Peninsula: I, a chaebol! I will never follow hidden rules.

At 3 p.m., in the chairman's office of the Li Group, Li Zhengxian was sitting on the sofa deep in thought.

Standing before Li Zhengxian were the Li brothers, Li Zhiwen and Wu, both looking tense.

Just now, Li Zhengxian asked them a question: Should the Li Group invest in and build factories in India? Including home appliances, mobile phones, and even semiconductors.

Li Zhiwen thought so.

Because of the high tariffs in India, if the Lee Group doesn't build factories there, it will have to export its products to India, which will incur tariffs.

Ultimately, the cost of tariffs is borne by consumers. In other words, after paying tariffs to purchase products from the Lee Group, the buyer will pass on these tariffs to consumers on every single product sold. This inevitably increases the price of the Lee Group's products.

If other companies set up factories in India, they won't have to pay tariffs when selling their products there. This would allow other brands to offer the same goods at lower prices than the Lee Group. Consequently, the Lee Group's products would become uncompetitive!
India is a massive market with over a billion people, and many Western countries believe it will become the next China. If we don't seize this opportunity before India takes off, will the Li Group still have a chance to enter the market once it has taken off?
Li Zhiwu said: "Big brother is right!"

Li Zhengxian nodded slightly in response, then stared blankly out the window.

Seeing this, both Li Zhiwen and Wu felt that their father was not entirely satisfied with Li Zhiwen's answer, but not overly so.

"Tap tap tap tap"

Suddenly there was a knock on the office door, and Li Zhengxian and his two sons frowned simultaneously.

This is not normal!

A secretary is on duty outside Li Zhengxian's office. Anyone who wants to see him must be notified by the secretary, and only after he gives his approval can that person come.

Before the secretary could even give an announcement, someone knocked on the office door.

Is this person so ill-mannered? What is the secretary doing?
Li Zhiwu was using crutches and had difficulty walking, so Li Zhiwen went to the door and opened it.

"you……"

Li Zhiwen opened the door, intending to scold the person who came in, but upon seeing that it was Li Zhixuan, he immediately stopped talking.

Not only did I get stuck, but I also felt a huge sense of unease!
What is Li Zhixuan doing at the History Group? Is he finally coming back to vie for his position?!
Li Zhiwen panicked inside, but quickly put on a smile: "Zhixuan? What brings you here?"

Seeing the unnatural smile on his older brother's face, Li Zhixuan replied with a smile, "I've been traveling a lot lately. I came back to Seoul today and wanted to go home to see my parents, but Dad wasn't home, so I came over."

As he spoke, Li Zhixuan went inside, greeted Li Zhiwu, and then brought the coffee to Li Zhengxian: "Dad, this is the coffee that Director Su bought for you. I brought it for you."

"Okay." Li Zhengxian smiled and nodded, taking the coffee. "Please sit down, you all sit down too."

The three brothers sat down beside him. Li Zhengxian picked up his coffee, took a sip, and then turned to look at Li Zhixuan, asking, "Are Yoona and the others doing well?"

"Yoona, Joohyun, and Boram are all good, but Jessica isn't so good."

"Xiuyan?!"

Jessica Jung is carrying the first child of the third generation of the Lee family. If she is not well, it will be a big deal!
Lee Jung-hyun immediately put down his coffee and hurriedly asked, "What happened to Soo-yeon?"

Li Zhixuan laughed and said, "It's not a big deal. She's worried that if she has a daughter, it will displease you and Mom. She was crying to me this morning, but I've already comforted her."

"She's already crying, isn't that a big deal?"

Li Zhengxian said with some dissatisfaction, "A pregnant woman's mood has a great impact on the baby, and you must pay attention to this. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand."

Li Zhengxian nodded and continued, "Who said I don't like girls? It would be great to have a granddaughter. Speaking of which, our Li family hasn't had a girl for two generations. It's not good for the yin and yang to be out of balance. It's time for us to have a girl."

Upon hearing this, the Li brothers, Wen and Wu, were both shocked. They thought: "You've always wanted a grandson, and now you have a granddaughter? That's great, isn't it? Do you have any principles? Just how much do you favor the third son? This is way too much like loving someone because of their family!"

The two brothers were unhappy, but Li Zhixuan laughed and said, "With your words, she definitely won't worry anymore. I'll tell her when we get back."

"Don't rush off yet. I have a question for you. Think about it carefully and then answer me."

As he spoke, Li Zhengxian became serious.

Seeing this, Li Zhixuan also stopped smiling and straightened his attitude, saying, "Please ask."

Should the Li Group invest in and build a factory in India?

???

Li Zhixuan was taken aback, then reached out and touched Li Zhengxian's forehead.

Seeing this, the three people beside him were stunned. Li Zhengxian looked speechless and raised his hand to push his son's hand away: "Do you think I've lost my mind because of a fever?"

Li Zhixuan spread his hands helplessly and said, "Where the Indians earn their money, they spend it; don't even think about bringing a single penny home. Anyone who knows a little about Indians knows this saying."
Leaving aside companies like Google, Walmart, and General Motors, let's talk about Pohang Steel in South Korea.

In 2005, Lee Kui-taek, chairman of POSCO, announced that he would invest US$12 billion in India to build a steel plant with an annual output of 12 million tons of steel.

It's been almost eleven years now, and POSCO has spent nearly two billion US dollars, but has it produced even a single pound of steel?

Forget about steelmaking, they haven't even driven a single foundation pile for the factory. POSCO's two billion US dollars are definitely going down the drain! With this precedent, will the Li Group really step into this pit again?

Upon hearing this, Li Zhiwen became anxious: "But India has a market of over a billion people! Aren't we going to take it?"

Li Zhixuan understood: Li Zhiwen supported the Li Group in building a factory in India! So, the one who lost his mind was Li Zhiwen!
Building Coin!
Li Zhixuan immediately retorted, "Does India have over a billion people? Go ask those high-caste people. Are those over a billion low-caste people even considered people? They can't even get enough to eat, so what do they have to offer for consumption?"

Li Zhiwen disagreed: "Even if there are only 100 million people, that's still a considerable market. Besides, the issue you mentioned about not being allowed to take profits home is easy to resolve."

First, we can design the profit margin of the branch office to be just break-even, with the actual profit being repatriated to the head office through patent fees, component costs, etc.

“Yes!” Li Zhixuan nodded in agreement and laughed, “Then the Indians can say that you committed financial fraud. They can not only freeze your so-called patent fees and other expenses, but also legitimately impose a huge fine on you.”

"you!"

Li Zhiwen's face flushed red with embarrassment and anger. He said, "That Indian can't be completely unreasonable, can he? The company's lawyers aren't just there to do nothing!"

"Brother, you're too naive. They just want money, why would they reason with you? They can make up their own laws, what good are your lawyers? The referee, the referee, the witnesses—they're all on their side. What can you do against them? Do you even think you can win this game?"

"So, according to you, investing in India is a dead end?" Li Zhiwen was getting angry after being rebuffed repeatedly. Seeing this, Li Zhixuan chuckled inwardly, but outwardly spread his hands and said, "From infrastructure to labor skills, from the legal environment to administrative efficiency, India has yet to develop an ecosystem suitable for heavy industry and high-tech industries. Does the Li Group think it can survive by wishful thinking if it invests there?"

Li Zhiwen's face flushed red from the rebuke. He wanted to curse, but he didn't dare in front of Li Zhengxian, so he could only hold it in. His face turned even redder from holding it in.

At this moment, Li Zhengxian spoke up: "Alright, let's leave this matter here. Let's talk about something else. Zhixuan, shouldn't you be going back to your position at the group?"

Li Zhiwen and Wu's hearts tightened!
It seems Father is quite satisfied with his third son's answer. He wants to return to the group; what position will Father offer him?
"Uh...no rush, right?"

Li Zhixuan felt that he would have much less free time after returning to work for the Li Group, so he did not want to come back for the time being.

Li Zhengxian knew he was playful, so he completely ignored him and turned to the two brothers beside him, asking, "Zhiwen, Zhiwu, where do you think Zhixuan would be more suitable to be placed?"

“Uh…” Li Zhiwu hesitated.

If Li Zhixuan is given a high position, the two brothers will definitely not accept it. If Li Zhixuan is given a low position, he will be dissatisfied, and Li Zhengxian will also be dissatisfied.

So, how should this question be answered?

Li Zhiwen smiled and said, "With Zhixuan's abilities, he is more than qualified to be the deputy CEO of Li's Electronics."

Upon hearing this answer, Li Zhixuan sneered inwardly.

Li Zhiwu was taken aback. He and his brother had worked at Li's Electronics for years without ever reaching the position of deputy CEO, while Li Zhixuan had just returned and immediately assumed it, putting him above them? How were they supposed to survive after that?

Li Zhengxian smiled with satisfaction: "Haha! That's quite right."

Seeing this, Li Zhiwen was dumbfounded.

He deliberately mentioned a position that was too high for Li Zhixuan to hold!

But now, Li Zhengxian has actually agreed? Has the old man gone mad?

Just as the three brothers were still in surprise, Li Zhengxian spoke up again: "However, if Zhixuan is directly appointed as the vice CEO, I'm afraid it will cause controversy."

But he's run Xingji Entertainment and Xuanxiao Group so successfully; a low-ranking position after returning to the group wouldn't be good enough.

As he spoke, Li Zhengxian pretended to be in a difficult position, thought for a moment, and then said, "How about this, you can work as an advisor in my secretary's office first. Let me see your work ability, and then I will decide where to put you."

"Yes."

Advisor! No clearly defined responsibilities, and it sounds like he has no real power. But he works in the president's secretariat!
In other words, from now on, Li Zhixuan will have access to group secrets that the Li Zhiwen and Wu brothers cannot! He can also participate in the operation of the entire group!
This...this is training a successor, isn't it?!
Li Zhiwen panicked, but dared not show it.

Li Zhengxian secretly observed the three brothers' expressions while calling Su Zhubin: "Zhubin, come here for a moment."

Soon, Su Zhubin pushed open the office door and walked in, bowing and saying, "Chairman, you wanted to see me?"

Li Zhengxian pointed at Li Zhixuan: "I've decided to appoint Zhixuan as an advisor in the secretariat. Go and help him with his onboarding procedures."

consultant?

There's no such position in the president's secretary's office; it's clearly a new addition. The intention is obvious.

Su Zhubin immediately replied respectfully, "Yes! Consultant Li, please follow me."

Li Zhixuan nodded and stood up: "Dad, eldest brother, second brother, I'm leaving now."

Li Zhengxian nodded and smiled, "Don't forget to come home for dinner tonight."

"understood."

"Well, let's go."

Li Zhixuan left with Su Zhubin. The so-called onboarding process was just a formality. Aside from signing, entering fingerprints, and facial recognition, which required his personal involvement, the rest was handled by others.

Meanwhile, in the chairman's office, Li Zhengxian was saying to his other two sons, "Don't overthink it. The position of advisor is suitable for Zhixuan, and you also have positions that suit you."

"Zhiwen, tomorrow at the board meeting I will propose to reinstate your position as a director of the company and remove you from your position as chief customer officer, and appoint you as chief human resources officer."

Li Zhiwen's original position as Chief Customer Officer ranked tenth among all chief positions at Li's Electronics, while his position as Chief Human Resources Officer ranked sixth.

Not only was he reinstated as a director, but he was also promoted!
Li Zhiwen was overjoyed and quickly stood up and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Father. I will certainly live up to your expectations and set a good example for Zhiwu and Zhixuan."

"Hmm!" Seeing Li Zhiwen's statement, Li Zhengxian nodded in satisfaction, gestured for Li Zhiwen to sit down, and then looked at Li Zhiwu: "Zhiwu."

Li Zhiwu suppressed his excitement and quickly stood up, leaning on his crutches.

"Is your body capable of handling this?"

Hearing this, Li Zhiwu looked down at his legs and said, "I'm fine except for walking, which is a little inconvenient for me."

"At tomorrow's board meeting, I propose that you serve as the Deputy Chief Marketing Officer of Lee's Electronics."

"Yes!"

Li Zhiwu was previously the head of the planning department, and has now been promoted to deputy chief marketing officer. Simply put, this means he is now eligible to attend meetings of Li's Electronics' core management team.

Although he didn't have a director's position, it was still a promotion. So Li Zhiwu was quite happy.

By this time, Li Zhiwen had calmed down from the joy of his promotion. He felt that the promotions for him and his brother were more like a form of compensation.

In the future, Li Zhixuan will be involved in the operation and decision-making of the entire Li Group, while the two brothers will only be senior executives of Li Electronics.

If you're being suppressed now, you'll be suppressed for the rest of your life.

This absolutely cannot continue!

First, take down Xingji Entertainment! Then deal with Xuanxiao Mall!
Ha! If both of these companies were to disappear, what right would Li Zhixuan have to serve as an advisor to the chairman's secretariat?

(End of this chapter)