"Dad, what are you doing?"
Gou Tuizhi frowned, looking at his father Gou Feng with confusion. He couldn't understand why his usually doting and permissive father was acting so out of character today.
"What am I doing? You still have the nerve to ask me what I'm doing? I handed over the management of the family's pharmaceutical factory to you, and this month's turnover has dropped by thirty percent. The profit has hit a five-year low. Do you still have the face to ask me what I'm doing?"
Gou Feng's words instantly silenced Gou Tuizhi.
Ever since he colluded with his second uncle, Gou Xingzhi, to maliciously compete with the Han family, the pharmaceutical factory's turnover had begun to decline.
He had initially thought that by eliminating Han's Pharmaceutical Factory, turnover would quickly rebound. He never expected that not only would the plan fail, but the losses would also continue to grow.
Especially after the survival space of Qingtian Hospital was squeezed by Tianyi Pavilion, the pharmaceutical factory's business plummeted.
Therefore, he offered no defense against Gou Feng's reprimand.
Seeing Gou Tuizhi lowering his head, looking wronged, Gou Xingzhi, who had already been lectured, mustered his courage to explain.
"Big brother, although Tuizhi made a mistake, he still earned two hundred million in liquidated damages for the family. This money is enough to cover the losses in the pharmaceutical factory. Please don't blame him too much."
Gou Xingzhi's intervention only made Gou Feng angrier.
"Don't think I don't know how that two hundred million was obtained. Can this method be done once and then again? This time the deficit is covered, but what about next time? Compared to the long-term losses of the pharmaceutical factory, isn't this sacrificing the greater for the lesser?"
Gou Feng's words made Gou Tuizhi and Gou Xingzhi understand the gains and losses.
"Dad, don't worry! I will definitely find a way to regain the lost market share."
"You'll regain it?" Gou Feng asked with displeasure. "What makes you think you can regain it?"
He then pointedly poked Gou Tuizhi's forehead, filled with disappointment, and said helplessly.
"What can I say to you, my eldest son! You compete with others, yet you've become a frog in a well, completely unaware of the market changes happening now, and you're still boasting?!"
After speaking, he sighed. Shaking his head, he walked to the sofa in the living room, poured a cup of tea, took a sip, and continued.
"As far as I know, the Han's Pharmaceutical Factory you targeted has already established cooperation with the Cao family. They have developed a new cold medicine, and they will definitely focus their efforts on expanding publicity. At the same time, they will inevitably compress our market on a large scale. You want to regain market share, what will you use?"
Hearing this news, Gou Tuizhi's heart trembled.
Although he had learned from Wang Fei that Han Lang had established business dealings with the Cao family, he truly did not know they were launching a new drug. In this situation, it was indeed not easy for him to regain the lost market share.
"Then what should we do, Dad? Should we just watch them act so arrogantly?"
Seeing Gou Tuizhi's bewildered look, Gou Feng's expression instantly became solemn.
He didn't directly answer Gou Tuizhi's question but sternly retorted.
"Do you know why I just hit you?"
Gou Tuizhi seemed taken aback by his father's sudden question and hesitantly replied.
"Is... is it because I... caused losses to the family?"
Gou Feng did not respond to the answer. Instead, his gaze shifted to Gou Xingzhi and he said.
"Second brother, you tell me!"
"Ah?" Gou Xingzhi had not expected Gou Feng to turn his attention to him and didn't know how to answer. He stammered back.
"This... this..."
Seeing both of them in this state, Gou Feng's eyes were filled with undisguised disappointment.
He never expected that his own brother and son would be unable to answer such a simple question.
"It's because you are indecisive and underestimated the enemy!"
Gou Feng continued to explain, "With the vast fortune of our Gou family, do you think I would care so much about a small hospital and pharmaceutical factory? What I hate is that the two of you, by joining forces, failed to eliminate the opponent at the very beginning and instead watched him grow step by step!"
Hearing this, Gou Tuizhi and Gou Xingzhi finally understood.
Gou Xingzhi was somewhat better, but Gou Tuizhi had grown up under Gou Feng's belief of "going all out and eradicating the roots."
He should have understood long ago that when facing an opponent, no matter how weak, one should go all out and strike decisively to prevent them from making a comeback.
The current situation precisely illustrated that by underestimating the enemy and treating them with disdain, he had led to this predicament.
"Dad, I'm sorry! I know I was wrong!"
Seeing that Gou Tuizhi had been enlightened, Gou Feng finally showed a hint of a gratified smile. At the same time, his gaze shifted back to Gou Xingzhi.
Sensing this intense gaze, Gou Xingzhi quickly replied, "I will definitely change too!"
Seeing that both of them had realized their mistakes, Gou Feng felt a sense of relief. He then solemnly said to them.
"Since the Han family insists on opposing our Gou family, then we will let them see what kind of existence the eight great families of Lecheng are!"
Gou Tuizhi and Gou Xingzhi were overjoyed to hear this and excitedly asked.
"Dad, what do you plan to do?"
Gou Feng pondered for a moment and said, "The situation has developed to this point. We can only take advantage of their new drug being unstable and use our stronger financial power to nip it in the bud, and then crush them in one fell swoop!"
"But..." Gou Xingzhi interrupted Gou Feng's words and raised his doubts. "With our financial resources, will it be a bit stretched to set up such a large plan? Moreover, isn't the risk too great?"
Gou Feng sneered, "Don't worry! My nickname 'Mad Dog' wasn't given to me for nothing. If we relied solely on ourselves, the risk would indeed be very high, so I plan to persuade the patriarch of the Wang family, Wang Zizai, to join us. Using their family's main business, the beauty industry, as a breakthrough, we will complete this cross-industry raid targeting Han's Pharmaceutical Factory!"
Gou Xingzhi pondered Gou Feng's words for a moment, then exclaimed with great joy, "Brilliant! Big brother! This is simply a brilliant plan that kills three birds with one stone."
Gou Tuizhi was still confused and immediately asked, "Uncle, how is it killing three birds with one stone? Tell me in detail."
Hearing this, Gou Feng became even more smug. At his signal, Gou Xingzhi explained the objectives of this strategy one by one.
"With the Wang family's beauty industry as the main focus and us as the supporting force, on the surface, it will appear that we are fully assisting the Wang family's development. This way, the Wang family will owe us a great favor. From now on, won't the Wang family follow our Gou family's lead?"
"Secondly, since this matter is primarily led by the Wang family, they will bear the brunt of the funding, with us taking a smaller portion. Based on my estimation, this ratio will be at most 7:3. Then our risk will naturally be minimized."
"Finally, we will achieve our ultimate goal of crushing the Han family in one go."
"Tell me, isn't this killing three birds with one stone?"
"I see!" After hearing the explanation, Gou Tuizhi's face lit up with joy, and he praised Gou Feng repeatedly. "Father is indeed Father. Your moves are always extraordinary."
"Haha..." Gou Feng was very pleased with Gou Tuizhi's flattery and said earnestly, "This is all experience. You are still young and have much to learn!"
Gou Tuizhi nodded heavily, indicating that he was still learning. Then, as if remembering something, he frowned and asked.
"But, Dad, the Han family seems to have surrendered to the Cao family. If the Cao family intervenes in the end, then our plan..."
Gou Tuizhi's words were cut short by Gou Feng.