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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 181: Unwavering Resolve (Part 2)
As the saying goes, a gentleman can be killed but not insulted.
A man who has been cuckolded might endure the humiliation as long as he cannot retaliate against the adulterer. However, if an outsider learns of it and spreads the news, then the hatred will shift to that blabbermouth. At this point, when everyone knows his wife has been unfaithful, wouldn't he be driven to impulsively want to kill that gossiping fool?
This is a common trait among Chinese men; they can swallow their pride but cannot tolerate being publicly insulted.
Although Davis has only been in China for five years, it has been enough time for him to adapt to the local way of life. He has seen many men like this in China.
Thus, he understands that Wei Yuan's tactic is indeed the most effective. Everyone has their pride, and Wei Yuan is currently using an impassioned tone to stir up the fire within them, just as he had gathered them here today.
"Anyway, we at Phoenix Pharmaceuticals cannot swallow this humiliation and do not believe the other party's nonsense. If you are willing to be turtles and retreat, then please go back. But if you feel cheated and want justice, let us fight together."
The advantage of Wei Yuan's statement lies in his representation of Phoenix Pharmaceuticals; he himself is a victim. Therefore, what he says resonates with them rather than feeling awkward, and it stirs them up.
It's like a brawl; if there are some cowards among the two sides who keep saying before the fight, "Maybe we should just let it go; it's not worth fighting them," then it's easy for the fight not to happen. In certain environments, people can easily be swayed by prevailing sentiments. If no one voices an opinion, those words from the peacemaker will linger in everyone's minds.
When it comes time to fight, each person subconsciously thinks it might be better to just let it go; there's no need for conflict.
However, if someone shouts at the top of their lungs, "Damn it! If we don't teach them a lesson, they'll think we're easy to bully!" then that corresponding emotion will also be stirred up. This is why in ancient times, morale was crucial in battles; for instance, when an emperor personally led troops into battle, morale would soar.
A specialist in drumming is also needed, as the saying goes, "One drumbeat gathers momentum; two weaken it, and three exhaust it."
Therefore, Wei Yuan cannot allow these people's emotions to be suppressed by Davis any longer. In this game of wits and courage, he must take the initiative to have absolute control over the situation's development.
This will enable his plans to proceed more smoothly. If he successfully completes the first half, success will be within reach.
Of course, among this group of over a hundred people, Wei Yuan cannot arrange for all of them to be serious businesspeople from the Pharmaceutical Manufacturer for this task.
If that were the case, the disciples of the Purple Robe Pavilion would likely be frightened away at the sight of a few weapons.
That is why Wei Yuan sought out Flying Eagle, allowing him to blend into the crowd. While stirring emotions, it was also to prevent any unexpected incidents; having Flying Eagle's people ready to take action if needed.
At this moment, Flying Eagle was very cooperative: "We're not fools. If they truly wanted to negotiate, they wouldn't send a stinky foreigner. Do they really think they can treat us like beggars? Today, we're going all out; no one gets to have it easy."
Flying Eagle was already someone who mingled in such circles, so similar phrases were common for him. His tone and spirit were naturally beyond what Wei Yuan could match. Seeing him so bold stirred the emotions of those around them.
After all, at this moment, any man would dislike being looked down upon. If others took action and he fled in disgrace, how could he show his face again?
Moreover, Wei Yuan had arranged for several reporters from Jinghai Television Station to be outside. Even if a Foreign Lawyer showed up, what could he do? Could he possibly rival the power of a television station?
Furthermore, rumors often have their roots.
Wei Yuan had Zhang Sheng ensure that news channels on city-level television and local newspapers featured plenty of coverage. With the internet being particularly developed now, various portal websites and forums have seen an astonishing number of visitors.
In fact, as long as you have your own Penguin account, information can easily pop up. Therefore, in today's information-rich environment, many people here must have seen the news.
Wei Yuan questioned this Pharmaceutical Processing Plant, which, under Xu Feng's guidance, placed orders at various Pharmaceutical Processing Plants around Jinghai, mainly for the procurement of various powders and capsule-form medications to be sent to the factory for secondary processing.
This alone raised suspicions about Xu Feng's operations. Firstly, he did not operate like Blue Ocean Group, which produces and sells its own products while also owning chain pharmacies.
Secondly, if he were merely a middleman, what purpose would his factory serve?
From the exposed information, Wei Yuan concluded that this point alone made it clear that Xu Feng's business practices were clearly contrary to traditional methods.
Moreover, Wei Yuan found several patients addicted to Poppy Powder, which was primarily mixed in various medications. The source of these medications pointed directly to Xu Feng.
Considering all these circumstances, it was evident to discerning individuals that there must be something amiss. However, some people were wavering at this moment, likely believing their efforts to encircle him were having an effect.
At this stage, they certainly did not genuinely believe that the medications piled up in Xu Feng's factory warehouse had no issues at all. If they couldn't figure this out, then they had truly wasted years in the business world.
Yet they knew their encirclement had a deterrent effect and believed that the medications in Xu Feng's factory must indeed have problems. Therefore, after Xu Feng brought Davis over to discuss settling the debts, they had other thoughts.
Simply put, they thought Xu Feng had conceded and believed that if they did him a favor by helping him through this crisis, he would understand the need to reciprocate by settling his debts.
However, they did not realize they were playing with fire. In the eyes of people like Xu Feng and Shen Qingyi, any favor was worthless. They were like the snake in the farmer and snake story; even if you saved its life, as long as there was a benefit to gain, it would still bite you back.
At this moment, everyone present was like Wei Yuan described; each person understood the situation clearly but had their own ulterior motives. Some were thinking about how to protect their company's reputation and brand once this matter was exposed.
These individuals had been in the pharmaceutical industry for some time and had achieved a certain level of success with well-known companies. Naturally, beyond financial concerns, they also needed to consider their long-standing reputation.
After all, building a good reputation in an industry takes a long time, but it can be destroyed very quickly.
Moreover, if a company has been operating in an industry for many years and is of considerable scale, then the brand itself holds significant value.
Take globally renowned companies like Apple, KFC, Coca-Cola, and Cisco as examples. If their reputations are damaged, the losses they incur would undoubtedly be in the millions. However, imagine if someone successfully fabricated some so-called evidence to tarnish their reputation; if exposed, that person would certainly face bankruptcy or worse.
Therefore, what they care about is not just recovering overdue payments but also how to prevent their company's reputation from being harmed. Even when necessary, as Wei Yuan stated, to prove that he is not a scoundrel, he would go to great lengths to distance himself from Xu Feng, whom he considers a scoundrel.
These individuals are the key players mobilized by Wei Yuan. It is from this perspective that Wei Yuan is confident that their motivations are not merely financial.
After all, when launching this plan, Wei Yuan had already anticipated that if a large number of people suddenly surrounded Xu Feng's factory, he would likely have to make a temporary compromise, such as offering incentives to quickly settle overdue payments and quell the uproar.
However, those manufacturers in the pharmaceutical industry who have been around for a shorter time, or even those small-scale Family Workshops, are primarily concerned with money. Currently, they have little in terms of brand recognition; all they need to protect is their reputation within the industry.
Some of them are even sweatshops without any brand identity—why would they fear being implicated?
Considering this apparent divergence, Wei Yuan could not help but approach it from another angle—one that relates to a man's pride.
With over a hundred people present and potentially being reported by outside journalists, the entire Jinghai City populace could witness you—a fool who was deceived and yet did not dare to retaliate. As a man, how could you not feel ashamed of such cowardice?
Wei Yuan emphasized that there were already numerous reporters from municipal television stations present. Did these manufacturers intend for the citizens of Jinghai City to know that they were owed payments and had been cheated?
Furthermore, with Feiying's cooperation, the crowd's emotions were further stirred up on top of Wei Yuan's efforts. The message was clear: if you are a man, continue to make noise; there are plenty of reporters outside waiting to report on this.
Of course, if you are cowardly, you can choose to back down and leave to pursue your dreams while waiting for the other party to come and negotiate with you and repay the overdue payments—if you truly believe that will happen.
Thus, for those who are concerned about their company's reputation being damaged and unwilling to be seen as scoundrels, they inevitably accepted Wei Yuan's call to join in attacking Xu Feng, whom they also consider a scoundrel. Wei Yuan was already clear about their stance.
The current issue is that those Family Workshops or imitating Pharmaceutical Manufacturers account for about half of the people here. If they can come to an understanding and genuinely cooperate with this plan, then it can truly be considered a grand endeavor.
Once exposed under the reporters arranged by Zhang Sheng, even if Xu Feng finds a way to cover it up, it would be difficult to completely conceal this matter.
Moreover, Wei Yuan's plan specifically targets Xu Feng while temporarily ignoring Shen Qingyi. This allows for concentrated efforts and keeps Shen Qingyi out of the picture to prevent any interference. Wei Yuan's sole intention at this moment is to avenge his father and clear his father's name from the injustices he suffered.
As for those Family Workshops or large-scale Pharmaceutical Manufacturers, apart from facing the pressure from Wei Yuan, they also have another layer of concerns.
Although the Foreign Lawyer Davis sent by Xu Feng confidently claims that they can sit down and negotiate, as well as repay the outstanding debts, anyone with clear eyes knows this is a sign of guilt or, in Jinghai Dialect, a "desperate act."
In reality, it's a temporary measure to spend money to avert disaster and seek a way out. The main goal is to quell this incident and buy time to destroy the problematic medications. Whether they will take responsibility afterward depends on their own integrity.
However, these manufacturers are still willing to take the gamble mainly because they see a fifty percent chance of recovering their funds, which is better than risking everything for their reputation by provoking Xu Feng. After all, this person dares to do such things; if forced into a corner, he might retaliate, and if he escapes, they would face consequences later.
The benefit of such concerns is that when Wei Yuan corners them and exposes their deceitful actions to the public, they will inevitably fight for their dignity.
To prevent Xu Feng from seeking revenge later or to ensure he meets a fitting end, they either dare not act or must strike decisively to eliminate any chance for Xu Feng to survive.
With everyone united under Wei Yuan's clever arrangements, regardless of their initial mindset upon arriving here, they can only follow this trend as it continues to develop.
Thus, apart from Wei Yuan and Flying Eagle, others also began to get excited and no longer maintained an attitude of watching from the sidelines.
"These two brothers are right; they will only see us as fools. Can we really trust someone like them?"
"Stop believing this foreigner's nonsense. Today, let's just create a scene and get everything sorted out to see what they are really up to."
With this spontaneous emotion rising, Wei Yuan finally breathed a sigh of relief. After all, if he couldn't stir up the anger of these people, it would be difficult for him and Flying Eagle's group to achieve any results. The disciples of Purple Robe Pavilion were not foolish; if there were only a few of them, they wouldn't back down.
If this matter couldn't escalate, they could still benefit from Xu Feng and Shen Qingyi. Coming out of the ancient sect like Purple Robe Pavilion and stepping out of the mountains would broaden their horizons.
In the secular world, it's inevitable to become mundane; titles like sect leader and elder mean nothing. The one who can truly provide benefits, who can bring them a better life like Yuan Ziyi, is the one worth serving and following.
Seeing Wei Yuan successfully rally these people's emotions once again, the disciples of Purple Robe Pavilion had their own agendas. If so many people charged forward and there were reporters outside waiting to report on the truth, they wouldn't be foolish enough to actually engage in a fight with them.
After all, if they didn't fight, they would merely be factory workers, like ordinary laborers or security guards. But if they did engage in a fight, it would be easy to get dragged into complications. They wouldn't gain anything from it; who would be so foolish as to come out and take the blame for the big shots? Everyone is human; no one is that naive.
Seeing the crowd in an uproar, Davis felt that this time he might really not be able to hold them back. However, he still focused on Wei Yuan since Wei Yuan's age and appearance were very deceptive.
He looked just like a high school student; even if he spoke beautifully, it didn't mean he had the mental strength of an adult. Since they had arranged for a kid to charge forward, it would be better to direct their firepower at Wei Yuan.
But a minute later, Davis was already regretting his decision immensely. He could only hold his face in despair while facing the reality of not receiving any rewards afterward and silently repenting.
"DD, I must warn you. Although I don't know who told you so confidently that there are issues with the goods in this factory, if these people really do something foolish under your incitement, you will have to bear all the responsibility. Can you handle that?"
At this moment, although Foreign Lawyer Davis's words remained polite and appropriate, his tone carried a hint of threat. Clearly, he viewed Wei Yuan as just a child despite his intelligence and eloquence.
If he could scare him well enough, it was likely that his mental defenses would break down immediately. At that point, as long as he could pacify him and eliminate the instigator causing chaos here, there was still a chance to calm everyone else down. If necessary, Xu Feng could quickly send cash over to deal with a few troublesome individuals.
However, he didn't expect that Wei Yuan was now seeing the crowd excited and was already thrilled at the prospect of seizing this opportunity to strike back. Unexpectedly, Davis had given him a perfect chance to take advantage of the situation.
"You are useless. Smart people should not stand in my way, or I won't hold back."
Wei Yuan clenched his fist, and it immediately made a series of cracking sounds.
Unfortunately, Davis was still oblivious to the danger. Perhaps in his eyes, the physical constitution of Huaxia people was inherently inferior to that of Caucasians, and this child before him probably had little capability, merely holding on by sheer will.
"What are you going to do to me?" Davis asked, surprisingly touching his own face, which Wei Yuan clearly saw as a provocation.
"Just like this," Wei Yuan replied without any hesitation and threw a punch directly at Davis's prominent hooked nose.
"Smack!"
Instantly, blood gushed from the foreigner's nose. Wei Yuan's punches and kicks were quite heavy now, and he showed no concern. Wasn't he asking for it?
What about the lawyer? What about the foreigner? He would keep hitting without hesitation.
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