novelFighting Using Elimination
| ← Ch.78 | Ch.80 → |
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The appearance of the "Western Style" website had indeed affected the sales of DG China but the effect still was not too serious.
It had also caused distrust in some consumers towards the ZAMON brand but the distrust had yet to become widespread to the point of no return.
Hence, Charles immediately put in place a series of hard-lined defensive measures.
Firstly, he immediately reported the situation to DG's American headquarters and requested that they lodge a protest to both the Chinese and American customs under the enterprise's name, making it compulsory for strict checks on the recent import and export of ZAMON products at the border. This request had been met with the strong support of headquarters.
Next, he ordered his subordinates to collect information more thoroughly to ensure that they found some clues about the daily operations of "Western Style" and Aida, as well as their policies and regulations. Chen Zheng did not give up hope on the prosecution, but he was not optimistic about that point. Would Li Zhicheng leave any traces when he did things? It was laughable to think so.
Charles immediately contacted the well-known luxury goods corporations in China, hoping that everyone would agree to submit a joint petition to China's Ministry of Commerce. This suggestion did not gain much response as anyone who had eyes could see that the existence of the "Western Style" shopping center was a battle between Chinese enterprises and DG. The had only included products from other luxury brands as a token gesture. Most of them even appeared to run low on stock and it was obvious that they were hoping for a clear line to be drawn between the businesses.
The other luxury brands had been DG's competitors all along. They were also jealous of ZAMON's development in China, so who would be willing to get involved? All of them acted blurred and stunned, sitting on the fence to watch the battle as an observer.
With regards to this situation, Charles could only angrily scold, "Sh*t!"
Finally, and most importantly, Charles wanted to control the influence that "Western Style" had within the country. He knew that Chairman Mao had a saying, "The fire of the stars can set a prairie ablaze." A portion of Chinese citizens had a very positive view of DG, and he could not allow this strength to be lost just because of this incident. Things would be bleak if he received large-scale resistance from the consumers.
Hence, after a secret discussion with Chen Zheng, he decided to protect their internet and media components. Chen Zheng had always known the ways of the industry and thus promised while slapping his chest to start preparing to pour money into investing in the various media and internet outlets, which were like a bottomless pit. As the saying goes, money makes the world go round.
However, they only managed to guess half of it.
Li Zhicheng's next step would indeed make use of "Western Style" to make trouble for DG.
He avoided the tactics he used in the first half of the year, when he used the media to shape public opinion and stir up feelings, as he engaged in a push and pull method.
In a narrow road, the brave one will win. Li Zhicheng used the form of a television advertisement to directly declare war against DG in front of the entire country's consumers!
Within a night, everyone in the country knew of the price difference between ZAMON locally and internationally. They found out about the huge acquisition battles between companies as a result of the Chinese enterprises wanting to protect the local brands.
So, what do you think the average Chinese would do?
The night breeze was bitingly cold as Lin Qian and her colleagues sat in the office in the midst of preparing for the broadcast of the second edition of the "Glamorous" advertisement.
Recently, the creation of the "Western Style" website had attracted the attention of almost all the people in the industry. Even in her office, many people were discussing it. Some people felt that it was a hard blow to DG, but even more were worried that the international sales model ultimately had a limit and would not have much of an influence. As long as they waited it out, DG's business would not face substantial damage.
To these comments, Lin Qian would only smile and not say anything, because she was very clear about Li Zhicheng's upcoming plan.
Once he had identified the opponent's weakness, why would he not send out a series of unforgiving blows such that the opponent would never be able to stand up again?
Lin Qian was busy but suddenly heard a colleague sigh before gathering everyone, "Ms. Lin, hi, you should all hurry and watch the television!"
Lin Qian and the others turned their heads to where the sound was coming from. An LCD television was hanging on the wall of the office to make it convenient for prompt viewing of news reports and advertisements. Now, it was prime time and right after the news had been broadcast, an advertisement popped out.
The screen was entirely black.
Slowly, three pretty and slightly garish paper-cut Chinese characters floated out on the screen: "Western Style". In an instant, Lin Qian gave it her full attention.
She knew that Li Zhicheng would be using this method but she was still unsure of how the advertisement would be executed in detail.
Scenes flashed by on the screen one after the other as a man's clear voice rang, "Tokyo, Paris, New York, Sydney..."
The scenes conveyed the thriving hearts of those international cities. It was executed to be tranquil and gentle, bringing with it a regal feel of peace and quiet within chaos.
The scene suddenly changed again. It was no longer the view of a city but shelves that had many branded leather bags on display. The lighting was bright and the glass cabinets sparkled. The bags inside all appeared luxurious and exuded elegance. It was just that when the lenses panned across, the brands of the bags were blocked and replaced by "XXXXX".
The voiceover rang out once again, "Internationally, they sell them at such prices." At this moment, the lenses featured the pricing below the bags: 400, 100 Euros... Then, it showed the values after conversion to RMB.
"Locally, they sell at a different price, instead."
The scene switched once again to the Beijing Wangfujing, Shanghai Xuhui District, Guangzhou Tianhequ... Similarly, the branded bags were displayed on the shelves but the prices were 8000, 420000, 20000... At one glance it is obvious that it was three times more expensive, or even seven to eight times more than other countries.
Just then, the screen became uniformly orange-red and the background music became more upbeat.
The address of the "Western Style" site jumped up letter by letter, making it look very lively.
The voiceover said, "Western Style, an agent for buying goods from all over the world, authentic products, helping Chinese citizens eliminate the differences in price."
Then a vertical line of words bounced out:
All the sellers are authenticated;
The website will compensate ten times the price for fake goods;
A hot discount of ten to seventy percent off.
Lin Qian supported her chin and watched the entire advertisement. Everyone else had excitement on their faces and some lads even shot up their big thumb, "Nicely executed!"
Lin Qian also couldn't help but smile.
Making a mockery... they had really made a mockery.
They did not mention international luxury brands discriminating their prices by region. They had only said "they would help Chinese citizens eliminate the differences in price". Listening to this phrase, who wouldn't feel a sense of conceit and unity against the enemy?
However, this was a fact. The tax collection policies in China had forced international brands to have a slightly higher cost to selling in China. But Lin Qian had done thorough investigations and observations, and she felt that it was impossible for the price to be as different as it was then.
So, DG could be considered to have wished this upon themselves because who asked them to assume that Chinese people were foolish with a lot of money to spare?
She took out her phone and sent a text to Li Zhicheng, "It's so great!!"
Li Zhicheng was definitely busy with something and only replied after quite a while with a few words, "You flatter me, my wife."
Looking at the message, Lin Qian could not suppress her smile.
This piece of advertising was indeed just as Li Zhicheng, Ning Weikai, Gu Yanzhi, Lin Qian... and the others had predicted - it instigated a big effect even though it was a trivial thing. Very quickly, on the internet, it began circulating amongst citizens and even local and international media.
Many people had started to discuss whether or not the discrepancy in pricing of the international brands was reasonable?
Many people had become "Western Style's" loyal users and fans.
But even more people started to shift their focus to attack "Western "Style's" main competitor, DG Organization and its ZAMON brand.
Within a moment, some had called prices into question and protested, while other protective voices all mashed together, and made the forums very noisy and chaotic. Within a night, DG had become an object of public criticism and had made it to the top searches of Weibo and the list of hot search engine topics.
Of course, being an international tycoon, it was still hard to say if DG would fall just with this blow.
However, one couldn't deny that the sales of their individual brands and in the individual stores had observably declined!
At that moment, Li Zhicheng's second advertisement was shown.
Just then, the battered Charles and Chen Zheng, and even Lin Qian did not expect that Li Zhicheng still had a second round of attack. It was this new advertisement that was not even 30 seconds long which successfully pushed the feelings of resistance the consumers had towards DG to new heights!
It was the following Saturday night.
The second edition of the "Glamorous" advertisement was planned to be broadcast the next evening. Lin Qian's big battle was about to begin so she stayed home to rest and conserve her strength.
It was 8:05pm and the "Western Style"l advertisement was broadcast once again. Lin Qian admired it once more. In the midst of being so busy, this had become her joy, which was hard to come by. How could she help it when her husband's effort of attacking the opponent was seemingly successful?
Who knew that it was this night that Li Zhicheng let her see what "attacking the opponent so completely even after their failure" really was.
At 8:28 she was surfing the news on her computer when her phone suddenly buzzed.
It was a text from Li Zhicheng, "8:30, Star Chinese Channel."
Lin Qian's heart tremored and she immediately picked up the remote control to turn on the television.
The television was still broadcasting a candy advertisement with a child laughingly holding a candy. Meanwhile, Lin Qian's heart got more excited and expectant as the minutes and seconds ticked by.
At 8:30 on the dot the scene suddenly brightened and it was already the scene of a street in Washington.
It had entirely the same introduction as the "Western Style" advertisement in terms of its style, shooting method, key of the music... even the voiceover made Lin Qian suspect that it was the same person.
However, the words were similar but different, "America, Japan, Australia, Hong Kong..."
The scene was filled with images of many storefronts and shelves. But this time, it was entirely real products: Aida's flagship store in America, Sha Ying's specialized shelves in Japan, Mind's storefront in Taiwan... Finally, America's Amazon webpage even appeared and there were many designs of Aida and Sha Ying bags that were priced in USD.
The voiceover rang out, "Internationally, we are selling at such prices."
The scene flashed and it came to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Lin City and such, showing the flagship stores of Aida and Sha Ying.
The voiceover suddenly placed more emphasis, "Locally, we only sell them at these prices."
The lens panned through a series of bags that were priced in RMB but were clearly much cheaper than the prices on America's Amazon webpage. At the same time, they even used eye-catching red colored characters that gave the discounts in detail: "10 percent off, 20 percent off, 30 percent off..." However, the difference in price was definitely not as big as ZAMON.
The scene suddenly changed and a lot of people appeared. Upon closer scrutiny, many of them were employees and their smiles were bright and good-natured. Of course, behind them were even those staff who were wearing spectacles, their posture and expression refined and wearing a smart suit. There was also a female manager who had a mature aura and was wearing a suit jacket with a skirt, and a mother dressed in home clothes while carrying her child as the child carried an Aida bag... There were even foreigners and actually David himself standing with a few Italian men at the end, laughingly looking at the camera.
The voiceover rang through in a warm yet powerful man's voice, "Safeguarding our local brands! Chinese people's conscience, world-class bags!"
This line was said so powerfully that it made Lin Qian's heart tremor.
Soon after, the screen suddenly turned black.
Then, one by one, the logos of the local Chinese bag brands started to appear non-stop on the screen:
Aito, Aier, Sha Ying, Mind, Vinda... even including some leading brands from famous manufacturers.
Coupled with the deep "clang, clang, clang..." that stole one's soul, all of them were pulled into the screen one by one. Each brand's appearance in the commercial seemingly had the power of shocking and impressing others.
In the end, they were packed and lined up in the shape of a phalanx; a neat, solemn and silent phalanx.
Lin Qian was already completely stunned.
All of a sudden, with a swift sound, all the brands disappeared as if they were sucked into the black screen.
The advertisement had ended.
It stopped so suddenly that you would not even have time to make out all the brands on the screen.
Your heart, however, was intimidated by each and every scene that had just appeared on the screen. Those brands were the own brands of Chinese citizens themselves. They could also be renowned and take over the international market; their staff were our own people and had ever appeared on Times Magazine's "Chinese Workers".
In the end, they formed an alliance. In the face of foreign acquisition and jostling, they declared the start of the battle.
Lin Qian's eyes teared up in an instant.
Safeguarding our local brands. It was such a simple sentence that was said so much that it had become annoying.
But how long had she not heard such a resounding and inspiring sound!
The television had already started broadcasting a serial drama. However, she just stared at the screen, and she stared for a very long time.
Finally, the image that appeared in her brain was still that cold, handsome profile of Li Zhicheng and his lanky, quiet figure.
She opened her phone once again and looked at the text that had just been received. It was short yet serene, "8:30, Star Chinese Channel."
Lin Qian, 8:30, Star Chinese Channel.
Watch me conquer the city and set the skies ablaze.
Lin Qian stretched her hand out to shield her face. She was laughing but there were tears rolling about in her eyes.
She was so in love with him and felt the greatest honor for him.
She was only too glad to look up to him.
Did he know that?
And in that moment, Lin Qian could not imagine that in the countless cities of China and out of so many families; in the countless streets and on the countless websites... how many people were just like her, smilingly watching the "Western Style" advertisement that was ridiculing ZAMON yet finishing the spectacular advertisement on the Chinese bag industry while remaining exceptionally silent.
It was a once in a blue moon example of a crucial event that caused the fall of an international brand in a certain niche, which had rarely happened in the history of modern business.
For example, SKII was revealed to have contained restricted substances which caused it to collapse entirely in China as the brand's image had been affected and even years later, although it was on a road to a difficult recovery, it could never relive its heyday.
Also, Pepsi Cola had forever lost the trust of consumers in the Philippines which caused its market to collapse entirely and finally had no choice but to retreat from the region.
And now, Charles, Chen Zheng and their DG which had just stabilized on its own two feet were trapped in such a dangerous situation.
On Monday morning, the newest market data report was once again sent to Charles' table.
In comparison to the fall in sales from previous weeks, this week, the numbers were even more shocking. Charles could almost see that not far in the future, they would fall to an all-time low. Even though Chen Zheng was terror-stricken by Li Zhicheng's scariness, at such a time, he also became anxious like a fish out of water. He urgently hoped that he would be able to help Charles salvage the situation together.
If not... if not he would be left with nothing!
"You know Ben..." At this time, Charles, however, displayed the perseverance and clear-mindedness worthy of the leader of the Asia-Pacific region, grabbing Chen Zheng's hand and saying, "There is indeed a very big danger in front of our eyes but we have no other choice. We can only tide through it!" Chen Zheng's expression became darkly ruthless as he nodded his head.
He understood what Charles meant. In the short time that DG China had been in trouble, Li Zhicheng had attacked them consecutively, finally pushing them to the edge of the cliff. However, they were not dead yet. Even though DG China was bruised immensely, as long as their market had not collapsed completely, even if they only had their last breath left, they just had to tide through this period and it would be fine! Consumers were forgetful and patriotic sentiments were only a result of a moment's rash decision. With DG's strength and ability internationally, they could make a comeback in the future!
The two of them reaffirmed their confidence and gathered their confidantes once again to secretly plot a plan, deciding to stabilize the market to the best of their abilities. At the same time, they would hasten some of their charity activities in China, in hopes of changing the consumers' perspective, by showing how they helped fund China's poorest areas; get them to see how other Chinese enterprises were willing to be acquired. Why? Because this was a win-win situation from the beginning. They brought the most advanced technology and management theories, and they pushed China's local businesses to prosperity and development.
However, Charles and Chen Zheng did not think that these measures of theirs had shown results, and a new round of attacks from Li Zhicheng and his people came once again.
It was the beginning of the new year on January 3rd. The previous CEO of New Bori and current chairman of Sha Ying brand, Ning Weikai, announced in a high-profile that he had already obtained more than 51 percent of New Bori's shares and had become the controlling shareholder cum chairman. In China, DG's acquisition actions had been slammed badly. New Bori, Aida and the other tycoons had all escaped from their online shopping page, and their plan of acquiring all the competition was long dead.
Under the clear sunlight, on a winter day, which penetrated through the glass window and shone into the office, Ning Weikai stood up and walked right before the full-length mirror to adjust his suit.
The time for the news conference was about to arrive. Yuan Jun and some other confidantes had walked in. In comparison to the calmness of Ning Weikai, their smiles were absolutely too bright.
"Chairman, it's about time that we should go over, " Yuan Jun said.
Ning Weikai's lips curled upwards in an action so small that it was almost unobservable.
Yes, this lad really knew how to be a bootlicker. Chairman was such a melodious title. It was a title that he had missed for several years, heh...
"Then let's go, " Ning Weikai easily and handsomely nodded his head at them and was the first to exit the office. A row of people who were dressed in suits had just gotten off the lift and were weaving through the office all the way to the huge hall that would be used to host today's press conference.
On the way, he could see every new staff member of New Bori and they were all standing orderly as they bowed and acknowledged the new chairman.
This had not been arranged beforehand and was entirely the initiative of the staff.
Some of their sadness had been suppressed for so long, but New Bori, who was a former powerhouse, had finally gotten their leader back. Clearly, he had yet to do anything but everyone had already harbored visions of their promising future as they held their heads high.
This magnificent sight and mighty aura warmed Ning Weikai's heart.
Prior to his removal from New Bori, in the face of people's gazes of respect, he would not have batted an eyelid but instead would have taken it in stride, because he knew that it was part and parcel of the will of the people. They required you to be high and mighty. You need not be amiable and you only needed to bring them hope and confidence.
But today, he had a deep feeling as he took exceptionally slow steps, nodding and smiling to every one of the staff. He used a gaze that was resolute to console the anticipation and hopes in their eyes.
Hence, all the overwhelmed feelings of the staff simply could not be put into words.
"Good day Chairman!" they greeted him. These simple yet congratulatory words rose from all around and finally, it was almost a symphony that was ringing in Ning Weikai's ears.
Ning Weikai found that his own eyes were a little damp. However, he quickly suppressed it and with the most perfect posture, he waved to the crowd and walked into the multi-purpose hall with a pleasant look all over his face.
There had long been no more empty seats in the multi-purpose hall. The lights were sparkling and shining.
Ning Weikai and Yuan Jun sat backstage and looked at the grand scene with a door between them. New Bori's news spokesperson was smiling as he responded to the questions from reporters one after the other. Meanwhile, Ning Weikai had been assigned to the final segment of the event to show his face and answer a few simple questions for the event to seem grand.
It was just that at this moment, as Ning Weikai listened to the hustle and bustle from outside, he felt like laughing at himself a little deep inside his heart.
Looking back at the past half a year, he had busy to the point that the sky would spin and the lands become dark. It was also the first time that he had secretly loaned his most talented team to Li Zhicheng so that both parties were able to collaborate and create the website for "Western Style" and so many hyped up advertisements; he had mobilized all of his manpower and resources for this reverse acquisition to constantly build momentum with the citizens, the internet, the media...
However, being low-key had its benefits.
He smiled slightly thinking about the shares users guide that was lying in the drawer of his office.
If it were not for the initial segment when he and Li Zhicheng had purposely let DG's ZAMON products penetrate the market, how would they have been able to set up the stalemate that ensued? And how would they have been able to make the imminent danger of the acquisitions known to the outside world?
How would they have gotten the Zhu brothers to take the bait and sell New Bori at a low price?
However, he owed Li Zhicheng a favor for this. The Beijing merchant who had bought the shares on his behalf was Li Zhicheng's friend. It was heard that he was introduced by CEO Kang of Mingsheng back then.
And Ning Weikai had to admit, after half a year of working together, he and Li Zhicheng had formed an inseparable bond. Their admiration and tacit understanding of each other could be felt.
After they had waited out the collapse of DG, the bag industry would perhaps be an entirely new scene from now on!
His pair of long eyes squinted slightly.
Just then, there were staff members who came to knock on the door. Yuan Jun said a few words with them and turned to look at him, "Mr. Ning, it's about time for you to go out there."
Ning Weikai nodded his head and stood up.
As he walked onto the stage, and felt the welcoming the lights and applause, Ning Weikai did not think of Lydia whom he had avoided and not seen for many days; he did not think of the Zhu brothers who were now his enemies and how bad of a sight they must be.
He suddenly thought of Zhu Hanyu.
A clear yet strong thought flashed through his brain.
He had already obtained 51 percent of New Bori's shares. Her husband had become the new owner of the enterprise.
He wanted her to witness this.
When the press conference was broadcast on television, many people had different reactions.
Many of the netizens and many of the average citizens whose patriotism had been stirred by the Chinese bag industry advertisements were in sheer delight, clapping their hands as they celebrated the highest point of local spirit. The fact that their local bag enterprises had one or two that still maintained its own management and did not fall into the hands of foreign investors was news that made them excited and happy!
Li Zhicheng only smiled slightly as he looked at this outcome that he and Ning Weikai had long foreseen.
After Lin Qian had seen it, her good opinion of Ning Weikai increased tenfold and she even broke history by sending him an text, "Nicely done!"
Meanwhile, there were also others who were shaking in fury after seeing this news. This included the Zhu brothers who had fallen into the trap and the disheartened Charles and Chen Zheng.
Alone in Ning Weikai's home was Zhu Hanyu, who was watching this sudden news in a daze. Looking at the calm and handsome man who was deep in thought in the screen... suddenly, tears streamed down her face and she was overcome with grief.
"Glamorous, two."
It was the night of January 7th. When the row of words appeared on the television, all of the "Glamorous" product's followers, as well as many who had yet to purchase "Glamorous" but were very interested in their advertisements, along with many of the people in the bag industry kept their eyes riveted on the screen. They wanted to see what kind of feelings this newly launched female brand would bring and the sales miracle that it would create.
"Dong dong", it was the usual sound that picked at one's heart as the scene opened once again.
It was already the cold winter. The ex-serviceman had changed into white shirts and black pants as they rode on bicycles weaving through the water lanes of the small city. By the road, a few students said their greetings to him and he professionally turned into a youthful teacher.
As he passed by a girl's home, the bicycle stopped. He lifted his handsome face and placed his fingers that had made a circle into his mouth as he blew a whistle. The action was cool and sharp.
The door opened with a "creak" and the girl ran out like a refreshing gust of wind, jumping onto the backseat of the bicycle.
"Where are we going today?" she asked, at the same time slinging her purple bag on her shoulder.
"Play Counterstrike, " he replied enigmatically.
The scene changed and the two of them had already arrived in an outdoor live version of a Counterstrike training base camp.
The two of them were wearing dark green camouflage clothes and were carrying laser gun simulators as they hid below a small mound. The only thing that did not match up was the pretty purple bag that the girl still had slung over her shoulder.
The boy furrowed his brows, "Throw the bag aside! Such a bright color, are you trying to be a live target!"
"No way!" The girl hugged the bag, "This is my favorite bag." Just as she said that, a bullet was shot over and when the girl had not even reacted the boy quickly pulled her behind him.
Then... he took a shot.
The girl was shocked.
The guy threw his gun aside but smiled instead as he looked at her guilty expression.
"What would you do without me?" he said lightly but with thought put into it. At the same time, he threw his gun aside and became one of the "dead" people, sitting down on the spot.
The girl was stunned for a moment.
At this moment, a series of bullets were shot and she also "died from the bullet".
The two of them looked at each other, one sitting and the other standing. Surrounding them, lasers were shooting everywhere and people were running around. It was only the two of their soiled faces silently gazing at each other.
Suddenly, they both laughed.
The girl sat down beside him and said in a carefree manner, "Then we'll just have to keep being together."
This time, the boy was stunned.
It was so natural but yet it seemed like fate. He propped one hand on the mound behind her and lowered his head to kiss her.
The scene became very beautiful and dreamy.
In the blink of an eye, the girl was already leaning in the boy's embrace. She dug out a male's leather wallet from within her purple bag, "Hey, this is a gift from me..." The boy looked at her, speechless.
No wonder the bag was so precious because it contained something that she wanted to give him.
The boy took the leather wallet and looked at her "Glamorous" brand women bag with slight disdain, "This bag is too garish and impractical, I'll get you an army bag as a gift next time."
"... Who. Wants. An. Army. Bag?!"
The scene changed and the two of them were riding the bicycle on the way home.
The girl was tightly hugging his waist and leaned her head on him. Meanwhile, the boy had the leather wallet stuck in his shirt pocket. From the corner of his cold eyes, there was a hint of happiness.
"Hey, I will be returning to Shanghai next month. I have already found a new job, " the girl suddenly said in a soft voice.
The bicycle halted and the boy placed his foot on the ground, abruptly turning his head to look at her.
"Do you want to go to Shanghai together?" she asked.
The boy remained silent.
The frame froze before it faded to black.
The words appeared on the screen: Continue watching and anticipate the finale of Glamorous.
Even Lin Qian herself couldn't help but smile when she heard the male lead say that the Glamorous bag was too garish and impractical, and could not compare to an army bag. As for when the female lead said that she had to go to Shanghai, she also felt a tinge of sadness.
A brand that could touch people's hearts was a good brand. Lin Qian strongly believed in this fact.
As expected, less than five hours after the advertisement had been broadcast, her vice-president pushed open the door and entered, her face full of vigor.
"Ms. Lin, in the last few hours, our online sales have doubled!" her words were said as though they were heated with passion, which made Lin Qian grin from ear to ear as she listened.
"However..." her tone changed and it wasn't clear if she was smiling or not, "Everyone is more interested in the advertisement itself and it seems to have exceeded that of the product itself."
"Wait until the finale has been broadcast, then their focus will go back to the product once again." Lin Qian said with certainty, "The implications that have been entrusted within a brand cannot be separated from the product itself. Now that they are so vigorously supporting this advertisement, they will also end up transferring those feelings and place them onto the products in the future."
The vice-president was rather agreeable as she nodded her head, and said again, "Oh, right, just now the people from DG contacted us."
Lin Qian was stunned before she smiled, "What did they say?"
The vice-president's expression was very meaningful, "They want to buy us out."
Lin Qian leaned into the backrest as her fair, slender fingers tapped and tapped on the tabletop, the amusement in her eyes deepened gradually.
Recently, they had heard that DG had still not given up on their acquisition plans and were plotting to split up the alliance between the Chinese corporations.
And they had finally approached her.
Oh, no. It was that they had found Glamorous. Her identity had been a secret all along.
Her fingers paused, and she lifted her gaze to look at her vice-president, "Arrange for some people to continue dealing with them and appropriately reveal some intention of making a deal. But they definitely cannot find out about our relationship with Aida, and they cannot know of my existence."
"Alright!"
After the vice-president had gone out, Lin Qian sat in her chair and spun around lightly in circles on the spot. Finally, she looked out the window at the brightly lit River Town.
Hee...
A gentleman's revenge ten years later, was not too late.
The time had finally come.
Ultimately, she still found it hard to read Li Zhicheng and at that moment, she was a little anxious and felt a ridiculous sense of panic, as well as a tinge of hesitation.
However, maybe their hearts were really interlinked as Li Zhicheng always appeared at the moment when she needed him most. Her phone rang and it was him calling.
Lin Qian had yet to pick up but there was already a smile on her face.
"Hey, " it was a lazy, soft and conceited voice.
On the other end, Li Zhicheng sat in his office.
As compared to previously, he was now already a lot less busy. DG China had already exhausted all its abilities and the people's passion to protect the local brands had been incited to the maximum. Now, they just had to deal a blow at a suitable time to DG China such that it would end their last breath.
Hence, now, the biggest problem was... that his wife had not come back.
"When are you coming back?" he said directly, his voice deep and penetrating.
Lin Qian could not help but smile.
Huh? Even he had times when he could not suppress his feelings? Didn't he leave after calmly leaving a trail of hickeys all over her and loosened his reins to wait for her to run back into his embrace of her own will?
But Lin Qian understood why he called at such a time.
Looking at the second advertisement, everyone would know that this brand, Glamorous, had completely succeeded. And to return after its success was the promise she made.
Li Zhicheng had always been serious. She was afraid that he would not leave her out to stay for more than it was required.
"Give me a few more days, " she said gently, but there was a hint of slyness within, "Just coming back like that isn't eye-catching enough." She paused, then continued, "I've said before that I want to let everyone see it."
Li Zhicheng remained silent for a while.
At that moment, Lin Qian knew roughly his silent feelings.
Listening to his woman clearly and crisply saying, "just coming back like that isn't eye-catching enough" and laced with her unique slyness and complacency was as if a pearl with a rich display of colors was sewn onto the apex of his heart.
He had to admit that he was completely captivated by this woman.
This was different from the romantic feelings before. Previously, his desires were just as intense and he had also wanted to possess her, but back then he was very certain, certain that she would always remain in his grasp. It was true because even though she was independent, she was still reliant on him in both their romance and career, like a soft yet strong vine twisting around the crook of his arm.
He had to admit that he had always enjoyed her reliance on him.
Now, she was entirely self-reliant. In the field of business that she had control over, she created her own piece of sky. She started to have her own thoughts and plots, which were unknown to him.
Such a feeling was seriously complicated.
But the one thing he was clear about, and was becoming clearer and clearer, was the fact that new feelings were being incited within him by this woman. This included a more intense and fresh interest in her than before.
"Alright." He answered, "I can still exercise my patience for a few more days.
Lin Qian giggled and purposely said, "Thank you then."
Li Zhicheng calmly said, "You're welcome. Sooner or later I will get it back from your body."
Lin Qian was silent, "..."
From. Her. Body...
It must be her thinking dirty. Even though Li Zhicheng had always been domineering, because of the teachings from the Chinese cultural studies, he would not say such unequivocal words.
Yup, it had to be her thinking dirty. She often did that.
The two of them talked for a bit longer when an idea came to Lin Qian and she said, "Let's video call!"
"Okay, " he replied bluntly.
This was the first time the two of them had video called. Lin Qian found it odd as she thought about it. Of course, she really wanted to see him but she had never thought of video calling before.
It was perhaps because thinking of such a seasoned man placing his face in front of the computer to chat with her through video call seemed weird.
The two of them each went to close their office doors tight.
The video call connected.
The image that jumped into Lin Qian's sight was directly Li Zhicheng's figure seated in front of the window. The black night sky with stars interweaved with the lights of the city, shining magnificently behind him. Meanwhile, his face was the usual calm. He sat in his office just wearing his white shirt, his collar slightly open making him look so handsome.
His gaze was deep and clear like the night sky, at that moment overcoming the distance of over a thousand of kilometers to look at her chillingly.
Lin Qian was stunned suddenly.
She missed him like crazy.
When you clearly saw his eyes, she realized that she had long been missing him like crazy.
That longing was hidden beneath her busy work; hidden beneath her stubborn struggling. Clearly, it was all over the place but yet nowhere to be found. When she locked eyes with him in that moment, it clearly floated into her heart. It was that unstoppable.
All of her words were buried within her throat in that moment. Originally, she was prepared to tease and chat leisurely but she had lost interest in all of it.
There was only one phrase left lingering in her heart and she gently opened her mouth, "I love you."
On the other side, Li Zhicheng similarly looked at the woman's face in silence which had slimmed down quite a bit, and those eyes that easily teared up.
His face was calm and his gaze was indifferent.
He gently lifted his finger and his thumb traced the screen, along the outlines of her face, grazing slowly but with strength.
"You had better speed up, my patience is quickly reaching its limit."
A few days later, an explosive story circulated the entire internet.
According to the news, the most popular brand with the highest recent sales, Glamourous, was likely to sell itself to DG China. To the Chinese citizens who were still harboring feelings of resistance, it was unquestionably a ticking time bomb.
In an instant, criticisms, doubts, lashing outs, disappointments... flooded all the major media outlets and the internet. There were even university students who had organized their own groups to go to the Glamorous office in Wuhan to protest.
However, the white-hot competition that DG once created was similar to the scene that Glamorous had now created. On one hand, there was an increase in doubts and criticisms; on the other hand, the sales of Glamorous nationwide were becoming hotter and hotter by the day. The revenue of this brand was slowly climbing and becoming the favorite topic among experts.
Through this process, the spokesperson of DG China also implicitly expressed: they indeed had been talking about cooperating with some local brands. This incited even more suspicions and anxiousness among the netizens.
However, in the midst of all the public discussion, Glamorous remained silent about this piece of news from start to end.
After a few days, when the suspicions had reached their peak, an even more reliable news had finally been revealed.
According to the report, on the fifteenth of January which was a day that many of the Glamorous fans had been looking forward to, on the day that the finale of the Glamorous advertisement would be broadcast, Glamorous company would hold a press conference in collaboration with DG Organization. They would sign the agreement on the spot and sell this extremely powerful brand over to DG Organization at the high price of two hundred million.
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