Hong Lijun was momentarily stunned, then laughed heartily. He turned to Wu Kecheng and said, “Manager Wu, did you hear that? Manager Lu also has high praise for Lingyang’s liquor.” 

“Don’t tease me, Mr. Hong,” Wu Kecheng replied with an awkward smile. “I heard that Manager Lu was recruited straight out of college by Yuan Chuan. That’s different from salespeople like us who came up the rough way.” 

Regardless of whether Lu Nan was genuinely gracious or just putting on an act, her words were indeed very appropriate and flawless. 

Wu Kecheng reflected that, to be honest, he himself might not be able to evaluate a competitor’s product as objectively as she did. Especially considering—though he was reluctant to admit it—his vocabulary for describing aroma and flavor was sorely lacking. He might’ve just said, “It tastes good,” and left it at that. He definitely couldn’t speak as fluently and eloquently as Lu Nan. 

Thinking back to when he was her age, he was still pouring drinks for others at the table, trying to please everyone. Oddly enough, a trace of admiration rose in Wu Kecheng’s heart. Given that she was so young and a woman at that, yet could rise to the role of city manager, she clearly had real ability. 

Still, that didn’t change the fact that Yuan Chuan and their company were competitors. Wu Kecheng thought to himself: I didn’t know this Manager Lu before and have no personal grudge—but Hua’an City’s market is only so big. If I want to develop new distributors, I’m bound to run into her. And if I lose to some recent college graduate the first time we cross paths, where would that leave my pride? 

If Lu Nan knew what Wu Kecheng was thinking, she might’ve just lit a candle for him in silent pity. This guy still had no clue what was really going on. 

Manufacturers and distributors exist in a mutually selective relationship—it isn’t something that can be achieved just because one party tries hard enough. 

Moreover, although Yuan Chuan and Lingyang—second only to the national liquor brand in sales—are indeed competitors in the baijiu industry, that doesn’t mean other brands in the second tier are irrelevant. If Lingyang’s people can only see Yuan Chuan as competition, and ignore how the national liquor brand is using its legacy reputation to aggressively push its mid-range porcelain series into the market, or how peer companies are spending real money on advertising, expanding product lines, and developing more representative mid-to-high-end liquors—then this habit of only benchmarking against YuanChuan will eventually cause Lingyang to lose more and more market share without even realizing it. 

In sales, defense is achieved through offense. If you’re not moving forward, you’re falling behind. 

Of course, Yuan Chuan is making the same mistake now—but at least they corrected course in time… 

As Lu Nan thought these things, she shifted her tone and modestly said, “Manager Wu, you flatter me. When it comes to seniority in this industry, I definitely can’t compare with everyone here. But Yuan Chuan is a great platform to work on, and in terms of professionalism, I think Mr. Hong might at least give me a passing grade?” 

Hong Lijun smiled with satisfaction. “More like a 90.” 

At this point, Lu Nan knew that Yuan Chuan had already gained a solid upper hand in tonight’s banquet. Even though Wu Kecheng had tried to subtly remind Mr. Hong that she was just a recent college graduate—implying she might not be up to the task—it didn’t matter anymore. 

Because hearing is one thing, but seeing is believing. 

Everyone had seen it for themselves: this young manager from Yuan Chuan might still have a baby face, but her gaze, demeanor, speech, and behavior all made it clear—this young newcomer was built for sales. She had all the right traits. 

The general store manager of Mingjiu Shijia, who earlier couldn’t help but express admiration, thought silently: Even if Manager Lu wasn’t selling Yuan Chuan liquor—if she were selling for some other company, or even a different product altogether—she could probably still make it sound irresistible. She’s got real talent. If I were Mr. Hong, I would’ve decided on the spot to take on the Yuan Chuan Tequ series. 

As Hong Lijun’s trusted aide, the general store manager’s thoughts matched his own exactly. 

Hong Lijun had to admit that he’d made the mistake of judging by appearances yesterday afternoon. 

Right now, it was true that there wasn’t much difference between Yuan Chuan Tequ and Lingyang Tequ. But when it came to comparing the sales reps—this Manager Lu was far better than Wu Kecheng. 

Hong Lijun had gotten to where he was with a mix of toughness and cunning—but tact was equally important. Even though he was already leaning toward a decision, he didn’t plan to finalize anything tonight. 

Since this was a tasting banquet, discussions about distributors or partnerships would be set aside. Instead, he encouraged everyone to focus on the wine. He turned to his three store managers and said, “Learn from Manager Lu. Don’t just tell customers it tastes good—explain why it tastes good.” 

Lu Nan had no intention of stealing the spotlight, but she had clearly become the most impressive person at the table that night. 

The general store manager even switched seats with Huang Dafang to sit closer to her and asked, “So, how do the three-year and six-year Tequ compare to the nine-year one? You know how some customers clearly care about price, but we can’t just come out and say, ‘Maybe go for the cheaper one’—that offends people. So, I want to ask: if we want to recommend a younger, more affordable version of the same product, how should we phrase it to sound professional?” 

As soon as he asked, the two branch store managers also leaned in to listen. 

In no time, Lu Nan was surrounded. 

It wasn’t actually a hard question to answer. Lu Nan knew that every liquor company hires tasting teams and copywriters to describe their products in beautifully crafted terms—but for frontline salespeople, those descriptions were too long, too complex, and not at all conversational. 

So the core of the question posed by the store manager of Mingjiu Shijia was really about whether the salesperson had a thorough understanding of the products they were selling. If one could memorize the details of every product, then when customers asked questions, they could respond smoothly and confidently. 

However, in this industry, many front-line salespeople have a relatively modest educational background, making it hard to meet that standard. 

“Manager Ma’s questions are actually part of our regular training content for distributors. But no worries—our Yuan Chuan products are also stocked here at Mingjiu Shijia. I’ll send you some public training materials later. If you can really digest them—well, I can’t speak for other brands, but when it comes to selling Yuan Chuan’s products, those scripts will definitely be enough,” Lu Nan said with a smile. 

Reading materials is so dull. Manager Ma had read them before, but with over a hundred types of liquor in the store and training documents from dozens of suppliers, most of those piles of documents were still gathering dust in the stockroom. How could reading compare to how clearly Manager Lu explained things? 

Hong Lijun tapped the table twice and said, “Old Ma, you all really need to get your act together. Look, Manager Lu hasn’t even eaten much and you’re still pestering her with questions. If you want to ask for guidance, can’t you lower your stance a bit? Go on, exchange contacts and properly invite her to visit your store sometime.” 

As soon as he said this, Huang Dafang glanced at the now-red-faced Xiao Hu beside him, and both of them couldn’t hide their joy. 

By the time the dinner ended, it was nearly 10 p.m. As the host, Hong Lijun naturally asked how everyone was getting home and whether they needed a ride. Of course, both the Yuan Chuan and Lingyang knew this was just politeness, and they all politely declined. 

While waiting for her designated driver, Lu Nan was approached by Hong Lijun, who said, “Manager Lu, I wonder when you might have time to visit us again.” 

“I’m available anytime—just let me know when works for you, Mr. Hong.” 

Hong Lijun thought for a moment and said, “How about tomorrow morning? Oh right, it’s Sunday…” He sounded a little regretful. 

Lu Nan smiled and countered, “You’re a seasoned businessman, Mr. Hong. When it comes to business, who cares what day of the week it is? Just ask our Supervisor Huang and Xiao Hu—if they get the chance to visit your store tomorrow, wouldn’t they be delighted?” 

The two chimed in with perfect timing, nodding enthusiastically: “We’d be honored! Absolutely thrilled!” 

Even Hong Lijun was amused. He thought to himself: This Yuan Chuan company has quite a few entertaining folks on their sales team. 

Their cheerful banter made the Lingyang group seem even more lackluster by comparison. 

Though bitter and frustrated, Wu Kecheng still led his team over to bid farewell to Hong Lijun and Lu Nan. 

While shaking hands, Hong Lijun offered a few polite parting words. 

Wu Kecheng thought that even if Mingjiu Shijia didn’t become a distributor for Lingyang, they still stocked their products and the sales were decent. So he continued smiling warmly. “Thanks for the hospitality tonight, Mr. Hong—and I’m glad I got to meet such an outstanding manager like you, Manager Lu. I should really learn from you. Otherwise, as the old saying goes, ‘The waves behind push the waves ahead, and the old waves die on the beach.’” 

Honestly, Wu Kecheng wasn’t the first city manager to feel this way. What he didn’t know was that his former rival—Old Liu, who was transferred just last year—had already sighed with this exact sentiment. 

Lu Nan, however, wasn’t bothered by Wu Kecheng’s slightly sour tone. She replied sincerely, “You’ve been in the business for many years, Manager Wu. There’s still a lot I can learn from you.” 

Standing nearby, Huang Dafang was silently impressed: Manager Lu really knew how to lie with a straight face. Learn from Wu and his foul mouth? Really? 

But in the end, they were all adults working in the relatively small Hua’an liquor sales circle. Appearances still mattered. After a few polite compliments from Lu Nan, Wu Kecheng sighed and stopped with the snide remarks. “Forget experience. In our line of work, results matter most. Anyway, I admit it: I’m a rough guy, and I can’t match your skills in liquor tasting or evaluation.” 

Later, as they squeezed into a taxi, Hu Yueqing finally had the chance to ask Huang Dafang, “Supervisor Huang, why did Manager Lu suddenly start being nice to the Lingyang at the end?” 

Huang Dafang smiled mysteriously. “What do you know? That’s called not kicking a dog when it’s down. We’ve already gotten what we came for—what’s the harm in giving them a little face?” 

Manager Lu is sharp and assertive, but she also values camaraderie. I feel like I’ve picked the right leader. Maybe this year I’ll finally get a share of the ‘meat’. Even old slacker Huang Dafang couldn’t help but feel a bit hopeful. 

… 

Back at her place, Lu Nan took a hot shower, lay in bed, and reviewed the evening’s dinner in her mind. Seeing no major mistakes, she turned over and went to sleep. 

There was still a tough battle ahead tomorrow. 

At 10 a.m. the next day, Lu Nan met up with Huang Dafang and Hu Yueqing, who were waiting downstairs at the office. 

“It’s rare to work on a Sunday. How about this—tomorrow afternoon you both get some free time.” 

The two cheered. 

She told Xiao Hu, “Keep your eyes open and learn today. Your supervisor Huang is giving you a chance by letting you run the market in the surrounding counties. Don’t waste it.” 

Hu Yueqing nodded. He understood. Though his boss was lazy and a bit of a foodie, compared to other channel supervisors, he was really quite decent. Take Qian Xin, for example—he’d been with the city office longer, but because Li Ziheng from the same channel was a relative of Supervisor Li, Qian Xin never got the chance to handle distributors. 

Huang Dafang, a bit embarrassed from the praise, awkwardly changed the subject—but it was something he was genuinely curious about: “Manager Lu, how big of a contract do you think Mingjiu Shijia will sign with us?”