Chapter 52: Old Acquaintance
On a workday, the sales hall was deathly quiet.
Wang Qiang leaned against the doorway in boredom, counting his fingers. He suspected he was the jinx of the sales world.
He used to sell health supplements but hadn't made a single sale before the company got raided.
Luckily, he hadn't closed any deals, so after an investigation, they let him go.
He figured health supplements were sketchy, so he needed to sell something reliable.
He went to work at a 4S dealership selling cars. Three months in, he'd sold exactly one vehicle.
It was the cheapest Qin series, and his commission was just two hundred bucks.
He didn't mind the measly two hundred, but the store manager minded that he couldn't close deals and fired him.
After getting canned, he thought it over—selling cars still wasn't the way.
The unit price was too low; one sale wouldn't even cover two days of meals.
He had to sell houses. If he could move just one property, the commission would feed him for a whole year!
So he came to the real estate sales office. After a month on the job, he hadn't sold a single unit...
At least this time, he wasn't the only one striking out—everyone was in the same boat.
That was some consolation.
He was daydreaming, kicking at the floor: "Come on, someone come look at a house. Even if you don't buy, just browsing would be nice..."
"Hey! Little Fatty, has your project opened for sales yet?"
He looked up excitedly: "It's open! It's open! You want to... wait, it's you two?"
Seeing He Huanhuan and Han Mo, he was a bit taken aback: "You two want to buy a house?"
He still remembered how He Huanhuan had demanded a gift from him last time—she was even fiercer than the aunties scrambling for discounted groceries.
He Huanhuan glanced at him: "Do I know you?"
Wang Qiang stepped forward: "You don't remember me? Last time you bought a BYD, I was the one who helped you!"
He Huanhuan tried to recall. There seemed to be some chubby guy, but he wasn't this fat...
"Did you gain more weight?"
Wang Qiang scratched his head sheepishly: "Sales pressure is high, so I eat a lot..."
He hadn't sold many cars, but he'd packed on several pounds.
He stole a glance at Han Mo. He remembered this guy was loaded.
He always used a black card.
Wang Qiang looked at them with eager anticipation: "Are you two here to buy a house?"
Was he finally going to close a deal?
He'd already calculated—even the smallest floor plan.
If he could sell just one, his commission would be twenty thousand!
Hehehe...
With twenty thousand, he'd treat himself to a 350-buck buffet...
And buy a new electric scooter, and...
He hadn't even earned the money yet, but he'd already planned how to spend it.
Unfortunately, he was destined to be disappointed today.
He Huanhuan shook her head bluntly: "No, I'm not buying. I just want to ask if you need any actors to pose as house viewers."
"Huh?"
Wang Qiang was crushed: "Not today."
The economy had been bad the last couple of years, and the real estate market was sluggish.
Their sales office only arranged fake viewers every few days. Without real buyers, what was the point?
He Huanhuan asked matter-of-factly: "Why not arrange any? What's wrong with your company?"
She even made Wang Qiang feel nervous. He explained awkwardly: "The economy is bad. Houses aren't selling, so there are no real buyers coming..."
Wait, why was he the one feeling awkward?
It wasn't his fault, was it?
Before he could muster any confidence, He Huanhuan asked again: "So when do you need them? I want to do this job."
Wang Qiang counted on his fingers: "The day after tomorrow. A newlywed couple has scheduled a viewing for a wedding house."
The team leader had mentioned that morning they needed to hire a few fake viewers to stir up the couple's interest.
He asked He Huanhuan: "You want to come? If so, I'll let the team leader know."
He Huanhuan nodded eagerly: "Yes! Both of us will come. We'll play any role."
Wang Qiang led them to the team leader's office. With their good looks, the leader decided on the spot: "You two it is. The day after tomorrow, 9:30 sharp. One hundred each, and you'll play a newlywed couple too."
He Huanhuan agreed without hesitation: "Deal! We'll be there on time!"
As they left the sales hall, Han Mo looked worried.
They had work set for the day after tomorrow, but what about today and tomorrow?
He'd never in his life worried about a meal before.
No ID, no phone, and they couldn't be caught on large-scale surveillance.
For the first time, he really had no idea how to earn money.
"Huanhuan, how are we—"
Before he could finish, He Huanhuan had already gone back to Wang Qiang: "Little Fatty, can you lend me some money?"
Wang Qiang was stunned: "You're asking me to lend you money?"
He Huanhuan nodded: "Yeah."
Wang Qiang stepped back: "But I don't even know you!"
He Huanhuan took a big step closer: "I bought a car from you! How can you say you don't know me?"
Wang Qiang clutched his phone tightly: "But I only made two hundred in commission from that sale!"
"I'm only borrowing two hundred."
......
Wang Qiang grimaced: "Can I not lend it?"
He'd only been at the sales office for a month and hadn't gotten his salary yet.
He didn't have much money on him either.
He Huanhuan leaned in and asked: "Have you made a sale yet?"
Wang Qiang shook his head: "It's not that easy. The economy's bad. Who buys a house for no reason?"
He Huanhuan looked at him sincerely: "How about this: you lend me two hundred, and next month I'll have him buy a house from you. Deal?"
Wang Qiang glanced at her: "Do you think that sounds believable?"
If she needed to borrow two hundred, how was she going to buy a house?
He Huanhuan turned his head toward Han Mo: "Don't look at me. Look at him."
Compared to the day they bought the car, Han Mo looked much more ragged.
His white shirt was wrinkled and unironed, hanging loosely on him.
But with his narrow waist and broad shoulders, he somehow made the wrinkled shirt look effortlessly stylish.
Wang Qiang looked at Han Mo, then at He Huanhuan, then back at Han Mo.
Then he gritted his teeth and said: "I can lend it to him, but not to you."
He Huanhuan was speechless: "You're judging by looks, you know that? Don't I look trustworthy?"
Wang Qiang shook his head: "No."
He Huanhuan: ......
Whatever. At least he was willing to lend.
Wang Qiang pulled out his phone and looked at Han Mo: "Give me your payment QR code, and I'll transfer it to you."
Han Mo: "I don't have a phone."
His phone had been thrown from the car in the crash, and He Huanhuan hadn't thought to look for it.
But even if they found it, it wouldn't matter—they couldn't use phones anyway.
They still couldn't receive the money.
Wang Qiang frowned: "I'm starting to not want to lend to you, okay?"
No phone? This felt even more unreliable!
"Of course not!"
He Huanhuan jumped up and threw her arm around his neck: "We're old friends! You can't do this to a friend!"
"Friends?"
Wang Qiang asked in a daze: "Are we friends?"
Han Mo stepped forward in an instant, rescuing Wang Qiang. He frowned disapprovingly: "Don't bully him."
Then he stood between the two, blocking He Huanhuan's little antics.
He looked down at Wang Qiang: "Sorry, we've run into some trouble lately. I know you're not well-off either..."
Wang Qiang thought he was about to say they wouldn't borrow the money, but then he paused and continued: "But today, we really have to borrow this money. I'm truly sorry."
....
He was surprisingly polite.