"Manager Li, this is the shop." Assistant Xiao Chen, who also served as the driver, quickly got out of the car and jogged over to Li Wei's side.
Pointing at the shop across the street, which was surrounded by layers of crowds, he said, "It's been going crazy on the internet lately. Everyone's calling it the 'Omnipotent Hardware Store.' The hype is massive."
Li Wei pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, a hint of contemptuous scrutiny flickering in his eyes behind the lenses.
As a veteran purchasing agent who had dealt with top domestic and international suppliers for years...
...he had seen more "gimmicks" than the salt Assistant Xiao Chen had ever eaten.
Things like "Hans Craftsmanship, Legacy of Ingenuity" that turned out to be white-label products from small workshops.
Or "Industry Disruption, Technological Revolution" that ended up being nothing more than a concept on a PowerPoint slide.
In his view, the scene before him was just another carefully orchestrated viral marketing campaign.
It exploited information asymmetry and the general public's lack of knowledge regarding industrial products—especially those in specialized fields—to create an illusion of being "omnipotent."
All to harvest traffic and eventually monetize it.
It was an old trick, just played on a larger scale this time, even managing to snag some official endorsement.
"Let's go take a look," Li Wei said flatly.
He hadn't come today because he actually believed the online rumors.
On one hand, the project had indeed run into a bit of trouble and required an unconventional part.
He had come to City to inspect several local processing plants with potential.
Passing by this place was purely out of a sort of professional curiosity.
He wanted to see for himself what they were really up to.
On the other hand, he also wanted to take this opportunity to observe the local business ecosystem in City.
To get a feel for things for some of the project's later, miscellaneous procurement needs.
To see what the actual commercial standard of this hyped-up City really was.
Accompanied by Assistant Xiao Chen, he wove through the excitedly chatting crowd.
Snippets of conversation like "I'm getting a PS5 Disc Edition later" and "I want the out-of-print LEGO Star Wars Death Star" reached his ears.
They only added a few more degrees of disdain to the faint smirk on Li Wei's lips.
The moment he finally squeezed through the crowd and stepped into the Hardware Store's entrance...
...even the well-traveled Li Wei couldn't help but be slightly taken aback.
The noisy, music-filled atmosphere of a typical viral shop he had expected was nowhere to be found.
The shop wasn't small; it was bright and clean, with shelves arranged in an orderly fashion.
There was none of the dust and grime typical of traditional Hardware Stores in the air.
What surprised him most was the young shopkeeper behind the counter.
He was very young, looking to be only in his early twenties.
Yet, he lacked the restlessness common at that age, nor did he put on the flamboyant performance of a viral shop owner.
Nonsense, he was exhausted every day; where would he find the energy to be flamboyant?
At that moment, Lu You was attending to a customer.
The customer was decked out in designer streetwear and looked like a young man from a wealthy background.
As soon as he opened his mouth, he threw out a request that Li Wei considered quite tricky.
"Boss, I want the most comfortable Ergonomic Gaming Chair. Not one of those mass-produced things on the market; I want a private custom version that fits my body perfectly!"
Hearing this request, Li Wei's brow furrowed.
A private custom ergonomic chair?
This was no joke.
As a purchasing manager, he had procured such products for his company's executive offices.
Truly top-tier customization required a 3D scanner to collect nearly a hundred data points from the user's entire body.
Then, a professional ergonomic designer would create the model.
Finally, it would take weeks or even months on a production line to build.
The price could easily reach tens or even hundreds of thousands!
Could this tiny Hardware Store really pull that off?
"This... he can get this too?" Assistant Xiao Chen whispered in amazement by his ear.
Li Wei didn't say a word, merely observing with interest.
He wanted to see how this young shopkeeper would respond.
Would he make an excuse about customization taking time, or would he pull out some so-called high-end product to fool the customer?
He saw Lu You's gaze linger on the streetwear-clad youth for two seconds.
In his mind, the system's voice rang out clearly.
[Ding! Customer demand detected: Private custom-grade Ergonomic Gaming Chair.]
[Scanning target's physical data... Height 182cm, weight 78kg, shoulder width 48cm, spinal curvature... Data collection complete.]
[Matching and generating based on the optimal ergonomic model... Generation complete!]
[Item stored in Back Warehouse Area A, Slot 12. Generation cost: 1,850 yuan. Suggested retail price: 8,800 yuan.]
Lu You's face remained as calm as a still well.
He looked up and, facing the expectant customer, uttered his signature word.
"I have it!"
He then added, "The model that best matches your physical data has already been generated. It's quite expensive, but it's definitely comfortable."
"Price is no object!" the youth waved his hand grandly, appearing extremely generous. "As long as the product is good, money is a trivial matter!"
"Alright, please wait a moment."
Lu You turned and walked through the door leading to the back warehouse.
The entire process took no more than three minutes.
Lu You reappeared, pushing out a gaming chair with a sleek design.
The material of the chair looked extraordinary.
The streetwear youth couldn't wait to sit down.
The moment he sat down, he let out a sigh of ultimate comfort, his body relaxing completely.
It was as if every joint and every inch of muscle was perfectly supported by a gentle yet powerful force.
"Holy crap! Holy crap! This is the feeling!" He was so excited he became somewhat incoherent, shouting while adjusting the armrests and lumbar support.
"My god! This is too comfortable! I've bought several chairs online for over ten thousand yuan before, tried all the big brands, but they all felt like they were missing something!"
"Either the waist was unsupported or the neck felt wrong! This... this is practically a mold taken directly from my body!"
He was so happy he was going crazy, standing up and sitting back down repeatedly.
Repeatedly feeling that perfect fit, he finally took out his phone without hesitation.
"Boss, how much? I'm buying it! I want it now! You can ship it directly to Shanghai from here, right?"
"Eight thousand eight hundred. Yes, I can ship it."
"That... that's so cheap??" However, he didn't overthink it. If the boss said eight thousand eight hundred, why would he complain about it being cheap?
"Scanned!"
The youth paid readily, then with a look like he'd "found a treasure," contentedly went aside to fill out the shipping form.
This entire scene fell completely into Li Wei's eyes.
Could this shop really be that impressive?
But the youth's reaction was too genuine.
Moreover, as a senior purchasing agent, Li Wei's gaze was incredibly sharp.
He could see that the chair's craftsmanship and materials were by no means ordinary.
His professional instinct told him there was something fishy here.
While he was deep in thought, several more groups of customers completed their transactions.
Every time, after hearing a request, Lu You would utter that single word: "I have it."
Then he would turn and enter the warehouse, bringing out the physical item within a minute or two.
The contempt in Li Wei's heart had long since vanished.
It was replaced by a thoroughly piqued curiosity.
He took a deep breath, parted the crowd, and walked up to the counter.
"Boss," Li Wei's voice was steady and powerful, carrying an undeniable aura.
Instantly, the surrounding noise of the onlookers quieted down a bit.
Lu You looked up, calmly observing this extraordinary middle-aged man. "Hello, how can I help you?"
Li Wei met his gaze and didn't beat around the bush.
He threw out his ultimate question directly!!