Chapter 145: A Terrifying Stronghold!

To be honest, Qin Luo had always sensed that Li Qingcheng was a woman with a story. Of course, this impression might have stemmed from the archetypal female leads he had seen in various films and television shows. In those domestic or foreign narratives, there existed a certain type of woman: dressed seductively, behaving provocatively, adorned with vivid red lips and purple eyeshadow, a cigarette—whether men's or women's—dangling from her fingers. She was flirtatious yet never easily conquered, intelligent and enchanting, skillfully toying with men at her whim.

Li Qingcheng’s image bore a striking resemblance to these fictional characters, as if she had stepped straight out of a movie or drama.

What trials must one endure, what wounds must one bear, to be reborn from the ashes like a phoenix, to cultivate such an aura?

Li Qingcheng said nothing, and Qin Luo did not press her.

But he knew something was amiss just now. Expressions can deceive, eyes can mislead, but the heart cannot lie.

When Li Qingcheng lost her temper earlier, Qin Luo distinctly felt her heartbeat and pulse quicken far beyond their usual rhythm. This indicated that the matter was more complicated than it appeared on the surface.

Qin Luo didn’t want to dwell on the issue; it would be endless. Instead, he asked, “You called me here just to talk about this?”

Li Qingcheng glanced at him and said, “Drink the wine in your glass first. Then I’ll talk business.”

Qin Luo sighed, taking a small sip as if tasting poison, swallowing bit by bit. “I’ll drink slowly. Can’t rush.”

Seeing his reluctance, Li Qingcheng eased up. “You’re no fun. Singing wildly and drinking deeply—that’s the ultimate bliss in life. You can’t sing, you can’t drink—how boring is that?”

“How do you know I can’t sing?” Qin Luo asked, puzzled. He didn’t recall ever going out with her.

“Of course, you can’t,” Li Qingcheng scoffed. “I called you here to share some great news.”

“What news?” Qin Luo asked eagerly.

“You’re going to make a fortune,” Li Qingcheng said, fixing her gaze on him, waiting for his reaction.

“A fortune? How?” Qin Luo was still trying to process it.

“Don’t you read the newspapers?” she asked irritably.

“Yes,” Qin Luo nodded. “But what does that have to do with me getting rich? Our products have only just started taking national preorders. Apart from our beauty salons under Qingcheng International, other salons don’t even have the products. It’s too early to be counting profits, right?”

Li Qingcheng tapped Qin Luo’s head playfully. “Haven’t you noticed that Qingcheng International has been making headlines in major newspapers these past few days? And the frequent reports on television—haven’t you paid attention?”

Qin Luo smiled. “I have. I expected the advertisement to be a hit, but not to this extent. Still, how does this translate to me making money? Our products just began nationwide preorders. The other salons don’t even have stock. Isn’t it too soon to talk about profits?”

Li Qingcheng smiled knowingly. “Making money isn’t that hard. Honestly, I didn’t anticipate a single advertisement creating such a widespread buzz. That’s why our product’s brand awareness and company reputation have soared. But I was underprepared, especially in terms of inventory—it’s impossible to meet market demand right now.”

“I’m sure you have a way to fix that,” Qin Luo said with a smile.

Since the “devil” Li Qingcheng had admitted to making money, how could she not have a solution?

“The prepayment policy,” Li Qingcheng revealed with a smile. “Anyone wanting to procure from Qingcheng International must pay a five-million-yuan prepayment up front.”

“That much?” Qin Luo asked in surprise.

“Too much? I originally wanted ten million,” she chuckled lightly. “But I want to expand more, at least one distributor in every first-tier city. So I lowered the prepayment amount and chose more agents to help promote us. Since our production can’t keep up yet, we have to limit supply this way.”

“Won’t the agents complain?” Qin Luo asked, concerned. Nowadays, distribution channels ruled the market. Many companies expanded by flooding the market first and collecting payment later, often offering huge commissions and rebates to agents. It was rare to require such a hefty prepayment before delivery.

“Complaints? Why would there be any? We’ve received thousands of calls from potential partners in just two days, but only less than a hundred can cooperate. If anyone’s unhappy, it’s those willing to pay but unable to get distributorship. Those who got it are just lucky,” Li Qingcheng said with a nonchalant expression, as if no problem could ever reach her.

Qin Luo nodded, then a terrifying thought struck him.

“You mean only about a hundred partnerships will be made?”

“Yes, that’s the maximum. If we take on more, we’d have to reduce each distributor’s supply even further,” Li Qingcheng replied.

“Five million prepayment each?” Qin Luo’s voice trembled.

“Yes, five million each,” she nodded with satisfaction. Finally, the fool understood the crux of the matter.

“So, in total...” Qin Luo struggled to count on his fingers.

“Five hundred million,” Li Qingcheng answered immediately.

Five hundred million? What kind of sum was that?

No matter how hard Qin Luo tried, he couldn’t visualize such an enormous amount stacked together.

Qin Luo came from a well-off family and carried a bank card loaded with a million-yuan cash balance. He’d never lacked money, yet hearing such a colossal figure left him speechless.

“After deducting costs and expenses, with your seventy percent stake in Qingcheng International, you could net at least three hundred million,” Li Qingcheng sighed. “It’s truly better to lean on a big tree for shade. Before, Qingcheng International’s annual profit was just over thirty million.”

“Looks like you’re really going to get rich,” Qin Luo thought.

In the future, during media interviews, he might even casually say: “Money is just a string of numbers to me now.”

“Rich? This is only the beginning,” Li Qingcheng smiled. “Thanks to the massive influence from this successful ad, we dared to propose such a sky-high prepayment policy. Later, when our production catches up, we can expand distribution much more extensively. That’s when the real money rolls in.”

“I’m no expert in business. Just let me sit back and collect the money,” Qin Luo laughed.

“But we also have to guard against other companies muddying the waters and disrupting the market,” Li Qingcheng said with some concern.

“How can they, when only we have the formula?” Qin Luo asked.

“They can just produce some product, call it the ‘Golden Silkworm Skin Nourishing Water of Tang Princess and Ming Consort’ or some random name, then rush it to market—how can the public tell the difference? I’m not afraid they’ll take our market; I’m afraid their shoddy products will ruin the entire marketplace.”

Even tech giants like Microsoft fear counterfeits and piracy, let alone them.

******************************

Guan Xu set down the newspaper, reached for a pack of cigarettes on the table, tossed one to Li Lingxi sitting across from him, then lit one himself before flicking the lighter over.

“By now, you should understand how huge the market potential is, right?” Guan Xu exhaled smoke and smiled.

“Yes. This isn’t just making money; it’s like robbing a bank,” Li Lingxi said indignantly. “Before, I was quite proud, thinking we were doing well. Compared to them, we’re just amateurs. Guan, we have to speed things up.”

“Yes, we should. But we need the perfect entry point. This success was thanks to their ad stirring public excitement. Who can guarantee we’ll be so lucky?”

Li Lingxi grinned. “Guan, you just came back from America and don’t understand our domestic situation.”

“Hmm?” Guan Xu looked puzzled.

“We don’t need to rack our brains for new products or ad ideas. We just follow Qingcheng International’s path. Their ad blasted off like this—can their production meet market demand?”

“Even if they’re well prepared, with ample stock, they’re targeting the high-end market. The mid and low-end markets are still wide open. We can occupy that space.”

“Isn’t that infringement?” Guan Xu furrowed his brows, then relaxed.

“What infringement? We’ll make our own product with our own formula. We don’t have to use weird names like ‘Golden Silkworm Skin Nourishing Powder.’ We can name it anything—Golden Beetle, Golden Fish, whatever—and package it. Leave the planning to the marketing team. We just provide the direction.”

Guan Xu smoked, weighing the pros and cons.

Given how explosive the ‘Golden Silkworm Skin Nourishing Powder’ is, quick follow-up could yield huge profits.

Moreover, their Huaxia Medical Hall has plenty of traditional Chinese medicine experts and sufficient marketing funds. With his nod, products bearing their brand could soon flood the market.

Pressing out his cigarette butt into the ashtray, Guan Xu said, “Making money is fine, but we must protect the Medical Hall’s reputation. Since we’re entering this field, let’s plan properly and make it credible. We can’t tarnish our own brand.”

“Don’t worry, Guan. There won’t be any issues. I’ll have the planning team work overtime to perfect this. If they could come up with ‘A Lifetime of Drawing Your Eyebrows,’ we’ll do ‘A Lifetime of Massaging You’ or ‘A Lifetime of Foot Baths’—more touching than theirs, right?” Li Lingxi said proudly.