Liu Kai stared, as if seeing his father for the first time.
"No, are you that naive? You think he'd help me? It's good enough if he doesn't come after me. Dad, you really don't think we're brothers who get along, do you?"
He no longer called him Daddy, finding it ludicrous. In their kind of family, siblings were in a life-or-death struggle, yet he spoke of brotherly affection?
Liu Zixiong looked at him coldly, "Are you done throwing a tantrum?"
"I know you and your brother don't get along. Fighting to the death even though you share the same mother. It's no wonder you're not from the same womb."
"I arranged for your brother to marry Meng Xiaowei precisely to temper you. If you can't even handle him, how can you lead the Liu family in the future? How can you deal with those old foxes on the board?"
"Look at the Du family. Du Feiyun lost, and Du Feiyang, the later comer, became chairman. He's doing an excellent job, and Old Master Du has stepped down to enjoy his retirement."
"You either become Du Feiyun and are overthrown by your brother, or you become Du Feiyang and command the respect of all your younger brothers."
Liu Kai was taken aback by his father's intentions and fell silent, unable to respond.
"While I'm still alive and can help you, your brother is your whetstone. I'm telling you, as long as he's alive, no matter what you do, if you can bring him down, the Liu family is yours."
Liu Kai took a deep breath. "I understand, Daddy. I'm sorry, I didn't grasp your well-intentioned efforts."
"You're still too green. You couldn't win when you fought with me for Guan Zhizhi. Now your woman has been snatched away by your brother. If you still can't win, I'll be truly disappointed in you.
Look at Old Master Du, watching the tigers fight without supporting either son. To be born into the Liu family and enjoy its wealth comes with a harsh struggle, not just within the family but even more so outside."
"Yes, Daddy. Thank you for raising me."
Liu Zixiong was quite pleased with Liu Kai's words. However, he was unaware of the coldness and madness in Liu Kai's eyes as he left the study.
If he were an emperor, he would undoubtedly be a master strategist, a formidable figure like Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che. But as a father, he was a failure.
Soon, the Liu brothers were embroiled in internal conflict. Liu Xuan, leveraging the influence of the Meng family, gained considerable support from shareholders. He was involved in several of the Liu family's projects.
However, just as their conflict began, the two brothers were forced to unite because Xie Sui began to encroach upon their market, specifically targeting their highest-volume export business: electric fans.
Liu Zixiong's first fortune was made in this very sector. Even as he ventured into real estate, investment finance, and factory operations, the fan factory remained his cash cow, boasting the largest production capacity, churning out a thousand units daily with the best quality.
His fans were branded "Hitachi," a mark of quality. Almost every household had one.
Xie Sui's fans were named "Yongjiu" (Everlasting), akin to the bicycle brand. Their slogan was "Eternal Guarantee, Ten Years Three Guarantees," covering repair, replacement, and refund. This immediately caused a sensation.
Unlike Liu family products, Xie Sui's fans were made of plastic, making them lighter and more portable.
Furthermore, he introduced standing fans, ceiling fans, wall-mounted fans, and handheld mini-fans, offering a dazzling array of products that were highly popular with housewives.
The sales team was offered substantial commissions, and marketing was ubiquitous, swiftly seizing half of the Liu family's market share.
Business is inherently brutal. If products and marketing keep pace, one can rapidly capture the market and gain the advantage.
Xie Sui's products were also cheaper, costing two yuan less than Liu's, which was another significant advantage.
Liu Zixiong personally intervened. Listening to the discussions of the board members, he remained expressionless. Liu Kai said, "Chairman, the most important thing now is to reclaim the market. What Xie Sui can do, we can do too."
Liu Xuan chimed in, "If we just trail behind and imitate him, we'll be too passive. At best, we can maintain our current market share; it's hard to win back what's lost."
"Let's defend our position first, then strategize an attack. What do you propose?"
Liu Xuan replied, "You are the elder brother; you have the final say. I'm just voicing my concerns."
Liu Kai's eyes blazed with anger. He would eventually drive him out of the board.
"First, go and purchase his products. Hand them over to our technicians to study thoroughly. In manufacturing, quality is king. No matter how good his marketing is, if the product is inferior, no matter how glorious he is now, he will suffer a great fall."
"Daddy is right. I'll run this errand."
"Good, go then."
Liu Zixiong sent him on this minor task, and Liu Kai didn't mind, knowing that in his father's eyes, he was only good for running errands.
Soon, Liu Kai procured the products. Their exterior was indeed more refined. When the technicians opened the casing, they laughed. "Chairman, this product is junk. It will break down within a year. He, Mr. Xie, guarantees it won't break for ten years. That's a laugh! Just wait for him to be proven wrong."
Liu Zixiong breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. Our quality is the best in Asia. However, this 'three guarantees' gimmick is quite clever. We can also learn from it. Have the marketing department study it and come up with a plan. Xie Sui is a cunning fellow. If he just sells for a year and collects his money, no one can do anything to him. He's not a local manufacturer, so he can't even be found. He'll just be scamming users. Akai, you personally go and speak with the local leaders. Warn them to be careful not to be deceived by him."
"Alright, Daddy, I'll go now."
"Be careful. Take more people. It's quite chaotic there."
Liu Kai nodded. It wasn't his first time visiting Indonesia. He didn't think much of it.
However, when he met the local leader he often dealt with and explained Xie Sui's scheme, the leader, who had always been cordial to the Liu family, suddenly changed his expression. "Young Master Liu, you shouldn't say that. How could Mr. Xie possibly deceive people? He has paid a deposit of ten million. If he fails to deliver, this ten million will compensate users for their losses."
Liu Kai's eyes widened. This Xie Sui had thought of everything. He suddenly recalled something. Was this leader siding with Xie Sui because he had received benefits from him?
"Mr. Panir, we have collaborated for many years. You can trust the Liu family's integrity. Whatever Xie can offer you, my Liu family will offer double. You only need to help me drive him out. Personally, I will give you this amount." He held up five fingers. This represented five million. However, the other party shook his head. "No, I am only responsible for collecting taxes; I will not interfere in your competition. Good products at low prices are beneficial to my people. Young Master Liu, you have been doing business here for so many years; you should have made enough money. It's time to let others have a share of the pie."
This conversation was not satisfactory. Liu Kai realized that whatever he could think of, Xie Sui had already anticipated, paving the way and being even more generous with his money. Liu Kai offered five million, unaware that Xie Sui had already given ten million, making Liu Kai appear stingy.