With the arrival of March, feedback came from Peking Union Medical College Hospital regarding the research and development of cosmeceuticals.
Shen Mingzhi was checking the quality inspection report for a new batch of products in the factory when Jiang Shaozhen pushed open the door and entered, his face showing a serious expression.
“The first research and development attempt at Peking Union Medical College Hospital failed.” Jiang Shaozhen placed a stack of documents on the table. “The professor said the formula is not stable enough and needs to be readjusted. It will take at least another half month.”
Shen Mingzhi tapped her fingers lightly on the report, her brows furrowing slightly. "Half a month...that'll be mid-March then."
“Yes, there are only two weeks left until April. If we fail again by then… what will you do if we don’t have any new products by April?” Jiang Shaozhen asked her.
Shen Mingzhi closed the report, her expression calm. "Haste makes waste. We'll wait."
Just then, the office door was suddenly pushed open, and Factory Director Sun strode in. "Xiao Shen, I just received news that Jiang Huanyu not only found distributors like we have, but also negotiated with two department stores in Haicheng to open counters, and even... he will hire popular celebrities from Haicheng to advertise."
Shen Mingzhi got up to pour him a glass of water. "This is something I would have expected. There's nothing surprising about it."
Factory Director Sun took the water, and just as he took a sip, Shen Mingzhi said anxiously, "It's hot! Take it easy!"
Factory Director Sun, his neck throbbing from the heat, frowned and said, "What's the rush? April is almost here, and we don't even have a glimpse of our new product yet, while they're already advertising it everywhere!"
Shen Mingzhi sat down. “There’s no use in rushing. New product development takes time. They have a German team, but we have to go to Concord. We don’t have the money to hire a good team. Besides, we can’t launch an immature product just to save time.”
Jiang Shaochen nodded in agreement with her statement.
Factory Director Sun held a glass of water, seemingly hesitant to drink, and said, "The market waits for no one! Jiang Huanyu has gone all out this time, and the product price will definitely be at an all-time low. We haven't taken any measures, and we're doomed."
Jiang Shao Chen frowned. "Lowest price ever? The information they released is from the club?"
"Yes, they're determined to wage a price war!" Factory Manager Sun slapped his thigh. "They have their dad's factory backing them up, so they can afford to lose money! What about us? Our workers are all counting on this for their livelihood!"
Shen Mingzhi said calmly, "What you need to do now is to appease the workers. Continue making the products as usual. New products will definitely be developed, it just will take a while. Just hang in there."
Director Sun hesitated for a moment, then finally left with his water glass.
“You still need to be prepared. The professors at Peking Union Medical College Hospital said that your cosmeceuticals are difficult to research. Don’t put all your hopes on this,” Jiang Shaozhen said to Shen Mingzhi in a deep voice.
“Then I’ll trouble them to put in a little more effort. A factory has hundreds of workers to feed. Talk to them again and encourage them,” Shen Mingzhi said, looking into his eyes.
Jiang Shaozhen understood that she wasn't in a hurry, only trying to appease Director Sun, but in reality, she was worried.
"Then I'll go back and talk to them some more." He said, and stood up.
"I'm always wasting your time..."
"What are you saying between husband and wife? They called me, so I went. Besides, it's only been a short time, it's nothing," Jiang Shaozhen said.
Just then, the phone on the table suddenly rang.
Shen Mingzhi answered the phone; it was Manager Su from the department store.
"Director Shen, are you free tonight? Let's have dinner together?" Manager Su always had that same smiling attitude.
Shen Mingzhi asked calmly, "Manager Su, what time is it?"
After Manager Su gave her a time, she hung up.
After hanging up the phone, Jiang Shaozhen raised an eyebrow. "The department store manager wants to see you; it probably isn't anything good."
"Hmm, it's supposed to be a meal," Shen Mingzhi said thoughtfully. "But I heard that the department stores have recently reduced the amount of our products on their shelves, so I thought I'd sound them out."
At 7 p.m., Shen Mingzhi arrived at the agreed-upon restaurant alone.
She paused slightly as she pushed open the door to the private room—besides Manager Su, there was also Manager Gao from the department store, and… Jiang Huanyu.
"Director Shen is here! Please have a seat!" Manager Su warmly stood up to greet him.
Jiang Huanyu leaned back in his chair, a meaningful smile playing on his lips. "Director Shen, it's been a long time."
If Shen Mingzhi had known he was there, she wouldn't have come; she would have preferred to stay home and take care of the children.
Suppressing her annoyance, she put on an official smile and said, "Comrade Jiang is here too, what a coincidence."
Manager Gao smiled and smoothed things over, "Isn't this a perfect opportunity? We're all in the same industry, let's exchange ideas."
After we were seated, the waiter began serving the dishes.
Shen Mingzhi noticed that Jiang Huanyu's gaze kept falling on her, making her very uncomfortable.
She remembered Jiang Shaozhen saying that he looked at her like he was staring at prey, something she hadn't noticed before.
Now it seems that there is some truth to that.
Shen Mingzhi rolled her eyes inwardly.
"Director Shen," Jiang Huanyu suddenly spoke up, "I heard you've encountered difficulties in developing your new product?"
Shen Mingzhi paused slightly in her chopsticks, then smiled nonchalantly, "Comrade Shen is certainly well-informed. However, setbacks in research and development are normal; we are making steady progress."
"Really?" Jiang Huanyu swirled his wine glass. "But I heard that the first research and development at Xiehe failed, and it might fail a second time, a third time, each time taking half a month. You can wait that long, but Baoli factory has so many workers who can't."
Shen Mingzhi looked at him and said with a smile, "Comrade Jiang, what are you saying? Isn't your father's factory quite big? Just let our workers report to your factory. We can fight as we please, but the workers are innocent. I'm sure your father's factory is doing so well that he would be willing to take them in."
"Hahahaha..." Jiang Huanyu burst out laughing, "Director Shen is really honest and can take a loss. He's definitely got the makings of a director!"
Manager Su interjected, "Comrade Shen's new product is coming on strong; he's even got a celebrity endorsement."
Manager Gao chimed in, "Yes, Director Shen, you guys need to step up your game."
Shen Mingzhi slowly put down her chopsticks, her gaze sweeping over the three of them. "It seems that Comrade Jiang is hosting this dinner tonight?"
The private room fell silent for a moment.
Jiang Huanyu laughed, "Director Shen is indeed clever. That's right, I wanted to talk to you about cooperation today."
"Oh?" Shen Mingzhi raised an eyebrow. "What can we do to cooperate on?"
“Your new product development has hit a bottleneck, while my new product is about to launch.” Jiang Huanyu leaned forward. “How about this: you give me Baoli’s sales channels, and I’ll buy them at market price, how about that?”
Shen Mingzhi almost burst out laughing. "So my joke just now hit the nail on the head?"
“I’m serious. Our factory is indeed short of workers, and we’ve reserved positions for Baoli workers.” A look of determination flashed in Jiang Huanyu’s eyes. “You should know that, given your current situation, it’s difficult for you to compete with me.”
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