Chapter 37 Black-hearted Dollars

This was simply too advanced!

It was so advanced that it made him worry whether some classified military parameters that hadn't been declassified yet had been used.

Looking at the stern and wary Elder Qian, Lin Xi suddenly grinned, revealing a row of white teeth.

"How could that be!"

"Elder Qian, take a closer look."

"Not only will it not leak secrets, but it can also achieve the effect of 'strategic deception'!"

Lin Xi tapped the blade with his finger and said:

"This thing looks intimidating, but it's actually a downgraded version."

"Although the five-blade design uses aerospace concepts, both the parameters and materials are civilian-grade and don't meet military strength standards."

"The reason it can achieve this effect is mainly due to a breakthrough in product design concepts."

"We replaced the iron blades with plastic ones."

"If foreigners insist on looking into it deeply..."

Lin Xi pointed to the base of the blade:

"A trap was left here."

"If foreigners don't dismantle it, they'll be intimidated by its stunning performance;"

"If they really do dismantle it and perform reverse engineering..."

"Hehe, this misleading direction..."

"...will cause them to seriously misjudge our level of fluid dynamics!"

"This is called—appearing weak when strong, and strong when weak."

"We're not just selling fans; we're throwing in a 'bewitching potion' for free."

Elder Qian was stunned for a moment, then took a closer look and suddenly understood.

"You brat..."

Elder Qian sat back in his chair, lit another cigarette, and pointed at Lin Xi.

"Truly a sly one."

"Of course, I learned it from you," Lin Xi said, taking the opportunity to flatter him.

"Stop your smooth-talking." Elder Qian exhaled a smoke ring, his mood greatly improved. "Since the technology is fine, let's talk business."

"How much are you planning to sell it for?"

"According to the export price of Huashang Factory, it's about 18 to 20 dollars."

Elder Qian calculated,

"Your cost is low. If you sell it for 15 dollars, which is 22 RMB, there's a profit to be made."

In this era, earning foreign exchange was the top priority.

To seize the international market, low-price dumping was the norm.

Lin Xi shook his head.

He held up three fingers.

"30 dollars."

"Cough, cough, cough!" Elder Qian choked on a mouthful of smoke and began to cough violently.

He stared wide-eyed at Lin Xi: "How much? 30?"

"At the current exchange rate, that's 45 RMB!"

"What's the cost of this piece of junk of yours?"

"Reporting, Chief." Lin Xi snapped to attention, his voice loud and clear.

"Including labor, utilities, and raw materials, the cost is 12 RMB."

A cost of 12 RMB.

Selling for 45 RMB.

And selling it to those shrewd foreign devils?

"This is robbery!" Elder Qian laughed and scolded.

"Who does business like this?"

"This isn't robbery; this is a technology premium," Lin Xi said righteously.

"The best silent fan currently on the market is from Japan, with a retail price of 60 to 80 dollars and a wholesale price of 45 to 60 dollars."

"Ours is better than the Japanese one in terms of silence, comfort, and industrial design."

"With a retail price of 70 and a wholesale price of 30 dollars, people will definitely be scrambling to buy it!"

"Besides..."

Lin Xi lowered his voice, his eyes flickering with a light known as 'ambition'.

"Is it a skill to earn money from our own people?"

"Earning foreign exchange, now that's a real skill."

Elder Qian looked at the young man before him.

Even though he was wearing a rustic padded jacket, that confidence and greed (directed at foreign enemies) radiating from his bones...

...actually made this old revolutionary find him incredibly pleasing to the eye.

"Good."

Elder Qian stubbed out his cigarette and nodded heavily.

"Black-hearted."

"However, our country is short on foreign exchange right now."

"We need black-hearted capitalists like you to go and snatch it!"

"I'll apply for the Canton Fair tickets myself!"

...

Three days later, Beijing.

Under the grey sky, the Soviet-style building of the Seventh Ministry of Machine Building Industry (Ministry of Aerospace Industry) appeared exceptionally solemn and dignified.

Foreign Affairs Bureau, Foreign Trade Department.

Department Head Jiang Ye was buried so deep under a mountain of approval documents on his desk that only half his head was visible.

"Head Jiang, this is the exhibition project submitted by the Northwest Base."

Xiao Li, a clerk, handed over a document.

"Elder Qian personally signed the note."

Jiang Ye pushed up his thick black-rimmed glasses and took the document.

"Red Star Labor Service Agency..."

"Electric fans?"

Jiang Ye's brow instantly furrowed into a deep frown.

He was currently worrying about the exhibition space for the Long March Rocket models; they were large, had high security requirements, and the space was extremely limited.

But he couldn't ignore Elder Qian's request.

Jiang Ye took a Canton Fair booth distribution map from his drawer; it was the Seventh Ministry's exhibition area.

He casually drew a circle in a spot hidden behind some large machinery.

"Add a spot for them here."

"Just give them a table."

Xiao Li was stunned for a moment:

"Head Jiang, this location..."

"Isn't it too remote?"

"For an electric fan, this location is about enough."

Jiang Ye waved his hand impatiently.

He continued to bury his head in reviewing documents about precision machine tools and rocket propellants.

"Let them set up for fun; just don't let them get in the way of serious business."

"Our main stars this time are the big guys."

...

While applying for the Canton Fair slots, Lin Xi wasn't idle either.

On one hand, he sent 20 units of 'Red Star · Gentle Breeze' to Manager Sun of Dongfeng Department Store.

He asked him to promote it within the department store system to see who was willing to distribute it for the domestic market.

After the last incident, Dongfeng Department Store had become a staunch ally of the Service Center.

Lin Xi didn't have the energy to expand domestic department store channels, so he left it to Manager Sun to handle, so everyone could make money together.

On the other hand, he also prepared some small surprises.

At this moment, Sun Erga was squatting on the ground.

In his hands, he held several brochures that had just been rushed out of the printing house, his mouth hanging open wide enough to fit an egg.

"Man... Manager."

Sun Erga's hands were shaking.

"The thing in this picture... is our fan?"

It was a two-color printed brochure.

Against a deep black background, only a single side light was cast, outlining the smooth contours of the 'Red Star · Gentle Breeze'.

If one didn't look closely, it was impossible to tell it was plastic; it looked like a mysterious metal from the future.

Beside it was an advertisement slogan in four languages: Chinese, English, French, and German:

【The Silent Revolution from the East】

(The Silent Revolution from the East)

The layout was minimalist, with bold use of white space.

There were no tacky 'bright red and green' elements, only a pervasive high-end 'minimalist' style.

This was something Lin Xi had a top graphic designer from 2025 'freely' layout in his livestream room.

He then spent a large sum of money to find the best printing house to print it.

"This brochure..." Sun Erga swallowed hard.

"It looks more expensive than our actual product."

"This is called packaging."

Lin Xi picked up a brochure and lightly flicked the cover.

It made a crisp 'snap' sound.

"Erga, remember this."

"When we get to Guangzhou, we're not there to set up a street stall."

"We're there to teach those foreigners what you call—"

"Industrial Aesthetics."