Those Years When I Was Forced to Top the Forbes List

Chapter 46 No money to buy more goods?
We couldn't go to the panda park; it was too crowded today, Sunday.

Almost everyone who comes here comes to see the pandas. According to the staff outside the park, there are two giant pandas in the park now. The bigger one is named Xinxing, and the smaller one is named Lanxiang. Xinxing is the panda with the most offspring in this panda park. Its only companion, Chuanchuan, came from the Shanghai Zoo and has been away on business trips to Beijing Zoo for the past two years. Most of their cubs have also gone abroad.

During the Olympic preparation period, giant pandas almost always had business trips planned, and many zoos had long queues. Even in their native Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu, the opportunity to see giant pandas was extremely rare.

Xinxing and Lanxiang are having dinner right now, and the panda enclosure is bustling with noise.

We can only visit other gardens.

We played and joked around all the way.

Chen Xuejin also jumped and skipped, but unlike the other children, he didn't run around aimlessly.

Xin Mengzhen pulled Chen Xuejin along, and as they strolled around, she told Chen Xuejin about some mathematical geniuses.

Gauss, Riemann, Newton, Archimedes.

Unable to get a word in edgewise, Chen Xuebing, having nothing better to do, devoured the cupcakes and German chocolate cakes that Xin Mengzhen had bought in just a few bites.

Now that he was really hungry, he noticed that Xin Mengzhen had a bag with two bananas that she had broken off. He shamelessly took them out and started eating them as he walked.

"What are you doing! This is for feeding the monkeys to Chen Xuejin!" Xin Mengzhen tugged at Chen Xuejin's right hand and said irritably.

Chen Xuebing said nonchalantly, "I'll owe the monkeys for now, consider it financing for them. Next time, if I have money, I'll pay back three sticks; if I'm poor, I'll pay back one."

He said this because he wanted to talk about financial topics that he was good at, otherwise he would seem dull the whole time.

Finance was actually his second major, besides architecture.

After becoming wealthy in his previous life, he started using idle funds to speculate in stocks. A seasoned stock trader for over a decade, he progressed from buying and selling based on intuition to analyzing chart patterns and the strategies of major players, then to understanding the market, financial statements, and IPOs. He eventually realized that there's no real analysis to be done in the stock market. He moved away from small-cap stocks and into large-cap bank stocks, which began to stabilize. Looking at his past earnings reports, only one conclusion could be drawn:
The more you know, the less daring you become; the more misjudgments you make, the less you earn.

However, he still had a bit of luck in his past life, so overall he still made a profit.

Moreover, his biggest gain was learning a lot about the stock market, the core driving force of finance. No matter what industry you're in, financial thinking is essential.

He wanted to say something, but Chen Xuejin wouldn't let him get a word in edgewise: "Sister, you should give him some. He didn't eat any glutinous rice balls this morning. He even took a shower after studying before coming to find you. Look how hungry he is, he's practically starving."

Xin Mengzhen laughed so hard she almost fell over.

Chen Xuebing was used to being teased and was too lazy to get angry, but he also lost interest in taking the kid for a stroll.

"Let's go out and buy him some books, then I'll take him home. You can wait for me at the teahouse, or you can go home."

Xin Mengzhen took out her phone and saw that it was only 10 o'clock, so she assumed he was going to an internet cafe.

"So early, are you going to go online?... Or I'll go home at noon and check on Wangwang."

Chen Xuebing smiled and shook his head: "We're currently experiencing a surge in traffic from the new store. If things weren't arranged properly, would I dare to come out with you? Don't worry, there are people watching the internet cafe 24/7, so the customers won't run away."

Last night he taught Lu Yiwen, Gou Hongyi, and the other six people how to do it. After that, when the store's reviews and ratings improve, there won't be much need for further explanation.

Thinking it over, Chen Xuebing then instructed:

"And now we have two orders. If we do three more, I don't have the money to buy more stock right now. I have to wait for the payment. If there are any more orders, I'll try to delay them and say that the goods will arrive in a few days. If that doesn't work, we'll wait for the payment and then continue selling."

Each order for a mobile phone costs one or two thousand yuan. He can only complete five orders at most, so he needs to leave at least two or three thousand yuan for Huo Xiaowen to work in order to sell offline.

On Taobao, he guarantees same-day shipping. If the buyer confirms receipt on time, the Alipay payment will arrive on T+1, so his turnover cycle should be controllable to around seven days.

The phones he sells come with a one-year warranty, which gives him confidence. Buyers are unlikely to delay payment for the warranty.

"Oh? It's such a waste not to take the orders! You can earn several hundred yuan per order." Xin Mengzhen knew the costs, hesitated for a moment, and said, "I have thirteen thousand yuan in my card, how about I lend it to you first?"

Chen Xuebing paused for a moment.

In fact, he had already planned it out. In the current stage, he would slowly accumulate funds and earn positive reviews. When the school winter break came, he would go through the procedures to register a company, purchase and sell goods using the company's cash flow, and find an intermediary to find a way to get some loans. He could then quickly expand the scale through an account matrix.

However, if we could borrow 13,000 now, it would indeed shorten the rolling cycle considerably.

His sleeve was suddenly tugged.

“If you need money, you should borrow it from Mom.”

Chen Xuejin raised his head and said, "Don't worry about your aunt. Even if you use it, Mom won't say anything."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xuebing regained his senses.

Chen Xuejin is right.

Xin Mengzhen is a girl, and she has only known him for less than three months, so she shouldn't ask him for money.

"Thinking it over," Chen Xuebing joked with a smile.
"Hey, this kid's afraid he can't pay me back. You'll come to my house and make my mom pay me back. My mom's all about saving face. Oh well, rich lady, you're so rich, save your money to treat me to dinner."

Xin Mengzhen looked serious, so she glared at Chen Xuebing and then looked at Chen Xuejin.

The meaning is quite clear: Just don't let your family know!

She knew Chen Xuejin was so smart that if she knew Chen Xuebing had borrowed money from her, she would definitely tell his mother when she got home.

Borrowing more than 10,000 yuan is a big deal and enough to make one's family worry.

So she winked at Chen Xuebing, signaling him to talk later, trying to dispel his concerns.

Chen Xuebing shook his head again and said clearly, "No need. I appreciate your kindness, but I will find a way myself. Don't worry."

Having overcome such difficulties in the early stages, and now that they have orders, Chen Xuebing doesn't feel he needs to borrow money from girls.

He's extremely chauvinistic when it comes to money. He might joke about dating a rich woman, but he absolutely cannot accept it if it becomes a real thing.

Besides, if things really don't work out, I still have my mom. I can borrow some money temporarily and pay her back when I earn it.

As for the bet with his aunt not to ask his mother for help, he didn't take it to heart at all. He was just using his aunt as a ploy, and there was no need to trap himself in that situation.

Even Chen Xuejin understands this principle.

But after Xin Mengzhen made that suggestion, he felt he really should think of a solution.

Orders are coming in, it would be a fool not to make money.

...And the order actually came in.

Just after dropping Chen Xuejin off at home, Lu Yiwen called to say that someone had paid for a transaction.

UT (Starcom) 106a.

Little Smart (小理通).

399 yuan.

This machine is Mr. Zhao's current flagship product. It costs 260 to purchase, has the highest output, low technology, low component costs, and a relatively high profit margin.

The buyer said his wife was pregnant and he wanted to reward her with a mobile phone, and he had also heard that PHS phones had low radiation.

Knowing that the product was counterfeit, Lu Yiwen asked Chen Xuebing with some concern whether the product would have a high radiation level.

Chen Xuebing replied with a smile, "Don't worry, the low radiation of PHS phones is determined by their radio frequency power. As long as you can connect to a PHS base station, the radiation will be low."

There's also an E365, priced at 2499 yuan. Lu Yiwen said the buyer was going to the bank to transfer the money, and he had just repeatedly confirmed whether the goods could be shipped today, but there's been no further news; they've probably already left.

With a cost of 2050 yuan, the profit is only 500 yuan. Compared to the low-priced PHS phones, the profit of mobile phones is much lower.

Lu Yiwen said that several people asked him questions this morning, and the conversations went quite well. He might even get some orders today.

While Chen Xuebing was happy, he also began to feel anxious.

After these four orders, he has earned nearly 1400 yuan. After deducting the commission, he can get a profit of more than 1200 yuan, but he has also spent more than 5000 yuan on the purchase of goods.

At this rate, we'll run out of cash after selling just two more units.

……

At 11:30, Chen Xuebing met Xin Mengzhen again at the teahouse, and they had a meal together at a restaurant downstairs.

...

Around 12 o'clock, Yang Qingyue called Xin Mengzhen and learned that Xin Mengzhen and Chen Xuebing had arrived. She rushed over and arrived at the teahouse a little after 1 o'clock.

Yang Qingyue had clearly dressed up carefully today. Her hair was still down, and she wore a mid-length light-colored coat and a pair of ankle boots, which made her look taller. She also wore a scarf, which smelled nice when she took it off.

However, Chen Xuebing had no interest in appreciating it; he only offered a couple of compliments before lowering his head to work on his problems.

Xin Mengzhen was also staring intently at the test paper, looking completely absorbed.

The three of them seemed to be there seriously to practice their problems. A square table was covered with study materials, and everyone was looking down. The atmosphere was somewhat silent, like they were taking an exam.

In reality, all three of them harbored their own secrets.

Chen Xuebing was trying to come up with a solution, while Xin Mengzhen was thinking about how to get Chen Xuebing to accept her method.

Seeing that the two were acting strangely, Yang Qingyue couldn't help but have all sorts of thoughts running through her mind. She wanted to ask what had happened before she came, but she didn't know how to bring it up.

Shortly after 2 a.m., Chen Xuebing suddenly looked up.

"I'll go out and make a phone call."

Without waiting for the two girls to answer, he got up, grabbed his phone, and left the teahouse.

Xin Mengzhen stared blankly at the doorway for a long time.

She wasn't usually a proactive person; even during dinner, she offered to pay Chen Xuebing some interest, but he still refused her help, saying he would figure it out himself.

She racked her brains for a long time, but couldn't come up with a solution.

Chen Xuebing's opportunity to make money was rare, and she knew all the effort he had put in. It would be such a pity if he missed out because he couldn't afford to buy the goods.

She frowned, then suddenly looked at Yang Qingyue, who was also staring at the door of the private room, and hesitated before saying, "Qingyue..."

"Hmm?" Yang Qingyue turned around.

"How...how do you think you can get someone to accept help?"

Xin Mengzhen couldn't come up with a solution herself, so she could only pin her hopes on Yang Qingyue. She thought that it wasn't impossible to tell Yang Qingyue about Chen Xuebing's lack of money in his business, and she wanted to discuss it with Yang Qingyue.

But Yang Qingyue reacted instantly, her expression hardening, and asked, "Chen Xuebing? What happened to him?"

When Xin Mengzhen saw how concerned Yang Qingyue was, she felt a little regretful.

Yang Qingyue's crying that day came flooding back to her.

If Qingyue finds out about her private interactions with Chen Xuebing…

"Well... before you came, I overheard him on the phone. It sounded like he had some urgent business and was short of money. I happened to have some money and was going to lend it to him, but he refused."

Xin Mengzhen tried to avoid talking about opening a shop, and said something that was half true and half false, saying that she only found out by chance.

"Just give it to him!" Yang Qingyue immediately gave the answer, then frowned and said, "Oh no, did he beat him up? I'll go ask him."

Xin Mengzhen didn't know how much of a troublemaker Chen Xuebing had been in the past, or how many fights he had gotten into, but she knew very well.

She couldn't help but think the worst.

As Yang Qingyue spoke, she stood up anxiously.

"It shouldn't be, don't worry! Let's ask him when he gets back!" Xin Mengzhen quickly tugged at her sleeve, afraid that if she rushed to ask now, Chen Xuebing's answer might not match her own.

Hearing Xin Mengzhen say this, Yang Qingyue could only slowly sit down. After thinking for a moment, she took Xin Mengzhen's hand and comforted her:

"That's just how he is, he never says anything. It's okay, Mengzhen, we're deskmates. I'll ask him during evening self-study. I also have some money, so I'll help him if he really needs anything. Don't worry."

Upon hearing this, Xin Mengzhen loosened her grip.

The clear spring in my eyes rippled slightly, and some inexplicable emotions welled up in my heart.

(End of this chapter)