Lu Feng looked at the phone and wondered who would call him at this hour.
Could it be Hermann?
Lu Feng was puzzled. He picked up the phone and said, "This is Lu Feng from Jiafeng Group. Who is this?"
"Hello, Mr. Lu, long time no see!" The voice on the phone was very playful, and Lu Feng didn't recognize the accented English at first, but he was certain it was Japanese.
At a time like this, the only Japanese person who would call him is Watanabe Shi, whom he hasn't seen in a long time.
Who are you?
"You can't even recognize my voice? You're at your wit's end now. If you can't get money in Europe, do you think the Schroders Group will still support you? In front of these international giants, you're as fragile as a sheet of paper," Watanabe Shi mocked. "If the US hadn't been so dismissive, do you think you could still be making a fuss in the international community?"
"You called me just to spout this garbage?" Lu Feng took a drag of his cigarette, stubbed it out in the ashtray, and said, "You're supposed to be a prominent figure internationally, why are you calling me to spout nonsense?"
"Not entirely. After all, I have to be involved in this. Once Jiafeng is completely gone, I will leave Motorola and return to Goldman Sachs. Calling you is a necessary condition," Watanabe said quite frankly.
"I understand, you just want to be a lackey. I'm just curious, how are you so sure I'm doomed?" Lu Feng asked casually. "It is indeed very troublesome now, but you know me, I'm always good at creating miracles."
"Siemens' influence in Europe is beyond your estimation. Many companies in our country have now reached cooperation agreements with Siemens and are exchanging ideas in the field of technology. Do you think you can leave? Even if you make money, don't worry, a fine will wipe out every last penny." Watanabe's words carried a kind of magnanimity towards someone who was about to die.
“I must say, you’re very smart, but you don’t understand the current international community. Only Lambert in the US seems to care. If the higher-ups take notice and impose sanctions, will you still be able to keep your neck around?” Watanabe’s voice revealed an understanding of the international community as he said, “If they really want to fight you, what are you?”
"That's right. I was nothing to begin with. It seems I gave Siemens some benefits. I knew it. We had no grudges against each other. Why would Siemens target me? You don't need to tell me how powerful the United States is. I know better than you. You're just talking to me about this because you think I'm doomed." Lu Feng lit another cigarette as he spoke.
Upon hearing the sound of someone lighting a cigarette, Watanabe Shi, on the other end of the phone, said with great concern, "Smoke less. It's already late there. Go to sleep early. The international community is like a big family, with different classes. The child of a farmhand is still a farmhand. You need to understand that."
Lu Feng wasn't so angry when he heard this. That's how the world is. When you haven't made a name for yourself, the whole world advises you to stay put and find your place. But once you've made a name for yourself, whatever you say goes.
"Alright, I'll figure out my place now. I'm hanging up. If you want to feel like you're relevant to me, you'll have to call more often and we can chat more."
"Don't worry, I'll call you. I hope that when you're in the international community in the future, you'll find your place and use polite language more often!" Watanabe Shi said before hanging up the phone.
Lu Feng listened to the busy tone on the phone and put it down. He finally understood what bargaining chips the other party had put up in this deal. They had persuaded Siemens to make a move with just a technical exchange. Lambert really didn't get a single penny out of the way!
The following day, Jiafeng swept through the UK, officially surpassing 500,000 agents, with the highest single-day profit reaching a staggering 43.5 million. Compared to the previous speed, Lu Feng was now deliberately slowing down the expansion, kicking out some low-quality agents who made money but didn't repay their loans, euphemistically calling it "letting our brothers and sisters return to a normal life."
Even so, the pace of development is still very fast, and it is already becoming one of the most watched groups in society.
Not only in the UK, but also in Germany, France, Italy and other countries, the number of agents has exceeded 200,000. In the whole European market, the total number of agents of Jiafeng has officially exceeded two million.
At the morning meeting, Manager Li looked at the folder in his hand and said to Lu Feng, "Yesterday, two companies in Germany and France launched investigations into our branch, and two companies in Italy and Sweden fined us a total of nine million US dollars for false advertising and unfair competition. Our branches in various countries, local appliance retailers and manufacturers have also filed lawsuits against us. As of yesterday, we have a total of thirty-five lawsuits in Europe, including twenty company-to-company lawsuits, ten individual lawsuits, and five public prosecutions!"
Lu Feng's face turned ashen after hearing about today's situation. Now, trouble was brewing everywhere. Siemens had set a bad precedent, and various countries were eyeing their own piece of the pie.
“People outside think we’ve made a fortune. Some say our monthly profit is billions of US dollars, others say tens of billions. There are countless envious people. I know where this money came from, but I probably don’t know where it went!” Lu Feng knew it was time to make a decisive move. He said to Manager Li, “Notify all branches to assess their local development potential. If they can find a balance of interests, continue. If they can’t find a break-even point, just give up.”
Others also advised Lu Feng that these are turbulent times, and that promoting direct selling into the European system, establishing standards, setting up labor unions, and creating industry associations are the keys to stable development.
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