Volume Two: The Path to Azure Clouds – 28. The Battlefield of Sales (Part Three)

The next day, after giving it some thought, I decided to have Lin Xiaolong notify them to come to the hotel for the discussion. That way, we could at least partly avoid the disadvantage of fighting on someone else’s ground.

Not long after they had been notified, Li Qiang and the others arrived. Naturally, Li Qiang led them. He had hardly changed at all—still tall and thin. If there was any difference, it was that he seemed more imposing than when we had met eight years earlier. He was no longer as low-key and restrained, as though deliberately keeping himself out of sight. But times had changed. Li Qiang was now the boss, no longer a deputy forced to bow and scrape beneath someone else.

Following behind him was, surprisingly, Lin Yuanyuan. Although several years had passed and she was now in her thirties, she seemed to possess even more mature charm and feminine grace than before. A young man followed her, but I did not recognize him.

The moment Li Qiang saw me, he hurried over and warmly clasped my hand.

“Oh, Director Wang, you should have told us in advance that you were coming. We didn’t send anyone to meet you, and we didn’t make any arrangements at all. This is terribly discourteous of us, terribly discourteous.”

Then he turned to Lin Xiaolong, who was standing behind me.

“Section Chief Lin, you should have let me know that Director Wang was coming. You’ve made us look very rude.”

Lin Xiaolong nodded toward me and said with a smile, “Our leader simply didn’t want to cause you any more trouble.”

Li Qiang looked at me and smiled again.

“Director Wang, you’re far too polite. Truly, far too polite.”

After that, Lin Yuanyuan came forward and shook my hand. Her voice was still as gentle and melodious as ever.

“Director Wang, we meet again. You’ve made great progress over the years. You’re so young, yet already a department-level official. I have much to learn from you.”

I gave her hand a light squeeze and quickly let go.

“Not at all. I still have much to learn from Director Lin.”

Lin Yuanyuan merely smiled without replying. Li Qiang interrupted from the side.

“She isn’t Director Lin anymore. You should call her General Manager Lin now. Our great beauty Lin has become the vice president of the company.”

“Oh, Director Lin—no, Vice President Lin. Now that is what I call progress.” I joked with her.

Lin Yuanyuan smiled faintly.

“Not at all. It is all thanks to Chairman Li’s kindness.”

As she spoke, she glanced at Li Qiang.

“This young Director Li is our office director.”

Li Qiang pointed toward the young man behind Lin Yuanyuan. The man quickly came forward to shake hands and introduce himself.

I studied the young Director Li and vaguely felt that he bore some resemblance to Li Qiang. He was probably a member of Li Qiang’s family, I thought. Private enterprises often became family fiefdoms, so this was nothing unusual. What was strange was that Lin Yuanyuan, who had been the office director under the former owner, had not only avoided losing power after the change in ownership but had actually become a vice president. There had to be more to the story.

After the pleasantries, we got down to business. I knew that changing someone else’s source of profit would be an extremely difficult task, but I had no choice except to brace myself and proceed. Fortunately, the initiative was still in our hands, which gave me at least a little confidence.

“This is the situation, Boss Li. After careful consideration, our factory has recently decided to make some adjustments to its sales policies. I’ve come here specifically, on behalf of the factory, to discuss them with you.”

I got straight to the point. I had no intention of beating around the bush, nor did I want to give Li Qiang and the others any room to maneuver. By emphasizing that the factory had already made its decision, I was making it clear that there was little room for negotiation.

“Oh? What kind of adjustments?” Li Qiang’s eyes widened as he stared at me. It was obvious how seriously he took the matter.

“There are mainly two aspects. First, we will establish a unified nationwide pricing system. Second, we plan to set up our own offices in key regions.”

I briefly explained the changes to the sales policy. I did not directly say that the price discounts enjoyed by agents would be canceled, but the implication was obvious. Li Qiang naturally understood. They had always enjoyed substantial price concessions, and a unified nationwide pricing system meant those concessions would disappear. Their agency rights would then become meaningless.

“Director Wang, are you certain about this?” Li Qiang continued staring at me.

“Of course.” I met his eyes.

“Director Wang, I’ve always held you in the highest regard. You can’t give me a welcome gift like this the moment you take office.”

“Boss Li, as I said, this is the factory’s decision. Old Lin and I are merely carrying out orders.”

“Director Wang, you’re being too modest. I know very well how much influence you have. The factory’s policy is one thing, but specific circumstances still have to be taken into account. Our company’s situation is special, so I hope you can report it to the factory on our behalf. After all, we developed this market entirely on our own over all these years, and we made a major contribution to the factory’s sales. We planted the trees, and now you’ve come to pick the fruit. That isn’t very fair, is it? You can’t slaughter the donkey once the millstone is turned.”

“We’ll report whatever needs to be reported. The factory fully recognizes your contributions. But you haven’t exactly failed to make money all these years. Besides, this policy isn’t aimed specifically at you. It applies uniformly to the entire national market.”

“That isn’t right. This is still a society governed by the rule of law, isn’t it?” Li Qiang grew serious, and his voice unconsciously rose. “There has to be at least some respect for the spirit of contracts. We have an agency agreement between us.”

Li Qiang had brought out what he considered his strongest evidence.

The words “rule of law” and “contractual spirit” sounded especially ridiculous coming from Li Qiang. If he had truly cared about the rule of law and the sanctity of contracts, would he still not be bowing and scraping beneath Zhang Peng? When he talked about the rule of law and contractual obligations, all he really meant was exploiting loopholes in the law and in the contract. Yet here he was, lecturing me about them with a straight face. His shamelessness was astonishing.

Of course, I could not say any of that aloud. On the surface, I remained completely composed.

“There is indeed an agency agreement, but it also stipulates that if the factory adjusts its sales policies, the new policies shall apply. We are acting in accordance with the agreement.”

Before coming to Tongning, I had made thorough preparations, including a careful study of the agency contract.

“Director Wang, this is nothing more than an unconscionable clause. You can’t just cancel it unilaterally whenever you please. You didn’t even consult us beforehand. That isn’t how business is done!”

“Well, Boss Li, you have to understand. Agency arrangements like this are common among manufacturers. With your experience and broad knowledge, you must know that. Manufacturers have their own difficulties; otherwise, every adjustment to a sales policy would be subject to countless restrictions.”

“You want me to understand, but who is going to understand me?” Li Qiang paused before continuing. “Could you at least speak to the factory on our behalf and ask them to delay the adjustment? Our situation here is special.”

“I can mention it, but I doubt there will be much hope. The factory is determined this time. The policy is being implemented uniformly across the national market.” My tone was gentle, but my attitude was firm.

“So you’re saying you insist on going through with this. Director Wang, let me put it bluntly: you don’t understand the situation in Jiyang Province. The market here is extremely complicated. It isn’t enough to announce that you’re establishing an office and expect sales to take off. You can only gain a foothold in this market by relying on us. As the saying goes, even a powerful outsider cannot defeat the local toughs. Jiyang is a chaotic place, full of gangsters and thugs. If you come here, not only might you fail to develop the market, your own safety could even become an issue. And I’m not just talking about criminals. A few inspections from the industry and commerce bureau, the tax authorities, environmental protection, or the fire department would be enough to give you a very hard time.”

A threat—an utterly naked threat. Seeing that persuasion was not working, Li Qiang had begun threatening us.

Fortunately, I had been mentally prepared for this. Although Li Qiang was threatening us, I had to admit that the circumstances he described did exist to some degree in most markets outside our home region. If we were going to make these adjustments and establish offices outside the region, we had to be prepared to deal with such problems.

“Thank you for the warning, Boss Li. We already have measures in place to handle these situations, so there’s no need for you to worry. Naturally, if you could offer us some assistance, we would be even more grateful.”

I smiled as I spoke.

“All right. I’ve said everything I needed to say. I still hope you’ll consider this carefully. Director Wang, you don’t have to give me an answer right away. I only hope you can do me one favor and speak to the factory again. If you can make it happen, I’ll be deeply grateful—and I promise I’ll thank you properly.”

Our first discussion ended on an unpleasant note, just as I had expected. When you interfered with someone else’s profits, the matter could never be settled in a single stroke. There were bound to be many difficulties and twists along the way.