Chapter 640: Private Marseille
After driving Lu Yiming away, Yamaoka Sakura raised the corner of his mouth slightly and sneered, "What if I'm the richest man? If I don't nod, you still can't buy it, right?"
However, a few days later, he was startled by a long-distance call from an island country.
The call was from Dafa's chairman and CEO Nobuyuki Idei. This man, who had just become CEO, was ambitiously preparing to take Dafa to the next level.
"Was it Lu Yiming who came to inquire about purchasing the factory a few days ago?"
Yamaoka Sakura did not dare to neglect him, after all, this was his immediate superior. Although he did not understand why Idei Nobuyuki suddenly asked this question, he still replied: "It is true. His attitude was very arrogant and he proposed very humiliating conditions."
On the other end of the phone, Nobuyuki Idei did not comment on what Yamaoka Sakura said, but asked, "The sales data for last month is out, right? How is the situation?"
The rise of Xia is an indisputable fact, so many foreign companies are trying to enter the Xia market to make money, and Dafa is no exception. They all regard the rising Xia and the people of Xia, whose pockets are bulging, as juicy leeks, and want to take advantage of the current situation of the Xia people who know nothing, and reap a lot of benefits.
Yamaoka Sakura looked at the extremely ugly report on the table and said, "The situation is very good. The middle class here still recognizes our products very much."
However, Nobuyuki Idei was not someone who could be easily fooled, and he knew very well what this rhetoric meant, so his tone became much more severe: "I'm asking you about sales."
“…”
Yamaoka Sakura took a deep breath and was helpless, so he had to tell the number to Nobuyuki Izui.
silence.
There was a long silence.
Neither Yamaoka Sakura nor Idei Nobuyuki said anything.
Nobuyuki Idei didn't hang up the phone, nor did he say anything. Naturally, Yamaoka Sakura didn't dare to speak, let alone hang up the phone directly.
He just stood next to the desk, holding the telephone receiver, bending over seventy degrees, as if Nobuyuki Idei was right in front of him.
His eyes were extremely submissive, as if he might shout out "Private Marseille" at any time.
He was now very nervous. The tremendous pressure made his forehead covered with fine beads of sweat even though he was in an air-conditioned room.
I don’t know how much time has passed, but to Yamaoka Sakura it felt like a century.
Nobuyuki Idei finally spoke.
His roaring voice sounded so pleasant to Yamaoka Sakura - even though the content of his roar was a curse on Yamaoka Sakura.
"If they don't pay for it, what's the point of recognition? Do you know how much money the company loses every day on you? Will you pay for it?"
The implication is that Dafa has already intended to give up the Xiaguo market, or at least no longer expects to expand sales, but only wants to maintain its original high-end market share.
As for the mid- and low-end market, they were really scared by the price war launched by a number of color TV companies in Xia country.
A color TV costs two to three thousand yuan, which is less than four hundred US dollars, and the profit is directly negative. What the hell is this business?
Dafa is a well-known brand in the island country and has also made a name for itself internationally. When has it ever suffered such injustice?
Upon hearing that the company was planning to give up the Xiaguo market, Yamaoka Sakura became a little anxious. If he returned to the company in disgrace, he would probably only be a social animal who punched in and out for work. How could he have the chance to get a promotion, a raise, or to take charge of the company?
"Private Marseille! Chairman, my team and I are working hard to change the situation. I believe that the sales of our color TVs will improve soon. Please give me a chance to prove myself!"
Idei Nobuyuki said expressionlessly: "It's useless. Xiaguo's color TV companies have gone crazy, and we at Panasonic will not go crazy with them. You should sell the electronics factory quickly while it is still worth some money. Sell it immediately. This is the company's will!"
It turned out that the company had already seen this situation, and the reason for calling was to let Yamaoka Sakura be prepared. After all, if the buyer was Lu Yiming, the youngest richest man in Xia Country, the company thought it should be able to sell for a good price.
According to the tradition of the island country, it is an act of usurpation to disobey the superior. Nobuyuki Idei has made a decision, and Yamaoka Sakura certainly has no chance to refute it. Thinking that after returning to the island country, he can only sit in the company and face endless office struggles, Yamaoka Sakura feels that the rest of his life will be dark.
In the office, Yu Jiayi walked in with documents, but saw Lu Yiming playing "Legend of Mir 2" on the computer and having a lot of fun. She immediately felt resentful.
What's wrong with this junior boss? Is he leading the team in playing games during work hours?
"Mr. Lu..."
Yu Jiayi had just opened her mouth when she was interrupted by Lu Yiming.
"Wait a moment, I'm fighting the BOSS here, we'll talk after I'm done."
After hearing this, Yu Jiayi complained, but she had gotten used to it after so long, so she started serving tea and water and tidying up the office.
In her eyes, when young Mr. Lu was capable, he was really capable. For example, when it came to investment, he could basically make money no matter how he invested.
But Mr. Lu is too young, and he is particularly unreliable when he is unreliable. For example, when he is playing games, no matter how big the problem is, he has to put it aside until he has had enough fun.
It seems that a business worth tens of millions or hundreds of millions is not as important as games.
After waiting for Lu Yiming to finish beating the boss, Yu Jiayi finally said, "The first episode of the "Super Travel Group" program has been filmed. Mr. Lu, do you want to see the sample film?"
Lu Yiming stretched, yawned, and said, "Let's take a look."
Yu Jiayi handed a USB drive to Lu Yiming, who plugged it into the computer and started playing the program.
It can only be said that talents are talents wherever they go, and gold shines everywhere. Chen Xiaoqing's ability as a director has been perfectly demonstrated with the blessing of money, and the whole program has successfully portrayed a paradise where people are at peace with the world and the grass is lush.
The pristine natural rural scenery, various long-standing cultural histories and splendid national cultures are perfectly combined together.
Even Lu Yiming, who had been to Taohuayuan once, felt unsatisfied after watching the show and wanted to go there again.
Yu Jiayi watched the whole movie with Lu Yiming.
When the ending song, "Beautiful Mountains and Rivers" sung by JAY, was playing, Lu Yiming asked Yu Jiayi, "What do you think of this episode?"
Yu Jiayi sincerely praised: "For people living in big cities, this program should be very attractive. Director Chen shot it very well."
Lu Yiming also agreed with her statement and said, "Yes, I think so too."
He picked up his phone and called Chen Xiaoqing: "Director Chen, I have finished watching the sample."
On the other end of the phone, Chen Xiaoqing, who had just returned to Beijing TV Station, asked nervously, "Mr. Lu, what do you think of the filming of this program?"
Lu Yiming was generous with his praise and said with a smile: "I feel it is very good, it is the feeling I want to film in my mind. I have to say that Director Chen's national team is different, they showed their strength right from the start. After the show is broadcast, if the ratings and advertising effect are good, I will give everyone bonuses."
Chen Xiaoqing was very happy to receive Lu Yiming's praise. After all, he had shot so many mission films in the past few years in the national team that he felt a little unsure about the grasp of commercial films. Now that he received Lu Yiming's affirmation, Chen Xiaoqing not only breathed a sigh of relief, but also became more determined to make extra money.
"Mr. Lu, thank you for your praise. I am very happy that I have fulfilled my mission."
“Keep up the good work in the following programs.”
"OK."
After finishing the call with Chen Xiaoqing, Lu Yiming was thinking about where to shoot the next episode, when he received a call from the front desk.
"Mr. Lu, someone named Yamaoka Sakura said he wants to visit you."
Yamaoka Sakura?
As soon as he saw the four-character name, Lu Yiming roughly remembered who this person was, so he said, "Okay, I know, bring him to my office."
Putting down his phone, Lu Yiming said to Yu Jiayi, "That Yamaoka Sakura is here. As usual, serve him a glass of boiled water."
Yu Jiayi smiled and said, "Okay."
A moment later, Yamaoka Sakura was brought in.
Today, the arrogance on his face had long since disappeared, replaced by a look of decadence. His eye sockets were sunken, and he looked like he was in a twilight state.
Lu Yiming teased mercilessly, "Mr. Yamaoka, I haven't seen you for a while. Why are you so lousy? You came to me today. Have you thought clearly about making a deal with me?"
Yamaoka Sakura, whose life was gloomy, could only choose to endure Lu Yiming's "provocation": "Yes. Lu Sang, I came here this time to discuss with you the acquisition of Jingshi Electronics Factory."
Lu Yiming said calmly: "Okay, let's talk, please sit down."
Yu Jiayi brought in a glass of boiled water. Yamaoka Sakura didn't say anything, just picked it up and took a sip.
After Yu Jiayi left the office, Lu Yiming talked with Yamaoka Sakura for half an hour. Outsiders had no way of knowing what they talked about, but when Yamaoka Sakura walked out of the office, her face looked even uglier than when she came in.
When Yamaoka Sakura was leaving, he happened to meet Li Yiwen coming in with last month's financial statements. Seeing Yamaoka Sakura's gloomy face, he didn't say anything. After entering the office, he pointed to the door and asked, "What's going on? Looking at him, he either wants to commit seppuku or kill someone."
Lu Yiming smiled and said, "Dafa Group has decided to sell the Jingshi Electronics Factory to us. As for Mr. Yamaoka, he will probably spend the rest of his life in a retirement department like the archives room after he returns."
Li Yiwen put the report on the table. There was no sympathy on his face. Instead, he looked joking: "Damn, this is too miserable."
Lu Yiming said: "Companies in the island countries are all like this. They usually won't fire you, but you'll probably be on the bench until you die. But it's not too bad. The company has a pension department. You can get paid until you die. There's no such thing as being fired."
Li Yiwen thought about it, and immediately broke down his defenses and said, "The benefits are really good."
Afterwards, he said with emotion: "He came here full of vigor and vitality, but left as if he had lost his parents. This guy deserves it."
Lu Yiming smiled and said, "In the future, more and more foreign-funded enterprises will fail in Xia Country. They won't be able to be so arrogant for much longer."
This is by no means an empty statement. In the manufacturing sector, if Xia country's enterprises successfully intervene, the monopoly of foreign capital will be broken, and then the products will fall from the high altar and become priced at rock-bottom prices.
Lu Yiming looked out the window and said leisurely, "Once most of the market share of foreign-funded enterprises has been snatched away, their original arrogance and contempt will naturally be gone. The color TV industry is just the beginning, and it will never be the end. The rise of our Xia country manufacturing will be unstoppable."
Having been with Lu Yiming for several years, Li Yiwen has seen a lot abroad and agrees with Lu Yiming's point of view. He just sighed and said, "The profit of manufacturing industry is still too low. All the money earned is hard-earned."
Lu Yiming said: "That's why I used the money I earned from the financial industry to invest in Xiaguo's manufacturing industry. It doesn't seem cost-effective in the short term, but money is just a pile of waste paper if it is not put into practice. What I want is not book wealth, but real resources and influence."
Having only money is called getting rich overnight.
Those who have the right to speak in industries and related fields are business tycoons and capital giants.
On this point, Lu Yiming was very clear.
The island country's color TV companies failed miserably in the summer, which triggered a series of reports in the domestic media and made many people applaud.
However, within a few days of this report being published, it was overshadowed by another, bigger event.
On July 22, Rainbow Group suddenly announced its first half performance. Its main business revenue increased by 94% year-on-year, from 5.33 billion yuan to 10.38 billion yuan, and its profit growth rate reached 127%, from 640 million yuan to 1.47 billion yuan.
At the same time, another good news was announced. In front of a group of reporters, Ni Runfeng stated that the annual export value of Rainbow TVs reached 750 million US dollars.
Behind this series of glamorous figures is naturally the sales volume. This year, Rainbow Group sold a total of 11 million color TVs, of which 4 million were exported.
There is no doubt that the cooperation with APEX has made Rainbow TV huge profits.
As this news came out, many people were shocked by the performance of Rainbow Group.
When the news reached Baiyun, many members of the Color TV Export Association became even more uneasy, and each of them wondered whether they should contact APEX privately.
After all, Rainbow was suppressed by other brands before.
One exit and he was able to turn his life around.
They also want such immediate results.
Although the Color TV Export Association also helped them export many televisions, who would complain about having too many channels?
At the Color TV Export Association's regular meeting at the end of the month, all the CEOs gathered together and the topic of discussion was Rainbow Group and APEX.
A man named Lu Hongwei said: "Ni Runfeng sold 4 million TV sets in one quarter. I think his position is secure again."
Originally, Rainbow was about to be eliminated by other peers because it only knew how to play with public opinion and did not pay attention to technology. Naturally, Ni Runfeng also faced the risk of being fired. Unexpectedly, he has now regained his glory with the help of APEX, and his position is more stable than before.
Dong Yahua, who was sitting next to Lu Hongwei, said, "That's right. $750 million. How good would it be if I had that much money?"
Someone nearby interrupted and said, “If I had known, I would have cooperated with APEX as well.”
Another person echoed, "By the way, does anyone know Mr. Ji's phone number?"
Lu Hongwei smiled and said, "Why, are you planning to break the covenant?"
"What covenant? Where are you talking about the Romance of the Three Kingdoms? I just want to ask, and the association doesn't prohibit us from exporting our products abroad through other channels."
"That's right. We joined the Cutting and Exporting Association. We don't have any money or contracts. Even if we sign a contract with APEX, it is our own freedom."
"There are many channels and many ways. I think we can work hard in this direction. We can't just hang our heads on one tree."
People are always greedy. Before, they had no export channels and could only engage in price wars to seize the market. Although they now have the Color TV Export Association to help them develop foreign trade channels, the success of the Rainbow Group has made them restless again.
The more they talked, the more they envied themselves. Foreign exchange, this thing can buy all kinds of imported high-end gadgets from abroad, who wouldn't want it?
At this moment, someone called out, "Hello, Mr. Lu."
Everyone looked towards the door at the same time and realized that it was Lu Yiming who came. They immediately greeted him.
Seeing Lu Yiming appear, the several CEOs who were originally talking loudly suddenly shut their mouths.
Lu Yiming looked around and said with a smile: "Wow, there are quite a lot of people coming to this regular meeting, which is rare."
This kind of meeting is not mandatory. After all, everyone is a boss and has a lot of things to do, so it is difficult to coordinate time.
It’s just that this time Rainbow and APEX caused such a big fuss, many members also wanted to come to the association to discuss countermeasures, so more people came.
Lu Yiming said: "In fact, I also know that everyone must be here because of APEX. In fact, I am the same. If you have any ideas, you can bring them up first and we can discuss them."
Lu Hongwei thought for a moment and said, "Mr. Lu, I think the original standards are too strict. Can they be relaxed a little? The association is supposed to be a coordinating organization and shouldn't be so broad-based."
The purpose of establishing the association was to divide the cake and determine each other's export share, so there were not many topics to talk about. Lu Yiming simply hoped that the members of the association would focus more on research and development and technological accumulation, strive to improve product quality and build brand image.
Unfortunately, people understand the principles but may not necessarily implement them seriously. There are always people who find various excuses to shirk their responsibilities and then try to find loopholes.
After all, the risks of R&D are not small. Who would be willing to stand when you can make money while lying down?
There were not many export channels to choose from originally, and Lu Yiming was able to use the Color TV Export Association to set rules and suppress this unhealthy trend within the organization.
But now that the Rainbow Group has opened up the situation through the APEX channel, some members of the association have begun to become restless.
Lu Yiming looked at Lu Hongwei, and more people present looked at Lu Yiming, waiting for Lu Yiming's statement.
Lu Yi knew clearly that Lu Hongwei was testing his attitude.
