Rebirth of Bloody Romance

On a scorching summer day, the sun seemed to be scorching the earth. The meeting between Yu Guodong and Luo Dingbang was undoubtedly a war without the smoke of gunpowder.

Yu Guodong glanced at Luo Dingbang lightly, only to see Luo Dingbang nod slightly. That affirmative gesture seemed to foreshadow some irresistible force.

Yu Guodong frowned and fell into deep thought. After a moment, he slowly spoke, "Mr. Luo, please allow me to think about it."

This sentence was both a delaying tactic by Yu Guodong and his helpless compromise with reality. To be honest, in Yu Guodong's heart, he knew that he could not afford to offend the person in front of him.

Luo Dingbang, the helmsman of a listed company, has a status and social influence that is far different from Yu Guodong, an export middleman. The gap between the two cannot be made up overnight, nor can it be crossed with passion.

Seeing this, Luo Dingbang raised a meaningful smile. He extended his hand and spoke with unquestionable majesty. "Mr. Yu, I am waiting for your good news. Please don't make things difficult for everyone, and remember the friendship between you colleagues."

Luo Dingbang's words were both a warning and a hint, which made Yu Guodong feel nervous.

Yu Guodong forced a smile and shook hands with Luo Dingbang to say goodbye. "Then I'll leave first, Mr. Luo. I'll treat you to dinner when I have time."

Having said that, behind Yu Guodong's smile, there was an unspeakable bitterness and helplessness. After saying that, he hurriedly got on the golf cart with Secretary Chen. In the hot summer, his face was already covered with frost, as if even the summer heat could not melt the coldness in his heart.

At this moment, Yu Guodong deeply realized the importance of power and status. He knew that if he wanted to gain a foothold in this world full of competition and calculation, he had to learn to compromise and make choices.

Yu Guodong sat in a golf cart, and Secretary Chen followed silently beside him. Neither of them spoke, and the atmosphere seemed a little depressing. The sun shone through the sparse clouds, dappled on their faces, but it could not dispel the chill rising from the bottom of their hearts.

"Mr. Yu, we need to think carefully about what Luo Dingbang said." Secretary Chen finally broke the silence, with a hint of worry in his tone.

Yu Guodong took a deep breath, his eyes piercing through the layers of green grass, as if he wanted to see through the thick fog behind it. "Yes, Mr. Luo's move is really deep enough. We are now like chess pieces on the chessboard. If we are not careful, we may lose everything."

"Then...should we really agree to their price increase?" Secretary Chen asked cautiously. He knew the seriousness of the problem. If he was not careful, the entire company might be in an irretrievable situation.

Yu Guodong did not answer immediately, but fell into deep thought. He recalled the conversation with Luo Dingbang just now, the man's eyes were deep and cold, as if he had seen everything about them.

But these people acted as if it was a matter of course and were domineering, which made Yu Guodong very unhappy. When had he ever suffered such humiliation?

"Let's talk about it after the meeting at the company."

"Well done, Mr. Yu."

Sitong Yuanji Trading Company is located in the heart of Causeway Bay. The newly purchased 18-story office building looks even more magnificent under the bright neon lights, as if it is another shining pearl in this bustling commercial center.

The four characters "Sitong Yuanji" hanging on the building's exterior wall shine brightly in the night, reminding passers-by of the building's extraordinary status. This new office building, which cost HK$2.86 million to build, has lived up to expectations and has frequently appeared in Hong Kong media headlines since its completion, becoming the focus of the industry.

At this time, the interior of the building was a busy scene. Yu Guodong, the helmsman of Sitongyuanji Trading Company, walked through the corridor with a serious face, not even taking time to take care of his favorite lunch. His steps were steady and powerful, and every step seemed to convey an invisible pressure to the people around him.

"Call everyone and hold a meeting immediately!" Yu Guodong's voice echoed in the empty office area with unquestionable authority.

For a moment, the entire company seemed to be driven by an invisible force. The project managers who were enjoying their lunch outside dropped their tableware and rushed to the office. Their faces were a little embarrassed and nervous, but more of awe for the temperament of the big boss Guodong.

Under the leadership of Yu Guodong, Sitong Yuanji is well-known for its strategy of nurturing talents with high salaries, but this generous treatment is not easy to enjoy. If you are not careful, you may be labeled as "unclear" and lose this enviable job.

The project managers hurried back to their respective workstations, and some even started to organize materials and prepare for the upcoming meeting before they had time to swallow the food in their mouths. They knew that every emergency call by Yu Guodong meant that the company had important matters to discuss or decide, and missing such an opportunity would likely shake their position in the company.

Yu Guodong inherited Zhong Yuemin's philosophy and firmly believed that talents are the most valuable asset of an enterprise.

Therefore, Yu Guodong spared no expense to provide the company's elites with top-notch salaries and benefits in the industry, with the goal of keeping them employed until there was no possibility of them changing jobs. This seemingly extravagant investment was actually a long-term plan for the company's future development in Yu Guodong's view.

Soon, the conference room was full of people, and everyone's face was full of seriousness.

Yu Guodong stood at the conference table, his eyes piercing as he scanned the dozen managers present. He got straight to the point without any nonsense, briefly introduced the situation, and then asked directly, "Everyone, think about what we should do? If you have anything to say, just say it."

The atmosphere in the conference room suddenly became solemn. The managers looked at each other, and they all understood the urgency and importance of this meeting.

After a moment's silence, someone finally spoke up to break the tranquility. "The Luo family has always been overbearing." This sentence was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, causing ripples.

"Yes, Roche has a good relationship with the shipping company. If we don't agree, will Roche cut off our logistics?" Another manager immediately raised his concerns. Logistics is the lifeline of the garment industry. Once it is cut off, the consequences will be disastrous.

"Also, the Luo family is the one that has the final say in the garment industry." Someone else added, revealing their fear of the Luo family's powerful strength.

All they said was to emphasize that Luo's giant was not easy to mess with. Yu Guodong listened quietly, with a thoughtful look in his eyes.

The discussion continues.

A manager pointed out worriedly, "Some of our orders have been scheduled for next year. If we raise prices rashly and arbitrarily, our customers will definitely not be happy. This will seriously affect our reputation as a company." This view immediately resonated with many people present, who were well aware of the importance of reputation to a company.

Another was more radical. "We may have the strength to compete with Roche. We can just poach their customers. The market is so big, who is afraid of whom?"

Some people also proposed a price reduction strategy. "We will reduce the price of Roche's ready-made clothing products by 5%, so that we can also make a profit. We will defeat them with a price war!"

The bold words echoed in the conference room, but Yu Guodong knew that these were emotional remarks, and a truly feasible solution required calm thinking and in-depth analysis. He cast his eyes on one of his most respected managers, Manager He, hoping to hear his opinion.

"Manager He, please talk about it. I want to hear your opinion," said Yu Guodong.

Under Yu Guodong's gaze, Manager He nodded calmly and began to explain his point of view. "Mr. Yu, I understand everyone's concerns and the risks that price increases may bring. But I think that in the current market environment, it is necessary for us at Sitong Yuanji to adopt some active strategies to deal with the pressure brought by Roche."

He paused, observed the reactions of the audience, and then continued. "My suggestion is that we can try to increase the prices of some products, but we don't need to raise prices across the board. We can choose products with stable demand and large profit margins for adjustment, while ensuring that the price increase is within the range acceptable to customers. This will increase the company's revenue without causing too much impact on customer relationships."

"Do you support the price increase?" Yu Guodong knew that Manager He was the most daring and was not afraid of offending people.

"If we don't raise prices, we will offend all of our textile and garment peers in Hong Kong."

If he offended everyone and they all joined forces to strangle Sitong, Manager He's scalp would tingle just thinking about it.

Yu Guodong frowned and looked back and forth in the conference room.

He knew that in the business world, connections and networks were crucial. If Sitongyuanji offended its peers, it would be isolated and helpless, and might even trigger a joint boycott of the entire industry. Such consequences would be fatal for any company.

However, on the other hand, the voices of the war faction were equally loud. They firmly believed that Sitong Yuanji had enough strength to compete with Roche, and even proposed to seize market share through means such as price cuts.

Although these radical ideas sounded exciting, Yu Guodong was full of doubts. He knew that business war was no joke and that if he made a wrong decision, it would bring irreparable losses to the company.

Yu Guodong felt unprecedentedly conflicted. On the one hand, he inherited Zhong Yuemin's unyielding spirit and was eager to make a name for himself in the business world.

On the other hand, he was timid and cautious, fearing that he would offend the entire textile and garment industry due to a momentary impulse and end up alone.

Yu Guodong sighed and thought to himself, "I've been doing business smoothly with Zhong Yuemin for a long time, but now I have to go against the current. How difficult it is!"

Yu Guodong slowly lit a cigar, his deep eyes revealing a bit of fatigue and helplessness. He glanced around the conference room, and the dozens of managers in suits and leather shoes chose to remain silent at this moment, as if even the dust in the air had solidified.

"Does everyone have a unified opinion?" Yu Guodong's voice echoed in the empty conference room, but no one answered.

The managers either looked down at their own shoes or raised their eyes to the vague ceiling, as if they were deliberately avoiding meeting his gaze.

Yu Guodong could not help but feel powerless. He knew that these managers were not incompetent, but when faced with such a major decision, everyone chose to protect themselves and was unwilling to express their opinions easily.

Yu Guodong sighed heavily, expressing his disappointment with these managers and his helplessness towards himself.

"Okay, let's adjourn the meeting." Yu Guodong's voice was filled with fatigue and determination. He knew that it would be futile to continue such a meeting.

At this moment, Manager He stood up, his voice firm and powerful. "Mr. Yu, it is not easy for us to achieve today's results, so I think we must not back down. I will advance and retreat with the company."

Manager He's statement was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, stirring up ripples. The war faction also echoed it, expressing their willingness to live and die with the company.

However, Yu Guodong's face remained calm, and his eyes remained stern. "It's not the critical moment of life and death yet. Let's adjourn."

As he finished speaking, all the managers left their seats, holding folders in their hands, whispering to each other and leaving the conference room. Soon, only Yu Guodong and Secretary Chen were left in the conference room.

Secretary Chen looked at Yu Guodong with concern in her eyes. "Mr. Yu, I think what Manager He said makes a lot of sense. If we back down, all the work we did before will be in vain. This is all your hard work." There was some firmness in her words, as if she wanted to find a little courage for Yu Guodong to persevere.

However, Yu Guodong's heart was full of contradictions and struggles. He knew very well that once the company raised prices, it would lose its price advantage and the market share that had been hard-earned would be lost.

At the same time, a sudden price increase would damage the company's hard-earned reputation, which would undoubtedly be a huge blow to Sitong International.

"I'll think about it, you go out." Yu Guodong rubbed his head and said upset. His eyes revealed a bit of fatigue and helplessness, as if at this moment, all the burdens were on his shoulders.

Secretary Chen nodded gently and turned to leave the meeting room. She knew that Yu Guodong needed to be alone at this time to sort out his chaotic thoughts.

Yu Guodong sat alone in the conference room, thinking about a lot of things. He thought about his struggles in the business world and the days and nights he worked hard for the company. He knew that if he offended those bigwigs in the textile industry, his situation would be very difficult. If he could hold on, it would be good. If he couldn't, he would have no place to stand in Hong Kong.

"People only know the dangers of the rivers and lakes, but who knows how difficult it is to ascend to heaven." Yu Guodong sighed in his heart. He knew that the business world was like a battlefield, full of unknowns and variables. On one side, there was war, and on the other side, there was negotiation. There was no permanent war, and there was no permanent peace. He could not believe that his opponent would be merciful, give him a chance, or have sympathy. The battlefield was cruel and did not believe in tears.

Yu Guodong thought of Luo Dingbang and others. He knew their ambitions and methods very well. If he believed that these people would show mercy, it would undoubtedly be an unprepared suicide. Once the war started, he would lose miserably.

Thinking of this, Yu Guodong felt weak all over.