Chapter 22: Have You Gone Rough?

Meng Xingzhe rolled his eyes at Bei Luonan, urging him to stop nagging and hurry up with the steak.

As Bei Luonan flipped the steak in the pan, he was still in shock.

“Wow, you actually know how to cook now!”

“Wow, you eat steak with rice?!”

“Wow, have you been living a bit rough lately?”

“Wow, are you still the same guy who wouldn’t even bother to pick up a fallen oil bottle, but would kick it away and buy a more expensive new one instead? The ultimate king of laziness?”

Bei Luonan’s questions grew more intense, each one raising his voice higher until he nearly ran out of breath.

Once the steak was done, Meng Xingzhe kept his word and ate it with plain rice. Bei Luonan felt a pang for his precious ingredients, thinking Meng Xingzhe was turning a Western steak into a stew.

As Meng Xingzhe ate, he critiqued, “Honestly, don’t be discouraged, but I think this steak might taste better stewed. Oh, and add a couple of potatoes—it’d be perfect.”

“…,” Bei Luonan said, telling Meng Xingzhe to finish eating and leave.

Barely holding back, he asked, “Seriously, what have you been through lately to become so rough?”

Meng Xingzhe’s expression turned fierce, “It’s all because of that Little Ponytail!”

He explained how Yao Jia had been forcing him to buy groceries, cook, wash dishes, and clean pots.

Bei Luonan laughed so hard he nearly lost his head, “I can’t believe there’s someone who can actually handle you!”

Meng Xingzhe scoffed, “She’s got big ambitions, always looking for a rich second-generation heir.”

Bei Luonan immediately replied, “Isn’t that perfect? Just tell her you are one.”

Meng Xingzhe cut the steak with a knife and fork, then switched to chopsticks to place a piece on his rice. Before eating, he retorted, “Get lost. Have you forgotten my life principles?”

“Oh, right, almost forgot,” Bei Luonan said, “You’re a self-proclaimed egotist, determined since puberty to find a rich and beautiful woman who can benefit your future. That little girl may be able to handle you, but she’s just a customer service rep. Yeah, you two probably aren’t a match.”

Meng Xingzhe picked up on a point in his words and objected, “What do you mean she can handle me? Am I a monster and she’s an exorcist?”

“Yes, yes, you’re just not stooping to her level,” Bei Luonan quickly said.

“That’s the right answer. As a reward, you get another chance tonight to let Young Master Xing enjoy your cooking.”

“…”

Bei Luonan thought this was the most shameless and refreshingly indirect way of saying, “You’re cooking for me again tonight.”

He realized that Meng Xingzhe was still the same old Meng Xingzhe, the king of laziness. He hadn’t changed a bit.

※※※※※※

On Monday, as soon as Yao Jia started work, she received a call. It was an elderly man, a local customer, who said he had bought a Kunyu Electric washing machine from a sales point, and it had stopped working after just a month.

Yao Jia quickly pulled up the purchase records and confirmed that the man indeed bought a washing machine, and it was still under warranty.

Following Lin Qian’s method, she carefully reassured the elderly man, and he gradually calmed down. Yao Jia felt a sense of accomplishment.

She then informed the man that she would send a repair order to the After-sales Department and asked him to patiently wait at home for the service technician to arrive.

During the sales peak season, the After-sales Service was busy, and the order eventually landed with a junior leader in charge of technical repairs named Lu Jingyi. That afternoon, Lu Jingyi went to the man’s house to fix the washing machine. When the repair report was sent back to the Customer Service Department, it showed that the repair was completed and the customer’s issue resolved.

This should have been the end of the matter.

Unexpectedly, the next day, the elderly man called again. This time, Meng Xingzhe answered.

The man angrily said over the phone, “I want to file a complaint! I want to complain about the person who came to fix the washing machine yesterday! His attitude was terrible!”

Meng Xingzhe tried to soothe the man with his pleasant voice, but perhaps because like repels like, the man wasn’t having it. He insisted on filing a complaint, angrily accusing Lu Jingyi of having a particularly bad attitude, refusing to listen or agree to anything he said, driving him to frustration.

So, Meng Xingzhe prepared to note down the complaint against Lu Jingyi.

However, the signal on the man’s end was poor, and the call abruptly ended before they finished talking.

Yao Jia wasn’t on a call at that moment, so Meng Xingzhe took the opportunity to inform her, “I checked the records. You handled a call about a washing machine repair for an elderly man yesterday, right? He just called to complain about Lu Jingyi from After-sales Service. Since you assigned the order, I’m letting you know.”

Yao Jia immediately asked, “Are you telling me because you’re planning to log a complaint against Lu Jingyi?”

Meng Xingzhe raised an eyebrow, silently conveying, “What else?”

Yao Jia said, “Wait, did you ask the man why he wants to complain about Lu Jingyi?”

Meng Xingzhe replied, “Bad service attitude.”

Yao Jia said, “We can’t just listen to one side of the story, can we? If you file a complaint against Lu Jingyi just like that, what if he’s innocent? What if his service was actually good?”

Meng Xingzhe glanced at her. “The old man was very clear. No matter what he said, Lu Jingyi wouldn’t listen.” He paused, then added, “Unless this old man is not thinking straight, it’s hard to imagine someone with excellent service could make him so angry.”

Yao Jia persisted, “But I still think we should talk to Lu Jingyi first.”

Meng Xingzhe raised an eyebrow. “Do you know him?”

“No.”

“Then isn’t this unnecessary?”

“It’s not unnecessary,” Yao Jia said. “Complaints are linked to performance, big brother! If you file a complaint against Lu Jingyi, his salary will be docked at the end of the month!”

“But if his service was indeed poor, and we don’t file a complaint or dock his pay, how will he learn a lesson?” Meng Xingzhe frowned slightly. “To run a successful business, you can’t relax your standards for employees. Only strict standards and a competitive culture can give a company an edge.”

Especially for startups, without some drive and determination, without goals and motivation, how can they break through and survive?

At that moment, Yao Jia found Meng Xingzhe a bit different. She couldn’t quite describe it, but it was as if he was a business leader managing his staff. That was the demeanor he had.

But he’s just a customer service representative. Why put on such airs to lecture others?

“I hope when you’re the one being complained about, you can be just as stubborn,” Yao Jia ended the argument with Meng Xingzhe with that remark.

Later, during her break, she went downstairs to the After-sales Department to inquire about Lu Jingyi, but he wasn’t there. His colleague told Yao Jia, “We’re really busy lately. Not just during the day, but even at night, Lu has been working overtime. Do you need something urgent? If not, I can have him come find you when he’s back.”

Yao Jia agreed.

Back at the call center, she suggested to Meng Xingzhe, “Let me handle the follow-up call with the old man.”

Meng Xingzhe nodded, indifferent.

Yao Jia called the old man. As soon as the call connected, he started complaining about Lu Jingyi again.

Yao Jia quickly tried to calm him down. Although her soothing skills were a bit rough, the old man’s initial anger gradually subsided.

Taking the opportunity, Yao Jia asked, “Sir, what exactly was wrong with the technician’s service yesterday?”

The old man got worked up again, his words pouring out like a broken record, “His attitude was terrible! He wouldn’t listen to anything I said. Young people these days, why are they like this? They won’t listen to the elderly! His attitude was just awful!”

Given the importance of the complaint, Yao Jia pinched her brow and patiently listened. She could feel Meng Xingzhe watching her.

With his gaze on her, Yao Jia resolved not to lose her patience and become a laughingstock in his eyes.

Finally, she seized a chance to ask, “Sir, what request did you make that the technician refused?”

The old man indignantly replied, “I just asked him to stay and chat after fixing the washing machine, but he insisted he had to leave! What, am I a tiger? Will I eat him? I’m old and asked him to stay, but he just left. What kind of attitude is that?!”

As she listened to the old man’s angry accusations, Yao Jia slowly turned to meet Meng Xingzhe’s gaze.

—Big brother, you were right. This old man’s thinking is indeed quite unusual.

※※※※※※

In the end, Yao Jia spoke kindly over the phone, pleading on behalf of the unseen Lu Jingyi from After-sales Service. She explained to the old man that the technicians were very busy, especially during the sales peak. They were stretched thin, rushing from one job to the next, and if they missed an appointment, they’d be fined by the company.

After much persuasion, the old man finally calmed down and decided not to file a complaint.

After hanging up, it was time for a fifteen-minute break. Tian Huasheng crossed the aisle to chat with Yao Jia, but she was preoccupied.

She turned to Meng Xingzhe.

“See, it was just a matter of a few words. Talking it out solved the issue. Why insist on filing a complaint?” Yao Jia said to Meng Xingzhe. “Yes, you’re right about one thing. Running a business requires no relaxation of standards. But I believe that understanding and humane management are more suited to modern society than a cutthroat approach.”

Meng Xingzhe didn’t expect to hear a young customer service rep lecture him on business management.

“So tell me, what is modern society?” Meng Xingzhe asked, ready to listen.

“Modern society values personal experience. Everyone feels like the protagonist of their own life and wants encouragement, affirmation, and understanding from those around them, not criticism and suppression. The idea that only harsh competition can yield results is outdated!” By the end, Yao Jia was a bit emotional, thinking of her own desire for encouragement and understanding, and her irritable father who only knew how to criticize.

What she hadn’t anticipated was that one day she would find herself using the business management knowledge she had no interest in during college to lecture a customer service representative who was all looks and no heart.

Meng Xingzhe raised an eyebrow. “Wolves have goals and ambition; they charge forward relentlessly towards their targets. It’s this kind of drive that allows a company to develop rapidly. What’s the difference between someone without goals and ambition and a salted fish? What’s the point of being humane if you retreat at the first sign of difficulty? What kind of progress can a company make if it just stagnates in place every day?”

Meng Xingzhe thought he must be crazy, earnestly debating business management with this young customer service rep.

Yao Jia was not swayed by Meng Xingzhe’s theories. She stood by her viewpoint. “Being humane doesn’t mean retreating when facing difficulties. It means not having to go through brutal competition to leave only an excessively excellent self to face challenges alone. We can band together to solve problems!”

Tian Huasheng stood between their workstations, thoroughly entertained by their debate.

He glanced at Yao Jia, then at Meng Xingzhe, clapping his large hands in approval. “Wow, you two, what a brilliant debate! If I didn’t know you as two small-time customer service reps, I’d think you were two young, successful entrepreneurs having a conversation!”

Yao Jia and Meng Xingzhe stopped debating and turned to glare at him.

“It’s not impossible for the future,” Yao Jia said, “but that’s something I only say to myself.”

After all, she had a father who was a chairman. If she wanted, she could undoubtedly take a quicker shortcut than others.

Meng Xingzhe chuckled. “Regardless, my potential is definitely greater than yours.”

Young Master Xing didn’t need the future; he was already an entrepreneur, though he kept it to himself.

Yao Jia looked at Meng Xingzhe, thinking he was so pretentious and shameless. At least she had a chairman for a father. What did he have, besides a face? How dare he compete with her?

The two of them glared at each other for two seconds, then turned away in mutual disdain.

Tian Huasheng looked at his thick fingers, puzzled as to how these two customer service reps, both facing the threat of being eliminated, could harbor such grand ambitions within their slender frames.

※※※※※※

From the perspective of a business owner, Meng Xingzhe believed in strict employee management. Any tendency towards negative feedback should be taken seriously and nipped in the bud.

Yet, watching Yao Jia diligently negotiate with an elderly customer just to avoid filing a complaint against an employee she didn’t really know, he thought this girl, with her questionable taste, was truly a busybody.

But after debating with her, a corner of his usual mindset seemed to be gently pried open by her.