Chapter 93: The Water Army

**Toulong Street.**

In booth 56, Wang Erdan of the DeWang Wholesale Department had just sent off a batch of customers and was heading to the warehouse to pick up goods. By midday, the leather bag around her waist was already packed full.

DeWang Wholesale Department dealt in daily necessities, including toothpaste, toothbrushes, towels, handkerchiefs, and toilet paper. Despite its small storefront, it boasted a large warehouse of over 400 square meters.

Even though it was winter and the weather was cold, business on Toulong Street remained unaffected. As one of the major wholesale markets in the Northeast, it attracted business from dozens of cities and counties, making the bustling trade here a stark contrast to the cold outside.

Just earlier, a warehouse worker had informed Wang Erdan that Da Hui's toilet paper was running low and that she should urgently contact the manufacturer for more stock.

As Wang Erdan hung up the phone, preparing to grab a bite to eat, two people walked into the store.

Their faces looked unfamiliar, but their attire was decent. The leader of the pair was carrying a leather bag under his arm, indicating a significant business.

"Welcome! What can I help you with?" Wang Erdan quickly put on a friendly smile.

The two men glanced at her but remained silent, heading straight for the toilet paper shelves.

"Oh, you're looking for toilet paper? We have Da Hui, Yue Ma, and Guo Sheng brands. These three are popular."

Wang Erdan hurriedly introduced her products.

To her surprise, the two men inspected the three brands of toilet paper with disdain. "Boss, do you have Xinlang Teyou?"

"Huh? What?" Wang Erdan was puzzled. Xinlang Teyou? She had never heard of it.

Seeing Wang Erdan's lack of response, the two men shook their heads, turned, and walked out while discussing, "It's strange. The paper that sells so well in our area isn't available here?"

Watching them leave, Wang Erdan scratched her head.

Xinlang Teyou?

The name sounded familiar, but she couldn't recall where she had heard it. She decided to leave it and went out for her meal.

When she returned, her staff approached with a question. "Boss, what kind of paper is Xinlang Teyou? Two groups of people came looking for it. Which factory makes it?"

Wang Erdan was surprised, "Huh? I had people asking for it too earlier, but I'd never heard of it!"

As Wang Erdan was puzzled, every toilet paper wholesaler on Toulong Street was grappling with the same question: What kind of brand was Xinlang Teyou? How did this suddenly become a popular brand that they had never heard of?

---

In the evening, Li Xian was at a restaurant near Central Street, toasting frequently with Xu Maoh and his group of friends.

These people were all associates of Xu Maoh. With Xu Maoh's entire capital tied up in that batch of raw materials, his associates were now out of work.

Throughout the afternoon, the method Li Xian taught them had amused these people greatly.

"Hey! You should have seen the boss of that wholesale department, asking me what kind of paper Xinlang Teyou was and which factory sold it. We really fooled him!"

"Yeah, when I walked into the booth, I made sure to look impressive, making it clear that I was a big boss!"

"Come on, you almost blew your cover. If I hadn't covered for you, they would have figured out you weren't local."

Amidst the laughter, Chen Shulin looked at Li Xian and whispered, "Boss, this meal must have cost quite a bit, right? Instead of spending this money on a meal, wouldn't it be better to use it to push sales?"

Seeing them whispering, Xu Maoh put down his glass and leaned in. "Li Xian, your paper has definitely gained fame on Toulong Street this afternoon. What's the plan next? Are you going to start promoting it tomorrow?"

After an afternoon, Xu Maoh had figured out Li Xian's strategy. He understood that Li Xian was clearly using the wholesalers as bait, waiting for them to fall into the trap.

"Not yet," Li Xian chuckled. "Xu Ge, if you have some spare time in the next few days, could you help me find some more people? Tomorrow, we'll swap out the current group and try again."

Xu Maoh laughed heartily. "If you keep treating us so well, even if I didn't have time, I'd still help you. I'm curious to see if this trick works. No problem, I'll arrange it right away!"

---

For the next four days, Li Xian, Chen Shulin, and Xu Maoh stayed at the inn. They let wave after wave of "extras" stir up trouble on Toulong Street.

On the fifth day, when Chen Shulin could no longer endure it, and even Xu Maoh had lost patience, Li Xian finally got ready in the afternoon, took up his travel bag filled with business cards and samples, and set out.

Seeing Li Xian finally take action, Xu Maoh and Chen Shulin quickly put on their coats and followed.

Returning to Toulong Street, Li Xian stood straighter than he had a few days earlier. He directly walked into a wholesale department. Placing his bag on the ground, he called out to the busy woman, "Boss, do you need paper?"

Hearing this, the woman in the blue apron smiled. "Are you out of your mind? We're a wholesale paper store. What paper do you need?"

"Xinlang Teyou."

"Hey! Finally, I've seen you guys! Where's your factory? So many people have been asking for this brand in the past few days. Why did it take so long for you to come around?"

Swallowing the words "no" back, the vendor quickly switched to a warm and friendly demeanor and invited Li Xian to sit.

Li Xian surveyed the booth and cleared his throat. "The factory is too busy, and we can't supply all the channels in our surrounding areas. We only recently merged with a state-owned paper factory, which increased our production capacity. That's why we're finally here."

The vendor was stunned by Li Xian's calm attitude. The image of Xinlang Teyou instantly improved in her mind!

Wow,

Merging with a state-owned factory for several million, what kind of scale must that be?

With this preconceived notion, the vendor was delighted with the sample paper Li Xian brought. Even without this notion, the quality of Xinlang Teyou's paper impressed her.

Although the quoted price seemed high, the vendor decided to place an order given the number of inquiries in recent days.

"Then... I'll take five hundred bales to start!" The vendor extended a hand.

Upon hearing this number, Li Xian made a "are you kidding me?" expression. "Sister, did I hear that right? Five hundred bales? How can I supply you with such a small quantity?"

He then disdainfully looked at the vendor and started to pack up the samples to leave.

"Hey, brother! What's the minimum order for you to deliver? Let me know!" The vendor quickly stopped him, asking urgently.

"Usually, it's five thousand bales minimum, but since we're opening up new markets, I'll give you a 50% discount to start. Three thousand bales to test the waters," Li Xian replied after some thought.

The vendor hesitated for a moment. Seeing Li Xian's impatience, she quickly agreed. "Alright, brother. How do you want to handle this? Pay on delivery or a deposit..."

Li Xian waved his hand, took out a business card from his pocket, and handed it over. "Call our sales department to make the payment, and we'll ship it."

Without further ado, he left.

---

Outside, Chen Shulin and Xu Maoh were astonished to see Li Xian complete a four-thousand-dollar order in less than five minutes with such a blunt approach.

Damn, so this is how business can be done!