King of Technology: A Fresh Start in 1983

A week later, shortly after Zhan Yiling checked into the Phoenix Hotel in Shenyang, Zhang Wei arrived.

Seeing that his hands were empty, Zhan Yiling asked, "No, you've already checked in? Which hotel?"

"It's not far from the train station, and it only costs thirty yuan a night."

"Actually, the Phoenix Hotel isn't expensive. Our negotiated rate is only a little over one hundred. Why don't you move here?"

Zhang Wei waved his hand: "No need."

After looking around, he said, "It's much cheaper here than the one in Pengcheng."

"Of course, the conditions are far from ideal."

Zhan Yiling continued, "It seems that there are no more upscale hotels in Shenyang than this one now."

"Does this show the difference between the North and the South?"

Zhang Wei asked, "You have clients in Shencheng too? Aren't your mainframe systems very expensive?"

Zhan Yiling laughed: "Shenyang has a lot of large state-owned enterprises, such as blower factories and machine tool factories. These are large heavy industrial factories that Pengcheng doesn't have."

After saying that, he stared at Zhang Wei and said, "Tell me! What are you planning to freeload this time?"

Zhang Wei gave an awkward smile: "I came to Shenyang with you because I wanted to take advantage of your connections."

"In the past, I would take the initiative to visit agents, but I found that the results were not ideal, so I wanted to change my strategy."

"I have to put on airs, act all high and mighty, and make them come to me begging for my help."

"I want to test my skills in Shenyang first."

"So?" Zhan Yiling raised her eyebrows.

"So..." Zhang Wei said with a fawning smile, "I'd like to ask you to help me book a meeting room at this hotel."

"I plan to meet with several computer companies in turn in the conference room."

"We want them to see the image of Tiangong. This trip to Shenyang is specifically to investigate the market."

"We are staying in the most upscale hotel in Shenyang, where we have a dedicated conference room for working."

"They must think we're both capable and professional, right?"

"Of course, I'll cover the cost of the meeting room. You just need to negotiate the cheapest price with the hotel using IBM's name."

"It seems Chen Jianghe has finally figured things out and is starting to pay attention to the company's image."

Zhan Yiling tilted her head, smiled, and said to Zhang Wei, "No problem! You can stay here now!"

"When settling the bill, please add a portion of the room fee to the meeting room rental fee. The room fee on the invoice just needs to be below your company's standard rate!"

Zhang Wei was stunned!

"You can do that?"

Zhan Yiling chuckled: "Of course, lots of people do it. Many people in foreign companies use this method to make small profits and skim extra money while on business trips."

"You won't do that too, will you?" Zhang Wei asked, then immediately regretted it!

Zhan Yiling didn't mind at all: "No way, sneaking around would lower my own value, it's not worth it, I don't need the money."

Zhang Wei immediately scoffed, "Even though I'm short of money, I would never do something like that; it's too much of a rip-off!"

Upon hearing Zhang Wei's words, Zhan Yiling stared intently at him, making him feel somewhat uneasy.

He unconsciously scratched his face with his fingers, touching his features: "Wh-what's wrong?"

Zhan Yiling suddenly laughed: "I find Zhang Wei's way of thinking quite interesting. You don't seem like a typical wage earner at all; you're more like Chen Jianghe..."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You always put the company first; it seems you truly consider Tiangong your own career."

Upon hearing Zhan Yiling's words, Zhang Wei blushed and said awkwardly, "It's not like you said, I didn't think that much."

"Let's go! Let's go check out the conference room."

Next, Zhan Yiling took Zhang Wei to the hotel's business center and, together with the hotel manager, selected a meeting room.

The manager was eager to maintain a good relationship with a top international company like IBM, so he readily offered a very favorable price.

Zhan Yiling glanced at Zhang Wei, who quickly expressed his satisfaction.

After settling on the meeting room, Zhang Wei followed Zhan Yiling back to the room.

Using the phone in Zhan Yiling's room, she contacted several computer companies in Shencheng to arrange a meeting for the next day.

During the phone call, Zhang Wei repeatedly emphasized to the other party that he was staying at the Phoenix Hotel.

The meeting place was a private conference room in the hotel where he was staying.

After he finished making several phone calls, Zhan Yiling couldn't help but laugh.

She continued, "Zhongjie Street is right next door, the most bustling area in Shenyang, and it's very close to the Forbidden City. Shall we go for a stroll?"

Zhang Wei glanced at his watch: "Okay, let's go out for a quick dinner and come back. I still have some questions to ask you."

Zhan Yiling frowned, her face full of suspicion: "Zhang Wei, what do you mean? What exactly are you planning to do in Shenyang this time?"

"These are all business-related matters, and I'd like to consult you about them."

Zhang Wei smiled ingratiatingly, "So, this dinner is on me."

"No! If you put it that way, I'm even less inclined to let you treat me."

"He who eats another's food is bound to him; he who takes another's money is bound to him. If you keep asking me questions, I won't be able to say no."

Zhang Wei chuckled: "Actually, even if you pay me, I'll still keep asking questions."

The two ate dinner at Lao Bian Dumpling Restaurant on Zhongjie Street and then returned to their room.

Zhang Wei cut to the chase and asked Zhan Yiling, "How does IBM manage its resellers?"

"A large, established company like yours must have a complete agent management system, right? Could I learn from it?"

Zhan Yiling poured him a glass of water, placed it on the small coffee table, and sat on the edge of the bed, saying, "Of course there is. But in a mature, large company like IBM, the division of responsibilities is very detailed."

"My business focuses on major clients in the manufacturing industry."

"There's another department specifically responsible for channel business; they deal with distributors all day long..."

Zhang Wei's face immediately filled with regret: "But you're the only one I know..."

"If you had told me in advance, I would have been able to make some preparations."

"You only tell me this after we meet? How could I possibly handle such a large amount of data on a business trip?"

Zhang Wei's eyes immediately lit up: "Wha, what? Information? So much of it? What kind of information is it?"

Zhan Yiling rolled her eyes at him: "Of course it's the channel management system!"

"When I joined the company for training, I hadn't been assigned to any department, what business I was doing, or what products I was working on, so I had to be trained in all aspects."

"Although I didn't go into too much detail, it should be more than enough for you to understand what a channel system is like and how to build it."

After thinking for a moment, Zhan Yiling said very seriously, "However, you have to promise me that only you can see it, and you can't show it to anyone else in your company."

Zhang Wei stood at attention, raised his right hand, and said, "I promise, I will never divulge this to anyone, and I will destroy it after reading—uh, I mean, return it after reading."

Zhan Yiling couldn't help but chuckle, then suddenly remembered something...

He paused for a moment, then walked over, opened his Satchi briefcase, and took out a thick slide book.