Reborn in 2005, starting with repairing mobile phones

He paused, then suddenly smiled, a smile tinged with tears.

"From now on, I'll call you Magic Lin. Magic Lin."

He nodded vigorously, as if confirming something, "You really are a magician."

Lin Dong put down his teacup, a rare smile appearing on his face.

"I wouldn't presume to call myself a magician. It just so happens that they were all willing to sit down and talk."

"What a coincidence..." Anderson shook his head and smiled wryly, "Fine, if you say it's a coincidence, then it's a coincidence."

He looked down and glanced at the three documents again, as if trying to etch each signature into his mind.

Then he looked up, and the expression on his face slowly changed from excitement and gratitude to thoughtful seriousness.

"Lin," his tone turned serious, "I was planning to retire after this batch of goods was sold."

Lin Dong looked at him.

"Really." Anderson leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh. "This line of work is exhausting. Finding goods, finding buyers, avoiding being scammed, avoiding having your goods stuck with you, avoiding those people at the port holding you hostage..."

He shook his head. "I can't work anymore. Once I clear out this batch of goods, pay off my debts, and have enough left over for retirement, that'll be enough."

He paused, looking at Lin Dong.

"But now—"

He pointed to the three documents.

"You've won over the Rossi family. Now you can sit at the same table with Wu Ming and Gulf Capital to do business."

His eyes became serious.

"If I can get my hands on this level of goods again in the future, it might not be this batch of aluminum, but other similar, high-value goods that others can't get their hands on."

He stared at Lin Dong.

"You can continue to pay for it for me, right?"

Lin Dong did not answer immediately.

He looked into Anderson's bloodshot eyes, which now seemed to have regained a certain light.

That's a businessman's unique, instinctive sense of opportunity.

Anderson was indeed exhausted, and this deal was driving him to the brink of collapse.

But when he saw those three signatures, his first reaction wasn't "finally relieved," but rather—

"Can I continue doing this in the future?"

Lin Dong picked up his teacup and slowly took a sip.

Then put it down.

"sure."

Anderson's eyes lit up.

"From now on, you'll be in charge of finding goods," Lin Dong said. "I'll be responsible for finding buyers who are willing to sit down and negotiate, and for paving the way for the delivery process."

He paused.

"This time it was Wu Ming, Gulf Capital, and the Rossi family. Next time it might be someone else, another port, and another shipment."

He looked at Anderson.

"But as long as the goods are of high quality, I can help you find a buyer."

Anderson stared at him, remaining silent for several seconds.

Then he reached out his hand.

It's a deal.

Lin Dong grasped his hand.

It's a deal.

Two hands were clasped tightly together in the afternoon sun.

Chen Wei'an watched quietly from the side, putting the newly effective memorandum of understanding into a folder.

She knew that this was the first long-term move that Oriental Technology had made in its global high-end materials supply chain strategy.

Anderson left with noticeably lighter steps than when he arrived.

As he reached the door, he suddenly turned back.

"Lin!" he called out, "I still think you have magic!"

Lin Dong didn't reply, but simply raised his teacup.

Anderson smiled and pushed open the door to leave.

The tea room fell silent again.

Chen Wei'an put the signed memorandum of understanding into a leather folder, placing it neatly alongside the documents of Wu Ming, Jamal, and Michael Rossi.

"Mr. Lin, shall we return to the hotel?"

Lin Dong nodded and stood up.

San Francisco was bathed in a rosy glow at dusk.

The car smoothly crossed the Bay Bridge, with the outline of the Golden Gate Bridge appearing faintly in the distance.

Lin Dong leaned back in the back seat with his eyes closed.

Chen Wei'an glanced at him in the rearview mirror but didn't say anything.

Forty minutes later, the car stopped in front of the Peninsula Hotel.

Lin Dong got out of the car, took the room key, and took the elevator back to the top-floor suite.

The door closed gently behind me.

It isolated the footsteps in the corridor, the elevator announcements, and the city's never-ending hustle and bustle.

He stood there, silent for a few seconds.

Then I walked to the window.

Outside the window, the San Francisco cityscape is awakening.

In the distance, the Bay Bridge lit up with strings of pearl-like lights, while the outline of the Golden Gate Bridge disappeared into the twilight, leaving only the red lights on the top of the tower flashing.

Further away lies the Pacific Ocean.

The Pacific Ocean is black, silent, and stretches to the horizon.

He didn't turn on the light.

The only light coming into the room was the city's first light of night, filtering through the window.

He just stood there and watched for a long time.

Then he turned around, walked to the desk, pulled out the chair, and sat down.

He took out the notebook he had brought from Shenzhen from the drawer.

Turning a new page.

The pen tip landed on the paper.

[July 5, 2005, San Francisco.]

He paused.

Then I started writing.

1. Ponzi scheme

He wrote slowly, unlike when he drew mobile phone design sketches with such fluidity.

[Investment: A loan of 2500 million RMB, approximately 308 million USD.]

[—A whole floor mortgaged in Futian Central District, monthly mortgage payments manageable.]

[The Dongguan factory's operating costs are borne by Dongfang Precision itself, and no financial support is needed at this time.]

[—Cash flow for this transaction: three years' service fee prepaid to the Rossi family; our shareholding is 25%, with an actual investment of US$80.]

[—Purchasing "strategic reserve" aluminum samples and some commercially available goods, totaling US$200 million.]

[—Other miscellaneous items: legal fees, consulting fees, travel expenses, Dr. Hansen's report…approximately $18.]

Total expenditure: $218 million.

[Remaining balance: US$10, approximately RMB 80.]

He stopped writing and looked at the line of numbers.

10 million US dollars.

A little over 80 RMB.

The number dropped rapidly, from 25 million to 800,000.

But he didn't pause for long; the pen tip continued to move.

[Forward Profit from this Transaction:]

[1. "Strategic reserve" grade aluminum materials. Their value is at least three times that of ordinary commercially available goods.]

[2. 25% stake in the Rossi family's new company. No short-term dividends, but locks in priority logistics rights for all high-value goods in the future. Valuation is difficult to quantify, but its strategic value is extremely high.]

[3. Partnership with Anderson's distribution channels. We will have priority underwriting rights for future imports of high-end materials. This is both the cheapest and most expensive investment.]

He paused here, pen in hand.

Then it started a new line and a new paragraph.

【2. Relationship Chart】

This time he wrote more fluently.

Wu Ming: From "a condescending senior" to "a willing partner".

This transaction did not harm its core interests, and it can leverage the Shenzhen and Hong Kong channels in the future.

However, this person is greedy and cannot be relied upon.

Jamal: The objective is extremely clear: he only wants the 35% of strategic-grade materials. He has absolutely no interest in anything else.

This kind of opponent is the most formidable, and also the best to cooperate with—provided you never stand between him and that "target".

This transaction has established basic trust.

He is the gateway to future Middle Eastern capital flows.

Michael Rossi: The toughest nut to crack. He has no shortage of money or power, but what he lacks is a legal identity to "bring his family out of poverty".

My 25% stake was my pledge of allegiance to him.

This is the first bet on the story of a "nationwide high-end logistics network."

Anderson: ...an unexpected long-term asset.

I thought it was just a one-time trip across the bridge, but I ended up retrieving a boat that was willing to continue fishing.

This person has a keen sense of smell, but an extremely weak ability to withstand risks.

As long as I can always cover his costs, he will be Dongfang Technology's most loyal buyer of raw materials in North America.

He put down his pen and looked at the three paragraphs.

Then a newline.