Chapter 121: Hitting the Nail on the Head

Although they had decided to bring Old Yao into the fold, they were in no hurry. They first ate lunch, then delivered meals to Zhu Xiaofeng and Lu Wei. Only after finishing these tasks did they return to the Friendship Hotel to call Old Yao, telling him they had important business to discuss and asking him to come over.

In the small room, Wang Qiang and Old Zhu were chatting and laughing over tea. Old Yao’s voice drifted in from outside: "Sister-in-law, where are Old Zhu and Little Wang?"

Wang Qiang saw the proprietress glance back before replying lazily, "Inside."

Soon, Old Yao’s footsteps grew closer, and a moment later, he appeared at the doorway. Old Zhu gestured for him to sit and poured him a cup of tea.

Sitting across from Wang Qiang, Old Yao took a sip, set the cup down, and asked with a smile, "What’s the big news you’ve called me here for?"

Wang Qiang exchanged a look with Old Zhu, knowing he had to be the one to speak to avoid any friction between the two friends. "Brother Yao, regarding your request to join us, Old Zhu and I have discussed it and feel it’s worth considering. However, there are a few conditions. I’m not sure if you can accept them. If you can, we can sign an agreement immediately. If not, let’s just pretend I never brought it up today."

Old Yao didn’t truly believe Wang Qiang had consulted Old Zhu; in his eyes, the decision rested entirely with Wang Qiang. Hearing that he was being accepted, he became immediately interested. He was a heavy smoker, so as he pulled out a cigarette, he asked, "What are the conditions? Let’s hear them."

The proprietress at the door turned to watch the three of them, appearing quite curious.

After a moment of contemplation, Wang Qiang said calmly, "You know I can source the goods, right?" Seeing Old Yao nod, he continued, "You might not know this, but the business with our buyers was brought in by Old Zhu. I want to ask, what exactly can you contribute to our small three-person team?"

The question stumped Old Yao. He frowned while offering a cigarette to Old Zhu, pondered for a long time, and finally ventured, "Money?"

Wang Qiang wasn't particularly satisfied with this answer, but he still gave Old Yao a chance. When negotiating, one had to lay everything on the table, and they were indeed short on capital for the goods. "Since you brought up money, let’s be frank. Previously, Old Zhu and I split profits seventy-thirty—seventy for me, thirty for him. Now that you’re joining, we have to redistribute the shares. I’ve thought about the allocation, but I’m not sure if you two can accept it."

In fact, he and Old Zhu had already finalized the terms during lunch.

Old Zhu took the cigarette, pretending he didn't know what was coming, and asked, "How are the shares being split?"

"Go ahead, I'm listening," Old Yao said, nodding as he lit his cigarette.

Wang Qiang took a sip of tea and said slowly, "Forty-three-thirty. Forty percent for me, thirty for each of you."

Old Yao puffed on his cigarette and asked, "What about the capital contribution?"

"I’ll put in twenty thousand and handle the sourcing. Old Zhu will put in twenty thousand and handle the sales." Wang Qiang paused deliberately before making his audacious demand: "You will put in forty thousand, because besides the money, you have no other contribution."

Old Yao choked on his cigarette smoke, coughing violently. Tears streamed from his eyes as he stared, pointing at himself, "I put in forty thousand and only get thirty percent?"

Wang Qiang spread his hands. "If you don’t think that works, then there’s no need for us to continue talking."

Old Yao sat silently, feeling somewhat resentful. He felt Wang Qiang was trying to fleece him, but since Wang Qiang held all the cards, he truly had no other choice.

***

Although he really wanted to work with Wang Qiang, Old Yao wasn't a fool. After thinking it over for a long while, he said, "Let’s talk about the money later. I want to ask, is the electronics business profitable?"

Seeing Old Zhu looking at him, Wang Qiang nodded.

"Profitable? How could it not be?" Old Zhu said boisterously. "A ten-thousand-yuan deal nets at least forty percent profit. You tell me if that’s profitable."

Forty percent profit? Old Yao’s heart skipped a beat. "That much?"

"Heh, you don't believe me?" Old Zhu glanced at him. "To be honest with you, we have a deal in the works right now worth over a hundred thousand. If you buy in, you’ll be making money immediately."

Old Yao was puzzled. "If you already have business, why share the profits with me?"

*If we had enough capital, do you think we’d have thought of you?*

Of course, Wang Qiang wouldn't say that out loud. He offered a half-truth: "Old Zhu and I want to expand, but we don't have many clients—only five or six. Capital is one constraint, but finding new buyers is also difficult. We thought about bringing you in to help Old Zhu find more buyers. There's strength in numbers, after all."

To everyone's surprise, Old Yao ignored the explanation and pressed, "Five or six clients for a deal worth over a hundred thousand?"

"You don't believe me?" Old Zhu said, annoyed. "We're old friends; why would I lie to you?"

"I'm not saying you're lying." Various thoughts raced through Old Yao's mind. Five or six clients, over a hundred thousand in sales, and a forty percent profit on a ten-thousand-yuan investment? That meant this one deal could net tens of thousands?

His heart began to pound uncontrollably. Old Yao was indeed greedy for profit, and he immediately considered another possibility: What if there were ten clients? What if there were a hundred? He’d be filthy rich!

Unable to sit still, Old Yao puffed on his cigarette several times before looking up at Wang Qiang. "Have you thought about how to attract more clients?"

Old Zhu shrugged. "Take it slow, I guess. At worst, I’ll ask more friends if they know anyone in the business, or just go out and look around."

Old Yao shook his head. "At that rate, you won't have many clients by the end of the year. I have a better idea."

"Oh?" Wang Qiang asked, intrigued. "What idea?"

Old Zhu and the proprietress at the door both looked over.

"I just heard you guys mention it, and I have a simple idea in mind, though I haven't worked out the specific operations yet," Old Yao prefaced. "The method is simple: build our reputation. Just like how people advertise on TV. If everyone knows we have the goods, they’ll come to us. It’s more time-efficient and effective than you going out and pulling in clients one by one, Old Zhu."

***

Wang Qiang hadn't thought of this before. He had instinctively assumed that finding buyers required him to take the initiative. Old Yao’s remark was a wake-up call. It was true—if they had a reputation, why would they ever worry about finding buyers?

He couldn't help but admire Old Yao. He was a true businessman who cut straight to the heart of the matter. Wang Qiang, who had never done business in his past life, suddenly felt that having someone like Old Yao in the team might not be so bad. It seemed the man had his uses.

The fact that Old Yao pointed out the key issue within just a few sentences proved he was well-suited for business. He might be a bit snobbish, but he possessed insight that Wang Qiang and Old Zhu lacked. For instance, the need for brand recognition—it sounded simple, but without his reminder, Wang Qiang realized he probably wouldn't have thought of it for a long time.

Wang Qiang made his decision: as long as Old Yao didn't reject the previous conditions, he would bring him on board. Having an old hand from the business world should be quite helpful.

Old Zhu, however, hadn't caught on. He said with a sneer, "If it were that easy to build a reputation, we wouldn't need you to tell us. The problem is how? We can't just run out into the street with a megaphone and shout, 'I have cheap goods, come and get them!'"

Old Yao retorted, "Don't be like that. I said I haven't figured out the details yet. I'll tell you when I do."

Build a reputation? Can't brag about yourself? Aside from ads in the newspaper or on TV, what else could they do? TV ads were out of the question; the price was something the three of them couldn't afford at the moment.

Old Yao had considered newspaper ads, but that seemed unrealistic too. They were a small operation with no company and no real standing. Even if they advertised, people might not take them seriously. Ultimately, their own strength was too weak; if they had an actual company, that method might work. Furthermore, aside from the cost, newspaper ads were fleeting and limited, and couldn't guarantee that the people in the electronics business would see them.

Old Zhu sighed. "If only everyone on Qiujiang Road knew we could get cheap goods."

Old Yao sat with his head down, thinking, but with no progress yet.

However, just as the two of them were racking their brains, Wang Qiang spoke up.

"I have an idea."

Old Zhu’s eyes lit up. That’s right—the arcade business last time was also Wang Qiang’s brainchild. Maybe he really did have a good idea. "Little Wang, what is it?"

Old Yao looked at Wang Qiang with a complex expression. "Let’s hear it."

Even the proprietress at the door looked curious.

Seeing everyone watching him, Wang Qiang cleared his throat. Build a reputation? He didn't have any brilliant strategies, but he did have a rather unscrupulous one.