The Windfall Profits Industry

Wang Ye had discovered a huge business opportunity!

That was overseas study agencies...

Around 2001, a wave of enthusiasm for studying abroad began to rise in China.

Naturally, Europe and the United States were the first choices. After all, they were developed countries.

The most popular destinations were the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.

But the cost of studying in developed countries was naturally extremely high as well.

Wang Ye's parents had consulted agencies about studying in the United Kingdom back then. They hadn't even dared ask about the United States, because they already knew without asking that the family couldn't afford it...

It was said that without a scholarship, paying entirely out of pocket, the annual tuition alone at those elite American universities would cost tens of thousands of dollars...

The cost of studying in the United Kingdom was also extremely high.

According to the agency, to study there, one first had to provide a bank certificate showing a one-million-yuan deposit locked in for three years.

That sum served as the financial guarantee for studying in the United Kingdom...

In fact, if one really studied there for several years, that one million yuan would very likely not be enough...

Even in relatively cheaper countries like Japan and Germany, the first year of study abroad would cost 150,000 to 200,000 yuan. After that, if one could work part-time, the expenses would be relatively lower.

But if one did not work and relied entirely on family "support," it would still cost several hundred thousand yuan to finish!

Such high costs became a threshold that discouraged many students and parents.

At the time, Russia was not considered a popular study-abroad destination, and many students and parents had no chance to learn about it or come into contact with it.

Moreover, the major agencies all charged exorbitant fees. They were downright unscrupulous!

In truth, how much did it actually cost to handle study-abroad procedures?

Wang Ye knew very clearly. In his "past life," he had helped several online friends handle their study-abroad paperwork.

He couldn't speak for other countries, since he had never handled those, but studying in Russia was ridiculously easy...

The applicant only needed a high school diploma and academic transcript, then had a translation agency translate them into Russian.

With those two documents, they could go directly to the foreign affairs office of their target school and apply for an invitation letter.

Invitation letters generally cost fifty US dollars each.

And as long as one applied, there was absolutely no chance of the school refusing to issue one.

After all, every additional international student meant a substantial extra income for the school.

Back then, Russian universities were all short on funding. They were counting on enrolling more international students to generate revenue, so how could they possibly refuse!

After receiving the invitation letter, one could go to the Russian Embassy in the capital for an in-person visa interview. There was no possibility of being denied, either.

Once the visa was obtained, they could buy a plane ticket, fly over, and enroll...

It was that simple!

And throughout the entire process, excluding tuition and airfare, the costs would not exceed one thousand yuan...

Yet those agencies casually charged thirty or forty thousand yuan!

Wang Ye had not originally thought of this. He had been focused on making his first pot of gold through phone cards before expanding into the big market.

After all, that big market was truly paved with gold!

But after seeing this post, a flash of inspiration struck him. He could run a study-abroad agency himself!

This business would make money far faster than selling phone cards.

Of course, it would also be much more troublesome to operate than selling phone cards.

But if he wanted to make money—especially big money—he could not fear trouble. He had to find ways to overcome the difficulties.

If it were easy to make big money, it would not be his turn. The industry would have long since been packed to the brim...

His mind was completely occupied with the idea of running a study-abroad agency, and Wang Ye no longer had the attention to spare for posting an ad to recruit phone card distributors.

He was considering what problems he would need to solve in order to do this.

Sitting in the car, Ruan Xiaozhu instructed the driver to head straight to the vicinity of Red Square. She craned her neck to look at Wang Ye in the front passenger seat and found him staring blankly into space, apparently lost in thought.

She felt that something was off about Wang Ye.

Ever since he had turned on his computer and gone online for a while, he had changed.

The Wang Ye from before had been outgoing and cheerful, but now he had become quiet and withdrawn...

Could this kid have gotten dumped?

Had his girlfriend back home left him a QQ message or sent an email to break up with him?

She gossiped to herself.

After a while, Wang Ye was still the same. Ruan Xiaozhu could no longer hold herself back. After all, he was her "cheap little cousin," so as his older sister, she ought to show some concern.

She asked, "Hey! What's wrong with you, little bro? You look like you got dumped. Don't take it too seriously. With your looks, wouldn't getting a girlfriend be easy? How about I introduce Yanzi to you? She doesn't have a boyfriend yet."

Yanzi let out an "Ah," her face flushing red. She spat, "Pah! How can you... you... You don't have a boyfriend either, so why don't you introduce yourself to Wang Ye?"

Ruan Xiaozhu said carelessly, "I'm his big sister. Even though we aren't related by blood, it still feels weird. If people heard about it, they'd think we were committing incest!"

Wang Ye was having trouble holding up under this. If he let the two of them keep talking, who knew what else they would say.

He forced a smile and explained, "What do you mean, dumped? I've never even dated anyone. How could I get dumped?"

That was not a lie.

Wang Ye had only just graduated from high school, and the school he had attended was a key provincial high school known for its strict discipline!

If anyone dared to date early at that school, once the school found out, they would definitely hold a public struggle session for them!

How would he dare...

Back then, he spent every day playing basketball, table tennis, and reading wuxia novels. His days had been incredibly fulfilling, and he had never once considered getting a girlfriend.

"By the way, Sister Xiaozhu, how did you come here to study? Did you use an agency too?" Wang Ye suddenly asked.

"Yeah, I used an agency in the capital. None of the agencies back in Central Plains Province handled applications for Moscow University," Ruan Xiaozhu replied casually.

"How much did you pay in agency fees back then?" Wang Ye asked again.

At the mention of this, Ruan Xiaozhu grew a little angry as well. She said indignantly, "The agency asked for fifty thousand! Only after arriving here did I realize that studying abroad was actually so simple. There weren't any complicated procedures to handle at all. But what could I do? I was already here."

Yanzi beside her chimed in as well. "Xiaozhu and I were the same. We both went through the same agency, and mine cost fifty thousand too."

Wang Ye nodded. Information was still relatively limited in those days.

Only after spending some time in Moscow and learning about these things did they realize they had been fleeced.

But before coming here, nobody knew anything at all. They all believed that arranging overseas study was an extremely complicated and "sacred" matter...

That was the information gap!

As he thought along the way, by the time they were nearing the mall, Wang Ye had roughly formed a new plan in his mind!

A new idea for his first pot of gold!

He would naturally continue with the phone cards. Though they did not make enough money quickly enough, it was a steady, long-term business.

Besides phone cards, he planned to try entering the study-abroad industry...

He wanted to experience what the fucking windfall profits industry was really like!