Fifty billion, averaging one billion per year. If the net profit of one bottle of Dynasty Wuliang is four yuan, then an annual sales volume of two hundred and fifty million bottles is required just to recoup this licensing fee.
This was merely the licensing fee owed to Dynasty Wuliang; the winning bidder would need to achieve even greater sales volume to see a return.
Two hundred and fifty million bottles in annual sales was clearly unrealistic. For a newly launched functional beverage, an annual turnover of two and a half billion could no longer be called a miracle; it should be termed the daydream of a madman, a flight of fancy.
Thus, the moment Wang Zhuo finished speaking, everyone present understood: Wang Zhuo intended to drive the price to a height unattainable by the dark horses, leveraging their momentum to accentuate Guangyi Pharmaceutical’s exorbitant winning bid.
But was that truly what Wang Zhuo was thinking?
Li Guangyi left in an excited rush. Wang Zhuo had not abandoned him, his predetermined partner, which filled Li Guangyi with emotion.
He didn't believe Dynasty Wuliang could truly earn Wang Zhuo more money. In his view, Wang Zhuo was willing to forgo profit just to uphold a promise and be a man of his word—a practice admirable from any angle.
In the venue, the guests buzzed with discussion, requiring staff to issue multiple reminders to maintain order.
“The bid surpassed three billion Yi—it’s incredible!”
“Before coming, I thought this was just another publicity stunt by Shengshi Dynasty. I didn't expect major corporations like Huangchao Group, Landao Investment, and Venture International to all get involved.”
“This isn't hype; I think the current situation is about to turn into a knife fight!”
“Looking at this, Dynasty Wuliang really has been spun off from Shengshi Dynasty. Regardless of who wins the bid today... Dynasty Wuliang’s capital can be used for a backdoor listing on the domestic A-share market.”
“Three billion. That’s six hundred million per year in authorization fees. I’m genuinely curious how these groups plan to recoup that investment.”
“Me too. But if we understood the trick behind it... we wouldn't be stuck writing articles at the newspaper office; we’d already be market analysts for big corporations.”
Amid the chatter, the bid gradually climbed to three billion five hundred and fifty million. This was the first time since the bidding began that a figure not a round hundred million appeared, causing a collective jolt of excitement among the onlookers, who wondered if the final winning price was near.
“Three point eight billion! Guangyi Pharmaceutical bids three point eight billion! Today’s fourth determined contender has emerged!”
The auctioneer’s voice was high and impassioned, as enthusiastic as a rooster in rut.
Guangyi Pharmaceutical had immediately increased the bid by two hundred and fifty million, completely shattering everyone’s speculation. Bidding companies that were already considering bowing out instantly had their strategies upended, forced to re-examine whether they had overlooked something in their previous calculations.
At this moment, Wang Zhuo quietly slipped back to his seat in the guest section.
“Master, did you have diarrhea?” An Qi teased him with a low laugh.
An Qi found his return at this juncture quite miraculous, asking in surprise, “Is everything arranged?”
Wang Zhuo shot An Qi a glance, then whispered to An Qi, “There were a few variables, but everything is still within my grasp.”
His words reminded An Qi of Mike, the master thief from the movie Crazy Stone—Mike had said the exact same thing when calling his employer after climbing out of a sewer, though Mike’s situation had been utterly humiliating.
This young man would probably never be so pathetic... she thought, gazing at Wang Zhuo somewhat distractedly.
“I rarely get diarrhea,” Wang Zhuo replied, bantering with An Qi. “That was just a short break. My vitality is excellent; it can store a lot of urine, so I need a long time to relieve myself each time.”
An Qi pouted and huffed, recalling the impact of his spurting into her mouth, a wave of heat rising through her body.
Just then, Huangchao Group raised the bid by another fifty million, only to be sharply counter-attacked by Guangyi Pharmaceutical with a one hundred and fifty million increase. The bid finally soared to the four-billion mark.
A look of contemplation crossed Wang Zhuo’s face. He stopped joking with An Qi and turned his attention to the enlarged images of the bidding documents displayed prominently on screens on either side of the hall.
In his preparation before the bidding, he had always thought twenty-two billion was the insurmountable ceiling, because exceeding that amount would yield no profit; no fool would pay such a high price to bid. However, those thousands of complimentary beverage samples had introduced a major variable, escalating the situation to its current state.
Although this represented a significant oversight, one that even affected key company decisions, for Wang Zhuo, it was also an opportunity—a chance to recognize the deficiencies in his prior planning.
Take the bid price, for instance. Someone was now willing to pay three billion eight hundred and fifty million in hard cash, which was over 1.6 billion more than Wang Zhuo’s projection—definitely something he hadn't anticipated. This meant the three dark horses had spotted a much broader market potential that he had missed, one that could generate greater profits.
Thanks to Fatty Long’s timely reminder, Wang Zhuo now understood the plans of these three dark horses: they intended to stretch the product line, increase the added value of high-end products, and operate through market segmentation, rather than pursuing the mass-market route taken by Coca-Cola or Red Bull, as Wang Zhuo had initially planned.
Coca-Cola’s marketing strategy was the simplest: the drink for the pauper was exactly the same as the one for the billionaire, which was part of its reason for soaring success. Wang Zhuo had intended to do the same, but it seemed that more experienced market analysts disagreed with his strategy and favored market segmentation.
Wang Zhuo’s marketing plan would top out at 2.2 billion over five years, but the dark horse trio’s segmentation plan had already driven the bidding close to four billion. Surely these three asset-rich conglomerates weren't fools; even if they occasionally acted foolishly, they wouldn't all do so simultaneously. Therefore, Wang Zhuo’s decision on this front was flawed.
But the mistake wasn't truly Wang Zhuo’s fault; the blame lay with his ineffective Information Department. Wang Zhuo had made an incorrect decision because the information he possessed was incomplete and severely lacking. If he had known the value of those gifted samples had been hyped to astronomical heights, he would certainly have re-evaluated his initial plan sooner.
Entering a nascent market always required a process of exploration. Wang Zhuo had underestimated the market’s potential due to incomplete information, but fortunately, he had discovered the issue in time and corrected the error...
“Good, I now announce that Guangyi Pharmaceutical is the final winning bidder today, at a transaction price of four billion six hundred and eighty million!”
The auctioneer’s gavel sealed the outcome of this tumultuous bidding war. The astronomical price of 4.68 billion drew thunderous applause from the entire audience. The involvement of the three major horses also completely changed the minds of everyone who had assumed the bidding would be a staged drama.
Only a few of Wang Zhuo’s friends and partners knew that this was indeed a meticulously prepared play, one that had been made more thrilling and captivating by the unexpected appearance of three 'extra' actors who simply added a finishing touch to the performance.
“Did I hear that right?” An Qi looked at Wang Zhuo in disbelief. “Master, you just made nearly five billion in one go?”
“Shhh...” Wang Zhuo raised his index finger to his lips, signaling her to lower her voice. “The bidder was one of our own people.”
“Why one of our own?” An Qi was momentarily confused. “Wouldn’t selling to an outsider net you over four billion profit?”
Wang Zhuo offered a faint smile without answering. An Qi, watching his self-assured expression, found herself lost in thought.
Next came the press conference, the victory banquet, briefings, and wrap-up meetings—a whole series of official gatherings.
Wang Zhuo was busy for three days, finally concluding most of the necessary tasks. Lu Weimin’s prediction proved accurate: after investigating the Information Department, Wang Zhuo fired all the incompetents and spent heavily to poach a more professional and dedicated senior team from other companies.
Guangyi Pharmaceutical began preparations for production. Wang Zhuo’s core factory started operations, producing semi-finished goods shipped via custom-ordered refrigerated tankers to Guangyi Pharmaceutical. There, the raw pulp would undergo a few relatively simple processing steps and dilution, followed by canning, sealing, labeling, and boxing into the final product.
This process was almost identical to that of American Coke, but the sales plan had been drastically altered. Instead of a unified pricing strategy like Coke's, they adopted a tiered product line. To cater to a segment of high-end consumers who adhere to the mindset of “only buying the expensive, not the right one,” Wang Zhuo had already assigned staff to design and produce a luxurious, sky-high-priced version.
If the five-year authorization had been sold in bulk to one of the three dark horses, Wang Zhuo wouldn’t have to manage these matters. But the current situation was different: Guangyi Pharmaceutical was effectively a co-producer and channel distributor for Dynasty Wuliang. These design and sales strategy formulation tasks returned to Dynasty Wuliang’s side.
A bidding event transformed from hype into a genuine competition. The price tag of 4.6 billion caused a massive sensation domestically, attracting countless media outlets, even sending an interview team from CCTV.
Vice President Zhang and Fu Xinran became busier than ever. Wang Zhuo, aspiring for greater heights, refused to step into the spotlight, remaining the unsung hero behind the scenes.
He handed Gan Shuang over to Fu Xinran to gain experience, but as time passed, these two dazzling beauties gradually made names for themselves.
Following in the footsteps of Qi Fei and Guan Yingying, the 'Twin Beauties of Dynasty,' Gan Shuang and Fu Xinran were inevitably nicknamed the 'Twin Beauties of Wuliang.' However, since Shengshi Dynasty had only been highly active in major cities like Jiangzhou, it was foreseeable that the future stage for the Twin Beauties of Wuliang would be the global market, as the three dark horses had not faded away after losing the bid; instead, they were actively negotiating agency rights for Dynasty Wuliang overseas.
The time to venture abroad was fast approaching!
“‘Twin Beauties of Wuliang’? What an awful nickname,” Wang Zhuo tossed a tabloids back onto the bedside table, shaking his head repeatedly. “The person who wrote this has no creativity. No wonder this paper doesn't sell well.”
Gan Shuang, lying beside him, gently stroked the inch-long growth of his hair moss, asking with a smile, “I hear Jin Chengyou recently made a killing?”
“He did,” Wang Zhuo chuckled. “I gave him the bonus money originally intended for the Information Department. And it was just a few cases of the trial drinks. If that money had gone to the original bunch of incompetents in the department, it would have been a huge sum.”
Gan Shuang let out a small laugh, thinking, It certainly would have been a huge sum. She’d heard that Fatty Long bought a BMW right after selling those few cases of trial drinks—truly living a life!
“It’s already over an inch long; why haven’t you trimmed it recently?” she asked curiously, fiddling with the curly growth.
“Because I love watching them enter and exit your nostrils,” Wang Zhuo’s laughter echoed in the sunlit room. “Come on, baby, let me admire that right now!”