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

Chapter 290 Leave this to me, it will be a sure thing!
“But now there’s almost no way to beg for food…” the tall and thin man muttered in a low voice, as soft as a mosquito.

"What did you say?" Lu Wancheng stared at him like a mad bull.

"No, nothing..." The tall and thin man waved his hands quickly, fearing that he would further anger the boss who was about to explode.

At the same time, Su Hanze was drinking tea leisurely in the office on the other side. In front of him was the newspaper of the day, with several reports on the "Gray Jade Market in Hong Kong Island" occupying a prominent position.

He sighed softly, threw the newspaper aside, and said to Ah Liu who was sitting opposite him: "Our move this time is too big. Although customers trust our products, their confidence in the entire market has been shaken a little."

Ah Liu grinned and said, "Boss, you are too cautious. Those customers were frightened. After a few days, when they see that everything is fine, they will definitely come back to place orders with us."

"The problem is not with the customers." Su Hanze shook his head. "The problem is with our suppliers. They are also waiting and watching, worried that our disturbance will affect the entire supply chain. If they start to hesitate and no longer fully support us, our supply will become a problem."

Lin Ke'er sat up from the sofa with a cup of coffee in her arms. "Boss, what you mean is that although Lv Wancheng was badly treated, this incident has put us in danger as well?"

"That's right." Su Hanze nodded. "The current situation is a double-edged sword. Although customers prefer us, the panic in the market may backfire on us. If we don't calm down quickly, our high-end products will likely be hit hard."

Ah Liu scratched his head: "What should I do? I can't just run over and help Lu Wancheng clear his name now, right?"

"Help him clean up his name?" Su Hanze sneered, "I'm not a philanthropist. It's just that this matter must be concluded as soon as possible. We have to reassure the market."

"How to collect it?" Lin Ke'er asked with interest.

"It's very simple." Su Hanze raised his head, his eyes showing some calculation. "We will take the initiative to publicly declare that the 'gray jade' incident in the market has been completely resolved. At the same time, we will join forces with several major customers and suppliers to hold an open auction. We will bring out our goods and let everyone see that we are transparent and trustworthy."

Ah Liu slapped his thigh and said, "Boss, this is a great idea! Once the auction starts, customer confidence will be restored and the market will stabilize."

"However, there is a key to this auction." Su Hanze paused, his tone becoming serious, "The goods at the auction must be the best. There cannot be any flaws. Otherwise, this action will only backfire."

"No problem." Lin Ke'er nodded. "I'll be responsible for the design, processing, and packaging. I'll make sure every product is presentable."

Su Hanze nodded with satisfaction. "Okay, I'll leave it to you. Ah Liu, contact the media and major customers and spread the news. The auction will be held as scheduled in three days."

Three days later, the auction was held at a top hotel in Hong Kong Island. The venue was decorated gorgeously and low-key, with a red carpet at the entrance, and each guest was given a glass of champagne.

"Boss Su is very generous this time." A middle-aged man in a suit held a glass of champagne and said to the person next to him with a smile, "The fact that he can hold an auction at this time shows that he is very confident."

"Yes." The other man nodded. "But I heard that Lv Wancheng also wants to come to the auction to cause trouble. Do you think he dares?"

"He can't even protect himself right now, so why would he cause trouble? I'm afraid he himself doesn't know how it will end."

The atmosphere of the auction gradually became heated, but at this moment, a familiar figure quietly appeared outside the venue - it was Lv Wancheng. He was wearing a wrinkled suit, his hair was messy, and he had a forced smile on his face.

"Brother Lu, are we really going in?" The tall and thin man standing behind him asked in a low voice, "Su Hanze's people are all in there. If we are recognized, won't we lose face?"

"Shame on you?" Lu Wancheng sneered, "I'm almost losing my family fortune now, and I'm still afraid of being embarrassed? I must ruin this auction today! Otherwise, I won't even have a chance to turn things around!"

As he spoke, he took a deep breath and walked into the venue.

As soon as Lv Wancheng came in, he immediately attracted attention. Although he tried to keep a low profile, his face had become a "laughing stock" in the jewelry circle of Hong Kong Island, and many people couldn't help but whisper when they saw him.

"Why is he here?"

"Isn't this Lv Wancheng who was involved in the gray jade? How dare he show up?"

"I heard that he almost lost all his money this time. I guess he's looking for a chance to turn things around."

These discussions made the muscles on Lu Wancheng's face twitch, but he still gritted his teeth and pretended to be calm and sat down in a corner. His eyes were fixed on the auction items on the stage, full of complicated emotions.

Su Hanze, who was on the stage, had already noticed Lv Wancheng's arrival. He stood beside the auction table, with a sneer on his face, and whispered to Ah Liu beside him: "Did you see that? An old friend is here."

"What is he doing here?" Ah Liu frowned, "He doesn't really want to cause trouble, does he?"

"Making trouble?" Su Hanze shook his head. "Even if he wants to make trouble now, he has to consider whether he has the capital to do so."

The auction officially began. The first jadeite jewelry was a "dragon and phoenix auspicious" pendant designed by Lin Ke'er herself. It was exquisitely shaped and the jadeite was of high quality. A middle-aged wealthy businessman took the lead in bidding, and then another lady in cheongsam also joined the bidding. The atmosphere on the scene was very hot.

Lv Wancheng sat in a corner, watching the auction succeed step by step, and his heart felt like being bitten by thousands of ants. He clenched his fists and cursed in a low voice: "Damn it, these are all my goods, why are they stealing my business!"

Just as the second lot was about to be auctioned, Lv Wancheng suddenly stood up and strode towards the auction table. He slammed the table and shouted, "Wait! Are these goods of yours really reliable? Has anyone tested them?"

The whole audience fell silent instantly, and everyone turned to look at him. The cameras in the venue also immediately focused on this "uninvited guest".

Su Hanze smiled slightly, his eyes sharp as a knife: "Boss Lu, are you questioning our goods?"

"Question?" Lv Wancheng sneered, "It's not a question, it's a reminder. Your goods are good, but who can guarantee that there are no problems? If something goes wrong with the goods I bought today, who will be responsible?"

There was an uproar at the scene, and many customers began to whisper to each other. The atmosphere was a little strange. Su Hanze walked to the microphone and said calmly but with a hint of sharpness: "Each of our auction items has been tested by an authoritative organization in advance. All the test reports are here." He pointed to a stack of documents on the table and said, "As for whether there are any problems, customers can check at any time. But Boss Lu, what about you? Are you here for the auction today, or are you here to cause trouble?"

Lv Wancheng was speechless, but he still forced a smile: "I just want to remind everyone that in the business world, you should shop around."

"Okay, then I openly welcome everyone to compare goods today." Su Hanze's eyes flashed with a hint of cruelty, and he turned to the venue: "If anyone here feels that there is a problem with our goods, you can withdraw your bid at any time, or even call the police. But if there is no problem..." He paused, his voice turned cold, "Then please ask certain people to stop humiliating themselves."

The whole audience was silent for a second, and then burst into warm applause. Lv Wancheng's face turned pale and blue, and he stood there, not knowing whether to continue to argue or leave in disgrace.

Su Hanze didn't look at him again, turned back to the auction table, and tapped the microphone gently: "Continue."

The auction continued in a heated atmosphere, and Lv Wancheng left the venue in a state of embarrassment, like a man who had been stripped naked in public. His back disappeared in the lights of the hotel, and it seemed that even the air was filled with the smell of failure.

Su Hanze stood on the stage, looked down at the crowd below, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, but he was not completely relaxed in his heart.

After the auction, Su Hanze did not show any pride. He sat on the sofa in the backstage, loosened his tie, and took a sip of iced lemon tea. Although he looked calm on the surface, he was not at ease in his heart. Lv Wancheng's sudden appearance was like a thorn, piercing the little fantasy of "perfect plan" in his heart.

"Boss, what you said today was very nice! You made Lu Wancheng speechless!" Ah Liu rushed in excitedly, holding a bottle of celebratory champagne in his hand.

"What's the use of being pretty?" Su Hanze sighed and put down the teacup. "Do you think he's here to cause trouble for me?"

“Isn’t it?” Ah Liu scratched his head. “He even showed up at the auction. If we weren’t tough enough, this event would have been ruined long ago!”

"To mess up the relationship?" Su Hanze shook his head, his eyes dark. "He's not here to mess up the relationship. He's here to test the relationship."

"Test?" Ah Liu was puzzled. "Test what?"

"To test our reaction." Su Hanze pointed at the auction report on the table. "Although Lv Wancheng has been forced to this point, he still has one last card, which is to burn his boats. He made such a fuss today, both to show his weakness to us and to see how strong our trump card is. If I show even a little concession today, he will pull those stall owners back to fight again tomorrow."

Lin Ke'er walked in at this time, holding a stack of design drafts, and said in a relaxed tone: "So, you deliberately said such a decisive thing today? However, I guess he has probably gone back to figure out how to turn the tables."

"It's not easy for him to turn the tables." Su Hanze rubbed his brows, "But it's also not easy for us to maintain the current situation."

"Boss, are you overthinking it?" Ah Liu curled his lips. "Our auction was so successful that the confidence of those customers has long been stabilized. In addition, Lv Wancheng's reputation has been so bad recently, what else can he do?"

"There are indeed some unexpected things." Su Hanze gave a bitter smile. "The market in Hong Kong Island seems to be stable on the surface, but in fact... do you know what's wrong with our order data recently?"

Ah Liu was stunned for a moment: "Data? I remember you said a few days ago that you had a lot of orders?"

"We have quite a few orders, but they are all from old customers. What about new customers?" Su Hanze knocked on the table, his tone steady but with a hint of worry, "The growth of new customers has almost stagnated."

Lin Keer raised her eyebrows: "Is this because Lv Wancheng's gray jade incident has caused the market to question the jade industry?"

"That's right." Su Hanze nodded. "Our brand is not in crisis right now, but market confidence has not yet fully recovered. Without the influx of new customers, the entire industry will become sluggish. By then, not only us, but everyone will be affected."

Ah Liu was immediately anxious: "What should we do? Do we still need to give the market a shot in the arm?"

"It's more than just a shot in the arm." Su Hanze stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the lights of Hong Kong Island at night through the glass. "We have to reopen the market and encourage those hesitant new customers to enter. If the market is to be active, customers must move."

Lin Ke'er put down the design draft in her hand, leaned back on the sofa, and said with interest: "From what you said, you want to do something big? But what new tricks can you use this time?"

"This time we're going to use the 'True Fragrance Theory'." Su Hanze turned around with a sly smile on his face, "Since the market doesn't dare to move, then we'll let them see that the people who move the fastest will make the most money."

Ah Liu scratched his head and said, "Boss, can you speak human language? What is the 'true fragrance theory'?"

"It's very simple." Su Hanze smiled. "We organize a special event for new customers, using a very low threshold to attract them to join, but only give a small number of people the opportunity, so that they can taste the sweetness and then expand their influence. Those who are hesitant will naturally follow suit when they see others making money."

"It sounds good." Lin Ke'er nodded, "But the question is, how can we let them get a taste of the sweetness? Jade is not a zero-cost commodity. What if these people only make money and never lose money? Then wouldn't we be at a loss?"

"So this is the key." Su Hanze walked back to the table and tapped it lightly. "We must screen out the most suitable customers in advance. These customers must not only have strength, but also the ability to spread influence."

"Diffusion effect?" Ah Liu touched his chin. "You mean... looking for those top customers who can drive the market?"

"That's right." Su Hanze nodded. "For example, some stall owners with good channels, or middlemen who can get into the mainland market. Once these people have tasted the sweetness, there will be more people following suit than you can imagine."

"Great!" Ah Liu slapped the table excitedly, "Boss, you are planning to conduct a 'testing the waters' in the market! But who will be responsible for screening the customers?"

"Leave it to you." Su Hanze looked at Ah Liu with a smile, "Don't you have a wide network of contacts? This time it depends on your ability."

Ah Liu scratched his head and chuckled, "Don't worry, leave this to me, it will be a sure thing!"

On the other hand, Lv Wancheng did not give up because of the failure of the auction. He sat in his simple office with a freshly printed plan in front of him. He had realized that the market alone was not enough for him to turn the tables, so he turned his attention to another direction - the government.

"Brother Lu, is this plan reliable?" The tall and thin man asked cautiously while chewing on a roast goose leg. "I heard that it's hard to deal with the government. If it doesn't work out, will we be left with nothing to wear?"

(End of this chapter)