KC | Chapter 6

Chapter 6 He Was Really Sexually Fatal

Yu City Lanhai was located on the 20th to 22nd floors of Lihua Tower, a 5A-class office building in the city center. Each floor in the company had a clear division of labor, with the 20th floor being the sales area, the 21st floor the operations area, and the 22nd floor the functional area.

The reason Lanhai Group had been able to take root and develop in the three provinces for more than 20 years was thanks to its complete organizational structure and strict management system. In Lanhai, there were almost no employees who just drifted through the days. Sales were assessed by signing deals, operations by renewals, technical staff by product completion rate, and functional staff were made to do the work of several people with just one person, with never-ending tasks every day… Lanhai’s rules and regulations were so strict that even smoking time had hard requirements, and smoking was only allowed during the two time periods of 10:30-10:40 and 14:30-14:40.

The work intensity at Lanhai was comparable to that of senior year high school students, where every class period had to be listened to with full concentration. Smoking time counted as “recess.”

During break time, the 19th floor was the gathering place of smokers from all systems, with male employees making up more than 80 percent. Chen Xi was on the 19th floor of Lihua Tower, holding a half-finished Nanjing cigarette in his mouth as he exhaled smoke.

“The whole morning was just meetings. First the company held meetings, then each system held meetings after that, then each department held meetings after that. The leaders kept going in circles with the same old stuff, over and over again, and it was all about performance. If you want performance, why waste so much time talking in meetings? With that time, I could have contacted several customers already. I stood around all morning until my legs went numb, exhausted to death.”

Not far away, there was a commotion. A young business guy was complaining to a friend on the phone. Chen Xi thought to himself: The smoking area looked like a rest area, but in reality there were a lot of people who loved tattling. One careless word might end up in the leaders’ ears. The new kid was inexperienced and did not understand how dangerous the workplace was. Being in sales was already hard enough, and he still had to be given a hard time by the leaders. Life would not be easy for him in the future.

The onboarding assessment lasted for 3 months. Sales who had not signed any deals within 3 months were to leave voluntarily. That was the rule at Lanhai, unchanged for 20 years. The first 3 client visits of new employees were accompanied by a manager, who taught them the experience of face-to-face meetings and deal negotiations. Lucky salespeople could directly sign clients with a manager’s help and smoothly get through the onboarding assessment.

Three years ago, Chen Xi had been caught because he drew a turtle on his notebook and signed it “Wang Shuang”. Wang Shuang had never once accompanied him when he met clients.

Without Wang Shuang’s help, Chen Xi could only steel himself and do it on his own. His sales pitch was not professional, and he often froze up when meeting clients. Before he knew it, the assessment period had arrived.

Lanhai’s onboarding assessment would eliminate 70% of salespeople. Chen Xi had passed the written exam with a perfect score, and he had never imagined that he would be eliminated during the practical stage. Before he had even officially transferred roles, he was fired. Embarrassment was secondary. The main problem was that he still had to keep looking for work, and Chen Xi did not have money.

He was so anxious that his head felt like it was about to explode. He worked overtime sorting client materials, and on the second-to-last day of the assessment period, he met Lin Yiran for the second time.

That man was still impeccably dressed in a suit, extraordinary and striking, with a handsome face that made it impossible to look away. Meeting again, Chen Xi’s tongue tied itself in knots and he could not even speak properly.

They ate at Four Seasons Noodles together, and Lin Yiran helped him analyze the client situation and helped him get through the difficult period.

To Chen Xi, Lin Yiran was like a lighthouse in a pitch-black night sky, so bright that it made his heart yearn after it. Chen Xi admired, envied, and revered Lin Yiran, and wanted to become someone like him. Every time Lin Yiran passed by his workstation, Chen Xi would unconsciously look up at Lin Yiran’s back until it disappeared into the distance.

Chen Xi had not originally smoked, but forced by the tense work atmosphere of sales, he wanted to go downstairs for a breather during smoking time. In the crowd filled with smoke, he saw Lin Yiran at a glance.

That man held half a cigarette between his long fingers, his brows looking lazy and flirtatious, his Adam’s apple twitching as he spoke on the phone carelessly. Chen Xi subconsciously moved closer to him, but did not dare get too close. Lin Yiran’s voice while talking on the phone was very low and very pleasant to hear. Chen Xi thought to himself: He seemed very busy, even using his relaxing smoking time to make calls.

Chen Xi wanted to know what he was saying, but Lin Yiran’s voice was too low and he could not hear clearly. So he could only pretend to pass by casually, smell the faint tobacco scent on Lin Yiran’s body, and hear the filthy joke he was telling.

So he was not so busy with work that he had to smoke while taking calls, it was just that there were too many people and too much gossip in the office area, so it was inconvenient to speak dirty words openly.

Ha, fake serious.

Chen Xi could not hold back a laugh, and Lin Yiran suddenly turned his head. Chen Xi froze.

Lin Yiran blinked at Chen Xi, the corners of his lips lifting, as if he were saying, I caught you, eavesdropper.

His eye sockets were deep, and his black pupils looked at Chen Xi intently. Chen Xi liked Lin Yiran’s eyes, cunning, deep, and charming eyes.

At that moment, Chen Xi’s heartbeat was very fast. He could not tell whether it was because he had been caught and his heart was racing, or because Lin Yiran was looking at him.

After Lin Yiran hung up, he clipped a Nanjing cigarette to Chen Xi. Chen Xi instinctively refused, “No, I…”

“What, you think my cigarettes aren’t classy enough?” Lin Yiran cut him off.

Chen Xi took the cigarette, and Lin Yiran lit it for him with a Zippo. Chen Xi did not inhale properly on the first puff and choked, coughing hard from the smoke. Lin Yiran patted his head and laughed, saying, “If I tell you to smoke, just smoke. Why are you so easy to bully.”

Chen Xi was choked speechless, thinking to himself: I was trying to refuse, and you said I thought your cigarettes weren’t classy enough. I smoked it, and then you said I was easy to bully. No wonder you’re a sales expert, the way you wear people down is something else, and all the words end up being said by you.

Lin Yiran used two fingers to take the cigarette from Chen Xi’s hand, put it to his own mouth, and took a deep drag. The cigarette butt, which had not been lit properly before, flared back to life. Lin Yiran slowly exhaled a ring of smoke and licked his lips, saying, “Cigarettes are hard to get, don’t waste them.”

As if seeing Chen Xi’s confusion, Lin Yiran added, “My wife doesn’t like the smell of smoke, she only lets me smoke one pack a week.”

Chen Xi thought to himself: For him, smoking a few extra cigarettes a week probably was not a big deal, but he was willing to keep his promise, so he must really love Sister Jingjing.

I guess by the time I’m in my thirties, I’ll get married too.

“From the way you look, you’ve been bullied by customers a lot, haven’t you?” He looked white and soft, just like a little pushover, the kind of face that made people want to bully him.

“Ah.”

“Look at you, all you know how to say is ‘ah.'” Lin Yiran flicked Chen Xi on the forehead, a cigarette in his mouth as he said roguishly, “Call me brother, and I’ll teach you a move. I guarantee you won’t get bullied in the future.”

Chen Xi obediently called out, “Brother Lin.”

Lin Yiran had been in Lanhai’s sales management for 5 years, and he had never forcefully told employees, “What you did was wrong, you should do it like this and like that.” Compared with an “imperative” style of speaking, Lin Yiran preferred a “democratic” style. KA needed salespeople with independent thinking ability, not just obedient followers. Salespeople with brains were mostly very individualistic, and if they were managed by setting KPIs the way business staff were, it would only backfire.

He did not directly tell Chen Xi how to avoid being bullied by customers, but instead asked, “What do you think is the most important thing when meeting clients face to face?”

Lin Yiran was good at guiding people step by step. He would not directly deny an employee, but would use simulated scenarios and other methods to let the employee find the best way to solve the problem on his own. He first had to make the employee understand where he had gone wrong, and then willingly do what he subjectively believed was right. Last time, when Lin Yiran analyzed clients with Chen Xi, he had also first asked Chen Xi for his thoughts, then followed what he said.

Without thinking, Chen Xi answered, “Professionalism.”

That was what the Lanhai teacher had taught during his onboarding training. The most important thing in face-to-face client meetings was professionalism. So salespeople had to know the products on all of the company’s business lines very well, so they could sell them.

Lin Yiran asked, “Then tell me, the Lanhai training teacher is very professional, so why does she do ‘teacher’ instead of sales?”

“Because sales work is under too much pressure?” Chen Xi was confused. Weren’t they just talking about face-to-face clients? Why had they suddenly started talking about Lanhai’s training teacher?

“Training teachers also have work pressure. If your exam results are not good, their salary gets deducted. Lanhai’s product lines also update quickly, so she has to keep preparing new lessons, not much better than a middle school teacher. Your exam results are also not something she can fully control. The most important thing is, being a training teacher does not pay as much commission as being in sales.” Lin Yiran briefly and clearly analyzed the pros and cons of the two positions. In Lanhai, from the perspective of salary and assessment mechanisms, being in sales really was a little better than being a training teacher.

“So, professionalism is not the necessary condition that determines whether a face-to-face meeting with a client successfully leads to a deal.”

Because Chen Xi had no one accompanying him to visit clients, he really suffered quite a few losses during meetings and deal talks. In order to sign successfully, he gave up sales gross profit again and again. He had always thought it was because he was not professional enough, because he had not clearly explained the selling points of the product to the client. He had worked overtime and stayed up late to study product knowledge, but the results were very small. Only today did he know that the problem was not here.

“Then… what is the most important thing in a face-to-face meeting?” Chen Xi’s curiosity was pulled to the highest point, and he urgently wanted to know what his problem was.

“It’s image.”

“Image?”

“Yes, image.” Lin Yiran took the last puff of his cigarette, straightened his suit, and casually revealed the IWC watch on his wrist. Chen Xi’s gaze flickered, and Lin Yiran suddenly looked at him and asked, “What do you think of me?”

Wasn’t they just talking about the image needed for face-to-face meetings? Why had it suddenly turned to him?

Chen Xi did not understand what Lin Yiran wanted to do, and completely could not keep up with his jumping train of thought. He opened his mouth instinctively and said, “You’re handsome, your position is high, you’re highly professional, smooth with your words, full of tricks…”

“Stop.” Lin Yiran pressed a hand to his forehead, thinking to himself: Did this kid leave his brain at home when he went out? Why was he always so dumb.

He pulled at his cuffs to reveal the watch, and hinted, “Didn’t you see my watch just now?”

“I did, I saw it.” Chen Xi’s face instantly felt hot. He had spoken without using his brain just now, and only then did he catch the point. “You’re rich!”

“Right!”

Chen Xi was even more baffled. What did being rich have to do with image, face-to-face meetings, and signing clients?

“If the client you’re facing has strong power and you don’t have equal talking points, then it’s very easy to be looked down on and not get a big deal.” Lin Yiran said, “And accessories like watches, belts, bags, things that can show identity and status, will raise your value and add points for you when you are meeting key clients face to face.”

Chen Xi suddenly understood, and he remembered how last month he had worn sneakers and carried a small schoolbag to talk to a listed company. The competitor media had landed 300,000, while he only got 30,000. He regretted it terribly.

“But…” Chen Xi frowned. Even if he knew the method, the actual difficulty of doing this was too high. He was a poor guy who only had two thousand yuan left after paying rent, and it was already not bad if he could just eat enough. Where would he get money to buy luxury goods.

“But I don’t have money, I can’t afford to buy them.”

“Who told you to buy real ones.” Lin Yiran flicked him on the forehead again, took out his phone and smiled wickedly, “Add me on WeChat, I’ll send you a few micro-business sellers, they all sell replicas.”

“Ah!” Chen Xi suddenly understood. He added him as a friend, smiling so hard the corners of his mouth almost reached behind his ears. “Thank you, Brother Lin, you’re so good to me, I will definitely repay you!”

“Haha, how are you going to repay me, buy me a replica?”

Chen Xi was left speechless. Lin Yiran’s status, position, and wealth were all things he could not reach at present, so there really was nothing he could repay him with. But they were only acquaintances by chance, and Lin Yiran really had helped him a lot. Chen Xi could not give the other person an equal return, and he felt a little bad about it.

Smoking time was over, and the employees on the 19th floor left one after another.

Seeing Chen Xi’s small face tensed up, Lin Yiran once again sharply sensed what he was thinking, and said with a smile, “Just put this debt on the tab for now, we’ll talk about it when you get rich later.”

Chen Xi was just about to reply when Lin Yiran did not give him the chance to speak, adding, “Who told me to be handsome, have a high position, be highly professional, smooth with my words, full of tricks… and a helpful person.”

When he was in university, there was no shortage of girls showing interest in Chen Xi. With the attitude of dating for the purpose of finding a partner, Chen Xi tried going out with a few. He had wanted to properly build a relationship, but the girls he met did not seem to need him to take responsibility. After just a few days, they thought he was too dull. They wanted “fast food,” but Chen Xi did not, so he never met the right one.

Or rather, Chen Xi had never met someone he liked.

Chen Xi came to Lanhai to work in sales because of Lin Yiran, and after joining the company he worked in the basic sales position. Every time he saw Lin Yiran at the company, Chen Xi would unconsciously lower his head and pretend not to see him, but he could not help being drawn to him.

Lin Yiran seemed to come with his own magnetic field, and wherever he went he was the center of attention. His existence was intense to Chen Xi.

That night Chen Xi had a dream, in which it was Lin Yiran holding a cigarette and swearing. Those long fingers roguishly snatched away the cigarette he was holding in his mouth, and in the smoke-filled haze Lin Yiran’s Adam’s apple rolled. His deep eyes looked at him, and his low voice sounded by his ear: “I’m handsome, have a good body, and I’m rich, can I trick you?”

Using the word “sexy” to describe a man might not be quite accurate, but Chen Xi thought Lin Yiran, wearing a suit and tie, holding a cigarette in his mouth while swearing, was truly sexy to death.

How could anyone be this sexy?

Chen Xi said, “Yes.”

Immediately after, a hot scene of flickering light and shadow flashed through Chen Xi’s mind. White and yellow lights stimulated his nerves, and the intense collision scene in his imagination made him excited…

When he woke up, he found that he had had a wet dream.

After that, those deep eyes often appeared in Chen Xi’s dreams.

Chen Xi had never liked anyone before. It was only after meeting Lin Yiran that he realized he was gay, but Lin Yiran had a wife, and he was straight.

To Chen Xi, Lin Yiran was a senior, a leader, an object of his wet dreams, but he never dared to show even a little bit of liking. A moral model would not turn a straight man gay, and would not destroy someone else’s family. For all these years, he had never crossed the line.

The cigarette burned down to the end. Chen Xi slowly exhaled a ring of smoke, threw away the cigarette butt, and blacklisted Lin Yiran on WeChat.