Chapter Sixty-Nine: So It Was Just Luck

After sending off Chu Xingzhi and He Qinglan, Jiang Yao returned to Zhang He’s desk, her gaze filled with astonishment and suspicion. Yet Zhang He was bent over an ord document, working—or rather, as you might have guessed, pretending to work while actually organizing and analyzing posts from “If You See Me.” But today was different; besides the technical posts, he was also examining the small map of the Ezhou region in “Dynasty,” preparing for the terrain research essential for his upcoming days of training.

Jiang Yao tapped on the desk again and asked softly, “Zhang He, do you know President Chu?”

“I do,” Zhang He replied without looking up. He’d bagged a big order today, witnessed by everyone in the company. Even if General Manager Li came to make trouble now, he had nothing to fear.

“How did you meet?” Jiang Yao’s curiosity was not only alive but positively thriving. She suspected Zhang He might be a so-called second-generation official; otherwise, why would Chu Xingzhi treat him so courteously?

“We spoke on the phone a few times the day before yesterday. We got along well,” Zhang He replied, frowning. “But I only met him in person today. I didn’t expect him to be so long-winded and fussy.”

Jiang Yao nearly collapsed on the spot. He actually called the boss of a five-star company fussy and long-winded!

“You… you…” Jiang Yao became so flustered that she nearly ran out of breath.

“What’s wrong, Sister Yao?” Zhang He asked, genuinely puzzled.

“It’s nothing!” Jiang Yao took a deep breath, barely refraining from saying, “Are you trying to kill me with anger?” Still, she persisted, continuing to probe: “By the way, how did you get President Chu’s phone number?”

To Zhang He, this was a pointless question. Five-Star Company’s ads were everywhere; a quick internet search would provide the number. Once you called, you’d hear the corporate voice menu: “Hello, thank you for calling Five-Star LLC. For Mandarin, press 1. For English, press 2. For Sichuan dialect, press 3. For Administration, press 4. For Finance, press 5... For General Management, press 9. For customer service, press 0. To return to the previous menu, press the pound key… Connecting, please wait… Hello, who’s calling? Zhang He? Which Zhang? Which He?...”

After a long round of questioning, Jiang Yao finally conceded defeat. She had to admit, when someone’s luck defied the heavens, all sales techniques became meaningless. Zhang He was neither the son of an official nor of a tycoon; he’d closed the deal purely on “luck.”

“President Chu seemed very concerned about you—he even wanted to treat you to a meal. How did you manage that?” This was what Jiang Yao found most intriguing.

Zhang He answered unhurriedly, “That’s simple. I said I’d treat him to a meal if he bought our syrup. He said I was straightforward and hoped we could be friends.”

“You invited him? What did you offer him?” Jiang Yao looked skeptical. Sure, salespeople treating clients to meals could be considered borderline bribery, but social customs were what they were. She also knew Zhang He’s financial situation—earning 800 yuan a month, what kind of meal could he possibly afford?

Zhang He remained relaxed. “I told him the day before yesterday, as long as he bought our syrup, I’d treat him to noodles with soybean paste—there’s a place called ‘Imperial Gourmet City.’ The noodles are really good. He was happy and agreed.”

Someone else might have believed him, but Jiang Yao knew “Imperial Gourmet City.” Walk 500 meters south from the company, and you’d find a shabby little alley with a tiny noodle stall inside—just a few battered tables and benches, not even worthy of being called a dive. Yet it had the nerve to call itself “Imperial Gourmet City.”

Even the humble village eatery in “Dynasty” was ten times more luxurious.

Jiang Yao fell silent. If she kept asking, the eight sales departments in the company might die of rage because of Zhang He. How could anyone’s luck be this ridiculously good?

Fortunately, at that moment General Manager Li returned. His signature move was to walk into the main hall wearing a smile, clap his hands with flair, and hush the room.

Whenever GM Li did this, it meant he had an important announcement.

“Everyone, today we have some good news. As you all saw, Zhang He from Sales Department 8 closed a 2,000-yuan deal. This is a textbook example of on-site sales. I hope you’ll all learn from Zhang He’s experience…”

He delivered the news with great gravity, and though everyone kept a straight face, most could barely suppress a smile.

The seriousness was understandable—after all, getting close to Five-Star’s President Chu was a stroke of great fortune. Most Chinese people had this quirk: if someone is a leader and you’re close to them, it’s bound to bring benefits—even if you can’t name exactly what those benefits are. Or, say, if someone won five million at a lottery outlet, other punters would swarm to that very spot; not for any rational reason, but in hopes of sharing the luck.

The amusement, though, was also warranted. Was a 2,000-yuan order really worth a special announcement from GM Li? Most salespeople with actual track records wouldn’t even bother with any deal under 10,000.

And calling it a “classic on-site sales case” was almost comical. If every salesperson acted as impatient as Zhang He had earlier, they’d be lucky to afford instant noodles every month.

But regardless, Zhang He had finally broken a record; from now on, he was no longer “Mr. Zero,” but “Mr. Two Thousand.”

GM Li cleared his throat. “According to company policy, the sales commission is eight percent. But Zhang He’s dedication and professionalism are an example to us all. So, the company has decided to award him a 1,000-yuan bonus. Let’s all give him a round of applause…”

Scattered applause filled the office. Zhang He’s eyes lit up, his spirits soaring. A 1,000-yuan bonus! At last, this month’s utilities and living expenses were covered. He could finally report some good news to Boss Ma and Fatty.

Oh, GM Li, just as one flower blooms, another withers. Yet among all the blossoms on the mountain, you are my one true love…

But if Zhang He had known what GM Li was thinking at that moment, he might have coughed up blood.

“This kid Zhang really has a knack for things. He actually managed to connect with Chu Xingzhi from Five-Star. No wonder he wasn’t interested in being manager of Sales Department 8. Maybe I should consider making him manager of Sales Department 2—or better yet, vice president of this branch…” mused GM Li.

***

While GM Li was still pondering how to win Zhang He over, Zhang He’s dashing figure had already appeared in “Dynasty.” These past few days, he’d been wandering like a restless spirit through the wilderness of the middle Yangtze River.

He’d killed so many vines, venomous snakes, and lizard monsters that his hands were numb, and his level had increased from 30 to 38.

The allocation of attribute points for players changes at each stage: from level 1–20, each level-up grants five points; from 21–40, six points; from 41–60, seven points, and so on.

This system is based on promotion thresholds, designed by the AI to balance gameplay. After all, some players are leveling maniacs—higher levels grant more points, and higher attributes can somewhat compensate for weaker equipment.

But as always, without martial arts, equipment, and class advancements, raw attributes alone are useless.

The 48 attribute points Zhang He had gained went evenly into Strength and Internal Power, since at his current realm both had synergy bonuses—110% and 120%, respectively. Now, his Strength attribute was (Initial Realm: 55 points) + 41, and Internal Power was (Initial Realm: 48 points) + 55.

His martial arts skills had all made significant progress through his diligent training:

“Assault Sword Technique” (Master Level, increases attack output by 35%)
“Flying Rock Sword Technique” (Master Level, +30% attack, +15% critical hit chance)
“Five Elements Palm” (Master Level, binding force = Strength × 2.7)
“Copper Coin Dart” (Master Level, can throw five coins at once, damage = Internal Power × 2.0 + Strength)
“Flying Rock Palm” (Master Level, unarmed damage = (Strength + Internal Power) × 2.0, palm wind damage = Internal Power × 2.0)
“Stone-Shattering Kick” (Master Level, melee damage = (Strength + Internal Power) × 1.5, area damage = (Strength + Internal Power) × 0.5)

All his attack skills had reached the Master Level. Zhang He truly embodied the spirit: with hard work and determination, no obstacle is insurmountable, no task impossible.

Of course, all this effort had its downsides. Surviving in the wild these days, Zhang He had long since run out of rations and had resorted to catching snakes, lizards, and wild rabbits to eat—raw and wriggling, at that. The taste made him gag, but he endured.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t roast meat; he simply lacked a fire starter. “Rubbing sticks to make fire” sounds easy in books, but in practice, you could sweat buckets and still fail—not to mention, it was a waste of time.

His lightness skill, “Ripple Crossing,” had also reached Master Level, allowing him to bounce up and down four times in succession—an accomplishment in itself.

Most notably, his “Basic Techniques” skill had finally maxed out, reaching the ultimate pinnacle. Now, with two weapons in hand, his attack and defense transitions were as smooth and natural as flowing water.

Looking over all his skills, Zhang He’s martial arts were overwhelmingly focused on high attack and damage, all closely tied to his attributes. Take the “Copper Coin Dart,” for instance: if Zhang He maximized his attributes, and all five coins hit, he could deal nearly a thousand points of damage.

Of course, that’s just theoretical—no real opponent would stand still and let him hit with every coin.

Moreover, copper coins are thin and light; if thrown too forcefully or from too far, the likelihood of hitting a single point is virtually zero.

He’d also studied the Golden Lotus Throwing Knife in detail—even taking it apart. The secret lay in its construction: six thin, sharp blades connected by internal springs, ingeniously crafted to resemble a lotus blossom. With the right hidden weapon techniques and internal energy, the knife would scatter upon release, producing multiple effects. No wonder it was so expensive.

As for how he managed to dismantle it, that was thanks to his secondary profession—he was a blacksmith. As for his skill level, you guessed it: as green as a raw recruit.