Chapter Eighteen: The Sales Competition

But it wasn't difficult to figure this out; all I needed was to find an opportunity to subtly ask Little Ma and Sixth Brother, and the answer would become clear.

I hid the things beside me and turned on the desktop computer in the single room. It was my first time using this computer. The hardware was ancient, and the operating system was the old Windows XP—the mere act of booting up took three whole minutes.

I opened QQ at random, of course using the work account. The chat box was filled with red exclamation marks, each one marking a fish that slipped away after a failed attempt at baiting.

I smiled helplessly and began scrolling through short videos on the web.

Many of these short videos refreshed intelligently based on the user's location. As I scrolled, a sudden thought struck me—I typed my sister’s account into the search bar.

I had assumed her account would still be frozen at content from three years ago. I remembered her last post: “Goodbye! Never see you again!”

But unexpectedly, she had posted something new recently.

The content of this update left me speechless. The video was filmed inside the park, in one of the workrooms, and the caption reeked of the dark atmosphere of a shady middleman: “High-paying jobs overseas! Earn a hundred thousand a month! Factory interviews on October 25th! Message me if interested!”

This wasn’t particularly strange—posing as a high-paying overseas company for recruitment was a well-worn trick of the scam syndicates.

But soon, I noticed something off: the video was private, visible only to friends.

October 25th...

My brow furrowed. I remembered my sister saying she would return...

I checked the date: October 25th. Next week.

As it turned out, I wasn’t wrong. But on the night of October 25th, something happened that almost ensured my sister and I would never see daylight again...

This story began with 2044.

That afternoon, I arrived at the workroom half an hour early.

There weren’t many fish at lunchtime, so most of the piglets didn’t bother to work overtime at that hour.

I turned on the computer and saw a thirty-thousand yuan transfer from one of the fish. This must have been the payment promised by 2050.

Without hesitation, I clicked to accept the transfer. Thirty thousand yuan entered the company’s account.

Soon, 2050 hurried over to her seat beside mine, her face dark. She sat in a daze for a moment, then stomped her feet and hammered the desk.

“Did you forget your meds!?”

I glanced at her, frowning. She turned to look at me, agitated, pointing at 2044’s desk: “That shameless bastard, raised by wolves! He landed a five-hundred-thousand deal!”

I shrugged, unconcerned: “So what? Even if he scores five million, it’s none of my business!”

“Have you forgotten what Brother Can said?” 2050 was nearly losing it. “If you hit five hundred thousand in a month’s sales, you get…”

My mind caught up—the park’s rule was: if you hit three hundred thousand in a month, you get to pick a female piglet to spend the night with.

“Damn it…”

Thinking this made me furious. I kicked over 2044’s chair. No doubt he’d named 2050 as his choice!

“So what now? Castrate him? Kill him? Chop him up?”

“There’s only one way!” 2050 took a deep breath and suddenly stepped closer, “Someone needs to outperform him—snatch me away before he does!”

Hearing this, I nearly spat blood. “Are you saying I should pick you ahead of him?”

“What? Ask yourself—don’t you have any thoughts about me?” She was blunt, laying out the terms. “You’re at two hundred and thirty thousand in sales; I can bump you up to five hundred thousand. Then… you know what to do.”

Just like that, we struck a deal: a slow and steady approach, one or two deals a day.

As 2050 predicted, that afternoon Sixth Brother convened a small meeting.

Before it started, Brother Can came rushing into the workroom.

He went straight to 2044’s computer, saw the transfer records totaling more than two hundred thousand yuan, and smiled, clapping 2044 on the shoulder. He even handed him a pack of Red Nanjing cigarettes.

2044’s face lit up. He thanked Brother Can repeatedly and accepted the cigarettes.

The atmosphere was awkward, but 2044 was basking in his success, earnestly assuring both Brother Can and Sixth Brother that he would keep making big deals and create more value for the company.

Brother Can was grinning from ear to ear, chuckling non-stop, nothing like the cold, murderous figure I’d met on the first day.

After all, for the other piglets, this was highly motivating.

To the park managers, such things were seen as positive energy.

Then Brother Can told us all to stop and applaud 2044 in celebration.

He said everyone should learn from him, open deals early, generate profits for the company, and repay the company’s nurturing.

Even for someone like Sixth Brother, the team leader, raising an account in such a short time and convincing the target to transfer money was no easy feat.

While Brother Can was painting rosy futures, another exclamation rang out in the workroom.

“I closed a deal! Another deal!”

The voice was mine.

Brother Can came over quickly, checked the transfer record.

Fifty thousand yuan!

“Hahaha! Excellent! Excellent!” Brother Can burst out laughing again. “This group of newcomers is truly talented! You just closed deals worth more than two hundred thousand! You two now lead the piglets in deal volume!”

Without delay, Brother Can called someone to fetch a commission bonus from the finance department and showered me with praise—talking about my work’s spirit and limitless prospects.

At the meeting, Brother Can dropped his cold demeanor and boasted endlessly about the piglets who’d closed big deals.

He said we were sharp-minded and driven, gifted in this field, with bright futures and sure to become talents.

And I didn’t drop the ball—this afternoon, I closed two more deals.

The first for ten thousand, the second for fifteen thousand.

Of course, only 2050 and I knew how those deals had come about, but Brother Can didn’t care; he just grinned at the transfer records.

Later, 2050 told me that the two deals today, like the one yesterday, were from the same fish. She used her account to play an online-dating college girl, hooking a guy who claimed to be a director at a big company.

The most absurd part: the big fish still hadn’t realized anything was wrong. He even replied to me in front of Brother Can, delighted: “No problem, babe! If you need more, just ask!”

As for 2044, he seemed to grow more excited each day, chatting happily with the fish, sometimes casting leering glances at 2050 beside me.

I also noticed the little notebook in his hand. Every time he landed a big fish, he made a record. In other words, the users in that notebook were all his potential gold mines!

I later learned that 2044 had worked in e-commerce and as a middleman before. That notebook was where he used to keep client and jobseeker contacts!

Once I figured this out, I called over Xie Yixiang, gave him instructions, and he thumped his chest, solemnly promising he wouldn’t slip up!

He reassured me a hundred times, saying that even if he messed up and got caught, he’d never rat me out.

Seeing him so bullish, I regretted giving him those five thousand yuan...