City. Within an hour, a large cardboard box was delivered to her doorstep.
Luo Hetu took a cab to transport the box back to her rented flat. She turned on the light, locked the door, drew the curtains, and made sure no one was outside before cautiously entering the “mall” [system].
She unwrapped a blank disc and placed it in front of her, selecting the [Provide Physical Medium] option.
A faint light flashed, and the disc trembled slightly before going still.
Luo Hetu held the disc up to the light.
After being recorded, the disc showed a faint ring of burn marks on its reflective surface. Luo Hetu noticed it but wasn’t sure if it would play properly, so she took the disc and headed to Sunday Audiovisual in a cab.
Li Baitian was swamped with work when he saw Luo Hetu rush in, head straight to the VCD player, and pop in her disc.
The shop had seen fewer complaints about discs not playing lately. As more people bought VCD players, the discs worked fine. Some customers who claimed discs were faulty found they worked perfectly when tested in-store. Others didn’t know how to use the machines, and a few tried to scam compensation. Luo Hetu had arranged for Ye Qingzhu to send two strong alphas to work and keep an eye on the shop. After Li Baitian explained things clearly, the alphas would escort troublemakers out like they were handling baby chicks, and the business ran smoothly thereafter.
Still, some customers who hadn’t bought players yet wanted to test discs in-store. At that moment, one customer was watching a film he’d chosen when Luo Hetu paused it, ejected his disc, and inserted her own.
“Hey, you little alpha, I wasn’t done watching!” the customer protested.
“Sorry, I’m in a rush. Just need to check this quickly.” Luo Hetu replied hurriedly.
After a brief black screen and the Cheng Corporation logo, the movie title appeared—a string of English letters.
It worked, and the picture quality was excellent, consistent with the high standard of goods Luo Hetu supplied.
Would the rest of it play? She grabbed the remote and fast-forwarded.
When a scene appeared showing two women, unclothed and entangled, one revealing sharp canine teeth while lightly licking the other’s nape, Luo Hetu hadn’t yet processed it.
Li Baitian, however, dashed over, crouched down, and shut off the machine, causing the TV screen to go black.
Li Baitian was furious. “What are you doing?! Playing that in public? Are you trying to ruin the business?!”
Luo Hetu: …
In her haste, she had randomly selected a movie from a ranking list without checking what it was.
An alpha nearby nudged Luo Hetu. “Hey, comrade, what kind of movie is this? Did you buy it here? What’s it called? Do you sell it?”
…
Luo Hetu had no intention of selling that kind of disc at Sunday Audiovisual. Blushing, she grabbed her disc and left.
After a while, she came back, looking quite unsteady. “Give me the out-of-stock list.”
Li Baitian finally felt some relief—this person still knew how to focus on real work.
With a list full of out-of-stock items in hand, Luo Hetu went back to a phone booth and called the disc supplier she’d spoken to earlier.
“Is there a problem with the discs?” the manager asked.
“No, I’d like to order more.”
The manager sounded exasperated. “Boss, for a few hundred discs, you can just contact my brothers directly.”
“This time, I need two thousand. Can I talk to your brothers about it?”
Manager: …
Luo Hetu’s small-scale disc operation kicked into gear again.
She left the specifics of coordinating with Cheng Youqing to Li Baitian. Meanwhile, she finished recording the two thousand discs, ensuring a steady supply. At a cost of five yuan per disc, this batch cost Li Baitian ten thousand yuan.
Sunday Audiovisual had set up small stalls inside every Qiancheng Electronics store. The combined daily sales from these stalls slightly surpassed the main store’s revenue.
As expected, Qiancheng Electronics’ VCD player sales and disc sales fed into each other, driving steady growth. With excellent after-sales service and customer care at Sunday Audiovisual, they could fulfill any disc request by the next day, even if it was out of stock. Within a month of launching VCD players, they dominated Jiang City’s audiovisual market.
As the hidden supplier for the “one-yuan purchase” program, Luo Hetu earned a profit on her costs and took a 30% cut of the disc sales. In the month before the Spring Festival, she made eighteen thousand yuan from the audiovisual disc business alone.
Li Baitian had never seen a business this lucrative. Aside from occasionally over-enthusiastically recommending movies she thought were worth watching, she grew quickly. One day, when Luo Hetu visited, she found Li Baitian reading books and newspapers, studying ways to make money.
Luo Hetu felt gratified and comfortably settled into her role as a behind-the-scenes supplier.
Shanhe Tuling’s second beverage shop was also doing well, targeting trendy, fashionable customers. Its decor retained white and natural wood tones but adopted bolder designs. With the Spring Festival approaching, they updated their cup designs.
Ye Qingzhu managed the commercial street branch, while Chen Fang, who was hardworking, enthusiastic, and surprisingly adept despite her rough edges, took over as manager of the original shop near the school. She proved to be a natural at business.
With one business providing technical investment and another supplying goods, Luo Hetu did some calculations in her rented flat. In a short time, she had accumulated tens of thousands of yuan without much effort, earning a steady monthly net income of ten to twenty thousand yuan.
Luo Hetu decided she could finally take a break. The past six months had been a whirlwind of earning and spending, with no time to rest.
As the New Year approached, Ye Qingzhu and Li Baitian, busy at their respective shops, simultaneously started sneezing.
With the Spring Festival coming, Luo Hetu planned to do nothing but stroll around, buy some New Year goods, and prepare for the holiday.
She never expected to run into Sun Yinuo and Cheng Youqing, also shopping, at a lingerie store.