Rebirth in Hong Kong: From Dessert Shop to Industrial Empire

Chapter 54 The Wind Rises in Nine Dragons (First Update of 10,000 Words)
The young woman raised her head slightly, seemingly scanning the film set through her sunglasses, her gaze finally landing on Wu Siyuan.

She moved lightly and walked gracefully in this direction.

Everyone on set couldn't help but focus their attention on this mysterious woman who had suddenly arrived.

Wu Siyuan and Yuen Woo-ping exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise and confusion in each other's eyes. How could this leading lady of TVB suddenly appear here?

As the host of the film set, Wu Siyuan took the initiative to greet her, his face beaming with a warm and slightly surprised smile: "Oh my! Miss Wang! What brings you here?"

What a rare guest! A truly rare guest! Welcome, welcome!

The woman, referred to as "Miss Wang," gracefully removed her sunglasses, revealing a strikingly beautiful face.

She is none other than Liza Wang, the leading lady of TVB.

She smiled and shook hands with Ng See-yuen, saying, "I was filming location scenes for 'The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber' at the nearby Clearwater Bay TV City today, and I finished work a little early."

"I heard that the 'Drunken Master' crew was filming here, so I couldn't resist coming to check it out," said Liza Wang in a humble manner.

"Ms. Wang, you're too kind. It's an honor for our entire crew to have you visit the set! We're truly honored!"

Wu Siyuan quickly replied, his smile widening.

Then he turned to Chen Bingwen and introduced him warmly: "Miss Wang, let me introduce you. This is Mr. Chen Bingwen, the investor of our 'Drunken Fist' and the owner of Chen's Dessert Shop."

Mr. Chan, this is Ms. Liza Wang, a leading lady of TVB. You must know her.

Chan Bing-man recognized Liza Wang as soon as she took off her sunglasses.

Upon hearing Wu Siyuan's introduction, Chen Bingwen showed just the right amount of surprise and a polite smile, and proactively extended his hand: "Miss Wang, I've heard so much about you! I am Chen Bingwen."

I watched every episode of the TV series "Family Feud," and Luo Lin's performance was so convincing; she was both lovable and pitiful.

Hearing Chan Ping-man announce the TV series she starred in with such familiarity, Liza Wang smiled even more broadly.

She shook hands with Chen Bingwen with grace and said gently, "Mr. Chen, you flatter me. It is my honor that Lorraine has gained the audience's recognition."

I never expected Mr. Chen to not only run a successful business but also invest in movies. He's truly young and accomplished; it's admirable.

It was the hottest time of the afternoon, and the film set was filled with sweltering heat.

Although Liza Wang was wearing a sun hat, there was a slight sheen of sweat on her forehead.

She gracefully dabbed her forehead with a handkerchief.

Seeing this, Wu Siyuan, who was standing nearby, immediately laughed and said, "Oh dear, look at my memory!"
Ms. Wang, you must be tired from your journey. This weather is unbearably hot.

"Please, please have a seat!"

He quickly gestured to the stagehand to bring over a clean chair.

Gao Zhenhai stood behind Chen Bingwen, showing great insight.

He immediately stepped forward, picked up a bottle of golden mango pomelo sago, and handed it to her warmly: "Miss Wang, it's hot, why don't you have some chilled sweet soup to cool down?"

This is our Chenji's new bottled sweet soup, convenient and thirst-quenching.

Liza Wang's gaze was naturally drawn to the bottle presented to her.

Inside the crystal-clear glass bottle, tempting mango and grapefruit pieces float in the golden liquid. Fine water droplets condense on the bottle, sparkling in the sunlight, giving a refreshing feeling.

She curiously took the bottle: "Oh? Chen's sweet soup comes in bottles? This is the first time I've seen it. It looks very unique and is indeed convenient to carry."

"Huh? This lid has a very unique design; it's not like the ones I usually see."

Her fingers gently caressed the diamond-shaped embossed pattern on the side of the bottle cap, feeling its solid grip, unlike the smooth feel of ordinary bottle caps.

"This is a small design feature of ours, mainly for anti-slip and easy opening," Chen Bingwen explained in a calm tone.

As instructed, Liza Wang firmly gripped the diamond-shaped embossed pattern on the bottle cap with her thumb and forefinger. With a slight push, the cap popped open with a soft "snap," her movements effortless and graceful.

"Wow, it's so smooth! It's not slippery at all!" she exclaimed in delight.

Then, she brought the bottle to her nose and took a small sip of the golden liquid inside.

Her eyes lit up slightly, and a look of enjoyment appeared on her face: "Mmm! So refreshing! The mango flavor is just right, so rich, and the grapefruit acidity is just right too. It quenches your thirst without being too sweet."

"Chen Ji's mango pomelo sago is truly living up to its reputation. I didn't expect the bottled version to taste so good! It's so convenient and delicious!" she exclaimed sincerely.

Jackie Chan also chimed in at the opportune moment, laughing, "Right? Mr. Chan's sweet soup is really authentic! I drank a bottle after filming an action scene and instantly felt refreshed! It's much more thirst-quenching than water!"

After drinking the mango pomelo sago, Liza Wang exchanged a few more pleasantries with Chan Bing-man, Ng See-yuen, Cheng Lung, and others, expressing her anticipation for "Drunken Master".

He praised Chen's Desserts again before gracefully taking his leave.

Liza Wang's unexpected visit was more like a minor interlude, adding a touch of brightness to the launch of the bottled syrup.

In the following days, bottled sugar water completely ignited the market.

Its appearance completely shattered people's perceptions.

Before this, sweet soup was served in steaming bowls at shops, a pastime that required queuing at mobile stalls.

It's delicious, but limited by time and space.

Chen Ji's bottled sugar water, like magic, solidifies this deliciousness in a crystal-clear glass bottle, giving it unprecedented freedom, allowing you to enjoy it anytime, anywhere, just by opening the lid.

The unique diamond-shaped anti-slip bottle cap not only solves the problem of slippery hands when opening the cap, but also provides a novel and comfortable experience.

With a gentle twist, a crisp and pleasant "snap" sound is heard, as if it is not just opening up a sweet soup, but also a brand new way of life.

Kwun Tong Food Factory, temporary filling area.

Zhong Qiang looked at the empty filling line, his face beaming with excitement.

"Boss, all two thousand bottles for today will be delivered by 3:30 this afternoon!"

The delivery guys at the Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok locations called to say that everything was sold out as soon as it was unloaded! Many regular customers complained that they arrived too late and missed out!

Gao Zhenhai added from the side: "Brother Wen, you didn't see that scene!"

At the entrance of the Causeway Bay store, several white-collar women in high heels almost got into a fight over the last bottle of mango pomelo sago!

Ah-Shan said, "Some people are already paying to pre-order for tomorrow, and others are asking if we can do wholesale!"

Chen Bingwen stood by the window, watching the Shunda Logistics refrigerated trucks waiting to be loaded in the factory area, a smile playing on his lips.

The market announced the success of bottled sugar water in the most direct and enthusiastic way.

Consumers' demand for convenient, hygienic, and consistently high-quality ready-to-drink sugar water far exceeded his expectations.

"Brother Qiang, you've worked hard. Let the brothers hold on for a few more days. Once the Sacmi line arrives, production capacity will increase several times over."

Chen Bingwen turned around and said to Ling Peiyi, who was standing to the side, "Director Ling, the feedback from the bottled trial sales is excellent, and the market enthusiasm far exceeds expectations."

Now is the time for your marketing department to shine.

The window of opportunity before a large-scale market launch is our golden time!

I hope you will use this time to fully expand your sales channels and develop franchisees!

Ling Peiyi, who had been eager to get started, immediately straightened her back upon hearing this: "Received, Mr. Chen!"

The marketing department has been established, and all three channel specialists arrived today.

I will lead a team to visit the purchasing department of Wellcome tomorrow.

The first batch of franchise recruitment ads will be published tomorrow! With a two-pronged approach of distribution channels and franchising, I guarantee all channels will be in place before the production line even arrives!

Her voice was steady and powerful, carrying an undeniable determination.

The popularity of bottled sugar water gave her a glimpse of the boundless potential for Chan Kee Foods to expand from a regional brand to the entire Hong Kong market and even a broader market in the future.

"Great! I'll be waiting for your good news!"

Wellcome Supermarket Headquarters Building, Kowloon Tong.

Inside the purchasing director's office.

Purchasing Director Zhang Zhiqiang was flipping through a document on the table.

Next to the documents were several bottles of sample sugar water bearing the eye-catching "Chen Ji" logo.

There was a knock on the door.

"Please come in." Zhang Zhiqiang said without even looking up.

Ling Peiyi walked in calmly, accompanied by Li Ming, a newly recruited channel specialist from the marketing department.

"Director Zhang, hello. I am Ling Peiyi, the Operations Director of Chenji Food Co., Ltd."

"This is my colleague, Li Ming." Ling Peiyi extended her hand proactively, with a polite smile.

Zhang Zhiqiang then raised his head, his gaze lingering on Ling Peiyi's face for a moment before glancing at Li Ming beside him. He then extended his hand and gently shook hers, saying, "Director Ling, I've heard so much about you. Please have a seat."

His tone was flat, revealing little emotion.

He had heard of Chen Ji, the "King of Dessert Soup" who suddenly appeared, but how could someone who made desserts on the street suddenly want to make bottled beverages and enter the supermarket market?

He was instinctively suspicious.

"Thank you for taking the time to meet with me, Director Zhang."

Ling Peiyi sat down gracefully, and without any pleasantries, went straight to the point, "I believe Director Zhang has already seen our Chenji's newly launched bottled sweet soup products."

This visit aims to collaborate with leading retail giants like Wellcome to bring our delicious and convenient bottled sweet soups to more Hong Kong residents.

“I’ve tried the samples you sent, and they taste really good, almost identical to what you serve in your restaurant.” Zhang Zhiqiang looked at Ling Peiyi and questioned, “Director Ling, I heard that your production capacity is limited, only two thousand bottles a day, and even your own stores can’t meet the demand.”

In this situation, how will you supply our dozens of Wellcome branches throughout Hong Kong? The daily beverage sales of just one of our stores probably exceed your current daily production.

His questions were sharp and realistic.

At this time, Wellcome Supermarket was in a phase of rapid expansion and had the highest density of chain supermarkets in Hong Kong, Kowloon and the New Territories, with more than 80 stores.

Even if each store only has 100 bottles of sweet soup, Chen Ji's current production capacity would take three to four days to produce.

In Zhang Zhiqiang's view, it's ridiculous that such a small production capacity can be used to enter supermarkets.

Ling Peiyi was prepared for Zhang Zhiqiang's questioning.

Her smile remained unchanged as she calmly replied, "Director Zhang's question hits the nail on the head."

The current production capacity of bottled sugar water is limited, but this is temporary.

Our fully automated hot filling production line from Sacmi, Italy, which we imported at a cost of nearly HK$500,000, will arrive and be installed and tested in two weeks.

At that time, our daily production capacity of bottled sugar water will exceed 15,000 bottles, and has the potential to quickly climb to 30,000 bottles.

We are confident in meeting the supply needs of a large distribution channel like Wellcome.

She paused, then said confidently, "As for the product itself, Director Zhang has already personally experienced it."

Chan Kee Desserts' quality and reputation are well-known throughout Hong Kong Island.

Bottled packaging solves the problems of inconvenience in carrying freshly made syrup and short shelf life, filling a market gap.

Director Zhang must have heard about the overwhelming success and positive consumer feedback during the trial sales period.

We believe that Chen's bottled sweet soups, displayed in Wellcome's refrigerated cabinets, will not only enrich your company's product line but also attract more customers who pursue a quality lifestyle, thereby boosting sales performance per store.

(End of this chapter)