PDLP 71. Brothers meet
71. Brothers meet
Lake Ozark is a popular resort destination in southern Missouri.
The shoreline here is longer than the entire coastline of California.
Every summer, a massive number of tourists flock here for vacation, spending vast sums of cash—rich people, poor people, yachts, apartments…
Another great place for money laundering.
Wang Hongbo, the eldest son of Lao Li who was sent to the countryside, illegally entered the United States through a paid summer internship and, through an introduction, came to Ozark Lake to work.
Summer is the peak tourist season, and there are many well-paying jobs here.
But when autumn comes and it gets cold, the tourists leave, and these day laborers have to leave with them.
It goes on and on, every year.
After being repeatedly urged by Lao Li with three phone calls a day, Li Xiang reluctantly made a trip to Ozark before leaving the United States.
Li Xiang had no impression of his adopted brother Wang Hongbo; he had never met him in his previous life, only knowing of his existence from Old Li.
From Lao Li's perspective, he hoped that even if his two sons couldn't be brothers, they shouldn't be strangers, and Li Xiang could understand that.
Even though he didn't want to, he still came.
Ozark has many yacht rental companies, and Wang Hongbo works as a cleaner at one of them.
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A small bar by the lake.
After get off work, Wang Hongbo went to the bar and immediately spotted Li Xiang. There was only one other Asian man in the entire bar, sitting alone at a window seat.
"Have you been waiting long?"
"Just arrived."
Li Xiang turned to look out the window, while Wang Hongbo lowered his head and drank his wine. Neither of the two brothers spoke, and the atmosphere was incredibly awkward.
After about five minutes, Wang Hongbo finished the rest of his beer and broke the silence, saying, "I'm fine here. You've completed your mission by seeing me, so I won't take up any more of your time."
Li Xiang: "Old Li asked me to help you."
"I don't need it." Wang Hongbo paused, then added deliberately, "Please tell Uncle Li for me that I can take care of myself."
Li Xiang suddenly said, "If a stranger wanted to give you a chance, would you take it?"
Wang Hongbo stood up to leave, but then sat down again.
I want to rely on myself.
"What are you dreaming of? Do you think I'd give you money for nothing?" Li Xiang yawned and said lazily, "Apple is releasing a new phone."
"What apple?" Wang Hongbo had only been in the United States for a short time and his English was not very good, so he could only communicate with difficulty. He was busy working to earn money every day.
"Apple Computer, in June, they're releasing their first phone, the iPhone. Each person is limited to two, and they're contract phones tied to your identity. I'll take as many as you can get your hands on, and I'll give you fifty yuan for each phone as a favor." Li Xiang took a sip of beer and added, "If I don't give you special treatment, I'll get someone else to do it for 70."
"Since you don't have the capital to borrow from me, I naturally have to deduct some interest."
"Is fifty in RMB or USD?" Wang Hongbo asked.
"US dollars, exchange rate 7.6, you make 380 yuan per unit, 380 yuan per thousand units, how many years can you earn cleaning yachts like this?"
"Is it illegal?" Wang Hongbo asked after a moment of silence.
Li Xiang wanted to give his brother a little nudge.
"Back then, Lao Li speculated and sold clothes. Ask him if it was illegal. It's really a question of how to weigh the risks and returns."
"When your expected profit is far greater than the risk you need to take, that is an asymmetric opportunity."
"If you lose, you lose ten dollars; if you win, you earn a hundred dollars. If you don't even dare to bet on this, then don't blame yourself for being poor. Just be an ordinary person."
Wang Hongbo made up his mind and said, "I'll do it."
"Call this number; he's the one in the US who's in charge of collecting my phone." Li Xiang handed Wang Hongbo a business card and continued, "Now that we've finished talking business, we don't have much else to discuss. I'm leaving."
Li Xiang got up to leave, but after taking two steps, he turned back and said in a serious tone, "If you want to hate someone, hate Old Li. He owes you something, but I don't."
Wang Hongbo couldn't help but chuckle as he watched Li Xiang leave, but he still felt a mix of emotions.
But thinking about it too much is useless; the most practical thing to do is to make money first.
-
Follow JD.com's path, and leave JD.com with nowhere to go.
Shopee launched its "618 Shopping Festival," but in terms of product variety, Shopee and Ozon cannot compare. Cosmetics and clothing also have very limited appeal to users.
But when the iPhone was officially released in the United States on June 29th, and with the rapid popularity of Apple phones, the discussion surrounding Shopee on the Russian-language internet also began to rise exponentially.
the reason is simple.
You can actually pre-order an iPhone on Shopee!
The original iPhone was sold on a contract basis, meaning it could only be used with AT&T SIM cards, and the contract could only be lifted after two years.
It can't be used in other countries either.
News has emerged from the UK, France, and Germany that Apple is in talks with local telecom operators to prepare for the release of related versions.
Russia?
Even Joe Buss didn't know when Russia would be able to sell iPhones.
But Shopee dares to charge money and promises to refund double the amount if the goods are not shipped within 30 days.
They used scarcity marketing; only 100 units were released in the first batch, and they sold out in seconds.
From GG's perspective, this shameless hype to ride on the iPhone's popularity was undoubtedly successful, attracting a huge number of onlookers to the website.
The number of registered users is skyrocketing every day!
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As soon as the iPhone was released, Li Xiang found someone to personally purchase and transport ten iPhones back to Russia.
Gerry and Duchess Duchess mobilized all available resources from both companies in an attempt to crack the code.
Supply is not a problem.
The cost is ultimately borne by the consumer; as long as you're willing to pay a premium, you can get the goods no matter what. The real challenge is how to bypass AT&T's restrictions on mobile phones, allowing the iPhone to read Russian SIM cards and download software from the Apple Store.
"Are you three even capable? All you do is make me wait."
Li Xiang's concern led to confusion.
A deluge of traffic has already come crashing down.
If you can catch it, Shopee will take off instantly, and even bending down to pick up the money will feel too tiring.
I couldn't catch it...
That would be the biggest joke in the entire Russian-speaking internet world!
Xiao Du ate an orange, looking calm: "You didn't need to call us. With iPhones selling so well, countless hackers are secretly working hard, hoping to make a name for themselves. We just need to wait; the hacking tools will be available soon."
"If you have this energy, you might as well try to get more stock."
"I've already arranged for someone to receive the goods, but I was worried it wouldn't be safe, so I handled it myself," Li Xiang said with a frustrated expression. "Now we're stuck on cracking the code."
"If I can't crack it, I can't sell it. If I can't sell it, how am I supposed to pay the bills in the US? How about you lend me some?"
"I didn't," Xiao Du complained. "My brother and I were just helping out; we didn't even get paid, and they still want us to contribute."
Da Du suddenly turned around and looked at Li Xiang with a grin, "I have some good news for you."
Xiao Du chimed in, "Has someone cracked it?"
"It's unlocked now. I've asked for the tools; let's try it ourselves."
Li Xiang pressed further, "Can I download it from the app store?"
While operating the computer to flash the device, Da Du replied, "It can only read phone cards; it can't be used in stores yet."
Xiao Du reassured him again, "It's bound to happen sooner or later, just be patient."
Li Xiang gently tapped Ge Li on the head and complained with a resentful look, "How come you were so good at making viruses to target me? Now that I need you, you can't help at all. I'm doomed."
Grigory wanted to defend himself.
Xiao Du smoothed things over for Li Xiang, saying to Ge Li, "We're about to succeed, so it's a bit nerve-wracking. I went through this phase when VK was first launched. You'll get used to it in a few days."
Li Xiang knew in his heart that being anxious was useless, so he took a deep breath and said, "Let's forget about cracking it; there's no point in trying to save a few days."
"That's right, what you need most right now is to do something to distract yourself."
Before Xiao Du could finish speaking, Li Xiang's phone rang.
"Financing?" Li Xiang couldn't suppress his grin; it almost reached the back of his head. "We're not short of money right now, how about we talk about it first? Sure."