The ribbon-cutting ceremony at Xinpoli Cosmetics Factory became the talk of the southern industrial zone immediately after Gao Fei's appearance and on-site revelations.
By the end of the day, the responsible parties of over a dozen factories, big and small, were privately joking about the feud between Feng Kunlin and Gao Fei during their informal gatherings. Although unethical business practices were common, most dirty dealings were done behind closed doors, out of sight. Feng Kunlin, after taking six million yuan from Gao Fei, promptly opened his new factory next door, only to have Gao Fei expose the details in front of leaders and media. Old Feng, as he was known, had truly shot himself in the foot.
After the ribbon-cutting, Gao Fei not only exposed how Feng Kunlin had cheated him but also generously tipped the media reporters with large red envelopes. The message was clear: write extensively about Feng Kunlin and Xinpoli Cosmetics Factory, portraying him, the victim, in the most sympathetic light possible. With the envelopes and subtle hints, all reporters understood how to craft their reports that evening.
Feng Kunlin had previously instructed his deputy factory director to bribe reporters with 300 yuan each to downplay the day's scandal. However, these reporters weren't foolish; they knew who garnered more attention and who would bring them more traffic. Furthermore, Gao Fei's contribution wasn't small; he’d given each reporter a thousand yuan. Consequently, all reporters politely declined the deputy director's 300 yuan envelopes.
That afternoon, news of the ribbon-cutting ceremony began appearing on three major social media platforms.
"Shocking! Gao Fei's six million yuan mysteriously vanished upon arrival in Kyoto's South City!"
"What this Kyoto South City cosmetics factory director did to Gao Fei is appalling; truly a bottomless pit of a businessman!"
"Explosive news! The scandalous relationship between Gao Fei and the sixty-year-old factory director crosses all moral boundaries."
Headlines that stirred the imagination and hinted at juicy details immediately captured the public's attention. With Gao Fei, a major online traffic driver, tagged, the news attracted tens of thousands of netizens, and its popularity soared. Within twenty minutes, the ribbon-cutting news from eight media outlets ranked twenty on the trending list.
When netizens clicked on the news with curiosity, eager to see what unspeakable things the sixty-year-old director had done to Gao Fei, they were met with a unified outcry: "Clickbait!"
Besides labeling the media as "clickbait," netizens also hotly debated the news content.
"This Feng Kunlin is truly a scoundrel. Gao Fei just spent a hefty six million to buy his bankrupt factory and help him out of trouble. And this Old Feng turns around and opens a new factory next door? Shameless!"
"They say businessmen are not honest, but I never imagined they'd have zero principles! And he swindled Comrade Xiao Gao out of six million and opened a new factory next door. Unbelievable!"
"Feng Kunlin, Poli Cosmetics Factory, right? I've decided. None of my cosmetics shops will stock Poli Cosmetics produced by Old Feng's factory. I'll send out the notice immediately to support Comrade Xiao Gao! Also, if Comrade Xiao Gao sees this comment, I'm open to collaborating on your first batch of cosmetics!"
"Sister above, you're awesome! We support you!"
Fans vociferously condemned Feng Kunlin, calling him a black-hearted businessman. More influential fans offered concrete support to Gao Fei, vowing never to purchase any cosmetics produced by Poli Cosmetics Factory. Some fans even found Poli Cosmetics Factory's official social media account and flooded its comment section.
While fans rallied in support, haters also chimed in with their usual sarcastic remarks. However, their comments were quickly buried by the overwhelming wave of fans. Their typical remarks celebrated Gao Fei being swindled out of six million yuan, congratulating him as if it were a festival in the comments section. Others sarcastically suggested that Old Feng should have swindled more, as six million was a pittance for Gao Fei. In essence, any news of Gao Fei being cheated sent the haters into a frenzy, like a holiday celebration in the comments.
...
Old Cosmetics Factory.
"You son of a b*tch, these haters... what did I ever do to you? You're all acting like you won the lottery seeing me get ripped off for six million, even setting off fireworks in the comments!"
Gao Fei was speechless, looking at the comments from the haters on the trending list. Since his debut a year ago, he had millions, if not tens of millions, of haters. Except for the Film Festival awards ceremony, where netizens collectively sympathized with him, Gao Fei still couldn't understand why he had so many haters. In his past life, as well as in this current Dragon Country, celebrities and internet personalities invariably attracted haters for no apparent reason.
Zeng Keming, noticing the haters' comments, asked, "Do you need me to record their usernames for a lawsuit?"
"No need!" Gao Fei shrugged indifferently and smiled, "These people hating on me means I still have influence. If they stop, I'd feel a bit unaccustomed!"
As they were talking, Deputy Director Ding Yao entered from outside.
"President Gao!"
"Have a seat!" Gao Fei shifted his gaze from the computer screen to Deputy Director Ding, asking, "How did the discussion with Xiang Guosheng go? Is the raw material supplier he recommended reliable?"
"Reliable!" Ding Yao produced documents regarding the raw material supplier and placed them on the table. "The supplier recommended by Xiang Guosheng is Huo Dongcheng, the second-ranked raw material supplier in the Hong Kong region. Huo Dongcheng also does business with some cosmetics factories on the mainland. Qiaoling Cosmetics Company, which previously wanted to cooperate with you, is also a partner of Huo Dongcheng."
After a brief introduction to Huo Dongcheng, Deputy Director Ding discussed the origin and quantity of his cosmetic raw materials. After hearing her description, Gao Fei nodded thoughtfully, "According to Huo Dongcheng, he wants to order three million yuan worth of raw materials for the first collaboration?"
"That's right! He said it's the minimum requirement and asked President Gao to consider it. If President Gao agrees, he will make time to come to Kyoto personally to meet you!"
"Compare prices from multiple suppliers. Don't rush to agree with Huo Dongcheng. First, contact other raw material suppliers and keep this Mr. Huo hanging."
"Understood!" Ding Yao nodded, got up, and left the office.
Zeng Keming discussed the overseas music platform cooperation contract with Gao Fei and then also exited the office. Once everyone had left, Gao Fei locked the office door and began searching for information on Huo Dongcheng online. Having been swindled repeatedly lately, he was now extremely cautious about all potential partners. He vowed that in the future, whether buying factories or land, he would thoroughly investigate the other party before contacting them for cooperation. A burnt child dreads the fire.
Since Huo Dongcheng was from the Hong Kong region, Gao Fei had to once again bypass the Great Firewall to search for relevant information online. However, having learned from his previous experience, he had become smarter. He specifically created a disguise software, quietly accessing the foreign internet without alerting national security. With the disguise software, Gao Fei now fearlessly hacked into Huo Dongcheng's Baiyuan Group to investigate the raw material company's current situation. Dragon Country's Hong Kong, like in his past life, was more technologically advanced than the mainland. Some important documents of Huo Dongcheng's Baiyuan Group's raw material company were stored on computers.
After briefly browsing through the internal confidential documents, Gao Fei suddenly noticed a red-stamped document. He snorted twice and muttered to himself, "You old Hong Kong scoundrel, no wonder you were so eager to sell that three million yuan batch of raw materials. So, this batch of materials has serious issues. You dog, trying to cheat me again!" He picked up his phone and took photos of the file's content on the screen.
...
Xinpoli Cosmetics Factory, Factory Director's Office.
Feng Kunlin, holding his phone, paced back and forth in the room. He occasionally responded with "Hmm" to the voice on the other end. After a moment, he revealed a helpless smile and said, "Please rest assured, Mr. Kong, I am willing to step down as factory director. My conflict with Gao Fei will absolutely not affect the factory's business."
"You will resign as factory director tomorrow. Once the heat dies down, you will resume your position as deputy factory director. But rest assured, Old Feng, even as deputy director, your treatment and authority will be the same as the factory director's!" Kong Liwei, on the phone, finished arranging the work and continued, "I heard Gao Fei has contacted a raw material supplier from Hong Kong, and they already have a general intention to cooperate. Do you know about this, Old Feng?"
Upon hearing Mr. Kong's question, Feng Kunlin quickly understood the implication. "Mr. Kong, please rest assured. Even if Gao Fei contacts a raw material supplier and starts production immediately tomorrow, it won't cause much of a stir. I can guarantee you, whatever product Gao Fei produces, I will get my hands on it immediately and start production."
"Good, as long as you have a way!" Kong Liwei chuckled and instructed, "Be careful. The internet is buzzing with hot searches about your conflict with Gao Fei. Any slight movement now will surely be amplified by the media. Try to keep everything out of sight, but strike a blow that will prevent him from ever recovering."
"Understood, Mr. Kong!"
"As long as you know what you're doing!" Kong Liwei finished his reminder and didn't add further instructions. However, just before hanging up, he suddenly said, "Oh right, Old Feng, I've had people launder your overseas properties, real estate, and wine estate shares and transfer them to your wife's name. As for the other two shareholders of your old factory, they're probably feeding lions on the great plains right now! Don't bring your past grievances from the old factory to the new one. Take good care of watching Gao Fei for me, and I won't mistreat you!"
Standing there, Feng Kunlin's heart sank, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead. The two shareholders of his old factory were being fed to lions on the great plains! The properties he had previously misappropriated from the old factory to purchase abroad had also been discovered by Kong Liwei! Factory Director Feng understood that Kong Liwei was deliberately warning him, instructing him to stay put and focus on dealing with Gao Fei. If he disobeyed, all the things Kong Liwei had just mentioned could be exposed.
"I... I... I understand, Mr. Kong."
"Good, as long as you know what's what. Get some rest early!" Kong Liwei said with a chuckle and hung up. However, Feng Kunlin, in his office, remained deeply unsettled.
At the same time, outside Xinpoli Cosmetics Factory, six or seven black cars with fake license plates were parked. Over twenty individuals with menacing appearances stepped out of the vehicles. The large group headed straight for the factory's office building.
(Dear patrons, please remember to drink less after recovering from illness. I had a drink yesterday, and I saw my ancestors standing by my bed, greeting me. I was terrified! Normal updates will resume tomorrow! o(╥﹏╥)o)