Hong Kong Film: Short mules have no future, I am in charge of Hong Kong

Chapter 283 Find the boss behind the scenes

Su Hanze raised his eyebrows, picked up the report and flipped through a few pages, a meaningful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. He closed the report and said slowly: "The jewelry industry is very deep, but the deeper the water, the easier it is to raise fish. Now that the opportunity has come, let's give it a try."

"Try? Boss, if you do it, it will definitely work! I, Liu, absolutely trust you." Liu laughed and looked flattering.

"The jewelry business is not like a night market. If you don't do it well, you will lose a lot of money." Su Hanze stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the lively crowd outside. "However, we have the foundation, the funds, and the trust. As long as we plan well, there will be no problem."

Ah Liu nodded immediately: "Boss, whatever you say, I'll arrange it right away."

Su Hanze turned around with a thoughtful expression on his face: "The jewelry business requires quality, channels, and reputation. We can find someone to help with quality and channels, but reputation cannot be bought with any amount of money. We can't rush this first step, so we should start with a low profile and lay the groundwork."

Ah Liu scratched his head: "Low-key entry? What does that mean exactly?"

"It's very simple," Su Hanze smiled gently, "We will start with a niche high-end route, targeting only a certain number of customers with purchasing power. At the same time, we will combine cultural themes, jewelry and art to create a boutique series. What we sell is not the jewelry itself, but identity and stories."

Ah Liu didn't quite understand what he said, but he nodded again and again: "Boss, you are really smart! Then... should we open a jewelry store directly, or find a place to test the waters first?"

"It would be too high-profile to open a store directly," Su Hanze waved his hand. "Let's hold a private jewelry exhibition first, only invite a small range of customers, and make a high-end opening. Once the influence of the exhibition is spread, we will consider opening a store."

Ah Liu ran out excitedly to make arrangements, and soon, the news spread throughout Hong Kong Island - Su Hanze, the owner of Sai Wan, was about to hold a private jewelry exhibition to showcase a batch of high-end jewelry with the theme of "Oriental Legends".

A few days later, Su Hanze contacted a well-known jewelry designer in Southeast Asia through several connections. Her name was Lin Keer. She was a young girl in her early twenties, with a neat ponytail, wearing a simple white shirt and jeans, but her temperament was extremely confident.

When they first met, she looked Su Hanze up and down and said directly: "Boss Su, I heard that you used to run a night market. Why are you suddenly interested in jewelry?"

Su Hanze was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Ms. Lin, whether it's the night market or the jewelry business, they are essentially doing business, selling people's hearts. It's just that the jewelry industry can sell people's hearts at a higher price."

Lin Ke'er raised her eyebrows, seeming satisfied with the answer: "Interesting. How do you want me to help you?"

Su Hanze handed over a planning proposal: "We want to use 'Oriental Legends' as the theme to design a batch of unique jewelry. Each piece must have a story and emotion, so that people will feel that it is worth the money at first sight."

Lin Keer flipped through a few pages and nodded: "This is a good idea. However, it's easy to tell a story, but it's not easy to make jewelry. Especially for high-end jewelry, the craftsmanship, design, and raw materials, every link can't go wrong. Can you accept such a high cost?"

"Money is not a problem." Su Hanze said calmly, "As long as the work is good, the market will naturally reward us."

Lin Keer smiled and said, "Okay, I'll give it a try. But, Boss Su, this road is not easy to take, you have to be mentally prepared."

"Ms. Lin, when doing business, the difficult path is the right path." Su Hanze looked determined.

A few weeks later, a piece of news began to circulate in high-end circles in Hong Kong Island - Sai Wan was about to hold a private jewelry exhibition with the theme of "Oriental Legend", inviting only the city's top celebrities and distinguished guests.

As soon as the news came out, many people showed excitement. Jewelry is always a symbol of status for those rich people.

Su Hanze's jewelry exhibition was scheduled to be held in a luxurious seaside hotel. On that day, the hotel was decorated like a dream palace.

In the center of the exhibition hall are several flagship works designed by Lin Ke'er, including a ring called "Dragon Soul", a necklace inspired by "Phoenix Dance", and a bracelet with the theme of "Moon Shadow".

These jewels are exquisitely crafted and uniquely designed, and each piece is like a work of art.

The jewelry exhibition attracted many distinguished guests, including some wealthy wives and celebrities who rarely show up in public. They admired the jewelry and discussed quietly, and the atmosphere was elegant and warm.

"Boss Su, the designs of these jewels are absolutely amazing." A wealthy lady in a cheongsam said with a smile, "Especially this 'Feng Wu'. I really want to take it home right now."

"Ms. Lin's craftsmanship is indeed admirable." Su Hanze smiled slightly, "However, these jewels are not only beautiful, but also have stories behind them. For example, this 'Phoenix Dance' symbolizes nirvana and rebirth, and is suitable for ladies with a strong heart to wear."

Mrs. Fu's eyes lit up when she heard this: "Jewelry with a story is indeed more interesting."

Just as Su Hanze was busy entertaining people, Ah Liu came running over and whispered in his ear, "Boss, someone saw Young Master Jin coming here too. He brought a strange woman with him, and it looked like he was here to cause trouble."

Su Hanze was slightly startled, then smiled and said, "What kind of waves can Young Master Jin make now? Let him be."

Sure enough, Mr. Jin’s arrival did not cause much commotion.

He took the heavily made-up woman around the exhibition hall with a gloomy expression, and finally sat down in a corner, drinking alone. No one knew what he was thinking, but everyone could see that his sharpness had long been worn away.

The first day of the jewelry exhibition was very successful. Not only were all the jewelry on display booked, but many people also took the initiative to ask for customized jewelry series.

Su Hanze's high-end strategy was successful in the first battle. He stood on the terrace of the hotel, looking at the brightly lit night view of Hong Kong Island in the distance, and breathed a long sigh of relief.

Ah Liu came over with two glasses of champagne and handed him one: "Boss, congratulations! You fought a great battle."

"It's too early to be beautiful," Su Hanze raised his glass and clinked it lightly.

On the third day after the jewelry exhibition, Lin Ke'er came to Su Hanze's office as promised, holding a stack of information in her hand and looking unhappy.

Su Hanze was sitting behind his desk, flipping through the newspaper of the day. When he saw her come in, he looked up and asked, "Ms. Lin, are the exhibition data out?" Lin Ke'er put the information on the table and said bluntly, "The sales are not good enough, at least not half of our expectations. Many of those who ordered jewelry did so for face, and only a few actually paid for it. Boss Su, do you think this situation can support us to continue?"

Su Hanze's smile suddenly faded a little, and he took the information and quickly glanced at it. He frowned slightly, but soon regained his composure: "It's indeed not ideal, but it's not a bad thing. At least it allows us to see how difficult this road is."

"It's good to see clearly, but this road is narrow and difficult to walk. Don't you think the problem lies in the target group? The wealthy ladies in Hong Kong Island have no shortage of jewelry. They buy our designs just to see the novelty, but they won't have real loyalty."

Lin Keer sat down, her tone becoming more impatient, "To be honest, this exhibition just puts us in front of a group of the most difficult people to serve."

Su Hanze nodded: "So you think we should change direction?"

"Change direction, or re-examine your goals." Lin Ke'er leaned back in her chair and stared at Su Hanze.

"If I want to continue designing, I need more freedom. Jewelry cannot only serve the celebrity circle, but also those who have dreams and aspirations can afford it, or at least make them feel that they can afford it."

Su Hanze pondered for a moment and nodded: "You make sense. Jewelry cannot be marketed solely by stories and identities. We need something that can really touch people's hearts."

"The things that really touch people's hearts must be down-to-earth." Lin Ke'er stood up. "So I give you two suggestions. Either expand the channels and attract middle-class customers; or narrow the market and focus on the high-end to create scarcity."

"We can try both directions." Su Hanze's eyes flashed with thought, "We can't just focus on the Hong Kong market, the Southeast Asian market also has potential. Recently, many Vietnamese and Thai merchants have been contacting Hong Kong's jewelry business. I will arrange someone to talk to them."

Lin Keer nodded. "That's it. I'll continue to design a batch of works, but next time don't just do 'Eastern Legends'. The themes can be diverse to attract different groups of people."

As he was talking, Ah Liu opened the door and ran in, panting. His expression looked as if the sky was falling. "Boss, this is bad! Some people have started selling fakes of the flagship works we displayed at the exhibition!"

Su Hanze's brows immediately frowned: "Fake?"

Ah Liu nodded heavily: "That's right! A brother saw a small stall on Temple Street, selling the same 'Phoenix Dance' necklace as ours for only 200 Hong Kong dollars, and they also said it was 'genuinely designed by Boss Su'!"

Lin Keer slammed the table on the spot: "Are you kidding? These things don't even cover the cost of the raw materials, how can they be real!"

"Of course fake things can't be real, but the problem is that these fakes have lowered our reputation." Ah Liu was angry, "Those vendors are still bragging, saying that if you buy this necklace, you can become a wealthy lady."

Su Hanze stood up with a sullen face and placed his hands on the table. "Immediately send someone to find out the source of these fakes and find out who is behind this."

"We're already checking, but these fakes are circulating very quickly. They can be found in Temple Street, Mong Kok, and even Kowloon City." Ah Liu scratched his head, looking distressed. "We've only just opened a store here, and they've already filled up their stalls."

"Don't be impatient," Su Hanze pondered for a moment and said slowly, "The fact that fake goods are circulated so quickly means there must be a complete chain behind it. This is not just ordinary petty theft. Someone is eyeing our fledgling business and wants to make a quick buck by stepping on us."

Lin Keer sneered: "People like this rely on low cost and high turnover to make a fortune, so they don't care about their reputation. But if we let them continue like this, our brand will be ruined."

"We can't destroy the brand, but we can't act rashly either." Su Hanze lit a cigarette, his eyes sharp, "The most urgent thing now is not to fight counterfeiting, but to control public opinion. Ms. Lin, you have to personally accept a media interview next to clarify the difference between our jewelry and fakes, and at the same time emphasize the cultural value of these works."

Lin Keer raised her eyebrows: "That's fine with me, but are you sure you can suppress those fakes? What if the media reports it and gives them publicity?"

"The publicity of fake goods is only temporary. The real problem lies in its source." Su Hanze exhaled a puff of smoke. "Ah Liu, you continue to investigate the source and tell our people. I will only give them a week. Within a week, find out the boss behind this chain of fake goods."

Ah Liu nodded in agreement and ran out immediately.

A few days later, Lin Ke'er accepted an exclusive interview with Hong Kong Island TV, and talked frankly about the stories behind the jewelry design. She also made it clear that each piece in the "Oriental Legend" series is limited edition and the same style will never appear on the market.

This interview caused quite a stir, and some customers who were originally prepared to wait and see became interested in Xiwan's jewelry brand again, but at the same time, the problem of counterfeits still troubled the team.

A week later, Ah Liu finally brought back the news.

The source of the fakes was a small factory hidden in Sham Shui Po, owned by a rogue businessman named Wong Ping. He usually made a living by producing low-end jewelry, but recently heard that Su Hanze's jewelry exhibition was a big hit, so he had a crooked idea and bribed some small vendors familiar with the market to start counterfeiting the main works of "Oriental Legend".

"This Huang Bing is a slippery bastard. I heard that he used to run a fake goods business in Shenzhen, but he fled to Hong Kong because someone was chasing him for debt." Ah Liu slapped the information on the table, "Boss, when do we start?"

After reading the information, Su Hanze sneered, "This guy is even more stupid than I thought. Not only does he make fake products, he even dares to use our name to swindle people. Ah Liu, don't rush to touch him. Let the brothers contact a few media reporters and expose his small factory for me. The issue of fake products must be resolved by the public themselves."

Sure enough, a few days later, a report titled "Fake jewelry is rampant, Sham Shui Po factory reveals the inside story" appeared on the front page of Oriental Daily.

The article described Wong Ping's counterfeiting methods in detail, and attached photos of the factory and testimonies of employees. As soon as the news came out, Wong Ping's small factory was quickly closed down by the Hong Kong police, and he was forced to hide.

Although this battle temporarily put an end to the problem of counterfeit goods, Su Hanze knew that the real challenge was still to come. He sat in the office, looking at the lights of thousands of houses gradually lighting up outside the window, with a sneer on his face.

"Ms. Lin, if we want to really expand, we have to be prepared to face bigger storms. The waters of the jewelry industry are deeper than we imagined."

After the fake jewelry incident subsided, Su Hanze had no chance to breathe.

That day, Ah Liu rushed into the office in a hurry, with a conflicted look on his face, as if there was something important that he couldn't bring himself to talk about.

(End of this chapter)