Volume 1, Chapter 25: Ye Tian's Countermeasure

Li Group.

In the executive conference room, many senior managers of the Li family gathered together.

"The Zhou family is holding a launch event for their 'Beauty Pill' on May 28th. I believe everyone is already aware of this news..." Li Tianguo said, frowning with deep concern. "Let’s hear your thoughts on how we should respond."

"The Zhou family is shameless! That is clearly our 'Youth-Preserving Pill.' They stole the formula through despicable means, changed the name, and now have the audacity to use it to compete with us for the market..." a young family member said, his face full of indignation.

"In business, we must be pragmatic. Now is not the time for complaints."

"Sigh, the Zhou family moved way too quickly. They managed to prepare for a new product launch so fast; they must have stocked up on plenty of inventory."

"They are trying to catch us off guard."

"Of course they could move fast. They poached our workers and stole our formula. With everything ready-made, they just had to start the production lines," another manager in charge of production sighed helplessly. "They left us with so little time to respond."

"The main issue is the Zhou family’s immense financial power. They used large sums of money to poach the entire on-site team from our pharmaceutical factory. We couldn't keep them, and hiring temporary workers on such short notice is difficult—the timeline is just too tight."

"Those workers were skilled. With them, the Zhou family could begin production of the Beauty Pill immediately, saving a great deal of time on training and integration. This production advantage has put them far ahead of us."

"Not only have we lost our edge, but our basic production is now affected as well. With their gain being our loss, the situation is dire..."

"I think the core issue is the formula. If they hadn't stolen the formula for the Youth-Preserving Pill, their production could never have been this smooth and rapid."

"What’s the use of saying that now? At least we still possess the formula. They have the Beauty Pill, and we have the Youth-Preserving Pill; we shouldn't be worse off than them."

"Since the Beauty Pill is a copy of our Youth-Preserving Pill, the quality surely won't be bad. In fact, if they’ve improved and upgraded it, invested in higher costs, and selected better raw materials, it might even be more effective than our version..."

"What are we to do then? If we have no advantage in product quality... we can't just sit here and wait for our downfall, can we?"

"I think we could try focusing on product differentiation. Even though the formula was stolen, our years of experience in pharmaceuticals are not for nothing..."

"Could we consider focusing on the auxiliary benefits of the Youth-Preserving Pill? Developing some new peripheral products and launching them alongside the main pill might attract consumers."

"That doesn't seem feasible. With time being so short, how can we easily develop new products? Plus, it’s uncertain if consumers will buy into it..."

"I think we should look for solutions in our marketing channels, expanding into new sales territories to avoid the Zhou family’s direct assault."

"There are only a few major distributors in Nanjiang City. We can't rely solely on those small-time agents and retailers, can we?"

The conference room was filled with gloom. The Li family members expressed their opinions and argued endlessly, yet no viable solutions emerged.

Suddenly, Li Qingcheng stood up. All eyes turned to her.

"I have consulted with Ye Tian," Li Qingcheng stated. "His suggestion is that we hold our own launch event for the Youth-Preserving Pill on May 28th."

The moment these words were spoken, the room erupted in an uproar. Everyone looked surprised.

A young family member asked skeptically, "Sister Qingcheng, is there any point in holding another launch event?"

"Isn't our current product the same as before? Will there be any new content?"

"Why would Ye Tian insist on picking the same day as the Zhou family? Is he trying to challenge them directly? What possible advantage could we have?"

Li Qingcheng looked at everyone and said calmly, "I don't know Ye Tian's specific plan, but I trust him."

"In our current situation, we must take action. We must strike back."

"The audit by the Medical Regulatory Bureau has concluded, and as expected, they found no safety issues. So, we can finally breathe a little easier..."

"We have the capacity to counter the market impact initiated by the Zhou family and launch a retaliation."

The group fell silent. An elder frowned and said, "The Zhou family's goal was always to obtain the formula for the Youth-Preserving Pill; having the regulatory bureau investigate our group was just a convenient tactic. Now that they haven't found any dirt on us, they’ve naturally stopped, which is no surprise... but what is the purpose of Ye Tian having us hold another launch?"

Li Qingcheng replied firmly, "I don't know, but we have no better options right now. At the very least, we cannot let the Zhou family's launch go smoothly! Even if we are just causing trouble, we must make a move!"

...

At the Zhou Group’s conference room, senior executives were discussing the final preparations for their launch. As the meeting neared its end, someone finally mentioned the situation with the Li family.

The Li Group was also holding a launch event on May 28th. This news had already spread throughout the business circles of Nanjiang City. It sounded somewhat ridiculous.

Most of the Zhou Group's executives did not take the news to heart. However, some felt that this matter should not be taken lightly. Especially on the eve of their own launch, the Zhou family needed to act with caution to prevent any unfavorable developments.

"Is the Li family planning to use their launch event to expose our poaching of their workers and the theft of their formula?"

"So what if we poached their workers? That is a standard competitive business tactic!"

"As for the formula, hmph, what evidence do they have that we are using theirs? Do they really think they’ll announce the composition of the Youth-Preserving Pill to the public?"

Most of the Zhou executives remained dismissive.

Zhou Yunyi, sitting at the head of the table, sneered, "Ignore them. The Li family is just struggling in their death throes."

"They have lost a large number of workers, and their formula is no longer exclusive. What do they have left to compete with us?"

"Even if they hold another launch, they will still be overshadowed by us."

"I have complete confidence that this launch will crush them completely, ensuring that the Li family disappears from the Nanjiang City beauty and medicinal market forever."

"We have invested a great deal of energy and capital, increased the cost of the original formula, and sourced the best raw materials. The effect of our Beauty Pill will absolutely surpass their Youth-Preserving Pill."

"Furthermore, our promotional campaign has covered the entire city. From newspapers and television to online media, our comprehensive advertising blitz will surely attract a massive number of consumers."

"Their original distributors have all joined our camp. They are isolated and helpless..."

"Our Beauty Pill is far superior to their Youth-Preserving Pill in quality, marketing, and sales channels."

"We have already greased the wheels in all the right places; even if there are minor ripples, we can easily resolve them."

"What do they have to fight us with?"

"This is what people call 'overestimating one's own strength'!"

"They even chose the same day as us—aren't they just trying to latch onto our success to gain some attention?"

"Hmph, it’s nothing but a pipe dream!"

"Their foundation has already been shaken. When the time comes, the entire city of Nanjiang will be waiting to watch them become a laughingstock!"

"What we need to do now is focus on the preparations for our launch and ensure nothing goes wrong."