Rebirth 04: Starting from Taking an Unconventional Approach

At nine o'clock in the morning, the sun shone through the windows of the Alfa Romeo sports car. Han Fei walked through the bustling shopping street, entered the mobile phone store, and quickly looked around to make sure there were no customers inside.

Boss Zhou was sitting behind the counter, staring at the television. Han Fei, a longtime fan of American actor Charles Bronson, immediately recognized that "The Dragon Strangers" was playing. Boss Zhou had his feet propped up on the counter, his backside deeply embedded in the fabric folding chair, a remote control in his left hand, and a half-empty bottle of beer in his right. From Boss Zhou's physique and contented expression, Han Fei could easily tell that he was living a very comfortable life since becoming an agent.

"Hey," Han Fei called out.

Boss Zhou kept his eyes glued to the television, pointing his index finger at the sign on the counter, which read: "Please queue to apply for a card, and wait a moment to pay."

"Boss Zhou," Han Fei said.

Boss Zhou reluctantly turned his head to face Han Fei, and a surprised smile immediately appeared on his face, as if he was looking forward to Han Fei's arrival.

"President Han?" Boss Zhou turned the TV to mute mode, came out from behind the counter, and quickly found two chairs. "Please sit down. You came all this way so early in the morning, you're definitely not here for tea and a chat. So, what good news do you have?"

"That's good," Han Fei said, sitting down. "Starting today, you don't need to collect numbers for me anymore."

Boss Zhou's smile froze on his face, and he almost dropped the beer bottle in his hand.

"President Han, you've... found a better way?"

"It's not a matter of connections." Han Fei patted the cigarette box, pulled out two cigarettes, and handed one to Boss Zhou. "From now on, the numbers I need will be directly from the official mobile number pool."

"So they've made it ashore," Boss Zhou said sourly.

"I guess so. I've been really grateful to you these past few days. Without your help in acquiring those phone numbers, my project simply wouldn't have gotten off the ground. So I had to come here in person today to thank you in person."

Boss Zhou leaned to the right, let out a silent fart, and gave a tentative smile.

"President Han, you're being too polite. We're doing business together; you provide the money, I provide the effort, and neither of us owes the other anything. Besides, the success of your project is due to your own abilities. I was just a gofer."

"Even if it's just a errand runner, you should still thank me." Han Fei took out a brown paper envelope from his bag and handed it to Boss Zhou. "This is this month's commission, exactly as we agreed before, not a penny less. Also, the extra part is a small token of my appreciation."

Boss Zhou sighed and stretched his shoulders: "President Han, are you finally settling our accounts?"

"It's up to you," Han Fei said calmly, taking a drag of his cigarette. "If you're willing to change the format, then we can still continue our cooperation."

Han Fei waited a moment, letting the question linger in the air. Boss Zhou slammed the beer bottle down on the counter, squinting at Han Fei. The expression on his fat face changed, as if he'd been slapped. Han Fei recognized that expression; it was the look on a businessman's face when he started settling accounts.

"President Han, what you're saying is a bit confusing. If I don't need to collect your number anymore, what kind of collaboration can we have? Do you expect me to write articles for you?"

"You should save your limited knowledge for picking up girls." Han Fei took a copy of Bluebird Magazine from his bag and placed it on the table. "Take a look at this first."

Boss Zhou looked down and asked, "This woman... is this your new magazine?"

"The inaugural issue has only been out for a few days," Han Fei said. "It's currently being sold in many newsstands and bookstores in downtown Shanghai, and sales are quite good. But there's one place we haven't yet expanded to."

Boss Zhou looked up from the magazine, his eyes darting around: "A rural town?"

"Smart." Han Fei stubbed out his cigarette, leaned forward, and whispered, "Boss Zhou, you've been in this area for so many years, how many shop owners and newsstand owners in the towns and villages do you know? How many acquaintances do you have?"

"Not counting Jianshe Road, just in the surrounding towns alone, I can name more than a dozen people. Further afield, in Songjiang and Qingpu, I have a few old acquaintances too. What's up, you want me to help you distribute the magazine to those places?"

"It's not just about publishing magazines," Han Fei said. "I want to set up your place as the Qingniao Township Liaison Station, and make you the station manager, which means you'll be my regional partner in this area."

"Partner?"

Han Fei moved his chair forward: "Boss Zhou, we've known each other for so long, I know what kind of person you are. You're quick-witted, well-connected, and most importantly, you know the rules. You know what money you can make and what money you can't touch. During the time you were helping me collect phone numbers, there was never a problem, which shows you're reliable. So today I'm not here to settle accounts, but to offer you a long-term business deal."

"President Han, stop beating around the bush and just say it."

"This magazine will be published monthly from now on. You can do three things here."

Which three items?

"First, you can sell them in your own store. I'll supply you with the goods at wholesale price, for example, 3.3 yuan a copy, and you sell them for 5.5 yuan a copy. All the profit in between is yours. With so many people coming and going in your store every day to sign up for cards and pay bills, they might just pick one up on the way. In a month, you can earn several hundred yuan just from this. Oh, if your business license doesn't allow you to sell publications, you should first go and make a call to the Industry and Commerce Bureau."

Boss Zhou smiled and nodded enthusiastically, "Yes, yes. No need to ask. There are plenty of other businesses selling things here. As long as the magazine is legitimate, nobody cares. And then what?"

"Secondly, you know so many owners of newspaper and magazine kiosks in rural towns. Help me distribute the magazines to them. Just like with the phone number collection last time, you can act as the middleman and make an easy profit. For every thousand magazines distributed, I'll give you a commission of one hundred dollars. Of course, you can also make a profit from the price difference. For example, I'll sell you the magazines for three dollars and thirty cents each, and you can sell them for four dollars each, or even more. Whether you can make a profit depends on your own ability."

Boss Zhou frowned and rubbed his eyes with his nicotine-stained fingers: "President Han, the sales office is no problem, but the newsstand... you're putting me in a bit of a bind."

Why?

"Those newsstands all have their own supply channels. Some get their supplies directly from the post office, while others cooperate with wholesalers in the city. How could someone like me, who only handles mobile phone numbers, possibly get involved?"

Han Fei sat up straight in his chair, lit a cigarette, and said, "Didn't you just say you knew everyone in this area?"

Boss Zhou swallowed hard. "Uh... I know the people, but those old men who run newsstands are all incredibly stubborn. When I go to them, they just tell me they have established channels and send me on my way. What am I supposed to do?"

"It's alright," Han Fei said. "Our magazine can be sold on a trial basis."

"Trial sales?"

"Go find them. Don't say much. Just bring two things: a few magazines and a piece of paper."