Hong Kong Film: Short mules have no future, I am in charge of Hong Kong

Chapter 284 There is a backer behind you

"Boss, I just received news that there is a problem with our raw material supply. The previous supplier suddenly raised the price and threatened that he would not ship the goods if we did not agree." Ah Liu scratched his head, with a bit of helplessness in his tone.

"Raise the price?" Su Hanze put down the teacup in his hand and frowned. "How much?"

"It's directly increased by 30%. It's totally exorbitant." Ah Liu gnashed his teeth in hatred. "These people saw that our exhibition was popular, so they wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to make a fortune."

"This is not just taking advantage of the opportunity to make a fortune, this is strangling us." Su Hanze smiled coldly, "Does he think we can't live without him?"

"Boss, the problem is that jewelry materials are hard to find. This time we are using jadeite from Myanmar, and there are not many suppliers in Hong Kong. If they are really out of stock, our next design will be shelved." Ah Liu was a little anxious, "What should we do now?"

Su Hanze pondered for a moment, his eyes darkening slightly. "Let them know that they are not qualified to play this game with us. Ah Liu, contact the local mines in Myanmar immediately. We will talk directly to the upstream and bypass these middlemen."

Ah Liu was stunned: "Boss, let's talk about the mine directly? We don't have anyone in Myanmar, who can we talk to?"

"If no one is found, go find them." Su Hanze said firmly, "This kind of thing depends on connections and courage. Tell the brothers that we want long-term cooperation this time. Even if it costs a little, we must open up this line."

A few days later, Liu and a few capable brothers set off for Yangon.

While waiting for his flight at the airport, he grumbled about the hot weather in Myanmar while flipping through the documents in his hand.

According to the information they have, there is a local mine called "Golden Triangle" which is the main supplier of jadeite to Hong Kong Island. The boss is called Zhao Laosi, a local tyrant who is doing very well in the border area.

"This Zhao Laosi is not easy to deal with." Ah Liu couldn't help but mutter, "I heard that he has a hot temper and doesn't like to meet strangers. If we rashly go to his house and get kicked out, it would be a huge embarrassment."

Ah Hu, who was traveling with us, laughed and said, "What are you afraid of? He's just Zhao Laosi. We are from Hong Kong Island. Are we afraid that we can't handle a mine owner on the border?"

Ah Liu rolled his eyes and said, "What do you know? If this guy didn't have a temper, he would have been swallowed up long ago. Besides, he not only does jade business, but also has dealings with gangs in Thailand and Vietnam. We are just guests when we go there, don't think of yourself as the boss."

After flying for several hours, they finally arrived in Yangon. This city was completely different from Hong Kong Island. The streets were filled with a hot and humid atmosphere, and the hawkers coming and going could be heard one after another.

Ah Liu and his group checked into a simple hotel. After a simple tidying up, they found out the location of Zhao Laosi's mine.

When they drove to the mine, they were stopped outside. The men guarding the mine were shirtless and had messy tattoos on their arms. They looked like they were not someone to be trifled with.

"Who are you? Don't you know this is private territory?" A burly man with a ferocious face walked up and spoke in an unfriendly tone.

Ah Liu quickly put on a smile and took out a box of Zhonghua cigarettes from his pocket and handed it over: "Hey, big brother, we are businessmen from Hong Kong Island. We want to meet Mr. Zhao to discuss some business."

The big man took the cigarette box, looked at it, and sneered: "Boss Zhao has business to discuss every day, who do you think you are? You want to see him without an appointment, are you dreaming?"

Ah Liu's heart skipped a beat, but the smile on his face remained the same: "Brother, Boss Zhao is a big businessman, why would he bother with small vendors like us? Why don't you let him know? We will definitely not waste his time."

The big man waved his hands impatiently: "Get lost! Don't even think about coming in without informing us. If you keep talking nonsense, I'll overturn your car too."

Things seemed to be at a stalemate. Ah Hu clenched his fists and was about to step forward to argue, but was stopped by Ah Liu. He turned his head and whispered, "Don't worry, we are unfamiliar with this place, don't cause trouble."

Just as they were about to leave, a young woman wearing sunglasses came out of the mine, followed by several men. Ah Liu noticed that the men were very respectful to her, and it was obvious that she was of a high status.

"Who are you?" The woman's voice was cold, but her tone was not hostile.

Ah Liu stepped forward and said respectfully, "Miss, we are businessmen from Hong Kong Island. We wanted to meet Mr. Zhao to discuss cooperation, but we were blocked outside. Please help us make some arrangements."

The woman took off her sunglasses, revealing a rather cool face

She looked Ah Liu up and down, and slowly said, "Boss Zhao hasn't seen any strangers recently. But I'm his niece, Zhao Jing. If you want to do business with him, you can talk to me first."

Ah Liu's eyes lit up and he quickly said, "Miss Zhao, we are mainly engaged in the jewelry business. This time we came here to cooperate directly with the mine and establish a jade supply channel in Hong Kong Island."

"A jeweler from Hong Kong?" Zhao Jing raised a faint smile. "It sounds good, but our Zhao family has no shortage of partners. Why do you think we will cooperate with you?"

Ah Liu swallowed, not knowing how to answer for a moment.

"Miss Zhao, our boss is sincere." Ah Hu, who was standing next to her, couldn't help but speak up. "And we have also brought sincere gifts. As long as you are willing to help make the connection, we will definitely not let you down."

Zhao Jing raised her eyebrows: "Gift?"

Ah Liu nodded hurriedly and took out an exquisite box from the car and handed it over.

Zhao Jing opened it and saw a gorgeous jade necklace inside, which was one of the "Oriental Legend" series designed by Lin Ke'er. This necklace is made of delicate Burmese jade as the main stone, and is matched with Hong Kong Island's gold craftsmanship, which looks both noble and elegant.

"This is quite interesting." Zhao Jing's eyes flashed with appreciation. After closing the box, she nodded. "Okay, I can arrange for you to meet Boss Zhao. But let me be frank. If we can't come to a cooperation, don't blame us for being rude."

Ah Liu breathed a sigh of relief and nodded repeatedly: "Thank you, Miss Zhao, thank you, Miss Zhao." That night, Ah Liu and his group finally met Zhao Laosi as they wished. The mine owner was a middle-aged man in his fifties, with dark skin and a bit of sharpness between his eyebrows. He sat on a large rattan chair, smoking a cigar, and glanced at Ah Liu and others, seemingly not very interested in them.

"A jeweler from Hong Kong Island?" Zhao Laosi blew out a puff of smoke and said lazily, "Our jadeite has been almost fully booked. You're late."

Ah Liu's heart skipped a beat, but he still said, "Boss Zhao, we are here this time in the hope of establishing a long-term cooperative relationship with you. The jewelry market in Hong Kong Island has great potential. If you are willing to support us, we will definitely not let you down."

Zhao Laosi sneered: "Market potential? That's your business. My mine only cares about the immediate benefits. What can you give me?"

Ah Liu was speechless for a moment, but Zhao Jing spoke softly beside him: "Uncle, the jade designs they brought are quite interesting, why not let them try it?"

Zhao Laosi glanced at Zhao Jing, seeming a little impatient, but finally waved his hand: "Okay, I'll give you one chance. If you can show me actual benefits within three months, we can talk about long-term cooperation. If you can't do it, don't blame me for turning hostile."

Ah Liu nodded quickly, but he knew in his heart that this road of cooperation had just begun.

Zhao Laosi agreed to try the cooperation, but Ah Liu and his group didn't have time to breathe a sigh of relief, because although Zhao Laosi agreed lightly, the three-month deadline was a life-and-death line that could not be avoided if they wanted to satisfy him.

After coming out of the mine, Ah Liu patted Ah Hu on the shoulder and said calmly, "This is good news. It's better than a failed negotiation, right?"

Ah Hu glanced at him and said, "Can you stop smiling so fakely? Did you understand what Zhao Laosi said? If we don't show him the results in these three months, he won't just turn hostile, but we will probably lose our lives."

The atmosphere in the car suddenly became heavy, and the driver couldn't help but interject, "Brother, do you think these jadeite we got from the mine can really be sold? Don't let it happen that we can't even get back the cost."

Ah Liu was unsure, but he still pretended to be optimistic: "If it doesn't sell, then find a way to sell it. No matter how difficult something is, as long as you have a way, there will be no problem of no one buying it. Our boss in Hong Kong Island is not an ordinary person. Boss Su has a lot of ways."

That's what they said, but when they transported the jadeite back to Hong Kong Island, the reality was more complicated than they had imagined. Su Hanze sat in the office, looking at the pile of jadeite in front of him, his brows furrowed deeper and deeper.

These stones were indeed from Zhao Laosi's mine and were of good quality, but the problem was how to cash them in as quickly as possible. The influence of the jewelry exhibition was still there, but these jades obviously could not be carved into finished products in a short period of time, and Zhao Laosi required that the profits be seen within three months, which undoubtedly became a dead end.

"Boss, how about we just sell the raw stones?" Ah Liu asked tentatively, "There is a market for gambling on raw stones in Hong Kong Island now. Although the profit is small, at least we can sell them quickly."

Su Hanze shook his head. "How much can the raw stones sell for? Even if we sell them all, it won't cover the cost of this trip. Zhao Laosi is focusing on whether we can open up a larger sales channel, not just relying on a one-time shipment to fool people."

He lit a cigarette, thought for a moment, and suddenly said, "Ah Liu, contact our previous customers, especially those who like high-end customization, and tell them that we now have a batch of top-grade jadeite and will give priority to private carving services."

Ah Liu scratched his head and said, "But Boss, if these people want to place a custom order, it will take at least several months to deliver. Zhao Lao Si only gave us three months, which is not enough time at all."

Su Hanze exhaled a puff of smoke, his eyes deep: "If there is not enough time, we can ask them to pay the deposit in advance. As long as there is enough cash flow in the account, Zhao Laosi will have nothing to say. The problem is, how can we convince these customers that this batch of jade is worth their advance payment."

Lin Ke'er was just walking in from outside at this time, holding a few pieces of jadeite in her hands, and casually threw them on the table: "It's simple, tell them the story. Boss, is there any legend behind these stones? For example, there are some supernatural events in the mine, or a certain stone was desperately snatched out by miners from a landslide. The more exciting the story, the more valuable the jadeite will be."

Su Hanze stared at her with a complicated look: "Ms. Lin, do you want me to become a storyteller?"

"Business is all about storytelling." Lin Ke'er sat down without hesitation, flipping through the raw stones and picking out a piece of transparent emerald green. "If you don't believe me, look, this piece of jade is so good that it can be sold for a good price without even being carved. As long as people believe that it is unique, people will line up to buy it."

Su Hanze smiled: "It's easy for you to say it, but whether the customer believes it or not is another matter."

"They don't trust you, they trust the market." Lin Ke'er put down the stone in her hand. "These jades are valuable in themselves. The problem is how to package them. We can hold a high-end jade exhibition with the theme of 'Mineral Vein Wonder' or 'Heavenly Treasures'. Invite some big names in the industry to come and give these stones a story to tell, and customers will naturally be willing to pay for them."

"A high-end jade exhibition..." Su Hanze thought for a moment, "It is indeed feasible, but it requires time to prepare, and it also requires the influence of the media."

Lin Ke'er shrugged: "Don't you have a lot of connections? If you don't use these connections now, when will you use them?"

Soon, a jade exhibition with the theme of "Treasures of Heaven" was finalized in the largest luxury hotel in Hong Kong Island. Lin Keer was personally responsible for the selection of exhibits.
After sorting out the high-quality jadeite, she gave each stone a unique "story". For example, "The Moonlight" symbolizes loyal love, "The Azure Dragon Offering Auspiciousness" implies power and wealth, and "The Fox Guarding Treasure" carries the well-being of the family.

To add to the sense of mystery, she also specially designed some lighting effects to make the jade look sparkling in the exhibition.

There was a faint atmosphere of tension in the exhibition hall of the luxury hotel.

Although the jade exhibition seemed bright and lively, Su Hanze did not look completely relaxed. He shuttled among the crowd, greeting guests, but in his heart he was silently thinking about how to deal with the bad news that Ah Liu had just brought.

A slightly bloated man stood in the corner of the exhibition, holding a toothpick in his mouth and his small eyes rolling around.

He was the Ma San mentioned by Ah Liu, a jeweler who had been in Sham Shui Po for many years. With his low-priced imitations, he thrived in the Hong Kong jewelry market and offended many of his peers. However, because he had some backers behind him, no one dared to take action against him.

"This jade exhibition organized by Su Hanze is quite grand." Ma San smacked his lips, looking at the jade on the exhibition stand, and couldn't help muttering, "But it's just like that. Who can't tell a story? In the end, isn't it just relying on gimmicks to make money?"

Next to him stood a tall and thin young man, Achang, Ma San's brother-in-law, who ran errands for him. Achang nodded and agreed in a low voice: "Brother San, I don't think these jades are anything special. Once we sell our batch of goods, we will definitely be able to steal their business."

(End of this chapter)