Reborn Tycoon: Hong Kong's Entertainment Godfather

Although those partners put it very tactfully, even a fool could tell that what they were implying was that Phoenix Home Appliances' LCD TVs were superior to the older models from Panasonic and Sony!

Suppressing Phoenix Home Appliances? What kind of brainless person would do something like that? Isn't that just throwing money away?

Therefore, Sony held an emergency meeting, where the leader in charge of the television business gave his subordinates a severe dressing down!

"A bunch of useless trash! Is this what you call reclaiming the market? Being played like a puppet in Hong Kong is one thing, after all, that's their territory, but now even the overseas market has been snatched away by Phoenix Appliances! What use are you to me?!"

Faced with the leader's reprimand, everyone below lowered their heads and remained silent. Who would dare to speak up at such a time? Wouldn't that be courting death?

But their silence doesn't mean they can escape this calamity. Ultimately, this crushing defeat was because their products couldn't compare to Phoenix Appliances, so the R&D department definitely bears responsibility.

"Where are the R&D department people? Stop playing dumb! Come on, tell me, why can Phoenix Home Appliances develop LCD TVs while you can't! Is it because the company doesn't give you enough R&D funding, or are you just loafing around all day? And the market research department, what are you doing? Why didn't you discover Phoenix Home Appliances' new products immediately?"

Everyone present was blamed, because the losses caused were too great and the incident exposed many internal problems within the company!

Sony was once a giant in the television industry. With countless accolades, its flaws were not an overstatement. But now, with the emergence of a stronger competitor like Phoenix Home Appliances, all its problems have come to the fore at once!

The leader launched into a tirade, his own mouth becoming dry from yelling, but everyone else was as limp as wilted eggplants, and not a single person dared to meet his gaze.

"Everyone, your year-end bonuses and vacations are all canceled this year. This is the punishment decision from above. Anyone who is dissatisfied can resign now!"

The leader announced the decision harshly, and only felt a little better when no one objected.

"Alright, let's get down to business! All of you, tell me, what are we going to do to regain Sony's position in the television market?"

This is not only the case at Sony, but also at Panasonic.

Televisions account for a large proportion of the entire home appliance industry, so it's clearly impossible for them to give them up like this!

Gu Yuhan, on the other hand, remained as calm and collected as ever. In the past few days, he had been paying close attention to the situation at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and had even visited the school in person, offering some suggestions for improvement.

That day, Su Rongrong walked into the office carrying a folder. Seeing that Gu Yuhan's cup was empty, she poured him a cup of tea before saying, "Boss, our LCD TVs are currently very popular in overseas markets! Not only in the US and European markets, but also in many other countries, people have contacted us. However, as per your orders, we haven't given them a direct reply."

Upon hearing this, Gu Yuhan put down the book in his hand, smiled, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.

"Well, we're not in a rush for other markets. Simply selling goods isn't very effective. The focus should be on trade licenses. This time, we'll use LCD TVs to whet their appetite first." Gu Yuhan had already planned for this; one must have a long-term vision and not be swayed by short-term gains. "By the way, has the financial report come out yet?"

Seeing Gu Yuhan put down his teacup and look at her, Su Rongrong immediately placed the folder she had just brought in in front of him.

While Gu Yuhan was reviewing the data, Su Rongrong repeated, "The current situation is very good. Total sales are approaching one billion US dollars. If this pace continues, we'll probably capture the entire television market soon! However, the production line is still a bit strained. Do you think we need to add more staff?"

"No need." The records on the financial report were very clear. Gu Yuhan finished reviewing them quickly and put them aside. "Rongrong, the sales situation is very good at the moment. You could say that the supply can't meet the demand. But you have to understand that the market will eventually become saturated, and our products will continue to be updated. So there's no need to tie your hands."

Although Su Rongrong is growing up quickly, she still lacks experience, so Gu Yuhan doesn't mind teaching her more things in his spare time.

"Boss, I understand. I'll convey your message to Zhou Jun later." Su Rongrong nodded obediently, then, as if remembering something, handed over another file.

Gu Yuhan opened it and looked at it, then immediately smiled.

"Rongrong, prepare the car. Let's go to Guangming Technology and see what surprises these guys have in store for me this time!"

Gu Yuhan didn't actually find the news that LCD TVs had brought in a staggering billion US dollars particularly surprising, but when the news reached mainland China, it immediately caused a huge sensation!

"Mr. Yuan, have you seen today's news?" After a meeting, a leader in charge of promotion took the initiative to chat with Yuan Geng.

"News?" Yuan asked curiously. He'd been busy in meetings all day and hadn't had a chance to read the newspaper. "What news?"

The leader immediately smiled and said, "Didn't Phoenix Home Appliances recently launch a new LCD TV that's already being sold overseas? The financial report came out a couple of days ago, do you know how much the revenue was?"

Yuan Geng didn't like people beating around the bush when they talked to him, but since this matter was related to Gu Yuhan, he became extremely interested. "Just tell me directly. I think it's perfectly reasonable for Gu Yuhan to do whatever he wants."

In a single sentence, one can see how much Yuan Geng values ​​Gu Yuhan. Ever since they met, every action of Gu Yuhan has given Yuan Geng a feeling that is both reasonable and unexpected. Over time, he has gradually gotten used to it.

"One billion US dollars!" The leader read the figure directly from the financial report. "A whole one billion US dollars! Mr. Yuan, can you believe this was all brought in by a small television set?"

"What? A billion US dollars?" Yuan Geng, who thought he wouldn't be too surprised, still widened his eyes and looked incredulous when he heard the number!

However, he soon gave a wry smile.

"That kid never lets anyone feel lonely! What did I say before? This kid is practically a reincarnation of the God of Wealth! How many people in the whole country can compare to him in terms of his money-making skills? He's still so young, give him a few more years, who knows what kind of storms he'll stir up!"

Yuan Geng's evaluation was undeniably high, but the leader next to him didn't think it was an exaggeration! He was originally in charge of promotion and news, so he naturally knew more about Gu Yuhan's actions.

"By the way, Mr. Yuan, do you know about the Bright Group's previous annual meeting? Let me tell you, that kid Gu Yuhan gave out over 100 million yuan in bonuses all at once..."

The two chatted as they walked, unaware that Gu Yuhan had become the subject of gossip.

These past few days he's been going to Guangming Technology a lot. There's no other reason, it's just that after the research team developed the LCD TV, they started working on other home appliances like refrigerators and washing machines, as ordered by Gu Yuhan, and they've already made significant breakthroughs!

Gu Yuhan has been very interested these past few days, providing the research team with many new ideas.

Meanwhile, the news had spread far and wide in mainland China. Not only financial news, but even the news giant, CCTV's evening news program, reported on the remarkable achievements of LCD TVs in overseas markets!

In an instant, the entire mainland was shocked. In this era, the word "imported" had great value. For example, if someone owned an imported car, they would definitely become a big shot in the surrounding area. If someone owned an imported television, they would also be looked up to!

There's nothing to do with worshipping foreign things or being a foreign worshipper; it's just that those overseas products are indeed good!

But now it's completely different! Who makes LCD TVs? It's Phoenix Home Appliances, a subsidiary of Bright Food Group! This is a genuine domestic product, and currently, it's unique!

What does this show? It perfectly demonstrates that China's technological strength is rising, and it's only just beginning. This LCD TV has already gained worldwide recognition! If this continues, imported goods will likely cease to be so desirable, while domestically produced goods will become even more anticipated!

Even at the end of the evening news, the host referred to Phoenix Home Appliances as "the pride of domestic products." This is not only an acknowledgment of Phoenix Home Appliances and Gu Yuhan, but also a source of immense pride for people all over the mainland!

This is essentially the government giving Gu Yuhan a free "GG" (a Chinese internet slang term for a humiliating defeat). Gu Yuhan was naturally very happy to receive this news, as it seems that his investment in mainland China was a very worthwhile move!

"What? Phoenix Appliances is launching low-priced TVs in the European market again?"

Panasonic and Sony had not yet figured out an effective solution when suddenly another shocking piece of bad news arrived!

Originally, LCD TVs had already dominated the high-end market, leaving the remaining low-price market for the two companies to contend with. However, after receiving this news, they were filled with despair, because the tragedy in Hong Kong was about to repeat itself...

"Young Master Yu, our low-priced older model TVs have received rave reviews in the European market!" Zhou Jun excitedly ran over to report to Gu Yuhan. "The media there are praising Phoenix Home Appliances as a truly conscientious company!"

In fact, Gu Yuhan did not plan to invest in low-priced products in overseas markets; he only needed to gain some fame in Hong Kong and mainland China!

However, many people in Europe feel that LCD TVs are too expensive. They trust the quality of Phoenix Home Appliances and hope that Phoenix Home Appliances can launch some products that are acceptable to the general public.

This was Zhou Jun's first time taking on such an important task, and he had to plead and beg for a long time before Gu Yuhan finally agreed.

This was a harmless matter. Seeing how serious Zhou Jun was this time, Gu Yuhan simply agreed. In any case, although selling these low-priced TVs overseas increased the cost somewhat, considering the local market situation, the price still had an unparalleled advantage!

"Well, you can take charge of things in the European market." Gu Yuhan was pleased to see Zhou Jun's growth. After all, Zhou Jun had been his trusted confidant from the beginning, and if his abilities improved, he could be entrusted with more important matters in the future.

"By the way, Ah Jun, the factory just produced a batch of LCD monitors. Go there this afternoon and ship them directly to Europe and the United States to see how the market is doing."

Now that LCD technology is available, it would be a waste to use it only to make televisions. So Gu Yuhan asked Guangming Technology to spend some time making LCD computer monitors, thereby opening up a new business path.

Upon hearing about the new products, Zhou Jun's eyes lit up. Without saying a word, he bid farewell to Gu Yuhan and went straight to the factory.

In just three short days, the emergence of LCD monitors has set off a new wave in Europe and the United States. The entire high-end market has been completely tilted by this series of impacts, leaving other competitors with no chance to breathe!

"Phoenix Home Appliances! Bright Food Group! Gu Yuhan!"

With the entry of LCD monitors into the market, this is no longer just a war in the television industry; even big bosses like Konosuke Matsushita and Akio Morita are getting restless!

Even though they looked constipated and gritted their teeth, they were just as helpless as their subordinates! After all, the new LCD technology belonged to Gu Yuhan, and they were completely out of options relying on their old technologies!

Without comparable products, no matter how many plans they make or how much money they invest, the final result will still be a complete failure!

As the saying goes, misfortunes never come singly. Just when Konosuke Matsushita and Akio Morita were at their wits' end, they heard that Steve Jobs, the president of Apple, seemed to be interested in cooperating with Gu Yuhan. Doesn't this mean that those American companies have officially accepted Gu Yuhan?

This news is not hearsay, but a fact. At this very moment, Steve Jobs has personally flown to Hong Kong and is discussing cooperation with Gu Yuhan.

"Mr. Steve Jobs, do you mean you intend for us to provide custom-made LCD displays for your new product?"

Upon meeting, the two exchanged pleasantries for a while, but soon Steve Jobs got down to business, and after he finished speaking in a roundabout way, Gu Yuhan gave a summary.

"Yes, my esteemed friend!" Jobs said with a friendly smile. "To be honest, I snapped up a LCD TV when the first batch went on sale. This new technology is truly amazing! I had already expressed my desire to cooperate with your company, and who would have thought that I would hear the other day that you had launched LCD monitors? This is simply an incredible coincidence!"

Gu Yuhan actually had a good impression of Steve Jobs, a true genius. This guy was a big figure who could lead the times, and cooperating with him would indeed have many benefits.

Gu Yuhan was originally thinking about when to go to Steve Jobs, but she didn't expect that this guy would take the initiative to come to her door first and seek cooperation, which saved her a lot of trouble!

Since there is not much difference between making ordinary LCD monitors and custom-made LCD monitors, Gu Yuhan has no reason to disagree with this cooperation.

"Mr. Steve Jobs, I understand your request." After all, it was our first meeting, so I had to maintain the proper demeanor. "Since you say it's fate, how could I possibly refuse? However, we still need to discuss the specific details of the collaboration in detail."

Neither of them were the indecisive type. Although they had a detailed chat, they actually reached a conclusion in just a few words!

After returning to the United States, Steve Jobs immediately contacted the media to announce the news, saying that Apple's upcoming new computer had reached a cooperation agreement with Phoenix Home Appliances and that the display would adopt a brand-new LCD technology, which immediately sparked another wave of heated discussions!

When this news reached the mainland, it greatly excited the people. Foreign companies were scrambling to cooperate with Gu Yuhan, which was a great thing no matter how you looked at it!

Meanwhile, the mainland authorities have also made a new decision: to completely lift restrictions on the purchase of television sets. Previously, purchasing a television set required a television ticket, but now that is no longer necessary!

The new policy immediately generated a huge response, and on the same day alone, all of Phoenix Appliances' stock in mainland China was sold out!

Media outlets from all over the country reported this news, and some even went to the streets to conduct random interviews!

"A Phoenix TV? We absolutely have to buy it! Even the official channels say it's a shining example of domestically produced goods, so how can we not buy it!"

"If we can crush products from island nations in the European market, then for this very day, I must support Phoenix Home Appliances!"

"Thanks to the authorities for allowing the purchase of televisions, but could Phoenix Appliances please speed up production? Phoenix brand televisions are nowhere to be found!"

"People used to say that foreign products were better, but Phoenix Appliances has proven that our domestic products are just as good, and they will definitely get better and better in the future!"

This trend continues to grow, even though the mainland's economy still needs improvement, which is largely due to its massive population!

Amid this buying frenzy, the machines in Phoenix Home Appliances' factory are practically smoking, with both LCD TVs and older, low-priced models being produced at breakneck speed while maintaining quality and quantity!

This situation is no worse than in the European market, after all, the domestic population is just too large!

With this move, Gu Yuhan truly achieved both fame and fortune! The LCD technology alone has already made him incredibly wealthy!

Now that the market has fully opened, Gu Yuhan is ready to launch the next phase of his plan!

"Boss, you mean you're going to sell our TVs to Japan and Korea?" Su Rongrong asked incredulously after hearing Gu Yuhan's new plan. "Let's put Korea aside for now, but Japan is, after all, Panasonic and Sony's home turf. Won't we run into problems doing this?"

Gu Yuhan knew what Su Rongrong was worried about, so he smiled and said, "Rongrong, what do you think was the reason that Panasonic and Sony suddenly entered Hong Kong a while ago? What would have happened if we hadn't had LCD TVs back then?"

Su Rongrong was stunned. The answer was obvious. If it weren't for LCD technology, Panasonic and Sony would probably have really been able to regain the market back then!

Having figured this out, Su Rongrong also understood Gu Yuhan's meaning: "Boss, you mean that since they can compete for our Hong Kong market, we can also seize theirs, right?"

Although Gu Yuhan didn't pay much attention to Panasonic and Sony after the competition fully began, it didn't mean he would completely ignore their underhanded tactics.

It's not that retribution won't come, it's just that the time hasn't arrived yet. Now that the time is ripe, Gu Yuhan naturally won't wait any longer. So he immediately asked Su Rongrong, who understood everything, to start making preparations! Before long, Phoenix Home Appliances' LCD TVs and older low-priced TVs appeared in Japan and Korea. With their leading technology and price advantage, even in their home country, they still managed to defeat Panasonic and Sony, gaining a complete upper hand!

"Damn it! Phoenix Appliances is so arrogant, they've come to our doorstep!" Akio Morita was so angry that his face turned ashen, completely forgetting that they were the ones who provoked us first!

Konosuke Matsushita wasn't much better off, but he was much calmer. "This is an island nation; it's not up to you outsiders to do whatever you want here!"

The two bosses shared the same idea, so after contacting each other, they unanimously chose to put pressure on the island nation's government in hopes of raising tariffs. This move was intended to give Gu Yuhan a head-on blow!

"Mr. Matsushita, the authorities have agreed, but will what we're doing really be effective?"

Akio Morita was still somewhat uneasy, but Konosuke Matsushita spoke up, "What else can we do? We haven't won back the Hong Kong market, and now we've even lost the European and American markets! By doing this, at least we can temporarily hold onto our domestic market. Can you really tolerate Gu Yuhan taking over our market?"

Akio Morita understood that this was the best option at the moment, or to put it bluntly, a stopgap measure! After all, they couldn't completely cut off Gu Yuhan's reach into Japan right now, so they could only use this method to delay while they thought of other ways.

After being pressured into agreeing to the measure, the island nation immediately began to temporarily increase taxes, but this move was immediately met with protests from relevant parties.

It's important to understand that Gu Yuhan's current identity is not merely that of a simple businessman; his business activities undoubtedly carry a deeper meaning.

Therefore, the relevant parties issued a public statement, hoping that the island nation's government would make immediate adjustments!

Curses were heard everywhere in the streets and alleys!

"Those bastards from that archipelago nation, I knew they couldn't do anything good. Phoenix home appliances work fine in other countries, so why do they fail there?"

"We strongly condemn this behavior by the island nation's government; it completely lacks the demeanor and class expected of a nation!"

"Truly a nation where despicable and cunning are ingrained in its very bones. It's no wonder you '507' types cause earthquakes every now and then; this is God punishing you!"

Despite the vehement condemnation, the island nation's government chose to turn a deaf ear, engaging in wrangling while simultaneously raising tariffs, completely unaware of how egregious their actions were!

Even after the news spread, residents of the United States and some European countries spoke out, believing that the island nation's behavior was extremely despicable!

To suppress foreign goods in order to protect their domestic industries is utterly shameless, and even God will punish them severely for this behavior sooner or later!

You can never wake someone who is pretending to be asleep. That's how it is in Japan these days. They've decided to take shamelessness to the extreme, completely disregarding how unpleasant the outside world may be.

However, after Phoenix Appliances was forced to raise the price of its televisions, a new problem arose: there were still locals in the island nation who would pay high prices to buy them!

In an instant, this led many residents of the island nation to discover a brand new way to make money! Since people would buy at such high prices, if they went to Hong Kong to buy the goods and then brought them back to the island to sell, they could easily earn more than double the profit on each unit. It was practically picking up money!

Although this behavior would be defined as smuggling, the age-old truth is that people die for wealth and birds die for food!

As a result, countless people from the island nation rushed to Hong Kong, ready to launch their money-making plans, and even called it "personal shopping agent"!

The truth will out eventually; there were just too many people involved, so the news spread very quickly!

After all, there are still a lot of people who want to buy LCD TVs, which makes this kind of smuggling activity very popular!

Su Rongrong has been dealing with matters related to Hong Kong University of Science and Technology these past two days. In her office, Huo Jianning and Gu Yuhan discussed this matter.

"Boss, these islanders are really ridiculous. They have legitimate channels to buy things, but they insist on increasing tariffs. Now, smuggling has emerged. Isn't this just the government forcing its people to commit crimes?"

Huo Jianning's understanding is not wrong at all. Everyone knows that smuggling is illegal, but the current booming business of purchasing agents is entirely due to the efforts of the Japanese government!

"Boss, these smugglers from those island nations are making a fortune. What do you think about us opening up a trade route and selling directly there?"

"Are you crazy?" Gu Yuhan looked up at Huo Jianning as if he were an idiot. "You knew it was illegal, yet you still did it?"

Seeing Gu Yuhan's unfriendly gaze, Huo Jianning quickly waved his hand, "No, no, no, I was just saying it casually. How could I do anything illegal? I just feel a little uncomfortable that all this money is being earned by the Japanese."

After giving Huo Jianning a warning, Gu Yuhan knew he couldn't really do that, so he said, "Don't worry, these so-called resellers' good days are coming to an end. Anyway, they bought from us at normal prices, so we're not losing out."

"It's over?" Huo Jianning grasped the key point in the question and pressed, "Boss, what do you mean by 'it's over'?"

Although he was in Hong Kong, Gu Yuhan was still paying attention to what was happening in Japan.

Indeed, the business of purchasing on behalf of others is booming right now. After all, there are quite a few people who want to buy LCD TVs. It's the same principle as "no demand, no supply"—if there are people who want to buy, then naturally there will be people who come to Hong Kong to buy them.

Gu Yuhan knew that the island nation's government had temporarily increased tariffs in order to curb the sale of LCD TVs in the island nation. However, the current reality was that the public could still buy them through other illegal channels, so wouldn't the increase in tariffs be meaningless?

Moreover, the protests in China have never stopped, and the situation has become increasingly serious. Even officials from some other countries have joined in, hoping that the island nation will not undermine the principles of free trade!

It's fair to say that the island nation's government is now in a precarious situation, besieged on all sides. Those who made that decision back then are probably regretting it terribly!

"You don't need to figure it out, because the answer will be available soon."

Gu Yuhan didn't explain to Huo Jianning, because no matter how much she said, it was not as real as seeing it with her own eyes.

However, by noon the next day, the puzzled Huo Jianning suddenly realized the truth, because the island nation's government had issued a public announcement that it wanted to cancel the previously imposed tariffs!

"No way? The boss was right! That's amazing!" Huo Jianning was stunned. He never expected that Gu Yuhan would have the ability to foresee the future!

If Gu Yuhan knew what he was thinking, he would probably laugh himself to death. Although he has memories of two lifetimes and can indeed know what will happen at certain points in the future, it does not mean that he can predict the uncertain future.

The reason he was able to guess that the island nation would cancel the tariff increase was because he calculated it based on the actual situation!

The reasons have already been mentioned, but the most important one is not those! Ultimately, the reason that made this shameless island nation's government give up was actually the pressure from the United States!

Many people know that Japan is just a lackey of the United States, but the United States and China are currently in a honeymoon period. It is absolutely obvious who is more important between friend and lackey!

When the Chinese people heard about this, they cheered loudly. Of course, they didn't think about so much. They just thought that their protest had made those despicable people from the island country submit, so they cheered as if they had won a battle!

The residents of the island nation were also happy. As soon as the tariffs were lifted, LCD TVs were immediately snapped up. Those who couldn't afford LCD TVs bought up most of their stock of the incredibly cheap older models!

The island nation's officials are in a difficult position, but the most distressed are the smugglers who bring goods from Hong Kong back to the country to sell. The officials' pent-up anger is immediately directed at them, and they not only have to pay compensation, but they may also face imprisonment for an unknown period of time!

"Now the island nation's market has been completely conquered. I wonder what Panasonic and Sony will do next..."

Gu Yuhan wasn't so arrogant as to disregard Panasonic and Sony. He knew that these two companies had a very strong foundation! If it were any other company, they would probably have closed down and gone out of business long ago if they lost the entire television market.

Now that the vast majority of the market has fallen into Gu Yuhan's hands, he is eager to see whether Panasonic and Sony, which he has been relentlessly beating, will completely give up on this piece of the pie, or continue to fight him!

As entities that once dominated the home appliance market, neither Konosuke Matsushita nor Akio Morita would admit defeat.

They also bought LCD TVs from Phoenix Home Appliances, not for their own use, but to give to the research department for analysis and research!

But when they saw the report, the two of them were completely dumbfounded!

"Boss... this LCD technology completely surpasses our original technology. Just based on this point, we can't possibly be a match for Phoenix Appliances."

The head of the research department was very direct, stating the harshest reality!

Konosuke Matsushita and Akio Morita understood this principle perfectly well. Otherwise, how could they have suffered such a huge loss, lost the entire television market, and allowed Gu Yuhan to trample on their home turf?