Qu Zong followed closely behind Komatsu Miyako:

"So, Mr. Gu, what exactly is this collaboration you're talking about?"

After dealing with the two difficult managers from Meizida and Qianwei, President Gu appeared visibly more relaxed.

"If any of the three of us lose, it will definitely not be because of our scale of operation or our philosophy."

"Instead, they were completely defeated by the recipe of Lu's Soy Sauce Factory."

"I think President Qu and President Komatsu-miya would want to know exactly what the formula is like, wouldn't they?"

"In that case, how about our first collaborative project as the three companies is to jointly build a research and development laboratory?"

"Our top priority is to research the recipe of Lu '600' soy sauce factory. If we can obtain our own exclusive recipe, that would be a great achievement."

Komatsu's eyes lit up: "But the ownership of this formula..." President Gu's eyes flickered, and he smiled like an old fox: "Naturally, it should be shared by the three of us. How could I possibly keep it all to myself?"

Komatsu and he exchanged a glance, then both looked at President Qu. President Qu looked left and right, feeling that President Gu and Komatsu were implying something more.

However, after mentally going over his own words, Mr. Qu still couldn't find anything wrong with them.

Now that the die was cast and there was no turning back, he finally nodded under the intense gazes of President Gu and Komatsu.

Mr. Gu quickly instructed his secretary to prepare the contract, which was then signed by all three parties, who pledged to each invest several hundred million yuan to complete the construction of the research laboratory.

Soon, news of the upcoming collaboration between the three leading companies, Shengjing, Meizida, and Qianwei, spread.

The stocks of these three companies also saw soaring prices.

Just as President Gu was busy forming alliances and plotting to get rid of Lu Fan, this troublesome person...

Lü Qiuyi's legal department has initiated lawsuits against the distributors.

Lu Fan's strategy this time was still to confront them head-on.

The official Lu family account has also announced the court date again, welcoming everyone to attend.

It also included a second article that vehemently criticized foreign-invested enterprises.

"A ruthless monster that recklessly attacks and acquires domestic small and medium-sized enterprises, leaving state-owned assets with nowhere to go."

This article not only exposes the bullying behavior of anonymous foreign companies, but also several of their accomplices.

Regardless of the anonymity, with the lawsuit already in full swing, clever netizens quickly uncovered the truth behind it:

"I have to say, this is amazing! Is the disguise too weak, or have these four guardians committed too many sins in the past, making it impossible to hide them no matter what they do?"

"Wow, is this a real head-on showdown? I checked the address, and there really is one today. Anyone want to come along and sit in?"

"Speaking of the Four Protectors, who exactly are they? There are rumors that Shengjing is suppressing small and medium-sized enterprises in China. Could it be true?"

"It can't be Shengjing, it's a very old national brand."

"Doesn't that perfectly match the description of Lu's Soy Sauce Factory? Has anyone checked the current qualifications of the legal representative of Shengjing Company? Is it really a foreign-invested enterprise?" "It's just a rumor; spreading rumors like this will have consequences."

"Haha, those who were really spreading rumors have probably already been arrested."

The online buzz was endless, but offline, Lü Qiuyi and her team were confronting the distributors.

Lu Fan summoned Zhou Huan, the person in charge of Baiyue Supermarket's main store.

This guy truly lives up to Lu Fan's discerning eye; he was the business management talent he selected.

Under his leadership, the branch managers and trained employees are now able to shoulder heavy responsibilities and withstand pressure.

With several concurrent promotional offers and benefits, Baiyue Supermarket's current sales volume is far higher than that of Guangyuan back then.

Lu Fan looked at the financial statements about Baiyue that his assistant, Xiao Zhang, handed him, and was very satisfied.

But Zhou Huan brought more good news than just this.

Zhou Huan did not take credit for himself, but instead called Zhang Hong over:

"Let's have Zhang Hong report to President Lu. He was the one who discovered it first."

Although Zhang Hong had dealt with Lu Fan before, this was the first time since he took over Lu Fan's position.

Zhang Hong was quite nervous when he met Lu Fan, the big boss.

Fortunately, his friend Zhou Huan was also there. After submitting the report, Zhang Hong secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"President Lu, I heard it from Zhou Huan... Manager Zhou. We need to expand the scale of our Baiyue Supermarket. In addition to the store in Nanshan City, we are also looking for store locations in the surrounding Shancheng Huacheng?"

Lu Fan nodded upon hearing this: 5.4 "That's right, this is...?" He pointed to the document Zhang Hong handed over.

Zhang Hong blushed and said:

"That's right, I don't have any other good points, but I'm incredibly lucky."

Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Zhang and Zhou Huan burst out laughing.

Zhou Huan quickly explained to the curious Lu Fan:

"Mr. Lu, I can vouch for what this guy is saying. I noticed back in school that he's a walking fortune cookie!"

Finding money on the street, winning the lottery, and even bumping into your future father-in-law while skiing with a coupon you finally managed to get…