The President Made Me Trend

“I paid an intern in Mr. Lu’s company’s business department to secretly send over the information on their partner manufacturers.” Although the secretary wasn’t sure what Lu Yucheng intended to do, there was something different about his demeanor today.

Unexpectedly, Lu Yucheng merely flipped through a few pages of the documents and scoffed, “Just some third-rate manufacturers. It seems Lu Xuan has indeed put some effort into selling his products.”

While third-rate manufacturers offer lower prices, they come with the drawback of unreliable quality. Yet, Lu Xuan has packaged his products as high-end and sophisticated, seemingly to deceive consumers into trusting them.

Lu Yucheng felt that having such documents on his desk was an insult to his status. He ordered the secretary to toss them into the trash and then said, “Based on your investigation, approach these manufacturers and tell them the Lu family is willing to extend an olive branch, but only if they cease their cooperation with Lu Xuan.”

“What? Mr. Lu, you want to work with these third-rate manufacturers? Wouldn’t that lower the quality assurance of our Lu family products by several notches?” The secretary couldn’t believe Lu Yucheng’s words. The Lu family has always chosen suppliers with absolute reliability in quality, even if they were more expensive, because Lu Yucheng believes that only assured quality can elevate the company’s business.

So hearing him suddenly change his mind to collaborate with third-rate manufacturers was quite a shock for the secretary.

Nevertheless, Lu Yucheng had no intention of changing his mind. He continued, “Did I say we would directly source from them? Just by presenting the Lu family company’s position, smart people will definitely not choose to cooperate with Lu Xuan anymore. As long as their goods pass our company’s inspection and are confirmed to be problem-free, then we can proceed.”

It turns out Lu Yucheng wouldn’t directly use the products from third-rate manufacturers; they would undergo thorough inspections first. The secretary felt relieved. It seemed Lu Yucheng merely wanted to leverage the Lu family’s influence to attract these third-rate manufacturers, primarily to undermine Lu Xuan by cutting off his supply channels.

Although the secretary didn’t know when the animosity between Lu Yucheng and Lu Xuan had grown so intense, he was still concerned and said, “Mr. Lu, if the Old Master finds out about this, he might be furious.”

“Just keep it from Father for now, won’t you? You’ve been my secretary for years; surely you don’t need me to teach you such trivial matters?” Lu Yucheng glared at the secretary. Even without saying it, Lu Yucheng could imagine how angry Father Lu, who was currently siding with Lu Xuan, would be if he knew about the deliberate suppression of Lu Xuan’s business.

But Lu Yucheng couldn’t swallow this anger. It was one thing for Lu Xuan to steal Father Lu’s trust, but now he’s even targeting Mo Qinghuan? Unless Lu Xuan is thoroughly crushed and turned into a beggar, Lu Yucheng would never let it go easily!

“Yes, I understand.” The secretary’s well-intentioned reminder only earned him a scolding from Lu Yucheng. He suddenly regretted asking that question.

However, just as he reached the office door, Lu Yucheng called him back. The secretary shivered instinctively, fearing he might be criticized again for something he hadn’t done well. Fortunately, Lu Yucheng didn’t mention any of that; he simply continued with his instructions:

“Aren’t you acquainted with some gossip media reporters? Leak some information to them, saying that Lu Xuan, who has always collaborated with third-rate suppliers, can’t guarantee product quality. Also, contact the relevant authorities and request a thorough inspection of the products from Lu Xuan’s company.”

The secretary dared not disobey, yet he had to admit that Lu Yucheng was thorough in his approach. If Lu Xuan’s company’s products were indeed found substandard by the authorities, the compensation amount alone would be astronomical. Moreover, the impact on consumer perception would make it nearly impossible for Lu Xuan’s company to recover.

Everything proceeded smoothly according to Lu Yucheng’s plan. He was already savvy in business, and this time, he struck at Lu Xuan’s weak spot. Within three months, Lu Xuan’s company was not only found to have substandard products but had also begun a full recall. Without supplier support, Lu Xuan quickly became isolated, with news about him flooding the television.

Lu Yucheng returned home from work to find Mo Qinghuan watching TV while Little Bun played with toys nearby. As soon as Little Bun saw Lu Yucheng, he rushed over for a hug, and Lu Yucheng indulgently picked him up and walked over to Mo Qinghuan, smiling as he asked, “What’s so captivating on TV that you didn’t even notice I came home?”

“Yucheng, you’re back from work.” If it weren’t for hearing Lu Yucheng’s voice, Mo Qinghuan might not have noticed him. It wasn’t that the TV program was particularly engaging; it was the news about Lu Xuan’s company that caught her attention. On screen, Lu Xuan was bowing his head, apologizing to the media with apparent remorse:

“Due to a momentary oversight in our production department, some unqualified raw materials were processed into products and sold. This is our company’s mistake, and I, Lu Xuan, will not shirk responsibility. We will fully bear the penalties from the authorities and pay them as soon as possible. I hope everyone won’t lose faith in our company and will give us another chance.”

Lu Xuan’s pitiful display in front of the camera might have deceived Lu Yucheng if he didn’t know Lu Xuan’s character. So he deliberately reached out to cover Mo Qinghuan’s eyes, saying, “It’s all fake. Lu Xuan isn’t someone who apologizes easily unless he’s truly desperate.”

“As an actress, do you think I can’t tell he’s acting?” Mo Qinghuan protested, but seeing Lu Yucheng’s nonchalant expression, as if he was already aware of the situation, she instinctively asked:

“I’ve always found it strange. Why hadn’t the authorities inspected Lu Xuan’s company’s products before? And when they did, they found issues? Yucheng, don’t tell me you had something to do with this!”

“Even if I did, Lu Xuan deserved it. There’s no need to feel sorry or sympathetic for such a person because he’ll show you through his actions that your sympathy is wasted.” Lu Yucheng chuckled coldly, indirectly admitting that Lu Xuan’s current predicament was due to his behind-the-scenes suppression.

This response left Mo Qinghuan wide-eyed in surprise. After all, Lu Yucheng and Lu Xuan were brothers, and unless it was truly necessary, Mo Qinghuan didn’t want their relationship to deteriorate to this extent.