Chapter 120: New Product (2)

Unlike last time, Sun Han arrived alone, driving a dusty old Passat. Seeing Fang Yu, he hurried to get out and pop the trunk.

"Good day, Manager Fang. Manager Zhang instructed me to deliver these ten engineering sample units to you."

"Good, thank you for the trouble. Come in, rest for a bit, and have a bite to eat before you head back," Fang Yu said with a polite wave of his hand.

Sun Han was clearly nervous and quickly waved him off. "You're too kind, Manager Fang. I’d better get going; Manager Zhang is waiting for me to get back and oversee the work, so I won't intrude."

Fang Yu didn't insist. Once he saw Sun Han off, he happily scooped up the large box and trudged back into Seven Stars Internet Cafe.

"Fang Yu, what’s in that box? Is it a gift someone sent you?" Xia Churan asked, standing up out of curiosity.

"Come, come, everyone gets a piece—take one and try it out," Fang Yu said with a chuckle, grabbing a small knife to slice through the packing tape.

The box contained ten brand-new Tianxing S1 mobile phones, featuring 6.5-inch resistive touchscreens. The build quality of the casing left much to be desired.

"Damn it, Old Zhang is cutting corners. This is nothing more than a big-screen, handwriting-input knockoff," Fang Yu muttered, clearly dissatisfied.

The others nearby were quite curious. "A mobile phone? What brand is that? It looks pretty high-tech."

Fang Yu impatiently unwrapped one and pressed the power button. Soon enough, the phone entered standby mode.

It turned out the quality of the Tianxing phone was actually acceptable; at least the screen worked perfectly. Aside from a few standard utilities, the only pre-installed app was "Baoleme," which could be used to place orders.

He quickly opened the app. The registration page was extremely simple—unlike the days over a decade later, there was no need for real-name authentication; you just registered a username and a password, and you were done.

After fiddling with it for a while, Fang Yu linked one of his bank cards and opened the order page. There weren't many merchants yet, just a few well-known names like "Kenji-lao" (a parody of KFC) and a handful of high-end brands that didn't mind the ten-thousand-yuan annual promotion fee.

"Wow, can you really order food with this phone?" Xia Churan exclaimed.

For Fang Yu, the phone was a bit primitive, but for anyone else in early 2006, it felt like a product from the future.

The news spread like wildfire. Lu Zhen and the others immediately grabbed a unit each to register. After all, it was a smartphone, and it possessed many features that traditional mobile phones lacked.

"Save three for Cheng Chen and the others; I'm taking the rest back."

The group spent the entire afternoon in near silence, focused entirely on studying the new phones. It wasn't until dinner time that he shook his S1.

"Let’s give it a try tonight. I’m placing an order."

"Ooh, Fang Yu, I want this!" Xia Churan pointed excitedly at a sushi shop on the screen.

He nodded nonchalantly and placed an order worth about a hundred yuan. When he paid, the screen showed the funds being deducted from his bank account. It was only 2006, so he’d make do with what he had.

Xianjiang was a small city, but Zhang Hao had clearly accounted for Fang Yu’s location, having already opened a branch office nearby.

About 40 minutes later, his phone rang. It was a rather young male voice. "Hey, Boss Fang, is this your takeout?"

He was curious. "Gun-Gun? Why are you the one calling me?"

Gun-Gun was a regular at the internet cafe. The young man, named Shi Jicheng, was a student who frequented the place—a total tech addict.

"Hey! I’m one of the first part-time employees for Baoleme. I’m delivering takeout in the neighborhood!"

A few minutes later, Shi Jicheng walked in, carrying a massive takeout bag. He pushed aside the curtain with a big grin. "Boss Fang, you guys are eating well, aren't you?"

Fang Yu found it amusing and asked, "Gun-Gun, how much commission do you get for this delivery?"

Shi Jicheng thought for a moment. "About seven or eight yuan. I just do it after class; I make twenty or thirty yuan a day."

"Hmm, and what do you use to make deliveries?"

"A bicycle. I'm planning to save up for a second-hand electric scooter."

Fang Yu nodded. It seemed the issue of delivery personnel was quite severe—a mix of bicycles and electric scooters. Once Baoleme hit its stride, this would definitely need to be addressed.

Seeing Shi Jicheng about to leave, Fang Yu’s eyes flickered, and he quickly pulled him aside. "Gun-Gun, I’m going away for a few days. Could you help me look after the internet cafe? I’ll pay you 50 yuan a day, and you can help yourself to any drinks or cigarettes in the shop."

Shi Jicheng’s face lit up. "Boss Fang, are you serious? I’m definitely in! 50 yuan a day plus food and drink? Where else could I find a deal like that?"

Shi Jicheng was a decent, honest kid. Fang Yu had to consider Yan Hua’s need for rest once they headed to Shawan, so he had no choice but to hire temporary help.

"Right, but it’s quite tiring. Can your small frame handle it?"

"Don't worry, I'm in great shape! Hehe, can I bring Pan Yan along to surf the web too?" Shi Jicheng asked with a fawning smile. Pan Yan was his "goddess," a student from the Foreign Languages Department. She had a bit of a reputation, but that didn't matter; Shi Jicheng wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed anyway.

"Whatever. If she can help, I'll pay her a wage too. But one thing—you must make sure the accounts are balanced. Do you hear me?"

After some negotiations, Seven Stars Internet Cafe had two new temp workers, and Fang Yu felt much more at ease. He finished his meal of somewhat questionable sushi.

Back at the townhouses that night, Xia Churan pestered him to fulfill the promise he had made earlier in the day.

"Stinky Fang Yu, I want a bedtime story, or else I’m wearing this watch to see Qin Lu tomorrow!"

"Fine, fine, you win. What do you want to hear?" He was currently at the townhouse, playing an FPS game on an old computer.

"Hmm, I want to hear the story of Cinderella."

"Cinderella again? How about I tell you the story of Little Red Riding Hood? Little Red Riding Hood inches toward the corner, then executes a big jump followed by a tactical strafe, flashes behind the Big Bad Wolf, taps three shots with her pistol, and—boom! Beautiful! Now for a flick shot—damn it, who threw that flashbang!"

"You're impossible! What kind of nonsense are you babbling about, Fang Yu!" The young girl was completely annoyed and stood in front of the screen to block his game.

Seeing he couldn't play anymore, Fang Yu stood up grumpily, muttering, "Alright, alright, I surrender. Behave yourself tomorrow, you hear? Don't go looking for trouble."

"Hmph, we'll see how you perform. Hurry up, I'm sleepy." The girl grabbed his arm with a grin.

After finally coaxing Xia Churan to sleep, he finally had a moment to himself. He retreated to his room and carefully caressed his new phone, a faint smile on his face.

This little gadget was the stepping stone to his success. It didn't have to be perfect, but at the very least, it had to be ahead of the rest!