Return to 88: Starting from Marrying My Sister-in-law

In the 90s, technology companies were not like the technology companies of today.

Most people don't have many products on hand, and some even only have one product that they can show off.

In this respect, unlike many large companies in later generations, which have a wide variety of products and various models and colors for each type and model, allowing customers to choose freely and have their own loyal fans, they don't need to worry about the attitudes of large appliance stores.

However, currently, domestic technology companies generally lack sufficient resources, and their self-operated stores often offer limited product ranges, making it difficult to compete with large appliance retailers that offer a wider variety of products.

Old Liu's idea was simple: since Lianxiang had already given up on the direct-sales model in Hunan Province and lost all its territory, why not let go even more thoroughly and simply support Yin Mingzhu's appliance store to continue to grow bigger and stronger, ideally even defeating other competitors and Lianxiang themselves with such a large store.

If we're going to abandon direct operation, then we'll all abandon it together.

Moreover, Lianxiang was the first brand to enter Mingzhu Mall as an exclusive agent, and its products have always been displayed in the most prominent position. If everyone were to start on the same footing, Lianxiang might be able to surpass Xiaoshentong or Xiaotiancai in terms of product sales, especially in the VCD segment. Xiaoshentong's stock price soared after its listing on NASDAQ, which had been something Lianxiang had been eyeing for a long time. Perhaps this attempt could have a miraculous effect and pry open a crack in Xiaoshentong's long-standing dominance of the national market share for VCDs.

However, this is naturally a good thing for Yin Mingzhu.

The receiver emitted a busy tone.

"Just like you dealt with Lianxiang, Little Prodigy, Little Genius, they have far more directly operated stores in Hunan Province than we do. If you're so capable, open your Mingzhu stores around their directly operated stores and squeeze them out of business. Think about who forced you to sell the company at a low price back then, and who helped you out. The extended three-month settlement period should make your cash flow more comfortable, right? I'll continue to reserve funds for you. Go ahead, let me see what you're capable of."

Old Liu's hoarse, seductive voice coiled around her mind like a snake.

Yin Mingzhu closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

The air still seemed to carry the lingering sweetness of champagne from the opening ceremony downstairs, mixed with the smell of sweat from the crowd.

Yes, she defeated Zhang Shangyi and forced Lianxiang Direct Sales to retreat. Mingzhu Electric's blue signboard will inevitably spread like wildfire from this star city to the core business districts of all fourteen cities and prefectures in Hunan Province.

"President Yin?" Secretary Yu Li's tentative voice broke the silence of the office. She held a freshly printed document in her hands, her expression somewhat grave.

Yin Mingzhu opened her eyes, the weariness in them vanished in an instant, and was once again covered by a deep sea-like calm.

She turned around, her gaze falling on the documents in Yu Li's hand: "What is it?"

"It's... a trailer just released jointly by Xingcheng Evening News and the Finance Channel, as well as photos taken by our marketing department on Xiangjiang Middle Road."

Yu Li handed over the documents and several high-definition photos, her voice unconsciously lowering, "It's the Century Group, owned by your brother-in-law, President Lu... They acted much faster than we expected."

Yin Mingzhu took the document. The first page had a striking news headline: "Century Group Sets Stake in Changsha! The First 'Century Electrical Appliance Plaza' is About to Open!"

Her gaze quickly swept over the text: "...acquired the former Xingcheng No. 1 Department Store with a huge investment...to create Hunan Province's first super-large, full-category, experiential home appliance and digital shopping center...expected to officially open next month..."

Her fingertips flipped to the photos on the back.

The scene focuses on the most prime location on Xiangjiang Middle Road, where the state-owned department store, which once held memories for generations and is now somewhat dilapidated, is now covered by a huge green protective net and scaffolding.

Through the gaps, you can see workers busily carrying out the facade renovation. The huge "Century Electrical Appliances Plaza" billboard is already hanging high. Even through the photos, you can feel the overwhelming sense of wealth and power.

Its prime location and massive foot traffic far surpass those of this newly built Pearl of the Provincial Capital shopping mall.

Even more jarring are the renderings.

In the rendering, the brightly lit, high-ceilinged store features huge light boxes and product display areas for "Little Prodigy Audio-Visual World" and "Little Genius Wisdom Space" at the most eye-catching entrance. The modern design and dazzling lighting perfectly highlight the status of the "core strategic brand".

Surrounding it are densely packed signs of other brand counters—Changhong, Haier, TCL, Sony, Panasonic… covering almost all the well-known appliance brands on the market.

Below the rendering is a line of small print: "Bringing together global brands to create a one-stop shopping paradise."

Yin Mingzhu's pupils contracted slightly.

She could almost imagine the immense pull on consumers that would be created by the ultimate modernity, the vast selection of brands, and the visual focus on the two flagship products of Luyang Century Group when this behemoth opened for business.

Especially Little Prodigy, the brand that just rang the bell on Nasdaq and whose stock price soared, making even Lao Liu envious, will become the undisputed star here.

“All categories open…” Yin Mingzhu repeated these words in a low voice, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the dazzling array of brand logos on the photo.

This move is too cruel!
It was exactly the same scene she had always dreamed of seeing inside the Pearl Mall.

The other party directly created an "Electrical Appliance United Nations," using the power of the platform to attract all brands to join and form a cluster effect.

Meanwhile, child prodigies and geniuses are like jewels in a crown, placed in the most dazzling position in this "United Nations," enjoying the greatest benefits from the influx of people and the halo of the brand.

"More luxurious decor, a location with higher foot traffic, a wider variety of products, and a stronger brand presence..."

This kind of electronics mall was exactly what she had always dreamed of owning, but now it had coldly become the reality before her eyes.

She painstakingly built up Mingzhu Mall, a core category store supported by the exclusive agency of Lianxiang. However, in the face of this rising "behemoth," it suddenly seemed weak in terms of hardware, scale, brand appeal, and product variety.

"Our marketing department predicts that once Century Plaza opens, our Xingcheng Pearl flagship store, and even the entire Xingcheng area and the central and northern Hunan region, will be severely impacted in terms of customer traffic and sales."

Yu Li said with concern, "Moreover, Lianxiang's dealers in other cities were already complaining about declining sales because of our expansion. Now that President Lu has opened such a 'headquarters' in Xingcheng, their complaints will probably..."

Yin Mingzhu raised her hand, stopping Yu Li from speaking.

She walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window and looked down at the equally bustling shopping mall below.

The blue logo of Lianxiang remains eye-catching, but the sense of security brought by this "exclusivity" seems so fragile and narrow in the face of the overwhelming renderings in Century Square.

Old Liu's words, "Let's see how far you can go" and "I'm looking forward to it," now sounded like the hiss of a venomous snake in her ear.

How can we compete with a behemoth that combines favorable timing (the listing bonus of Little Prodigy), advantageous location (prime location), and harmonious relationships (full brand integration) under the same conditions?
What can Mingzhu Department Store use to compete?
Are we relying solely on Lianxiang and those second-tier brands?

A cold and clear realization formed in her mind: the war with Lianxiang had just been a Pyrrhic victory, and an even more brutal war with a far greater disparity in strength was already at the gates.

The man sitting on the throne of the Century Group may not even have considered Yin Mingzhu as his main rival.

The chess piece he placed.

The goal, perhaps, is to reshape the distribution channels across Hunan Province and even the entire country?

"...Go and find out the truth."

Yin Mingzhu's voice was unusually calm, yet carried a metallic quality, piercing through the suffocating silence. "Besides the Xingcheng store, how many more 'Century Electrical Appliance Plazas' like this are about to open or have already opened in other provincial capitals and first-tier cities across the country?"

"I need a list, locations, opening dates, and size of the business; the more detailed the better."

"Use all connections, as quickly as possible."

She paused, her gaze sharp as a knife: "In particular, find out whether there is a regional electrical appliance chain enterprise of a certain scale, similar to our Mingzhu Mall, in the city or province where these stores are located."

At this moment, Yin Mingzhu, this seemingly strong woman, couldn't muster any courage to resist Lu Yang. Her only wish was that his plan wasn't targeting her alone.

Old Liu is probably going to be furious.

"Understood, President Yin!" Yu Li's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately responded, quickly retreating to carry out the order.

She knew that this information would determine the fate of Mingzhu Electric Appliances.

The office fell silent once again.

Yin Mingzhu walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window and looked down at the Mingzhu Marketplace, which she had built herself and which was still bustling with people.

That familiar blue logo, at this moment, no longer evoked any sense of security in her eyes.

Lu Yang...

The name was like a poisoned needle, piercing deep into her nerve endings.

A few months ago, a casual remark from him caused her advertising empire to collapse, and the deep-seated hatred and fear she felt never truly dissipated.

Now, he has returned with even greater capital and more ruthless intentions.

In Changsha, the heart of Hunan Province where she had just defeated the league and was full of vigor, ready to make great strides, he precisely planted a seed that was enough to suffocate her—Century Electrical Appliance Plaza.

"Are you willing to spend every penny to drag me down in the mud?"

Yin Mingzhu muttered to herself.

The fingertips turned slightly white from the force applied.

She knew Lu Yang too well; he definitely had the ability and the ruthlessness to back it up.

If this is truly revenge against her personally, then the Xingcheng store will certainly not be the end.

He will inevitably use the same "Century Square" model to carry out a devastating siege in various prefecture-level cities in Hunan Province, in places where her Pearl Mall has just begun to be established or is about to be established!

Fear spread like ice water.

Those prefecture-level cities have far less purchasing power than Changsha, and the people there are even more careful with their money.

Where can such a large-scale, global brand-collecting electronics store be opened?
In Yin Mingzhu's view, this is tantamount to suicidal investment.

With high rent, renovation, personnel, and operating costs, coupled with a limited consumer base and purchase frequency, losses are almost inevitable.

But... that guy's Century Group is rich, incredibly rich!
He can afford to lose!

He could have used profits from other places, or even spent a lot of money, to burn holes in the third- and fourth-tier markets she relied on for survival, just to drive her into a desperate situation and vent his anger over old grudges from years ago.

"If that's really the case... I'm helpless..." A deep sense of powerlessness gripped her.

Faced with overwhelming strength, any skill or struggle seems futile.

Time ticked by in anxious waiting.

Every second felt like being fried in a pan of oil.

Yin Mingzhu forced herself to calm down, repeatedly examining the photos and reports. "Open to all categories," "one-stop shopping paradise," "gathering global brands"... these words stung her, but also gave her a flash of inspiration.

The strategy of "bringing them all in" that Lao Liu mentioned is remarkably similar to Lu Yang's current approach!
However, Lu Yang's platform is larger, his starting point is higher, and his methods are more domineering!
"Jingle Bell--"

The dead silence was suddenly shattered by the urgent ringing of the internal telephone.

Yin Mingzhu grabbed the receiver almost immediately, her voice slightly tense: "Speak."

On the other end of the phone, Yu Li's voice clearly showed relief, even a hint of joy: "President Yin! We found it! The list is out! This time, Century Group... is launching simultaneously! Our Xingcheng branch isn't the only one of the first 'Century Electrical Plazas' to open nationwide!"

"Nine more!"

"In Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Wuhan, and Tianjin!"

"They are all provincial capitals or first-tier core cities!"

"The opening dates are all scheduled within the next month!"

Yin Mingzhu's heart skipped a beat, and her blood rushed to her head: "Are any of these cities on the list...?"

"Have!"

Yu Li's voice carried a certainty of certainty.

"According to preliminary verification, without exception, each of these cities is located in a province with at least one large regional electrical appliance chain store that occupies a considerable market share in the province! For example, Dazhong in Beijing, Yongle in Shanghai, Dongze in Guangzhou, and... Gome, which has just emerged in Chengdu!"

"call……"

Yin Mingzhu exhaled a long, silent breath. The heart that had been hanging in her throat fell heavily back into her chest, stirring up a bitter and icy chill.

She was right.

Lu Yang's target was indeed not just Yin Mingzhu.

This weapon, named "Century Electronics Plaza," is wielded against all the rapidly rising local "lords" who are attempting to seize control of distribution channels. (End of Chapter)