Chapter 51: Seizing

Fan Dazhi took his wife and child to his father-in-law's house in Jiangcheng to pay New Year calls. Originally, he was supposed to return on the eighth day of the first lunar month, but on the afternoon of the seventh, he rushed back to Yuncheng alone and ran to the Flagship Store next to Tianma Cinema to have a look.

"Little Huang, you and Di Ye are truly worthy of being university students. In just a few short days, you've built the business into this state; you've really opened my eyes, Uncle Fan."

Upon hearing this, Huang Ya remembered the pun Di Ye had posted on Cfido last night and couldn't help but laugh out loud. To cover it up, she hurriedly said, "Uncle Fan, Di Ye is too reckless. It's a good thing you came back today. If you had been a few days later, he might have even taken the business all the way to Jinling."

"So you're saying I should have waited until next year to come back, and let you take the business all the way to Beijing?"

"Uncle Fan, stop joking. Please talk to Di Ye properly and tell him to restrain himself a bit, so things don't end up in a mess that can't be cleaned up."

"I'll see. Let's talk after I get off work."

At 5:00 PM, the security guards from a nearby Bank branch arrived to collect the cash box. Di Ye immediately announced the store was closing. After all the staff had left, he pulled down the rolling shutter and asked Huang Ya to bring out the Account Book for Fan Dazhi to inspect.

After Fan Dazhi opened the Account Book, he saw a sticky note clipped to the first page. It had a summary written on it: "As of 5:00 PM on February 6, the total amount is 3,710,000 yuan." He was startled and, without looking closely, asked, "We've only been open for 3 days, and we already have this many customers?"

"A portion of them are old customers who previously bought a Video disc player. They came over these past two days to re-register and switch to the package plan. The new customers start from here..."

Huang Ya explained the accounts to Fan Dazhi item by item, while Di Ye seized every opportunity to interject, recounting the trip to Jinling to order 5,000 CD Player units from Panda Electronics. Finally, he bluffed, "Wang is a guy who won't release the hawk until he sees the rabbit; he insisted on payment upon delivery. Last time I brought 200,000 over, he was only willing to produce 330 CD Player units. Later, it was only because General Manager Xia helped guarantee it that he produced a few more, making it 500 in total."

Fan Dazhi did a quick mental calculation and said, "The remaining 4,500 units will cost 2.7 million, right?"

"Exactly. Uncle Fan, I paid that 200,000 last time with my own private savings, so the order is under my father's name. I definitely can't afford the remaining 2.7 million. Do you think we should transfer the CD Player order to Yingfeng, or should we temporarily divert a sum of money from Yingfeng for me to use in this emergency?"

Fan Dazhi only held a 40% stake in Yingfeng, and his partnership with Di Yongchang to modify the CD Player was a 55-split. Faced with a business worth several million, a 10% difference was tempting enough, so he said without hesitation, "Let's divert a sum of money for your emergency first. The VCD Player is a business our two families are working on together; there's no need to share the money with Bi Wanxi."

Because the opening was so rushed, Yingfeng hadn't had time to register yet and was temporarily attached to Fan Dazhi's company. Hearing this, Huang Ya took the opportunity to say, "I'll go open another account in the company's name tomorrow; it will be easier to manage."

Fan Dazhi had finished looking through the Account Book by then and found that every income and expense was recorded very clearly, and the invoices, receipts, and signatures were all complete. He felt very reassured by Huang Ya and nodded, saying, "Fine, I'll give you the Public Seal tomorrow."

Seeing that the transfer issue was resolved, Di Ye gave Huang Ya a wink, signaling her to go get the customer registration book. He continued to bluff, "Uncle Fan, my brother-in-law has been running business at the Public Security Bureau and the Tax Bureau these past two days and brought back over 300 customers, including even a few department-level officials. I think these customers should be given priority, and we should provide them with more convenient services, like home delivery of discs or monthly new movie recommendations. What do you think?"

Fan Dazhi was in the business of smuggling electronics and operated in a gray area; he had always longed to build good relationships with leaders in departments with real power. Upon hearing this, he became interested immediately, tossed the Account Book aside, picked up the registration book, and asked, "How did your brother-in-law manage to sign up these customers?"

"He just took our company's promotional materials, went door-to-door to pitch, and then treated them to meals to build connections. It's all recorded in the accounts; the daily dining expenses are reimbursed at 1,000 yuan."

"Is that so? Then I'll go with him to pitch tomorrow. Besides, the 1,000-yuan tier for dining expenses is too low; let's change it to 2,000. You have to know that the cigarettes and alcohol at restaurants can be taken away."

"Oh, right! I forgot about that. Uncle Fan is still the one who thinks things through."

Di Ye flattered him heavily, saying in an exaggerated tone, "My brother-in-law's level is too low. He usually hangs out with a bunch of fair-weather friends and has a hard time dealing with people in official circles. If Uncle Fan were to step in, the results would definitely be much better."

Fan Dazhi flipped through the registration book and said with great satisfaction, "Little Ye, you're even bad-mouthing your brother-in-law just to flatter me. Is there something you want me to help with?"

Di Ye rubbed his hands and said with some embarrassment, "It's like this: when I first asked Huang Ya to come help, I gave her a salary of 2,000 a month. Now that our company is developing so well, she deserves a lot of the credit, so I want to give her a bonus."

Fan Dazhi looked at the shifty-eyed Di Ye, then at the silent, head-bowed Huang Ya, and asked with a smirk, "Are you two together?"

Di Ye put on an act and giggled foolishly, while Huang Ya performed true to form, her face turning bright red as she gave a soft "mm."

"That's a great thing! Congratulations, congratulations. I told Little Ye a long time ago that you two were a perfect match."

Fan Dazhi laughed heartily and said with great bravado, "Bi Wanxi got a 10,000 bonus just for one trip to Guangdong Province. Little Huang's contribution is much greater than his, so she must get 20,000. Plus, give her another 10,000 as a congratulatory gift from Uncle Fan to you both."

Huang Ya looked up at him and said, "Thank you, Uncle Fan."

"What are you thanking me for? This is what you deserve."

That evening, Fan Dazhi treated Di Ye and Huang Ya to a meal. After finishing, he followed them to the Di family home, chatted with Di Yongchang for nearly an hour, and then took his leave.

After he left, Di Ye walked into the bedroom. While logging into the Cfido site that Ma Huateng had just set up, he said to Huang Ya, who was sitting nearby reading a book, "Bi Wanxi is finished. At the earliest, in a day or two; at the latest, in five or six days, his shares will be snatched away by someone."

"Is Uncle Fan going to snatch Bi Wanxi's shares?"

"Uncle Fan won't snatch them, but he will use Bi Wanxi's shares to curry favor with people he thinks are worth befriending. Bi Wanxi is muddle-headed; he definitely won't be able to keep his shares."

Huang Ya was very nervous and asked, "Then what about your shares?"

Di Ye chuckled and said, "I'm safe for the time being, because they need me to make Yingfeng bigger and earn more money."

Di Ye's guess was spot on. Just two days later, on the evening of the ninth day of the first lunar month, Fan Dazhi hosted a banquet at Lingyun Hotel and introduced two people to Di Ye, saying they had acquired all of Bi Wanxi's shares and were the company's new Shareholder.

These two were a man and a woman. The man was about 30-something, short and chubby, wore glasses, and had a humble and amiable attitude, looking like a small-time businessman.

The woman was only in her early 20s, with a gorgeous appearance and a seductive figure. She was very high-profile, ostentatiously showing off her experiences abroad and the designer jewelry she was wearing; one look and it was clear she was a kept mistress.

After the banquet ended, Fan Dazhi drove a Santana to take Di Ye home. On the way, he said, "Bi Wanxi offended someone he shouldn't have. He got beaten up, broke a few ribs, and is still lying in the Hospital. You should arrange for someone else to be on duty at the disc rental shop near Chenghuang Temple tomorrow."

"Let Huang Ya's younger brother go. He went to Guangdong Province with Bi Wanxi to buy discs, and he has helped out at the shop before, so he knows what to do."

"Fine, then let him be on duty for a few days."

Fan Dazhi looked through the rearview mirror and, seeing Di Ye's calm expression, asked with some surprise, "Little Ye, aren't you afraid?"

Di Ye smiled slightly and said, "What do I have to be afraid of? Bi Wanxi is the chicken on the chopping block, but I am the hen that lays golden eggs. I don't think anyone would be foolish enough to kill the hen to get the eggs, right?"

Fan Dazhi remained silent upon hearing this. After a while, he said, "If anyone comes to you to buy shares in the next few days, don't agree. I'll help you smooth it over."

"Many thanks, Uncle Fan... By the way, Uncle Fan, is there a way for me to get a Hong Kong travel permit?"

"There wasn't a way before, but now there is. I can help you get it sorted in a couple of days."