Attending the freshman assembly was no different from being in prison.
Leaders spoke one after another, and the senior and freshman representatives had to add their two cents.
The freshmen below were baked like frosted eggplants.
After finally being "released from prison," it was already 9:30 AM, and they still had to rush to class for the class meeting.
By the time they arrived at the classroom, the counselor Zhu Guangtong was already standing at the podium, pacing back and forth, staring at the floor, waiting for everyone to arrive.
Chen Pingjiang, Dong Tinghui, and Zhao Shaoyang were the last three to enter the classroom after using the restroom.
The two young boys felt a bit intimidated by the whole class's stares, their eyes not daring to meet anyone's, and quickly ran to their dorm row.
Chen Pingjiang, with his "social cow" personality, walked at a steady pace, his gaze scanning the entire class as he walked, fearlessly making eye contact with every girl.
Dong Tinghui and the other person were already seated, but Chen Pingjiang had only just reached the first row, feeling a mix of admiration, envy, and silently cursing the "dog thing."
Zhu Guangtong, with his square face and glasses, appeared refined and about thirty-one or thirty-two years old.
He cleared his throat and coughed only after seeing Chen Pingjiang take his seat.
"My name is Zhu Guangtong, and I am the counselor for your Business Administration Class 4."
Next came some school rules, such as freshmen not being allowed to stay out overnight, not being allowed to use electric kettles in dorms, etc.
He also announced precautions for military training and joining the class QQ group.
The last part was self-introductions, a rather old-fashioned but necessary segment.
Self-introductions were required at the first class meeting, when signing up for clubs or the student union, and even military training instructors would ask you to introduce yourself.
The differences between people began with their self-introductions.
Timid, socially anxious students would walk to the podium, their gaze darting around or simply lowering their heads, a sign of insecurity, and their format was the same old routine.
Slightly more confident boys and girls dared to say a few more words, staying longer on the podium and adding their special skills and so on after the standard format.
Whenever a pretty girl or a handsome boy appeared, the classroom would become noisy with chatter.
Chen Pingjiang was sitting with his legs crossed, not listening carefully.
"Cong Nini is still better; those clothes are too beautiful, giving off a first-love vibe."
"With your taste, you can only like these 'lolis,' flat-chested, right? Look at Qin Bei; she has a good figure and is pretty too."
"What do you know? Old Chen said last night that Cong Nini's type is called 'pure desire.' Qin Bei without makeup would scare you to death."
The first class meeting ended amidst the chatter and noise.
Chen Pingjiang didn't return to the dorm but left the school gate wearing sunglasses.
During the summer vacation, he had searched Baidu for several clothing factories near universities and identified one that recycled old camouflage uniforms.
He had expected to see similar recruitment advertisements on the school's bulletin board to compare prices and choose one, but unfortunately, he didn't.
Chen Pingjiang had long planned for his first business venture upon entering school to be recycling old camouflage uniforms.
For no other reason than he had done it in his previous life.
Some well-connected clothing factories would recycle old camouflage uniforms, wash them, and then resell them to construction workers.
However, the fabric of the training camouflage uniforms was very poor, offering no advantage other than being dirt-resistant.
By the time he took a taxi to Zhisheng Clothing Factory in Maqun, it was already noon.
After explaining for a long time to the gatekeeper, he finally entered the factory.
The factory's scale was not large, which was to be expected; big factories wouldn't bother with such small business.
Dilapidated factory buildings, various types of garbage piled up haphazardly, and not many workers visible even during mealtime.
He found the factory manager's office.
The door was open, the area was not large, and the office was quite simple.
A man in his forties had his legs propped up on the desk, a cigarette in his mouth, playing Minesweeper on the computer.
Hearing a sound, he turned his head and glanced at Chen Pingjiang, asking,
"Who are you looking for?"
Chen Pingjiang smiled, took out a Huazi cigarette, offered it, and then said,
"I contacted you by phone earlier. Our factory recycles old camouflage uniforms after student military training, and I'd like to cooperate."
The man pulled back his propped-up legs, sat up, and casually asked,
"Which school are you from?"
"Dongcai."
"Xianlin Campus, right? Someone from your school is already doing this."
The man finished speaking, turned his head, and continued playing Minesweeper.
"There are two to three thousand freshmen this year; he can't collect all of them alone, can he?"
The middle-aged man nodded and said,
"That's true, but he also has quite a few subordinates."
Chen Pingjiang approached the middle-aged man, politely took out a lighter, and lit his cigarette.
The middle-aged man paused for a moment before leaning in to light his cigarette.
"If you haven't signed a contract, what's the difference between me collecting them and him collecting them?"
Chen Pingjiang said calmly, taking out a cigarette and lighting it for himself.
The middle-aged man smiled,
"If you hadn't said it, you really don't look like a university student. But you have to give me a reason to convince me, otherwise why would I give the business to you?"
Chen Pingjiang raised an eyebrow,
"Boss, let's be frank. You're only responsible for recycling; you don't really need to care who supplies the goods. If he and I team up to recycle all the old camouflage uniforms from Dongcai, it's also good for you, better than handing it over to a competitor, right?
Even if we have a conflict, it won't involve you. Healthy competition is always better than monopolizing the market and bargaining with you."
Chen Pingjiang's words, directly from the perspective of the clothing factory, resonated deeply with the middle-aged man.
The office fell silent.
The middle-aged man smoked, and after a long while, he pondered,
"Outwardly, I won't acknowledge our cooperation, just as you said, I don't ask about the process, only the results. But the recycling price must be five yuan lower than the other party's. Oh, the general market recycling price is twenty."
Chen Pingjiang knew there was no issue with the market recycling price of twenty.
"Five yuan lower is acceptable, but you must cancel your cooperation with him."
The middle-aged man shook his head,
"That student has quite a lot of influence; he's from your school's student union. Canceling the cooperation is not possible."
Chen Pingjiang spread his hands,
"Then there's nothing I can do. If I have to compete with a price five yuan lower, he could just raise his recycling price, and I'd be out of the game, working for nothing."
"Alright, what you said makes sense. We'll go with what you said initially: your quantity must be double his, otherwise, your recycling price will be five yuan lower than his."
The middle-aged man tapped his hammer, making a final decision.
Chen Pingjiang was sharp; he thought for a moment and understood why the other party suddenly conceded.
This was an open strategy.
If Chen Pingjiang only collected a hundred or two hundred sets, even if each was five yuan cheaper, it wouldn't be very meaningful.
Rather than that, it would be better to agree to Chen Pingjiang's terms but set a wager condition for him.
To earn those extra five yuan, Chen Pingjiang would certainly put all his effort into recycling old military training uniforms.
However, there were only so many freshmen at Dongcai each year, and the middle-aged man didn't believe that the suddenly appearing Chen Pingjiang could collect double the amount of military uniforms compared to the other party.
If he couldn't surpass it, the clothing factory would make a small profit.
Even if Chen Pingjiang did fulfill the wager agreement, the clothing factory wouldn't incur any losses.
Two peaches kill three warriors.
Chen Pingjiang shrugged.
With the ticket to get on board, the rest was up to their own abilities.
He extended his right hand, "Happy to cooperate!"
(End of chapter)
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