Chapter 439: Three Men Make a Tiger

"Should Wanjia Electric City borrow even more U. S. dollars?"

Ning Ning Wenke looked at Li Li Dongling; she was a graduate of formal financial management, and his words, along with his consistent actions, had led her to sense something unusual.

Stepping closer to Li Li Dongling, Ning Ning Wenke could faintly feel his breath, "Do you think something will go wrong?"

"Better safe than sorry. The appliance and retail industries are fiercely competitive—we need more capital reserves to be prepared. Only then can Wanjia Electric City have the leverage to expand in the future!"

Li Li Dongling didn't directly mention Soros coming to Southeast Asia to stir up trouble—that would sound too mystical. Though signs were already evident, a careful investigation of Huaerjie rumors would reveal Soros had already begun positioning himself in Southeast Asia.

But even the most pessimistic person would assume Soros was merely itching to make a quick profit, like he had done shorting the British pound or other markets—he'd never be thought capable of destroying an entire national financial system, let alone daring to turn his blade toward the old European nations after breaking the pound.

Similarly in Asia, if Soros and Huaerjie hedge fund vultures targeted Thailand's baht, Malaysia, or South Korea, the world might be surprised but not shocked—most would assume he'd just make a quick kill and leave, as before.

No one would imagine he'd go mad and try to topple the entire Southeast Asian financial system—but that's exactly what Soros did.

At this moment, if Li Li Dongling said Soros had gone insane and Huaerjie's knives were already twitching, ready to slash Southeast Asia, no one would believe him.

Hearing Li Li Dongling's reasoning, Ning Ning Wenke still harbored some doubt, but his logic was plausible—yet she couldn't shake the feeling that Li Li Dongling was preparing for something.

"Also, Wanjia Electric City will need capital in the future to do more."

Li Li Dongling looked at Ning Ning Wenke's face, "There are many appliance retailers worldwide. For Wanjia Electric City to break through the competition, it must have its own style and positioning!"

"I want Wanjia Electric City to become the leader in the appliance industry—not just a place where customers come to buy, but a brand whose culture and philosophy people embrace. Choosing Wanjia Electric City means choosing fashion, trends, and health!"

Wanjia Electric City must become the pioneer leading the trend of fashion and healthy living!

Frantically pleasing one person often backfires, but if you make a person—or a group—believe in a culture or philosophy, they'll rush toward it like moths to a flame!

Status is built and marketed. Three men make a tiger—when enough people say something, more people start believing it!

"In the future, Wanjia Electric City can collaborate with suppliers based on market and consumer demand to improve traditional appliances or launch new ones—like home coffee makers, new dishwashers, home ice makers, and air fryers."

"Make these appliances more suited to modern life—more convenient and eco-friendly—and publicly declare that Wanjia Electric City is launching a new era of global appliance transformation!"

Dishwashers, ice makers, and others had long been developed, but due to price and practicality, they hadn't reached every household—even in America and old Europe, not every home had them.

If Wanjia Electric City could market these products under the banners of fashion, health, and eco-friendliness, it would unlock a massive market.

Use magic to defeat magic. Instead of waiting years for America and old Europe to use health and eco-friendliness as excuses to target domestic appliance brands, Wanjia Electric City should now flip the table—be the first to introduce these concepts. Whoever controls the concept controls the "standard" of health and eco-friendliness in the appliance industry—and thus holds the power of life and death over the entire sector!

"Air fryer?"

As Ning Ning Wenke listened to Li Li Dongling's words, she sensed a full-blown strategy. Her finance professors at business school never laid it out so bluntly—it made her feel like she'd just opened a new world.

Buying appliances at Wanjia Electric City means buying fashion, trends, health, and eco-friendliness—but not elsewhere?

It sounds ridiculous, but if marketed well, countless people would feel exactly that. In reality, when choosing between a Volvo and a roadside shop's appliance, where would you feel safer?

Aside from hypocrisy or financial constraints, most people, given a choice, would buy from big stores—especially from brands with loud advertising. That's human nature—trust in one's own kind, or something carved into our genes, not easily changed.

As for air fryers, since taking charge of Wanjia Electric City's Hong Kong and Southeast Asia operations, she'd handled thousands of appliance types—strange and exotic gadgets included—but she'd never heard the term "air fryer."

Li Li Dongling rubbed his forehead. Hearing Ning Ning Wenke's reaction, he remembered: in his past life, the air fryer had been deified, ruthlessly exploited worldwide, tucked away in corners of homes, yet nearly every household owned one—yet now, it hadn't become popular yet.

The concept of the air fryer had existed for years. Six years ago, an American company first launched a grease-free fryer, but it drew little attention—no hype, no health claims, so no one cared.

After that, many companies tried, too. Honestly, the technical difficulty was minimal. It wasn't until Philips introduced the first true air fryer that the golden age of air fryers arrived.

Why, for the first decade-plus, had so many companies failed to make a name with air fryers, while Philips, a latecomer, soared?

You could blame technology—but more likely, it was Philips' powerful marketing channels and brand authority. When other companies claimed their air fryers were healthy, no one believed them. But when Philips said it, who dared contradict? Authority isn't something ordinary people can challenge.

"I've heard of the air fryer concept. Perhaps we can improve it."

"The principle is simple: circulating hot air inside the chamber to evenly heat food without needing much—or any—oil. Put plainly, it's a fan-equipped oven, miniaturized…"

"Of course, under the condition of ensuring product safety, the most important thing is promoting the healthiness of the food it produces."

"Also, let cooking novices use it to make tarts, chicken wings, fried chicken, fries—making healthy food themselves. Isn't that a kind of life satisfaction?"

As Li Li Dongling spoke, he picked up a pen and sketched the air fryer design from his past life on the back of the documents Ning Ning Wenke had handed him. For a seasoned designer like him, drafting this was child's play—hadn't he spent years on cold benches in the mechanical design bureau, working day and night? Was all that effort wasted?

Ning Ning Wenke stared blankly at the sketches in her hands—external shape and key components were all there.

Previously, rumors circulated that the most important product designs at Li Dongling High-Tech all came from the founder's hand. Outsiders were skeptical.

Many believed this rumor was just Li Dongling High-Tech's PR stunt, trying to deify the founder.

Like Edison, the mythologized inventor of the light bulb—he supposedly held tens of thousands of patents, as if he were the Aristotle of European civilization, omniscient and omnipotent. Even if all European lambs were turned into parchment, it still wouldn't be enough for Aristotle to write on.

But when you read the truth, Edison was a businessman—every patent from his company was registered under his name. That's how he amassed tens of thousands.

Today, no one dares question Aristotle. As for Edison, he's still hailed as a great inventor in countless textbooks—but in China now, many voices question Li Li Dongling.

Ning Ning Wenke had remained neutral about the rumors. She was deeply impressed by Li Li Dongling's operational skills, but she'd never personally witnessed him designing products.

Today, she had seen it firsthand. Looking at the sketches, Li Li Dongling called it "inspired by," but Ning Ning Wenke had never seen any company launch such a compact, elegant appliance before.

As she stared at the sketches, a flicker of surprise crossed her eyes, and her expression toward Li Li Dongling subtly shifted.

She didn't know the exact value of these drawings, but if they could truly be developed and the concept successfully marketed, she could already imagine its popularity—especially among housewives. No more greasy smoke, yet still producing healthy meals—this would be wildly sought after by cooks. How big would the air fryer market become?

But for Wanjia Electric City, the product itself wasn't the real prize. What mattered more was using the air fryer to promote Wanjia Electric City's brand of fashion, trends, and health—as Li Li Dongling had just outlined.

Once users accepted this concept, the chain's sales volume would dwarf air fryer sales by hundreds or even thousands of times. Thinking of this, Ning Ning Wenke's breath quickened.

Ning Corporation also held 15% of Wanjia Electric City's equity. If Wanjia Electric City succeeded, looking at Walmart's current revenue, if Wanjia Electric City became the Walmart of the appliance industry, that 15% stake would become Ning Corporation's most valuable asset.

"Wanjia Electric City can hold the air fryer patent and collaborate with domestic appliance manufacturers and companies like Philips to co-develop it."

The air fryer's technical difficulty was real, but compared to the challenge of promotion, it was negligible. Partnering with Philips and others was to ensure better marketing—otherwise, spreading it would take years.

Selling one air fryer might bring decent profit, but using it to make the world accept Wanjia Electric City's culture and concept—then drawing customers into its stores—would yield far greater returns. If it went public, it could raise a fortune.

After all, does Wanjia Electric City sell appliances? No. Wanjia Electric City sells health. Can health be measured in money? Vulgar!

Whoever questions Wanjia Electric City is inhumane, lacks environmental awareness, has no taste, ignores family health. To embrace Wanjia Electric City is to embrace a better life—though of course, this embrace must be purchased with U. S. dollars!