Starting with a fully invested A-share portfolio to become a capital...

Chapter 263 The layout that disrupts the supply and demand balance: Mr. J is cheating!

"Wow, so many people again?"

"It's normal for there to be a lot of people. The official Chinese version of the iPhone 3GS is being sold for 1 yuan on the second-hand market. I guess most of them are scalpers."

"Can't that damn China Unicom stop using scarcity marketing? It would be so much better to just sell openly. I heard that this time, each store can only get a maximum of 500 units for restocking."

"Oh? So few? I don't know if I can even buy them. If I can't, my girlfriend says she's going to break up with me."

"Break up with me if I don't give you an iPhone 3GS? You're just using me like an ATM!"

"There was nothing I could do; my brother chose her."

June 3th, early morning.

When news of the restocking of the Chinese version of the iPhone 3GS was released through China Unicom and Apple's official website, queues formed again outside Apple's mobile phone stores and China Unicom's direct-sale stores in Lujiazui.

Some were scalpers, some were mobile phone enthusiasts, and some were "task hunters"—they were all chatting with each other.

1 points in the early hours.

2 points in the early hours.

3 points in the early hours.

Time passed slowly, and the number of people in line grew larger and larger.

In order to snag this Chinese version of the iPhone 3GS, some people were well-prepared, setting up tents in the queue and braving the cold wind so they could get a good night's sleep until dawn.

Those who weren't prepared could only jump around, relying on exercise to generate heat and get through the night in the cold wind.

8: am.

The sunlight dispelled the chill.

As Ren Gaolang, the manager of the Apple store, arrived at the entrance, he took out a megaphone he had prepared beforehand and shouted to the queuing crowd: "Ladies and gentlemen, due to the limited supply of the Chinese version of the iPhone 3GS, each customer can only buy one phone. Thank you for your understanding."

"No, I queued all night, stayed up all night, and you're telling me I can only buy one?"

"Hahaha, there should be purchase restrictions! Those damn scalpers buy a dozen or twenty units each and make a fortune, completely disregarding the lives of others. They should be cracked down on!"

"Brilliant! The purchase restriction policy is brilliant!"

"Looks like I can finally buy a Chinese version of the iPhone 3GS. My girlfriend won't have to break up with me anymore, haha!"

The regular customers in line were cheering, while the scalpers looked miserable, feeling that all their efforts of waiting all night had been in vain.

On October 30th, when the first batch of official Chinese iPhone 3GS was released, most scalpers felt there was no room for reselling. Firstly, they thought the phone was too expensive, starting at 6999 yuan, and secondly, it was a contract phone, which posed uncontrollable risks.

However, with the mainland China version of the iPhone 3GS sold out, the price on the second-hand market is approaching 1 RMB. Seeing the high returns, scalpers naturally won't miss the opportunity.

But the scalpers never expected that Apple and China Unicom would impose purchase limits!

"Shh-"

Ren Gaolang opened the shop's roller shutter door, revealing the entire Apple mobile phone direct sales store.

next second.

The queue of people quickly poured into the store.

Surprisingly, no one tried to cut in line; instead, everyone adhered to the original queuing order. The main reason for this was that under the purchase limit system, the person at the very front of the line was guaranteed to buy a Chinese version of the iPhone 3GS.

Since everyone can buy it, there's no need to cut in line, so as to avoid causing unnecessary chaos.

Of course.

It's hard to say about the people at the back of the line.

"The staff member responsible for processing China Unicom SIM card activations hasn't arrived yet. Please wait patiently and don't crowd," Ren Gaolang called out loudly.

"Did you all hear that? Don't push, those of us at the front of the line have enough."

"Don't push! There's no point in pushing if there are purchase limits!"

"The line should move back a bit, damn it, I'm already rubbing against other people."

The queue was constantly being adjusted until 10 minutes later when the store clerk responsible for China Unicom SIM card activation arrived at the Apple Store and began processing China Unicom SIM cards for users.

It's worth mentioning that customers who already have a China Unicom SIM card only need to change their phone plan and prepay the corresponding amount to purchase a mainland China version iPhone 3GS at the other counter.

10 set.

50 set.

90 set.

Everyone is buying machines in an orderly manner.

Although the sudden purchase restrictions prevented scalpers from buying a dozen or dozens of units at once, a single Chinese version iPhone 3GS can fetch a premium of 2000 to 4000 yuan on the secondhand market, which is equivalent to a month's salary for an average worker, so it's still a worthwhile investment.

Just as the sales of the Chinese version of the iPhone 3GS were in full swing and users were snapping them up, a young man with a backpack, a slightly thin build, and delicate features stepped out of the queue and walked into the Apple Store. He was none other than Chen Chuan, the core figure of Shengtian Think Tank and Zhang Yang's roommate.

"Hey buddy, get in line at the back!"

“Don’t sell a phone to that kid who didn’t queue. He’s a country bumpkin who doesn’t know the rules.”

"The man who cut in line had a child born without an anus, and his wife cheated on him with an African man."

"Go to the back of the line, I don't want to hit anyone."

The sudden commotion caught the attention of Ren Gaolang, the manager of the Apple Store. He looked at Chen Chuan, who walked in directly, and said, "Sir, please go to the back of the line. We are now implementing a marketing strategy of limiting purchases to one unit, and we will do our best to ensure that every customer can buy their desired phone."

"I didn't buy the phone; I'm planning to return it and get a refund because I don't want it anymore."

Chen Chuan took off his backpack, revealing the packaging boxes of the Chinese version of the iPhone 3GS inside, roughly estimating there were more than a dozen.

"return the goods?"

"Holy crap! They're here to return something?"

"Dude, are you crazy? Just list this on a second-hand website, or find a buyer on Mop or Baidu Tieba, and you can easily make tens of thousands of yuan!"

"Brother, just sell it to me directly. I'll pay a premium of 1 yuan, and we'll settle the payment immediately!"

The customers in line were talking amongst themselves, and some scalpers had their eyes filled with greed as they got their hands on these official Chinese iPhone 3GS.

Ren Gaolang, puzzled, asked, "Sir, is there some problem you're facing? Please tell us, and we'll do our best to help you."

"I didn't encounter any problems. I originally planned to buy it as a collectible and also as a gift, but after playing with it for a few days, I found that the iPhone 3GS didn't have any special features. I can only use it for chatting on QQ," Chen Chuan complained bitterly.

Is the internet speed fast?

At this moment, someone in the group asked a question.

"It's pretty fast. If it's not an unlimited data plan, you have to be prepared to pay several hundred yuan a month for data usage," Chen Chuan replied.

"Is the iPhone 3GS only compatible with QQ? Are there any other apps available? Like Weibo and Baidu Tieba?"

"It's still a text-based webpage with no related applications, so I want to cancel it."

What about the camera function?

"Not as good as Samsung and Nokia."

"That 6999 yuan is a bit of a waste. It still has the same functions as a feature phone, but the price is eight or nine times higher."

"I heard that the network coverage is not very good. In some remote areas, you can't even make a phone call, let alone go online."

"China Unicom's signal base stations are just so-so. If China Mobile had invested more in base stations, the network signal wouldn't be that bad."

"The signal is indeed poor."

The online trolls mixed in with the group started to sow discord, and many potential buyers who overheard the discussions began to waver, wondering whether they should spend an extra four or five thousand yuan just to save face.

A sly glint flashed in Chen Chuan's eyes as he looked at the scalper who had just offered to buy the item and said, "Hey buddy, you want to pay a premium of 1000? Perfect, I can still make a little profit."

"Wait a minute, let me ask the boss."

The scalper hesitated. If each unit cost 7999 yuan, then 10 units would require an upfront investment of 79999 yuan. If he were to lose all of them, he might lose everything.

"Then you can contact them." Chen Chuan was in no hurry, as if he had expected this.

Seeing the scalpers so openly trading in front of him, Ren Gaolang immediately shooed them away, saying, "If you two want to trade privately, please go outside the shop. Thank you."

“I’m a consumer, you have no right to kick me out. If you don’t like it, call the police.” Chen Chuan not only didn’t leave, but also grabbed a stool and sat down.

Seeing that Chen Chuan wouldn't leave, Yao Licheng, the scalper, also ignored Ren Gaolang's instructions.

Seeing that neither of them intended to leave, Ren Gaolang was angry but helpless. Sometimes calling the police would only create chaos and have negative consequences.

"Dududu-"

Yao Licheng dialed the buyer's number.

"Hey Mr. Mao, didn't you say you wanted to buy the Chinese version of the iPhone 3GS? I have a dozen or so here. When would you like to schedule a time to talk about it?"

"what?"

"No more?"

"Didn't you say you'd buy it at a high price?"

"What? The novelty has worn off?"

"No, you've posted so many things on Mop and Baidu Tieba, and now you're just saying you don't want it anymore? That's a bit unethical!"

Yao Licheng was a little anxious, but this scene did not cause any ripples in Chen Chuan's eyes.

Whether it's hiring people to queue up to buy the phone or posting online ads offering high prices for domestically sold iPhone 3GS models, it all comes from "Shengtian Think Tank," with Zhang Yang as the mastermind behind it.

……

At this time, not only offline stores, but also the reputation of the Chinese version of the iPhone 3GS on the internet began to waver, with a large number of negative posts flooding the entire Chinese internet as if by prior arrangement.

《区别对待！iPhone 3GS美版仅卖599美元，折合华国币4073元，卖6999华国币的国行iPhone 3GS吃相到底有多么难看？》

"A Crippled Price? The 6999 RMB mainland China version of the iPhone 3GS has its WiFi module removed and doesn't support any 3G networks other than China Unicom's. Compared to the 5000 HKD Hong Kong version of the iPhone 3GS, it's laughable!"

"Overpriced and underpowered, the Chinese version of the iPhone 3GS is the least worthwhile phone to buy. Not only does it lack an app ecosystem, but its price is also far higher than the US and Hong Kong versions. Highly not recommended!"

Amidst the flood of negative posts, one video post also went viral.

In the video, a well-dressed, refined middle-aged man is seen holding a Chinese version iPhone 3GS and going to return it for a refund. The video, which lasts for several tens of minutes, records the entire process of how he argued with the store manager and demanded a refund.

They won't let you return the item and get a refund?
Call the police and have them witness the incident.

With the intervention of public authorities, the debate continued by referencing Apple's official product manual and using the "7-day return policy, 15-day exchange policy, and 1-year warranty" to further the argument.

Due to the breach of contract, after deducting a penalty of 1000 yuan for the prepaid phone bill, the refined middle-aged man was able to return the goods and receive a refund.

At the end of the video, he cautioned: "The Chinese version of the iPhone 3GS isn't very good. It can't browse Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube, nor can it connect to other external websites. There are very few apps that are compatible with it in China. Basically, it can only be used for chatting on QQ. It's a complete waste of money. I dedicate this video to all Apple users like me who made an impulsive purchase. Before the 7-day period expires, return it if you can. If you're only using it for chatting on QQ, you might as well buy a Nokia."

The video post immediately attracted a large number of onlookers.

[Bold Little Taro]: Hahaha, these idiots who rushed to buy it have finally realized that the Chinese version of the iPhone 3GS is pure industrial garbage. Not only does it not support WiFi, but it can only use China Unicom's 3G network. I don't need to say more about the quality of China Unicom's base stations, right?
[Whose Little Darling]: 3G phones are still too advanced for China. 5 yuan for 30MB of data. If you forget to turn off the network before going to sleep, you might wake up owing the operator a house.

[Rebirth Through Nirvana]: 3G network is completely useless. I can chat on QQ using 2G, and 30MB is enough for a month. 3G's 30MB is gone in two days. Thanks, OP. I'll return the phone this afternoon. [I'll definitely climb Mount Everest in this lifetime]: I acted impulsively too. I've calmed down these past two days and realized that the Chinese version of the iPhone 3GS isn't as good as my Nokia. I'll go return it and get a refund later.

The internet spreads information very quickly; in less than half an hour, the post had already garnered over ten thousand views, not including views from reposts.

An hour later, the topic "Is the Chinese version of the iPhone 3GS overpriced and underpowered?" topped the Weibo hot search list, and its exposure increased rapidly.

Upon seeing this, Ma Xinqi couldn't help but exclaim, "Damn it, Mr. J! They've finally started throwing mud!"

"What do you mean?"

Xu Xiang's heart skipped a beat.

Throwing mud?
Why throw mud at us?
Sun Guodong looked away from the intraday chart and asked, equally puzzled, "Another cyber offensive? What trick is he playing this time?"

"He said the Chinese version of the iPhone 3GS is overpriced and underpowered, and he even taught people how to return it and get a refund. That's so damn despicable!"

Ma Xinqi gritted his teeth, then looked at Xu Xiang and said, "Should we spend some money to reduce the popularity of this topic?"

Weibo allows you to buy and remove trending topics, but the function of removing trending topics is limited to large clients and enterprises.

It's no exaggeration to say that Weibo makes a fortune every year just from buying and suppressing trending topics.

"Surrender immediately!" Xu Xiang said without hesitation, then added in a deep voice, "If they want to create a media offensive, then we will not let them succeed!"

"I'll contact the Weibo manager."

Ma Xinqi nodded quickly.

On the other side, Xu Haiou spoke calmly, saying, "Actually, these articles aren't wrong. The Chinese version of the iPhone 3GS is indeed overpriced and underpowered. China Unicom's behavior is a bit too ugly."

"Is it ugly? It's just a phone that costs a few thousand yuan, it's not expensive." Shu Yimin didn't think there was anything wrong with the pricing of the Chinese version of the iPhone 3GS, because for someone with a net worth of over 100 million yuan, spending a few thousand yuan is no different from spending a few yuan.

"You can't look at it from your own perspective; you need to look at it from the perspective of ordinary people. Ordinary people care most about cost-effectiveness, which is commonly known as getting a lot for a little money," Xu Haiou reminded him.

"Da Xu is right. Ordinary people care most about cost-effectiveness and like to take advantage of small gains. Since they have chosen to pay a premium, we cannot ask them to return the goods and get a refund."

When Xu Xiang said this, his gaze instantly turned sharp. He said, "Organize an online army to bombard all the related posts."

Online trolls are not uncommon; this group has developed into a complete industry chain over the past decade.

The so-called "post bombing" refers to using a large number of reports to trigger the website's protection mechanism, passively blocking related content.

Take Mop forum as an example. Someone has already tested it. As long as someone can report a post 200 times within 1 minute, regardless of whether the content violates the rules, the post will be temporarily blocked.

Why is this happening?

In short, the website protects itself.

Before manual review, no one knows whether the content of a post that has received a large number of reports violates any rules. In order to protect itself, the website can only temporarily block the post and wait for the judgment of the manual review.

"I'll organize it right away."

Ma Xinqi quickly responded.

In the Ningbo Limit-Up Daredevil Team, he was responsible for manipulating public opinion.

"Okay, Sun, Da Xu, and Yi Min, keep an eye on the China Unicom stock market. Don't let Mr. J take the opportunity to dump shares and disrupt the market. I'm going to make a call," Xu Xiang quickly assigned the task.

"it is good!"

"Understood, Brother Xiang."

"no problem."

The three of them took turns answering.

Xu Xiang then stood up, returned to his office, and made a phone call. He needed to make sure that no "insider" organization was dumping shares and trying to sell them off prematurely.

……

And at the same time.

the other side.

Zhangjiang Changtai.

Trading area on the 7th floor of Building A.

Looking at the online propaganda offensive, Chen Xiaoqun asked in bewilderment, "Is this what we're relying on? Using the internet to create negative public opinion?"

"Is the Chinese version of the iPhone 3GS really that bad?" Feng Weiqiang wondered as well.

Zeng Lingshan didn't speak, but looked at his boss Zhang Yang.

At this point, Liao Guopei couldn't help but comment, "With just this little bit of strength, it seems unlikely that it will be able to reverse the rise in China Unicom's stock price, after all, it has gathered funds from multiple institutions and speculative capital."

"Our trending topics are gone." Lin Guangchang suddenly spoke up, attracting everyone's attention.

Zhang Yang glanced at it and then said, "No need for extra investment. Someone will take down China Unicom for us."

"who is it?"

"There are foreign players too?"

"Could it be Manager Tao Yuang?"

"He doesn't have that ability."

Liao Guopei, Lin Guangchang, Chen Xiaoqun, and the others looked puzzled, wondering what Zhang Yang was up to.

Seeing the puzzled looks on everyone's faces, Zhang Yang smiled calmly and explained, "There are too many interest groups in this world. The interest group we want to overthrow may be the opponent of other interest groups. Only when interest groups clash with each other can we achieve the effect we want. Do you understand what I mean?"

"..."

silence!

Everyone fell silent!

About half a minute later, Lin Guangchang asked somewhat uncertainly, "Joker, do you mean to use other companies to deal with China Unicom?"

"That's what it means."

Zhang Yang nodded, then tried to be as straightforward as possible: "China Unicom wants to use the Chinese version of the iPhone 3GS to open up a new situation and take away market share from China Mobile and China Telecom, which will create fierce competition between them. When China Unicom is in trouble, or about to be in trouble, do you think China Mobile and China Telecom will do something?"

“If I were China Mobile or China Telecom, I would definitely take advantage of their misfortune to avoid harming my own interests,” Zeng Lingshan replied quickly.

“Dropping out of school is a good point, that’s what I’m thinking too,” Feng Weiqiang said with a smile.

Chen Xiaoqun: "I also think dropping out of school is a good idea, but according to what Joker said, shouldn't China Mobile and China Telecom also take action?"

"They will."

Zhang Yang said confidently.

They are now like arrows shot at the Zhou emperor; the moment their weakness is revealed, the other feudal lords will all want to achieve hegemony.

In addition, Zhang Yang also used supply and demand relationships to make strategic moves.

During the two days when the Chinese version of the iPhone 3GS was sold out, he kept having people post requests to buy it on Mop forum, Baidu Tieba, and Sina Weibo, deliberately creating the illusion that there were more buyers than sellers, and constantly pushing up the premium of the Chinese version of the iPhone 3GS.

Why do you want to do this?
By exploiting the supply-demand imbalance and excessively hyping the scarcity of the Chinese version of the iPhone 3GS, they elevated it to a god-like status in the mobile phone market!
There's an old Chinese saying: "The higher you stand, the harder you fall."

The scarcity of the Chinese version of the iPhone 3GS will definitely force China Unicom to change its production strategy. When the time is right, they will remove all the buy-on stickers, leaving scalpers and Unicom with no buyers and ultimately losing everything.

Using supply and demand to make strategic moves is uncommon in the stock market, but very common and effective in the futures market.

Take the four major grain traders for example. They frequently exploit man-made or natural food shortages to exploit the world. Many economies know the tricks of the four major grain traders, but they can't do anything about it, because food is the most important thing.

……

As Zhang Yang had predicted, the moment negative news about the Chinese version of the iPhone 3GS surfaced, China Mobile and China Telecom held internal meetings to discuss how to defuse China Unicom's offensive.

The leaders of China Mobile and China Telecom have been having trouble sleeping lately because the official Chinese version of the iPhone 3GS is selling so well that the secondhand market is offering a premium of several thousand yuan. If China Unicom is allowed to continue its growth, it might actually catch up.

"This wave of public opinion erupted too suddenly, as if a giant hand was manipulating it."

"I heard someone went to Hong Kong Island and bought billions of dollars worth of put options on China Unicom. Could it be them? What should we do next?"

"Regardless of whether there are major players pushing it, the time is now and we must seize the opportunity while the application ecosystem of the Chinese version of the iPhone 3GS is still unstable and consolidate our industry position in a timely manner."

"Yes, that's right."

"That's true, but the most pressing issue isn't consolidating our industry position, but rather giving China Unicom a good talking-to."

"What tooth extraction?"

"We've shattered the sales myth of the Chinese version of the iPhone 3GS!" When Qi Zhi, a senior executive at China Mobile, said this, he went on to explain in detail: "China Unicom wanted to use the Chinese version of the iPhone 3GS to open up the market. We only need to ruin the Chinese version of the iPhone 3GS to suppress Unicom's development momentum and ensure our own industry position."

"In other words, strike while the iron is hot and kill it?" a mobile executive asked.

"What else can we do?" Qi Zhi shrugged, glancing at everyone present. "Once he recovers, we'll be in trouble."

Executives from China Mobile and China Telecom have been criticizing China Unicom's move to sign an exclusive agency agreement with Apple for half a month. Now that they've finally seized the opportunity, they're bound to make the most of it.

Just when Ma Xinqi thought he could control the trending topics, Zhang Yang's two teammates, whom he was "matched" with, began to quietly exert their influence.

2 o'clock in the afternoon.

The hashtag "Is the Chinese version of the iPhone 3GS overpriced and underpowered?" has re-entered the trending search list, and the hashtag "A large-scale wave of returns for the Chinese version of the iPhone 3GS has emerged" has directly topped the list.

"what's the situation?"

Seeing the trending topic suddenly appear at the top of the hot search list, Ma Xinqi immediately sent a message to Zhang Dabao, the account manager for Weibo's traffic generation.

[Ma Xinqi]: ​​What's going on with Manager Zhang? Why is he trending again?

Not a moment.

The other party replied.

[Zhang Dabao]: I'm sorry, Mr. Ma, the other party has given too much, and we really can't reduce these related trending topics.

[Ma Xinqi]: ​​How much did the other party offer?
[Zhang Dabao]: A lot.

[Ma Xinqi]: ​​No matter how much the other party offers, I'll offer one yuan more. Remove this from the trending topics immediately, quick!!

[Zhang Dabao]: Mr. Ma, think twice. You can't compete with them financially.

[Ma Xinqi]: ​​Who is the other party?
[Zhang Dabao]: In principle, I cannot disclose customer information, but since I have been working with Mr. Ma for so long, I will give you a little hint, which is about two colleagues from China Unicom.

"!!!"

Ma Xinqi was suddenly startled.

Two of China Unicom's peers?

What the fuck?!

Is this mysterious poker organization really that powerful? They managed to get these two gentlemen involved!!

"What kind of game is this? Mr. J is cheating like a bastard!" Ma Xinqi couldn't help but complain.

(End of this chapter)