Thank you to "You Forced Me to Be Anonymous" and "Bookfish2" for each voting for me and encouraging me to update!
For the latest and fastest chapters, please visit <NieShu Novel Network www.NieS>. Reading is a pleasure, and we suggest you bookmark it.
Chapter 253 Fighter T
Chapter 254 A Desolate Start
Please remember our website domain name <www.NieS>, or search for "NieShu Novel Network" on Baidu.
Minhong Pharmaceutical's membership system has been launched. This is accompanied by the official launch of a database system for member registration, verification, agreement signing, and monitoring and reporting.
Without giving the public much time to process the information released, Minhong issued an announcement on the evening of the second day after the announcement, officially launching a membership-based direct sales service for all its products.
The announcement was not released through a traditional press conference or through traditional media such as television and newspapers, but solely through the official website.
This low-key approach was chosen to avoid asking pointed questions from reporters, and it's not the right time to address those questions.
The first product produced by Minhong is a drought-resistant beverage. This type of functional beverage, originally intended for disaster-stricken areas in western China, does not meet the conditions for long-term production and sales, and therefore is not suitable for entering formal sales channels.
The second product is "Children's Cold Granules". This kind of non-prescription drug with special approval is suitable for nationwide sales, but due to profit issues, it can basically only be sold directly by the manufacturer. Of course, there are also distributors in a province, city or county to sell it.
Because this product has strict age restrictions for the target group, it is not suitable for sale as a tiered membership product. Minhong explained that the moral cultivation and discipline of children need to be educated by parents, so all children are treated equally and are not included in the membership sales system.
The first membership-only drug launched was "Life Movement No. 1," priced at 3,600 yuan per pill for Tier 3 members and 36,000 yuan for Tier 2 members. This functional drug, priced at 360,000 yuan for Tier 1 members, was made public for the first time.
People across the country discovered that Minhong could also produce kidney-tonifying and aphrodisiac drugs, and the prices were outrageously expensive.
The argument that Minhong was transforming into a highly profitable enterprise spread rapidly, but there were also many who opposed this view and firmly supported Minhong. Their reasoning was that the announcement priced the fourth-level membership at 360 yuan, while the fifth-level user was free for themselves and charged the same as the fourth-level user for their family members, and the sixth-level user was completely free for themselves and their family members.
This is clearly an act of promoting personal moral character and encouraging or even praising people with excellent qualities, which is exactly the specific manifestation of Minhong's publicly stated corporate mission.
Regardless of the heated discussions and debates that began online and in other media, Minhong launched another mass-market medicine, cold capsules, on the third day.
The price of this cold medicine, which is intended for children and older, remains at five yuan per box. Of course, this price is only for Tier 3 members. Tier 2 members pay 100 yuan per box, and Tier 1 members pay 1,000 yuan per box. This is clearly an attempt to drive away members who do not meet the Tier 3 standard.
Buying a box of cold medicine requires going to a designated location in person to show your ID and sign a relevant agreement. This cumbersome procedure deters most Chengdu residents, unless they live near Xingrentang Pharmacy and happen to have a cold. They are willing to join and try Minhong because of its reputation and low price. Their main purpose may be the price difference of just a few yuan compared to ordinary cold capsules.
Sales of newly launched products have been sluggish like never before, with the members' section practically deserted, a stark contrast to the bustling non-members' section.
None of this discouraged Luo Jimin and his team. They had already analyzed the possibility of this situation, because unless it was a chronic cold that was difficult to cure, people would generally not go to great lengths for such a minor illness. They would rather suffer for a few more days than sign an agreement or have their videos scanned.
Sales of "Life Movement No. 1" have also declined significantly. This drug, which used to be available for anonymous purchase, now requires users to disclose their identities and sign an agreement before they are eligible to buy it. Although it is no longer necessary to find someone to obtain an internal approval slip from Minhong, disclosing one's identity is exactly what users used to be unwilling to do.
Although it is a drug for both men and women, "Life Movement No. 1" gives people the intuitive impression of being a drug. Many middle-aged and older men want to buy the "drug" produced by Minhong, but either they cannot afford the high price, or they are too embarrassed to reveal their identity because no man wants to be seen as impotent.
What bothered long-time customers the most was that this medicine, marked as "special" by Minhong, was not allowed to be taken out of the pharmacy. It had to be taken in front of a camera after purchase. This meant they couldn't have someone else buy it for them, and they had to expose their true identities, even being filmed. As a result, the vast majority of long-time customers reluctantly gave up this drug that brought them immense sexual pleasure, harboring deep resentment towards Minhong. Some even hoped that after the pharmacy went bankrupt, it would be acquired by someone else so that "Life Movement No. 1" could continue to be sold without limit.
"Yao'er, the sales reports for the first three days are out, and the situation is even worse than expected." Lin Hongmei picked up a sales report and jokingly looked at her son Lin Yao, who was sitting across from her desk. "If this continues, Minhong will go bankrupt sooner or later!"
"Oh," Lin Yao replied casually, continuing to look at a plan report in his hand, occasionally making marks with a pen.
Lin Yao ignored his mother's words. Lin Hongmei's tone was not nervous at all; the only hint of nervousness was feigned. The marketing and planning departments had already conducted market analysis and sales forecasts for this situation, and the results were roughly in line with the current situation. There was nothing to be nervous about.
"Yao'er, your mother is talking to you, pay attention." Lin Hongmei knew that the plan Lin Yao was looking at would take a long time to implement, but she still wanted to have a good talk with her son about whether this approach was appropriate, because although the current situation was anticipated, she was not confident about the changes that would occur in the forecast report.
"Okay, Mom, you go ahead." Lin Yao put down the report in his hand, looked at his mother Lin Hongmei, and had a peculiar smile on his face.
"Honestly, it's not that I'm nervous, but this sales report is just awful." Lin Hongmei handed the sales report to Lin Yao. "The average daily sales of cold capsules are less than a thousand yuan. Sales of 'Number One' have been opened up, but only a few customers have come to buy them. It's not even as popular as when your dad signed off on it."
After a slight pause, Lin Hongmei looked at Lin Yao with concern and continued, "Won't this approach be rejected by everyone, and will it remain just as deserted in the future?"
“Mom, you really are a money-making god. I think you’re just complaining that the membership sales are losing money.” Lin Yao pointed out the truth of the matter. “I told you last time that unless there are special circumstances, such as a sudden outbreak of influenza and other cold medicines are not effective, our cold capsules will not be accepted by the public and the number of members will surge.”
"It's autumn now, and colds aren't common. The few people who do catch a cold are either chilled from being in air conditioning or caught a chill after sweating a lot. These people will recover even without cold medicine. You wouldn't want everyone to catch a cold, would you?"
"Go away! Do you think I'm that wicked? I'm just worried that this system won't be accepted by everyone." Lin Hongmei glared at her son, her tone quite unfriendly.
"Hey, Yao'er, when do you think those 'number one' old customers will finally be able to resist signing the agreement?" Lin Hongmei suddenly thought of another membership product they had launched, and looked at Lin Yao with a gossipy expression.
Luo Jimin was working at his desk when he overheard his wife's gossipy question and chuckled. He immediately pretended to cough to cover it up, so as not to let his wife turn her attention to him.
"Mom, look, even Dad is laughing at you. Why is a woman like you always asking about those drugs?" Lin Yao started stirring things up. He always wanted to bully his relatively honest father, but of course, he had to use his father as a pawn because he wasn't high enough in status.
"You brat! You're bringing up your dad again!" Luo Jimin glared at his son Lin Yao. "Your mother hadn't seen the reports for 'Number One' before. Back then, 'Number One' wasn't sold to the public in a unified manner, and the sales amount was directly included in the total revenue of Xingrentang Pharmacy. It wasn't listed separately, and your mother was too embarrassed to pay attention to these figures."
“Hongmei, don’t worry about the sales of ‘Number One.’ We don’t need to rely on old customers at all. In a few days, new members who have tried it will take the initiative to promote it for us. At that time, we will have to limit the supply. Yao’er said that the production of this medicine will be reduced.” Luo Jimin explained to his wife Lin Hongmei sincerely, “You don’t know that when men encounter this kind of thing, they will definitely tell a few close friends in private. They will even share information on the efficacy of genuine aphrodisiacs. Besides, our ‘Number One’ is neither an aphrodisiac nor does it have miraculous effects.”
"Oh." Lin Hongmei responded awkwardly, not bothering to reprimand the father and son. After Lin Yao brought up the word "drugs," she felt there was no point in continuing. After all, she was a mother, and discussing such things with her son was too embarrassing.
"Yao'er." Luo Jimin sensed his wife's embarrassment and inwardly blamed Lin Yao. He quickly changed the subject, "Is it appropriate to announce the hospitals in Hunan now? Won't it affect the operation of the hospitals? Are we worried that we will be blocked again and the normal supply of medicines to our hospitals?"
“No problem, Dad.” Lin Yao quickly chimed in, trying to lighten the mood. “The situation in Chengdu is not good right now, which is perfect for making those opposition forces lower their guard and think that Minhong will not threaten their interests at all. It will also make some people like the Consumer Association and those self-proclaimed scholars who claim to be concerned about the interests of the people lower their guard. As long as they stop attacking Minhong so fiercely, it won’t matter if they laugh at us a little.”
"This will allow our tiered membership system to gradually gain acceptance, which takes time anyway. Poor sales can be a helpful factor. When the time is right, we can gradually launch irresistible drugs, and as the membership grows, the monitoring mechanism can start to function."
"Don't talk about that far ahead. How are you going to deal with the hospital being cut off from drug supplies by distributors?" Lin Hongmei interjected. "If the hospital's supply of various drugs is interrupted, the losses will be enormous. Just the salaries of those more than one hundred doctors and nurses alone will be a huge loss."
"Mom, don't worry, our international business is doing very well. These losses can be made up," Lin Yao comforted her with a smile. "Anyway, those hospitals will become dedicated drug sales venues in the future. Most of the doctors and nurses will have to be laid off. It's good that the drugs are out of stock. The bonuses aren't high, so they can jump ship. We'll continue to pay the remaining staff and replace them all with our own people."
"Didn't you say you were going to run the hospital properly? How come it's suddenly turned into a pharmacy?" Lin Hongmei was puzzled. She had finally managed to buy the hospital, and she heard that the Yi family had spent a lot of money on it. How could they just quit like that?
"No, I didn't explain clearly." Lin Yao laughed. "These acquired hospitals and clinics are only good in terms of location, property and related facilities, and have the potential for renovation. The doctors and nurses are not very skilled, but they have a lot of bad habits, which is why these units are losing money so much. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been sold to us directly."
"When we open a hospital in the future, we will hire top experts and professional nurses, open a few clinics for difficult and complicated diseases, and perform specialized surgeries. We will not accept ordinary patients. Although there is a profit, that's not what we're after. That's why I want to get rid of these doctors and nurses as soon as possible, support ourselves by selling medicine first, and then open a formal specialized hospital."
"Alright then, as long as you can get the money for Minhong to lose." Lin Caishen was most concerned about the financial situation, and upon hearing that there were foreign patients he could rip off, he had no further objections. "When are we going to Hunan?"