Chapter 585: Grand Gesture

Zhou Andong stood on the podium holding a bottle of Iced Bing Hong Cha. Below, camera flashes went off like crazy for over a minute before stopping.

"Thank you, media friends, for coming to attend this press conference." Zhou Andong scanned the crowd below with a smile on his face: "First of all, I want to ask all the friends present, how many of you have drunk Iced Bing Hong Cha?"

Everyone below raised their hands. A girl shouted loudly: "I won three bottles."

A young man shouted: "I bought three bottles and didn't win any. The winning rate isn't high."

"Chairman Zhou!" A middle-aged man asked: "When will the Xuri Sheng Iced Bing Hong Cha giveaway event end?"

"I called this press conference today precisely about the Iced Bing Hong Cha giveaway." Zhou Andong said: "I don't know when it will end, but I can tell everyone that Xuri Sheng Company plans to release 1.5 billion bottles for the giveaway."

Zhou Andong's words were like a bomb thrown into the crowd. With a roar, the crowd below exploded. 1.5 billion bottles for giveaway—what kind of concept was that? Calculated by retail price, that was giving away 3 billion.

Such a grand gesture, such a large promotional effort—it was estimated that only Zhou Andong could have such courage.

"Chairman Zhou!" The young girl raised her hand: "1.5 billion bottles for giveaway, such a large promotional effort—is it aimed at the two Cokes?"

When others heard this, they defined the girl as a newcomer who had just entered the industry. This was an obvious thing; what was there to ask?

"No, these 1.5 billion bottles for giveaway are a reward to consumers and have nothing to do with the two Cokes." Zhou Andong smiled slightly and said very indifferently: "Because I never put the two Cokes in my eyes at all."

The crowd below exploded again. Using a very indifferent tone to say the most arrogant words—Zhou Andong's contempt for the two Cokes was definitely big news.

Hearing Guan Shengjie and Du Youwei looked at each other and smiled bitterly. Zhou Andong was truly Zhou Andong; only he dared to say such things in front of so many media outlets.

"There is one more thing to announce." Zhou Andong's words made the somewhat chaotic scene quiet down.

"The Yugong Group is establishing the Hope Primary School Foundation. For every bottle of Iced Bing Hong Cha sold, one mao will be donated to build Hope Primary Schools for children in poor mountainous areas. Of course, Jiang Xiaobai and Jiang Xiaomei are the same; as long as one bottle is sold, one mao will be donated."

This time, Zhou Andong really released a big satellite.

Project Hope was a social welfare cause initiated and organized by the China Youth Development Foundation. Its purpose was to fund out-of-school children in poor areas to return to campus, build Hope Primary Schools, and improve rural school conditions.

Since Project Hope was implemented in October 1989, almost all the money donated came from patriotic compatriots abroad and entrepreneurs. There wasn't a single domestic enterprise that had donated.

It could be said that Zhou Andong was the first local entrepreneur to respond to Project Hope. Although one mao didn't sound like much, given the popularity of Iced Bing Hong Cha and the sales volume of Jiang Xiaobai, this one mao added up to an absolutely significant amount.

"Chairman Zhou!" A middle-aged man wearing nearsighted glasses raised his hand and said: "What kind of belief made you decide to invest huge capital to build Project Hope?"

Zhou Andong said: "A hundred-year plan, education is the foundation. I haven't said this just once. Moreover, I am a child who came out of the countryside. I have deep personal experience of the helplessness of wanting to walk out of the mountains but being arranged by fate."

"As an entrepreneur, a responsible entrepreneur, once an enterprise develops, it must give back to society. I am willing to lift the red candle in my hand, as long as those pigeons trapped in the mountains can soar in the blue sky."

"As long as those fledgling eagles can have a bright future, as long as my belief can be as firm as a rock, as long as my ideals can be forever young, I am willing to burn every inch of my body, let my youth and even my entire life sublimate in the jumping candlelight, and gallop in the bright red of blood..."

The press conference ended with Zhou Andong's impassioned speech, and then he answered a few questions from reporters before leaving.

Immediately afterward, he went to The First Bar to accept an exclusive interview with Hearing Guan Shengjie and Du Youwei.

In the evening, he had a meal with the two of them.

The next day, Zhou Andong held a press conference, announcing 1.5 billion bottles for giveaway, which shocked the entire beverage industry. They shouted one after another that the wolf was coming. Some even cursed that Zhou Andong was a troublemaker.

Immediately afterward, Hearing Guan Shengjie's exclusive report came out: "Chinese Brands Must Have Chinese Characteristics."

"Chinese brands must have Chinese characteristics. The development of national brands should be integrated with national culture, bringing cultural products with Chinese characteristics to users..."

Youth Daily: "Exclusive Interview with Zhou Andong, Let Us Listen to the Heart of a Young Entrepreneur!"

"Carrying the breath of youth, carrying the rhythm of youth, setting off a warm wave across the country, the public focused their eyes on a young entrepreneur with such clear vision for the first time, listening to his story, listening to his heart..."

This time, for the exclusive interview with Hearing Guan Shengjie and Du Youwei, Zhou Andong was much more conservative and didn't mention a word about foreign capital acquiring national brands.

…………

"Kid, well done." Zhang Qianjin laughed out loud, looking at Zhang You and Zhang Zuo standing beside him: "You follow Zhou Andong, I don't ask you to have any great achievements, but in terms of being a person, you should learn well from him."

Zhang You nodded fiercely. This kid still remembered what Zhou Andong had said to him—investing in a project and letting him be the general manager.

Zhang Zuo curled his lips and turned his head to the side, showing a very disdainful look.

"Pa!"

Old Comrade Zhang didn't hesitate to slap Zhang Zuo on the back of the head: "What are you curling your lips for? If you had half of Zhou Andong's achievements, I could close my eyes even if I died."

Zhang You grinned, but didn't dare to laugh out loud.

"Get lost!" Old Comrade Zhang waved his hand impatiently: "Seeing you guys makes me angry. Don't come to me if there's nothing, lest I be angered to death by you."

Zhang You and Zhang Zuo turned and left. After coming out, both of them muttered at the same time: "You think we want to come."

"Good, good!"

In a two-story building with strict guards, an old man wearing reading glasses looked at the newspaper in his hand and said "good" twice.

"Our country needs such entrepreneurs who have responsibility, courage, and a sense of duty. Let some people get rich first; if they can't get rich, that's fine, but they must give back to society and help those who haven't gotten rich to get rich too."

A middle-aged man wearing a military uniform with two bars and four stars nodded: "Zhou Andong has set a good example. I hope some people can also have such responsibility and sense of duty." ===== CHAPTER 586 =====