Chapter 427 - 425: Someone Wants to Make Trouble
Cui Hao had just left when Zhong Hailan came out with a bowl of pork porridge. "You drank so much last night," she said. "For lunch today, your punishment is porridge, and only porridge."
"Yes, ma’am, Mrs. Zhong."
It was rare for Mrs. Zhong not to nag him.
Xue Yang took the porridge and began to eat it.
"If you weren’t my son, I wouldn’t have even put any meat in here for you."
He coughed.
Good, now this is the Mrs. Zhong I know.
"Xiao Xi, I’ve already heated lunch and set it on the table. Go on and eat before you starve."
"Okay, thank you, Auntie."
"You dear child, you took care of this rascal of a boy all night, and I haven’t even thanked you, yet here you are thanking me. Come and eat." She then gave Xue Yang a playful glare. "You aren’t allowed any."
Holding his bowl of porridge, Xue Yang followed them into the dining room. The table was laden with a full spread of dishes. There were meat and vegetable dishes, and even a fragrant lotus root, corn, and pork rib soup.
He glanced down at his own bowl, which contained only a few pathetic slivers of lean meat. The contrast couldn’t have been starker.
"Mom, you’re playing favorites."
"Shoo, shoo, this isn’t for you. If you want more, there’s still porridge in the pot. There might even be some meat floating on top."
Zhong Hailan pushed Xue Yang toward the clay pot. Indeed, there was still porridge inside. And hmm, a few scraps of meat floating on top.
After lunch, Xue Yang rested for a bit before preparing to head out.
"Xiao Yang, are you heading to the dealership today?" Xue Yuanqing asked.
"I need to check in and review yesterday’s situation."
"Then I’ll go with you," Lin Xi said, grabbing her small pink bag.
Xue Yang nodded and left for the dealership with Lin Xi.
By the time Zhong Hailan finished washing the dishes and came out, the two had already driven away.
"Why didn’t you try to stop him?"
"Stop him for what?"
"I suppose he’s not *your* son, is that it?" Zhong Hailan retorted, dissatisfied. "He drank so much last night and hasn’t even recovered, but he’s already rushing off to the dealership. What if he has to drink again?"
"That’s a woman’s perspective. What do you know? What man in business doesn’t drink? If you don’t drink, who’s going to do business with you?"
"Drinking takes a toll on you."
"The boy knows what he’s doing. Stop fussing so much."
Zhong Hailan opened her mouth to argue but fell silent. He told her not to worry so much, but how could she possibly not? That was the son she had worked so hard to raise. If something were to really happen to him, what good would all that money be?
Of course, Xue Yuanqing was worried too. But as a man, he understood that in life, many things are beyond one’s control. If one worried too much, there would have been no point in starting this venture in the first place. It would be better to just live a quiet, stable life.
But he also understood his son. He knew Xue Yang wasn’t the type to settle for a mundane life. Instead of holding him back, it was better to support him.
...
Xue Yang and Lin Xi drove to the automotive market. From a distance, they saw a large, agitated crowd gathered there, seemingly protesting something. And that’s exactly what they were doing.
"Who made the rule that you can’t get a refund after you’ve placed an order?"
"That’s right! Our money doesn’t grow on trees! I just rushed into it yesterday and placed a deposit. After thinking about it overnight, I’ve decided a gasoline car is a better value. I want to buy a gasoline car instead, what’s wrong with that?"
"Give us our money back!"
"Refunds!"
"Refunds!"
The crowd grew more and more agitated, looking as if they were about to force their way into the showroom. There were other customers browsing inside, not to mention all the new cars on display. If this group got too worked up and injured other patrons or scratched the vehicles, the losses would be immense.
"Everyone, please calm down!" Tony explained to the crowd in his halting Chinese. "I know new energy vehicles just hit the market. For customers who travel long distances, they aren’t as convenient as gasoline cars yet. But this is only temporary! I assure you, charging these cars will soon be as easy as refueling a gas-powered one. We’ve already started building charging stations all over the country!"
"Then we’ll buy one when the charging stations are built! For now, give us our money back!"
"Yeah! It won’t be too late to buy one then!"
The situation was threatening to spiral out of control.
After parking the car, Xue Yang walked over with Lin Xi. "What’s going on?"
When Tony saw Xue Yang arrive, his eyes lit up as if he’d just seen his savior.
"President Xue! These people ordered cars yesterday, and today they’re making a scene demanding refunds. No matter what I say, they insist. I suspect someone got in their ear and made them change their minds overnight. I feel like they’re doing this deliberately."
Xue Yang understood immediately.
Few people in the country had tapped into this sector yet; he was the first mover. Thanks to yesterday’s grand opening and the successful advertising campaign, nearly the entire Dragon Country knew that the nation’s largest new energy automotive market had opened in Hui City. Naturally, others wanted a piece of the pie. Their first step, of course, was to try and ruin his business.
Furthermore, if new energy vehicles truly succeeded, it would be a fatal blow to the gasoline car industry. It was only natural for those vested interests to be anxious.
But Xue Yang wasn’t worried. New energy was the future. Even if their schemes succeeded temporarily, they would eventually have to follow the trend.
Xue Yang glanced around and estimated there were about twenty people demanding refunds. They had sold forty cars at the grand opening yesterday, which meant half of the customers had changed their minds.
He looked again and noticed several people were recording videos. Looks like they want to gather evidence.
Xue Yang turned to Tony and said, "It’s fine. Give them the refunds."
Tony could hardly believe his ears. They had poured so much effort into the advertising campaign. Were they really going to give in so easily and issue refunds?
"Tony, I know what you’re thinking," Xue Yang said calmly. "But it’s clear these people are set on not buying. Forcing them will only backfire. Don’t worry. Once they realize the benefits of new energy, they’ll be back."
"But..."
"Have you lost faith in new energy?" Xue Yang challenged.
Tony was at a loss for words. Of course he had faith. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have traveled thousands of miles to the Dragon Country.
He was just frustrated. Yesterday had been such a success, but everything had changed overnight. This is just... too much.
Xue Yang patted his shoulder reassuringly. "Don’t be discouraged. If I’m not afraid, what do you have to be afraid of?"
With that, Xue Yang addressed the crowd. "Everyone, please form a line. There’s no need to rush or push. I will arrange for our staff to come and process your refund requests shortly.
"Because there are so many of you, we might not be able to get to everyone today. But please don’t worry, we will continue processing refunds tomorrow. I know it’s an inconvenience to ask you to make another trip.
"On behalf of the Xi Yuan New Energy Automotive Market, I offer my sincerest apologies to all of you for the trouble."