Zhang Lingfeng said, "Of course we cooperated. Don't you think about how you would have shipped the mother liquor abroad without my support? But if we produce and process the finished products domestically, it won't be a problem to ship them to any country. As for the trademark, you can continue to use your company's trademark. Just leave a mark of our company in an inconspicuous place."
One representative said, "We need to report to the company before we can make a decision."
Zhang Lingfeng said, "No rush, I can wait. But I'm afraid Mr. Zhao will raise the price to four thousand US dollars per ounce tomorrow. Anyway, I can accept any price. I just don't know if everyone can wait."
Zhang Lingfeng adopted a nouveau riche attitude. Since he had declared that he was willing to accept any price, it was conceivable that Zhao Qiang would raise the price as soon as he arrived the next morning. Therefore, the representatives did not dare to waste time and hurriedly left the conference room to call the company headquarters. Afterwards, the group gathered together to discuss the matter. After all, it concerned everyone's common interests, and any previous competition had to be put aside.
In the evening, several companies sent a representative to see Zhang Lingfeng. Everyone returned to the conference room, but Zhao Qiang did not participate, as the content of the discussion was no longer relevant to him.
Zhang Lingfeng puffed on a thick cigar, his feet propped up on the conference table, looking like he was asking for a beating. He spoke without any politeness: "So? This is the last chance. I'm going to lunch later, and I won't be accepting any official business today."
"We agree to your proposal, but we need to negotiate on profit distribution and investment ratio."
With the current reputation of the youth health products company, it wouldn't be difficult to open the doors to the cosmetics markets in these countries. It's not easy for Zhang Lingfeng to give them the opportunity to cooperate. Rather than becoming competitors and ultimately failing, it's better to grab a share of the profits.
Zhang Lingfeng said, "I won't haggle with you over every little thing. You can take 20% of the profits..."
"What?" one of the representatives jumped up. "Twenty percent? Are you treating us like donkeys?"
Zhang Lingfeng snorted: "I don't mind beating you until even a donkey wouldn't recognize you." Someone had already been beaten that morning, so this was definitely not a bluff.
Another representative was more respectful: "Mr. Zhang, you have to consider this for me. A 20% profit margin is too low. We simply cannot accept it."
Zhang Lingfeng said, “Our products are manufactured in mainland China, and we provide the raw materials. You don’t need to invest a single penny. Aren’t you already thrilled with 20% of our sales revenue? I’ve always been an upright person. If you think this plan is unfeasible, then please leave. We will choose a new partner. Any cosmetics company with a well-established sales network can cooperate with us. But once our entire cosmetics line is launched, imagine what will happen to your company’s products. Forget about 20% revenue; will you even be able to survive in the local market?”
All the representatives immediately said goodbye and left. They could not fully represent the company. They could only obtain authorization by conveying Zhang Lingfeng's message to the company. Theoretically speaking, they should accept this kind of good thing that did not require any investment. Otherwise, with the reputation established by the youth health products in the early stage, there would be a market as long as they entered any country. You should know that the slimming tea produced by them is a world-class approved medicine. Now, even if you have money, you may not be able to get a sufficient supply.
Zhang Lingfeng didn't have to wait long. Soon, the representatives returned in twos and threes. None of them wanted to withdraw. However, they raised some more detailed issues, such as the name of the cosmetics. Each party wanted to print their own company's name on the cosmetics. Zhang Lingfeng met their requirements on this point. The price was set uniformly, and the product name could be freely chosen by each cosmetics company. However, a unified logo was required so that people all over the world would know that no matter which company produced it, it was OEM from a youth health product company. The label must indicate the youth health product's name.
Zhang Lingfeng's requirements were not high, so they were approved without any objections. In this way, a consortium that almost united the world's most important cosmetic companies was born. Moreover, in order to show his 'sincerity', Zhang Lingfeng did not even participate in the management of this consortium. The daily work was entirely handled by foreigners. He only appeared as a raw material supplier. But in reality, Zhang Lingfeng held the consortium by the throat. As long as he stopped supplying goods, the consortium would come to a standstill.
Regarding this matter, Zhang Lingfeng commented: "A virtually free sales force, spread across every corner of the world, has been established."
Volume 2 [510] Even a Strong Man Needs Strength to Stand Out
Chen Guangmin was very nervous. Facing his father's furious outburst, he dared not say a word, while his two sons made an excuse that they were sick and did not come.
Thump! Chen Kezong slammed several case files on the table. "Come and take a look yourself."
Chen Guangmin dared not get too close, fearing his father might suddenly slap him across the face. He tiptoed and glanced at the document, which appeared to be from the Ministry of Commerce and the embassy. Chen Guangmin asked, "Father, what is it?"
Chen Kezong said, "Still playing dumb with me? You've detained seventeen foreign business representatives. You're getting bolder and bolder. The Ministry of Commerce and embassies of various countries in China have sent letters demanding an explanation. What do you have to say?"
Chen Guangmin said hesitantly, "Their documents are problematic. It's normal procedure for the airport immigration checkpoint to detain them."
Chen Kezong tossed the case files on the table at Chen Guangmin: "Normal procedure? Say it again."
Chen Guangmin dared not argue any further and obediently lowered his head. It was understandable if there were problems with one or two passports, but to say that all of them were problematic was just nonsense. His father, Chen Kezong, was not stupid, nor were the people in the Ministry of Commerce. The airport would not have dared to do such a big thing without someone from the Chen family behind it.
Chen Kezong said, “I don’t care if you and your elder brother compete; without competition, there is no progress. But you can’t do things in a way that gives others leverage. Do you know how much this has tarnished the reputation of our Chen family? The internet is flooded with reports condemning us. How am I supposed to explain this to the central government?”
"Father, I was wrong," Chen Guangmin said honestly.
Chen Kezong snorted: "Have Yaohui and Yaocan organize the accounts they have. I'll check the accounts this afternoon. I've hired a financial manager from abroad, and he'll be in charge of the accounts from now on. Every transaction must be approved by him, and any transaction exceeding one million must be reported to me for approval. Otherwise, I'll investigate and punish each transaction. Don't think you're all that now. Let me tell you, Chen Guangmin, you're my son, and your son is my grandson. If I can't even manage my own family affairs, I might as well retire and go back to my hometown."
Chen Guangmin broke out in a sweat. "Yes, yes, I'll go back and tell those two little brats right away. Father, please rest assured, our family is naturally united and will fight against the foreign enemy together."
Chen Kezong said, "You've certainly got some nerve today. Go down. I don't want to see the same thing happen again, or you know the consequences."
They didn't look like father and son at all. Chen Guangmin returned home with a gloomy face. His two sons waited anxiously in the living room. When they saw their father return, Chen Yaohui stood up and asked, "Dad, how did it go?"
Chen Yaocan said, "That damn Zhao Qiang is too shrewd. He actually chose the northern region as the headquarters. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to raise any funds. Those damn foreigners, and that damn Zhang Lingfeng, I wish I could devour their flesh and blood."
*Slap!* Chen Guangmin slapped Chen Yaocan across the face with a loud thud, startling Chen Yaohui so much that he immediately ducked to the side. Chen Yaocan covered his face and said, "Dad, are you crazy? I'm your son, how could you hit me?" This was the first time Chen Guangmin had ever hit his child.
"You're my son? I'm your grandfather's son!" Chen Guangmin roared. "Do you even know how stupid you've been? Even if you wanted to detain those foreign company representatives, you couldn't do it openly. Now the embassy and the Ministry of Commerce have sent letters of inquiry. How am I supposed to explain this to your grandfather?"
"An explanation?" Chen Yaohui said, "Dad, does this even need an explanation? Just give them any reason."
Chen Guangmin said, "Make up any excuse? Do you think this country belongs to you? Those families in the north are more powerful now. Letting them keep harping on this won't do our Chen family any good."
Chen Yaocan said, "Dad, things have already come to this, what more do you want? Anyway, I've already been beaten, so don't bring it up again."
Chen Guangmin said, "Alright, I can let it go. Clear up the accounts on hand and see if there are any loopholes. Be quick, we only have one morning. Someone will take over this afternoon."
"What?" The two sons were shocked. "Why? Take over? Who will take over? How could those accounts be prepared in just one morning? Dad, are you out of your mind? How can you hand over the accounts? If you do, how will we have the right to compete with Uncle?"
Chen Guangmin snorted coldly: "I didn't make the decision. This is your grandfather's punishment for the two of you for this incident. Quickly find a way to fix the accounting loopholes. Your grandfather will come in person."
The two sons exchanged a horrified glance. Others might not know, but the two knew in their hearts that the massive financial deficit could not be covered up in a day or two. At the same time, a vicious look appeared in their eyes.
As the saying goes, no one knows a son better than his father. Chen Guangmin coldly remarked, "None of the three top experts around your grandfather can handle you. You'd better give up on that idea, or you won't even know how you died."
Chen Guangmin wasn't stupid at all. As soon as he said those words, he deflated like a punctured balloon. He shouldn't have even entertained the thought before, let alone spoken it aloud. Otherwise, he wouldn't know how his head and body would end up tonight. If Chen Kezong didn't even have this much ability, he would have been dead long ago.
With a thud, Chen Yaohui and Chen Yaocan fell to the ground at the same time, seemingly doomed. It wasn't that their grandfather didn't know about their situation, but he simply didn't want to get involved. This incident had blown up quite a bit, angering the central government and offending more than a dozen large foreign companies. Several embassies had joined forces to put pressure on the central government, and with people from the north stirring things up behind the scenes, it was impossible for them to avoid taking the blame. The consequences would be dire.
As the weather gets hotter day by day, the beautiful women on the street are dressed more and more revealingly. That night, at the most famous Night Fragrance Bar in Baiyuan City, a group of handsome men and hot women were sweating profusely in the center of the dance floor, waving their arms and twisting their waists. In the middle of the crowd were two hot girls, facing each other and almost hugging each other, dancing a close-up dance.
"Xin Xin, I'm thirsty, let's stop dancing." Zhao Ling said loudly in Chen Xin Xin's ear. The music was so loud that everyone's heart was pounding, and if the voice was lowered even slightly, it would be inaudible.
Chen Xinxin woke up from her hallucination and pulled Zhao Ling out of the crowd. Several young men with dyed yellow hair and tattoos whistled loudly, one of them saying, "Hey sis, your body is fucking amazing."
Both Zhao Ling and Chen Xinxin wore crop tops that exposed their midriffs, with only mini skirts tightly wrapped around their thighs, highlighting their round buttocks. Zhao Ling's breasts were already quite impressive, with a C-cup being considered enormous for a Chinese girl, but compared to Chen Xinxin, she was still a level below. Their short tops were incredibly tight, and their perfect breast shapes attracted men's attention, jiggling incessantly as they swayed. The men around them were practically drooling, some even unable to control themselves.
Chen Xinxin had become much quieter lately and didn't react excessively to Huang Mao's words, but Zhao Ling cursed, "Fuck your mother's head!"
The blond-haired man wasn't angry; he just chuckled and said, "Don't attack my mom, you can attack me instead. I'd even be willing to have my ass kicked." The dancers around him burst into laughter.
Zhao Ling snorted and ignored them. The two left the dance floor, found a seat, and waved to a waiter who immediately came over. Zhao Ling said, "Two ice-cold beers."
Chen Xinxin said, "Zhao Ling, stop drinking. Zhao Qiang will ask you questions when we get home."
Zhao Ling chuckled and said, "Just tell him that we drank it to cool off when we were bored in the office."
Chen Xinxin said, "How could he believe that? He can just have a cold drink."
Zhao Ling tapped Chen Xinxin's forehead and said, "Why are you getting more and more timid lately? Anyway, we've already come out to play, but he still disagrees with this. Are you afraid of adding another charge? But you dragged me out here, you know."
Chen Xinxin said, "I've been under a lot of pressure lately, so I came out to relax."
Zhao Ling asked, "A lot of pressure? No way! The Bafang Rubber Industrial Park is already 80% complete, and the production lines are being installed and tested. The funding is more than you can imagine. What pressure could you possibly have?"
Chen Xinxin sighed: "The more this happens, the more nervous I get, fearing that I might do something wrong and cause problems. You know I have a weak foundation, and there are many things I just can't handle. Managing so many businesses right now is really beyond my capabilities."
Zhao Ling deeply sympathized and said, "Xin Xin, I feel the same way. Although Lingdong Entertainment doesn't have much business, the more I take over management, the more I realize my shortcomings. I feel less and less worthy of Zhao Qiang. I feel so inferior."
The ice-cold beer was served, and the two women unknowingly took a big gulp. Zhao Ling was about to pay the bill when the waiter said, "The bill for the two ladies has already been paid. Please enjoy your meal."
Chen Xinxin called out to the waiter, "Who is it?"
The waiter pointed to a man sitting at the bar and said, "That's the gentleman."
Zhao Ling glanced at it and asked, "Who is it? Do you know them?"
Chen Xinxin shook her head: "I don't know him." As she spoke, Chen Xinxin raised her glass and gestured slightly to the other man as a way of thanking him for the beer. The man had been staring at her, and when he saw Chen Xinxin gesturing to him, he smiled and then picked up his glass and walked over.
"Good evening, two beautiful ladies." The man was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, quiet and scholarly, with gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose.
Zhao Ling said, "We don't seem to know each other."
The man said, "Yes, my name is Zhang Wenjing. I saw that you two danced very well, so I couldn't help but want to get to know you."
Chen Xinxin slightly extended her hand: "My name is Chen Xinxin."
Zhao Ling also extended her hand: "My name is Zhao Ling."
Zhang Wenjing gently shook hands with the two women and then let go, saying, "It's a pleasure to meet you both. You two beauties are the most dazzling focus of the night at Night Fragrance."
"Are you the owner of Night Fragrance?" Chen Xinxin asked. Judging from his age, he didn't seem like it. Could he be the young master of Night Fragrance?
Zhang Wenjing shook her head: "I just returned from studying in England and I'm still unfamiliar with Baiyuan City, let alone being the owner of Yelaixiang."
Chen Xinxin laughed and said, "Your name sounds so feminine."
Zhang Wenjing said, "Yes, I think so too, but the name is given by the parents, and there's nothing I can do about it."
Zhao Ling said, "But you are just as your name suggests, you are really quiet."
Zhang Wenjing took the opportunity to sit opposite the two women. To be honest, facing these two sexy beauties, it was pleasing to the eye, let alone getting close to them. There were already countless men eyeing them, ready to come over at any opportunity.
"Thank you both for the compliments. Actually, I really wish I could be as carefree as you two."
Chen Xinxin countered, "Carefree? Perhaps you're only seeing the surface."
Zhang Wenjing said, "Oh? So you two ladies have something on your minds?"
Zhao Ling said, "This is not something to be told to outsiders."
Zhang Wenjing didn't press further: "Then I won't ask any more questions. But if you ladies need anything, please don't hesitate to let me know. It would be my honor to serve you."
Zhao Ling glanced at the time on her wristwatch and whispered to Chen Xinxin, "Xinxin, let's go home. It's too late and we'll get scolded again."
Chen Xinxin stood up, her chest heaving violently with the movement. Zhang Wenjing's eyes felt a little dizzy, then she stared elsewhere, seemingly quite shy.
"Ladies, don't rush off. You just had a drink with that pretty boy, so why don't you do me the honor of having one with me?" A bearded man approached with a wine glass, his eyes fixed on Chen Xinxin's chest, as if he could see right through her clothes. Chen Xinxin was filled with embarrassment and anger, her chest burning with discomfort.
At this moment, Zhang Wenjing suddenly stood between the bearded man and Chen Xinxin, blocking the bearded man's path and saying, "Master, don't force others to do things they don't like."
The bearded man shoved Zhang Wenjing aside rudely, saying, "Damn it, mind your own business."
Zhang Wenjing stumbled. If he hadn't fallen on a chair, the bearded man would have been unable to resist. He held up his wine glass in front of Chen Xinxin and his hand accidentally touched her ample breasts. He would have been willing to give up a year of his life just to touch her.
Chen Xinxin snorted, clenched her fist, and released a beam of light at the bearded man. The bearded man cried out and fell backward, smashing a table with a crash. He lay on the ground convulsing, foaming at the mouth. Everyone around was stunned. What was going on? The ballroom was dimly lit, and everyone had seen the white light, but upon closer inspection of Chen Xinxin's hands, they found nothing but two rings, and her palms were empty.
At this moment, Zhang Wenjing stood up and stood in front of Zhao Ling and Chen Xinxin again, shouting, "What kind of hero bullies women?" The bearded man on the ground was speechless, otherwise he would have yelled, "Damn it, they're the ones bullying me!"
Zhao Ling and Chen Xinxin continued walking out, when the group of blond-haired men they had met on the dance floor blocked their way. The blond-haired man chuckled and said, "Miss, you're just going to leave after hitting someone? What do you take Night Fragrance for? A cabbage garden? NO, NO, that's not good. You have to give us an explanation before you leave, otherwise how are we, the bouncers, supposed to make a living?"
It turned out that Huang Mao and his gang were guards at Ye Lai Xiang. Zhao Ling noticed that although Huang Mao spoke seriously, his eyes were extremely lewd. He kept craning his neck, trying to look into Zhao Ling's cleavage. This made Zhao Ling very unhappy, so she kicked Huang Mao in the crotch.
Huang Mao was standing too close, and Zhao Ling was agile enough to be hit squarely in the groin with a cry of pain. She immediately clutched her crotch and squatted on the ground. His henchmen immediately surrounded Zhao Ling and Chen Xinxin. Zhang Wenjing was still shouting, but she was the first to suffer. Three henchmen rushed up and knocked Zhang Wenjing to the ground, then punched and kicked her. Zhao Ling and Chen Xinxin shook their heads in disbelief. If you want to be a hero and save a damsel in distress, you need to have the strength. How could she stand up for someone like that? She just got beaten up for nothing.
Her gold-rimmed glasses were shattered, and blood was seeping from her mouth. Compared to the quiet and elegant Zhang Wenjing just now, the person lying on the ground looked completely different.
After dealing with Zhang Wenjing, the henchmen turned their attention to Chen Xinxin and Zhao Ling, surrounding them with lewd grins.
Volume 2 [511] Kicking the Field
Chen Xinxin glanced at Zhao Ling, who nodded and said, "Run." They were powerless to help Zhang Wenjing and the other woman on the ground; they couldn't very well expect them to protect this handsome guy who had stood up for him.