Xie Qian was not surprised. He simply felt rather speechless.
The He family had been operating in the medical devices industry for many years and had deep foundations in related fields. That was why “Si Lan” products had quickly gained access to sales channels in plastic surgery hospitals.
With the He family’s channels plus the funds Xie Jinghu had helped secure, “Si Lan” had started from a position far higher than He Zhen’s independent venture, by an unknown multiple.
With such an excellent starting point, Zhao Dong had still managed to create this mess. His business acumen was indeed mediocre.
“The consumers who were paid to keep quiet did not actually stay silent, did they?”
Xie Qian guessed. Jiang Youjia smiled. “They did sign agreements, waiving the right to pursue responsibility and not mentioning in public that ‘Si Lan’ products cause severe allergies.”
“But you still know about it, which shows ‘Si Lan’ did not even handle the hush money properly.”
Jiang Youjia gave a cold laugh. “Zhao Dong is too arrogant. He has been back in the country for years yet still operates with foreign methods. Influenced by him, ‘Si Lan’s public relations team is equally arrogant. Clearly the products have issues, yet their attitude when paying to silence people is all wrong.”
Xie Qian continued, “And the people who can afford ‘Si Lan’ products, even if not wealthy, are certainly not ordinary salaried workers.”
Suppose someone earns 2000 yuan a month. If “Si Lan’s” public relations offered 20,000 yuan to settle, the person might think it equalled ten months’ wages and drop the matter. Such people mostly care little about the payer’s attitude. Real cash compensation outweighs everything. People are pragmatic and would not quarrel with money for no reason.
However, someone earning 2000 yuan a month would not buy “Si Lan” products. Those who can consume them would not be short of 20,000 yuan. To silence such consumers, “Si Lan’s” public relations needed not only to pay compensation but also to satisfy them in attitude.
Without sincere apologies, the consumers’ anger would be hard to quell.
From Jiang Youjia’s description, Xie Qian could imagine how arrogant “Si Lan’s” public relations team was.
They paid the money and expected the matter closed. Sincere apologies were probably absent, so the silenced consumers took the compensation yet remained furious.
Jiang Youjia had put enormous effort into tracking “Si Lan’s” after-sales feedback, gathering a large volume of material. If Zhao Dong truly wanted to build a brand properly, such after-sales tracking should never have fallen to Jiang Youjia doing it secretly. It was something Zhao Dong himself ought to do.
Buying technology about to be phased out internationally was not frightening. As long as the core patents were usable, the formula could be adjusted gradually.
Unfortunately, Zhao Dong had no intention of building a long-term brand.
He had merely seen the prospects in medical aesthetics and wanted to seize the market as quickly as possible, using the crudest methods to rake in as much money as he could for himself.
That was why “Si Lan” did no after-sales tracking.
Even Jiang Youjia knew “Si Lan” products were prone to allergies. Zhao Dong could not possibly be unaware.
Yet Zhao Dong did not adjust the formula.
Adjusting it would require halting sales of the current products. “Si Lan’s” products were earning Zhao Dong money every day. He could not bear to interrupt this high-profit income.
Moreover, once existing products were halted for formula adjustment, would it not signal to the outside world that the current products had problems?
It was merely allergies.
People’s constitutions differ. Some react to skincare containing alcohol, others do not.
Some are even allergic to food. Does that mean everyone else stops eating?
Obviously not.
Allergic consumers could switch to other brands.
The product selects consumers, and consumers select products. Those unsuitable could simply not buy. Zhao Dong viewed it as mutual selection. From this angle, Zhao Dong was not entirely incapable. By ignoring minor details, he had enabled “Si Lan” to develop rapidly.
“Si Lan” had three major shareholders.
Zhao Dong, Zhuo Chen, and Dai Chenglan.
Zhao Dong and Zhuo Chen both held foreign nationality. They could harvest quick profits from “Si Lan”, then walk away if problems arose.
Dai Chenglan was different. She was Chinese, with her roots here.
With Zhao Dong operating so recklessly, Dai Chenglan, as a major shareholder, did not stop him. It showed she too was short-sighted and profit-driven, fundamentally approving Zhao Dong’s management philosophy.
“He Zhen surprisingly was not influenced by Dai Chenglan…”
From his conversation with He Zhen, Xie Qian knew He Zhen did not agree with Zhao Dong’s approach. Even without falling out with the family, with Zhao Dong present, He Zhen would eventually leave “Si Lan”.
Seeing Xie Qian finish reviewing the materials, Jiang Youjia could no longer contain his eagerness. “You suddenly asked about this today. Do you feel the timing is right?”
Taking down “Si Lan” meant severely damaging Zhao Dong, which was Jiang Youjia avenging himself. Naturally, he was extremely enthusiastic.
Xie Qian smiled faintly. “Almost. Now ‘Si Lan’ has a competitor, and with the materials you collected, we only lack a trigger to ignite it.”
“You mean pushing to have those controversial additives brought under national regulation?”
Jiang Youjia suspected Xie Qian would ask Xie Yuping for help, but Xie Qian denied it. “If I trouble Uncle for everything, how am I different from Third Xie?”
Xie Yuping had to manage work outside and family matters at home. Xie Qian felt sorry that his uncle had no time to relax and was reluctant to disturb him lightly.
“Third Xie” referred to Xie Jinghu. Even Jiang Youjia had heard that Xie Jinghu acted without considering consequences, often needing Xie Yuping to clean up after him.
“If not your uncle, then who?”
Jiang Youjia was very curious.
Xie Qian recalled the several public opinion crises Wen Ying had faced.
One of them involved Zhao Dong’s sister Zhao Qian deliberately hiring reporters to cover Wen Ying’s supposed “embarrassing behaviour” at a signing event.
Xie Qian had tolerated the Zhao siblings for a long time, so long that Zhao Dong even harboured illusions of regaining Xie Qian’s favour.
In truth, Xie Qian had never forgotten the disgusting things the Zhao siblings had done to Wen Ying.
“Of course, we turn to the ‘uncrowned kings’ to uphold justice. This method was taught to me by the Zhao siblings themselves.”
The difference was that Zhao Qian had sent reporters to the signing event to disgust people, fabricating stories out of nothing.
Xie Qian handing Jiang Youjia’s collected materials to journalists would be doing a good deed.
Consumers had spent so much money on products that should not be like this.
Jiang Youjia’s eyes lit up. “Thanks to Jiaxin, I really do know several famous reporters. Of course, I cannot appear directly. We need someone else to make contact, then arrange for a TV station to do a ‘special interview’ with Mr Zhao, properly exposing the side effects of ‘Si Lan’ products.”
Jiaxin was most familiar with Oriental TV, but Jiang Youjia could not use Oriental TV for this programme.
After all, Zhao Dong had spent heavily on advertising slots there. With so many people in a TV station, Zhao Dong might get wind of it in advance.
Other stations would work too.
Several stations happened to be interested in the first adapted drama from Shui Mingyue. While negotiating broadcast rights, they could smoothly include the “special interview programme” without arousing suspicion.
