2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 99 Temporary Return to Ningbo
"Days go by, we're growing up slowly; I don't care if you understand what I'm singing, oh, oh."

Perhaps due to the immense popularity of fairy tales this year, the song "One Wave After Another," a duet by Michael Wong and Richie Jen released in 2000, has been rediscovered by audio equipment stores on the street, and its melody is now echoing throughout the city.

If you were to ask how popular this year's fairy tale has been, it would be that it has been broadcast on loudspeakers across Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong since its release, and no one has missed it. It can be considered one of the biggest winners this year.

Today marks Zhang Xupeng's 26th day in Guangzhou, and it's the first time he's had the opportunity to step out of his hotel at night and experience the city's night view firsthand.

It's already past ten o'clock, and the streets are bustling with people. The various late-night food stalls are incredibly popular, making it seem like a completely different world from Beicang.

This experience was completely different from his hometown of Yicheng, making it a novel one for Zhang Xupeng.

Xiao Tan has temporarily returned to Ningbo, taking some important documents and contracts with her. She will also talk to the OEM factory about this year's production plan. With a large number of orders in hand, she has more confidence when facing Zhang Haiping this time.

It must be said that Xiao Tan is a very mature businesswoman. When James lowered the price, he planned to lower the price for the contract manufacturers, even for Zhang Haiping, with whom he had been cooperating for half a year.

In Xiao Tan's own words, "I can guarantee that their peak season will be even busier, their off-season won't be so slow, and they'll still have a profit margin. What more could you want?"

Listen to this, listen to this, is this human language? He described lowering the price as a great act of kindness.

But for Zhang Xupeng, this was indeed another trick up his sleeve. After drinking that night, Tan Jincheng noticed that Zhang Xupeng wasn't particularly keen on taking on business, so he explained the pros and cons to him.

If the boss of a trading company doesn't have any ability and doesn't have a reliable customer base, he'll be led by the nose by his top salesperson. Take the current situation for example: if Tan Jincheng were a little ruthless and registered a similar clothing trading company, taking all the customers with him, Zhang Xupeng would have nowhere to cry.

The boss doesn't have to personally run the business; he can sit in the company, cross his legs, and tease his junior employees. But he must have a certain amount of customer resources to ensure the company's normal operation.

At the very least, we must prevent ourselves from being caught off guard and thrown into chaos if our star salesperson is poached by another company.

Xiao Tan's words and actions, as well as what he saw and heard at this Canton Fair, made Zhang Xupeng, who had always stayed in the background as if he were being protected, realize that doing business is not just about making money, but also has a cruel side.

At the same time, it also made him realize that the days when he and Xiao Tan would gradually drift apart in business were getting closer and closer.

Zhang Xupeng knew about everything: setting up a new company, hiring his uncle to renovate the office, and even borrowing money from Jinpeng Trading to equip the new company with vehicles; if nothing unexpected happened, the end of this Canton Fair would be the time when the two parted ways in the business world.

Feeling somewhat sad and timid, Zhang Xupeng was not yet ready to take over Jinpeng Trading completely, but what was coming would eventually come, and there was no point in talking about running away.

"It's not about being fully prepared for everything, but about bravely telling yourself, even in the darkest or rainiest times: Screw it, I don't care."

This is a sentence that Xiao Tan said when she was facing difficulties on the ship and was about to give up.

Yes, what do I have to be afraid of? I'm just a high school graduate with no diploma or academic qualifications, and I've already made a millionaire in less than two years. What's there to be afraid of?

Among his peers and classmates, some who didn't go to university are working in factories or on construction sites. Xiao Tan gave him a hand, so even if he starts from scratch now, his starting point is much higher than many others. Even if he just messes around, it'll be enough to keep him busy for several years.

"Boss, are we going home? It's almost 11 o'clock."

Seeing that Zhang Xupeng still intended to go forward, Sun Yuming couldn't help but remind him; he had already seen that there were two groups of people making a ruckus with bottles in front of him, so it was better not to go any closer.

People like Sun Yuming, who run sales, may have varying levels of sales ability, but their risk awareness is definitely top-notch. There are plenty of cases of people getting drunk and causing trouble at night food stalls, and many onlookers also end up getting unlucky.

Boss Tan just went back today. If he gets into trouble because he went out with Boss Zhang for a late-night snack, he'll be the only one who suffers. Boss Tan is quick to pay, but if you think that makes him easy to talk to and that you can take advantage of his youth, then you're underestimating him.

Look at the underhanded tactics he uses, his methods of dealing with foreigners, and the way Boss Zhang blindly trusts him, as well as how his two female colleagues seem a little afraid of him. You can tell what kind of person he is.

These skills combined might make calling him a business genius a bit of an exaggeration, but he is at least an absolutely qualified boss. Sun Yuming has only ever seen this kind of skill and demeanor in middle-aged people.

I really don't understand how someone can be so amazing at 20. I'm two years older than Boss Tan and have been in the workforce for several years, but I'm still stuck in this mess, unable to even find a decent job. But working for a boss like that isn't bad. He's mature and resourceful, yet very young, passionate about his work, and his future achievements are limitless. Those who started with him and stayed until he became successful will at least do quite well.

Judging from how readily Boss Tan pays you, he's not a stingy person. As long as you can complete the tasks he assigns, he won't treat you unfairly.

For bosses in their forties or fifties, whose companies have reached a certain size, there's less concern about them going bankrupt, and jobs are more stable. However, for newcomers, a stable environment means fewer opportunities, making it incredibly difficult to stand out.

If I were in my 30s now, married and established, I would look for a stable job to support my family. But I'm only 22, so I still have the opportunity to try and make mistakes. Boss Tan is a great choice.

Zhang Xupeng had no idea what Sun Yuming was thinking. He just thought that this guy looked like Xiao Tan's lackey. He would run faster than a rabbit when Xiao Tan asked him to do something. He called himself boss and Xiao Tan the boss. Did he really think I couldn't tell?
Before Xiao Tan went back, she told the others to stay home as little as possible and not to cause trouble. She just wanted to go out for a walk, but he insisted on coming along, saying that two people going out together would be good for each other.

But it doesn't matter anymore. Let him be Xiao Tan's lackey if he wants. After all, Xiao Tan is no stranger. Even if she opens a new company, isn't she still the boss of Jinpeng Trading?
But thinking about it still makes me a little angry. Why can't they be my lackey?
"Alright, let's get some late-night snacks for Brother Liu, then we'll head back."

Zhang Xupeng wasn't really looking for a spectacle; he'd just been lost in thought. Now that things had started commotion, he'd noticed it. He wasn't as carefree as he was in high school anymore; he wouldn't even bother watching this kind of commotion if he were asked to.

"Sigh, Xiao Tan is too strong. I have to work harder, otherwise I'll lose 8 yuan to him."

Thinking back to that casual bet they made, Zhang Xupeng even felt that Xiao Tan had already dug a pit for him. This bastard thinks three steps ahead for every one step he takes, and even his luck can't compare to hers.

The Liverpool team I casually bet on has actually made it to the semi-finals, it's unbelievable.

"Hey, Brother Sun; do you think Liverpool can make it to the final?" Zhang Xupeng suddenly asked.

The football atmosphere is still very strong in Guangdong Province. People don't usually go out and just stay in the hotel watching TV when they have nothing to do. Plus, the group is all around the same age, so when they're not talking about work, they mostly discuss the major leagues and the Champions League knockout stage.

"Liverpool to the final? No way, their next opponent is Chelsea. Chelsea has been trained by Mourinho to be incredibly strong this year, and they're also defensive masters. Liverpool's attacking line won't be able to handle them, will it?"

"Nobody had high hopes for Liverpool either, but they still made it to the semi-finals, didn't they?"

"That's different. The previous opponents weren't very strong defensively, and there's an element of luck involved in the knockout stage, so it's normal for them to win. The next opponent is Chelsea, who have money, a good manager, and the ability to create miracles."

Sun Yuming looked at Zhang Xupeng with some curiosity: "Mr. Zhang, didn't you say you were a Manchester United fan? Why are you rooting for Liverpool now? They're fierce rivals."

"No, I'm not optimistic either. I'm just analyzing it. Liverpool is definitely going to lose, and they'll be in the semifinals soon," Zhang Xupeng laughed heartily.

I told you, Liverpool's good days are over. Nobody in the football world has any faith in them. Xiao Tan is just messing around. He should just throw his 100 yuan into the water.

Yeah, Inter Milan should really step up their game in the semi-finals and beat Milan too, just to make them furious!
The three who stayed in Guangzhou enjoyed a late-night snack, while Tan Jincheng, after a long day of travel, returned to Ningbo and had dinner with his uncle. After briefly learning about the renovation progress of Jinyi Industrial's office, he went to bed early.

Everything has to wait until tomorrow. Trade shows are really exhausting. Even slightly larger orders require a lot of effort. It's better for someone like James, who is the boss and places the order in person. As long as the boss is settled, everything is easy to talk about.

Some companies only send a mid-to-senior level manager, and that's a real headache. Foreigners are just as cunning as we are, and they have to consider all kinds of interests. If it's just drinking, that's fine, but some will give you subtle hints behind your back.

If you give too much, you'll lose profits; if you give too little, people won't be interested, and there might be more than one. It truly proves the saying, "It's easier to mess with the King of Hell than with his underlings."

It's no wonder so many novice investors want to make a fortune through stock trading, because as long as you don't achieve particularly outrageous numbers, stock trading is really too simple. You don't need to pay attention to various interpersonal relationships; you can just stay at home and stare at your computer.

Before his rebirth, business was not doing well, and Tan Jincheng, who had some spare money, also wanted to make a living by speculating in stocks so he could live a comfortable life.

It's a pity that ideals are often far from reality.

(End of this chapter)