Three days later,
At the president's office of the Mengde Group,
Han Kang rushed in, his heart filled with anxiety, forgetting to even close the door as he anxiously said to Cao Xuerong,
"Xuerong, my fears have come true!"
Cao Xuerong was unaware of what had happened, but from Han Kang's solemn expression, she could tell that something major had occurred.
She nervously stood up, walked over to close the door, and quickly inquired,
"What is it, Han Kang? What happened?"
Han Kang composed himself and said gravely,
"Our cold medicine promotion has encountered a significant setback. The market shift has not only failed to reach our previously expected level but is even lower than our current market share!"
Upon hearing this, Cao Xuerong's face was filled with confusion and disbelief.
"How can that be? When we conducted market research, we confirmed that no other competitors had major moves planned? How could we be so heavily impacted?"
"It's not a competitor, it's the beauty industry! It's as if they knew we had big plans and deliberately chose this time to overshadow our achievements!"
Cao Xuerong was even more puzzled by this.
"That doesn't make sense! The beauty industry is completely unrelated to us, and they don't operate in the same market. How could they target us?"
Han Kang continued to explain.
"Yes, in terms of business direction, we are indeed worlds apart. But the issue is that promotion relies on exposure. With unchanged promotional channels, our exposure is less than a tenth of our plan. In such a situation, it's almost impossible for us to expand our market influence and seize market share!"
After hearing this, Cao Xuerong finally realized that something was amiss, and her eyes were filled with incomprehension at the other party's actions.
"Isn't this clearly harming others and benefiting oneself? Which company dares to target our Cao family like this!"
Han Kang sighed and replied faintly,
"In all of Le City, who else in the beauty industry is doing well? If you ask me, they might not be targeting your Cao family specifically, but are most likely coming for our Han family again!"
With Han Kang's reminder, Cao Xuerong quickly guessed the root of the problem.
The best in Le City's beauty industry was the Wang family, and the Wang family had always been on good terms with the Gou family. The Gou family had repeatedly targeted the Han family because of Han Lang.
The sinister intent behind this was self-evident.
Thinking of this, a surge of unprovoked anger rose within Cao Xuerong. She immediately said,
"Just you wait, I'll go ask Wang Zizai right now. What does he mean by doing this!"
"Forget it!" Han Kang stopped Cao Xuerong and said seriously, "Since they dared to do this, they must have been prepared. Even if you go and ask, they will just be evasive and pretend to be ignorant. Instead of that, it's better for us to find our own solutions."
"However, our funds have already been invested. If we withdraw now, it will only result in the evaporation of hundreds of millions in value. Although this amount of capital is not much for our Cao family, it is enough to bankrupt your Han family!"
Han Kang naturally understood the problem Cao Xuerong had raised. He looked troubled and tried to think of a countermeasure. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he excitedly said to Cao Xuerong,
"Perhaps, we need to slightly change our plan!"
Before Cao Xuerong could ask, Han Kang quickly elaborated on his idea.
"Since the Wang family is going to such great lengths to do this, they surely aren't just targeting our Han family. I think they must also want to kill two birds with one stone: both to strike at our Han family and to complete their own marketing plan. If that's the case, can't we also use them to our advantage?"
"Use them?" Cao Xuerong completely failed to grasp Han Kang's line of thought. "How do we use them?"
Han Kang replied, "The Wang family has spent so much to carry out this cross-industry raid, but they have overlooked that promotion between peers is complementary!"
"We can allocate a portion of the startup capital for this project to acquire beauty industry institutions with good reputations but low market share. By riding on the Wang family's coattails, we can openly seize their market share. This way, wouldn't our risks be greatly reduced?"
Cao Xuerong carefully considered Han Kang's words and found them to have some merit after much thought. However, she still voiced her concerns.
"Your plan is indeed good. However, to venture into the beauty industry and compensate for our marketing losses from the 'Gan Kuai Hao' oral liquid this time, it would be best to have a solid beauty product!"
Han Kang nodded in agreement as he listened.
"You make a valid point. If we could have a competitive beauty product like the 'Gan Kuai Hao' oral liquid, we might even be able to counterattack the Wang family, or even directly steal their fruits of labor!"
Speaking of product research, Cao Xuerong's eyes darted around, and she tentatively suggested,
"Why don't you go ask Han Lang? He is proficient in traditional Chinese medicine, and perhaps he might have some secret recipes for beauty and rejuvenation. If the secret recipes are effective, my Cao family can invest another billion for you, and then we can easily reap the rewards of the Wang family's efforts!"
Cao Xuerong's words made Han Kang's eyes light up instantly.
"That makes sense, that makes sense! If that's the case, with the 'Gan Kuai Hao' oral liquid and the beauty formula, my Han family can definitely leap to become the ninth major family outside of Le City's eight great families!"
After speaking, he eagerly started to walk out, saying,
"I'll go find my brother now!"
Seeing this, Cao Xuerong quickly stopped him.
"Hey, wait a moment!"
Han Kang turned back to Cao Xuerong with a hint of impatience.
"What is it?"
Cao Xuerong said with a playful pout,
"What you're thinking now is how we can get a piece of the pie from the Wang family's publicity. But have you considered, if the Wang family intends to target your Han family, why would they stand by and watch you take a share?"
Hearing this, Han Kang finally realized.
"Oh! That's right! If they increase their efforts later, we will still be overwhelmed by this torrent. If my brother has this secret recipe, that's good, but if not, my Han family will be eaten down to the last crumb!"
"It's good that you understand!"
Seeing that Han Kang had grasped the pros and cons, Cao Xuerong nodded with satisfaction.
"But, what can we do then?"
Cao Xuerong pondered for a moment and replied,
"Regardless, we must prepare for both eventualities. If Han Lang truly has the secret recipe, it will be a huge opportunity for your Han family. But if he doesn't, to protect your Han family, it will depend on my Cao family."
Han Kang sighed and said helplessly,
"Alas, it truly is a mix of risk and opportunity!"
Seeing Han Kang's dejected look, Cao Xuerong changed the subject and said in a relaxed tone,
"However, you don't need to worry too much. If the Wang and Gou families really intend to be so ruthless and eliminate us, I'm also very curious to see if those two families have truly grown to a point where they can rival my Cao family!"