PFC Chapter 580 requires sending someone to conduct an on-site investigation.
Chapter 580 requires sending someone to conduct an on-site investigation.
A few minutes later, a middle-aged man in a sharp suit walked in. His hair was neatly combed, and he wore a gold watch on his wrist; he was clearly a worldly man.
“Mr. Li, I’ve heard so much about you.” The man extended his hand, speaking fluent Mandarin with a slight Hong Kong accent. “I’m Liang Zhiqiang, the general manager of Hengda Trading Company.”
Li Xiangyang shook hands with him and found that the other man's palm was very warm and smooth, obviously indicating that he did not usually do heavy work.
"Mr. Liang, you've come from afar, what can I do for you?"
Liang Zhiqiang glanced around the office, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes: "Mr. Li's company is doing very well. I'm here today to discuss a big business deal with your company."
"What kind of business?" Li Xiangyang gestured for him to sit down, remaining vigilant.
“Our company specializes in sourcing agricultural products from mainland China for export to Southeast Asia,” Liang Zhiqiang said, taking a document from his briefcase. “I’ve heard that your company’s dried blueberries are of very high quality, and I’d like to purchase them in large quantities.”
Li Xiangyang took the document and looked at it. It was indeed an introduction to Hengda Trading Company, and it looked quite legitimate.
"Mr. Liang, how much would you like to purchase?"
“I want 500,000 boxes for the first batch,” Liang Zhiqiang said, holding up a hand. “The price will be your current ex-factory price plus 20%.”
Five hundred thousand boxes! This number shocked Li Xiangyang. At the current production capacity, this order would take at least three months to complete.
"What do you think, Mr. Li?" Liang Zhiqiang noticed Li Xiangyang's hesitation. "I know the quantity is a bit large, but we can deliver it in batches."
Li Xiangyang pondered for a moment. Although the deal was tempting, he felt something was off.
"Mr. Liang, may I ask how you came to know about our company?"
Liang Zhiqiang smiled and said, "Businessmen are usually well-informed. I heard you're going to participate in an exhibition in Beijing. I think it's better to cooperate beforehand than to wait until the exhibition to compete."
This answer made Li Xiangyang even more suspicious. The list of exhibitors for the exhibition hadn't even been officially announced yet; how could a Hong Kong businessman know so much about it?
Just then, Ma Qingfu pushed the door open and came in. Seeing that there was a guest, he prepared to leave.
"Fatty, you've come at the right time," Li Xiangyang called out to him. "Let me introduce you, this is General Manager Liang from Hong Kong Hengda Trading Company."
Ma Qingfu nodded and shook hands with Liang Zhiqiang.
“Mr. Liang, I need to think about it.” Li Xiangyang didn’t give an immediate answer. “How about this, you rest in the county for a couple of days, and we’ll discuss it internally before giving you an answer.”
Liang Zhiqiang was clearly somewhat disappointed, but he still maintained his composure: "Alright, I'll wait for your news at the hotel."
After seeing Liang Zhiqiang off, Ma Qingfu immediately came over.
“Xiangyang, there’s something wrong with this guy,” he said in a low voice.
"You noticed it too?" Li Xiangyang wasn't surprised. Although Ma Qingfu wasn't highly educated, he had been in the business world for many years and had a sharp eye for business.
“His suit is a good suit, and his watch is genuine, but…” Ma Qingfu stroked his chin, “his eyes darted around a bit when he spoke.”
Li Xiangyang nodded, having noticed these things as well: "So, what do you think his background is?"
"It's hard to say," Ma Qingfu shook his head, "but he's definitely not an ordinary Hong Kong businessman."
Just then, Feng Mingyuan knocked on the door and came in.
"Factory manager, the packaging design for the hazelnut chocolate is finalized." He excitedly held up a sample. "What do you think?"
Li Xiangyang took the box and looked at it. The dark brown background with gold lettering looked very classy.
“Good, do it this way.” Li Xiangyang nodded in satisfaction. “By the way, what do you think about that Hong Kong businessman?”
Feng Mingyuan adjusted his glasses: "I think something's fishy. Normally, trading companies order samples first, then small trial orders. Who orders 500,000 boxes right off the bat?"
"Furthermore," Feng Mingyuan continued, "his knowledge of our products is far too detailed; he knows even the packaging specifications perfectly. This is abnormal."
Li Xiangyang increasingly felt that Liang Zhiqiang was problematic. However, the order for 500,000 boxes was indeed very tempting; if it were true, it would be of great significance to the company's development.
“Alright then,” Li Xiangyang made a decision. “Fatty, find a way to investigate this Hengda Trading Company. Mingyuan, prepare some samples; if they're really in business, they'll definitely want samples.”
The next morning, Liang Zhiqiang took the initiative to contact Li Xiangyang.
"Mr. Li, what's your decision?"
“Mr. Liang, with such a large order, we need to see your company's qualification certificates,” Li Xiangyang tentatively stated. “Also, we would like to provide you with some samples to try first.”
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, then Liang Zhiqiang said, "I brought the qualification certificates, but we don't need the samples. I have great confidence in the quality of your products."
This answer only strengthened Li Xiangyang's suspicions. How could a legitimate trader not want samples?
"How about this, you come over this afternoon and we can discuss it in detail."
At 3 p.m. sharp, Liang Zhiqiang arrived at Li Xiangyang's office. This time, he brought a leather briefcase, making him look more formal.
"Mr. Li, these are our company's business license and related documents." Liang Zhiqiang took out a stack of documents from his bag.
Li Xiangyang took it and examined it carefully. The document looked legitimate, and the stamp was clear, but he felt that something was off.
"Mr. Liang, which regions are your goods mainly sold to?"
“Mainly Thailand and Malaysia,” Liang Zhiqiang answered fluently. “They have a huge demand for Chinese agricultural products.”
"As for the price..."
“As I just said, we’ll add 20% to your current factory price,” Liang Zhiqiang interrupted Li Xiangyang, “and we can also pay a 30% deposit in advance.”
Li Xiangyang grew increasingly suspicious. In normal trade, prices are always negotiated repeatedly; why would someone proactively raise the price right from the start?
Li Xiangyang pondered for a moment, then looked at Liang Zhiqiang and said, "Mr. Liang, forgive my bluntness, but the terms of this deal are indeed very generous. However, it is precisely because they are so generous that they make me somewhat uneasy."
Liang Zhiqiang's expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his smile: "What do you mean by that, Mr. Li?"
“Think about it, our small factory in a county town may produce decent products, but in an international trading center like Hong Kong, they shouldn’t be considered rare commodities, right?” Li Xiangyang leaned back in his chair, looking directly at Liang Zhiqiang. “Why go to all this trouble to come here specifically to purchase them?”
Facing Li Xiangyang's gaze, Liang Zhiqiang unconsciously tapped his fingers on the table: "Well... our company's distribution channels are rather unique; shipping from mainland China allows us to legally avoid taxes."
“Alright, the terms you’ve offered are very good,” Li Xiangyang said directly. “Since this is our first collaboration, you don’t mind if I’m a little cautious, do you? Before we start, I need to send someone to conduct an on-site inspection.”