Chapter 76: Witnessing History

The scene of people eagerly lining up to hand money to Dongling High-Tech was truly shocking; even without interviewing Li Dongling or any executives from Dongling High-Tech, the media reporters waiting outside still filmed it with great enthusiasm, capturing every moment—once these reports were published, sales would surely be high.

Media outlets that had previously covered products like Jianlibao and Sanzhu Oral Liquid would find this scene familiar; those products had also once triggered frenzied rushes, and their manufacturers were now industry giants.

Jianlibao had raised the banner of domestic beverages to stand against foreign brands, while Sanzhu, with its slogan “Sanzhu Oral Liquid, Benefiting All Humanity,” built a health product empire with annual revenue of eight billion; now, the media gathered before Dongling High-Tech’s headquarters felt they were witnessing history.

Moreover, Dongling High-Tech differed from these companies—its product had first exploded in popularity overseas; when state media and countless TV stations and newspapers rebroadcast news of the foreign frenzy over the electronic pet device, the scenes of thousands of foreigners queuing to buy it deeply shocked countless people in China.

Or rather, inevitably, it stirred feelings of pride and self-assurance among those who saw these reports; this was an era of extreme lack of confidence, where Western cultural and economic influence had overwhelmed China.

So much so that some were terrified, feeling the empire across the ocean was forever invincible; the life views, worldviews, and values shaped over the past decades had completely collapsed, undergoing a 180-degree reversal—a phenomenon not isolated to one person but widespread across society, with even some media figures growing more pessimistic.

Under these circumstances, Dongling High-Tech’s continuous major news stories this year had given many media outlets and people in China a much-needed breath of relief.

Previously, it was always foreign brands selling out domestically; the Santana, merely a commuter car abroad, was sold as a luxury vehicle in China; the opening of a single hamburger shop could draw attention from half the city, with crowds stretching for blocks just to eat a hamburger, willing to spend half a month’s salary.

The overseas sales boom of the electronic pet device was incredibly newsworthy, making Chinese people witness for the first time that foreigners could also go mad over domestic products—thousands willing to pay hundreds of dollars for one device; those who saw this scene for the first time felt emotions hard to describe, yet their hearts, long crushed under foreign brand dominance, gained a slight boost in confidence…

Now, any news related to Dongling High-Tech or the electronic pet device would skyrocket TV ratings and sell out newspapers; media naturally chased trends, and countless outlets refused to leave, even just waiting here for a chance.

As for agents and distributors from all over the country, there was no need to mention them—they saw white silver, pure profit; if the electronic pet device sold out in Japan, America, and Britain, how could it possibly fail in China?!

As long as they got stock from Dongling High-Tech, it was like holding gold; in these agents’ eyes, it wasn’t an electronic pet device—it was a money-printing machine!

“I haven’t even met Dongling High-Tech’s management yet; there are simply too many distributors here. I feel Dongling High-Tech is just dangling our appetites to raise the agency fee!”

“Send another payment—yes, the more the better—don’t lose the Beijing agency rights!”

A distributor with a Beijing accent believed Dongling High-Tech was withholding agency rights just to inflate the fee.

Among the crowd of distributors at the gate, Ma Yingxian, hearing the Beijing distributor make a call on his mobile phone, exchanged glances with several local distributors from Hanxi, and the group quietly moved to the back of the crowd.

When the satellite dish was hot, Ma Yingxian and his team had also distributed satellite dishes and were old acquaintances of Li Dongling.

Satellite dishes are still selling well, but price wars have bled profits dry—they now earn barely enough to cover hard work; Ma Yingxian and other distributors no longer want to sell them, having already made plenty.

This time, they came specifically to secure agency rights for the electronic pet device in other districts of Hanxi.

Before arriving, Ma Yingxian and his team anticipated fierce competition, but never imagined it would reach this level—distributors from all over the country, whether or not they dealt in electronics, had rushed here hoping to become agents and make a fortune.

“In a few days, even more distributors will arrive; if this continues, we might not even get the Hanxi local agency rights—can we really be forced to buy stock from out-of-town agents?!”

As they stepped aside, before Ma Yingxian could speak, another distributor from a provincial capital blurted out in frustration: the feeling of being unable to secure stock in one’s own territory, without special treatment, was unbearable.

“Then what do you propose?!”

“Dare you touch Dongling High-Tech?!”

Another distributor from Shangjun City in Hanxi sneered; the provincial distributor, asked this, turned pale with anger. If it were another company, these local power brokers could unite, boycott its products, and force the brand to back down—back then, domestic distributors were the bosses of brands, extremely powerful.

But this tactic wouldn’t work on Dongling High-Tech; the electronic pet device was in short supply overseas, and now distributors were begging Dongling High-Tech for stock, not the other way around—this reversal was crucial, determining who held the power.

And most importantly, given Dongling High-Tech’s current ability to earn foreign exchange, any distributor who tried to play dirty or sabotage it would be the first target of Hanxi provincial authorities.

“Enough, enough—we’re all on the same boat. If we keep fighting among ourselves, the Hanxi agency rights will truly be snatched away by those outsiders!”

Ma Yingxian said; among the local Hanxi distributors, he had seniority and spoke truthfully—his words instantly silenced the distributors from other districts of Hanxi.

“We must unite—jointly secure the Hanxi agency rights for the electronic pet device. If we act alone, we can’t compete with distributors from Guangdong, Hangzhou, Qiantang, Beijing, and elsewhere!”

“Once we get the provincial agency rights, we won’t cross borders—we’ll sell only in our own territories!”

Ma Yingxian said; it was a verbal gentleman’s agreement—its binding power was uncertain, but it was the best option available to them now.

Whether they’d truly honor the agreement—no cross-border sales, no parallel imports, selling only in their own territories—only the gods knew; even Ma Yingxian didn’t believe it himself—he’d definitely rush to sell in provincial capitals if he could, for everyone knew provincial markets offered the biggest profits and richest customers.

The local Hanxi distributors exchanged glances and nodded in agreement—Ma Yingxian’s proposal was indeed the best; otherwise, they might be completely shut out.

Like Ma Yingxian and his group, no few distributors secretly formed alliances, all aiming to seize agency rights for the electronic pet device in their own regions.

“Will Dongling High-Tech sell domestic agency rights? If they don’t, domestic knockoffs of the electronic pet device will appear soon enough!”

Inside Dongling High-Tech’s office, Yao Luoying said to Li Dongling, who stood by the window; Hu Zi, Zhang Ao, Gao Peng, Li Dongshan, and others were also present.

Pulling back the curtain revealed the distributors and media reporters below; if not for the large, muscular security guards blocking the entrance, they would have stormed in long ago—even with guards, entering or exiting Dongling High-Tech’s building was no longer easy.

Hu Zi, Zhang Ao, Gao Peng, and others could vaguely guess Li Dongling’s intentions—he didn’t seem eager to sell the electronic pet device domestically, and it wasn’t merely about dangling bait for distributors.

Li Dongling truly didn’t want to exploit domestic consumers; exploiting foreign consumers offered far higher returns.

But he also knew, as Yao Luoying said, the market was there, the money was waiting—if Dongling High-Tech didn’t sell, black markets would flood it with knockoffs and counterfeits, and the consumers would still be exploited.

“Starting tomorrow, issue electronic pet device agency rights primarily to provincial-level master agents; separately issue rights for Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen.”

Agency rights for Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and other cities were the most valuable—surpassing the sales volume of entire inland provinces—so they must be sold separately.

“Domestic distributors seeking agency rights for the electronic pet device must pay a deposit and abide by Dongling High-Tech’s domestic pricing policy; if a distributor sells above the set price, Dongling High-Tech will confiscate the deposit and revoke the agency rights!”

Li Dongling said—he absolutely wouldn’t let the electronic pet device be sold at sky-high prices domestically, as it was in Japan and America.

Of course, the electronic pet device wouldn’t be priced high domestically either; it wouldn’t sell for $15 like overseas—domestically, it would cost no more than a few dozen yuan, and prices would drop further.

This wouldn’t completely eliminate distributors selling at sky-high prices domestically, but it would prevent the absurdity seen overseas.

Yao Luoying, Hu Zi, and others exchanged glances; Li Dongling’s conditions were extremely strict—they effectively eliminated the possibility of sky-high profits for distributors. But now Dongling High-Tech held the upper hand, and with countless domestic users, distributors would likely grit their teeth and agree—better to earn less than nothing!

(End of Chapter)