He stared at him, stunned. After a few seconds, he finally managed to squeeze out a question. “Why are we even going to Wencheng?”
Jiang Luo shot him a sideways glance, the corner of his mouth lifting. “Took you long enough to wonder.”
“Just say it.”
Wang Chuang jabbed him lightly with an elbow.
Only then did Jiang Luo explain, “We’re going to place orders.”
“For what?” Wang Chuang asked.
“I was at Pacific Department Store…”
During those days, aside from haunting Jing’an’s trading hall watching the stock market, Jiang Luo spent most of his time wandering the malls along Nanjing Road and other shopping streets.
He discovered that in 1990, even though people were broke—really broke—the “foreign goods” on the shelves were selling like crazy.
Jiang Luo singled out a few items that were practically sold out—like imported dolls, European-style table lamps—and found the manager of Pacific Department Store to strike a deal. Those hot-selling items weren’t impossible to restock. The problem was that the store had no sourcing channels.
That, Jiang Luo said, was where he came in.
Wang Chuang’s mind was blown. In the noisy train car, he leaned closer and whispered, “Big bro, where are you getting these goods from?”
“Where’s the stock?”
“Are you scamming them?”
Jiang Luo was perfectly calm. “That’s why we’re going to Wencheng.”
“So Wencheng has stock?” Wang Chuang asked hopefully.
“No,” Jiang Luo replied.
“…?”
Wang Chuang’s eyes widened. “You…!”
Jiang Luo let out a short laugh. “If we don’t go, they won’t have stock. If we do go, then suddenly—bam—they’ll have stock.”
Wang Chuang still looked lost. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Jiang Luo knew that brain of his would never get there alone, so he laid it out patiently. “Pacific Department Store is out of goods. That’s in our city. The factory owners in Wencheng have no clue the store is out of stock. They have no idea, right?”
“So when we show up, we’re representing Pacific Department Store, going there to place orders.”
“It’s just that Pacific Department Store also doesn’t know we’re out there using their name to source goods.”
Wang Chuang finally grasped part of it, but then asked, “But didn’t you just say Wencheng doesn’t have stock?”
“Wencheng doesn’t have stock,” Jiang Luo said, “but Wencheng does have factories. Lots of them.”
“So we go there knowing exactly what Pacific Department Store needs. We show up and place orders. The factories make the products, and once they’re done, we bring them back to Haishi. Now do you get it?”
When it clicked, Wang Chuang brightened immediately. Right—this is how business works. He beamed at Jiang Luo. “You’re too damn smart!”
Then his face fell. “Wait, no.”
Jiang Luo looked at him.
“We’re going to place orders, but placing orders needs money. We don’t have any money! Do you have enough?”
Jiang Luo’s lips curled. “Who told you you need upfront capital to place orders?”
“We don’t have a cent, and we can still place orders.”
Meanwhile, as the green train rumbled toward Zhejiang, on the other side of things—
At Peace Hotel, after sweating through apologies and formalities, seeing that the boy they were waiting for never showed, Xue Zhizhong escorted Huo Zongzhuo out. The moment they stepped outside the private room, he spotted Lu Fuhua rushing in late.
Xue Zhizhong’s face twisted with fury. As soon as Lu Fuhua got close, he slapped him hard across the face. Holding down the fire burning up his throat, he roared, “You dare play me!?”
“Where is he!?”
“I’m asking you! Where is he!?”
“Why didn’t he show up!?”
“Did you know I’ve been waiting since eleven!?”
“Lu Fuhua, you little shit, you trying to screw me over!?”
Lu Fuhua hadn’t expected Jiang Luo to stand them up either. The slap stunned him, but he swallowed his anger and rushed to explain.
“Uncle—uncle, I really don’t know why he agreed and then didn’t come. Don’t be mad, I’ll go grab that brat right now.”
“I don’t care if he agrees or not—I’ll knock him out cold and drag him there—”
The moment he mentioned Huo Zongzhuo, Xue Zhizhong’s temper detonated again. He kicked him hard. “Get lost! Get the hell out!”
Thinking about how he—he, a big boss in Haishi, someone with a reputation—ended up being played by a teenager, humiliation burned through him.
He jabbed a finger at Lu Fuhua and barked, “Bring him back to me.”
“I don’t care if he agrees.”
“He should be grateful he even caught Huo’s eye.”
“Don’t you dare let him throw away the damn opportunity!”
“Go!”
“Go drag him back!”
He grabbed Lu Fuhua by the collar and slapped him again and again. “This mess is on you! Do you know how much face I lost today!?”
“That’s Huo Zongzhuo! Huo Zongzhuo!”
“Do you know how hard I worked to get close to that walking fortune!?”
“Get out!”
“Bring that brat back!”
“I’ll skin him myself!”
Meanwhile, miles away—
At school, Wang Chuang’s parents received a call from the homeroom teacher. Only then did they find out that their son had left a note in the dorm, saying he was dropping out, going to Zhejiang with a friend to do business.
He told the teacher to pass the message along, said he wouldn’t be gone long, and that he’d call their factory once he arrived in Zhejiang to let them know he was safe.