Chapter 66 Toll Fee

Just as Ning Wanke was on her way to Pingyang, the Dongling Hi-Tech Electronic Industrial Park suddenly became a bustling scene of activity.

Tao Zhiliang was previously a technician at the Xicheng No. 1 Wireless Factory, and now he had also joined Dongling Hi-Tech. He was skilled in compression molding, welding, and simple machine maintenance, and had now been appointed as a production line team leader. Furthermore, the workshop supervisor had informed Tao Zhiliang and the others that once the production line went into operation, he would receive over a hundred yuan more in subsidies and bonuses each month compared to ordinary production line workers.

Back at the Xicheng No. 1 Wireless Factory, production line group leaders and model workers chosen during state-run factory selections had nothing to do with people like Tao Zhiliang. Those honors always went to the relatives of the factory leaders, or the leaders themselves took the awards directly—how could such things ever fall to ordinary workers like them?

The Dongling Hi-Tech Electronic Industrial Park currently had none of that nonsense and lacked the bureaucratic style of state-owned enterprises. Everything now depended on an individual's technical proficiency, educational background, learning speed, and personal performance. Many inconspicuous employees from the Xicheng No. 1 Wireless Factory, just like Tao Zhiliang, had now been promoted to team leaders, technicians, and similar roles within the electronic industrial park.

Tao Zhiliang was extremely satisfied with the Dongling Hi-Tech Electronic Industrial Park. Although he was currently only receiving a training allowance and had not yet officially started drawing a regular salary, the training allowance alone was not much lower than his wages at the Xicheng No. 1 Wireless Factory.

Although employees had to pay for their meals at the industrial park's cafeteria—unlike the Xicheng No. 1 Wireless Factory, which provided free meals—the food was inexpensive, and the taste was vastly superior to the cafeteria at the old factory.

The cafeteria at the Xicheng No. 1 Wireless Factory used to be run entirely by the relatives of the factory leaders, and the taste of the food they produced was truly indescribable. Yet, no matter how many complaints were filed, it was completely useless. In fact, those who complained would even be tracked down by the cafeteria staff and barred from entering to eat!

Right now, Tao Zhiliang was full of enthusiasm, and there were quite a few other former Xicheng No. 1 Wireless Factory employees who felt the same way. However, it had already been a month or so since they were hired, and they had basically just been undergoing training without the production line starting up, which inevitably caused Tao Zhiliang some underlying anxiety.

Everyone knew that if the electronic industrial park failed to start operations indefinitely, how long the rice bowls of employees like Tao Zhiliang could be preserved was hard to say.

With this thought, the thick slice of fatty pork in Tao Zhiliang's mouth suddenly didn't taste quite as fragrant. Every Wednesday, the electronic industrial park's cafeteria upgraded its meals. For the same price as usual, one could buy a generous bowl of braised fatty pork pieces. For people in this era, even state-owned enterprise employees couldn't afford to eat meat every single day, let alone receive a large ladle containing seven or eight thick pieces of fatty pork, plus a complimentary chicken leg or sausage, and a bottle of a local brand of beverage—sometimes even major brands like Jianlibao.

Many employees of the electronic industrial park basically packed up this upgraded meal, along with the complimentary chicken leg, sausage, and beverage, to take home for their families to enjoy.

Tao Zhiliang was no exception. He only ate two pieces of the fatty pork to sample the flavor and packed up the rest of the meat, along with the chicken leg and beverage he had been given, intending to take them back for his two growing children who were currently in middle school.

For the sake of the thick fatty pork slices, sausages, and beverages alone, Tao Zhiliang hoped the Dongling Hi-Tech Electronic Industrial Park would never shut down. He needed this job to support his family. Whenever he thought about how the production line still hadn't started, he lost his appetite somewhat, feeling even more anxious than the top executives of Dongling Hi-Tech.

"Everyone needs to pick up the pace today! The production line will undergo a trial run today, and if everything goes smoothly, official mass production will begin tomorrow!"

Just as Tao Zhiliang was lost in his daydreaming, he suddenly heard the voice of Workshop Engineer Song—Song Yajun—which instantly perked him up.

Ever since Li Dongling addressed him as Engineer Song, leading to Song Yajun being recruited into the electronic industrial park, old Song truly possessed the attitude of someone willing to die for a master who truly appreciated him. He was basically the first to enter the workshop and the last to leave. Whenever production line or technical issues arose, he was always the first to rush forward, forgetting to eat and sleep in his urgency to solve problems. He was now the deputy director of the production workshop!

Hearing Song Yajun's words, Tao Zhiliang mixed his rice into the vegetable soup, finished it in a few quick bites, and strode toward the makeshift workshop. Many others moved with the exact same sense of urgency.

Only after losing something does one truly appreciate it. Having experienced the decline of the Xicheng No. 1 Wireless Factory, the suspension of salary payments, and its current near-bankruptcy state, Tao Zhiliang and the others increasingly understood what the Dongling Hi-Tech Electronic Industrial Park truly meant to them: it was literally a matter of food and clothing for their entire families!

As the car drove into the urban area of Pingyang, Ning Wanke got out to rest for a moment and incidentally bought several newspapers. Looking at the news coverage in the papers, she gained a deeper understanding of Dongling Hi-Tech.

While in Hong Kong, Ning Wanke had also seen media reports regarding the turbulence between the Stone Group and Dongling Hi-Tech. However, the Hong Kong media didn't know much about the situation either; they basically relied on hearsay and reported whatever would attract the most eyeballs.

Looking at the newspapers in her hand, Ning Wanke gained a basic understanding of the situation. After being rejected by Dongling Hi-Tech, the Stone Group appeared somewhat irritated out of embarrassment, and Ning Wanke naturally understood what was going on.

Originally, Stone intended to boost its stock price by acquiring Dongling Hi-Tech. Instead of raising the stock price, they hit a brick wall, and now their stock price had actually dropped a notch!

Most crucially, this failed acquisition exposed the fragile reality beneath the Stone Group's formidable exterior. It seemed like the Stone Group was a giant corporation, and acquiring a company like Dongling Hi-Tech should have been as easy as turning over one's hand. Yet, they had fumbled the attempt, resembling an aging empire that had miserably botched a war it was expected to win effortlessly.

External observers, especially Hong Kong investors, already harbored considerable grievances regarding the Stone Group's condition. This failed acquisition of Dongling Hi-Tech further exposed these underlying issues. For Stone, any hopes of boosting its stock price were now dashed, and raising capital from Hong Kong would become much more difficult. It would be a miracle if the Stone Group could be happy about this.

However, through these media reports, Ning Wanke could also perceive that Dongling Hi-Tech currently appeared somewhat passive. Many people believed that Li Dongling's rejection of Stone's acquisition was a blunder, and combined with Stone's veiled targeting of Dongling Hi-Tech, Ning Wanke felt that times were probably not so easy for the company right now.

Even so, this could be considered good news for the Ning Trading Company, as it provided leverage to lower agency fees and secure a larger share of the profits!

"President Ning, thank you for the arduous journey. Welcome to Pingyang!"

Outside the office building of Dongling Hi-Tech, Yao Luoying and Zhang Ao came out to welcome Ning Wanke and several senior executives from Ning Trading.

"Ning Wanke, Acting President of Ning Trading Company!"

"Li Dongling!"

Arriving all the way at the second-floor office, Ning Wanke and Li Dongling shook hands. After mutual introductions, the two sides sat on opposite sides of the meeting room. Ning Wanke observed Li Dongling, while Li Dongling similarly looked at the person before him. Ning Wanke had delicate facial features and a very fashionable sense of attire. Combined with her short hair and efficient demeanor, she gave off the impression of a formidable career woman.

Ning Wanke was somewhat surprised to find that Li Dongling looked even younger in person than he did in his newspaper photographs.

Li Dongling, on the other hand, recalled the intelligence he had gathered regarding Ning Trading Company. The company was currently managed by Ning Wanke. Although it was currently facing constant turbulence, as a long-established trading firm in Hong Kong, its strength and channels were quite sound.

A moment later, looking at Li Dongling seated across from her, Ning Wanke took the initiative to speak, carrying a hint of dissatisfaction: "Boss Li, wanting to cooperate with your Dongling Hi-Tech is truly no easy task!"

"Good things take time, and righteous endeavors always face obstacles. One must endure hardships before climbing to the peak of a mountain!" Li Dongling didn't mind her dissatisfaction at all.

Hearing Li Dongling's words, Ning Wanke's gaze turned sharp. "Does that mean Boss Li believes Dongling Hi-Tech's mouse will definitely sell in massive quantities overseas?!"

When Ning Wanke came this time, her original intention was merely to act as the agent for the Silver Mink mouse, selling it in Hong Kong and the Southeast Asian region. She had not heard of any other new brands from Dongling Hi-Tech.

"The Silver Mink mouse is currently the most technologically advanced mouse in the entire world, and it will remain so in the future!

Acting as the agent for the Silver Mink mouse applies not only to this current model, but future generations of Silver Mink products can also be sold through this partnership. This will be the most popular mouse product in history!"

Hearing this, Ning Wanke remained somewhat skeptical. When Ning Trading Company acted as an agent for other products, the boasts made by those companies were far louder than Li Dongling's words. Until she saw the product, witnessed actual sales, and reviewed verified sales figures, she maintained a skeptical attitude toward everything—these were lessons paid for in blood!

"I hope so!"

"Five million Hong Kong dollars. Ning Trading Company wishes to secure a five-year agency right for the Silver Mink mouse in Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Siam, and other Southeast Asian regions. Furthermore, Ning Trading Company requires 30% of the mouse's profits!" Ning Wanke stated directly.

The conditions proposed by Ning Wanke were not considered excessive among industry peers. Generally, when acting as an agent for international brands, the profit margin hovered between 20% and 30%. This 30% profit margin covered transportation costs, warehousing, tariffs, and the utilization of Ning Trading's sales channels.

Among them were also some implicit personal connections and relationships. While these were never explicitly stated, they certainly existed. For instance, if a brand encountered a scandal or trouble, an agent with strong connections could quickly suppress the issue and prevent public opinion from fermenting.

Of course, these terms were not set in stone; they depended on the game of negotiation between the brand owner and the agent, as well as how strong the represented brand company was.

For well-known luxury goods, automobiles, and electronic products, the profit margins typically allocated to agents were very low, sometimes offering zero rebates. Yet, various agents still flocked to these brands, willing to spend vast sums of money to buy agency rights. This was because once an agency for products like Chanel or Mercedes-Benz was secured, even without rebates from the brand owner, agents could sell them at a markup and earn even more!

However, for the Silver Mink mouse, the total profit margin was around 50%. That meant if a Silver Mink mouse sold for 150 yuan, excluding costs, the profit was about 75 yuan. Granting 30% of the profit to Ning Wanke as the sales channel agent meant that intermediary distribution companies would also demand at least 20% to 30% for themselves. Any company that handled the product had to make a profit from it, otherwise, no one would be willing to do the work.

Calculated this way, the remaining profit winding up in Dongling Hi-Tech's hands would only be about forty or fifty yuan. From this, one could see how powerful sales channels were nowadays—they basically collected toll fees just by lying down, yet selling products was utterly impossible without them.

Glancing at Ning Wanke seated opposite him, Li Dongling said, "Dongling Hi-Tech can offer Ning Trading a 20% profit share..."