I met my whole family through Baidu Tieba.

Chapter 504 He still has to thank us.

Whether it was because of her own considerations about whether denial would be useful, or because of that inexplicable feeling, Gu Jinhua gave up on denial.

Subsequently, two more countermeasures were gradually developed.

One is to issue a public statement explaining that the electric toothbrush was forced on him by the CEO of Anjia, and that he only brought it home to give them face. However, he did not expect that his good intentions would be photographed and used as publicity material. He denounced Anjia for acting unethically, and started a fight with Anjia, showing the image of Philips as the victim of a staged accident.

However, after being tricked by Gu Jinhua, he is now somewhat wary of that "strange academic genius".

What image will I have in everyone's eyes then?

Are we being manipulated by our competitors? Is it incompetence?

"If one day in the future I'm not doing well and need to change allegiances, who among these people would want someone like me?"

An "incompetent" person?

Even if I don't change allegiances in the future, I will still leave them with the impression of being "incompetent".

If this gets out, headhunters probably won't come knocking on my door to poach me anymore, and I'll have far fewer options left.

But regardless of whether he wins the fight or not, this path is beneficial to Philip. At least the truth has been revealed, giving Philip a wronged image of being "exploited by a small business" and also giving Anjia a reputation for "exploitative marketing".

Overall, on this path, Philip wins, and he and Anjia lose.

Gu Jinhua fell silent upon thinking about this.

Then, they began to think of a second solution.

The second countermeasure was to openly admit that he had used the Anjia electric toothbrush. After all, it is a very normal thing to use competing products to study competitors.

By doing this, Philips would be the first to lose—their manager had already admitted to using someone else's electric toothbrush.

Anjia did win; they successfully pulled off a marketing ploy.

Gu Jinhua himself, however, still lost: While his generous attitude certainly won him favor with many in terms of his personal image, in the eyes of those who might become his future bosses, did Gu Jinhua truly disregard the interests of his employers?

If before it was "incompetence," now it's "disloyalty."

And if things go like this, how will Philip view him as the manager of Yangcheng?

In summary, on this second path, An Jia wins, while he and Philip lose.

"No matter what I do, I'm going to lose!"

Gu Jinhua rarely swore.

Then he shook his head, feeling helpless.

Gu Jinhua was naturally unwilling to accept this, and continued to frown and think hard, trying to find a new way for An Jia and Philip to lose and for her to win.

Of course, the best outcome would be for the An family to lose, while both Philip and I would win; that would be ideal.

But this approach is hard to come up with.

Gu Jinhua sat in the study for over an hour without coming up with a solution.

The only result was that the study was now filled with smoke, just like his mother's celestial palace. The ashtray in front of him was also overflowing with cigarette butts.

"Clatter"

That's the sound of Gu Jinhua flicking a lighter.

He frowned, put a cigarette in his mouth, and was about to continue smoking and thinking.

However, just as the flame was about to reach the cigarette butt, the phone rang.

This startled Gu Jinhua, causing her hand to tremble slightly—in such a quiet and focused moment, this sudden sound was indeed a bit frightening.

Then, my gaze fell on the phone screen.

Shen Kang.

It was Shen Kang calling.

The study was quiet.

The lighter in Gu Jinhua's hand was neither closed nor held to the cigarette butt; it simply burned quietly, swaying gently in the windless study.

"Clatter"

Another sound.

Gu Jinhua closed the lighter, removed the cigarette from her mouth, and picked up her phone.

As soon as the call connected, before the other end could even begin to speak, Gu Jinhua on this end was already complaining: "President Shen, you've really put me in a difficult position."

Shen Kang's voice came from the other end of the phone, seemingly unsurprised, and even apologetic.

"Manager Gu, I didn't know about this either. It was done by my subordinates on their own. You know I'm always reading, how can I have time to manage company affairs? This has led to them doing many things without informing me. I've already severely criticized them. Aren't you putting Manager Gu in a very difficult position? Sigh, you've made me so engrossed in reading and learning that I've neglected company management, almost to the point of being sidelined. If this hadn't happened, I might not even have known I was sidelined. I really need to seriously reorganize these people!"

Shen Kang first apologized, then felt indignant, and also relieved that he had discovered it in time.

The emotions were too intense.

The key point is that Gu Jinhua knows that this CEO Shen really loves learning—both times she met Shen Kang, the CEO was always reading a book, even more so than university students from top universities.

Moreover, there is corroborating evidence from Dafei and his group.

This made Gu Jinhua wonder: Had she been outsmarting thin air all along? Did this President Shen really have no idea what his subordinates were up to?

Gu Jinhua even started trying to persuade Shen Kang.

"President Shen, it's certainly a good thing that you love learning, but you are still the CEO of Anjia. You can't just focus on learning and neglect things here. Otherwise, you might really be sidelined and stripped of your power."

Shen Kang on the other end of the phone repeatedly said, "Yes, yes, yes. To be honest, I'm young and it's my first time running a company, so I didn't consider many things thoroughly. But this experience has taught me a lesson—"

As they talked, Shen Kang got to the point.

"Manager Gu, I knew you were really worried about this, so I came here specifically to help you resolve it. Consider it a small compensation for what I did for my subordinates."

Upon hearing this, Gu Jinhua's heart skipped a beat: "Compensation?"

"Yes, compensation."

Shen Kang said, "Manager Gu, this is what I think: right now, it's not good for you to argue with us, nor is it good to admit it; either way, it's not in your best interest."

"Since things have already developed to this point, why don't you listen to my suggestion?"

"Just post a message admitting that you did use our Anjia electric toothbrush —"

Gu Jinhua was actually listening attentively, wondering if Shen Kang was really giving her advice.

Upon hearing this, someone couldn't help but interrupt, "Isn't that just admitting it?"

"Don't rush, let me explain first."

Shen Kang reassured her and continued, "You posted a message admitting that you used our Anjia electric toothbrush and gave a review, saying that it had its merits and shortcomings. Generally speaking, at a certain price point, say below 600 yuan, it is pretty unbeatable, but when it comes to high-end models above 1,000 yuan, our electric toothbrush falls short. Your Philips is still the best."

"As compensation, we at Anjia can help arrange some media hype," we'll say, "to help you generate buzz and promote Philip's business."

"Hasn't Philips always focused on department stores and lacked other sales channels? Perfect! Our Anjia channels, while not as professional or as effective as Oral-B's, are still much more effective than department stores. You can take this opportunity to do some marketing among our Anjia customers! This marketing is free; consider it a small compensation from me on behalf of my team for Manager Gu."

On the other end of the phone, Gu Jinhua was very quiet, her eyes showing surprise.

Shen Kang's line of thinking was something he hadn't considered, and he seemed to have thought of even more, but he hadn't figured it out yet.

Shen Kang on the other end of the phone didn't stop, explaining what he hadn't yet figured out.

"In that case, Manager Gu, you've given Philip a satisfactory explanation. First, set the stage for this situation, and criticize Anjia for being too cunning. I believe Director Liang will understand the situation. Then, you can present your solution, Manager Gu's plan." With Manager Gu's planning, this matter can actually become a good thing for Philips—expanding its channels and increasing its marketing!

"When faced with two very bad results, Manager Gu, I believe your plan will satisfy Director Liang very much. He might even praise you, saying, 'Old Gu, you've been the manager of Yangcheng for so many years, and you've certainly done a good job.'"

Shen Kang imitated a sentence in a rough voice on the other end of the phone.

Then continue.

"At the same time, in everyone's eyes, you, Manager Gu, are also very capable. In this situation, not only were you not trapped, but you also made a brilliant move, turning crisis into opportunity. You're really capable. Who knows, some people might even think you're so capable that they'll hire headhunters to poach you."

"Wouldn't that resolve the dilemma? We at Anjia will fully cooperate with you. Manager Gu, you don't need to worry about that; I swear on my integrity."

"Manager Gu, what do you think?"

The study was quiet for a moment.

Gu Jinhua held her phone to her ear, her eyes brightening from their previous restlessness and anxiety.

He knew, of course, that Shen Kang hadn't helped him for nothing: by following Shen Kang's plan, the An family had also gained the reputation of being "approved by Philips' senior executives," and the An family had won.

But none of that matters.

Most importantly, Shen Kang's move solved the biggest problem of "Gu Jinhua losing no matter what she chooses"! It allowed Gu Jinhua to win as well.

"That's a good idea."

Gu Jinhua opened her mouth in agreement.

Then, he suddenly asked something unexpected: "Mr. Shen, I remember the first and second times I met you, you were reading books about computers. Which book are you reading now?"

"The Art of War" by Sun Tzu.

"No wonder, no wonder—"

Gu Jinhua nodded repeatedly.

Someone who studies computers has stopped studying computers and started studying military strategy. Where can you find the logic in that?

"It seems I need to read more books."

Gu Jinhua sighed with emotion, "Gorky said that books are the ladder of human progress, and that is absolutely true."

"Mr. Shen, thank you."

"Hi,"

General Manager Shen felt that Manager Gu was being too formal. "The first two times I met Manager Gu, I felt an instant connection with you. I even thought about recruiting you. But my company is too small, so I didn't dare to ask. Now that I can help you, Manager Gu, I'm happy to do so."

After chatting for a while, the two hung up the phone.

Gu Jinhua put down her phone, her fingers tapping unconsciously on the table. The anxiety and unease she had shown earlier were gone, replaced by calm and composure.

As Philip's manager in Yangcheng, a veteran of the business world for so many years, he knew that if he followed Shen Kang's method, Philip would personally help Anjia Electric Toothbrush get promoted.

But so what?

As he and Shen Kang had discussed, Anjia would also help Philips promote itself, telling his clients that in the high-end electric toothbrush market, Philips was better than Oral-Bee.

That's how business is; everyone carries the show.

Gu Jinhua felt that Philips, Oral-Bee, and Anjia were like the Three Kingdoms of Wei, Shu, and Wu in the Yangcheng electric toothbrush market, still on the eve of the Battle of Red Cliffs.

Oulebi is from the Wei Kingdom. With the might of the Qingzhou Army, its momentum is at its peak. The army is marching south and is about to launch a southern expedition.

Philip was from the state of Wu, which occupied Jiangdong and had a rich history;

Anjia was the Shu Han, and they didn't even have their own base.

Shen Kang was none other than Zhuge Liang.

I myself am Zhou Yu.

The most ingenious part of Zhuge Liang's plan was not just that everyone was praising him, but that his work experience—"Manager Gu is considered capable by everyone" and "has successfully launched a classic battle to turn defeat into victory"—hit the very interests that Zhou Yu cared about most.

Therefore, Zhou Yu was persuaded and decided to convince his lord to join forces against Cao Cao!

Meanwhile, at the Deep Blue Waterfront, in the living room, two mats were laid out on the floor, and Zhou Man and He Qiuzhu were practicing Pilates together, following a program on TV.

Although it was winter and in the south, this upscale residence was equipped with underfloor heating, so the indoor temperature was quite comfortable, and the two of them were dressed rather lightly.

Shen Kang sat on the sofa, finished his phone call, and glanced at He Qiuzhu, finding her quite pleasing to the eye.

Zhou Man also started this Pilates practice, saying it can help improve posture and maintain health. In the last couple of days, she has started practicing with He Qiuzhu.

"call----"

After Zhou Man had been sitting for a while, seeing that Shen Kang had finished his call, she came over, wiped her sweat with a towel, and casually said...

He asked, "Who are you trying to fool this time?"

She's getting to know Shen Kang better and better now. Just by looking at him and listening to his tone and manner on the phone, she knows he's lying to people again.

Shen Kang was very dissatisfied: "What do you mean by 'deceiving' someone? I helped someone solve a problem, and he even thanked me!"

At the same time, looking at Zhou Man, he also felt a bit of a headache.

I have so many things on my mind.

Zhang Weihong has called him twice in the past few days, not hinting, but directly asking if there has been any progress on his "spending the New Year together" plan.