Beijing. The Jiang Family Ancestral Home!
The Chinese have a tradition of celebrating birthdays. Although the old man himself didn’t want to throw a big party, his children wouldn’t hear of it.
After all, he hadn’t held a celebration for his 60th birthday, nor for his 70th, so he simply had to have one for his 80th.
With no other choice, the old man had to agree.
When Li Yi and Jiang Longcheng walked into the old mansion, they found the entire courtyard, inside and out, packed with guests.
Fortunately, it was already mid-to-late April; if it had been a month earlier, it wouldn’t have been possible to seat people outside!
After entering, Li Yi looked around for Jiang Xue and soon spotted her and the child in the west wing.
Perhaps because she hadn’t seen her eldest grandson and granddaughter in several days, Li Yi saw his mother-in-law cradling Yunrui and playing with him as soon as he entered, while the little one was dancing with joy at his grandmother’s antics.
Seeing Li Yi enter, Ye Lingyun smiled and asked, “You’re here!”
“Yeah. Where’s Dad? Is he coming back today?”
“He’s on his way, but he might be a little late!”
Then Ye Lingyun suddenly said, “Xiao Yi, there are quite a few of your grandfather’s former superiors there today. Do you want to go and make a good impression?”
Although Li Yi knew his mother-in-law meant well and was trying to help him build connections, he still shook his head.
“Mom, I’d rather not go and join the crowd.”
“Why not? This is a rare opportunity!” Ye Lingyun said.
“I know, but right now, I’m not even a small fish in front of those bigwigs. Even if they remember me, no one will care.”
Li Yi continued, “Besides, the business climate in the country isn’t great right now. My priority isn’t showing off—I just need to keep a low profile and make a fortune…”
Before he could finish, a booming voice rang out: “So that’s your plan—to quietly make a fortune? What a sly little rascal!”
Everyone turned toward the sound and saw a middle-aged man in his forties striding in.
Upon seeing the man, Li Yi’s expression immediately changed.
He recognized this man—Wang Tianrong. He didn’t know what position Wang held at the moment, but in a decade or so, he would become a bona fide high-ranking official with “State” in his title, frequently appearing on the News Broadcast—and when he did, it was always for dozens of seconds at a time.
But he had no idea why this man was here. Could it be that he was also closely connected to the Jiang family?
Ye Lingyun was clearly on familiar terms with him and hurriedly greeted him: “Brother Tianrong, when did you arrive? Why didn’t you let us know in advance?”
“Hehe, if I’d told you in advance, would I have gotten to hear your son-in-law’s remarks?” Wang Tianrong said with a laugh.
“He’s young and doesn’t know any better. Brother Tianrong, please don’t take it to heart!” Ye Lingyun hurriedly said.
“Sister Lingyun, your son-in-law isn’t a child—he’s quite a sly one. Our department just wanted to give him a little warning, but the little rascal actually threw a tantrum!”
Ye Lingyun looked at Li Yi, then at Wang Tianrong, and said in surprise, “Is that so?”
Li Yi finally caught on and immediately asked, “Are you from the State-owned Assets Department (fictional agency—please don’t take this personally)?”
“Let me formally introduce myself: Wang Tianrong, Deputy Minister of the State-owned Assets Department!”
As he spoke, Wang Tianrong extended his hand!
Li Yi didn’t flinch; he reached out directly and said, “Hello, Minister Wang. I’m Li Yi!”
This composed and self-assured demeanor secretly impressed Wang Tianrong. He and Jiang Shiying were brothers-in-arms who had fought side by side; their bond was one of life-and-death loyalty, and Jiang Shiying had confided in him about everything happening at home.
Therefore, Wang Tianrong knew that Jiang Shiying’s son-in-law was just a country bumpkin.
He wasn’t very old, didn’t have much of an education, and aside from being rather bold, there didn’t seem to be much else to commend him for.
But after meeting him today, he realized he’d perhaps underestimated this son-in-law of the Jiang family; his composure alone far surpassed that of his peers.
“Heh, Comrade Li Yi, I hear you want to reclaim the operating rights to Feixue Apparel. Is that true?”
“Yes. Haven’t you heard that the relevant authorities think I’m taking advantage of the cotton mill? I figured we shouldn’t take advantage of the state, so I plan to terminate the agreement with the cotton mill!” Li Yi said.
“But have you considered this: without the Cotton Spinning Mill as a foundation, what value would your Feixue Apparel have?”
Wang Tianrong continued, “On the other hand, the Cotton Spinning Mill could easily rebuild Feixue Apparel from scratch. I don’t think that would be too difficult!”
“I don’t deny what you’re saying. Given the Cotton Mill’s capabilities, rebuilding a new brand would indeed be no trouble at all!”
However, changing the subject, Li Yi added, “But you’re seriously underestimating the power and value of a brand. Do you know how much an ice pop costs in our country?”
“Um… I haven’t bought one in years, but I suppose it’s just a few cents,” Wang Tianrong replied.
“Two cents each, or even one cent in some places. But do you know how much an ice cream costs abroad?”
“I really have no idea!”
Li Yi said calmly, “An ice cream cone abroad costs $1.50. Converted to our currency, that’s 2.55 yuan—a difference of dozens of times!”
“The production costs aren’t that different, but why is there such a huge price gap? It’s all down to the power of the brand!”
This isn’t limited to just a traditional ice pop and ice cream. A Geely QQ costs 30,000 yuan, yet that hasn’t affected BMW’s price tag of over a million. Handbags sold at street stalls for a few dozen yuan haven’t impacted LV’s sales either.
This is the power of a brand—it embodies value and serves as a symbol of status.
You can call the people who buy these luxury goods mindless snobs or accuse them of blindly idolizing foreign brands, but you can’t deny that these brands truly hold immense value.
Wang Tianrong furrowed his brow and said in a low voice, “What does that prove?”
Li Yi replied confidently, “Let me put it this way: the moment I decide to reclaim the brand management rights for Feixue Apparel, hundreds or even thousands of foreign investors will rush to invest in the company. They’re even willing to offer me a 50% profit share while investing millions to build factories!”
“How is that possible?”
“Haha, capital is profit-driven and ruthless. If there’s a 10% profit margin, it’ll be used everywhere; with a 20% margin, it’ll become active;with a 50% profit margin, it’ll take desperate risks; for a 100% profit margin, it’ll dare to trample all human laws; with a 300% profit margin, it’ll dare to commit any crime, even risking the gallows.”
Li Yi then shifted the tone of his voice and looked at Wang Tianrong, saying, “You know the profit margins at Feixue Apparel over the past few months. Think about it: would those foreign investors take desperate risks or trample on every human law for such staggering profits?”
Wang Tianrong froze on the spot!
But Li Yi didn’t stop there. Seizing the moment, he pressed on: “More importantly, once Feixue Apparel is invested in by foreign capital, it becomes a foreign-owned enterprise. Under current regulations, not only would it enjoy various preferential treatments, but it would also create a competitor for our domestic brands!”
“Furthermore, many domestic companies are currently watching Feixue Apparel closely, waiting to see if the reform policies being implemented by the higher-ups are just empty slogans. A single Li Yi or a single Feixue Apparel is insignificant, but the nation’s policies cannot afford to be inconsistent!”
After hearing Li Yi’s words, Wang Tianrong was stunned once again.
He truly hadn’t expected the young man standing before him to possess such vision, strategic acumen, and boldness.
Once the shock subsided, he burst into laughter: “No wonder Brother Shiying holds you in such high regard as his son-in-law—you truly have a broad perspective. It’s no wonder he has complete confidence in the work you’re doing in Beijing. So that’s it… so that’s how it is!”
“Have you been in touch with my father?”
“Hehe, I have. I’d previously promised him I wouldn’t touch you, but now that I’m in the mood to give you a little shake-up, I naturally had to run it by him first!”
Wang Tianrong continued, “What I didn’t expect, though, was that Brother Shiying replied directly: ‘If you can give him a good shake, by all means, go ahead!’”
“I’d actually thought he wasn’t too pleased with you as his son-in-law. It seems my perspective was narrow… very narrow indeed!”
Hearing this, it was Li Yi and Jiang Xue’s turn to be stunned!