Chapter 13

He Jing nodded, "Oh..."

"Second," Mu Hanxia slightly lowered her voice, "do you think that only the best quality, most cost-effective products enter our supermarket? Not necessarily. Suppliers who want to get their products into the supermarket have to pay entry fees, and also bribe at various levels. Sometimes, what gets in is not the best but what is most effectively bribed..."

He Jing had heard of these rules before, but now, hearing Mu Hanxia confirm them so assertively, she widened her eyes in surprise, "You mean to say, that's why our clothing department can't perform as well as Yongzheng?"

Mu Hanxia nodded, remembering the phone conversation she overheard outside Meng Gang's office, "Not just the clothing department. Think about how many years we've been open, many of these suppliers have been working with us for seven or eight years. Some have very entangled relationships with Manager Meng and the other managers. It's not easy to change anything."

Listening, He Jing clicked her tongue in amazement and dared not probe deeper but instead lamented, "So what you're saying is, because of these suppliers and entangled relationships holding us back, we're bound to lose to Yongzheng?"

But Mu Hanxia replied, "I think these are secondary. What's most important is..."

"What is it?"

"Posture."

A bit stupefied, He Jing asked, "What's that? I'm saying Hanxia, you've been in the marketing department for a month and you talk more and more like you're putting on airs..."

"Don't talk nonsense!" Mu Hanxia replied calmly, "Did I not put on airs before?"

He Jing laughed out loud, and Mu Hanxia also smiled before she said seriously, "Before, I thought Manager Meng's big promotion was very impressive, very powerful. He used a price war to corner the opponent into a difficult position. And all along, our supermarket, as well as other supermarkets, have been doing the same.

I've also always thought that Lin Mochen... the current leader of Yongzheng, was a very cunning, ruthless person. But now, seeing how he's selling clothing, I'm actually quite affected. I feel that he's different from everyone else.

Others either follow the norms, or cling to vested interests, or think about how to strategize against, and sabotage, their opponents. Even Manager Meng, with his experience and as a veteran of the commercial field, is that kind of person.

But Lin Mochen is different. He's using a newer, higher quality, and more heartfelt approach to run the supermarket's clothing department. It feels as though... while we're trying hard to stand on top of our competitors, he's from the start standing at the peak of the industry. That's his posture. So when he makes a move, we feel unprecedented pressure."

——

However, in the next two weeks, Mu Hanxia would learn that her initial "prejudices" against Lin Mochen were not wrong... He was a man standing at the peak of the industry, but at the same time, he was also a very cunning, ruthless man.

On the second week of Yongzheng's opening, the entire line of prepared foods was half price. They also promised that within that week, if the taste did not satisfy, there was an unconditional return policy; if there were any quality issues, there was a guaranteed compensation of 1000 yuan per complaint. Furthermore, they invited master chefs from the prepared food manufacturers to demonstrate the food preparation process on-site, presenting the air of folk artisans and attracting countless residents to watch...

At the same time, the price of clothing was raised to a 20% discount, and it was made clear that this price would last only one week, after which it would return to the original price, so customers were urged to purchase quickly. Consequently, the sales volume of clothing dropped slightly but was still considerable.

This week, Yongzheng's daily sales broke through 3 million yuan, while Leya fell to 1.2-1.5 million yuan.

In the third week, Yongzheng promoted all bedding products at half price. The price of prepared foods was raised to a 20% discount.

...

Lin Mochen's cunning lay in his choice of categories to attack, all of which were Leya's weak points. The apparel category was weak across the entire industry, including Leya; the deli department, with its complicated mix of brands and deep waters, was also not Leya's strong suit; bedding, coinciding with the spring to summer season change, was a category that Leya was conservative and did not prioritize much...

Moreover, his speed in switching targets was very fast. Each category's promotion only lasted a week. The next week, he would immediately switch targets. This was why Meng Gang and the whole of Leya were caught off guard. You hadn't even prepared a countermeasure for the deli category, and he had already turned to attack your bedding... His entire plan must have been arranged in advance, otherwise, it wouldn't have been possible to organize the transfer of goods on such short notice. Mu Hanxia could almost picture Lin Mochen, with a cup of coffee in hand, sitting in his office, giving directions with a cool command. Wherever he pointed, Yongzheng's people would strike Leya a blow...

But who in the entire supermarket industry had ever done this? Who was so ruthless and fierce? It was as if he were treating the store opening as a siege battle, attacking the enemy's weaknesses with combinations of punches, lightning punches, shadowless punches...

In the meantime, Meng Gang had organized several counterattacks, utilizing Leya's stronger advantages in the grains and fruits departments for aggressive promotions to recoup some of the sales. However, Lin Mochen's momentum was too vast, and his planning too meticulous, making him hard to defeat. Meng Gang, having already spent three million and constrained by various relationships and commitments, despite his savvy and worldly wisdom, found himself at an insurmountable disadvantage to Lin Mochen, struggling to turn the situation around.

Yongzheng's opening battle had completely erupted. Now, every consumer in the region knew that Yongzheng Supermarket had affordable prices and quality goods, and could not only compete with Leya but even... have a slight edge.

----

If Meng Gang claimed he did not feel angry or downcast these days, that would be false. In the marketplace, connections, money, women... these were not issues, but what's most feared were unpredictable and troublesome opponents like this. He disrupted the existing explicit and implicit market rules, upending many people's habits and interests. And he made you feel a clear, substantial threat.

But it was not enough to make Meng Gang lose his composure. He had been through many years in the industry, and his foundations in both Leya and Jiangcheng were stable. Even if this store suffered a temporary setback, it would not have any substantial impact on him.

He would move forward and look for opportunities to counterattack.

Promotions in the supermarket continued as usual, and the confrontation with Yongzheng couldn't be relaxed; employees were still scolded and encouraged as before, ensuring their hearts didn't waver, and morale didn't fall. With even more business dinners than before, Meng Gang now needed more connections, more reciprocal favors.

That evening, as dusk fell, Meng Gang was in his office, just having changed out of his dress shirt into casual clothes when Assistant Chen knocked on the door, "President Meng, for tomorrow night's dinner with Director Xie, the marketing department is asking who you will bring?"

Meng Gang pondered briefly, "You arrange it."

Assistant Chen replied, "Okay. Since Director Xie's subordinates are all men, I think we should bring a girl to liven up the atmosphere and prevent them from forcing drinks. How about Mu Hanxia?"

Meng Gang turned to look at him, remained quiet for a few seconds, and then said, "That's fine."

----

When Mu Hanxia received the call from the marketing director, she was standing at the entrance of Yongzheng Supermarket.

These days, with Leya's performance low, she was insignificant and couldn't make much of a difference, so she had time on her hands. She decided to take a good look at Yongzheng today to see how they operated; knowing both yourself and the enemy is always beneficial.

The manager's call was hurried, mentioning only that there was a dinner to attend and that she should accompany them; the details of accompanying Meng Gang on a social outing were not explained, so Mu Hanxia readily agreed.

After hanging up, she still disguised herself slightly by putting on a duckbill cap and letting down her long hair before casually walking into Yongzheng Supermarket.