Rebirth: Fan Debiao rises from the Liaobei land

On the afternoon of the third day after opening, Dexing Communications was still bustling with activity, like a market.

Sister Zhou sat behind the cashier counting money, her fingers becoming raw and calloused. Xiao Juan and Xiao Ling, their voices hoarse from talking, kept babbling, "Sister, look at this TCL with its diamonds, it sparkles so brightly in the sunlight! It suits your style perfectly!"

Liu Qiang and Wang Fang had just returned from the countryside. As soon as they entered, they were gulped down a ladle of cold water. Wang Fang wiped her mouth and said, "Boss Fan, we've run all over the villages! The village chief said that as long as you pay, he'll paint 'GG' on the village walls, or even on his own forehead!"

Fan Debiao squatted in front of the door, smoking and squinting at the other side of the street. Those mobile phone shops were doing terribly – no customers, no money. Occasionally someone would come in, take a quick look, and then head straight for him.

Gangzi came running up: "Brother Biao, that Boss Zhao from New Century across the street has been circling around our door three times, his face as long as Changbai Mountain."

"I saw it." Fan Debiao flicked his cigarette ash. "We're all sizzling here, while they're freezing over there. How can we not be envious?"

"How about... I have my two brothers stand there at their door? Just stand there, do nothing, just stand there." Gangzi gestured.

"Forget it!" Fan Debiao waved his hand. "Wouldn't that be bullying people? In business, harmony brings wealth."

"What can we do? Just let them stare at us like that?"

Fan Debiao didn't say anything, squinted and took two more puffs of his cigarette, then chuckled: "Gangzi, go take care of something."

"What's up, Brother Biao?"

"Invite all the mobile phone shop owners in Kaiyuan to dinner. Tell them it's me, Fan Debiao, hosting a dinner party at Victoria tonight at six o'clock for a chat."

Gangzi was taken aback: "Invite them? Brother Biao, those guys are itching to get back at us right now..."

"The more it itches, the more you have to do it." Fan Debiao stubbed out his cigarette. "Do as I say."

Six o'clock in the evening, in the largest private room on the third floor of Victoria.

There were thirteen people sitting around the large round table—the owners of twelve mobile phone shops in Kaiyuan, plus Fan Debiao. The table was laden with dishes, all hearty and substantial. The liquor was Wuliangye, and four bottles were opened.

The bosses all had faces as tense as drums. Mr. Zhao, the boss of New Century Communications, was in his fifties, his face drooping, not even lifting his eyelids. Mr. Qian, the boss of Youth Communications, was in his early thirties, with a forced smile, his fingers tapping on the table. The others silently smoked, not one of them touching their chopsticks.

Fan Debiao stood up, raised his glass, and said, "Gentlemen, I appreciate your hospitality today. I'll drink this in one go, but please feel free to drink as you please."

After saying that, he tilted his head back and fell down with a thud.

The table remained deathly silent. Boss Zhao tapped the table: "Boss Fan, just say what you have to say. We're all businessmen; we don't have time to waste here arguing."

"Boss Zhao is so generous!" Fan Debiao put down his wine glass. "Then I'll be frank—I invited you all here today to make friends and work together to expand this business in Kaiyuan."

Boss Qian scoffed, "Let's grow together? Boss Fan, the sales volume of your Dexing Communications in a day is enough for several of us to work hard for a month. That's called stealing our jobs, not growing together."

"Boss Qian, you're wrong." Fan Debiao sat down with a smile. "Kaiyuan is such a big market, do you think I can swallow it all up by myself? Even if I could, wouldn't that be eating all the food myself? Eating all the food yourself will cause diarrhea, I understand that principle."

That's a rough but true statement. The people at the table exchanged glances.

"I'm a straightforward person, I say what I mean, no fluff." Fan Debiao tossed everyone a cigarette. "Why is Dexing Communications so popular? Because I secured the distribution rights for TCL and Xiamen. These two models will be launched in October, and we've already received deposits for over a hundred units. Once they're officially launched, selling three to five hundred units a month will be a piece of cake."

Boss Zhao's face darkened even more: "Is Boss Fan here to show off to us?"

"This isn't bragging, it's about discussing a collaboration." Fan Debiao straightened his posture. "I'll be the exclusive distributor for the TCL and Xiaxin brands for one month. After one month, I'll release the stock to you all—free initial stock, payment only after it's sold out, how about it?"

These words were like salt sprinkled into a pan of oil; the table immediately erupted in chaos.

"Free product placement?"

"Pay after the sale?"

"Is there really such a good thing in the world?"

Boss Qian narrowed his eyes: "Boss Fan, what are the terms? You can't expect us to get something for nothing, can you?"

"The conditions are simple." Fan Debiao held up three fingers. "First, the selling price must be uniform. I say how much to sell it for, and that's how much. No arbitrarily lowering the price; whoever lowers the price is out. Second, I'll leave you enough profit for each machine, guaranteed to be more than you make selling those no-name brands. Third, the storefront must be changed—it must be changed to an authorized TCL and Xiaxin store. I'll cover the cost of changing the storefront."

Boss Zhao pondered for a moment: "How much profit can I make from one unit?"

"I'll give you the TCL white model for 300 yuan less than the market price. The Xiaxin A8 is 250 yuan less. If you sell one, you'll make at least that much profit." Fan Debiao held up two fingers.

"Two hundred?" someone asked.

"Starting at two hundred!" Fan Debiao said crisply, "and there's a rebate if it sells well."

A collective gasp rippled across the table. These days, they only make a profit of seventy or eighty yuan per no-name brand phone they sell, and they still have to haggle with customers for ages.

"And another thing," Fan Debiao pressed, "I'll send the sales promoters! Sales promoters from TCL and Xiaxin will take turns standing in your store to help you sell your goods. Posters, display stands, and flyers—I'll take care of everything. You just need to collect the money; you don't need to worry about anything else."

Sun, the owner of Youth Communications, couldn't hold back any longer: "Boss Fan, what are you after? Aren't you just working for us now?"

"I just want peace of mind!" Fan Debiao said frankly. "If I'm the only one making money, and all twelve of you gang up on me, I'll be in trouble too, won't I? It's better for everyone to make money together, expand the Kaiyuan market, and the bigger the pie, the more everyone gets. Besides, if sales go up, I'll have more leverage with the manufacturers, and the rebates will be higher. We'll all benefit."

This was a very honest statement, and everyone present understood it—Fan Debiao wanted to become the "boss" of the Kaiyuan mobile phone market, unifying pricing, distribution channels, and marketing. These small shops would become his distribution points.

Boss Zhao was still hesitating: "What about the brands we represent ourselves..."

"We'll continue selling them as usual!" Fan Debiao waved his hand. "TCL and Xiamen are just adding a couple of main dishes for you, without affecting your original everyday offerings. And I guarantee that these two brands will only be sold through our thirteen stores in Kaiyuan; they will absolutely not be sold outside of Kaiyuan!"

This is an attempt to monopolize the market.

Boss Qian's eyes darted around: "Boss Fan, this matter... we need to go back and think about it."

"No rush!" Fan Debiao picked up his wine glass again. "Today is just for getting acquainted and having a heart-to-heart talk. If you're willing to cooperate, we can discuss it in detail after dinner. If not, consider this meal as making friends, and we can each do our own business from now on. I won't cause trouble, and you shouldn't try to trip me up."

These words were a mix of soft and hard. The people at the table exchanged glances, their minds already racing with their calculations.

After several rounds of drinks and several dishes, the atmosphere gradually warmed up.

Boss Zhao, his face flushed red like a monkey's bottom from drinking, put his arm around Fan Debiao's shoulder and said, "Little Fan, you're a man... you're very meticulous in your work! A hundred times better than that bastard Lao Qian! You know, Lao Qian was talking to us the other day, saying he wanted to team up and take you down!"

Fan Debiao's heart skipped a beat, but he still smiled and said, "Boss Zhao is joking. President Qian was just teasing me."

"What a load of rubbish!" Boss Zhao waved his hand dismissively. "He said we shouldn't buy from you anymore, that he's going to isolate you! He even said you won over a million in the lottery, and that the money came from illegitimate sources..."

The table fell silent instantly. Everyone stared at Fan Debiao.

Fan Debiao's smile remained unchanged: "I won some money in the lottery, which will be perfect for opening a shop. Mr. Qian is quite well-informed."

"He's just jealous!" Boss Qian chimed in. "Boss Fan, to be honest, Old Qian approached me twice, asking me to find fault with you when I was selling phones in your store. I didn't agree—not because of you, but because I couldn't stand his sleazy ways!"

"Thanks, Boss Qian." Fan Debiao raised his glass. "This toast is just for you!"

After another round of drinks, they really opened up. These business owners started complaining: business is tough, customers are nitpicking, manufacturers are pushing inventory onto them…

Fan Debiao listened attentively, nodding occasionally. Only after everyone had finished pouring out their grievances did he speak: "I understand your difficulties. Here's the arrangement—I'll first supply each store with five units of TCL and Xiaxin stock for trial sales. If they sell well, we'll continue. If they don't, you can return the machines to me; you won't lose a single penny!"

"Really?" Boss Sun's eyes lit up.

"My word, Fan Debiao's, is my bond!"

"Alright!" Boss Zhao slammed his hand on the table. "I'll do it with you! Business's barely surviving anyway, might as well take a gamble!"

With one person taking the lead, others followed suit. In the end, out of the twelve families, nine made a decision on the spot, while the other three said they would think about it some more.

Fan Debiao didn't insist. He told Gangzi to write down the boss who had agreed to cooperate and to arrange to go to their store the next day to take measurements and change the storefront sign.

It was almost nine o'clock when the show ended.

Fan Debiao stood at the entrance of Victoria, seeing off each guest and shaking hands goodbye. Once everyone was gone, Gangzi approached him: "Brother Biao, are you really going to supply them with goods? What if they sell them and don't pay us?"

"So we're only installing five machines." Fan Debiao lit a cigarette. "Five machines aren't worth much. If they dare to renege on their debts, they can forget about ever doing business in Kaiyuan again. If five or six of these nine companies cooperate honestly, the Kaiyuan market will be ours."

Wu Derong appeared out of nowhere and stood behind: "Debiao, that was a brilliant move. Turning enemies into friends and expanding the business."

"It was forced upon me," Fan Debiao said with a wry smile. "Old Qian was shoving me behind my back. If I don't quickly bring these bosses over, something bad will happen sooner or later."

"As for Lao Qian..." Wu Derong pondered, "Although Brother Liu has already warned him, he's a stubborn guy and won't give up."

"I know," Fan Debiao exhaled a puff of smoke, "so I need to establish a firm foothold as quickly as possible. Once I've tied all thirteen stores in Kaiyuan together, Lao Qian will have to think twice before he tries to touch me."

Just then, Awei came out from inside, holding a folder in her hand: "President Fan, this is the account of Dexing Communications today. Sister Zhou just delivered it."

Fan Debiao took the document and flipped through it—in the three days since the opening, they had sold 87,000 units, with a gross profit of over 20,000 yuan. TCL and Xiamen had registered 230 units for pre-sale, collecting 115,000 yuan in deposits.

Even he himself was shocked by the number.

"Don't show off." He handed the folder back.

"I understand," Awei said softly. "President Fan, please drink less; it's bad for your stomach."

"It's nothing, I'm just happy today."

Awei looked at him, opened her mouth, but finally turned around and went inside.

Gangzi chuckled: "Brother Biao, Sister Wei really cares about you."

"Get lost!" Fan Debiao gave him a feint kick. "We have important business to attend to tomorrow, so get some rest."