Black Friday Profit Storm: 30M In, 100K Out

"Please. They think sales is easy? If we weren't out there every day closing deals, where would the money come from to pay all those people sitting comfortably in their offices?"

The complaints from the sales division had long since lost their sting. Petty exclusion and workplace bullying were hardly enough to shake me anymore.

I walked over to Wesley and submitted a request for a post outstation.

"Mr. Pierce, everyone looks exhausted from handling online sales these past few days. I'd like to contribute as well. We shouldn't neglect offline channels, and this is a good chance for me to train and understand how hard the team works."

My reasoning made sense to him, and he approved the outstation request. The target client was important and notoriously difficult to handle. Since no one had time to maintain relationships with that client right now, sending me was a convenient way to grind down my morale as well.

"Jenna, your enthusiasm is what matters. As for the budget, don't worry. Spend freely."

I didn't take that at face value. It was obvious he was setting a trap. When reimbursement time came, he would find all kinds of faults with the receipts.

The moment my outstation request was approved, I bought a train ticket that departed in the morning and left.

The signal was poor on the train. When I finally stepped off eight hours later, I saw that Tristan had called multiple times. Unable to reach me, he had resorted to voice messages.

"Jenna, where have you gone? You're not answering your phone. Are you skipping work without permission?"

"Your lousy system is freezing nonstop. Tonight is the Christmas presale. If you don't get back immediately, you will take full responsibility for any losses."

I booked a ride to my hotel and ordered food. Only then did I reply.

"Mr. Hayes, my business trip was approved by Mr. Pierce. I'm on official travel. As for system permissions, I assume they were transferred to the new technical supervisor."

The moment I hit send, my phone rang. Tristan was clearly in overtime mode again, just like during Black Friday.

"Jenna, don't be so stubborn. Even the best tool needs the right hero to wield it. I've already hired professionals to optimize the system. It cost us 200,000 dollars this time."

A cold smile rose to my lips. The previous optimization had required only 100,000 dollars because I had been the one working all night for days.

And now, before the presale even began, they had already spent 200,000 dollars. I was curious how many orders they would manage to secure with their improvements.

"Mr. Hayes, in that case, the 200,000 dollars must be covered by your nephew."

As we talked, I filled the tub with hot water and dropped in an essential oil bath bomb.

"You seem to have forgotten that a few days ago, I became a junior sales assistant. System maintenance is no longer part of my job. My only task now is closing tomorrow's order. And all my system data is stored on the technical division's computers. Even if I wanted to help, I have no way to access it."

On my personal laptop, I checked the backend. Tristan had already removed the API rate limit I had set, but no one understood the core algorithms. The entire system was on the brink of collapse.

"Since the system is only a supporting tool, you could always switch to manual pushes."

The boomerang he once threw came back and struck him squarely. He stammered, unable to form a complete sentence.

I hung up and went straight to my bath.

I was genuinely curious. Once the system crashed completely, how many orders could the company's star sales division secure on its own?

After a full day on the train, fatigue washed over me. After my long, hot bath, I dried my hair and fell asleep immediately.