Zhang Yunan is leading his team to work overtime to build Min Hong's own database and online publishing system. Many IT talents he knew from his previous jobs, especially technicians who couldn't make it in major IT companies due to their personalities and experience, have been poached by Zhang Yunan with generous terms and salaries. Min Hong has never been stingy with technical experts, because this is precisely her weakest link.
The Xingrentang Pharmacy, which was still in operation, was shut down because it was selling special drugs that had not been reported to the price bureau and were priced exorbitantly high.
"Life Movement No. 1," a product now openly sold by Min Hong at Xingrentang, which is essentially alchemical dregs, became the reason for the closure of Xingrentang.
Some are happy while others are sad. The happy ones are the pediatricians and nurses in the infant and toddler departments of major hospitals and private clinics in Chengdu. They will no longer have to spend their days idly chatting and reading newspapers, and they will no longer have to receive meager bonuses and subsidies every month, because the number of patients will increase in the future.
The common cold is the most frequent illness in children and the largest source of income for pediatric and infant care departments in hospitals.
Unlike adults with colds, it's heartbreaking to see a young child with a cold. Therefore, they are almost always taken to a specialist hospital for consultation when the symptoms become slightly more serious, and then taken home with a large amount of expensive medication. Alternatively, they might simply receive injections at the hospital, or even be hospitalized in severe cases – all of which contribute to the hospital's revenue.
Doctors and nurses who were once indifferent are now beaming with joy at the increasing number of sick children. For them, this means bonuses, benefits, and a guarantee of their future livelihoods.
Minhong has gone too far recently, creating a "children's cold medicine" with an incredibly vulgar name, which has caused almost all related patients to disappear from hospital outpatient clinics. This is probably the most severely affected over-the-counter drug in Chengdu, so serious that it threatens the future of related medical institutions and practitioners.
Besides the leaders and employees of Minhong Pharmaceutical, many consumers who cannot live without "Life Movement No. 1" are also worried. At 3,600 yuan a pill, "No. 1" is very cheap for some people. Nowadays, banquets that cost tens of thousands of yuan and a game of mahjong with wins and losses of thousands or tens of thousands of yuan make this price seem trivial.
But stopping sales won't work. After enjoying the benefits of "Number One," how can these loyal consumers bear the thought of life without supplies in the future? They are just experiencing a second spring in their lives. Even if they occasionally have some reserves, they won't last long. Besides, they were told that the medicine only has a one-year shelf life when they bought it.
The Municipal Price Bureau took action this time. The personnel coordinated by the Market Department and the Office brought back the case as normal law enforcement. Then, Luo Jimin and Lin Hongmei went to the Municipal Price Bureau in person. The head of the Price Management Section, who received them, subtly hinted that Minhong should go and talk to the leaders.
To talk to the person in charge? That obviously means you have something to ask for.
Sensing something was amiss, Lin Hongmei immediately pulled her husband away from the price bureau and decided to gather her son, Lin Yao, to go and negotiate together.
Because Vice Mayor Duan Qing had already called, and he had also intervened regarding the Price Bureau issue, but had been rebuffed because that department was not under his jurisdiction. During the call, he also subtly pointed out that the other party had powerful backers and was clearly prepared.
Of course, at the end of the call, Duan Qing did not forget to point out a solution, which was that Duan Lao would personally step in to coordinate, depending on whether Min Hong needed it.
"Mom, are they being very tough?" Lin Yao asked calmly in the Toyota minivan, his tone laced with a hint of rage. He was really annoyed.
"His attitude in dealing with people is alright, but he just won't budge." Luo Jimin took over the conversation, his tone not very suppressed. Having experienced a lot, he had become accustomed to pressure from all sides and no longer appeared surprised or arrogant. "Last time when your mother and I went there, the Director Li you met only talked about policies in a businesslike manner and didn't make any demands. Let's see how he talks today."
"Can't we even remove 'Life Movement No. 1' from the shelves? We only sell cold medicine." Lin Yao continued to press, already having a plan to remove "Life Movement No. 1" from the Chengdu shelves and then use this limited number of functional drugs as a means to open up other markets, those markets of hospitals and clinics that are about to open, under the name of Longcheng Pharmaceutical.
"No way!" Lin Hongmei interrupted, her tone angry. "What kind of people are they? They actually want us to disclose the formula and process, claiming it's to verify costs and protect consumer interests. This is utterly absurd!"
"Fan Chunsheng from the Health Bureau just went to jail, and now Deputy Director Liu from the Price Bureau wants to go in and keep him company?" Lin Yao found it strange. Min Hong's attitude last time was undeniably clear, and her determination undeniably firm. Could it be that the leaders of the Price Bureau couldn't even understand the implied meaning behind those superficial statements? That shouldn't be the case!
“Your mother mentioned Fan Chunsheng.” Luo Jimin also found it strange, recalling their last meeting. “But Section Chief Shen doesn’t seem worried about having any dirt on him. From what he said, it wasn’t Deputy Director Liu who stepped forward this time, but another deputy director surnamed Zhang. I haven’t met him yet.”
Lin Yao was taken aback, wondering if it wasn't because Kong Xiangde of Dujiangyan Pharmaceutical Factory had instigated his brother-in-law to take action? Wasn't the purpose to obtain the prescription for the cold medicine?
After a moment's thought, Lin Yao said to Ge Yong, who was driving, "Brother, immediately gather relevant intelligence from the Price Bureau and see if they have any leverage we can use. Also, how is Fan Chunsheng?"
"Okay." Ge Yong drove the minibus onto a secluded side road. He parked on the side of the road and started making a phone call.
"President Luo, Fan Chunsheng has been released on medical parole. Shen Liquan, the head of the Price Management Section, has no record of accepting bribes at the moment. However, his private life is somewhat improper. He is usually well-off and owns several properties. His main source of income is a company set up in the name of his brother-in-law. He uses his connections behind the scenes to help this company obtain projects and other benefits. It is not illegal."
Ge Yong reported to Lin Yao, but nominally he was speaking to Luo Jimin, because he didn't know what to call Lin Yao.
At this time, Lin Yao was not officially employed by Minhong. The relationship between Ge Yong and Lin Yao was only that of sworn brothers, but it would be inappropriate to call him Xiao Yao directly, since this was a business discussion.
"Medical parole?" Lin Yao smiled contemptuously, deciding to take action. "He's conscious, brother. Have someone check where Fan Chunsheng is right now. We'll go meet him after we finish our business and make sure he gets medical parole. We can't let his hard work go to waste."
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"President Luo, President Lin, welcome, welcome!" A middle-aged man of short stature, with a crew cut and a somewhat stocky appearance, warmly greeted the family. His attitude was unusually friendly, as if he were seeing close friends, and he even came downstairs to greet them in front of the office building.
The Price Bureau's office building is an old-style building with a heavy appearance. The entrance and interior layout are simple but very clean, showing the simplicity and efficiency of a government department.
The group followed Shen Liquan to his office on the second floor. Lin Yao finally understood what his parents meant by the importance of attitude; the official's attitude was extremely good, using policies and systems to pressure people. This was completely different from his previous experience at the Health Bureau.
The office was spacious, with a plain plywood filing cabinet, a decent-looking executive desk, and a modest leather swivel chair. Lin Yao could tell from the chair's appearance that the leather was third-grade, ordinary quality, and cost only a few hundred to a thousand yuan, hardly anything special.
Luo Jimin and Lin Hongmei were led to sit on two single wooden rattan chairs, with a simple tea table about forty centimeters wide in the middle. Lin Yao sat on the most ordinary old yellow-lacquered wooden chair in the government office, watching Li Yongqi bustling around personally serving tea and water.
"This attitude is unusually enthusiastic! Is it a sign of weakness? A roundabout way?" Lin Yao wondered to himself, but couldn't find a good way to break through.
"I'm so sorry to have troubled you all to come here in person again." Section Chief Shen smiled before speaking, and the warmth in his tone made it impossible to be angry, at least not to feel too much dislike towards him. "President Luo, have you prepared the materials we discussed last time? They are the key to solving the problem."
"Section Chief Shen," Lin Yao interjected. He was getting increasingly impatient with these people playing games and got straight to the point. "Min Hong has submitted an administrative review to the Municipal Legal Affairs Office. Please let us know what procedures need to be followed and what cooperation is required so we can prepare accordingly."
Administrative review?!
Shen Liquan's heart skipped a beat. This Minhong Pharmaceutical really didn't play by the rules. The Municipal Price Bureau had noticed the attitude problem from top to bottom. He had been trying to be gentle and enthusiastic, but they still submitted an administrative review. Did this company really want to go against everyone?
What Shen Liquan failed to consider was that no matter how good their work attitude was this time, their behavior had seriously harmed Minhong Pharmaceutical. They had embarrassed them and cut off their source of income. No matter how smiling you are, people will eventually complain.
His consistently smooth-sailing work experience made him overlook this fundamental contradiction. He thought that his rare display of personal kindness would earn the other party's gratitude, but he didn't expect that Minhong wouldn't buy it at all.
"President Luo, this is..." Shen Liquan turned to look at Luo Jimin, then turned his face to Lin Yao, who was speaking.
"I am Lin Yao, the director of the Minhong Emergency Public Relations Handling Center. This matter concerning the Price Bureau is being handled by our center. General Manager Luo and General Manager Lin are just bringing me here today to introduce myself. I hope Section Chief Shen will take good care of me in the future." Lin Yao also had a smile on his face and hypocritically stood up to shake hands.
Playing the hypocrite? Everyone plays it, let's see who finds it interesting.
"Hello, hello, I am Shen Liquan. Please cooperate with our work." Shen Liquan's smile became a little stiff. He had heard rumors about the Health Bureau. It was said that it was this department, which he had never heard of before and had a very long and difficult-to-pronounce name, that had turned the whole thing around and finally brought Fan Chunsheng to the police station.
Upon hearing Lin Yao's name, and realizing it was the same department and young man from last time, his expression became uncertain. He quickly considered his actions, wondering if the other party had some leverage over him.
This Min Hong is really clueless about the rules; he doesn't play by the rules at all!
If there's a problem, just find someone to talk to; that's the rule. You can always find someone to negotiate with, and if everyone agrees, everyone's happy. But to pull this stunt is simply making you a "public enemy"!
[PS] I feel like I wrote it terribly, so I didn't write anything yesterday afternoon and evening. I was reflecting on it and hoping to improve.
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