Chapter Thirteen: The Chameleon (Please Bookmark)

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“Zhang, what you’re doing is a crime!”

“Our television station will expose you and take you to court. Just wait until they come to arrest you!”

After learning what the satellite dishes were used for, Zheng Zuta’s face flushed crimson. He pointed at Zhang Xiaocheng’s nose and cursed him loudly.

Zheng Zuta spoke with confidence. In those days, reporters were known as the uncrowned kings. If a reporter exposed problems at a government department or public institution, the person in charge might lose his position. If a major corporation was revealed to be involved in a scandal, it could collapse overnight, and even its founder might end up in prison.

That was why so many people feared reporters. Yet a reporter’s power as an uncrowned king did not come from the reporter himself. It came from the television station, newspaper, or magazine behind him.

Now, someone had actually dared to snatch the television station’s livelihood—and had even invited him over to inspect the operation. To Zheng Zuta, this was nothing less than a provocation against Pingyang Television.

“Director Zheng, I did invite you here today because there is something we need to discuss with your television station—”

Zhang Xiaocheng called after him from behind, but Zheng Zuta did not listen at all. Like an enraged bull, he charged toward the jeep, and no one could hold him back.

Just as Zheng Zuta was about to get into the vehicle, a voice suddenly rang out.

“Director Zheng, even if Shangguan Town Electrical Appliance Factory is shut down and this batch of satellite dishes is confiscated, does that mean satellite dishes from other manufacturers won’t appear?

“We invited Pingyang Television here today because we want to cooperate. Otherwise, you would never have seen these satellite dishes here—they would have been sold already!”

With his hand on the car door, Zheng Zuta turned around and looked at Li Dongling, who had spoken.

A moment earlier, he had been consumed by anger. All he had thought about was shutting down the factory and making Zhang Xiaocheng pay; he had not considered anything else. But after hearing Li Dongling’s words, he came to his senses.

The satellite dishes had already appeared. They were like Pandora’s box: once opened, they could no longer be made to disappear. They were far more useful than cable television. Even if the Electrical Appliance Factory were shut down, someone else would certainly make them.

“Please, Director Zheng. Even if this place has to be dismantled, can’t we wait until after we’ve finished talking?” Li Dongling said, extending a hand.

“Hmph!”

Zheng Zuta snorted angrily, but he still did not get into the car.

“I want to see what kind of miracle you think you can talk us into today. Even if you really manage to convince me, I’ll still report this to the station leaders and have this place dismantled.”

The three of them went to Zhang Xiaocheng’s office. Zhang Xiaocheng willingly handed the negotiations over to Li Dongling. He was capable of handling practical matters, but writing reports, negotiating, and giving speeches were not his strengths.

“Director Zheng, how many cable television subscribers does Pingyang currently have? There probably aren’t even two thousand households in the entire urban area, and the number in the towns must be even lower.”

Li Dongling looked at Zheng Zuta. The annual cable television fee of two or three hundred yuan was equivalent to a worker’s monthly salary. How many families would be willing to spend an entire month’s wages every year just to watch television?

“Even if there aren’t many subscribers, they are still customers of the television station. That is no reason for you to use crooked methods to steal them from us!” Zheng Zuta said, slapping the table.

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Li Dongling gave a short laugh and pushed the tea Zhang Xiaocheng had prepared toward Zheng Zuta.

“Whether it’s cable television or satellite dishes, both exist to allow television viewers to receive more channels. Fundamentally, there is no difference between them. They simply reach the same destination by different paths.”

Hearing this theory, Zheng Zuta frowned and was about to argue with Li Dongling, but Li Dongling stopped him.

“Director Zheng, we did not invite you here today to argue. I’m only making this clear to Pingyang Television: the satellite receiver project is not intended to seize the station’s subscribers. It is meant to allow viewers to receive more television channels, raise the cultural and recreational standards of the people, and provide greater service to television audiences.

“I believe that is the television station’s original purpose as well, isn’t it?”

The moral high ground of those words left Zheng Zuta dumbfounded. They were so righteous and lofty that he could not refute them. He could hardly say that the television station’s purpose was not to let viewers watch more channels, but to earn more money from advertisements. Even if that was what he truly thought, he could never say it aloud.

“Director Zheng surely knows how many television owners there are in Pingyang now. The television station has little chance of persuading all those people to install cable television, but satellite dishes can do it.”

Li Dongling continued, “Even if only one-tenth of Pingyang’s television owners choose to use satellite dishes, how many units do you think could be sold? You can calculate that for yourself, Director Zheng.”

Zheng Zuta could not help swallowing. He knew perfectly well whether satellite dishes could sell. Compared with ordinary television antennas, their advantages were enormous. Compared with cable television, they were cheaper as well. If he truly had to choose, he would choose a satellite dish himself.

If eighty or ninety thousand satellite dishes were sold, the profits would be unimaginable. In any case, they would certainly exceed the advertising revenue of Pingyang Television by a great deal.

Li Dongling glanced at Zhang Xiaocheng. Zhang Xiaocheng coughed and said, “Director Zheng, the satellite dishes launched by our Electrical Appliance Factory actually serve the same purpose as the television station’s work. Therefore, I think the two sides should cooperate on this project.”

This time, Zheng Zuta was truly speechless. He was no less stunned than Zhang Xiaocheng had been when he first heard Li Dongling mention the idea. For a moment, his mind could not keep up.

“A portion of the profits from the Stargazer satellite receiver project can be given to the television station,” Li Dongling said directly.

His intention was to bring Pingyang Television aboard. Once that happened, satellite dishes could be used openly and legitimately throughout Pingyang.

“This… This doesn’t seem appropriate, does it?”

Zheng Zuta wanted to reject the proposal with the same forceful certainty as before, but when the words reached his lips, he could not bring himself to say them.

“If the Provincial Radio and Television Bureau investigates this later, who will be able to bear the responsibility?” Zheng Zuta finally said after hesitating for a long while.

Seeing how Zheng Zuta wanted the profits but feared the responsibility, Zhang Xiaocheng secretly spat in disdain. He had wagered his life on this project, yet Zheng Zuta was still worrying about this and that.

“If we cooperate, Pingyang Television’s service offices must be allowed to sell Stargazer products. The repair technicians at those offices must also provide after-sales service to Stargazer users.

“The Stargazer satellite receiver will initially be priced at three hundred yuan. If sales reach expectations—or if ten thousand units are sold—Pingyang Television can receive ten percent of the profits. Director Zheng, you can calculate for yourself how much that would amount to.”

Li Dongling wanted to cooperate with Pingyang Television for more than the sake of giving the project legitimate standing. He was also interested in the television station’s resources.

With the current strength of Shangguan Town Electrical Appliance Factory, it was impossible to send enough repair technicians into the towns and villages to provide after-sales service. The costs would simply be too high to bear.

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Things would be different with Pingyang Television’s help. In order to serve cable television subscribers, the station had service offices in the urban area, the towns, and even some of the more populous villages. If those offices could provide after-sales service for Stargazer users, everything would be far more convenient. At most, the factory would only need to pay the service technicians an additional wage.

Zheng Zuta barely heard Li Dongling’s explanation about having the television station’s offices provide after-sales service. He was focused only on how much the station could earn from selling ten thousand satellite dishes.

At a ten-percent share, the station could receive two or three hundred thousand yuan—equivalent to several months of advertising revenue. Most importantly, the money would go into the station’s private fund. It would not need to be handed over, and the station could use it internally.

Whether the money was spent on purchases or distributed among the station’s employees as bonuses, no one would be able to interfere. After doing a quick calculation, Zheng Zuta realized that, given his seniority and rank at Pingyang Television, he could probably receive four or five thousand yuan. That was more than his entire salary for the previous year.

By then, Zheng Zuta was a completely different man from the one who had just been pointing at Zhang Xiaocheng’s nose and cursing him. Whether the television station would cooperate with the Electrical Appliance Factory on the satellite dish project was no longer in doubt. Still, he continued bargaining for the station’s benefit. After all, who would turn money away?

“Ten percent is too little. Our television station is taking too much of a risk, and I won’t be able to explain it to the station leaders. The television station wants thirty percent of the profits,” Zheng Zuta said.

Zhang Xiaocheng’s thick brows drew together, and he immediately began to lose his temper. He was already unhappy about giving the television station a share for nothing, yet Zheng Zuta was being so demanding and complaining that the share was too small.

“Impossible!”

“How much do we even make on each unit? We bear the costs of materials, labor, transportation, and sales, while the television station simply waits to collect money—and you still want thirty percent? Why don’t you just rob us?”

“Our television station is taking an even greater risk than you are. If anything happens in the future, the station will be responsible for it all. Didn’t he just say that the television station would also have to handle after-sales service?” Zheng Zuta said, pointing at Li Dongling.

Seeing Zhang Xiaocheng and Zheng Zuta arguing until their faces and necks turned red, Li Dongling remained unconcerned. They were only arguing over how much money each side would make. With the satellite dish as the carrot dangling before them, the two sides could not possibly break off negotiations.

“At least fifteen percent,” Zheng Zuta pleaded. “Our television station truly has it difficult. We’ll also need to report and communicate with the provincial station. Any less, and the risks we bear will be too great!”

The money would not go only to Pingyang Television. By the time it was distributed, who knew how many superiors and intermediaries would demand a share?

Zhang Xiaocheng looked at Li Dongling. Li Dongling nodded, and Zhang Xiaocheng gave a muffled grunt, accepting the arrangement.

By now, Zheng Zuta’s attitude toward Zhang Xiaocheng and Li Dongling was utterly different from before.

“Factory Director Zhang, Brother Li, rest assured. I will certainly do everything I can to persuade our television station’s leaders to approve the cooperation. I absolutely won’t delay your project!”

Having dealt with all kinds of people for many years, Zheng Zuta was naturally shrewd. He could tell who truly had the final say in the Stargazer satellite dish project, even if Li Dongling officially held no more than the title of technician.

“We can begin selling Stargazer now!”

As soon as Zheng Zuta left, Li Dongling turned to Zhang Xiaocheng and said so.