Compared to the previous two phones that sold out shortly after their launches, the Smart Fitness Drying Rack’s results could only be described as brilliant!

Clearly, the vast majority of people had taken the Smart Fitness Drying Rack as a purely buzz-creating product.

Although Chang You had introduced its functions at the press conference, most features were available on traditional fitness equipment, which was also much cheaper.

Those all-in-one strength training machines occupied about the same floor space as the Smart Fitness Drying Rack but might only cost around 3,500 to 4,500 yuan—much cheaper.

People had many concerns about the Smart Fitness Drying Rack, while their motivation to purchase was severely lacking. Selling only a few units in an hour was a normal phenomenon.

Of course, the sales reaching more than ten units proved that Tenda still had a few die-hard fans who would buy any product, no matter how outrageous, with their eyes closed.

In any case, with such massive inventory for the Smart Fitness Drying Rack and such high press conference buzz, yet only selling such a tiny amount after the press conference ended—this was a very optimistic result no matter how you looked at it.

Pei Qian couldn’t help but hum a little tune.

Hard work really does pay off!

…

Meanwhile, at Jingzhou Airport.

“Brother Lin, are you sure you won’t stay and play for a few more days?” Meng Chang’s face radiated with a smile as he repeatedly tried to persuade Lin Jiaqiang to stay.

Lin Jiaqiang quickly shook his head: “No need, no need. I’ve already imposed for a long time, and I have matters to attend to at home. I must go back.”

Since finishing the promotional video, Lin Jiaqiang had been enjoying food, drink, and entertainment in Jingzhou, with all expenses naturally covered by the advertising and promotion department.

Meng Chang wished Lin Jiaqiang would stay and play for a few more days.

After all, these funds wouldn’t reach his own pocket anyway. Using them to entertain Lin Jiaqiang, while he could also enjoy free food and drinks, was a win-win situation.

Moreover, he had watched the press conference and knew about the Smart Fitness Drying Rack’s dismal sales, which made him quite happy.

Just thinking about the commission he would get at the end of the month made Meng Chang’s mouth water.

Since Lin Jiaqiang was a major contributor to Meng Chang’s commission, Meng Chang naturally loved everything associated with him and became much closer to him.

Lin Jiaqiang had also enjoyed himself, but he still needed to support his family, so staying in Jingzhou indefinitely wasn’t an option. Therefore, he decided to leave.

Meng Chang had already tried to persuade him several times, and Lin Jiaqiang had changed his flight twice, so this time Meng Chang didn’t persist. He just said they would contact him first for future collaborations and personally escorted Lin Jiaqiang to the airport.

Lin Jiaqiang was, of course, extremely grateful.

Just as he was about to board, Lin Jiaqiang suddenly thought of something.

“Director Meng, I have a presumptuous request.”

Meng Chang was taken aback: “Please, go ahead.”

Lin Jiaqiang somewhat embarrassedly said: “Director Meng, could you send me a Smart Fitness Drying Rack? I’d also like to exercise a bit when I get back. After all, I’m getting older, and my health is deteriorating year by year.”

Ordinarily, when celebrities endorse products, giving them several samples is customary.

But Meng Chang thought Lin Jiaqiang definitely wouldn’t need such a bizarre thing, and sending it might even be seen as an annoyance, so he hadn’t sent anything at all. He had only taken Lin Jiaqiang around Jingzhou for several days of food, drinks, and entertainment.

Now that Lin Jiaqiang had specifically asked for one, sending one unit was no big deal.

Meng Chang knew that the Smart Fitness Drying Racks were currently filling Tenda’s warehouses in Jingzhou, unable to sell at all. Moreover, giving away one unit meant losing money on one unit, so why not?

Meng Chang smiled slightly: “No problem. I’ll arrange for someone to courier it to your home and send specialists for installation!”

Lin Jiaqiang quickly replied: “Thank you so much!”

Actually, Lin Jiaqiang had this idea on a whim.

He had been overweight since childhood. When he was young, he had to maintain this overweight physique to play comedic roles in films. But now that he was older, this overweight body had brought him many health issues.

With no more roles to play, what was the point of staying so fat?

So Lin Jiaqiang had been thinking about exercising a bit—whether he lost weight or not, wouldn’t it be better to be healthier and live a few more years?

However, he had tried many methods but couldn’t stick with any of them.

Now, seeing this Smart Fitness Drying Rack, Lin Jiaqiang thought he could have one at home and exercise occasionally, which would be good.

Even if he forgot to use it for exercise, he could still use it to dry clothes.

Of course, this big thing was a bit expensive, so getting it for free was great, but he wouldn’t pay for it.

Having received Meng Chang’s promise, Lin Jiaqiang contentedly said goodbye to everyone and boarded the plane to leave Jingzhou.

…

…

May 14th, Monday.

Magic Capital, Longyu Group Headquarters.

As soon as work hours began, Zhao Xuming hurriedly arrived at the meeting room, where Eric was already waiting.

“It’s been confirmed that what Chang You said at the press conference about Outu Technology stocking a large inventory of Smart Fitness Drying Racks is true. Several of Tenda’s warehouses in Jingzhou are indeed filled with these things.”

“Moreover, the Smart Fitness Drying Racks have been transported to various Tuoguan Fitness Gyms, including one here in Magic Capital.”

“Should we go take a look?”

After hearing Zhao Xuming’s report, Eric frowned slightly, appearing somewhat puzzled.

After a moment, he said: “No rush. Let’s go in the evening when there should be more people. We can see how popular this equipment really is.”

Since Finger Company and Longyu Group had jointly held their press conference, Eric and Zhao Xuming had been constantly monitoring Tenda’s movements.

They were well aware that Mr. Pei was not one to take a loss and would surely counterattack!

But after waiting for two days, there was no movement, which was unusual.

Logically, Tenda Group’s efficiency was very high, and Mr. Pei never hesitated when it came to spending money.

Finally, they witnessed the Smart Fitness Drying Rack press conference.

Eric and Zhao Xuming had also watched this press conference and were somewhat confused by this nonsensical product.

But they were mainly concerned about three points.

First, was Chang You’s claim about the massive inventory of Smart Fitness Drying Racks true?

Second, while the Smart Fitness Drying Rack was currently being ignored, would it have a chance to make a comeback?

Finally, what were the specific rules for the May 15th Gaming Festival?

Actually, the result of this press conference was undoubtedly an unexpected joy for Eric.

Because Outu Technology’s previous products, whether the E1 phone, G1 phone, or even the Fully Automated Intelligent Contrarian Machine, had all been successful.

So for this upcoming new product, Eric had assumed it would also be successful and had mentally prepared for it to sell well.

However, unexpectedly, after the press conference, no one was interested!

And what was even more gratifying was that they had stocked ten thousand units of this junk? Tying up tens of millions in funds?

Eric was well aware that his price war faced the entire Tenda Group, not just Tenda’s gaming department.

In other words, the situation in other industries also had to be taken into account.

Now that Outu Technology’s new product launch was being ignored and had accumulated a large amount of unsold inventory, it would reduce the available working capital for the entire Tenda Group—this was certainly good news!

The only question was whether what Chang You said at the press conference was true or if he was just creating buzz.

For this reason, he had specifically asked Zhao Xuming to arrange for people to conduct an undercover investigation in Jingzhou.

There are no walls that are completely impenetrable to the wind, and the locations of Tenda’s warehouses were no secret, so they quickly got a definitive answer: this useless drying rack did indeed have a large inventory!

So, the first question was resolved.

As for what the specific rules of the May 15th Gaming Festival were, they currently probably only existed on the computers of some core Tenda employees and were unlikely to leak.

Since it would be revealed at midnight on May 15th, with just over a day left, there was no need to rush.

Eric guessed that this so-called May 15th Gaming Festival would probably be similar to the promotional activities of Finger Company and Longyu Group—just some discounts on skins and games.

They could consider counter-measures after seeing Tenda’s specific promotional efforts.

So now the most crucial link remained: to determine whether this Smart Fitness Drying Rack was truly being ignored with no chance of a comeback.

If so, then this unsellable inventory in the warehouses could very well be one of the straws that breaks Mr. Pei’s back!

Originally, Eric had planned to buy one unit to study it, but when he heard that these things had also been placed in Tuoguan Fitness Gyms, he immediately changed his mind and decided to visit a Tuoguan Fitness Gym to take a look.

Because fitness enthusiasts at the gym would have more professional and objective views on the Smart Fitness Drying Rack. If they didn’t like using this thing, it could basically be declared dead.

…

Recently, Tenda’s various physical businesses had begun entering Imperial Capital, Magic Capital, and other super first-tier cities, so Tuoguan Fitness had also opened in Magic Capital and was doing good business.

After work in the afternoon, Eric and Zhao Xuming arrived at Tuoguan Fitness.

The two pretended to be customers interested in learning about the gym and considering membership, successfully blending in.

There was dedicated personnel at the front desk for guidance and reception, introducing the Tuoguan Fitness model to the two. Eric and Zhao Xuming pretended to listen attentively while constantly surveying the interior of the gym.

It must be said that the Tuoguan Fitness model was indeed different from other gyms.

There was no overcrowding situation because all times at Tuoguan Fitness were pre-booked, ensuring that the actual capacity of the gym remained at a reasonably appropriate level.

Although none of the fitness equipment required queuing, one could still generally see the popularity of different pieces of equipment.

For some equipment, as soon as one person finished, someone else would take over not long after; while for other equipment, it might be ten or more minutes before someone used it again.

The Smart Fitness Drying Rack was placed in a very prominent position in Tuoguan Fitness.

Zhao Xuming secretly observed it for a long time and found that no one was using it at all!

Male members mostly gave it a glance and then continued lifting dumbbells; female members didn’t even look at it, heading straight for the treadmills, spinning bikes, and yoga rooms.

Even the staff member responsible for reception, when introducing the various fitness equipment in Tuoguan Fitness, didn’t specifically introduce this Smart Fitness Drying Rack.

All of this was obviously a very good sign!

Zhao Xuming coughed lightly and asked a question to which he already knew the answer: “Excuse me, what is this fitness equipment? It looks very special. I don’t think I’ve seen it in other gyms.”

The staff member smiled somewhat embarrassedly: “Oh, this? This is the Smart Fitness Drying Rack newly developed by our Tenda Group.”

“It’s a home-use product, and it’s placed here mainly for demonstration purposes.”

“As a home-use product, its advantage lies in combining multiple fitness equipment—one device can train your entire body, and during idle time, it can also be used to dry clothes. However, if you’re training in a gym, its effectiveness compared to specialized equipment is slightly inferior…”

Tenda’s staff were always honest. They were not allowed to deceive customers, not even to conceal partial facts to induce consumption. This was a principle established by Mr. Pei since the company’s inception.

So this staff member very honestly introduced the situation of the Smart Fitness Drying Rack to Eric and Zhao Xuming.

In particular, he pointed out the key reason why the Smart Fitness Drying Rack was being ignored in Tuoguan Fitness: being comprehensive in everything means excelling in nothing.

Those professional fitness equipment might seem to only train one movement, but in reality, they have many adjustable aspects to ensure the best effect for that particular movement.

The Smart Fitness Drying Rack, having to accommodate so many movements, would definitely have to compromise on some of these details. Otherwise, on one hand, the cost would be uncontrollable, and on the other hand, it would become too complicated and inconvenient to use.

So for gym members, who only need to consider training effects and don’t need to worry about space, they naturally wouldn’t use the Smart Fitness Drying Rack for exercise.

Eric and Zhao Xuming exchanged glances, both beaming with joy.

What did this mean?

It meant that this Smart Fitness Drying Rack was not only unpopular and unsellable among ordinary consumers, but even in professional commercial environments like gyms, it had no survival space whatsoever!

If even Tenda’s own Tuoguan Fitness couldn’t save this useless equipment, other gyms were even less likely to buy this junk.

The two had previously had a slight worry: what if this Smart Fitness Drying Rack was frantically purchased by gyms? What then?

The number of gyms nationwide is not small—if each gym bought one, that would still be a terrifying number.

But now, this possibility seemed to be non-existent.

This Smart Fitness Drying Rack was basically completely doomed!