Chapter 2206: No Other Way

Just as Zhou Andong and the others were getting into their cars and heading toward Datang Barbecue, that old friend of his, Coca-Cola Greater China President Zhao Hongxing, was holding a meeting in the conference room.

After the news broke that Xurishang had announced plans to invest and build a factory in India, the market reacted like a lake into which a giant boulder had been thrown. Sales of both Feichang Cola and Iced Black Tea showed a significant upward trend.

Seeing this situation, Zhao Hongxing was so angry he smashed his cup. Ever since Zhou Andong entered the beverage industry, the item replaced most frequently in his office was his water cup.

Because every time he thought victory was within his grasp, Zhou Andong would suddenly stab him from an angle he never expected. It left him unable to defend or hide.

At this moment, in the spacious and bright conference room, a dozen people sat in silence. There were Chinese and foreigners among them, and none of their expressions were pleasant, as if a layer of haze had been cast over them.

A solemn and oppressive atmosphere permeated the entire conference room, like an invisible giant hand tightly gripping everyone's throat, making it hard to breathe, as if they were about to suffocate.

It really wasn't their fault for looking so grim; from the very beginning, they had never looked down on Zhou Andong—that kind of contempt and disdain was deep in their bones.

In their eyes, for Zhou Andong to dare to compete with Coca-Cola was like the God of Longevity hanging himself—he was tired of living!

Actually, it was very normal to think this way. One had to know that whether in terms of brand awareness, corporate scale, capital strength, or global influence, Yugong Group compared to Coca-Cola was the difference between an ant and an elephant.

No one believed Coca-Cola would lose; on the contrary, everyone thought Zhou Andong was completely overestimating his own strength, like an egg hitting a rock.

Yet, the final result was that Coca-Cola had been rubbed into the dirt again and again. Every time they were rubbed, their arrogance was worn away a little more. Now, their arrogance had finally been rubbed clean, and what followed was uncontrollable rage.

A middle-aged man with black hair and black eyes spoke up: "Everyone, I believe we must now go all out to persuade headquarters to turn our gaze toward India and invest in building a factory there!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a foreigner knocked hard on the table in front of him, his expression serious and with a tone of questioning.

"While we are competing with Xurishang in China, we still have to open a second battlefield and run to India to compete with them?"

The middle-aged man looked at the foreigner and responded slowly in a calm tone: "You may have misunderstood my meaning. We don't want to simply invest in India and compete with Xurishang there."

"Rather, it is to use our own powerful influence to firmly block Xurishang outside the gates of the Indian market, so they cannot find a way in."

Speaking of this, the middle-aged man smiled slightly: "After all, China is Zhou Andong's home turf. We are restricted by many factors, and some methods cannot be used, and some things cannot be done."

"But India is different. Everyone, please think about it. Coca-Cola once had investment experience in India. Although we ultimately chose to divest due to various complex reasons, we know the local market environment and relevant operational processes like the back of our hand."

"Looking at Zhou Andong, he knows almost nothing about that land in India; you could say he is completely in the dark. In this way, what does he have to compete with us? Looking at the global market, the only one qualified to compete with our Coca-Cola is Pepsi."

Once he finished speaking, everyone fell into deep thought.

Zhao Hongxing narrowed his eyes slightly, looked thoughtfully at Jiang Yuping, and asked: "What is your opinion?"

Jiang Yuping picked up the lady's cigarette in front of her, lit it with a lighter, and took a deep drag. The curling smoke rose, blurring her face.

After a brief silence, Jiang Yuping said: "If we can successfully make Xurishang deeply mired in the Indian market, or even attract Zhou Andong's energy over there, it will undoubtedly bring huge advantages to our competition in the domestic market."

"However, the reasons behind headquarters' choice to withdraw from India back then were quite complex. Although many factors were involved, the most critical point was the issue with the Indian government."

"Now, if we want headquarters to make up their minds to re-enter the Indian market, how likely do you all think success really is?"

At this moment, another foreigner spoke: "As far as I know, headquarters has never thought about giving up the Indian market; it's just that some directors are opposed to it."

"If Xurishang wants to enter India to build a factory, I think the opposition from the directors will be much smaller, and it is very likely they will quickly reach a consensus to re-enter India."

Zhao Hongxing's eyes lit up instantly. From the beginning, he had never looked up to Zhou Andong, always full of disdain and contempt, constantly calling Zhou Andong a "mud-legged peasant."

Even now, he still refused to admit that he could actually lose to that mud-legged peasant he viewed as beneath him. However, the cruel reality was like a series of loud slaps, ruthlessly striking his arrogant face, leaving him feeling deeply aggrieved and angry.

This feeling was like a raging fire spreading wantonly in his chest, burning brighter and brighter. His hatred for Zhou Andong grew more intense, even to the point of wanting to get rid of him quickly; he wished he could skin Zhou Andong alive.

And simply blocking Xurishang outside the gates of the Indian market was merely a last resort; it couldn't bring any substantial blow or damage to Zhou Andong.

Only by letting Xurishang enter the Indian market could they rely on Coca-Cola's powerful influence and use the Indian government to eat Xurishang alive—only then could he vent the hatred in his heart!

"Nathan, you immediately book a flight back to headquarters. Tell those high-and-mighty, self-righteous directors that once Xurishang enters India before Coca-Cola and gains a firm foothold..."

Zhao Hongxing paused, his eyes wide, the veins on his forehead slightly bulging due to his agitation.

"If Xurishang is given the opportunity to grow, then in Southeast Asia, and even throughout the entire Asian region, Coca-Cola will have an extremely powerful competitor."

"Perhaps in the near future, Xurishang might even stride into Coca-Cola's backyard. By then, the situation Coca-Cola faces will be incomparably passive!"

"Okay!" Nathan said in fluent Chinese: "I will definitely persuade those damn capitalists to let them return to the Indian market as soon as possible."

Zhao Hongxing nodded with satisfaction, then looked at the middle-aged man with black hair and black eyes: "Manager Liu, your task now is to develop the township market and increase publicity efforts."

Jiang Yuping took over the conversation: "And the small gifts for giveaways shouldn't be limited to things like pencils and keychains. You can contact some toy factories to make some small toys."

"Because I have a premonition that Xurishang will soon sink into the market. We cannot wait until they have opened channels and laid out their goods before reacting; that would be too late."

"Bang, bang, bang..."

Just at this moment, a dull and urgent knocking sound suddenly came from the tightly closed door of the conference room, which made everyone in the room frown, and their hearts rose as well.

It was just that this knocking was too urgent, making them reflexively think that it definitely wasn't anything good.

"Come in!"

Zhao Hongxing was quite steady; no expression could be seen on his face.

As the conference room door was pushed open, a young man in a crisp suit walked in with long strides, and he was holding a newspaper in his hand.

"President Zhao, this is the Reform Daily that just came out today. You should take a look at it quickly."

The Reform Daily, full name China Reform Daily, was a newspaper supervised and hosted by the State Economic System Reform Commission and the Central Economic System Reform Office. Moreover, it was only founded and issued in January of this year.

To put it bluntly, the Reform Daily was founded for the Reform and Opening-up. In the short month or so from its trial issue to its official founding, many leaders had personally inscribed words for it, showing their high regard and earnest expectations for this newspaper.

The newspaper reported closely around the core work of the National Development and Reform Commission and was the only newspaper in the country specifically focused on reporting content related to reform and development.

It shouldered the major mission of widely disseminating and introducing in detail China's theoretical achievements in reform and opening-up, various specific reform policies and measures, rich practical experience, and correct value orientations to the whole country and even the whole world every day.

Precisely because of this, although this newspaper had only been founded for less than half a year, its influence in all walks of life was enormous.

Because every news item published in the newspaper was an important weather vane for the country in a specific policy area, and for the general public and people in all walks of life, it had extremely important reference significance and guiding value.

Zhao Hongxing's eyes twitched violently. He tried his best to maintain calmness on his face as he took the newspaper, and then he saw a bolded headline: Supply and Marketing Cooperatives to Usher in Reform!

Nowadays, as the country loudly sounded the clarion call for deepening comprehensive reform, the Supply and Marketing Cooperative was also like a phoenix that had been sleeping for a long time, about to usher in a nirvana-like rebirth.

According to this newspaper's reporter Zhang Min, who learned from the All-China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives: Yugong Group Chairman Zhou Andong will invest 13.2 billion yuan to acquire 68% of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative's shares.

Undoubtedly, this was a heavy and extraordinary "second venture" declaration issued by the All-China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives to the outside world, and at the same time, it was a solemn vow to face difficulties head-on and actively reform itself.

Comrade Zhou Andong is a famous entrepreneur, pragmatist, and philanthropist in our country, and also a winner of the 5th China Top Ten Outstanding Youth Medal.

With his excellent business mind and keen market insight, he has created commercial miracles one after another. He has always upheld the spirit of pragmatism and progress, never forgetting his original intention of starting a business, and continuing the great cause of reform. He promotes the spirit of patriotism, dedication, and hard work.

He has always firmly held confidence, met challenges, worked hard to make the country strong, enhanced the sense of national mission and national pride, and integrated personal ideals into the great practice of national rejuvenation.

He promotes the spirit of innovation and development, focusing on quality, pursuing excellence, daring to break through and try, daring to be the first in the world, and daring to take risks.

He stands at the forefront of market competition and never admits defeat. He promotes the spirit of fulfilling responsibilities, daring to take on tasks, serving society, getting rich while thinking of the source, dedicating love, and having the rich lead the poor, creating more economic and social benefits.

It is conceivable that with the strong joining of an entrepreneur like Comrade Zhou Andong, who has extraordinary strength and both political integrity and ability, the Supply and Marketing Cooperative is already standing at a brand-new historical starting point.

We have every reason to firmly believe that in the upcoming reform and development process, the Supply and Marketing Cooperative will surely glow with vitality and usher in its second brilliant spring...

This article was a sprawling two thousand words long, occupying half a page on the front page of the second edition. However, what was surprising was that it didn't write a single word about the specific negotiation process; whether it was still in the negotiation stage or had already been signed was not mentioned at all. The whole article was wildly flattering Zhou Andong.

However, anyone with a brain could see that this was definitely not a piece of flattery deliberately offered by the reporter to please Zhou Andong, nor could it be caused by Zhou Andong buying them off.

Obviously, this was relevant departments creating momentum, paving the way for Zhou Andong to take over the Supply and Marketing Cooperative. And one didn't need to think to know which relevant departments these were: the State Economic System Reform Commission and the Central Economic System Reform Office.

After all, introducing private capital like Zhou Andong into the Supply and Marketing Cooperative—such a major decision would be a fantasy without the strong push of these two major departments behind it.

One had to know that this piece of fat, the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, was too tempting; anyone who saw it would drool and couldn't suppress the impulse in their heart to pounce on it and take a big bite.

If it weren't for these two departments pushing Zhou Andong behind the scenes, his wanting to take down the Supply and Marketing Cooperative would be a pipe dream. I'm afraid that long before the negotiations, countless jealous people would have jumped out impatiently to express strong opposition.

Seeing Zhao Hongxing holding the newspaper for a long time without moving, Jiang Yuping knew that something big had happened again.

She slowly took a deep drag of her cigarette, and amidst the curling smoke, her slightly tired face was obscured, appearing and disappearing.

Subsequently, she gently pressed the cigarette butt into the ashtray, making a slight "hiss" sound.

Immediately after, she reached out and picked up the newspaper placed in front of Zhao Hongxing.

Time passed quietly minute by minute, and the whole room seemed to fall into a dead silence.

Jiang Yuping sat there for a long time without making a sound; only her occasionally slightly trembling fingers showed her restless heart at this moment.

At this very moment, a deep sense of powerlessness surged into her heart like a tide, tightly wrapping around her.

That feeling was like a person struggling desperately in a dark abyss, yet never finding a lifeline to cling to, making one feel incomparably desperate.

The strategy of sinking Coca-Cola products into the township market was very successful. By comparison, even if Xurishang wanted to sink its products into the townships, opening channels required time.

Under normal circumstances, Coca-Cola had already seized the initiative. If subsequent publicity followed and efforts were strengthened, Xurishang would not be worth fearing.

However, what made Jiang Yuping feel doubly annoyed and helpless was that her former predecessor seemed like an illegitimate child especially favored by God; his luck was always surprisingly good.

If he could really successfully complete the acquisition of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative this time, then with the help of numerous stores spread across townships all over the country and the advantage of mature and complete sales channels, Coca-Cola would surely face an unprecedentedly powerful challenge, and might even be left without the ability to fight back.

More critically, judging by Zhou Andong's unscrupulous style of doing things, once he controlled the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, he would definitely order all stores to stop selling Coca-Cola without hesitation.

Because Dayunfa Supermarket had previously firmly refused Coca-Cola from entering its stores, and the two sides had failed to reach a consensus after multiple negotiations, even if they took the initiative to offer certain preferential conditions, the other side remained unmoved.

"Ha!"

Jiang Yuping suddenly let out a soft laugh, which sounded particularly abrupt in the quiet conference room. Immediately after, she supported the table with both hands, stood up slowly, picked up the cigarette and lighter on the table, and walked toward the door without looking back.

The others saw this and couldn't help but look at each other, their faces filled with confusion, completely unaware of what had happened. The middle-aged man with black hair and black eyes walked quickly to the seat where Jiang Yuping had just sat, reached out and picked up the newspaper still spread on the table, and began to read it carefully.

However, as his gaze wandered over the newspaper, his face gradually became gloomy and solemn. Soon, the newspaper was passed around among the crowd.

And when the last person finished reading, everyone's expression was exactly the same: shock and disbelief. Even those few foreigners felt they had been abandoned by God.

One had to know that they had been in China for quite a long time and could be called authentic "China hands." Especially with Coca-Cola sinking into the township market, the Supply and Marketing Cooperative channel accounted for half of the sales; how could they not know how large the scale of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative was?

If Zhou Andong were really allowed to successfully complete the acquisition of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, then for Coca-Cola, it would undoubtedly be fatal. After all, who would be stupid enough to let a competitor's product be placed on the shelves of their own chain stores?

A foreigner who was tall and somewhat fat said in a tone full of arrogance and conceit.

"Zhao, Coca-Cola can also acquire the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, and I believe that as long as we reveal the information about the acquisition, the other side will definitely choose to cooperate with us and kick Zhou Andong out."

This guy was quite confident, and the source of this confidence came from the previous acquisition of the seven major beverage factories.

At that time, even if domestic private enterprises offered more tempting high prices, those so-called local leaders refused without hesitation on the spot.

However, when facing Coca-Cola and Pepsi, these people were almost on their knees. No matter how harsh or excessive the conditions they proposed were, the other side would agree.

Precisely because of this, this foreigner confidently proposed the idea of Coca-Cola acquiring the Supply and Marketing Cooperative to Zhao Hongxing.

In his mind, this matter was simply as easy as pie; it was just a matter of moving his lips.

As long as he revealed even the slightest intention on his side, those leaders of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative would immediately run over like cats smelling fish, begging Coca-Cola to acquire them.

As for whether headquarters would acquire it, that wasn't important. What was important was kicking Zhou Andong out; it didn't matter who acquired the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, as long as it wasn't Zhou Andong.

Zhao Hongxing smiled, but this smile contained a trace of imperceptible mockery.

As a unique institution, the Supply and Marketing Cooperative's main purpose was to serve farmers, promote rural economic development, and guarantee the supply of rural materials.

Therefore, the Supply and Marketing Cooperative played an important role in the rural economy, involving the acquisition and sale of agricultural products, and was related to the vital interests of farmers and the stability of the rural economy.

Therefore, the nature of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative determined that it could not be acquired by foreign capital, and the country would not allow foreign capital to acquire it.

However, Zhao Hongxing still nodded: "Good, Dell, this matter is left to you. I believe you will definitely succeed."

Dell nodded confidently, because he really didn't feel there was any difficulty in this matter.

Zhao Hongxing smiled again and said to Nathan: "Nathan, you must book a flight back to headquarters as soon as possible. You must explain the situation clearly to those damn directors."

After finishing, Zhao Hongxing announced the end of the meeting, then left the conference room and came to the door of Jiang Yuping's room and knocked.

"Come in!" Jiang Yuping's voice came from inside.

Zhao Hongxing gripped the handle, pushed the door open, and walked in.

Jiang Yuping stood quietly in front of the window, one arm wrapped around her chest, the other holding a cigarette, looking outside with slightly narrowed eyes.

Zhao Hongxing walked silently to her side and also took out a cigarette and lit it. The faint flame instantly illuminated his slightly gloomy face.

The two remained silent, just smoking silently. After a while, Zhao Hongxing spoke.

"Do you think... we still have a chance to win?"

Jiang Yuping didn't answer immediately. She took a hard drag of her cigarette before speaking.

"If Zhou Andong successfully acquires the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, we have no hope of winning. However, losing is losing. Even if we lose, what we have paid is only two years of time, which is no big deal."

However, Zhao Hongxing couldn't be as calm as Jiang Yuping. He gritted his teeth: "But I'm not reconciled!"

"What can you do if you're not reconciled?" Jiang Yuping turned to look at him, her face still calm: "Coca-Cola gave you three years, and now nearly two years have passed."

"Even if you eventually win, when it comes time to harvest, you will have made wedding clothes for someone else. By then, by that time, will you be reconciled?"

Zhao Hongxing's face changed suddenly. His originally steady face instantly twisted, becoming ferocious and terrifying, especially his sinister eyes, which revealed a chilling light that made one shudder.

Under normal circumstances, if everything went smoothly, in three years, he could get a substantial sales commission.

However, things went against his wishes. Let alone that substantial commission he longed for, even the most basic expected goal hadn't been achieved. Two whole years of hard work had all turned into bubbles in the end. This result filled his heart with anger.

And Zhou Andong was the focus of all his negative emotions. At this moment, he wished he could swallow him alive to vent the hatred in his heart. This intense hatred was like raging waves in a storm, constantly impacting his reason.

Jiang Yuping ignored Zhao Hongxing's hair-raising expression; her tone remained unhurried and calm.

"Reform and Opening-up, the private economy is booming at an unprecedented speed. If we were given another seven or eight years, maybe we could win. But now..."

Speaking of this, Jiang Yuping shook her head slightly, revealing a trace of helplessness.

"Right now, the main sales channels in township areas are still firmly controlled by the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, and the private economy has not yet obtained sufficient space and timing for development. In some more remote places, let alone larger stores, there aren't even small kiosks."

Zhao Hongxing took several deep breaths in a row before stabilizing his emotions, which were almost out of control.

"Is there really... no other way?"

Jiang Yuping didn't answer him, but Zhao Hongxing knew the answer.

"India, I want to bite a piece of meat off Zhou Andong in India. Even if I can't bite him to death, I must make him feel pain to the core."

Jiang Yuping still didn't speak, feeling the hot wind blowing in from outside the window. Her eyes became somewhat ethereal, without any focus; obviously, her thoughts didn't know where they had drifted. ===== CHAPTER 2207 =====