2000年，廣州南方大廈。Guangzhou, 2000. The Nanfang Building.
有個土耳其客，成日喺度扮大佬，話自己攞貨几平几平。有一次佢喺我麵前晒命：「Hany，你知唔知我攞諾基亚6310i，個價靓到笑？」There was a Turkish buyer who was always playing the big shot, bragging about how cheap he could get his goods. One day he showed off right in front of me: “Hany, do you know what price I get on the Nokia 6310i? Laughably good.”
我望住佢，心入麵已經笑咗。I looked at him. Inside, I was already laughing.
因為我知佢喺邊個度攞貨——我同鄉。我哋同一條巷，熟到爛。Because I knew exactly who he was buying from — a supplier from my own hometown. Same alley, we knew each other inside out.
個土耳其客以为佢玩晒兩邊，喺我同鄉度900蚊攞貨，轉頭想用1000蚊賣俾我。中間賺100蚊差價，1000台就係10萬蚊純利。The Turk thought he was playing both ends: buy from my hometown guy at 900, then turn around and sell to me at 1,000. A hundred dollars a unit, and on 1,000 units that is 100,000 in clean profit.
好大舊肥肉，係咪？A nice fat chunk of meat, right?
我同老鄉飲茶嗰陣傾起條友I brought the guy up while having tea with my hometown friend.
我話：「咁樣，我哋做場戲俾佢嘆。」I said: “Then let's put on a show for him.”
10萬蚊，買一個機會100,000 Dollars to Buy One Chance
第二日，我同個土耳其客講：「你話你攞貨平？好，我同你訂1000台，1000蚊一台。呢度係10萬訂金，你7日之後交貨俾我。」The next day I told the Turk: “You say you get your goods cheap? Fine. I'll order 1,000 units from you at 1,000 each. Here is a 100,000 deposit. You deliver to me in seven days.”
佢雙眼發光，即刻應承。His eyes lit up. He agreed on the spot.
我補多句：「但係要寫張字條——如果7日交唔到貨，你要賠我30萬。」I added one more line: “But we write a note — if you can't deliver in seven days, you pay me 300,000.”
佢謂都唔謂就簽埋名。He signed without a second thought.
What he didn't know: I had already squared it with my friend. “When he comes for that batch, tell him there is none.”
老鄉話：「得，我正常都供咁多客，甩佢一單好正常。」My friend said: “Sure. I supply plenty of customers anyway. Dropping one order from him is nothing.”
七日之後Seven Days Later
7日之後，個土耳其客興衝衝去攞貨。Seven days later the Turk went off cheerfully to collect his goods.
老鄉：「唔好意思，呢批貨俾其他客攞晒，你嗰批要等下。」My friend: “Sorry, other customers took this whole batch. Yours will have to wait.”
土耳其客急到跳腳，打俾我：「Hany，畀多兩日得唔得？」The Turk was hopping mad. He called me: “Hany, can you give me two more days?”
我話：「得，我等你。」I said: “Sure. I'll wait.”
兩日之後，佢再打去，老鄉仲係冇貨。Two days later he called again. My friend still had nothing.
佢終於醒覺——成件事係一個局。Finally it dawned on him — the whole thing was a set-up.
但已經太遲。But it was already too late.
我拎住張字條揾佢：「7日已過，貨我冇收到。按照合約，你賠我30萬，或者還返10萬訂金，你自己擇。」I went to him with the note in hand: “Seven days are up and I have received no goods. Under the agreement you pay me 300,000, or you hand back the 100,000 deposit. Your choice.”
佢麵都青埋。His face went green.
你話我狠？You Think I Was Cruel?
你話我狠？
佢想用我哋兩條友嘅關係，食兩邊水，空手套白狼。我哋不過將個套，放返喺佢頸上麵啫。He wanted to use the relationship between the two of us to take a cut from both sides, catching a wolf with bare hands. All we did was put the loop back around his own neck.
最後佢還返10萬訂金，我冇追佢30萬。因為我要嘅從來唔係錢，係要佢記住：In the end he returned the 100,000 deposit and I never chased the 300,000. Because money was never what I wanted. I wanted him to remember one thing:
廣州做生意，講人情。但你對邊個玩嘢，要搞清楚邊個先係自己人。In Guangzhou, business runs on favours and relationships. But before you try to play games with someone, work out who the insider really is.
呢條土耳其友而家唔知去咗邊。但我同嗰個同鄉供應商，到今日仲有生意來往。I have no idea where that Turkish fellow is now. But that hometown supplier and I still do business together to this day.
呢個故仔，我成日講俾後生聽——你呃到一個，但唔到一條巷。你以為自己好醒，其實人哋只係未出手。I tell this story to young people all the time — you can fool one man, but you cannot fool a whole alley. You think you are the sharp one; really, the other guy just hasn't made his move yet.
