It was a sweltering afternoon. Jin zhao had just finished selling newspapers and found a seat in the rest area outside the long-distance bus station. There, he could enjoy the air conditioning and take a break. Beside him sat someone who looked like an engineer. The engineer was chatting with a friend, discussing how there were too many safety hazards on construction sites, the most dangerous being the scaffolding, which often collapsed. He said, “The height of scaffolding on construction sites is directly proportional to the height of the workers’ anxiety. The main problem lies in the design of the building clamp connections. The quality of cast iron clamps is 100% substandard. The current structural design inherently has fatal flaws.” <br><br>Jin zhao was captivated by their conversation and moved closer to listen. <br><br>The two were discussing how a design innovation for clamps could effectively resolve the collapse issue. <br><br>Jin zhao’s heart felt as though it had been injected with a shot of adrenaline. He looked at the densely packed construction sites in the city, and the equally dense building clamps. This was a game-changing product—if it were truly developed, what an immense market it would command! Tens of millions? Hundreds of millions? No, billions! <br><br>It was as if he had seen hope again—a hope to rise as a true legend. He stayed where he was until the engineer boarded his long-distance bus, jotting down the important points the engineer mentioned on his newspaper. In the end, he secured the engineer’s phone number. Jin zhao was determined to plan how to embark on this project. He needed to figure out how to handle this endeavor so that he wouldn’t face the world empty-handed. He was no longer the frail Jin zhao from three years ago. Back then, armed to the teeth, he had still lost an entire city. Today, he vowed to rise from nothing to conquer the world. <br><br>Returning home, Jin zhao bought a variety of tools and began developing a new type of scaffolding clamp. Day by day, for three months, he worked tirelessly and finally created a prototype for the new scaffolding clamp. He observed that on-site construction, from prefabricated boards to line pouring processes, transformed scaffolding from mere work platforms into support structures, which demanded increased load-bearing strength. Additionally, subcontracting practices led foremen to save costs by renting construction steel pipes and clamps. Many construction businesses, in an effort to cut costs, required manufacturers to skimp on materials, flooding the market with nearly all non-standard products. National standards mandated that cast iron clamps weigh no less than 1.1 kilograms, yet many in the market were under 0.6 kilograms. With a nationwide demand of 4-5 billion clamps and an annual replacement rate of 10%, this presented a perilous safety hazard and an enormous replacement market. <br><br>Jin zhao sold his house and moved into a rented room of less than 20 square meters, where he conducted his research and experiments. Half a year later, he developed a new clamp product featuring a steel structure and hydraulic-molded cap-seat connection. Its performance data exceeded national standards by double, and its cost matched that of cast iron clamps. <br><br>Jin zhao submitted his product for a national patent. Holding the brilliantly shining clasp in his hands, he saw it as his weapon to challenge the world. He began seeking investment to establish a factory, meeting an average of over 20 people a day. He painted a glowing picture of the future and the incredible prospects of his product with fervent enthusiasm. Quickly, three individuals agreed to fund the project with a total of 200,000 yuan. Jin zhao rented a small workshop in a remote factory to start his initial production. <br><br>Soon after, the industrial and commercial bureau came for an inspection. Discovering that he lacked the production license required for such construction products, they sealed his products and imposed a fine. Two of his partners decided to withdraw. Jin zhao traveled to Beijing to apply for a production license but was informed he needed to meet 24 conditions, including a factory space of no less than 1,000 square meters, equipment, environmental standards, personnel, and safety measures. He couldn’t fulfill even one of the conditions. When he asked, “My product far exceeds national standards in all tests, so why can’t I get a production license? How come products that fail to meet standards are allowed to be produced?” <br><br>The official replied, “Why? Because rules are rules. Unless you meet all 24 conditions, we won’t issue you a license.” <br><br>Jin zhao returned empty-handed. The two partners berated him for not doing enough research before acting and decided to quit. At this point, the company was out of money and potentially liable for fines. The two partners, unwilling to bear the risks, forced Jin zhao to sign promissory notes, stipulating that he must repay their initial investment once he had the funds. They stormed off, leaving Jin zhao to contemplate alone in the dilapidated workshop. <br><br>He told himself he couldn’t give up. His heart urged him to persevere through this ordeal and to forge ahead, even if hope seemed lost. Gritting his teeth, he resolved to borrow money. <br><br>It was 1997. Jin zhao, armed only with his patent and project investment report, began knocking on doors—companies, pawnshops, gangsters, foremen, banks, and credit cooperatives—begging people to believe in his product and in him, hoping they would lend him start-up funds. <br><br>That was when a man appeared. He was a Chongqing native with an obscure background, rumored to be a lackey for a Guangzhou boss seeking inland projects. His name was Yila, a man in his thirties, slightly chubby, about 180 centimeters tall, with a rogue-like demeanor that allowed him to navigate both the underworld and the legitimate world. By a stroke of chance, Yila learned about Jin zhao. After speaking with Jin zhao and falling under the influence of his powerful mind control in a trance state, Yila was swayed by the enormous market potential. He lent Jin zhao 5 million yuan at a monthly interest rate of 3%. In return, he took 50% of the company’s shares as collateral, along with the patent certificate. What did this mean? Jin zhao had to repay 15,000 yuan in interest every month on the 5 million loan. Without hesitation, Jin zhao agreed. <br><br>This was the first loan sharking deal Jin zhao ever made.")
