HPDBC Chapter 6 The villain deliberately does bad things
Chapter 6 The villain deliberately does bad things
On the campus of Xichuan University of Technology, Lin Feng's MP3 business is booming. In stark contrast, Zhou Yang's business is becoming increasingly dismal.
Ever since that night at the campus singing competition, his Samsung and iRiver phones have been selling like hotcakes. He used to sell a dozen or so a month, but now he barely makes a sale once a week.
Initially, Zhou Yang didn't take Lin Feng seriously. His family owned a digital product store, and he worked as a campus agent at the school. He prided himself on having a good business sense and valued quality and sophistication in his business dealings.
He just couldn't understand it. How could he have lost to someone who sold knock-off phones!
But reality is that Lin Feng's fighting style puts him at a disadvantage.
That evening, Zhou Yang treated several of his friends, Liu Wei, Zhang Qiang, and Li Lei, to fish.
Liu Wei was a tall man with a round face and small but clever eyes. He picked up a piece of fish, chewed it, and asked:
"Yang-ge, what's wrong? You've been looking gloomy lately."
Zhou Yang took a big gulp of wine and pulled a wad of cash from his purse:
"Hey guys, do me a favor. Here's some money, each of you go and buy an MP3 player that Lin Feng from the Digital Music Club sells."
Liu Wei and the other two looked at each other in bewilderment.
"Brother Yang, you're selling MP3 players, why are you making us buy from someone else?"
Zhou Yang lowered his voice and recounted the story.
After listening, Liu Wei and the other two hesitated slightly.
"You mean...we should buy Lin Feng's MP3 player and then join their club?"
"Yes." Zhou Yang nodded. "After you buy the machine, bring it to my dorm. Also, keep an eye on the music club's activities and let me know immediately if anything happens."
The three gradually realized that they were being asked to go undercover, and each of them looked hesitant and did not immediately express their opinion.
But Zhou Yang was generous, not only giving them money to buy MP3 players, but also giving each of them a "hardship fee".
Ultimately, for the sake of the money, the three reluctantly agreed.
Zhou Yang smiled contentedly, cursing Lin Feng in his mind once more.
"You just wait and see!"
In October, an autumn rain fell in Chengdu, and the weather began to turn cold.
A few days later, Zhou Yang sat at his desk in his dormitory room. On the desk were three brand-new silver MP3 players and three warranty cards.
The dormitory door was locked from the inside, and the curtains were drawn tightly shut.
Liu Wei, Zhang Qiang, and Li Lei stood or sat around the table, all staring at Zhou Yang.
Zhou Yang picked up one of the MP3 players and weighed it in his hand.
The machine was just bought by Liu Wei and his friends from Lin Feng, and all three of them successfully joined the "Chuan Gong Digital Music Club".
He pressed the power button, and the screen lit up with a blue backlight, displaying "MP3 Player," before entering the standby screen a few seconds later.
Zhou Yang threw the machine back onto the table with a soft "thud": "This piece of junk. It's a knock-off, made in some small workshop in Shenzhen. The cost is at most two or three hundred yuan, but he's selling it for six hundred and fifty. It's outrageous! Those buyers are being ripped off without even realizing it."
Zhou Yang then asked, "When does your music club hold events?"
"There will be a music sharing session and recruitment event this Saturday."
"Okay." Zhou Yang pulled a black charger out of the drawer. It had no brand markings and the plug was rusty.
He pulled out the charging cable, plugged it into the MP3 player's interface, and then plugged the other end into the wall socket.
The MP3 player screen lights up with a charging icon.
"The power management of this knock-off phone is awful," Zhou Yang said, while picking at the charger plug with his fingernails, then suddenly yanking it out... and then shoving it back in.
Pull, insert...
Pull, insert...
His movements were forceful, and the charger plug and socket collided, making a crisp "click, click" sound.
Each time the MP3 player is plugged in or unplugged, its screen flashes briefly, and the charging icon lights up and goes out intermittently.
"Brother Yang, this... won't explode, will it?" Zhang Qiang shrank back nervously.
"It won't explode." Zhou Yang's hands didn't stop, his eyes fixed on the MP3 player. "But after a few of these unstable voltage surges, the main control chip won't be able to withstand them."
He had barely finished speaking when the screen of the MP3 player in his hand suddenly went dark.
Pressing the power button again had no effect.
"It's done." Zhou Yang tossed the machine to Liu Wei. "Here, give it a try."
Liu Wei took the machine and repeatedly pressed the power button. The screen would occasionally flash garbled characters, but he could no longer access the system.
He plugged in his headphones, and all he could hear was a buzzing electrical noise.
"This..." Liu Wei swallowed hard. "Completely broken?"
"It's not completely broken." Zhou Yang picked up the other two MP3 players and did the same thing.
This is called a "soft fault". The motherboard is not burned, and the chips are not exploded, but some signal paths inside are disrupted.
It works intermittently; sometimes it can be turned on, sometimes it can't, and sometimes it can play but skips frames.
When it's sent for repair, once the voltage is stabilized using professional equipment, it may function normally again.
As he spoke, his hands continued moving. Soon, all three MP3 players were "paralyzed".
The symptoms are similar: the device cannot be turned on, or it freezes after being turned on, and the charging indicator light turns on and off intermittently.
Zhou Yang lit a cigarette with a smug look on his face and sat back down in his chair.
"Let's go cause some trouble at the music club's weekend activity."
He exhaled a smoke ring, his eyes sinister: "When the time comes, you must insist that the MP3 players he's selling are counterfeit, refurbished products! Stick to the quality issues and demand a full refund on the spot! Speak loudly, get emotional, and make sure everyone hears you."
Liu Wei nodded, then hesitated, "But what if Yang Ge doesn't want a refund? What if he says he wants to follow the warranty card's procedures?"
Zhou Yang flicked his cigarette ash. "Just say, even the new one is still junk. You have to give us a refund! You need to incite the people around you to doubt whether their machines are also faulty."
Let me tell you, that's how people are. If one person shouts for a refund, the others will start to have second thoughts. If two people shout it, some will waver. If three people shout it together, the whole place will descend into chaos.
What I want is to completely destroy his reputation in front of all the members. Then everyone will think Lin Feng is a fraud. Who will believe his so-called "Digital Music Club"? The school will definitely not approve it. All those stockpiled goods will then rot in his hands.
Zhang Qiang and Li Lei exchanged a glance, their eyes still showing some hesitation. After all, they had no grudge against Lin Feng, and it wouldn't look good if word got out that they were deliberately smearing their classmate.
Zhou Yang pulled out a few more hundred-yuan bills from his wallet and handed two to each person: "Take these. It's for your trouble. I'll treat you to drinks and entertainment after this is done."
The three men quickly took the money without hesitation: "Okay, Yang-ge, we'll do whatever you say!"
Zhou Yang's tone was tinged with a hint of smugness: "What do you think... will Lin Feng's face look like when all the members of the music club point their fingers at him and call him a liar?"
Liu Wei, Zhang Qiang, and Li Lei burst into laughter, each one gloating.
Zhou Yang continued, seemingly oblivious to the situation, "I bet he's rushing to explain, and the more he explains, the more confusing it gets. When people are so angry, any explanation is futile!"
In the end, his lousy gang was completely finished!