195: Chapter 195 Small Temple, Many Turtle

Shen Fei frowned; it seemed he wasn't the only one who knew how to play simple, unadorned business warfare.

There were other experts out there.

"Who's behind this?"

"Samsung's lobbying team in Vietnam. They've bribed a few officials and are trying to block us."

Shen Fei thought for a moment and decided to entrust this task to him; he didn't trust anyone else:

"Mr. Adebayo, fly to Hanoi yourself. Tell them one thing..."

"What is it?"

"Play in Southeast Asia exactly how Transsion played in Africa. If they want to play dirty, we'll see them through to the end."

...

There were truly quite a few bastards in the Southeast Asian market. No sooner had the paperwork issues been resolved than Samsung started making moves again. It seemed Lee Kun-hee still hadn't given up.

Meanwhile, Wang Hua received another invitation to a 'Hongmen Banquet.' It was a banquet hosted by Li Ming, the head of Gionee's Southeast Asia operations.

The location was called "Imperial Seafood," the top-tier Chinese restaurant in Jakarta.

It was located on the busiest commercial street in the South District, occupying an entire five-story building.

The cars parked outside were either Mercedes-Benz or BMW. The license plates were all sequential numbers; in Jakarta, such sequential plates spoke volumes more than the cars themselves.

Wang Hua arrived two minutes late on purpose, but Li Ming was still waiting patiently at the entrance.

"Manager Wang, I've heard so much about you."

He extended his hand, smiling as if he were meeting his own brother.

Li Ming was in his early forties, of medium build, and not particularly tall, but he wore his hair in a slicked-back style and sported a Rolex on his wrist.

He was part of the local Southeast Asian faction, having spent eight years in Indonesia. People in the circle called him a "local snake," and he had previously served as a manager for several other brands before jumping ship to Gionee in 2007.

He was quite sharp, and in just a few short years, he had made it to regional manager.

He relied on the fighting spirit of a honey badger—if he wasn't convinced, he'd fight—though he did have a bit of cunning.

So...

"You're too kind, Manager Li." Wang Hua shook his hand. "I'm truly sorry, the traffic was a bit heavy. I'm embarrassed to have kept you waiting at the entrance yourself."

"It's only right, it's only right!" He enthusiastically led Wang Hua inside. "I've heard all about the battles Transsion fought in Africa.

Samsung's Africa division was forced to withdraw because of you; the story has spread like wildfire in the industry.

Since we're both Chinese manufacturers, we must have a few drinks today. Tell me how you did it so I can learn a thing or two."

Wang Hua smiled but didn't respond.

The private room was on the fifth floor. Li Ming certainly had influence; he had booked the largest room, which also had the best view. Through the window, one could see the bustling night scene outside.

The dishes were already set on the table.

Steamed leopard coral grouper, blanched shrimp, and the braised sea cucumber that a certain football team loved... The taste was hard to judge, but the price was certainly high.

"I just ordered a few random dishes; I wonder if they suit your taste, Manager Wang?"

Without waiting for an answer, Li Ming poured a full glass of liquor for Wang Hua.

"Come, let's have a drink first to welcome you to Jakarta."

Wang Hua picked up the glass, clinked it against his, and took a sip.

"Why aren't you finishing it, Manager Wang?" He looked at the glass in Wang Hua's hand. "This is Moutai that I had someone bring over from back home."

"My tolerance isn't great, please excuse me, Manager Li." She put down the glass. "I have things to do tomorrow, so I can't drink too much."

"Manager Wang, you aren't giving me much face here." His smile remained, but his tone carried a different edge. "If you come to Jakarta and don't drink, how are we supposed to make friends?"

"You don't have to drink to make friends."

Wang Hua picked up her chopsticks and grabbed a piece of fish, ignoring his threat.

What kind of person was this? Daring to threaten her? This wasn't back home, and Transsion's security team wasn't just for show.

"This leopard coral grouper is quite good; it tastes similar to what I've had in Guangzhou. You're very thoughtful, Manager Li."

Li Ming looked at her, his smile stiffening for a second before he burst into laughter:

"Manager Wang, you really are a straightforward person! Fine, if you won't drink, then you won't drink, lest word gets out that I bullied a woman. Let's eat and chat."

He served Wang Hua some food, poured himself another glass of liquor, and downed it in one gulp again.

"Manager Shen, to be honest, I heard a long time ago that your Transsion was coming to Southeast Asia."

He put down the glass. "You've done so well in Africa and back home; coming to Southeast Asia was only a matter of time. But there are some things I've been holding in that I have to get off my chest."

"Please go ahead, Manager Li."

"The waters in Southeast Asia are murky." He looked at Wang Hua, saying with a sincere expression, "It looks like a big market, with shipments of several hundred million across the region every year, but there really isn't much actual profit to be had.

Nokia, Samsung, and BlackBerry—those three big brands take up seventy percent. The dozen or so other brands are fighting over the remaining scraps. In the end, no one gets a full meal."

Wang Hua didn't respond, continuing to eat while occasionally nodding.

She knew it was a Hongmen Banquet. If she didn't eat, what was she supposed to do? Listen to him brag and threaten her?

Did he really think the security team was just for show? The first batch of people who came had all seen blood in the African market; some even had more than one "martial soul" on them.

Wang Hua put down her chopsticks and sized him up. This "sincerity" reminded her of Lei Jun back home. Li Ming would definitely get along well with him.

"Our Gionee mobile phones have been in Indonesia for three years. Starting from scratch, we now sell over a million units a year."

He held up a finger. "A million units doesn't sound like much, but in this market, it's already in the top three among domestic brands. How did we do it? Just two words."

"Rules?"

Hearing these familiar words, Wang Hua became interested. She wiped her mouth and looked at him. "What rules?"

"Knowing the rules." He smiled. "Indonesia is different from Africa. In Africa, you can conquer the world with your products because there are no rules there.

In Indonesia, there are rules. This place is influenced by our Chinese culture, so there's a whole string of rules here. They've learned all the bad habits—talking about human favors, connections, and cliques. If you don't understand these, no matter how good your product is, you won't sell it."

Wang Hua put down her chopsticks and looked at him with an amused expression: "Are you saying that we at Transsion don't understand the rules, Manager Li?"

"That's not what I mean." He waved his hand, continuing with that 'I'm only doing this for your own good' expression. "I'm saying that since you've just arrived, there are some things you might not understand.

Take distributors, for example. Do you think you can just find the right person and stock your goods? You're wrong. Behind the distributors are families, behind the families are chambers of commerce, and behind the chambers of commerce is the political sphere. It's all linked together; if you pick the wrong person, everything else gets cut off.

As for self-operated channels, that goes without saying. The people here are even more cunning than back home; if you pay them, they won't inspect you."

"Wrong, dead wrong! The more you pay, the more they inspect you, because you didn't pay everyone." At this point, Li Ming became agitated. Fortunately, they were in a private room with good soundproofing.

"Then what is your suggestion, Manager Li?"

Wang Hua just watched his performance quietly, wanting to see what tricks this bastard could pull.

"I wouldn't dare offer a suggestion." He poured Wang Hua a cup of tea. "I just want to give a reminder to you, Manager Wang, and to Manager Shen behind you. This bowl of rice in Southeast Asia isn't something one person can finish alone. We're all from back home, so let's look out for each other and not step on anyone else's turf."

Wang Hua picked up the teacup, blew on it, and then looked at him with an amused expression. "What exactly do you mean by 'turf,' Manager Li?"