Lin Hao had no specific destination in mind; he just wanted to see Zhongguancun in this era. If he could meet some future big shots and see their current situation, it would be even better if he could rope in one or two of them.
And wouldn't you know it, standing far away, Lin Hao saw a man at the entrance of a CD/DVD store enthusiastically introducing his products.
What a coincidence! To run into him here. Who else could the man in front of him be but Da Qiangzi?
In 1992, Da Qiangzi was admitted to the Sociology Department of Renmin University of China. He didn't even have the tuition fee; people from his hometown village pooled together 500 yuan for tuition and dozens of eggs so he could attend university.
In 1993, as a sophomore, Da Qiangzi started learning programming and earned a lot of extra money. After getting a taste of success, as a junior, he worked even harder on part-time jobs and programming during his spare time.
Soon, Da Qiangzi bought himself a "Big Brother" (early mobile phone) and spent over 20,000 yuan to buy the "first student computer at Renmin University". Relying on a portion of his accumulated funds and borrowing a lot from his parents and relatives.
In his senior year, he used 200,000 yuan in cash to rent a restaurant near the school, dreaming of a "restaurant chain". Da Qiangzi gave each employee a watch, doubled their salaries, moved their dormitory from a flooded basement to an above-ground building, stipulated that they were not allowed to eat customers' leftovers, had two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes every day, and could drink some alcohol on fixed days.
However, problems arose in the restaurant after two months: because he delegated authority, the purchasing masters would buy high-priced ingredients for more kickbacks, and the front desk and chef would secretly not write reconciliation slips, all finding ways to embezzle money. In the end, he had to close the restaurant, incurring a total loss of over 200,000 yuan.
After graduation, Da Qiangzi worked for a foreign company for two years, serving as computer representative, business representative, logistics supervisor, and other positions.
In 1998, Da Qiangzi took his 12,000 yuan in savings to Zhongguancun, rented a small counter, and sold CD/DVD writers and discs. The counter was named "JD.com Multimedia", which was the predecessor of "JD.com Mall".
By 2001, JD.com Mall had become the largest CD/DVD product distributor in China and had opened more than ten branches across China, and his personal wealth also exceeded 10 million yuan for the first time.
The world is truly wonderful. At this time, Da Qiangzi was not yet the man worth tens of billions who didn't know his wife's beauty; he was still personally soliciting customers. Lin Hao, with interest, took Shen Yuxuan and walked to the store entrance.
Da Qiangzi saw Lin Hao and Shen Yuxuan, this young couple, and thought they were students coming to buy something.
"What would you like to buy? There's a student discount," Da Qiangzi introduced enthusiastically.
"I wonder if you sell computers here?" Lin Hao asked.
"Yes, we do. Are you looking for a desktop computer or a laptop?"
"What are the prices?"
"Desktop computers are cheaper, around 8,000 yuan. Laptops are much more expensive; the cheapest ones are over 10,000 yuan. It mainly depends on the brand and configuration."
This price was indeed very expensive. The average salary across China hadn't even exceeded 1,000 yuan yet. Computers were still items for the rich. Most people now accessed the internet through internet cafes.
"If I buy a lot, can I get a discount?"
Hearing Lin Hao say this, Da Qiangzi became interested. Their store mainly dealt with CD/DVD products; computers were a sideline, mainly because of the high profit margin.
"How many are you looking to buy?" Da Qiangzi asked tentatively.
"One hundred desktop computers and one hundred laptops."
Lin Hao's words greatly surprised Da Qiangzi. This added up to a business worth nearly 2 million yuan, which they didn't get even once or twice a year.
His enthusiasm immediately soared several times over.
"Brother, what are you planning to do?"
"I opened a company nearby and need to buy some computers for work."
"Then, brother, you've really found the right person. My store is famous for its good reputation, good service, and even better after-sales support. So, brother, if you place an order at my store, desktop computers will be 30% off, and laptops will be 20% off. How about that? Absolutely a discounted price."
Lin Hao heard this price and thought it was acceptable. The price didn't really matter; what was important was that Lin Hao had taken a liking to Da Qiangzi as a person. If he could lure Da Qiangzi into his company, then he wouldn't have to worry.
"Here's the list. You can take a look and see what kind of computers you want. We can also assemble them in our store." Seeing Lin Hao not speak, Da Qiangzi thought Lin Hao found it expensive and immediately said.
Lin Hao took the list from Da Qiangzi. It included complete machines and assembled machines, with all the prices marked next to them, making it very clear at a glance.
"The price is still a bit expensive. Make it a bit cheaper, and I'll place the order," Lin Hao said with a smile, looking at Da Qiangzi.
Looking at Lin Hao's harmless face, Da Qiangzi was unsure, mainly because Lin Hao was too young, and this was a deal worth nearly 2 million yuan.
"Alright, brother, if you're serious about buying, the price will be 40% off for desktop computers and 30% off for laptops. For these 200 computers, I will personally deliver them to you and guarantee delivery within 3 days. How about that? This price is definitely the lowest in Zhongguancun," Da Qiangzi said, gritting his teeth.
"Okay, I'll take IBM for both desktop and laptop," Lin Hao said. In this era, IBM was still the absolute king.
With Lin Hao's final decision, Da Qiangzi also felt relieved. He could still make a good profit even with a 40% discount. In these years, computer prices were not transparent, and profits were generally very high.
The final agreed price was 5,120 yuan per desktop computer and 8,200 yuan per laptop, one hundred of each, for a total price of 1,332,000 yuan. Da Qiangzi was generous and rounded down the change directly. Lin Hao paid a 100,000 yuan deposit.
"Thank you, brother, for your patronage. Don't worry, the computers will definitely be delivered within 3 days. I'll treat you to lunch today, let's have a good drink and become friends. Feel free to contact me anytime if you need anything in the future."
Da Qiangzi said with a hearty expression. If it were someone else, Lin Hao definitely wouldn't agree; wouldn't it be better to have a meal with just Shen Yuxuan and Yang Qian'er? But he was still thinking about recruiting him, so becoming friends was perfect.
"Lin Shao, the contract for the venue has been signed," Yang Qian'er walked over just as Lin Hao finished speaking with Da Qiangzi.
"Okay, get all the office equipment as soon as possible. I've already bought the computers, so you don't need to worry about that. President Liu is treating us to lunch today, you can ask him for help."
Lin Hao said with a smile in front of Da Qiangzi.
"I know quite a few people who sell office equipment, I guarantee they won't rip you off," Da Qiangzi said proactively when he heard Lin Hao's words.
"Haha, then thank you, President Liu."
At noon, in a private room at a restaurant near Zhongguancun, Da Qiangzi hosted the meal. Lin Hao brought Shen Yuxuan and Yang Qian'er along; the two of them were just there for the ride.
But Da Qiangzi was indeed extremely envious. Both Shen Yuxuan and Yang Qian'er were great beauties.