Chapter 41 Three Hundred Thousand US Dollars!

Lin Xi straightened the fan and looked calmly at the dumbfounded Harrison.

"Encrypted mesh cover, physical isolation."

"Gravity sensing, tip-over power-off."

"Mr. Harrison, you can let your legal team go on vacation now."

"With this, Sears Department Store will never receive another subpoena regarding finger injuries."

The pupils in Harrison's blue eyes trembled violently.

He lunged forward, ignoring the earlier "bloodshed" warning.

He cradled the fan with both hands as if he were caressing a lover's skin.

"My God..."

"This is... too genius!"

As a veteran procurement officer, he knew all too well the devastating market power of this thing.

At a time when the CPSC Act was giving global home appliance manufacturers a massive headache, this machine was a godsend!

"What about the noise?"

Harrison looked up abruptly, his eyes filled with fanaticism.

"At such a high RPM, what is the noise data?"

Lin Xi didn't say a word.

He pulled an extremely thin napkin from the table and gently pressed it against the mesh cover.

The fan started up again.

The napkin was sucked tightly against the mesh by the air pressure.

The edges only trembled slightly, without the violent shaking caused by turbulence.

Lin Xi pointed to the side. "Listen."

The exhibition hall was bustling with noise, like a pot of boiling water.

But in this small corner, if you closed your eyes, you couldn't even feel the machine running.

There was only a cool breeze as delicate as silk, gently enveloping the skin.

"42 decibels."

Lin Xi announced a figure that could be considered science fiction in this era.

"For comparison, the flagship model from Japan's Triangle Electric is 55 decibels."

"And..."

Lin Xi motioned for Harrison to close his eyes.

"This is called 'Forest Laminar Flow'."

"It's not a fan blowing on you; it's nature embracing you."

Harrison kept his eyes closed, feeling the gentle gusts of wind like a young girl's touch.

His fat face, which had been tense from anxiety and heat, visibly relaxed.

There was no harsh, mechanical buffeting sensation.

Only coolness.

A heart-refreshing coolness.

"I'll take it!"

Harrison snapped his eyes open.

With a wave of his large hand, the greed of a capitalist was fully revealed.

"I want all of these!"

"Quote me!"

The moment for the real showdown had arrived.

Section Chief Li, the representative of Huashang Factory nearby,

had been eavesdropping with perked ears and now clenched his fists nervously.

He was screaming inwardly:

Don't quote too low!

Please, don't quote too low!

If he quotes 15 dollars, our Huashang Factory is completely finished!

Meanwhile, Section Chief Wang was desperately signaling Lin Xi, covertly holding up five fingers and then gesturing a "2".

It meant: 20 dollars!

That would already be a sky-high price!

Lin Xi acted as if he didn't see it.

He remained seated on the broken wooden box, fanning himself with a folding fan, and held up three slender fingers.

The translator, Xiao Zhao, asked tentatively, "13 dollars?"

Section Chief Wang breathed a sigh of relief, and Section Chief Li did as well—

Although this price was low, it was made of plastic after all, so it was reasonable.

"No."

Lin Xi shook his head, his voice clear and articulate.

"30 dollars."

"FOB."

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Section Chief Wang choked on his breath.

He began to cough violently, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

Crazy!

This kid is crazy!

30 dollars?

That's equivalent to 45 RMB!

The cost of this piece of junk is at most a dozen RMB, and you dare sell it for 45?

You have to realize, how much does exporting a ton of coal even cost these days?

Beside him, Section Chief Li let out a sneer.

He must be crazy for money!

The all-steel Huashang Factory fan only sells for 17 dollars, yet you dare sell a plastic tub for 30?

Sure enough, Harrison's face instantly darkened.

"Young man."

Harrison withdrew his earlier fanaticism, his tone becoming cold and professional.

"Are you joking?"

"Triangle Electric's all-metal fan only sells for 45 dollars."

"Why should an unknown Chinese brand like yours, made of plastic, sell for 30?"

"My target price is 12 dollars."

The atmosphere instantly dropped to the freezing point.

Section Chief Wang was sweating profusely, just about to speak up to smooth things over and lower the price.

But Lin Xi smiled.

He stood up and walked over to Harrison.

His height of 183 centimeters actually seemed to slightly overpower the fat man's presence.

"Mr. Harrison, that's not how the math works."

Lin Xi held up one finger.

"First, the Japanese fan weighs a total of 12 kilograms."

"Our product uses aerospace-grade polymer composite materials, with a total weight of only 3.5 kilograms."

"From China to the Port of Long Beach, ocean freight is calculated by weight."

"For this one fan, the shipping costs alone will save you at least 5 dollars."

Harrison was stunned for a moment, the calculator in his eyes beginning to spin rapidly.

Lin Xi held up a second finger.

"Second, because of our 'zero-harm' design, you can save a huge amount on product liability insurance premiums."

"You can even use 'child safety' as a slogan in your marketing."

"Isn't the brand premium from that worth 10 dollars?"

Lin Xi held up a third finger, pointing it directly at Harrison's heart.

"Third."

"And most importantly."

"You aren't just buying a fan."

"You are buying a lifeline for Sears Department Store this summer."

"No matter how good the Japanese fans are, if they can't pass the CPSC safety tests, they're just a pile of scrap metal."

"And I am your only choice."

"At 30 dollars, you can list it for 69.90 dollars."

"A profit margin of over 100%."

"Mr. Harrison, one mustn't be too greedy."

Silence.

A deathly silence.

Only the rumbling sound of the large exhaust fans in the distance could be heard.

The translator, Xiao Zhao, wiped away sweat secretly while translating.

He thought to himself that Manager Lin was truly bold, lecturing a foreigner like he was a grandson.

A full minute passed.

Harrison's grim face suddenly thawed like melting snow.

"Hahahahaha!"

Harrison let out a hearty laugh.

He slapped Lin Xi's shoulder hard, nearly knocking him off balance.

"Good! Very good!"

"I like clever rascals like you!"

"Deal!"

"Initial trial order of 10,000 units! 30% down payment!"

Clatter!

This time, it was the water cup in Section Chief Wang's hand that dropped.

Not just him, but the jaws of the surrounding circle of state-owned factory representatives all hit the floor.

10,000 units?

30 dollars each?

A total price of 300,000 dollars?!

It just... worked?

In an era where ten thousand dollars was considered a massive order, this was practically like robbing a bank for three hundred thousand!

Section Chief Li of Huashang Factory looked as pale as death.

The all-steel fan he had been so proud of now felt as heavy as a piece of scrap metal.

He couldn't understand, he really couldn't understand, why a plastic tub could be sold for the price of gold.

Just as Harrison pulled out his gold-plated pen to sign, his movement suddenly stopped.

His shrewd blue eyes stared intently at the fan blades, and his brow furrowed again.

"Wait, Lin."