Rebirth in Hong Kong: From Dessert Shop to Industrial Empire

Chapter 123 School-Enterprise Cooperation (Seeking monthly votes and recommendations to continue reading)
That day, as soon as Chen Bingwen entered the research and development center, he saw Zhou Zhiyuan and Isabella hunched over the experimental table, discussing something with happy expressions.

“Chen Sheng.” Zhou Zhiyuan saw Chen Bingwen first and immediately straightened up.

Isabella turned around, a smile on her face, and held up a test tube containing a clear amber liquid: "Boss! You've come at the perfect time!"

I was just about to say I'd come find you.

The samples from the second blind test have just completed the final stability test!

Chen Bingwen's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly walked over: "You're out? How was the result?"

Zhou Zhiyuan nodded vigorously, his face filled with barely suppressed excitement: "He's out, Chen Sheng."

The second-optimized samples for both the North American and Japanese versions have been completed and final stability tests have just been finished.

The data is excellent!

Pointing to the sample, he explained, “For the North American version, we adjusted the sweetener structure, using high-fructose corn syrup as the main ingredient to provide a more direct and bright sweetness. We also adjusted the complex fruit flavor, reducing the acidity and highlighting the sweet base of oranges and tropical fruits.”

The menthol concentration has been reduced by 15%, the cooling sensation is still there, but it's not as strong.

Isabella picked up another test tube: "The Japanese version, we took a completely different approach."

The flavor matrix has been simplified, with only the most popular peach and lime flavors retained at the core, and their proportions increased.

The key is the use of a new microcapsule encapsulation technology to lock in the aroma, which solves the problems of flavor loss and slight astringency caused by the previous high-temperature process.

The sweetness has been subtly adjusted, using a purer crystallized cane sugar flavoring to achieve a clean and delicate taste.

As she spoke, Isabella picked up two test tubes with different numbers and handed them to Chen Bingwen.

"Boss! Try it! This North American version is definitely 'powerful' enough, and the Japanese version is guaranteed to be 'pure'!"

Chen Bingwen took the two test tubes, picked up the North American sample, and took a sip.

The moment the liquid touches the palate, the intense sweetness and the fruity aroma of orange mixed with pineapple immediately assault the taste buds, followed by a perfectly balanced minty coolness, without the abrupt stimulation of the previous sensation, leaving a clean and crisp finish.

He picked up the Japanese version again.

The texture is completely different, extremely smooth, with the sweetness of peach and the slight tartness of lime blended very naturally, and the flavor is pure, without any of the "artificial astringency" or cloying sweetness that was previously reported.

"Great!" Chen Bingwen put down the test tube, a satisfied look on his face. "The improvement in taste is very obvious."

The North American version is more 'exciting', while the Japanese version is more 'pure'.

But this is just our internal feeling; ultimately, the market will decide.

He placed the two test tubes on the shelf on the lab bench. "The first blind test in North America was only done in New York and Los Angeles, and the sample size was still too small."

This time, the scope has been expanded.

New York and Los Angeles continue, with the addition of Chicago, Houston, Atlanta, and Seattle!

The sample size in each city is no less than 800 people, for a total of 4800 samples!

I want to see real-world reactions in different scenarios, including supermarkets, convenience stores, universities, and blue-collar communities!

"Similarly in Japan, in addition to Tokyo and Osaka, where the first blind test was conducted, Nagoya, Fukuoka, and Sapporo have been added!"
The sample size has been increased to three thousand!
It caters to different age groups and professions!

Just as Chen Bingwen was deploying the second large-scale blind test, the latest issue of "Business Express" was published.

The front page headline had no headline, only a single line of huge, bold black text:
"Formal Apology Statement"

The statement was written in a humble, even subservient, tone, and it acknowledged in detail that previous reports about Chenji Foods' alleged technical fraud and invalid patents were not rigorously verified, had one-sided sources, and were seriously inaccurate.

This has caused "significant damage" to the good reputation of Chen Ji Foods, and we "sincerely apologize to Chen Ji Foods Co., Ltd. and Mr. Chen Bingwen".

This statement was like a bomb, causing quite a stir in the Hong Kong press and business community.

Although Business Express has a small circulation, it is a long-established financial newspaper. It is extremely rare for it to so thoroughly deny itself on the front page.

The owners of the various newsstands were the first to get agitated.

When they picked up their newspapers in the early morning, they were all surprised to see the unusual front page of "Business Express".

The experienced news vendor weighed the newspaper, which was noticeably thinner than usual, shook his head, and placed it in the least conspicuous corner.

They knew that when a newspaper reached the point where it needed to publish such a statement, it wasn't far from closing down.

Occasionally, a regular customer would pick up a copy, but after reading the statement, they would mostly scoff, shake their head, put it down, and choose other newspapers instead.

In the office of the financial section of the Oriental Daily, the editor-in-chief, holding the "Business Express" newspaper, sneered at his reporters: "See? One wrong step, and the whole game is lost."

Business News has really messed up this time!
In their desperate attempt to grab attention, they couldn't even be bothered with the most basic verification. They've run into a brick wall with Chen's, truly bringing shame upon themselves.

He then tapped the table, "But we should also learn from this incident!"

In future reports involving such emerging companies, especially those concerning technology patents, it is essential to verify information from multiple sources. If something is uncertain, it is better not to publish it.

Also, you, could you follow up on Chen Ji's response and the industry's comments on this matter, and write a side note with a catchy title?

Some smaller financial weekly magazines, on the other hand, felt a sense of shared sorrow over the loss of their comrades.

"Huang Wenqiang was too careless this time," a tabloid editor sighed to his confidant. "That Chen Ji kid looks young, but his methods are ruthless and experienced, leaving no room for compromise. Two hundred thousand in compensation and a front-page apology—he's going to destroy 'Business Express'."

We need to be more careful when reporting on these emerging companies in the future. Who knows which one will be the next Chen Bingwen?

In tea restaurants, cafes, and other places where newspaper professionals often gather, this matter has become a hot topic of discussion.

"Have you heard? Business Express lost 200,000 yuan this time and had to publish an apology. Old Huang almost couldn't even pay the printing plant!"

"Serves them right! Who told them to write anything for the sake of sales?"

Chen Ji's patent is genuine; even international giants require Chen Ji to license its use. How could they fabricate such a thing?

"Tsk tsk, two hundred thousand yuan, and it has to be a front-page apology. This is a total loss of face. How is 'Business Express' supposed to survive after this?"

"What's the point of continuing? I think it's doomed. Advertisers have definitely all left, and who will still believe him? He's probably not far from going bankrupt."

"But then again, that young man from Chen's is really something, he doesn't mince words at all, he'll go straight to court."

It's best to avoid provoke such a ruthless character in the future.

These discussions included disdain for the professional failure of Business Express, amazement at Chen Bingwen's tough methods, and some reflection on the media ecosystem reflected in the whole incident.

Almost everyone agrees that Business Express's brand reputation has suffered a fatal blow and there is no hope of recovery.

Chen Ji Foods and Chen Bingwen himself demonstrated to the outside world that they are not to be trifled with through this clean and decisive victory.

Chen Bingwen had little interest in the ups and downs of the newspaper industry; to him, those discussions were nothing more than noise.

As soon as the HK$200,000 compensation awarded by the court arrived in his account, he immediately took action.

The next morning, Chen Bingwen instructed his secretary, Ali, to inform Zhou Zhiyuan and legal advisor Gu Yongxian to prepare to go to Hong Kong Polytechnic.

In the car, Zhou Zhiyuan appeared somewhat silent, occasionally adjusting his tie.

He hadn't expected Chen Bingwen to specifically invite him along.

Gu Yongxian silently checked copies of the donation agreement and related legal documents to ensure everything was in order.

The donation ceremony was simple yet solemn, held in the auditorium of the Polytechnic Institute.

The principal personally attended and delivered a passionate speech, praising Chen Ji Foods' sense of social responsibility and Mr. Chen Bingwen's vision and wisdom.

When Chen Bingwen handed the HK$200,000 check to the principal, the audience erupted in applause and flashes of light went off frequently.

After the ceremony, Professor Zhang, the head of the Department of Food Science, warmly invited Chen Bingwen and his delegation to visit the department's laboratories.

During the visit, several professors who were acquainted with Zhou Zhiyuan gathered around.

"Old Zhou! You've really changed a lot in just three days!" An elderly professor with gray hair patted Zhou Zhiyuan's arm and said enviously, "You've really accomplished something great under Chen Sheng!"
I heard your products are sold all over Southeast Asia and Japan? Unlike us, we're still stuck on papers and those same old research topics all day long.

Another, younger associate professor also came over and asked, half-jokingly and half-seriously, "Professor Zhou, is Chen Ji still short of staff?"

For those of me working in application development, is there any opportunity?

With a humble smile, Zhou Zhiyuan said, "Professor Li and Professor Wang are too kind. It's all thanks to Chen Sheng providing the platform and the team's hard work."

At Chen's, the focus is definitely more on solving practical problems. The ability to quickly turn ideas into products and see market feedback provides a different kind of sense of accomplishment.

He didn't finish his sentence, but the sense of fulfillment he conveyed—the feeling of "applying what he's learned" and "implementing results"—made several of his former colleagues' eyes well up with tears, and their hearts filled with mixed emotions.

Taking this opportunity, Professor Zhang invited Chen Bingwen aside and said sincerely, "Mr. Chen, to be honest, our department has quite a bit of experience in basic food research."

For example, there are dedicated laboratories and professor teams in fields such as flavor chemistry, food colloids, heat treatment processes, and packaging materials.

If Chenji encounters any fundamental challenges during its research and development process that require support from cutting-edge theories, we are very willing to provide assistance.

Our professors and students can participate in collaborative projects.

He paused briefly, observed Chen Bingwen's reaction, and continued, "Moreover, every year we have a large number of outstanding graduates with solid theoretical foundations and strong practical skills."

If Chen Ji needs R&D talent, we will definitely give priority to recommending our top students!
We hope to establish a long-term, in-depth strategic partnership with Chen Ji.

Upon hearing Professor Zhang's words, several thoughts flashed through Chen Bingwen's mind.

At this time, he needed a reliable and relatively low-cost external R&D team to share some of the basic, time-consuming research tasks that required a lot of theoretical support.

This frees up Zhou Zhiyuan's team's core energy, allowing them to focus on the rapid iteration of key products and breakthroughs in core technologies.

With the successful second flavor optimization of the Pulsating Instant Concentrate, the R&D center will gradually launch the paper cup milk tea project.

This thing seems simple, just a cup of milk tea, but to truly achieve industrialization, standardization, flavor optimization, and long-term preservation requires...

It involves a great deal of knowledge from disciplines such as thermodynamics, colloid chemistry, flavor chemistry, packaging materials science, and even mechanical design.

Relying solely on Chenji's own R&D team may result in slow progress.

Therefore, the cooperation model mentioned by Professor Zhang was exactly what Chen Bingwen wanted.

(End of this chapter)