Hong Kong variety show: From a lowly 49-year-old to the world's richest man

Chapter 90 Are these people serious?

After leaving the law firm, Chen Fan drove to a secluded coast not far from Saigon.

After looking around and confirming that no one was around, he activated the system and materialized the fishing boat and garbage truck he had drawn earlier.

These vehicles and ships all have corresponding production and sales certificates, and even transaction records can be found. However, Chen Fan needs to personally deliver the goods.

He materialized the object and took out his phone to contact Big Fool.

Before long, Da Sha arrived at the scene with more than thirty people.

Despite the approaching darkness, the ten medium-sized fishing boats and ten garbage trucks still stood out against the night sky.

Da Sha swallowed hard and asked, "Brother Fan, are all of these ours?"

"Okay, have someone board the ship and inspect it. I'll have Jimmy set up a trading company and a fishing company, and the ship will be registered under the fishing company's name and handed over to you to manage," Chen Fan said with a smile.

"Hehe, I'll definitely squeeze the maximum value out of these ships." Big Fool grinned wickedly.

This time, it's finally his turn to upgrade his equipment.

These brand-new fishing boats are much better than the secondhand ones he has; the larger boats can naturally carry more cargo.

While Da Sha's gang inspected the boats and vehicles, Chen Fan led Da Sha aside and asked, "How's it going with the task I asked you to do last time to find a suitable spokesperson in the north?"

"I only found two people who might be okay, but I'm not sure about their chances."

Chen Fan raised an eyebrow: "Tell me about it."

"A young man named Lin Yaodong, who was born in Tazhai Village, Haifeng, was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old. He occasionally worked as a boatman, ferrying people across the sea."

He recently told me he wanted to make a fortune. I think he's quite capable, and the clan system is very strong in Tazhai, but it's a poor place.

The other one is also from Haifeng, named Liu Tianye. However, he comes from Longwan Village and is an orphan who was adopted by the village chief. He also wants to make a lot of money, has a decent personality, and gets along well with the villagers.

Upon hearing the names of the two people Da Sha reported, Chen Fan was slightly taken aback.

Wow, Haifeng and Lufeng are really something else, producing two "godfather" level figures in one go.

Uncle Dong of Tazhai can dump their goods overseas, and Liu Tian will also be able to control the underworld of a city in the future.

Both of them appear to be refined and gentle, but in reality, they are ruthless and vicious.

According to Da Sha's description, Lin Yaodong hasn't touched ice yet, and Liu Tian hasn't completely turned evil. These two are quite promising talents.

"Big Fool, bring them to see me when you have time. I want to test them personally. If they're suitable, they'll be our representatives in the North."

After thinking for a moment, Chen Fan added, "Also, have someone check out the home appliance smuggling markets in Shenzhen and Guangzhou, and find people who can handle the goods. I will find suppliers."

Da Sha scratched his head. "Brother Fan, you don't need to look for appliance smuggling. When I went north last year to open up the used car market, someone contacted me. It's just that I don't know any appliance suppliers. I just kept those appliance dealers hanging on. Last month, they even tried to trick me into helping them carry their goods."

"Why didn't you tell me about this?" Chen Fan raised an eyebrow.

"I forgot."

,,

Chen Fan was speechless.

How can you forget something so important? Do you still want to get rich?

In the current climate, the market profits from smuggling home appliances are higher than those from smuggling used cars.

After all, in those days in the North, owning a bicycle was a sign of status, and owning a motorcycle made you a celebrity in town. Not many families could afford to drive a private car.

On the other hand, home appliances are a necessity for many families, and if the price is right, ordinary families can just grit their teeth and buy them.

"First, ask them for their prices. After that, go find other people involved in home appliance smuggling to ask about the market rates. On-site investigations also need to be done by someone. We need to make money transparently and we absolutely cannot be ripped off."

"Okay, I'll arrange for someone to go and investigate tonight, and I'll have a chat with those bastards tomorrow."

Da Sha's execution ability is off the charts.

He had also heard about the huge profits from smuggling home appliances.

Well, mainly because those guys who smuggle home appliances have come to him and bought several high-end used cars.

After instructing Da Sha to keep an eye out for veterans coming from the north, Chen Fan drove away.

On his way back, he called Jimmy and asked him to wait for him at the Sands nightclub.

Before they even entered the nightclub, Cao Dahua stopped Chen Fan.

"Uncle Da, what's up?"

"Brother Fan, this afternoon, Liang Ma and Ma Wangjian arranged for a batch of beautiful horses to come over."

"I know that, so what's wrong with those people?"

Last night, Ma Wangjian and Liang Ma spoke with great conviction, and Chen Fan knew that these two guys wouldn't try to fool him. He just didn't expect them to act so quickly.

"Yes, many of these people can't withstand scrutiny. I'm afraid that if they're caught during routine license plate checks, it will affect my business."

Cao Dahua put it very subtly.

Routine license plate checks can prevent problems, but if you walk by the river often enough, you're bound to get your shoes wet eventually.

Undocumented immigrants without valid Hong Kong Island identity cards will be deported if caught. Shops that employ these undocumented immigrants will also be fined, and in more serious cases, they may be suspected of involvement in smuggling, human trafficking, or other illegal activities.

Chen Fan raised an eyebrow: "Are there multiple like this? Are they voluntarily working as escorts or just bar girls?"

"Of the eight, six said they would go out if they could get their ID cards sorted out, while the remaining two only wanted to sell alcohol."

"First, gather their information, then hand it over to me along with the information. If they're suitable, spend some money to buy a spot in a village in the New Territories or outlying islands and get it done for them."

With the abolition of the base policy, it has become much more difficult for illegal immigrants to obtain legal status in Hong Kong Island. However, there are still ways. They can go to remote areas such as the New Territories and outlying islands, find village chiefs to issue certificates, and then bribe the relevant departments to easily obtain their status.

In addition, birth certificates can be forged, but this method is difficult and quite challenging. You can't find the official seal of a closed hospital, and you need money and connections to get a certificate from a hospital that hasn't closed down.

"Alright."

Cao Dahua reluctantly agreed.

Actually, he would prefer to return these risks to their original source, since the money they earned didn't come easily.

Upon arriving at the office, Chen Fan saw that Jimmy had been waiting for him for quite some time.

"Brother Fan, these are the accounts for this period of time."

Before Chen Fan could speak, Jimmy handed him an account book.

Chen Fan picked up the ledger and glanced at it. The clothing store business had been pretty good these past few days. Although the hype had subsided somewhat, each store's daily revenue was still around 37,000 to 38,000 yuan on average.

"How's the shoe store on Sneaker Street doing?"

"We're already working overtime to renovate, and we estimate it will be finished in the next couple of days. But we haven't stocked up on much stock yet, and the factory is working overtime to produce more."

"Yeah, let's create some buzz while we're preparing the goods."

"Aren't you going to study at HKU? I heard they're holding a sports meet there recently. Trendy sneakers should be promoted to young people. Whether it's spending money or making empty promises, just have a few of the winning athletes wear our sneakers on stage to receive their awards, and make sure the flyers are ready. Just use the same marketing strategy as last time."

In addition, production of counterfeit bags can be temporarily suspended. Production lines can be adjusted to prioritize this wheeled suitcase. I need to see the finished product within three days, and I'll also take it to the University of Hong Kong for promotional purposes.

Chen Fan handed Jimmy a design sketch of a suitcase.

Jimmy picked up the design drawings and glanced at them briefly. "I will adjust the production line to operate at full capacity as soon as possible."

Chen Fan instructed, "Make sure the dimensions are accurate. I've already arranged to apply for a patent for this design. The same goes for those other shoes. We absolutely cannot cut corners for the sake of our own brand."

"Okay, then I'll keep an eye on it myself these next few days."

When Jimmy heard that a patent had been applied for, and he was also familiar with the situation in the bag and sneaker industries, they had the confidence to create their own brand.

"Find someone you trust to keep an eye on things, and you should do random checks on the quality from time to time. There are other more important things for you to do."

"what?"

Jimmy was a little confused.

He originally thought that having an extra suitcase to make money would be good enough, but now it seems there's more to come.

"Take some time these next two days to register a foreign trade company, a fishing company, and a waste recycling company. Don't register yourself as the legal representative for the foreign trade company."

If you're involved in smuggling, you need to find someone to take the blame at any time. Remember to make it clear to him the consequences of being caught smuggling. If he is really caught, we will support his parents and raise his children.

"And these are the funeral industry-related assets I recently acquired: coffin shops, paper offering shops, crematoriums, etc. All the necessary permits and licenses are in place. Please arrange for someone to get these shops back to operation as soon as possible."

Jimmy was taken aback by Chen Fan's series of instructions.

He's a henchman, not a beast of burden!

Are you trying to work him to death by giving him so much work?

He quickly said, "Brother Fan, aren't there too many things to do? I can't manage them all at once."

"Just try to get the framework of these companies up and running within a week. If you need any people, just hire them. If you can't find any, find a headhunting firm to help you find them. As long as you think the cost-effectiveness is good, just go ahead and spend a lot of money to bring them over."

Chen Fan's method was simple and direct.

These days, who doesn't want to earn more money when they're working?

To poach talent, you have to be willing to spend a lot of money. If you can get things going, Chen Fan is willing to accept higher salaries, since talent is hard to come by.

"Alright."

Having said all that, Jimmy knew his opinion was unimportant.

"Don't be discouraged. I'll have Watson help you. If you really need oxen or horses, ask Uncle Da to get them for you. The people he introduces are all incredibly hardworking."

The person Chen Fan was referring to was naturally an undercover agent.

Since starting the property management company, Cao Dahua has been collecting employee information and using it to pay social security contributions. He's discovered several problematic individuals with diverse backgrounds: drug enforcement, serious crimes, zero-crime records, and even customs officials.

It's unclear whether these people are informants or undercover agents; their identities are questionable. They also tend to ask a lot of questions and always look around suspiciously when they arrive in a new environment.

It can only be said that their superiors were not decent people; none of them had received professional infiltration training before being released to do their jobs.

Indeed, surveillance is not very advanced yet, and the police rely more on undercover agents to solve cases. People in every department with a little power and a bit of self-interest like to develop undercover agents.

Chen Fan was well aware that he was currently ranked No. 0.1 among the "Top Ten Outstanding Young People in the Underworld" by the police force.

The fact that he can attract so much attention further confirms how authoritative this list is within the police force.

Of course, he did not have Cao Dahua inform Huang Bingyao about the existence of these people.

It's no use saying anything. Huang Bingyao is still a superintendent for now. Even if he is officially promoted to senior superintendent after a while, he will not be able to access all the undercover files. He will not be able to find out who these undercover agents are, nor will he be able to control these people.

Since he couldn't turn them into controllable informants, Chen Fan had no choice but to exploit them to the fullest extent.

"Brother Fan, are these people you're talking about serious?" Jimmy asked suspiciously.

He wants subordinates who can share the workload, not any burdens that hold him back.

The work is already mentally taxing, and having to tolerate employees making stupid mistakes during the work process is like the sky falling down.

"It's a serious case, you can ask Uncle Da if you don't believe me."

Chen Fan pointed to Cao Dahua, who had just poked his head in.

"What's this about being proper or improper?"

Cao Dahua was completely bewildered.

He peeked in to see how the conversation was going, and that's how the conversation turned to him.

"Uncle Da, haven't you recently discovered several young people who are quite hardworking?"

"Jimmy wants to know whether these people are reliable and whether it's worthwhile to involve them in the management of legitimate businesses."

Chen Fan asked with a smile.

"It's worth it. As long as it's not related to smuggling, murder, or arson, they can be exploited at will without any complaints."