Xie Qian was indifferent to many things. He rarely got angry over other people or matters.
The last time he had shown such a clear, resolute attitude that something absolutely had to be done was when he attended the funeral of the driver, Feng Gao. Xie Qian felt that Driver Feng’s death had been far too innocent. A strong sense of outrage and guilt had driven him to root out the mastermind behind it.
It was the same now.
“Si Lan” must collapse. That was Xie Qian’s genuine conviction.
To that end, Xie Qian had long been laying the groundwork.
Before Xie Qian’s car accident, “Si Lan” products had already gone on sale. At that time, Xie Qian had asked Jiang Youjia to send “Si Lan” products for testing. Jiang Youjia reported that some internationally controversial additives had been detected in the products. These were not yet explicitly banned in China.
After talking with He Zhen that evening, Xie Qian’s understanding of medical aesthetics products had deepened.
Zhao Dong had been able to acquire the technology so easily precisely because of those controversial additives.
The core patents for the products were outdated. Without the additives, there was no effect. With them, allergic reactions and other side effects occurred, and long-term use could cause further harm to the body. That was why, when Zhao Dong wanted to buy the technology, the sellers were happy to make a quick profit.
He Zhen’s company was different. Through his girlfriend Rebecca’s connections, He Zhen had acquired superior patents. Additives were still used, but not the controversial ones, greatly improving safety.
Jiang Youjia had been monitoring “Si Lan”‘s movements all along. When Xie Qian asked him about progress, Jiang Youjia grinned.
“I thought you had forgotten about it.”
First there had been the car accident, followed by months of treatment and rehabilitation.
Finally, when he could walk normally without the wheelchair, Xie Qian had plunged into a passionate romance.
Disturbing someone in love invites divine retribution. Jiang Youjia felt he could wait a little longer for revenge. Well, mainly because his wife Lin Lin was pregnant and the baby was due soon. There would be so many places to spend money in future.
Milk powder, nappies, pram, clothes, shoes.
Then, when the child was old enough for school, tuition, living expenses, and tutoring fees.
Other people’s children learned painting and music. His own child could not fall behind.
Later, there would be fees for studying abroad.
After returning from abroad, the child would be ready to marry. As parents, they would have to buy a wedding flat, would they not?
The child was not even born yet, but Jiang Youjia had already calculated the expenses for the next twenty or thirty years. He felt enormous financial pressure and dared not joke about any “year-end bonus”.
Yes, the “year-end bonus” made Jiang Youjia subservient to his boss, unwilling to intrude tactlessly on Xie Qian’s romance.
How could Xie Qian know all that Jiang Youjia had been thinking? “You have been keeping an eye on ‘Si Lan’. How much useful material have you gathered?”
Jiang Youjia really had collected quite a lot.
“Si Lan”‘s premium line was mainly sold to beauty salons and plastic surgery hospitals. Jiang Youjia had been watching those two channels. The staff in beauty salons and doctors in plastic surgery hospitals knew best whether “Si Lan” products were good or not, but as interested parties, they would not easily speak out.
Some staff, to earn commissions, even actively recommended “Si Lan” products to customers.
“In beauty salons, the cheapest ‘Si Lan’ set costs several thousand yuan. Mid-range products sell for ten or twenty thousand, and premium sets cost tens of thousands. In plastic surgery hospitals, the pricing model is different, but the products are largely the same.”
Even someone as wealthy as Xie Qian felt “Si Lan” products were not cheap.
Ordinary salaried workers could grit their teeth and afford a set costing a few thousand, but they could not sustain it long-term.
Beauty salons and plastic surgery hospitals aggressively promoted “Si Lan” products for two reasons. First, the high selling price meant high profits. Second, Zhao Dong spent freely on advertising, quickly building brand recognition, so consumers were willing to buy.
Previously, Zhao Dong had hired a well-known female celebrity as spokesperson.
Recently, with He Zhen’s company rising rapidly, Zhao Dong had increased promotional efforts. The previous spokesperson’s popularity had been drained, so Zhao Dong had recently changed to a new one.
“I hear the contract was signed just a couple of days ago. You know the new spokesperson too.”
Jiang Youjia’s face was full of gossip as he dangled the tease.
Xie Qian thought for a moment. “They signed Hu Man?”
Jiang Youjia was dumbfounded. “You already heard?”
Xie Qian shook his head. “No news. But you said the new ‘Si Lan’ spokesperson is someone I know. There are not many female celebrities I know.”
Though Xie Qian owned a film and television company, after the initial period of hands-on involvement when he took over, he had managed only the big picture. Social obligations were handled by Gong Sheng and Jiang Youjia. He truly did not know many celebrities in the industry.
The ones he did know could be counted on his fingers. The most familiar was definitely Li Mengjiao, followed by Xu Mei and later-signed Pei Yiyi. Oh, and Tianjiao’s Zhang Yangning.
Beyond that, only Hu Man remained.
Among Xie Qian’s limited knowledge of female celebrities, Hu Man was the oldest and most suitable to endorse “Si Lan”.
Moreover, Hu Man had been blackmailed by Yu Tianlin, leaving her finances strained. After investing in “Crown of Thorns” to replace Cao Bo and losing several million, if a brand now offered her money, how could Hu Man refuse?
How to put it.
Even a staunch atheist like Xie Qian felt Hu Man had been plagued by bad luck these past two years.
Tianjiao had such strong momentum. Hu Man had originally connected with them, only to fall out over who would sing the theme song for “Starry River with You”.
Falling out was one thing, but afterwards she consistently backed the wrong horse.
With so many projects starting filming each year in the industry, Hu Man invested in none, yet chose to put money into “Throne of Thorns”.
Now she was endorsing “Si Lan”.
When “Si Lan”‘s reputation imploded, Hu Man would be covered in controversy again.
Xie Qian guessed the new “Si Lan” spokesperson with little thought. Jiang Youjia felt deflated. “You are clever like a monster. Working under a boss like you is no fun. There is no room even for small schemes.”
“Then under what kind of boss would you like to work?”
Xie Qian was curious.
Jiang Youjia thought seriously. “Someone like Peng Guoqing, perhaps?”
Xie Qian said mildly, “Then you would have to pray there are not too many managers who think like you. If everyone shared your mindset, Peng Guoqing’s company would soon collapse, and you would all be unemployed together.”
Xie Qian’s tongue was truly venomous.
Yet Jiang Youjia had to admit Xie Qian was right.
Working under Xie Qian meant strict demands, but the company improved year by year, so management remained stable.
Working under Peng Guoqing, who was lax, would see managers competing to slack off. The company would soon be gone.
Jiang Youjia raised his hands in surrender. “I choose to continue slaving away for you. After all, I was not born with Peng Guoqing’s reincarnation luck. My father would not casually hand over twenty million for me to play with. Alright, alright, back to business. I really have collected a lot of consumer feedback on ‘Si Lan’ these past months.”
Jiang Youjia handed over the materials he had painstakingly gathered.
Unable to get truthful information from interested parties, Jiang Youjia had targeted consumers who bought “Si Lan” products, tracking feedback from some over several months.
Allergic reactions leading to ruined faces were not isolated cases.
Most allergic consumers had been placated by beauty salon or hospital staff with smooth talk, convinced it was their skin type unsuited to the product. After stopping use and recovering for a while, they did not pursue responsibility.
A smaller number of persistent consumers received discounts, complimentary treatments, or stored-value cards as appeasement from the salons.
Only a very few particularly tenacious ones, whom salons and hospitals could not pacify, were handled by “Si Lan”‘s public relations team.
“They pay hush money.”
