Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Opportunity

After entering the office building, Li Dongling and Gao Peng were struck by how much it had changed since Li Dongling’s last visit. Previously, the building bore the unmistakable style of the 1970s or 80s, painted simply in white and green. Now, it had been fully renovated to meet modern office standards.

At the entrance was a reception desk. Beyond it, the small, compartmentalized offices that once dotted the space had been demolished to create a large, open-plan office area. Rows of cubicles, each furnished with desks and chairs, were neatly arranged. These small cubicles offered employees a sense of privacy and independence, quite unlike the face-to-face layouts common in other companies.

Each desk was outfitted with a potted plant, a computer, telephone, fax machine, printer, and air conditioning. Amenities such as water dispensers and coffee machines were also provided, ensuring a comfortable working environment.

Noticing Li Dongling’s expression, Gao Peng smiled knowingly. “Li, I specifically hired designers from Shanghai to handle this. The lounge, pantry, and smoking area are still under renovation, but once finished, East Ling Technology’s office will be the best in Pingyang and possibly the entire Hanxi region.”

Li Dongling gave him a sidelong glance and nodded with a smile. Gao Peng’s ability to get things done was indeed impressive.

The two ascended to the second floor, which was still undergoing construction. There, they found Li Dongshan supervising the work. Upon seeing him, Gao Peng immediately called out, “Brother Dongshan!”

Gao Peng knew exactly how Li Dongshan was connected to Li Dongling. Despite Li Dongshan’s relative inexperience and occasional lack of flexibility, Gao Peng bore no resentment or resistance. Instead, he meticulously briefed Li Dongshan on every detail.

“Thanks to Gao Peng, things have gone smoothly here,” Li Dongshan admitted honestly, without trying to take credit for himself.

“It’s all thanks to your support, Brother Dongshan. I couldn’t have managed all this alone,” Gao Peng replied.

Li Dongling took a moment to seriously appraise Gao Peng before leading them to the office prepared for himself.

The office was spacious, and it was clear Gao Peng had put considerable effort into its design. The outdated windows had been removed and part of the wall extended to create a small floor-to-ceiling window, fully modernizing the space.

Seeing Li Dongling settle in, Gao Peng finally relaxed. “Brother Li, here’s the property certificate for the building. The total cost was 143,000 yuan. I also acquired several adjacent plots for 40,000 yuan.”

“Renovation and design fees haven’t been finalized yet, but they won’t be cheap.”

Next to the property certificates lay a stack of cash. Li Dongling had initially given Gao Peng 200,000 yuan to purchase the two floors and the additional land. Remarkably, Gao Peng had declined any extra compensation and returned the remaining funds.

Pushing the money back toward Gao Peng, Li Dongling said, “The hard work fee I promised you is yours. You’ve run all over town and pulled countless strings. You shouldn’t bear any expenses. I’ll need your help again in the future.”

Gao Peng accepted the money with a broad grin, “Thank you, Brother Li!”

After some thought, Li Dongling addressed both Li Dongshan and Gao Peng. “East Ling Technology is about to start recruiting and launching projects. If you’re willing, you can join the company.”

Li Dongshan needed no second invitation. He had come to assist Li Dongling and was determined to fulfill any task assigned to him.

“I’m in!” Gao Peng responded without hesitation. He was ready to take a gamble. Back in Pingyang, he had relied on his father’s connections to earn some money and enjoy a carefree life with his friends. But he knew such ties wouldn’t allow him to achieve anything truly significant. Meeting Li Dongling felt like a rare, perhaps once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Success breeds belief. Having already seen Li Dongling’s sharp insight and capability through the satellite dish project, Gao Peng and others instinctively felt Li Dongling could succeed again.

After a massive profit—earning over a hundred million by trading cans for airplanes—countless people followed Boss Mu, eager to serve him. The same was true for the giant Boss Shi. If Li Dongling succeeded once more, Gao Peng, Zhang Xiaocheng, Zhang Ao, Fan Xugang, and others would hold him in the same reverence.

Indeed, Boss Shi’s followers now proclaimed that in the tech industry, Bill Gates was number one, and Boss Shi was a close second.

After considering carefully, Li Dongling spoke to Li Dongshan and Gao Peng, “Brother, you and Gao Peng will take charge of logistics at East Ling Technology. You’ll be logistics manager, and Gao Peng will be the deputy general manager.”

Though logistics might seem less important than departments like HR, finance, or technology, it is crucial to a company’s survival. Procurement falls under logistics.

A competent purchasing department can save a company vast sums, while a corrupt one can drain resources, sometimes causing car manufacturers to lose money on every vehicle sold, forcing founders to overhaul procurement before costs come down.

With Li Dongshan and Gao Peng overseeing logistics, Li Dongling could rest easier, knowing that even if some tried to cut corners, they wouldn’t dare be reckless or engage in scandals that would embarrass the company.

Although East Ling Technology’s renovations weren’t complete, recruitment had already begun in earnest. From HR to finance to technical departments, hiring was underway.

Local newspapers like the Pingyang Daily began publishing announcements about East Ling Technology’s high-paying recruitment drives. Salaries offered were at least 30% higher than those of similar positions in other Pingyang companies but came with stringent requirements, including proficiency with computers and modern office software. Some marketing roles demanded English or Japanese skills, and technical positions had even higher standards—though the pay was generous.

At first, many in Pingyang were tempted by the ads, but after reading the qualifications, some were quick to curse the demands.

Those who knew computers or foreign languages were considered high-level talent. Such skills commanded monthly salaries of one to two thousand yuan even in major cities like Pengcheng, Shanghai, or Yanjing. If employed by foreign companies, monthly pay could reach three to five thousand yuan, plus various benefits. Why stay in Pingyang then?

Slowly, people began settling into East Ling Technology’s offices. Most early hires were graduates of Pingyang University, the city’s only university.

Previously, these graduates were often assigned to major municipal units or state enterprises in Pingyang. But with the decline of state-owned enterprises and low wages, many planned to seek opportunities in provincial capitals or elsewhere. Yet seeing East Ling Technology’s salaries—comparable to those in provincial capitals—and its modern office environment, many recent graduates chose to stay.

On the second floor, inside the chairman’s office, Li Dongling was immersed in designing blueprints. After much work, he finalized two highly detailed plans.

The satellite dish project was still profitable, but Li Dongling had to decide on East Ling Technology’s next endeavor. Over recent days, he had researched extensively and contemplated many options.

Currently, the hottest project in the tech industry was the pager, which was practically burning up the market. Other emerging products like the Subor learning machine or the newly introduced VCD were promising but had yet to reach the pager’s level.

The domestic telecom giant, the Post and Telecommunications Bureau, was booming with pager business, seeing yearly revenue multiply several times over. The number of paging stations was expected to grow to over a thousand next year and possibly exceed three thousand eventually. Boda’s Chinese-language pager had already generated over twenty million yuan in revenue before year’s end.

Li Dongling hesitated over whether East Ling Technology should enter the pager market. Everyone knew the pager was a short-lived product, having already declined in America, Britain, Europe, and Japan. But currently, it was the best fit for the domestic communications scene.

This golden age, however, wouldn’t last. At the latest by next year, pager manufacturers would launch fierce price wars, driving prices down from over two thousand yuan to four or five hundred—or even bargain basement levels. Future profits on pagers would pale compared to those from satellite dishes, and competition would be brutal.

The inevitable replacement of pagers by mobile phones was unquestionable, but that transition would require time. Research and development of mobile phones needed time, as did the construction of the communication infrastructure like signal towers.

During this transitional period, Li Dongling needed East Ling Technology to launch other products to sustain itself.

For the next project, Li Dongling planned to release two products: a digital cordless phone and a scroll wheel mouse.