Wang Chuang beat himself up. “Damn it… I really didn’t know I couldn’t say anything.”
He paused, thinking. “I just thought that when Manager Guo smiled at me, he was being friendly. Turns out he was trying to trap me into talking.”
“Damn it!”
“I’m sorry, Luo-ge, I really didn’t know.”
“It’s fine, no blame. You just lack experience and got played.”
Jiang Luo didn’t get angry; he even reached out and patted Wang Chuang’s shoulder. “A lesson learned. That’s how you gain experience in the business world. Everyone gets burned at some point.”
Wang Chuang looked worried. “So… what do we do now?”
Jiang Luo’s lips curved in a faint, ironic smile. “You lacked experience. Guo Ronghai is the one who’s truly foolish. Without me, he wouldn’t have sold a single doll. I can make it so he doesn’t earn a penny.”
“That’s how you got played?”
That night, in the Jing’an Hilton, Jiang Luo held the phone lazily at the bedside. Ho Zongzhuo summarized from the other end.
“Mm,” Jiang Luo replied calmly.
Ho Zongzhuo’s tone was gentle. “I’ve told you before: this kind of business has too much replaceability. It was only a matter of time before he bypassed you.”
Jiang Luo’s voice was low and steady. “I won’t give him anything to profit from.”
“Looks like you already have a plan?” Ho asked.
“Not discussing it now. Boring.”
Ho took the opportunity: “That’s why I suggested you come work with me. You refused. But if you were with me, someone like that wouldn’t dare pull a stunt.”
Jiang Luo teased lightly: “Who are you again? You sell airplanes, Ho Zongzhuo.”
Ho laughed. “No formalities.”
The next day, Jiang Luo checked out of the Hilton and took the green train back to Wencheng with Wang Chuang.
This time, Wang Chuang wasn’t cocky or boastful. He didn’t buy any snacks, only carrying a small bag of sunflower seeds from home.
Jiang Luo handed him some. “Eat.”
“I can’t,” Wang Chuang said, looking miserable. “This is all my fault.”
“Relax,” Jiang Luo soothed. “Taking a loss is how you gain experience. Everyone goes through it.”
Jiang Luo recalled all the losses he’d suffered in his previous life—countless lessons learned the hard way.
“Small matters shouldn’t be obsessed over. If you panic at tiny issues, you’ll be helpless when a big one comes along. No blame on anyone.”
Ho Zongzhuo had been right: this kind of business is highly replaceable. Jiang Luo hadn’t expected Guo Ronghai to push him out so quickly.
He thought to himself: Guo, just you wait.
By the afternoon, they were back at Zhang Zhiqiang’s factory in Wencheng. Zhang, surprised, laughed. “Weren’t you heading back to Haicheng? Already back?”
“Did the department store need more stock?”
The three of them sat at the tea counter. Zhang was brewing tea as usual.
Jiang Luo spoke calmly. “Boss Zhang, tell me honestly—what’s the actual factory cost for these dolls?”
Zhang froze, spilling a little tea as he processed the question. He quickly reset, pouring a fresh cup, puzzled. “Jiang Shao, why are you asking this?”
Jiang Luo leaned against the wooden sofa, his voice soft but deliberate. “Let me be clear first. Today, ten thousand of these dolls were shipped to Haicheng by train. In less than half a month, similar dolls will appear in other factories in your town, maybe even made by your own factory and sold elsewhere, right?”
Zhang’s mind raced. He tried to figure out Jiang Luo’s intention behind these words.
Jiang Luo repeated, “Boss Zhang, am I right or not?”
“Yes,” Zhang admitted, nodding while continuing to brew tea. “You’re correct. That is the situation.”
Zhang’s factory was still producing the dolls, planning to test them in the local market first. If successful, they might sell to other regions. It was only a matter of time—and anyone with money would naturally try to profit.
Still uncertain of Jiang Luo’s intentions, Zhang wondered: did Jiang Luo want to forbid him from selling these dolls elsewhere?
Jiang Luo continued, “Boss Zhang, I’m proposing a new deal. If it suits you, we will continue cooperation. If not, I’ll take my business elsewhere.”
Both Wang Chuang and Zhang Zhiqiang looked at him.
Jiang Luo fixed his gaze on Zhang. “You initially sold me one doll for seven yuan; I didn’t haggle. Now, you sell me one for five yuan, and I’ll place a much larger order.”
Zhang paused, thinking. “Jiang Shao, selling the dolls to you for five while I charge sixty-eight in the stores… isn’t that an extreme markup?”
Jiang Luo countered, “Today, the doll sells for sixty-eight in department stores. In two months, the market will be flooded with copies. Who will buy for sixty-eight then? It’s the same as soap or everyday items sold everywhere—you can’t maintain that price.”
Zhang fell silent, contemplating. Moments later, he set down the kettle, clenched his fists on his thighs, and asked Jiang Luo, “What exactly are you planning?”
Jiang Luo was direct. “I don’t trust those so-called ‘foreign goods’ sold at high prices in big department stores. I plan to use these dolls to penetrate the market.”
“I need you to give me 300 dolls at factory cost for now. I’ll take them to the small goods market in Haicheng to sell.”
“In two weeks—at most two weeks—I’ll be back. By then, I’ll place an order for over ten thousand dolls with you.”
“What you’ll earn will be far more than from the previous order.”
Zhang Zhiqiang’s eyes lit up immediately. “You’re not selling at the department store anymore?”
“Setting up in the market? How big?”
He added, “With such a large order, five yuan per doll is no problem at all!”
Zhang trusted Jiang Luo—after all, their last cooperation went smoothly. Ten thousand dolls in just half a month had already made him a tidy profit.
He even offered proactively, “You don’t have to pay factory cost. I’ll give you 300 dolls for free!”
Jiang Luo and Wang Chuang exchanged a grin.
“Perfect.”
Jiang Luo said, “Boss Zhang, you’re generous!”
Then he added, “This batch shouldn’t just have blonde dolls in skirts—add blue-haired and pink-haired ones, different dress styles. The more variety, the better.”
“Coordinate with your factory designers. And remember, remove all brand labels—no logos.”
With that, Jiang Luo and Zhang Zhiqiang had hammered out a new, temporary deal.
Back at the Crown Hotel, Wang Chuang asked, puzzled, “So what exactly are we doing?”
Jiang Luo leaned against the sofa, unwrapping a piece of fruit candy, and explained, “This time, we’re not selling in department stores. We’re selling to the small goods market.”
There was one main small goods market in Haicheng that locals called simply “the small market.”
“We’ll get the dolls into that market and have the stall owners buy from us,” Jiang Luo explained.
“Sounds good,” Wang Chuang said, but after thinking it through, he hesitated. “But there are so many stalls in that market. Not all of them sell dolls. Some sell daily goods or food. Only the ones that sell dolls might buy from us.”
“And if the stall owners don’t like our dolls, they still won’t buy.”
“Come here.”
Jiang Luo waved him over.
Wang Chuang scooted closer to the corner of the bed. Jiang Luo whispered a few instructions into his ear.
Two days later, after Zhang Zhiqiang’s factory had produced the new dolls, Jiang Luo and Wang Chuang loaded 300 dolls into large woven bags. They boarded the green train to Haicheng like ordinary laborers, carrying bulky bags and squeezing into the crowded seats.
The train rumbled along the tracks, heading toward Haicheng. It was already past five in the afternoon when they arrived.
Each carried a large woven bag, following the crowd toward the station exit.
Wang Chuang muttered, “Being a big boss isn’t easy.”
Jiang Luo chuckled. “What’s easy in business?”
They headed straight for the small market. Upon entering, they split up, covering different areas.
Jiang Luo approached a fabric stall near the entrance and greeted the middle-aged shopkeeper.
“Sis,” he said.
“Buying fabric?” the woman asked, sharp-eyed. “This side is all men’s fabrics. These pieces are for suits. Which one do you want?”
“Not buying fabric,” Jiang Luo replied. He pulled a blonde and a pink-haired doll from his bag. “Here, I’m giving you these two dolls for free.”
The woman looked confused. “Dolls? Why give me dolls?”
“You just display them at your stall. I’m giving them to you for free—you sell them. Whatever price you want.”