I'm A Baller

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio  Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

This time around, he brought back 86 Blackhoneys and 14 Crispysweets with him.

The Blackhoneys would last for a while, but Wang Yan had just about depleted the supply of Crispysweets.

There were no other Crispysweet fields in all of Wangjiaao, and the remaining thousands of melons weren't good enough to be called the kings of watermelons. That couldn't be helped.

After that day, Wang Yan would announce his plan to stop selling Crispysweets.

And from then onwards, he would only accept reservations for Blackhoneys. He would no longer be setting up his stall at the gated community's entrance.

As such, the prices would have to be increased... by a little?

In the afternoon, when he was busy washing the melons, he received a call from a non-local number.

"Hello? Is this Mr Wang? This is Meiren Dingzhi…"

What a thick Qingdao accent… It took Wang Yan a while to recall that this was the organizer of the eating broadcast program.

He did his best to sound friendly. "Hello, hello. How should I address you?"

"My name is Liu Yuanfang. The event that you would like to organize, would you mind explaining to me what you have in mind?"

Wang Yan was happy to do away with niceties and get straight to the point, so he briefly explained his plan.

"I'll come up with the funds, and you'll be in charge of selecting the contestants. There should be seven contestants in total. Let's have a competition to see who emerges as the champion of eating king crabs.

"The Alaskan king crabs are at least ten pounds each, so there's definitely enough to go around as long as they have the stomach for it.

"The winner gets a cash prize of 20,000. Everyone else gets a consolation prize of 5,000 to make up for their absence from work.

"Airfare, food, and lodgings would be provided for. A single room at a five-star hotel. Does that sound appealing?" he asked.

"Yes, it would sound pretty attractive to the netizens. But what's in it for us? And what's your objective?" asked Liu Yuanfang.

Wang Yan made up a reason on the spot. "Well, video or broadcast, you decide.

Establishing our presence would be one of the good things to come of it. I'll absorb the food, lodging, and transport expenses for you and your team for a maximum of three people. As for myself… I just want to compete with the big eaters, so as to improve my appetite."

"Ahem! Ahem!"

Wang Yan could hear coughing sounds from the other end of the call. The caller must have choked on his water.

After a while, Liu Yuanfang finally spoke up. "Are you certain, Mr. Wang? Are you being serious?"

After thinking about it for a few seconds, Wang Yan replied, "Add me on WeChat. I want to show you something."

After they had added each other on WeChat, Wang Yuan sent a photo of the receipt from Dong Yuan International, along with a voice recording.

"See that? I just ordered 20 crabs this morning, it's all paid for. I could order more if that isn't enough.

"If you can't find any suitable big eaters, I'll just go to construction sites to find some people.

"So, are you in or out?"

Liu Yuanfang's reply was instantaneous.

A thumbs up emoji, followed by an actual reply. "No problem! We'll conduct a screening and get in touch with suitable candidates right away!

"Please trust in our capabilities and resources. Although our program has only 70 episodes so far, based on the submissions that we've received, it shouldn't be too hard for us to select seven people who've got what it takes!"

Wang Yan replied, "Well, I'll wait for your good news then. I hope you'll be able to get it done as soon as possible."

"No worries, boss!"

After sending a groveling emoji, there were no more messages from him. Liu Yuanfang was probably getting right on it.

Although there was some degree of boasting involved, Wang Yuan did agree with most of the stuff Liu Yuanfang said.

Currently, Liu Yuanfang was the only person who had that many resources with regards to big eaters.

The submissions that had been published were probably just the tip of the iceberg. Those who were able to eat a lot but looked terrible doing so wouldn't have made the cut for the program.

As far as Wang Yan was concerned, the only thing that mattered was how much they could eat.

And as for Liu Yuanfang, he still stood to gain from it.

Where else would he be able to find someone who was willing to sponsor king crabs weighing ten pounds each?

As long as they found the right people and did a good job with the program, their brand would be firmly established. Once they had the views and the popularity, profits would be generated.

Wang Yan trusted that Liu Yuanfang would do a good job, since he had a vested interest in doing so. Things started progressing bit by bit from that point onwards.

When he went to sell melons that afternoon, a swarm of babysitters, nannies, and caretakers descended upon him the moment his vehicle was parked. It took less than an hour to sell the hundred melons.

Having seen the glamorous side of the capital, Xiangshanyuan Villas had already lost some of its initial appeal to Wang Yuan. He dragged Uncle Zhang over to the sculpture with a smile on his face and sat down.

"Have a smoke, Uncle Zhang!"

The fat manager narrowed his eyes. "Eh? Are you thinking of making a run for it since you've made enough money?"

Heh, how perceptive!

But he didn't want to think too much into it. It'd give him a headache.

Wang Yan answered truthfully, "I'll be able to procure a maximum of another 300 melons of the same quality. You can have them at the wholesale price. Sell them however you like. What do you think?"

There was a glint in the manager's eyes. "The rarer something is, the greater its value. You get it, kid?"

"I don't. I've made enough."

Wang Yan shook his head with a guileless expression on his face.

"At any rate, I could give them to you for 20 a pound. What you do with them is up to you. If you agree, transfer the money to me. If you don't, then pretend I never mentioned it."

Three hundred melons were 4,000 plus pounds, which meant over 80,000 dollars.

That 80,000 dollars was already a profit to start with. By getting someone else to take over, he was able to double that profit. Making a profit of 160,000 was a practically a piece of cake.

Given Xiangshanyuan Villas' capacity for the consumption of premium fruits, Wang Yan's sales tactics still had room for improvement.

After letting out a deep breath, the fatty patted Wang Yuan on the shoulder.

"Alright, Uncle Zhang will accept your kind intentions. Give me your card number, and I'll transfer 90,000 to you by tomorrow morning. You can send over the watermelons anytime you like. Just give me a call in advance and come in through the side gate."

He paused for a bit, then continued, "If there's anything to follow up, Uncle Zhang will take care of it!"

What loose ends could there possibly be?

None, they didn't exist.

Wang Yan just wanted to get it over and done with so that he could focus his energy elsewhere.

He had already eaten the best part of the fish, so to speak, so he was happy to share the rest of it with Uncle Zhang.

In order to succeed, one had to have their eyes on the prize and know what was important and what wasn't. That included being able to meet gains and losses with composure.

"Sure. I'll bring you fresh watermelons in three days' time. Deal?"

"Great, it's settled!"

…

When he was home that night, he asked Brother Xizi for a favor. "Bro, could you help me find the bank account number of the orphanage in our city? I would like to make a donation sometime."

Wang Yunxi gave him a thumbs up. "That's great! You ought to do something good with your extra money! I'll ask around and let you know after I've found out."

"Alright, sure."

He then took a shower and chatted with Liu Li for a bit before reading a book and going to bed.

At eight in the morning on the 4th, while on the way to Wangjiaao, Wang Yan received a call from Liu Yuanfang.

"Boss Wang, I haven't failed you!

"After conducting a screening, we have carefully selected 20 netizens. If they're keen on participating, they'll be submitting entries for the eating broadcast for further assessment.

"If everything goes as planned, we should be able to narrow it down to ten people within two days.

"I will then forward the relevant details to you, and you can decide on the final seven."

Wang Yan listened quietly and didn't interrupt him.

He was satisfied with Liu Yuanfang's efficiency.

Swift and decisive, full of fighting spirit and vigor—that was what made a good partner. Unlike the online sites he'd used, who hadn't gotten in touch even now. If that was the way they operated, they'd fail sooner or later.

As for what Liu Yuanfang stood to gain from this, Wang Yan wasn't the least bit concerned. Each party took what they need.

Of course, certain things had to be made clear from the outset. After all, it was millions of dollars in revenue that they were talking about.

When good luck came, one had good ideas. He had always been one to think before speaking. After mulling over his words, Wang Yan came up with a more than adequate response.

"Mr. Liu is indeed efficient. I contacted Mr. Chen from Shiyijian yesterday, but I have yet to hear from him. This goes to show that you have good management skills."

Why had he contacted the boss at Shiyijian?

To ask about the construction workers working for him, of course.

Li Yuanfang quickly understood what Wang Yan was getting at, and was understandably anxious.

'Damn, I couldn't possibly lose this deal to a bunch of construction workers.

'Sure, these workers could offer you some company, but how would that generate any income for me?

'I'm banking on the buzz that'll be generated by this event…'

Hence, he thumped his chest and said, "Don't worry, Boss Wang. The candidates I select will definitely be able to eat more than even the strongest construction workers!"

Wang Yan chuckled. "I'll wait for your good news, then?"

"Yes, yes. I'll get to it right away. Anticipate good news!"