Rebirth is fine, but I get eight hundred dollars right from the start?

Seeing him stop, Boss Xu smiled and asked, "Young Master Lin, what's wrong? Is there anything inside you'd like to see in detail?"

Lin Shu snapped out of his reverie, a slight smile playing on his lips, and said, "I've seen it all, and I understand. Boss Xu, let's go outside and talk. My cooperation isn't just about a few hundred sets; let's sit down and discuss it in detail."

"I'd like to hear the details. Let's go to the office and talk."

Hearing this, Xu Lang felt even more delighted and pointed in the direction he had come from.

As the three walked back through the covered corridor, Boss Xu took out his phone to make a call, asking the office to brew some tea.

After they turned out of the side gate of the factory, passed through the cement parking area used for shipping, and went up to the second floor of the office building, the door at the end of the corridor with the sign "General Manager's Office" was already open, and a fragrant aroma of tea wafted out.

Xu Lang's personal office was not large, but it was clean and tidy.

"Sit anywhere. I don't usually like to stay in this office. I'm either out doing business or on my way to do business."

"Does Boss Xu really have to personally handle the business?"

Lin Shu was somewhat surprised. He glanced around the room and, just as the other party had said, there was only a large, dark brown executive desk against the wall in the office. Apart from a computer monitor, a pen holder full of pens, and two stacks of folders, there was nothing else on the desk.

"It's not really business. It's just that our factory does a lot of OEM manufacturing. Sometimes when we deliver something, the foreign customers have objections to the standards, or the product gets stuck at a certain point and my subordinates can't handle it, so I have to go."

As he spoke, Boss Xu picked up a chair and leaned over, then bent down and pulled out an electric kettle and a purple clay tea set from under the coffee table. After the two cups of golden tea were placed in front of him, Boss Xu leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and waited for Lin Shu to speak.

Lin Shu didn't beat around the bush.

He symbolically picked up his teacup, blew on the steam, took a small sip, put it down, sat up straight, and met Boss Xu's gaze. "Boss Xu, let's be frank. So, Old Tang asked you to make the connection. His original intention was to find a reliable factory to supply me with a batch of goods. He was thinking of starting with three to five hundred sets of commemorative editions, taking advantage of the All-Star buzz to establish the brand and test the waters with the distribution channels."

"But after this visit, I feel that my approach is clearly too narrow."

Xu Lang didn't speak, but a hint of anticipation appeared deep in his eyes.

"I see that your equipment, production lines, and quality control are all top-notch. Sending me those three or five hundred sets is like using a cannon to kill a mosquito."

Lin Shu continued, "So I've changed my mind—I wonder if Mr. Xu has considered a joint venture to create a brand?"

"We won't do the OEM business model of client and supplier; we'll partner up directly and establish an independent peripheral brand."

"I'm responsible for building the brand IP, defining the product concept, initial promotion, and channel sales. To put it bluntly, I'm relying on my live stream and the popularity of the e-sports circle to promote the brand."

"Mr. Xu, you'll be in charge of industrial design, mold development, manufacturing, and supply chain management. Profits will be divided fairly according to equity ratios, and costs will be shared. No one will take advantage of anyone else; we're going to partner up to build a business that can grow."

After he finished speaking, he stopped and looked at Boss Xu, waiting for his reaction.

Mr. Xu did not respond immediately.

He first turned his head and glanced at Tang Bin.

Tang Bin was nestled at the other end of the sofa, drinking tea. He held the cup in his left hand and rested his right hand on his knee. Sensing the gazes of the two men, he grinned and, without any pretense, said bluntly, "Old Xu, don't look at me like that. I'm just a matchmaker this time. If you and my boss get together, I won't even get to attend the wedding banquet. I'll just be a freeloader working here."

"But let me put this out there, I can't say for sure about other things, but the boss's personal traffic is absolutely unmatched in China. Those fans in the YY live stream room are all bought with real money, not paid trolls."

"If even a small portion of this traffic could be allocated to your factory, your warehouse full of digital parts would probably not be enough to meet demand."

After listening, Boss Xu's eye contact with Tang Bin suddenly turned into a hearty laugh. After he finished laughing, he slapped his thigh, leaned back in his chair, and the polite business manner on his face disappeared, replaced by a more genuine and warm expression.

"Mr. Kobayashi,"

He spoke, his voice soft and gentle with a slight southern Jiangsu accent, but his words were clear and unambiguous: "What you said really hit the nail on the head. Let me put it this way—Old Tang called me last week and said that you, his boss, were coming in person. After hanging up, I sat in my office for most of the night, thinking about the same thing you just said."

Lin Shu: "So we're on the same page now?"

"Definitely!"

He reached for the teapot and poured Lin Shu a refill, then poured one for himself, and continued:

"I've been doing OEM manufacturing for almost ten years. I started by injection molding mouse shells for people, earning five cents each. Later, I gradually moved to surface mount technology (SMT) lines and assembly lines. I take on whatever Ziyao can make, and now I can ship complete machines."

"But after ten years of working here, I've come to understand that even the best contract manufacturer is just someone else's long-term laborer."

"I make a digital component costing 20 yuan at the factory, but when it gets to another brand, they just slap a label on it and sell it for 120 or 150 yuan. The extra 100 yuan has nothing to do with me."

"I invested in the machines, I hired the workers, I designed the molds, but in the end, the lion's share went to someone else. Why? Because their brand has a name, a reputation, and customers willing to pay."

As he said this, he picked up his teacup, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one gulp. The resentment in his voice was swallowed down with the tea, but the light in his eyes shone even brighter.

"So when Lao Tang first mentioned you to me, my first reaction wasn't to take orders, but to see if you were a reliable person. Because I know you have a large following; I even had my son check out your live stream."

As Mr. Xu spoke, he took out his phone and waved it around. The screen saver was still one of those flashy live wallpapers popular in 2013.

"Goodness, when I watched it on the computer, the barrage of comments was so intense I could barely see the screen. The gifts kept coming one after another, like rockets and airplanes. Don't laugh at me, but even at my age, I felt sorry for the money spent."

"But my son said that there are very few people on the entire internet who can match your individual skill and awareness during the competition. He said that you really earned your reputation through hard work, not the kind of streamer who just makes a living by talking."

Upon hearing this, Lin Shu's lips curled up slightly, and his opinion of this Boss Xu rose another notch.

A partner who can do accounting, understands the market, and proactively learns about esports is far superior to those old-fashioned factory owners who only know how to work blindly.