Chapter 134: Enormous Profits

The next day at noon, just after finishing lunch, Chen Feng called Zhang Wenhao. Soon after, Chen Feng drove over to pick him up and they headed straight to a trade company called Prosperity Trading, located in the city center. This company held provincial-level primary agency rights for dozens of domestic and international liquor brands and was considered the industry leader throughout Nanjiang Province. It had strong government connections, and even China National Cereals, Oils and Foodstuffs Corporation (COFCO) held a significant stake in it.

With such a background and support, Prosperity Trading's business had grown larger over the years. Its distribution channels for liquor promotion and sales far surpassed other companies in the same industry. Their growth had become like a snowball rolling downhill—expanding rapidly and effortlessly. Many liquor brands entering Nanjiang Province chose Prosperity Trading as their first contact because only this company had the capability to promote a new brand across the entire province in the shortest possible time.

Prosperity Trading was located in the finest office building in Jiangcheng. Chen Feng and Zhang Wenhao took the elevator directly to the 28th floor. As soon as they stepped out, the receptionist recognized Chen Feng immediately and hurriedly greeted him warmly, “President Chen, what brings you here today?”

Chen Feng replied calmly, “I’m here to see President Xue. Is he around?”

“He is,” the young woman responded quickly. “President Xue is in his office. Please wait a moment, I’ll call him.”

Chen Feng nodded slightly. The receptionist picked up the phone, dialed a number, and then said, “President Xue, President Chen from Dongfeng Kaixuan is here to see you.”

Soon after hanging up, she said, “President Chen, I don’t dare to invite you in myself. President Xue said he’ll come out to greet you personally.”

Chen Feng smiled, “He’s just more particular than others.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than a portly man in a suit dashed out through the main door with a delighted expression. He shook Chen Feng’s hand enthusiastically. “Brother Feng, what a surprise to see you here today!”

Chen Feng laughed, “I’m here to check on your business. What’s wrong? Not happy to see me?”

“No, not at all!” The middle-aged man chuckled heartily. “It’s an honor to have you look after my business. Come on in, let’s talk inside.”

Chen Feng nodded and exchanged a glance with Zhang Wenhao. Zhang followed him through the office area of Prosperity Trading, and they entered the general manager’s office.

Once inside, the middle-aged man invited them to sit on the sofa while he busied himself making tea. After pouring the tea, he sat down opposite them and asked, “Brother Feng, you haven’t introduced your companion yet. Who is this young gentleman with you?”

Chen Feng smiled, “This is my good brother Zhang Wenhao.”

The man warmly shook Zhang Wenhao’s hand and introduced himself, “My surname is Xue—Xue Qicai.”

Chen Feng then said, “I’ve come with a favor to ask you, Old Xue.”

Xue Qicai hurriedly replied, “Brother Feng, there’s no need for formalities between us. Whatever you need, just say the word.”

Chen Feng was straightforward. “Zhang Wenhao and I have started a small entertainment business that needs some liquor supplies. Since your company is the top player in Nanjiang Province’s industry, I thought I’d come straight to you.”

Xue Qicai smiled, “That’s easy. I’ll notify the sales and warehouse departments. Whenever you need anything, just send a purchase order and an address. We’ll deliver it as fast as possible.”

Chen Feng nodded. “I need to start ordering from you today. In the future, it might be frequent. I don’t want to trouble you every time, so just tell your staff to deal directly with me whenever I have a need.”

“That’s no problem at all.” Xue Qicai said. “Wait here a moment. I’ll have the sales manager come over.”

He picked up the phone and dialed a short number. “Xiao Hu, come to my office with two business cards.”

Soon, a man about thirty years old knocked and entered respectfully. “President Xue, you called for me?”

“Come here,” Xue waved him over and introduced him to Chen Feng and Zhang Wenhao. “These two are my good friends. From now on, whenever they order from us, just apply our purchase prices to them. Make sure the warehouse dispatches and delivers immediately and accurately. Understand?”

“Understood.” The man, realizing these were no ordinary clients, quickly handed over two business cards.

Zhang Wenhao glanced at the card. The man’s name was Hu Yun, the sales manager at Prosperity Trading.

Xue Qicai added, “Brother Feng, whenever you have any needs, just send your orders to Xiao Hu. He’ll arrange everything promptly.”

Chen Feng nodded. Xue then told Hu Yun, “You may return to work now.”

Hu Yun greeted everyone and left. Chen Feng said, “Old Xue, I might not be able to settle accounts with you quickly. It’s troublesome to pay every time, so let’s do regular periodic settlements.”

Xue Qicai waved it off readily. “Brother Feng, pay whenever you want. Even if you don’t pay, it’s no problem. Our relationship is more important than a small sum.”

Chen Feng smiled, “I wouldn’t want to take advantage of you. Let’s settle everything together in the fall.”

“Alright,” Xue nodded. “Whatever makes you happy.”

After leaving Prosperity Trading, Chen Feng brought two price lists—one was the company’s purchase price list, and the other was the market retail price list for common liquors. These prices reflected the actual sales prices. Chen Feng handed the lists to Zhang Wenhao. “Let’s go to Melody now. When we get there, give the retail price list to that guy surnamed Zhou. Let him decide the order quantities based on it, calculate the total cost on the spot, and prepare a cash check. Then call Hu Yun to arrange delivery.”

Zhang Wenhao nodded. They arrived at Melody KTV, which was not yet open at just past 1 p.m. A sign hung at the entrance reading: “Venue closed this afternoon for renovations. Reopening at 6 p.m.”

As soon as they entered, the front desk waitress recognized them and quickly called Zhou Xinquan.

Zhou was busy upstairs. Throughout the afternoon, the male waiters had been working nonstop, clearing out all the liquor in the venue and selling it at cost to one of Zhou’s friends. Hearing that Chen Feng and Zhang Wenhao had arrived, Zhou reluctantly came down to greet them.

Neither Chen Feng nor Zhang Wenhao paid him any attention. They went upstairs to inspect the KTV’s mini-mart and storage room. Seeing that there was truly no liquor left, Chen Feng said, “Boss Zhou, I have a price list here. Look it over and list what you need as soon as possible so we can arrange delivery.”

Zhou knew there was no escaping this ordeal. He took the list from Zhang Wenhao and glanced through it, wincing inwardly.

Though it was a retail price list, retail prices varied. Large supermarkets and outlets generally priced lower. For example, a bottle of beer might sell for 8.2 yuan in a supermarket, while ordinary small shops bought it at a higher price, so they could sell it for 8.5 or even 9 yuan. But this price list mostly showed the highest retail prices.

Despite how steep the prices seemed, Zhou had no choice but to accept them. Fortunately, he wasn’t without profit. Even if he bought at retail price, he could still sell for at least double. But considering his various costs, Zhou felt tears sting his eyes.

Without liquor, the venue couldn’t operate. Zhou hurriedly summoned the purchasing manager to draft an order based on the venue’s needs.

The venue featured a comprehensive mini-mart and a nearly one hundred square meter storage room. Usually, the liquor stock lasted about ten days. Ordering too little meant frequent restocking; ordering too much tied up funds and took up space.

Previously, the purchasing manager could get kickbacks from secondary agents when buying stock. This time, there were no kickbacks at all.

The purchasing manager quickly drew up an order based on usual quantities. He was shocked to find that the total price had jumped from roughly 300,000 yuan to 449,600 yuan for the same amount. In other words, nearly 150,000 yuan of profit was shaved off in just ten days—15,000 yuan lost per day!

Having been a purchasing manager for over two years, he knew the order frequency varied greatly. Except for the Chinese New Year period in winter, orders might come every twenty days or so. But in summer, when business was best, orders came every five or six days.

Even he felt deeply pained for Zhou. And Zhou himself was even more distressed.

One hundred and fifty thousand yuan... Every time Zhou placed an order, it was like losing the value of a fully registered 1.6L Volkswagen Sagitar.

Zhang Wenhao, comparing the order with his photographic memory of Prosperity Trading’s purchase prices, calculated that the total cost at the primary agent’s price was 247,730 yuan. Zhou’s settlement price was 449,600 yuan—a difference of nearly 200,000 yuan!

The gap included the profits of both primary and secondary agents, so Zhang’s calculated purchase price was 50 to 60 thousand yuan lower than the purchasing manager’s. The 200,000-yuan difference was pure net profit.

Originally, Zhang thought 10,000 yuan per day was impressive, but now it seemed 20,000 yuan daily profit could be earned without effort at all.