r18novel Chapter 12 A Turmoil is About to Begin in Huayu
Chapter 12 A Turmoil is About to Begin in Huayu
Ye Chen seemed oblivious to the sounds from the store; his gaze was fixed intently on the N95 mask in his hand.
The light in Ye Chen's eyes dimmed; reason ultimately triumphed over madness. He looked up at the middle-aged man on the stage and asked, "Did you buy this phone from our store?"
The middle-aged man nodded.
"Do you have a receipt?"
"I couldn't find it, but I bought the phone from you. Your store's logo is on the back of the battery."
"We're very sorry, but we only accept receipts here. Without a receipt, we can't handle your after-sales service."
The middle-aged man was silent for a moment, then asked reluctantly, "Isn't Nokia covered by a nationwide warranty?"
"Yes, but we only handle after-sales service for our own customers. We are not a Nokia after-sales service center. You can check the official website for service centers and after-sales service." Ye Chen reluctantly handed the phone back.
"Okay, I'll leave my phone here for now. Could you please keep an eye on it for me? I have a meeting later, so I'll look for the receipt when I get home. If I find it, I'll bring it to you tomorrow morning." The middle-aged man placed the phone on the table. Although his tone was neither too loud nor too soft, his expression left no room for refusal. "Take a look at the battery cover; it's a phone from your store."
Ye Chen took the phone and pushed it slightly on the back, removing the battery cover. A small fragile label was affixed to the back cover. He used his fingernail to pry open the gap and gently peeled off the 950 mAh lithium battery. Both the battery and the motherboard had fragile labels.
The small, fragile label is printed with the words "Huayu Digital City," and the date of sale is written in ballpoint pen next to it.
Ye Chen didn't check the date. He took out the three-part after-sales receipt, wrote down the time of collection and the specific problem, and then gave a spare phone to the middle-aged man. The man only accepted the receipt and said he didn't need the spare phone.
After the middle-aged man left, Ye Chen stroked the N95 in his hand, the after-sales registration book beside him was blank.
Ye Chen saw Bao Xuan approaching with a water glass, put his phone in the drawer, and before he could even greet her, Bao Xuan asked, "Chen, was that person here for after-sales service?"
Ye Chen gave a soft "hmm".
What model?
"N95!"
"That person looks somewhat familiar, but I can't quite place him." Bao Xuan took a sip of water and asked, "What's the problem?"
"Network lock," Ye Chen replied, head down.
"Oh." Bao Xuan tossed her hair and said, "You're busy, I'm going to the counter."
Not long after, Yue Sheng returned and took Ye Chen to the office to check out the new machine. The N95 was still lying alone in the drawer, unknown to anyone except Ye Chen.
Among the new phones were three N95s, twelve N73s, and other Nokia smartphones of various models. Without exception, they were all refurbished.
He picked up an N73, examined it closely, and casually fiddled with the joystick. He said, "If it weren't for the fact that it's a refurbished phone, a layman would most likely not be able to tell."
"How can you sell it if you can tell?" Yue Sheng retorted.
Without waiting for Ye Chen's reply, Yue Sheng continued, "The outer casing is original. The screen is a third-party product and the motherboard is refurbished."
Ye Chen stopped asking questions, and Yue Sheng briefly explained the inspection process for the new machine. The two then began their work in silence.
As closing time approached, Yue Sheng asked, "Ah Chen, what's going on with that N95...?"
Ye Chen lowered his head and dared not speak. Yue Sheng sighed and said, "There's something wrong with that machine. Take it to Lao Yang now and check the sales records."
When Ye Chen went out to the warehouse, Yue Sheng dialed Zhong Liang's number.
Inside the warehouse, Lao Yang was half-reclining in his office chair, his legs propped up on the desk. The warehouse was only two meters wide, with the desk positioned across the back of the door, leaving only a narrow passage for someone to squeeze through sideways. Looking inside, it was about six or seven meters deep, with shelves on both sides stacked high with mobile phone boxes.
Ye Chen handed over the N95 phone. Old Yang took it, turned on the screen, and saw the message "SIM card expired." He quickly put his legs down, sat up straight, and asked, "Where did this come from?"
"Received it from after-sales service tonight," Ye Chen replied.
"Where's the receipt? Did you take a picture of it?"
"There's no receipt. He said he'd bring it tomorrow morning."
"This is bad. Let me check." After saying that, Old Yang pressed the power button on the desktop computer on the table, and the fan roared to life. The sound echoed in the cramped warehouse. Old Yang removed the battery cover and saw the fragile label on it. His face turned even more grim.
After seeing the sales record, Lao Yang got up, took the N95 masks, and left the warehouse. Once outside the warehouse door, he turned back to Ye Chen, who was still standing there in a daze, and said, "Let's go to the office together."
As soon as he opened the office door, Old Yang shouted urgently, "Something's happened!"
Zhong Liang and Yue Sheng sat on the sofa, their faces calm, and remained silent, waiting for Lao Yang to speak.
"We sold a grey market N95 at the counter last month," Old Yang said.
"Ye Chen, go and call Aya in." Zhong Liang ignored Lao Yang and turned to Ye Chen.
When Ye Chen and Aya arrived at the office, the three people were calmly drinking tea. Ye Chen was somewhat taken aback, as if the N95 mask had become irrelevant.
Aya glanced at the N95 mask on the table, said nothing, and sat down on the sofa.
"Let's have a meeting. Ah Chen, tell us about this phone first," Zhong Liang said.
"I received it at 6 p.m. The problem with the machine is the network lock. The seller didn't provide a receipt, and the machine has our store's fragile label," Ye Chen said.
"What's the sales record like?" Zhong Liang turned to ask Lao Yang.
"The order was placed by Aya, and the serial number matches the phone itself," Old Yang replied. As if afraid Ye Chen wouldn't understand, Old Yang added, "We don't have any grey market phones in our counter."
"It can't be a counterfeit, I checked it. Ah Chen, describe the customer's build and appearance." Aya denied selling a counterfeit product, her tone somewhat anxious.
"He was a middle-aged man, wearing a well-tailored suit, which looked like a designer brand, and he had an air of authority about him," Ye Chen replied.
Aya frowned and said, "So it was him."
"This is a bit troublesome. He is the former director of the Industry and Commerce Bureau and the current president of the Shanhe Chamber of Commerce, Chen Shanhe," Zhong Liang said, taking a deep breath.
"It is indeed troublesome," Yue Sheng added, his expression grave.
Ye Chen was taken aback by their words and asked, "Did I cause trouble?"
"No, whether you take this machine or not, this trouble will come sooner or later," Old Yang reassured Ye Chen.
While everyone remained silent, Ye Chen tentatively asked, "Could I try to unlock that network lock?"
"Oh? You're confident?" Zhong Liang asked. "But unlocking it wouldn't make much difference; the problem isn't the network lock."
"It should be fine." Ye Chen spoke modestly, but his eyes were sharp.
Aya stared at Ye Chen, who nodded. She picked up the N95 mask from the table, circled her thumb on the joystick button, hesitated for a moment, then handed it to Ye Chen, saying, "Okay, go try it out."
Zhong Liang looked at Aya, who said calmly, "I'll take responsibility for solving it."
She had barely finished speaking when President Liao entered from his office, beads of sweat on his forehead, panting heavily as he asked, "Ah Liang, what's going on?"
Zhong Liang explained the situation in a few words. General Manager Liao covered his forehead, rubbed his temples with his index finger and thumb, and remained silent for a while before saying, "Don't put this batch of machines on the shelves today. I'll go to Shenzhen tonight to get a domestically produced N95 to replace it for him. I'll definitely be back by tomorrow morning. You guys hold Chen Shanhe back for now."
"Should we switch it to him?" Yue Sheng frowned. "The startup animation is Vodafone, not our machine."
"Even if it's not ours, we have to accept it." General Manager Liao's expression was gloomy. "The appearance of the machine matches the serial number. Let's replace it for him, apologize, and hopefully we can smooth things over."
Aya complained indignantly, "This is clearly not our machine, why should we replace it?"
"Because he is Chen Shanhe." General Manager Liao smiled wryly, offering no further explanation.
Zhong Liang frowned and said, "Tomorrow I suggest that A-Chen receive him. Yue Sheng and Lao Yang will be with me in the office tomorrow morning to handle things as they come."
Ye Chen nodded, his gaze falling on the N95, and suddenly he became extremely interested in Chen Shanhe.