Chapter 81: A Call from America
Sean noticed Robert's expression shift and asked with concern, "Robert? You okay? You look… off."
"Huh? Oh—no, not sick." Robert snapped out of his daze, eyes still fixed on the sticky note. "This thing… do you have any more? Can I take a few?"
"A few?" Sean laughed and immediately shook his head. "No can do. That Hong Kong company only sent us a dozen or so. I barely had enough for this department. People were already asking me for more yesterday."
"Ah… I see." Robert glanced around the room. Earlier, he hadn't paid attention. But now he noticed — lots of desks had those little yellow squares stuck in the corners. Some were on documents, others on monitors, file folders — and who knew how many were hidden between pages.
"I'll rip off a few for you. You can try them out," Sean offered.
"Thanks." Robert took the sheets gratefully, then asked, "Do you still have that company's contact info?"
"Yeah," Sean said. "They included a business card with the shipment. Pretty smart — I think they're hoping we'll do business with them. Planning to call?"
"Thinking about it." Robert glanced again at the sticky note in his hand. "But I want to study this thing a little more first."
"Fair enough," Sean said with a smile. "If you do call, ask about pricing. We're thinking of ordering more — though international purchasing is always a pain. Maybe ask if there's a local distributor."
"Got it."
Back at his desk, Robert examined the sticky note closely.
He peeled off a sheet and stuck it to the table. Then peeled another and placed it on a page of a report. Again, it stuck gently, peeled cleanly.
"Hi, Robert. What's that you're doing?"
A blonde woman seated nearby had noticed his odd movements and asked with curiosity.
Robert grinned. "Hey, Lily. This is something I got from the procurement team. It's called a sticky note — sent by a Hong Kong company. Really clever."
He explained what Sean had told him, and his own impressions of the product.
After hearing him out, Lily nodded in amazement. "Wow. I gotta admit — this little sticky note thing is really useful. I'm always forgetting small tasks at work. Sure, I remember eventually, but by then I've lost time — sometimes I even have to stay late to catch up."
"Exactly," Robert nodded. "I consider myself sharp, but even I forget little things sometimes. With this? Anyone can improve their memory. Just stick it where you'll see it, and problem solved."
"Smart," Lily agreed. "So... you're thinking there's a business opportunity here?"
"Yes," Robert said firmly. "Everyone in procurement loved it. Now you and I both want more. Think about it — how many office workers in the U.S. alone would need this?
This isn't just a good idea — it's revolutionary. It could improve the productivity of countless people and companies."
"Totally," Lily nodded. Then she asked, "Do you think that Hong Kong company registered a U.S. patent? That part of the world isn't exactly famous for IP awareness."
Robert shook his head. "Hard to say. But judging by how clever this product is, I'd bet the inventor knows how to protect his work."
"You sure?" Lily asked. "We should check."
"Haha," Robert laughed. "Just teasing. Here — look." He held up the business card that came with the sticky note sample. "They printed their U.S. patent application number right on the card."
"They what?" Lily blinked. "They put the patent number on the card? Why?"
"To warn us, basically," Robert said. "If you weren't thinking of copying it, it doesn't matter. But if you were, this tells you exactly where to look, and discourages you from trying anything shady."
"Smart," Lily nodded. "Even if we tried, it's probably too late to beat them to registration. But just seeing that number would make anyone think twice."
Robert sighed. "Yeah… such a clever idea. And yet… we at 3M didn't invent it."
"Well, Robert," Lily laughed, "we're one of the most innovative companies in the U.S., sure. But you can't expect one company to out-invent the entire planet. It's just a numbers game."
Robert sighed again. "I know. It just stings. 3M is the world leader in adhesives and tapes, and someone else figured out a new way to use glue before we did."
"Doesn't matter," Lily shrugged. "They've got the patent now. We can't do much. Still, it's a great product — we should order some. Maybe even use it as a case study in training."
"That's not the issue," Robert said with a sly smile. "Here's what I'm thinking — why would a small company in Hong Kong send us samples?"
Lily's eyes lit up. "They're not just trying to sell a few boxes… they're looking for a U.S. partner?"
"Exactly," Robert said. "And I'd wager they didn't send samples to just us. Any smart company would blanket the big names, hoping someone sees the potential.
Even if nobody does, they'll still get customers."
"So, you want to reach out to them?"
"Not yet," Robert replied. "First, check the patent number. Make sure it's legit — I'm pretty sure it is, but I want confirmation.
Then I'm going to find Smith, and convince him to authorize me to open a discussion with them."
"Alright," Lily nodded. "I'll check on the patent for you."
Hong Kong — December 5
In the small office, Yang Wendong was reviewing the company's monthly financials.
Su Yiyi sat beside him and reported, "Dong-ge, if we don't count the cost of the equipment and patent filings, we made about 3,000 HKD in net profit from selling over 60,000 sticky notes last month.
We're still selling 500 to 600 pads a day, so the margins are decent — but it's lower than our production capacity."
"Mhm, it's still a profit." Yang nodded. "We've also had some inquiries from Taiwan. That market might be promising too."
"That's great," Su Yiyi smiled.
Just then, the telephone rang.
Ding-ling-ling!
Yang picked it up, only to hear a clear voice in English on the other end:
"Hello, is this Eric from Hong Kong? This is Robert from 3M Company in Minnesota, USA."
America?
Yang glanced out the window at the midday sun.
In America… it must be midnight.
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