Journey 1995:Non-Stop

Chapter 300 Obtaining Business

What followed was a long wait. Yan Hui and his employees chatted and ate sunflower seeds until after 1 a.m. before Li Ze and his men finally emerged. Seeing the Honda start, Yan Hui leisurely followed.

They followed them all the way to a large hotel, where Yan Hui confirmed the location and took his men back to sleep.

The next morning around 10 a.m., Yan Hui drove over again and waited near the entrance.

Around 11 a.m., Li Ze went out and drove to a noodle shop by himself. Yan Hui followed him and then "bumped into" Li Ze at the noodle shop.

"Ah? Boss, it's you!" Yan Hui was both surprised and delighted to see Li Ze.

"Huh? You little brat? What do you mean I'm doing here?" Li Ze was still a bit confused.

"What a coincidence, boss! I'm here to thank you! No rush, no rush, this noodle is on me. Let's sit down and chat." Yan Hui said, handing the noodle shop owner 50 yuan and asking him to bring over the noodles and cold dishes. Then he pulled Li Ze to sit down to the side.

"To be honest, when I weighed the goods you gave me, 10 yuan wasn't expensive at all. Not only did I not lose money, but the boss also gave me a 5000 yuan bonus, which made me feel a little embarrassed. Thinking back to what you said yesterday, I realized that you are doing this for my own good!" Yan Hui said sincerely.

Yan Hui's words left Li Ze bewildered. Ever since meeting Yan Hui, he had felt somewhat passive, but he couldn't pinpoint why. Now, encountering Yan Hui again, he was caught in a dilemma, unsure whether to stay or leave.

"It's nothing, as long as it's good for you." Not knowing how to respond to someone who's all smiles, Li Ze could only give a casual hum.

"Brother, it's like this. The moment I saw you, I knew you had a lot of influence on this construction site; you're not just anyone. I just wanted to ask, this residential area is being renovated, and a new shopping mall is about to be built next door. Regarding the procurement of raw materials, do you have any say in that? If you do, please help me out. I guarantee it with my life: first, the quality will definitely be guaranteed; second, I'll definitely leave you ample profit margin! You know, procurement is no small matter. If we want to participate in the bidding, we have all the necessary qualifications and can participate normally, as long as we don't get rigged." Yan Hui emphasized again, "You must also know that the profit margin for this is quite substantial!"

"You? You have these qualifications?" Li Ze, being an outsider, didn't know what to say in rebuttal, and could only offer some pointers in areas he only vaguely understood.

"Yes, yes, please take a look," Yan Hui said, taking out some qualification documents from his bag. In fact, these documents were not complete at all, but they did form a thick book, which would only look very professional to a layman.

Sure enough, Li Ze forced himself to look at it and hummed twice, "Hmm, it's pretty complete."

"Brother, you really are an expert!" Yan Hui didn't give Li Ze a chance to continue speaking. "Now we only need to consider two issues. One is whether you have any say here, and the other is whether you want to earn millions in commission! On top of that, I can also guarantee the quality!"

“This…” Li Ze hesitated.

He didn't understand procurement, nor did he know how to handle it, but he knew there was a lot of money involved. Judging from the fact that Yan Hui brought over 100,000 yuan in just over an hour yesterday, he seemed to have some financial strength, but...
"I'll say it again: we'll participate in the normal bidding process. Just don't let any underhanded tactics get us eliminated. I'll have my boss come and accompany you. You don't need to say anything; just pass on a message and give us a chance." Yan Hui went on and on, leaving Li Ze no time to think for himself.

Li Ze was bewildered by Yan Hui's series of assurances. The most crucial point was that everything Yan Hui said was true. Yan Hui was an expert in cost accounting; as long as he could secure the orders, he was certain everyone would make money. Given Li Ze's special status, why not use him? As for who Li Ze would offend or whose interests he would gain, that was something Li Ze needed to weigh himself.

“Well, brother, I see you’re interested too. I told you this method wouldn’t work, so I’ll find a professional to talk to our boss. When are you free? Tomorrow?” Yan Hui said. “Anyway, it’s always good to talk about it. After all, you’re a professional, so we can see if it works. Besides, the more involved you are in future projects, the more you’ll understand them, and maybe it will be easier for you to take over later!”

Yan Hui completely convinced Li Ze, who nodded arrogantly: "Alright, let's meet at the engineering department tomorrow afternoon around two or three o'clock. But let me tell you, I will bring a professional. You can't fool me with counterfeit or shoddy goods."

"I swear to God, that's impossible!" Yan Hui glanced at his watch, then at the noodles and cold dishes on the table. "Please enjoy your meal. Time is of the essence, I need to hurry and prepare. I won't disturb you any longer."

After saying that, Yan Hui left immediately.

Upon returning, Yan Hui immediately began searching for people.

He asked Wang Zongbo to arrange a salesman familiar with aluminum and steel structures, asked Zhou Ping to bring in a salesman from his uncle's factory who was in charge of tiles and ceramics, and asked Li Mo from his brother-in-law's place. He also asked Liu Yang to arrange a salesman in charge of hardware.
He called on all his friends, mostly grassroots salespeople, who wouldn't compete with Yan Hui and wouldn't be able to take away his business.

Next, Yan Hui brought his own team, including Wang Yongjun and Wang Wei, who were very familiar with structural components.

The next afternoon, a group of about 10 people arrived at the project site that Li Ze had mentioned, in two cars.

Before Yan Hui arrived, he knew that Li Ze couldn't possibly secure all the projects. No matter how capable or influential he was, he couldn't remain unscathed in the complex web of interests at stake. However, his status was special enough that he could always manage to get some projects by simply asking.

After meeting Li Ze, Yan Hui learned about the ownership of some projects in just a few minutes, while giving Li Ze plenty of face.

The newly built shopping mall was reportedly designed by a designer from Hong Kong Island, hence the large investment. Even the steel formwork used in the mall's construction was custom-made; the steel mill has already been contacted, and construction will begin soon. However, even so, Yan Hui has largely finalized agreements for the hardware, air conditioning, and plywood orders.

Besides the plywood business, he will receive a substantial commission for any other business deals he closes with his team today.

However, these things weren't the main issue, and Yan Hui was still somewhat dissatisfied. The bulk of the cost was in the tiles, cement, steel bars, and decorative components needed for a large shopping mall; Li Ze had clearly been ripped off! But Yan Hui wasn't in a hurry; he could deal with Li Ze gradually.

We didn't actually secure a single contract today, but subsequent projects can proceed with the bidding process normally, which shouldn't be difficult for Yan Hui. Competing on quality is a minor issue.

(I'll add the stamp tonight)

(End of this chapter)