Restarting life in Siheyuan

Chapter 450: The First Confrontation with a Foreign Company

"You two, the autonomous region is now in your hands. These two are here to implement the subsequent construction projects on my behalf. If there is anything, please discuss it with us. Also, help those people settle down and help them settle their families. These people should be deployed to the grassroots level as soon as possible to form combat effectiveness. If the other party dares to move, we will give them a severe punishment according to our plan."

Without staying in the autonomous region for long, Zhu Xuefeng picked up Lin Na and visited several projects together, then hurried to Hong Kong.

"This dead man, really, he only stayed with us for three days."

Xia Yuhong was a little unhappy when she saw Zhu Xuefeng being sent away by helicopter, and Lin Na tried to comfort her with a smile.

"You know that Hong Kong has left both banks idle for more than a month. If he doesn't go back, Wu Qianqian won't be able to stand it."

"Forget it, now that we are here, let's get down to work. Who asked us to choose this place? Let's go and get back to work."

"That's right. Don't you see Yan Zi is busy? There's no reason for us to be idle."

In the study room in Tamsui Bay, Hong Kong, Wu Qianqian is reporting on the situation in Hong Kong over the past six months.

There are too many industries involved now, and Zhu Xuefeng is also very troubled. He feels like a bear trying to break off sticks, wanting them all. Indeed, now is the beginning of Hong Kong's rapid development. Any industry is full of hope, and some of his inadvertent ideas can bring good returns.

Unfortunately, there are too few available people now. We should consider the industrial management framework and long-term layout. Human energy is limited. After all, Dongsheng Company was established too recently, only fourteen months ago, and there are too few available talents.

Currently, the company has entered into clothing, electronics, real estate, motor vehicle manufacturing, food processing (vegetable and wild vegetable processing), foreign trade (sale of all products and resale of wood, wild vegetables and some minerals), and will later expand into hotels, shipbuilding, shipping and aviation.

But these cannot be given up. We have to provide for food, clothing, shelter and transportation, and at the same time help Guoming develop. It is impossible without comprehensive development.

Zhu Xuefeng, who had no clue, let go of his obsession and saw that Wu Qianqian was still looking at him.

"Well, we've done a good job. Compared to the second half of last year, we've made a big step forward. Don't worry about the problems you mentioned. Now that I'm here, we have to come up with a solution."

The two banks have been dragged along by Wu Qianqian and are already very impatient. Now the next plan still requires their cooperation, so it is not the time to turn against each other.

The radio has released a new model, which has barely coped with the competition from Sony, but the net profit has dropped by 30% because the prices of European components are much higher than those of Fuso.

"What is the response from China? When can alternative products be provided?"

"We agreed to a year of research, but now it's been more than a month. Most of the work has been completed, but there are still two or three types of work that are undergoing various experiments and are expected to be completed two months later. The other party has already sent us a progress report in advance. Some of the research has not been going smoothly and has been delayed a bit."

"Just pay attention. There are too many uncertainties in this kind of research. It is impossible to completely meet our needs. As long as it can be made, we will use it and release new models as long as the parameters meet the standards."

Wu Qianqian seemed a little embarrassed. "But the cost estimates they sent are not very optimistic. Some are more expensive than buying from Europe. If we really want to choose..."

Knowing that Wu Qianqian was worried about the cost, Zhu Xuefeng had to counsel her.

"When we first start production, the cost will definitely not go down. There is no scale effect. We will use it first. When we negotiate with the domestic companies again, we have to give them some profit so that they can continue to develop and improve again. Only by entering a virtuous circle can we reduce costs."

"We have to maintain our price advantage. If our procurement costs increase again, our profits will drop again. We may only be able to break even or even lose money. Does it make sense to do this? Or should we give up this industry?"

Wu Qianqian is still very worried. She used to make a lot of money, but after Sony's mess, she is now in such a state. She can still hold on, but if she switches to a domestic company, it will be a bit unreliable.

"We won't lose money. Procurement from domestic sources will reduce logistics costs. Besides, didn't I ask you to negotiate? We must make them realize that costs must be reduced. We agreed to settle at international prices. Now we are willing to make concessions. They still have to work towards this goal. Only you can speak up for yourself."

Seeing the man insist, Wu Qianqian had to compromise.

"Well, I have to be the villain. You can save yourself the trouble by hiding in the back."

Zhu Xuefeng pulled the beauty into his arms and comforted her, "There is no other way. I can only ask you to work hard. I will think of ways to improve the appearance and performance of the product, and strive to make it more beautiful and have better effects. In this way, even if our price is a little higher than the other party, I believe the market will accept it."

"By the way, you said that 4,500 assembled vehicles were delivered in June. Didn't he keep some for himself this time?"

Wu Qianqian answered breathlessly, "Well, last time he sold it himself, he got into trouble and someone came to him to ask for his money back. He spent a lot of the money and couldn't pay it back, so he got beaten up and didn't pay it back until the third day."

It turned out that Li Huaide was very happy after taking the money. He asked someone to take him to a bar, where he was ripped off. It was said that he spent more than 10,000 Hong Kong dollars, and of course he had no money to return to the bar.

Later, they quickly found workers sent by the steel rolling mill and exchanged a lot of Hong Kong dollars from the workers on the pretext that the factory needed foreign exchange. Only then did they fill the hole.

The employees dispatched to Hong Kong by the steel rolling mill all have their wages settled in Hong Kong dollars, and they also receive a monthly living allowance of 60 Hong Kong dollars. After a few months, everyone has saved a lot. People like Master Lu, who have a high level and have no place to spend the money, have saved nearly Hong Kong dollars. When they heard that the country needed foreign exchange, they were all willing to exchange it with Li Huaide. It was a good thing that Li Huaide did not bring much money, otherwise more than a dozen people could have raised more than Hong Kong dollars for him.

"This guy has a very good brain. He can come up with this kind of idea. Then since the 500 vehicles were returned last month, he still hasn't delivered them?"

"No, he wanted to sell them to Southeast Asia by sea, but he had no way and no money to work with, so he failed. As a result, he secretly sold a lot of them at prices below the market price, and the rest are probably waiting to be sold slowly. As long as they can get a good price, these people don't mind not getting a license."

This kind of sneaky selling is illegal in Hong Kong. Dongsheng Company has to pay taxes on its sales. If this kind of car runs on the road, something will happen sooner or later.

"Don't worry about him, let him do whatever he wants. Hong Kong is so small, how many people are willing to take risks for such a small amount of money? You will regret it when your car is confiscated by the police."

Seeing that the man didn't take it seriously, Wu Qianqian quickly raised her head, her face flushed, and reminded him anxiously.

“But if we find out he’s the one, we’ll be implicated too. This factory is registered under our company’s name, and if we investigate further, his identity will be known to the Hong Kong government.

It is legal to engage in activities in Hong Kong with official mainland documents, and the Hong Kong government will not interfere. However, secretly building a factory for exports is definitely not allowed.

Hong Kong and the mainland have a tacit understanding, in exchange for a special train carrying supplies (food, vegetables, fruits, eggs, meat, etc.) every three days, as well as fresh water resources in Guangdong Province.

Zhu Xuefeng's hands were exploring up and down, and he seemed to be unconcerned about Wu Qianqian's worries.

"Then let Inspector Liang come forward to investigate first, control the matter in our own hands, and let him remember it for a long time. Once we take action here, we will send the situation to the north. By the way, do you have any photos of him going to the bar?" "There are a few, but they are not clear because the lighting is too bad."

"Forget it then. Just briefly mention that we won't hand over the photos, so that people don't think we're keeping an eye on him."

Li Huaide, who was being targeted, was happily teasing his secretary in the office. He made some mistakes in May and suffered a loss. Later, he adjusted the direction and sold nearly 200 vehicles in more than a month. Although the prices were much cheaper, he still earned more than 30,000 Hong Kong dollars, which is an average of more than 10,000 Hong Kong dollars a month. Not only did he make up for the loss, but he also had a lot of money on hand and his secretary became more considerate.

With the ability to earn more than 10,000 Hong Kong dollars a month, Li Huaide no longer lingers in Beijing. Lao Yang has also been forgotten by him. He has forgotten the original intention of coming to Hong Kong. This world of pleasure is so beautiful, as long as you have money...

"Manager, there's a letter for you." There was a noise outside the door.

Li Huaide patted the secretary's butt, and the secretary got up, straightened her clothes and opened the door.

"give it to me."

The letter came from the north. My father-in-law got what he wanted and wrote to ask how the work here was going, whether it was difficult to make a breakthrough, and why there had been no follow-up reports for two months..."

Li Huaide sat up straight with a start, and once again remembered the instructions before leaving, "Xiao Li, you go out first, I have something to do here, whoever comes will be arranged to the afternoon."

Li Huaide thought back and forth in the office with his hands behind his back, and carefully sorted out his two months in Hong Kong. When he came up with an idea, he returned to his desk and picked up a pen...

At the Peninsula Hotel, a long-awaited negotiation was underway, and the two anxious foreign companies had sent their managers.

"Ms. Wu, this must be your boss, Mr. Zhu. It's really better to meet him in person than to hear about him. I have heard of him for a long time."

The two bosses were very angry, but they still stood up to greet them politely. Wu Qianqian answered with a smile.

"You two have been waiting for a long time. This is our boss. He just returned to Hong Kong yesterday."

The two bosses had no choice but to greet him with a smile, "Boss Zhu, you have worked hard. You are young and promising. This is the first time we meet."

"I'm sorry, I'm busy outside, so I've entrusted Miss Wu to handle everything here. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting for so long."

Zhu Xuefeng was not overly enthusiastic and greeted everyone very formally. They took their seats and the waiter quickly brought up various snacks. That's right, the four of them had agreed to have afternoon tea.

The two bosses suppressed their complaints and quickly got to the point. Zhu Xuefeng tasted the food slowly while listening carefully to the demands of the two families.

This situation is very common in Hong Kong. Don't think that foreign companies only do business in the financial field. They come all the way to the East just to make money. All walks of life that make money are indispensable in Hong Kong, and the industries that make money quickly are basically in their hands.

As for the exclusive agent, that's because they like you. The Hong Kong compradors are referring to the Hong Kong capitalists of this period. Now Hong Kong is still their world. It is because of the super profitability of Dongsheng Company. There is no other company in Hong Kong that can earn tens of millions of dollars a year. That's why the two of them endured and waited for more than a month.

"What you two are talking about is just a little bit of cooperation to make money. If there are some minor differences, just talk it out. When it comes to business, cooperation is what I like most. Sharing resources can achieve the greatest results. The pie will be bigger, and everyone will benefit, right?"

The two were overjoyed to hear Zhu Xuefeng's tone. This was right. It would be unwise to confront the two banks. This young man was quite sensible.

"Ms. Wu, you still need to learn from your boss, you see..."

Wu Qianqian smiled and said, "Why else, why is the boss the boss, but I can only be an employee? The two bosses please don't laugh at me."

Boss Henry and Boss Yuri looked unhappy. Zhu Xuefeng was also a worker there. Seeing their expressions change, Zhu Xuefeng ate a shrimp dumpling leisurely, wiped his mouth, and put down his cutlery.

"This tastes good, but you two have small appetites."

The two people, who had already put down their cutlery, were stunned and didn't quite understand what Zhu Xuefeng meant.

"How much profit can we make by focusing on the down jacket project? This product has low technical content. After the patent protection period is over, I guarantee that other brands will spring up like mushrooms after rain, and then the agents will not be able to make money."

With the help of this lawsuit, "Arctic Man" has successfully applied for patents in many countries in North America and Western Europe. Unfortunately, it is not considered an invention patent and generally has only a five-year protection period. After five years, you can apply for an extension once, and if successful, it can be extended for another three years. However, too many countries are involved and the possibility of success is not great. At that time, there was no international patent organization.

"Five years is not a short time, it's enough for the three of us to make money. Mr. Zhu, we don't want much. Let others make money after five years. We can't make all the money, right? We have to leave some for others."

Henry thought Zhu Xuefeng had just let it go and was very casual.

"Actually, I invited you two here to discuss a big deal. This can only make money for a few years, so it's just an appetizer. Put it aside for now and listen to our company's big project. After listening, you two can decide whether to participate."

"Oh, Mr. Zhu, do you have a more suitable project? We are very interested in it. Please tell us about it."

"Actually, this project is right in front of you two. You both know about it, but you just haven't paid much attention to it."

The two senior students became interested, drank some soup, and listened quietly to what was said next.

"It's aviation. We are planning to set up an airline. Both of you know about it. Are you interested? I can give both of you 10% of the shares. This is a rare opportunity. This is a sunrise industry that can be run forever. The aviation industry is developing rapidly now. You two must be aware of it."

The aviation industry is indeed a sunrise industry, but it is only 10%? The two bosses did not care too much. Seeing their expressions, Zhu Xuefeng smiled and said.

"Don't underestimate this 10% stake. Once you know our plan, you will know that this 10% is a lot."

Since the end of World War II, the development momentum of air transport has been unstoppable and uncontrollable. The demand for freight and passenger transport has been rising rapidly. It is definitely a business that can make money.

However, this industry requires large investments and carries far greater risks than shipping. An air crash may put a fledgling airline in trouble. Aircraft and compensation can cause a company with limited capital to go bankrupt overnight.

"Mr. Zhu, we know that your company is planning to enter the aviation field. Your company has submitted loan applications to both of us. We also support your company in developing aviation business. However, Hong Kong already has Cathay Pacific Airways. If you set up another one, we are also curious about how you will face the competition from Cathay Pacific."

(End of this chapter)