Rebirth 04: Starting from Taking an Unconventional Approach

Han Fei and Zhang Ruiyi followed Liu Dong out of the room, across the hall again, and around to the other side of the shop. Reaching the bottom of a carpeted staircase, Liu Dong gestured for them to take off their shoes.

Han Fei and Zhang Ruiyi exchanged a glance and took off their shoes.

Liu Dong led them up to the second floor, into a maze-like corridor. The wallpaper and carpets in the corridor complemented each other, and expensive artworks hung on the walls.

Liu Dong knocked on a door, which suddenly opened, and Han Fei took two steps back.

A mountain of flesh blocked the doorway. The mountain had two small slits serving as eyes, large stubble of sideburns shaped like fried pork cutlets, and a shaved head with a limp ponytail. Its head resembled a faded basketball, and its torso had no neck or shoulders, just a bulging mass starting from its ears and extending down to its arms, which were so fat they looked as if they had been attached with a screwdriver.

Han Fei had never seen such a fat person in his life.

The mountain of flesh turned around and swayed as he led them into the room.

"His name is Elephant," Liu Dong said in a low voice. "He's a bodyguard and thug, proficient in six or seven martial arts. You'd probably forget the names of all of them before you even finished reciting them."

"He seems like a second-rate imitation of a Hollywood villain," Han Fei whispered.

"He's from M, where many people are as fierce as him..."

The blinds in front of the window closed, darkening the room. Han Fei could make out the silhouette of a man sitting behind a large table. A fan whirred on the ceiling, and the open balcony door made it seem as if the bustling traffic outside was passing right through the room. A third person sat by the door. Elephant squeezed himself into an empty chair, and Han Fei and Zhang Ruiyi found a place to sit in the center of the room.

"How can I help you, gentlemen?"

A deep voice came from behind the table, with a distinct Hong Kong accent. He raised his hand, and a ring flashed. Zhang Ruiyi looked at Han Fei.

Han Fei stood up, took a step forward, and was about to speak when Liu Dong smiled and introduced the two, explaining Han Fei's purpose. He addressed the man as Mr. Ma.

"Using official documents from a mobile company as collateral? I've been doing this for almost twenty years, and this is the first time I've ever seen someone use something like this to exchange for money. It's novel. Let me see it." Mr. Ma leaned forward.

He had Chinese features, but his skin was as white as snow. He looked to be around fifty years old, with his black and white hair slicked back. He wore a dark Tang suit with the collar open, revealing a string of Buddhist prayer beads around his neck.

Han Fei took out the confirmation letter and contract from his bag and handed them to Elephant. Elephant took them, walked to the table, put them down, and then returned to its original position.

Mr. Ma inserted a cigarette into the yellow mouthpiece between his lips and picked up the document to examine it.

"A conversion rate of 13.7%, and 68,000 paying users a day. President Han, that number is higher than the monthly revenue of several of my KTVs."

Han Fei smiled slightly but did not reply.

"The problem is, I can see this stuff but I can't touch it. The official seal from China Mobile is real, the signature is real, but to me, it's just a few pieces of paper. How can you guarantee this isn't a scheme you orchestrated with people inside China Mobile? Data can be falsified, official seals can be forged. Your revenue may be high this month, but what about next month? What if the people run away? Who am I supposed to turn to?"

"Mr. Ma's concerns are valid," Han Fei said with a smile. "These things are indeed just paper, but not all paper is the same. Forging a mobile company's official seal is a criminal offense, and no one would risk that for a few hundred thousand. As for next month's revenue, the core of this model is content. As the president of the publishing house, if I can produce content that users pay for in the first month, I certainly can do it in the future."

"Are you trying to tell me you didn't just stumble upon this by luck?"

"I earned this through my own abilities," Han Fei said calmly. "Mr. Ma has been in the pledge business for twenty years, and you've seen more collateral than I've seen money. You've seen gold and silver jewelry, property deeds, antiques and paintings, even kimchi jars. But what lies behind these things? It's human greed, fear, and desperation. What I'm bringing today isn't greed or fear, it's a business I've already successfully established. I need cash now to scale up this business, that's all."

A moment of silence.

Zhang Ruiyi chuckled to herself.

Mr. Ma exhaled a puff of smoke, his narrowed eyes scrutinizing Han Fei through the folds of his skin: "How old are you?"

"Twenty-five."

"Twenty-five," Mr. Ma repeated Han Fei's words, as if talking to himself, "Damn it, when I was twenty-five, I was still selling pirated DVDs on the streets of Mong Kok." He cleared his throat: "You just said you need cash to scale up this business, how much?"

Han Fei took a breath, pondering whether there was any risk in using future plans to gain this person's trust. He thought for about three seconds. Risk was, after all, unavoidable.

"I need to acquire more phone numbers," Han Fei began, "to expand our reach from Shanghai to surrounding provinces. We also need to expand our editorial department and double our manuscript reserves. In addition, we need offline channels to publish a print magazine."

"A print magazine?" Mr. Ma raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you in text messaging? How come you're back to print?"

Han Fei thought for a moment: "The magazine can charge a fee."

Mr. Ma's white teeth peeked out from between his moist red lips: "How much money do you want?"

"Five hundred thousand."

"When will you return it?"

"A maximum of three months. You set the interest rate."

Mr. Ma stood up and walked to Han Fei's side. Zhang Ruiyi stared at them warily. The others held their breath, motionless, tense yet expectant.

"President Han," Mr. Ma said slowly, "I've been in the pledge business for so many years, and I have a rule: I don't do business I'm not familiar with. Liu Dong brought you here today. He's been with me for eight years, and he trusts you, so I'm willing to sit down and listen to you. However, I didn't quite understand what you were saying just now."

Han Fei closed his eyes and savored the meaning of those words.

"but......"

Han Fei opened his eyes.

Mr. Ma reached for the confirmation letter and contract on the table, shook them, and said, "I understand this stuff! Just like you said, 500,000 yuan, three months, interest according to industry practice, 3% per month. Liu Dong will draft the contract, and Da Xiang will get the money for him."

"Understood!" Liu Dong and Da Xiang got up and left.

"Thank you, Mr. Ma," Han Fei said.

Mr. Ma smiled slightly and gently placed a hand on Han Fei's shoulder: "President Han, actually, it's not necessary to collect this interest."

"Oh? Is there anything I can do to help Mr. Ma?"

"Smart!" Mr. Ma leaned close to Han Fei's ear and whispered, "I own several KTVs, bathhouses, and two nightclubs. Business has been getting tougher these past few years, with fierce competition and increasingly demanding customers. I need someone to help me figure out how to make those messy businesses as successful as your SP service, so that customers are willing to spend money."

"You want me to be your consultant?"

"uh-huh."

"Great!" Han Fei said. "Interest-free if it works, interest still payable if it doesn't. How about that?"

"Great!" Mr. Ma said loudly, patting Han Fei on the shoulder. "Let's exchange phone numbers, be friends, and call me if you need anything."