Tech startup: I really do make mobile phones!

Chapter 19 Old Wang's Ambition

"There are no secrets in this world, and naturally there is no such thing as a free lunch."

Old Wang thought to himself, "That cunning old fox won't release his eagle until he sees the rabbit."

Old Zhang is clearly trying to rip me off.

But the thought that Orange Technology might fail if it couldn't get these high-quality resistive touchscreens made him really tempted.

Old Wang convinced himself.

The real key is Orange Technology's small workshop. Old Zhang is just a sour grapes; he's tied up his own funds in refurbished machines and is jealous that others have cash flow and the opportunity to acquire Orange Technology's small workshop.

Old Wang had always wanted to take down Chen Mo, mainly because he coveted Chen Mo's small workshop, Orange Technology, and of course, Zhao Tiezhu, the skilled machine disassembly and assembly worker.

You should know that Old Wang's stall can only do the simplest dismantling and trading, with limited profits.

He was extremely envious of the profits in the mid-range refurbished machine market and the high-end repair and assembly market.

Now that there's a chance to kick Chen Mo while he's down and make his Orange Technology go bankrupt quickly, Lao Wang won't let this opportunity pass.

Many people like to say that there is no love without a reason, and naturally there is no hate without a reason.

That's a bit too absolute.

The small workshop Orange Technology just happened to appear, and it seemed that as long as Lao Wang stepped on it, he could gain a wider market and make more money.

At this point, even if there are no grudges, if you are weak but have something that others covet, you will inevitably become nourishment for the strong to become stronger.

Ah!
At least Lao Wang felt that he was a stronger person than Chen Mo, that unrealistic college student.

He himself thinks so.

"Old Zhang!" Old Wang gritted his teeth, steeling himself, thinking that you can't catch a wolf without risking your cub: "You just got a new batch of refurbished machine parts, and I happen to have 100 unused capacitors from last time. Old Zhang, take a look."

Old Wang has really invested heavily. If he succeeds in snatching these resistive touchscreens from Old Zhang, he can go and mock Chen Mo properly, venting his anger at being ridiculed by the two at the barbecue stall yesterday.

Yes! People like Lao Wang have their own logic and never think that they are at fault.

If I take advantage of you and you're unwilling to back down, then you're in the wrong.

"Alright, alright! My refurbished machine has started assembly these past couple of days, so I'll trouble you to deliver it today, Lao Wang!"

Old Zhang was secretly delighted, but on the surface he remained calm. He thought to himself that Zhao Tiezhu really had a firm grasp on Old Wang's mentality, and everything was as expected.

Knowing that Orange Technology is "acquiring" resistive touchscreens, Old Wang will definitely jump out and cause trouble.

Not only did he get 100 capacitors for free, but Zhao Tiezhu also said he would treat him to dinner and drinks after the deal was done.

Although Lao Wang was tempted, Lao Zhang remained composed and sighed deliberately, as if in difficulty.

"Old Wang! Let me tell you, this Tiezhu is also my little brother. You absolutely must never tell anyone that I was the one who gave you this information!"

Old Wang nodded quickly and said confidently, "Old Zhang! Don't you trust me? My word is known for being airtight, so you can rest assured!"

Old Zhang chuckled softly and then spoke.

"You know perfectly well what's going on between you and Chen Mo. I shouldn't have gotten involved in this, and Tie Zhu repeatedly told me not to tell anyone. He doesn't want you to ruin things!"

While agreeing and indicating that he would never betray Lao Zhang, Lao Wang eagerly asked, "So what's your lowest price for this batch of resistive touchscreens?"

Seeing that Lao Wang had been lured enough, Lao Zhang slowly flipped his left hand over twice and made an eight-shaped gesture with his right hand.

"Old Wang! I'll give you a fair price of 18 yuan a piece, not a penny less."

Upon hearing this, Old Wang instinctively frowned and muttered, "This is the market price; there's not much profit to be made!"

Seeing this, Old Zhang deliberately added fuel to the fire, reminding him, "Yes! Who can argue with that!"

"I bought it at the same price back then, and I only made a profit of one cent per unit!"

Old Zhang continued to fan the flames, escalating the situation for Old Wang.

"You've already fallen out with Chen Mo, and Tie Zhu has repeatedly told me not to tell anyone. Don't put me in a difficult position!"

Old Wang instantly recalled the awkwardness of being questioned by Chen Mo during the barbecue on the grassland yesterday, leaving him speechless and forcing him to make a bet.

"That's the price! No negotiation?"

Old Wang wasn't stupid. After so many years in business, he instinctively had a bit of wariness when it came to business matters. However, Zhao Tiezhu had long seen through Old Wang; he had his little bit of pettiness completely under his control.

Old Zhang shrugged, nonchalantly: "I'm not worried about selling it. It's high-end stuff, there are plenty of buyers willing to take it. If you don't buy it, I can just ask Tiezhu!"

Old Wang took a deep drag on his cigarette, then threw the rest on the ground and stomped it out.

He did some mental calculations. Although the purchase price of 18 yuan was the market price, this batch of goods were original, unrepaired parts. He could sell them at a premium as original factory salvaged parts, and there would still be a profit margin.

Moreover, if we could manage to buy all ten boxes of goods from Orange Technology, we could show off to Chen Mo and brag to our neighbors, which would also help us vent our anger.

Thinking of this, Lao Wang gritted his teeth and said, "Lao Zhang! I need to ask you for another favor. If you can use this batch of goods to keep Zhao Tiezhu in check, I'll give you another 20 sets of motherboard FPC (flexible printed circuit boards)."

In order to undermine Orange Technology, Old Wang took over the small workshop and expanded into the refurbished machine, high-end repair and assembly market, sparing no effort.

Thinking that it could delay the subsequent production schedule of Orange Technology's resistive touchscreens, Lao Wang became even more confident in shutting down Chen Mo's small workshop.

That's right! There's a food chain even in Huabei Qiang's stalls, and there are different levels of quality among the stalls.

The top stalls in the food chain not only trade disassembled parts, but also refurbish parts, and even have their own small workshops with production licenses, so they can legitimately produce counterfeit phones.

Although counterfeit phones are assembled from generic brands, not every stall can make them. This is the most profitable part of Huabei Qiang's complete machine business.

The stalls in the middle are like Lao Zhang's. The owner is a skilled disassembly and assembly worker. In his spare time, he makes some refurbished machines to sell online or wholesale to backpackers.

At the very bottom of the food chain are stalls like Lao Wang's, who have no skills of their own and no skilled disassembly and assembly workers under their command, so they can only do some disassembly and parts trading.

Therefore, Lao Wang's target of Orange Technology was actually to make up for the two deficiencies of technology and production qualifications in one step, and directly leap to the top of the food chain in North China.

"Twenty motherboard FPCs! Old Zhang! That's quite a lot!"

Old Wang emphasized that it was a motherboard to make it sound more impressive, but it's actually just a flexible circuit board.

But since it was all free, Old Zhang was overjoyed, though he deliberately frowned.

"Old Wang! Only 20 sets? That's too few! Really too few! Zhao Tiezhu has been my little brother for so many years! This is going to be very difficult for me."

Just when Lao Wang thought Lao Zhang was going to refuse, he changed the subject.

"How about this? Add a few more. After all, Tiezhu has been a brother I've known for over three years! Adding 10 sets a year isn't too much to ask, is it?"

Old Wang couldn't help but twitch his lips. So, you're using your brotherhood as a bargaining chip to raise the price!
He hardened his heart: "50 sets it is! But don't let Chen Mo and Zhao Tiezhu know that I've already bought them. I want to wait until the goods arrive before I personally go to their door to tell them this 'good news'!"

Old Zhang patted his chest and assured him, "Don't worry! I, Old Zhang, keep my mouth shut. Bring the capacitor and deposit tonight, and I'll go talk to Tie Zhu tomorrow. I guarantee I'll keep him hanging for a week."

Old Wang left satisfied, his footsteps gradually fading into the alley.

Old Zhang watched his retreating figure and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Old Wang is too old and still too impatient. Although Tie Zhu is young, he sees through the old man perfectly. He's a natural shrewd person!"

He shook his head and continued fiddling with the circuit board in his hand, thinking to himself that he needed to get Zhao Tiezhu to deliver the food and drinks as soon as possible.

Otherwise, if too much time passed, Old Zhang would suspect that Zhao Tiezhu, that unruly brat, would try to renege on his promise and get away with it.

Old Wang was getting impatient, worried that things might change too quickly and unforeseen circumstances might arise.

You should know that Lao Zhang has been getting a lot of these high-end resistive touchscreens from the market lately, so he's really not worried about sales.

However, with such a large number of bids, very few companies can actually absorb them all.

Better safe than sorry. That afternoon, Lao Wang brought the capacitors and the deposit to Lao Zhang, urging him to keep Zhao Tiezhu hanging and delay his order.

As promised, Lao Zhang found Zhao Tiezhu, and the two put on a show of "bargaining" in front of Lao Wang, who was hiding behind them.

In the end, Lao Zhang had no choice but to offer Zhao Tiezhu a "low price" of 17.5 yuan per piece, with delivery scheduled for a week later, thus piquing Zhao Tiezhu's interest.

Zhao Tiezhu glanced at Lao Wang, who was hiding not far behind Lao Zhang, and secretly rejoiced: Now the funds for the ten boxes of resistive screens have been secured, and Brother Chen's new screen replacement plan for the Orange 1 phone can also be successfully implemented.

As for Lao Wang, he's still dreaming, waiting for Zhao Tiezhu to receive the goods in a week so he can go and give Chen Mo a good dressing down.

If Chen Mo can't hold on any longer, then Orange Technology will be his for the taking, and he will become the top dog in the food chain of North China.

Chen Mo, Zhao Tiezhu, and Lao Zhang—all of them, kneel down before Old Wang! A flame of ambition ignited in his eyes.

It was as if this successful attempt to hide the loss from Zhao Tiezhu was the beginning of his journey to the top of the food chain with his stall business.

(End of this chapter)