Chapter 32: Fraud! Isn't this just plain fraud?

The news spread like wildfire!

Following this latest turn of events, with the endorsement of numerous city officials, the Peking University honor student lecture became even more sensational. Yet, so far, apart from the employees of the Prosperity and Splendor Hotel and the aforementioned officials, no one else had been able to get their hands on a ticket.

Those who held tickets were showing them off with smug pride, while the parents of students who couldn't secure one were growing increasingly anxious. Especially since the information on the distributed tickets revealed the lecture was scheduled for the afternoon of the day after tomorrow. If they didn't find a way to get tickets soon, it would be too late!

And so, these parents pulled every string they had, making endless calls to find connections. There were even rumors that the black-market price for a single ticket had been bid up to nearly fifteen thousand. Yet, even at such an exorbitant price, very few were willing to part with their tickets. Even the hotel staff who had received free tickets—while tempted by the fifteen thousand—had friends and relatives to consider. If someone knew you had a gifted ticket and came begging, and you refused, they might just drop to their knees, weeping and playing the moral-blackmail card.

At the Prosperity and Splendor Hotel, thanks to the "favors" bestowed by the young mistress, Chang Lu, the employees were deeply grateful and obedient to her every word. The chores that usually took all morning were finished in less than an hour.

"Qitai, the hype for the lecture should be about right now. Should we start selling the tickets?" Chang Lu asked, looking at the two boxes of tickets.

"Yeah! Brother Tai, they say the black market price has hit fifteen thousand a pop. If we still sell them for 999, wouldn't that be a massive loss?" Xue Xiaoshan had specifically gone out with his father that evening to scout the situation and had been shocked by the black-market prices.

"Not yet! Let the bullets fly a little longer. Black-market prices are inflated; once we start selling in bulk, the scarcity will vanish. We must manufacture the perfect moment; we cannot be the ones to actively offer the tickets," Huo Qitai said, keeping a close watch on the hotel entrance, where more and more scalpers were gathering.

"We can't actively sell them? Then how do we do it?" Xue Xiaoshan realized he couldn't keep up with Huo Qitai’s line of thinking.

Chang Lu’s eyes lit up, however. Following Huo Qitai’s gaze toward the outside, she said, "Does Qitai mean that we weren't planning to sell tickets to the public, but now, due to overwhelming public demand, we have no choice?"

"Exactly! We don't want to sell them, but the people are forcing our hand..." Before Huo Qitai could finish, two men in the crowd—one in black, one in white—began to incite the masses.

"We want to buy tickets! Why won't you sell to us?"
"Are only the children of officials allowed to hear the Peking University honor student lecture? Can't we ordinary folk attend even if we have the money?"

The scalpers and parents, previously a disorganized mob, suddenly found their rallying cry, joining in to vent their frustration at the hotel.

"Young Mistress! Student Huo! What do we do? These people are furious. If something happens, this could turn into a mass incident!" Manager Wu rushed over in a panic.

"Manager Wu, go out there and tell them this is a private event, not open to the public. Tell them to go cool off somewhere else," Huo Qitai said, seemingly wanting to fan the flames.

Manager Wu’s face turned grim; he felt that if he said that, he would surely be beaten to death. But unable to defy Huo Qitai’s order, he stepped outside and said diplomatically, "Everyone, please stop shouting! The hotel is helpless here. The number of spots is limited, and it's a private event booked by others; tickets were never for public sale."

Before he could finish, the man in black punched him in the face, cursing, "You're lying! I saw a ticket; it had a price of 999 printed on it. It must be you hotel people who hoarded the tickets to resell on the black market for profit, right?"

"Profiteers! Everyone, follow me, let's call the mayor's hotline and report this. I don't believe the hotel would dare keep hiding the tickets." The man in white chimed in, immediately dialing the hotline in front of the crowd.

Others followed suit. For a while, Manager Wu had a miserable time, suffering countless kicks and shoves before scrambling back into the hotel. He was worrying about how to report back to Huo Qitai when he heard him say with a smile, "Alright, Manager Wu, your mission is accomplished."

"Ah? This... this is what you call accomplished?" Manager Wu was utterly confused. He didn't know that this scene had perfectly escalated the conflict to the right intensity.

As the general manager of the Prosperity and Splendor Hotel, Chang Fuyou had been dazed all day. Early in the morning, he had received numerous calls from people looking for tickets. By the afternoon, he received another flood of calls—some praising him for having such a capable daughter, others thanking him for the tickets she had gifted. By evening, it was even more exaggerated. Top city officials had called him personally, warning him to mind the public impact and to find a way to start selling the lecture tickets immediately.

"What on earth is going on? How did the Peking University forum that Lulu and that Huo Qitai put together become this hot?" After hanging up, Chang Fuyou didn't dare delay. He had been on a business trip in a neighboring city, so he started heading back immediately, calling to confirm the rumors along the way.

When he arrived back at the hotel, it was already ten o'clock at night. Huo Qitai and Xue Xiaoshan had long since left. Chang Lu looked at her travel-worn father and smiled, "Dad! Qitai was right. He told me to wait for you at the hotel, saying you would definitely come back no matter how late it was."

"Hmph! Could I not come back? You’re about to bring the house down!" Chang Fuyou wore a sour expression. He had originally thought this was just a small experiment for his daughter and her friends to experience the difficulties of business, and that he would simply cover the losses. He never imagined they would actually succeed in hyping up this lecture.

"What are you afraid of? Qitai said this is exactly what we were waiting for. We can start selling tickets openly tomorrow; there's no worry about them not selling out." Chang Lu began to calculate with pride. "We have about 1,500 seats per session. Each ticket allows a parent and student to enter, which is about 750 tickets per session. Qitai said we should sell 500 tickets and use the rest for favors, just like today. That makes 1,500 tickets in total. Selling them at 999 each equals 1.5 million! After deducting the cost of less than 200,000, that’s a pure profit of 1.3 million..."

"1.3 million? This is fraud! Fraud! Do you understand?" While shocked by the exorbitant profit, his heart was filled with growing dread.

"What fraud? Dad, that’s such an ugly thing to say. Everything Qitai arranged is just marketing. It’s a bit exaggerated, sure, but didn't those people believe it?" Chang Lu pouted, explaining.

"I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about the nature of your lecture. This 'Peking University Honor Student Lecture'—can you actually invite honor students from Peking University to speak? If the tickets are sold out tomorrow and you can't bring in the students the day after, isn't that fraud?"