My Lord, you need to stand up!

Chapter 396 Someone Will Always Pay the Bill
Of course, Wei Dong had his trump card. Even if things were really difficult to handle, Wu Xi had indeed told him long ago that if there were any problems with the imported goods, he should come to him to resolve them.

Revealing this card basically guarantees victory.

Wei Dong was truly clueless about customs, border inspection, and foreign trade.

But taxation happens to be the administrative aspect that ordinary people encounter most when doing business.

Wei Dong had seen many real situations in the early years.

He understood perfectly that if he went to Wu Xi every time something happened, he would end up no different from Lao Jin.

Old You also tasted the sweetness from top to bottom, hoping that with an imperial edict and a gold medal, he could act recklessly.

In the 1980s, everyone believed in the shortcut of getting everything done through personal connections.

In the end, they will either be swallowed up by their personal connections until nothing is left, or they will become so used to relying on external forces to resolve issues that they will never have any real fighting power.

Therefore, what Wei Dong needs is genuine personal strength.

About three days later, Stone returned from somewhere covered in dirt, looking like a little beggar. He was exhausted, but his eyes were frighteningly bright.

He handed me a crumpled note covered in scribbles and a cheap camera, then collapsed into a deep sleep.

Lamu tenderly brought hot water to gently wipe it clean, Zhuoma took the film out to develop it, and Mao'er sat in the corner of the yard, slowly combing through the note.

Wei Dong was told to pick up the foreigner at the airport the next day.

The foreign investment intentions, which had already been publicly displayed to the district and city governments, and for which various related reception protocols could be applied, should at least have been announced.

Wei Dong deliberately avoided contact, just like when faced with this series of manipulations, he should have spoken out to Shanghai the most.

He didn't say anything.

But I know that many eyes are watching my every move.

They are waiting to seek justice themselves.

The only person who arrived was a business assistant who had followed Steve and spent a considerable amount of time in Jiangzhou, along with a factory technical expert.

Two typical white elite men, dressed in suits, came out beaming, gesturing in a strange, exaggerated tone: "Hooray, hooray, my God..."

The technical expert's expression was a mix of naivety and obsequiousness, and his eyes were filled with longing!

Let Wei Dong take you out for pan-fried buns and duck blood vermicelli soup. That would be fine too.

This guy skillfully used chopsticks to wrap the vermicelli while constantly reporting on the situation.

It was given to the tech expert who hadn't said a word the whole time, just kept his head down and ate heartily, to show off.

Old Zhang, who works as a translator, must have been quite surprised.

I never expected that the boss would interact with foreigners like this.

There are many foreigners in Shanghai, especially in the 1980s. It was probably the place with the most foreigners in the whole country.

They went deep into schools, communities, and tourist attractions.

They all exude a civilized spirit of confidence, magnanimity, compassion, and equality.

They all seem to come from some great land of etiquette.

It can easily make Chinese people feel ashamed of their own abilities, and then inspire feelings of admiration.

If Wei Dong doesn't have any, just casually tell him to add some chili. This soup dumpling is meant to be eaten hot, so hurry up...

The guy was already very wary, but he still cried out in pain from the burn, yet was pleasantly surprised that the taste was so mild.

He gave a thumbs-up the whole time with a crooked grin.

The technical expert was noticeably more cautious. He was savoring the delicious flavor, but seeing the person's mouth agape in disbelief, he gritted his teeth and let himself get burned.

Indeed, this taste was unlike anything I had ever experienced before.

Wei Dong and his business assistant burst into laughter, feeling a bit like they'd gotten away with a prank.

Old Zhang was truly convinced this time.

Wei Dong, you really don't take foreigners seriously.

Sitting in a small eatery in a Shanghai alley, the foreigner took out a foreign bank draft from his bag and gave it to Rang Weidong.

It's similar to having a large sum of money that can be easily cashed at any bank, like in the movie "God of Gamblers".

Wei Dong, still with his legs crossed, counted how many zeros before putting the money in his pocket. He then ate a bowl of vermicelli soup and went out to call two taxis to the vacuum machinery factory.

That's right. Even in 1985, in Shanghai, which was considered one of the most advanced cities in the world, the main mode of taxi service was still three-wheeled motorcycles.

In Shanghai, it's called a "turtle car"; in Guangdong, it's called a "three-legged chicken"; and in Jiangzhou, it's called a "car"—all equally outdated.

The last time Wei Dong rode in this was in Chengdu with Xiao Zhang.

Santana cars can be seen occasionally on the streets, but it's clearly not the right time for them to become widespread in the taxi industry.

So during his stay in Shanghai, Wei Dong took the bus the whole time, showing none of the airs of a billionaire.

I squeezed into the back of the snail-like vehicle with the business assistant to return the promissory note.

But the gestures and words set the stage. Sure enough, the cheap tortoise-like car did nothing to diminish the Citibank's distinguished business elite aura.

Upon entering the Vacuum Electronics Factory again, this business assistant had miraculously reverted to the demeanor of a European and American elite.

He looked at everything in front of him with a warm but distant gaze.

The technical expert who was in the same car as Lao Zhang had an even more serious expression.

Shanghai has a solid foundation, with many people who can speak English.

The factory's technicians and engineers, who enthusiastically followed the factory leaders' presentations, were quickly outmaneuvered by the other side using a few technical terms and production targets, and could not meet them.

The technical experts were even more blunt: "What the hell are you going to change? It's all garbage, everything needs to be replaced..."

They quickly issued a stack of investment targets, saying all you had to do was provide the land and manpower. They claimed that since you were poor and lacked technical expertise, the prestigious Citibank would provide everything else.

About half an hour later, the district leaders arrived after hearing the news.

Just then, he saw the business assistant shaking his head and showed him the Solvay Bank draft: "I am here on behalf of Mr. Steve from Apple to establish a computer factory production line in your country. Your current cooperative production capacity is far below our requirements and completely incapable of producing our high-quality products. Therefore, we need to invest more than 50 million US dollars to build a brand-new contract manufacturer, which is beyond our previous preparations..."

Without needing to count, the factory and district officials, familiar with the foreign method of marking three-digit numbers with commas, could immediately tell the amount of the promissory note. They quickly proposed how to rectify the situation and were fully cooperative.

They were communicating in English, which meant Wei Dong was standing inconspicuously at the back, listening to Lao Zhang translate.

Faced with such a warm and respectful attitude, the business assistant smiled and gestured to the figure behind him: "As per Mr. Steve's request, all investment opinions in East Asia will be subject to Mr. Pete's arrangements. This OEM investment is also a joint project between Mr. Pete and Steve."

They were shocked.

This allows Wei Dong to mention that he can produce no less than 500,000 CRTs for computer monitors annually, or directly ship monitors.

That's an output value of fifty to sixty million US dollars, which is already a production capacity scale rarely seen in China.

But I never expected that the investment in this factory alone would be no less than that amount, and the output scale would be several hundred million US dollars.

What was even more unexpected was that the investment in this OEM factory was actually a joint venture between Wei Dong and foreign investors.

Those who were unsure about the words whispered to each other to confirm, and the way they looked at the young people in this direction changed.

Wei Dong remained expressionless and indifferent.

He even adopted the nonchalant attitude that the person who threatened him before.

The level of hospitality skyrocketed. Not long after we sat down in the factory's conference room, representatives from the bank, industry, and city arrived one after another. Twenty or thirty people listened to the business assistant give a brief description of the current scale of Apple.

"Since its IPO in 1981, Apple's market capitalization reached $1.2 billion last year, which was far below Mr. Steve's expectations for Apple. Fortunately, in April we received strong support from Mr. Pete, which helped Apple generate sales of over 800,000 computers, totaling $2 billion. Now our market capitalization has climbed to $2.7 billion. Mr. Steve asked me, on behalf of the board of directors, to express our sincerest gratitude to Mr. Pete for his generous assistance..."

In the pre-internet era, I wonder how many of you here would know the name Apple.

But now there was a buzz of whispers, all English speakers debating the numbers: 800,000 units?! Two billion US dollars? A market value of 2.7 billion US dollars?
The key point is that we should also thank Mr. Pete?
Who is Pitt?

Pete remained seated quietly, one hand under his nose, watching the scene unfold.

This was a gesture Qin Yuye liked to make, seemingly to conceal the uncontrollable changes in his facial expressions.

Finally, the city officials spoke to him: "Comrade Weidong, we are very grateful that you brought such an important investment to Shanghai, and we hope that this advanced computer factory can be established in Shanghai. Now, do you have any thoughts to express?"

Because Wei Dong's attitude was indeed unusual.

Everyone thought he was the one who brought in the foreign investment, but now the foreign investment representatives say they only follow his instructions, which is practically like saying he's the one who invested and is his henchman.

Wei Dong remained seated silently to the side, making it impossible to observe his expression.

Some people's expressions were already shifting.

To make things easier for Wei Dong, Lao Zhang, a little nervous but determined, took out a stack of photos from his leather briefcase, wrapped in a piece of paper, and placed them in Wei Dong's palm.

Then, like the God of Gamblers, he casually spread the cloth on the table: "That's right. According to the agreement with the Fifth Ministry of Machinery Industry, I originally planned to build the computer OEM factory in Jiangzhou, because I myself am the deputy director of sales at the 702 Xishan General Factory. However, after contacting the Vacuum Electronics Factory, I decided to choose Shanghai, which is closer to the foreign trade port and has a stronger foundation in electronic production, to build the computer OEM factory, or at least the computer monitor OEM factory. Now it seems that I was wrong."

The whole place was quiet.

They certainly didn't expect him to be so direct and straightforward.

Surprisingly, no one dared to make a move.

So even though those photos were placed in front of him, no one dared to peek at them.

Wei Dong cursed Zhang inwardly, thinking, "You old fool! If it were someone like Shen Laosan, they would have already flattered him and given him a slap in the face to the highest-ranking person present."

However, he didn't show it on his face: "Just because I want to build this monitor production line, invest in vacuum electronics, and do foreign trade to earn international foreign exchange, someone dares to come to my door to threaten and demand things. Not only have they completely seized all my sales products in the Shanghai area in the past few days, but they have also threatened to freeze all my foreign exchange income. How can I dare to invest in such a place?"

So, in the end, he threw down the photos in his hand, stood up, and said, "I'd better take this investment project back to Jiangzhou. Someone will always pay for the changes in the industrial chain that will result."

Then he left, showing no respect to anyone present.

The same tricks I experienced back in Jiangzhou.

A different setting can have the same impact.

The last time, a special report by TVB was considered public exposure.

This time, they relied solely on Suvas Bank's bank drafts and the readily apparent billions of dollars in industry chain investments as leverage.

Everyone's expression changed.

(End of this chapter)