Chapter 16: What’s It Got to Do with Me?

Meng Xingzhe told the group, “Either speak a little softer or much louder. Otherwise, the people at the counter can’t hear you and just thinks you’re being noisy.”

After he finished speaking, Tian Huasheng quickly chimed in, “Exactly, Assistant Cao Chun just asked us what you were talking about, chirping away so happily.”

Hao Lidan and Hou Wenwen looked awkward, while Tong Yumo gazed innocently at Meng Xingzhe. Min Qingxia hurriedly changed the subject to talk about roast duck.

After the break, back at her workstation, Yao Jia thanked Meng Xingzhe before putting on her headset.

Her thanks seemed to confuse Meng Xingzhe.

“Why are you thanking me? I’m not Lei Feng. I never help people and I hate being thanked.”

“…”

Yao Jia thought this guy was more inscrutable than a needle at the bottom of the sea.

She put on her headset, but suddenly heard Meng Xingzhe speaking to her.

She pulled it down to hear him say disdainfully, “Are you lacking in intelligence or emotional intelligence? Couldn’t you tell they were mocking you? And you just sat there listening like a fool?”

Yao Jia was taken aback.

So he could actually hear their conversation from the bar. He had deliberately said that to provoke those people. Tian Huasheng was quick to catch on and play along.

So, despite claiming not to be a Lei Feng, he had actually helped her.

His words, “I hate being thanked,” still echoed in her ears. A “thank you” was stuck on Yao Jia’s lips, unsure if it should come out.

Meng Xingzhe snorted and continued, “I thought you were pretty clever. Why do you only know how to argue with difficult customers? When dealing with unreasonable people, if you can’t discuss anything else, just explain the appliance principles to them. Surely you can do that? Well, judging by your blank expression, I guess not. Then pull up the product manual on your computer and read it to them. Can you at least do that?”

Yao Jia was dumbfounded.

“They can make their unreasonable demands while you calmly read the manual to them, recite the warranty policy until they hang up first. Isn’t that okay?”

What kind of bizarre method is this?

“If all else fails and you really can’t resolve it, pass it to a leader to handle. Can’t you do that? Just pass the buck to your Team Leader Lin.”

Yao Jia wanted to say, she’s your Team Leader Lin too.

Meng Xingzhe concluded, “With your level of intelligence and emotional intelligence, there’s no suspense about you being eliminated by the end of the month. You’re just too stupid.” His mockery was heartfelt.

“…” Yao Jia swallowed the thank you that had been stuck on her lips.

She had to admit, the word “eliminated” from Meng Xingzhe had rung like an alarm bell.

Indeed, you can’t confront unreasonable customers head-on; you have to endure a little. If she got fired for arguing with a customer before completing three months, not only would her easily attainable freedom slip away, but she’d also continue to be looked down upon by her father, Yao Bingkun.

That wouldn’t do.

A small lack of patience can ruin a big plan. Yao Jia sternly reminded herself and put on her headset.

※※※※※※

The first call Yao Jia received in the afternoon was from a girl with a pleasant voice. Judging by her sweet and soft tone, she seemed like a young girl.

Yao Jia said, “Hello, how may I assist you?”

The girl immediately replied, “I don’t need your help. Please transfer me to Customer Service 1111. He was the one who assisted me this morning, and I want him to continue.”

Yao Jia said, “Alright, please hold on,” and transferred the call.

It turned out that the phone at the adjacent workstation rang.

Yao Jia remembered that 1111, the number destined for solitude, was Meng Xingzhe’s employee number.

Recalling the girl’s voice and tone, and the conversation she overheard in the break room, Yao Jia guessed this girl was the same person Hou Wenwen and Hao Lidan were talking about.

She could only marvel at the girl’s persistence in seeking out Meng Xingzhe.

Afterward, Yao Jia received several more calls, with half the customers being easygoing and the other half difficult.

The easygoing customers would thank her after their issues were resolved: “Thank you so much.”

At those times, Yao Jia felt that working in customer service wasn’t so bad, and receiving thanks warmed her heart.

However, the thanks from ten good customers couldn’t offset the curses from one unreasonable customer. The destructive power of negative emotions lies in their need to consume far more positive emotions to be neutralized.

When faced with unreasonable and difficult customers, Yao Jia was often so frustrated by their demands that she nearly wanted to harm herself.

In a moment of desperation, a thought flashed in her mind like a last-ditch effort—should she try the method Meng Xingzhe had sarcastically suggested?

As it happened, the difficult customer she encountered was also adamantly demanding coupons. He claimed the refrigerator’s cooling was ineffective and demanded coupons as compensation.

Yao Jia was puzzled as to why this batch of difficult customers was so obsessed with coupons.

Initially, when receiving the problem feedback, Yao Jia proposed a solution to have After-sales Service promptly conduct an on-site inspection and repair.

However, according to the information recorded in the computer software, this refrigerator had a repair history, and the records showed: First, the customer had privately dismantled the machine; second, during the previous inspection, no issues with the refrigerator’s cooling were found.

However, the customer adamantly refused to accept the After-sales Service’s inspection results, firmly believing there was an issue with the refrigerator’s cooling. Using this as a pretext, they persistently called, aiming to get some small compensation in the form of coupons.

Yao Jia followed protocol and informed the customer that due to unauthorized disassembly, they could no longer enjoy warranty services. If the After-sales Service had to visit, there might be repair charges.

Upon hearing the word “charges,” the customer flatly rejected the suggestion.

“Stop telling me all this nonsense. What, just because I disassembled it, it’s no longer your product? How else would I know if you’re using good parts? Besides, wasn’t disassembling it for your benefit? If I can fix it myself, doesn’t that save you trouble? I’m telling you, don’t make me repeat myself a fourth time, or I’ll file a complaint! Hurry up and compensate me with two coupons!”

Yao Jia felt Lin Qian press her shoulder, fearing she might lose her temper and snap back.

Taking a deep breath to suppress her anger, Yao Jia decided to try the method Meng Xingzhe had suggested for dealing with such an unreasonable customer.

She pulled up the product manual. “Sir, according to the After-sales Service records, the inspection results show that your refrigerator’s cooling is perfectly fine. Let me explain the cooling principle of this model to you. Its cooling performance is excellent and stands out among similar refrigerators. The model you purchased uses independent circulation systems for the freezer and refrigerator compartments, preventing any cross-contamination…”

The customer interrupted her, “Stop giving me this crap. The cooling is just not good! No matter how much you hype it up, it’s still not good! Do you not understand human language? Stop the nonsense and compensate me! I just want coupons!”

Yao Jia hypnotized herself to ignore his foul language, her eyes scanning the product manual. “Sir, the dual circulation system features more accurate temperature control. The upper part uses mixed cooling, while the lower part uses air cooling. The refrigerator has an eight-level adjustment, and its cooling performance is indeed outstanding…”

Yao Jia continued to engage with the unreasonable customer using the cooling principles from the manual. She forcibly restrained her emotions, battling her inner urge to explode, maintaining a calm tone.

She consistently introduced the superior cooling performance of the refrigerator in a calm manner. The customer went from “Can’t you understand human language?” to “Stop with the nonsense, I just want coupons! Wait, what did you say? There’s a small plug in the fridge that needs to be checked regularly, or water will accumulate? Where is it? Ah, ah…” Finally, he conceded, “Fine, I give up. I don’t need the coupons anymore. I’ll go check the plug.”

The customer finally hung up. Yao Jia let out a long sigh of relief.

Turning around, she looked at Lin Qian. Lin Qian nodded approvingly, but there was something in her eyes beyond just approval.

Lin Qian asked her, “Did you come up with this method for dealing with troublesome customers on your own?”

Yao Jia pointed next door. “This method was something Meng Xingzhe mentioned while mocking me. I thought, even if it was an example meant to mock me, there’s no harm in trying it out.”

It turned out to be a case of surviving by the skin of her teeth.

Lin Qian nodded and smiled.

Yao Jia felt as if Lin Qian wanted to say something but held back.

“Team Leader, is there… a problem?”

Lin Qian glanced at Meng Xingzhe, who was busy on a call with his headset.

She turned back to Yao Jia and said, “No problem, it’s all good.”

***

During the fifteen-minute break, after advising Yao Jia, Lin Qian got up to go to the restroom.

In the hallway, she encountered Meng Xingzhe.

She thought for a moment and called out to him, “Meng Xingzhe, wait a moment.”

Meng Xingzhe stopped in the hallway, turning around.

With his hands in his pockets, he stood casually, his features sharply defined under the fluorescent lights.

He responded lightly, “Hmm?”

Lin Qian asked him, “If you had encountered that difficult customer earlier, how would you have handled it?”

Meng Xingzhe raised an eyebrow slightly, “Is this a solo assessment for me?”

Lin Qian shook her head, “Not really, I’m just curious how you would handle it.”

Meng Xingzhe smirked and said, “If I encountered such an unreasonable customer who wouldn’t listen to reason and I couldn’t argue with them, I’d just explain the product principles. Eventually, one of them would confuse him enough to wear down his patience.”

Lin Qian was momentarily speechless.

After a pause, she said, “Well, that’s one way to handle it. You and Yao Jia are similar types, so your methods for dealing with customers would suit her well. So, would you mind teaching Yao Jia your negotiation techniques?”

Meng Xingzhe chuckled and said, “It’s not that I can’t teach her, but her matters are her own. What do they have to do with me?”

Lin Qian was taken aback.

“You’re right,” Lin Qian smiled, “I might have overstepped. Just forget I said anything.”

***

Lin Qian watched as Yao Jia became increasingly adept at handling difficult customers using Meng Xingzhe’s method.

She turned to look at Meng Xingzhe, who was still on the phone.

She silently smiled.

Suddenly, she thought of something and switched to monitor Meng Xingzhe’s call. A sweet, coquettish voice was chatting with him.

Lin Qian signaled to Meng Xingzhe to wrap up the call quickly.

“Don’t get too involved with this girl. Just explain the issues she needs to address. If she keeps calling, tell her you’re busy with work and can’t chat,” Lin Qian instructed Meng Xingzhe.

Meng Xingzhe removed his headset and raised an eyebrow. “I wasn’t chatting with her.”

“Sure, you’re reading her the product manual,” Lin Qian replied seriously. “But if a supervisor is listening in, it sounds like chatting.”

Meng Xingzhe nodded slightly, acknowledging the advice.

※※※※※※

That evening, back in the dormitory, Meng Xingzhe lay in his beloved massage chair, enjoying a massage while discussing his family’s company situation with Bei Luonan.

“Everything’s going smoothly. We’ve set up our open-source forum, so you can focus on your undercover work at Kunyu Electric. Oh, by the way, I found a forum for smartphone enthusiasts that’s quite interesting. I’ll send it to you later.”

After discussing business, Bei Luonan routinely asked Meng Xingzhe if there was anything new that upset him, encouraging him to share so he could derive some amusement from it.

Meng Xingzhe sighed from the massage chair. “I’ve realized that customer service work isn’t easy. You should consider giving our company’s customer service team a raise.”

He paused before continuing, “I did something today that I regret.”

He had, on a whim, taught that young girl some techniques for handling difficult and unreasonable customers.

“Damn, you actually helped someone out? That’s not like you at all! You’ve only been at Kunyu a few days, and you’re already changing, Xingxing!” Bei Luonan exclaimed dramatically.

Meng Xingzhe snapped back, “Shut up! I’m already regretting it. Why should I care if she can handle it? If she quits, I could avoid the risk of being the last one standing.”

“What were you thinking at the time?” Bei Luonan asked.

Meng Xingzhe sighed again.

He wished he knew what he was thinking.

Perhaps it was when he heard her say, “I don’t like the idea that the customer is always right. It makes us service workers feel like we’re only fit to work on our knees.” Maybe it was that moment that struck a chord with him.

It resonated with him, stirring a feeling of sympathy—though it was more self-pity than anything else. It wasn’t just her working on her knees; wasn’t he, the head of a company, also metaphorically on his knees?

Not only on his knees, but also facing the threat of being eliminated.

Wasn’t he the one truly pitiful?

“I’m really regretting it. If she doesn’t get eliminated, then I will.”

“Living life, you really can’t do good deeds. Helping others always ends up harming yourself.”

After saying this, Meng Xingzhe tossed his phone aside and slumped in the massage chair, letting out a soft sigh.

Outside the window, a gentle breeze stirred the lush trees. It was hard to tell if the wind was teasing the branches or the branches were teasing the wind. The night rose into the sky with a faint, restless rustle.