Ch. 941..950
Chapter 941: Isn’t this Peggy Lewis’s company?
_1 Peggy Lewis directly asked Jacob Zahn, “Have you finalized your contract?
When will you sign it?”
Zahn became alert.
Peggy Lewis asking about his contract deal at this moment, did she planning to sabotage his deal during the negotiation phase?
Zahn figured he was overthinking it and defensively responded, “All the specifics of the contract have been discussed.
It just needs to be signed.”
“Asked when to sign,” Zahn smiled, “I guess it’s because of my cautious nature as we are currently in a competitive situation.
...
Many people believe in me now, but as long as there is still time, there is a chance for you.”
“If there’s any mistake in the contract, who am I to talk to?
I believe it’s better to keep a low profile and be cautious,” Zahn commented.
Abigail Ackehurst thought to herself, if you truly wanted to keep a low profile and be cautious, wouldn’t the whole company know about your business deal with Majestic by now?
Even before the contract is signed, he can’t wait to show off around the company.
Eager for others to know.
Not merely showing off about closing a business deal, but also bragging that the General Manager accompanied him personally.
As if he is already been named as the successor of Manager Thompson’s position.
Abigail Ackehurst bowed her head, quietly rolling her eyes.
He’s afraid of Peggy Lewis sabotaging, isn’t he?
Acts like nobody can’t see his pettiness.
“Exactly,” Peggy Lewis responded.
Yet in fact, Zahn’s response simply implies that his contract has not been signed yet, isn’t it?
It’s unknown whether he is truly smart or just pretending to be smart.
Sitting across from Zahn at the meal was indeed an appetite killer.
Peggy Lewis hastened her eating, wanting to finish quickly and leave.
As for hastily eating a few mouthfuls and claiming to be full and then leaving?
Certainly not.
The lunch was her own purchase after all.
There’s no way she would punish herself for someone she detests.
Peggy Lewis ate without any decorum.
She even intentionally acted a bit crude.
Taking big bites of her rice noodles, slurping them down noisily.
Every bite was like a waterfall filling her mouth.
After seeing this, Abigail Ackehurst was even more certain, Peggy Lewis truly had no liking for Zahn.
Which girl would act so unrefined in front of a guy she liked?
Even if they wouldn’t be overly delicate eaters, they’d at least maintain a decent image!
Zahn, watching Peggy Lewis behave in such a manner, paused with his chopsticks.
Right then, Zahn’s mobile phone rang.
Zahn glanced at the caller ID and quickly answered, “President Houston.”
“Good, okay!” Zahn became notably excited.
He hung up the phone, unable to hide his satisfaction, his facial expression even more expressive than before.
His eyebrows looked like they were dancing as he told Peggy Lewis, “That was a call from President Houston from Majestic.”
President Houston?
Peggy Lewis was stunned for a moment, searching deeply in her mind, and then remembered that this President Houston was the Vice General Manager of Majestic.
A very capable and powerful businesswoman.
But, Peggy Lewis had no direct contact with her and didn’t know much more.
Peggy Lewis thought that Zahn surely wouldn’t share any business secrets with her.
He was probably just wanting to show off again.
As she expected, Zahn announced, “President Houston personally called to say the contract has been drafted up.
If I take a look and there are no problems, we can directly sign it.”
Zahn could barely hide his excitement, and glancing at his watch, added, “Mr.
Houston is having lunch at the moment, it’s not appropriate for me to disturb him.
I’ll have to wait until the afternoon to see him.”
While he was speaking, Zahn was constantly pulling back the sleeves of his shirt.
Exposing the entirety of his watch.
Nor did he set his wrist down on the table until after doing so.
If Peggy Lewis couldn’t tell that Zahn was trying to show off his watch, she would be too obtuse.
So, Peggy Lewis gave the watch a quick glance as Zahn had hoped.
Oh!
It’s a Rolex.
Peggy Lewis asked with a smile, “Is that a new watch?”
Zahn had an expression as if he just then noticed his watch was exposed.
Looking at his own watch, he retracted his hand.
He said, “Oh!
Didn’t I just close a big business deal?
Not to mention the raise from stepping up to a management position.
Just the commission from this deal alone is significant.”
“Although the money has not arrived yet, it’s almost in the bag.
I thought I’d go see if there were any suitable watches.
I’ve wanted to buy a Rolex for quite some time now,” Zahn remarked.
“Unexpectedly, they had the model that I wanted in stock,” Zahn continued, “you may not know, but this model is particularly hard to get.
If you go to an official dealer 100 times, 99 times, they won’t have it.”
“Even overseas is often out of stock, and on the rare occasion when it is available, it’s sold for a higher price by resellers,” Zahn said, “But without buying it yourself, you’d be afraid of getting a fake one.”
“I didn’t expect my luck to be so good to come across the one and only piece in stock at an official dealer, so I bought it immediately.
If I were to wait until I get the money, the watch might be gone.”
“Anyway, I can afford this price now.
Consider it as an advance celebration for myself,” Zahn stated proudly.
“I’ve realized that my luck recently has been particularly good,” Zahn said, “Not only did I close a major business deal, but I also found the watch I’ve always wanted.”
“That’s really great,” Peggy Lewis agreed.
While speaking, she didn’t slow down her eating rate.
Looks like her dish was almost empty.
Peggy Lewis hurriedly finished off the last mouthful, immediately stood up saying, “I’m full.”
Peggy Lewis turned towards Abigail Ackehurst and Clara Evans, “You two take your time eating.”
Abigail Ackehurst and Clara Evans didn’t follow her.
Having the whole team so conspicuous
If she lost, Abigail Ackehurst and Clara Evans would be in a difficult position later on.
So, Peggy Lewis left first.
While walking, she sent a message to Abigail Ackehurst and Clara Evans via Whatsapp to reassure them.
Throughout the entire lunch, Peggy Lewis felt like she ate too fast, causing her stomach to feel uncomfortably full.
While rubbing her stomach, she walked back to the office.
After waiting out lunchtime, Zahn rushed to see the General Manager.
Both sides confirmed the contract, now they were just awaiting the signatures.
***
Meanwhile with Lyke Zhekova, a contract from Peggy Lewis’s company was lying on his desk.
It had just been delivered to him, waiting for his signature.
“Sharp Edge?” Zhekova was surprised to read the name of the company.
General Manager Webster was also surprised, “Mr.
Zhekova, you’ve heard about them?”
Although the company Sharp Edge is not small, it hasn’t made any waves at Majestic yet.
Even he had never heard about it until Mr.
Houston recommended it.
Lyke Zhekova thought to himself, of course he knew.
Isn’t this Peggy Lewis’s company?
Although he forgot to add Peggy Lewis on Whatsapp, he had already looked into the company she worked at.
He also knew she had a good reputation within the company.
“How did we come to cooperate with this company?” Zhekova had never heard of it.
Chapter 942: Lyke Zhekova Talks About Conspiracy Theory_1 “Realforce Corp.
is a liquor brand, its main products are carbonated drinks, ready-made cocktails, fruit juice, and fruit wine.
Its popularity is quite high,” said General Manager Webster, “This is a company recommended by Mr.
Houston.”
“We’ve also conducted market research, the brand does have a high acknowledgment among young people, which aligns with the positioning of our restaurants,” he continued.
Of course, Majestic would not only sell products from Realforce Corp.
There were other brands too.
They just allowed the wines from Realforce to appear on their restaurant menus.
...
Lyke Zhekova was very clear that nowadays many brands were competing for a place on their restaurant menus.
The key to success was often about building a good relationship with some decision-makers in their company.
There was nothing like fair competition in these cases.
It all depended on the methods of everyone involved.
Though, as for the private affairs of the decision-makers in the company, as long as they weren’t too outrageous, he generally wouldn’t interfere.
As long as these brands had quality products, it really didn’t matter which one he used.
“Recommended by Mr.
Houston?” Lyke Zhekova asked.
“Yes,” General Manager Webster couldn’t afford to take the blame for Mr.
Houston when hearing Lyke’s hesitation in his words.
Lyke Zhekova didn’t mean anything by it, his first thought was just Peggy Lewis.
He then asked: “Who is in charge of this cooperation on their side?”
General Manager Webster never expected Lyke to be so detail-oriented that his forehead was covered in sweat.
Regarding Lyke’s question, he really couldn’t answer.
“This…
this is all managed by Mr.
Houston, should we call him over?” said General Manager Webster.
Lyke Zhekova gave General Manager Webster a cool look and said coldly, “Why don’t you give your position as general manager to Mr.
Houston as well?”
“It’s my negligence in following up on this matter,” General Manager Webster immediately admitted.
Lyke Zhekova directly said to his assistant, Wallace Martin: “Call Mr.
Houston over.”
“Yes.” Wallace Martin replied and left the office.
He notified Mr.
Houston via the intercom.
It wasn’t long before Mr.
Houston came up.
Mr.
Houston was a woman in her forties.
You could tell that she paid a lot of attention to her facial care and figure.
At this age, she still maintained a slender figure.
But even with meticulous face care, it couldn’t hide the traces of time.
You could see she was not young anymore.
Her skin was not as full, even with the foundation, it couldn’t hide the roughness of the pores on both sides of her nose wing.
“Assistant Wallace.” Mr.
Houston came over, a little nervous, “Is there a problem with the contract or with Realforce Corp?
The CEO asked me to come.”
She knew about the signing appointment between General Manager Webster and Lyke Zhekova.
As a result, not much later, she too was called up by Wallace Martin.
Mr.
Houston assumed it had to do with the cooperation with Realforce Corp.
She wondered what the issue could be.
“Nothing,” said Wallace Martin, “The CEO just wants to understand more about Realforce Corp.”
As for the specifics, Wallace Martin was also clueless.
However, he remembered receiving a call from Lyke Zhekova on Sunday.
He told Wallace Martin to learn more about Realforce Corp.
Wallace Martin was left wondering – could it be that by then, Lyke Zhekova already knew about the cooperation between Mr.
Houston and Realforce Corp?
His CEO was really impressive.
Unfathomable!
Because Lyke Zhekova didn’t want to cause any trouble for Peggy Lewis, he didn’t directly ask Wallace Martin to inquire about Peggy Lewis’ situation in the company.
Lyke only subtly inquired about it.
Therefore, naturally, Wallace Martin didn’t know that Lyke’s sudden interest in Realforce was all because of Peggy Lewis.
Even if Wallace Martin did know, he certainly wouldn’t tell Mr.
Houston.
“Mr.
Houston, please come in,” said Wallace Martin.
He knocked twice on Lyke Zhekova’s office door.
Then, he opened the door.
He took Mr.
Houston in.
“CEO.” Mr.
Houston entered and greeted.
“I hear from General Manager Webster that the cooperation with Realforce Corp., has always been led by you?” Lyke Zhekova asked.
“Yes,” Mr.
Houston nodded.
Lyke Zhekova raised an eyebrow and said, “I was surprised to learn that even a small company like Realforce Corp., requires our deputy general manager to personally be in charge.”
“What about the staff of the Business Department?” Lyke Zhekova asked.
“Because the final decision is always mine, I’m aware of all the following-up tasks,” Mr.
Houston replied.
She dared to promise Jacob Zahn an opportunity, naturally, she must have a satisfactory reason at the Majestic’s end.
Lyke Zhekova nodded, not dwelling on the matter for now.
Then asked Mr.
Houston, “Who’s in charge on Realforce’s end?”
Mr.
Houston thought to herself, you said earlier that it wasn’t necessary for me to personally follow up on such a minor matter.
Now, why are you insisting on knowing even the tiniest details?
But she kept it to herself, as everyone in the company was aware of Lyke’s shrewd tactics.
Mr.
Houston feigned calm, worrying if Lyke had found out anything.
Mr.
Houston replied: “Their general manager is personally leading this along with a worker from their Business Department.”
“A worker from the Business Department?
Which one?” Lyke Zhekova asked again.
Mr.
Houston thought to herself, this is really too detailed.
The worker was, “A staff member named Jacob Zahn,” she replied.
“Just him?” Lyke Zhekova asked.
“Yes,” Mr.
Houston nodded.
“If the roles were switched, I could understand if our company only sent one department member.
But for Realforce, this is a very important opportunity, and they only sent one staff member?”
Lyke’s mind immediately started forming conspiracy theories.
Could Peggy Lewis be having trouble at her company?
Was it possible that it was many people in charge of the cooperation initially, but later someone took credit for Peggy’s work?
After theorizing, Lyke asked again: “The negotiation began with Realforce’s general manager?”
Mr.
Houston dare not lie to Lyke Zhekova, she had no choice but to tell the truth: “No, it was initially negotiated by Jacob Zahn.”
Lyke nodded and said, “Leave the contract here for now, and you all step out.”
“CEO, is there a problem with the contract or with Realforce?” Mr.
Houston asked nervously.
She had initially thought it would be a minor issue.
But how did it suddenly become a big problem when it reached Lyke?
“Nothing,” Lyke said, “You can leave now.”
Since Lyke wasn’t divulging anything, Mr.
Houston didn’t dare probe any further and left the office with General Manager Webster.
Wallace Martin stayed in Lyke Zhekova’s office.
Lyke tapped his fingers on the desk and said to Wallace Martin, “Look into this Mr.
Houston.”
“I always feel like there’s something in the middle that’s not quite right,” he continued, “On Realforce’s end, the ordinary employee came over, did he first contact our business department’s staff?”
Chapter 943: That’s Even More Interesting_1 “Who is the employee in contact with him?
And how did he catch the eye of Mr.
Houston, who is personally following up on this matter?” Lyke Zhekova said.
“If not, it gets even more interesting.” Lyke Zhekova said.
“Mr.
Houston, check him out as well.” Lyke Zhekova said.
“Yes.” Wallace Martin noted everything and left.
...
On their way back to the office, Mr.
Houston and General Manager Webster felt a sense of unease in their hearts.
“Webster, is there any problem with our cooperation with Rui Shi?
Why would the CEO suddenly hold up the contract?” Mr.
Houston asked.
“I don’t know, the CEO didn’t know about this situation.
Usually, when we have a partnership, and there’s no problem, we just sign the contract directly.” General Manager Webster said.
“If the CEO doesn’t mention it himself, who could know?” General Manager Webster said.
He suddenly stopped and turned to look at Mr.
Houston: “Is there something you know that I don’t?”
“Precisely, the CEO’s suspicion is very reasonable.
This small deal is even worth your personal involvement?” General Manager Webster asked.
“You have been nervous since the beginning, what exactly is in the cooperation with Rui Shi that can’t be revealed?” General Manager Webster asked.
“What nonsense are you talking about!
There’s nothing like that,” Mr.
Houston said, “it’s just a normal collaboration.”
“So, why are you nervous?” General Manager Webster asked again.
“Isn’t it just because I am afraid of making a mistake?” Mr.
Houston said, “I don’t think I made any mistakes, but I’m still afraid that something I was unaware of might not satisfy the CEO.”
“Moreover, it’s just a regular partnership, what could go wrong?” Mr.
Houston said.
“Yes, a regular partnership, why could it get you so nervous?” General Manager Webster said.
As a general manager, it would be impossible for him to let Mr.
Houston deceive him with a few simple words.
He looked at Mr.
Houston: “Did you receive benefits?”
“Webster, as someone who has cooperated with so many companies at Majestic, who would not give us some benefits?
But we also take into account.
We recognize the benefits we receive, but we still need to scrutinize the partners we work with.
We would not just cooperate with unqualified companies just for some benefits, which could cause trouble for our company.” said Mr.
Houston.
“I can have such a sense of propriety, can’t I?” Mr.
Houston said.
“Although it is so, the CEO vaguely knows about these things, as long as it does not impact the company, he usually turns a blind eye,” said General Manager Webster, “But this matter might not go unchecked.”
“Turning a blind eye to it, as if we didn’t know is one thing.
But once evidence is found in an investigation, that’s a different matter,” General Manager Webster said.
“If you’re really hiding something, it’s best to clarify it with the CEO as soon as possible.
Otherwise, it won’t be a good look when it’s found out,” General Manager Webster said.
As for helping Mr.
Houston?
General Manager Webster has no such intention.
Their relationship is only that of colleagues.
He almost had to bear the brunt of Mr.
Houston’s mistake just now.
General Manager Webster believes that the fact he said such words already showed enough consideration as a colleague.
Without saying a word, Mr.
Houston walked away.
In reality, if he was really discovered, besides losing face, the actual impact would not be significant.
But it would be so embarrassing.
Back in the office, Mr.
Houston told his secretary, “Contact Jacob Zahn from Rui Shi’s Business Department and let him know that our contract may have to be put on hold for now.
Our CEO may handle this personally, and we’re not sure how long this will take.”
“Yes,” the secretary responded.
Just as Mr.
Houston was about to enter the office, he stopped, “If Jacob Zahn wants to see me, say I’m not in.”
“Yes.” The secretary nodded.
Mr.
Houston went into his office and sat back in his chair feeling a slight headache.
Meanwhile, the secretary contacted Jacob Zahn.
Jacob Zahn, who was eager and full of enthusiasm, was waiting for the contract from the other party.
He was even impatient and wanted to sign it this afternoon.
When he received a call from Mr.
Houston’s secretary, Jacob Zahn excitedly picked up.
However, he did not expect to hear that the signing of the contract had to be postponed.
Jacob Zahn felt as if the whole world had collapsed: “What …
How could this be?”
“Everything was going so well before, why the sudden postponement?” Jacob Zahn asked.
He …
He had already given his word.
Now, the CEO is also excited, just waiting to sign the contract.
But now they tell him that the contract can’t be signed for the time being?
Even though it’s temporary, who knows how long this temporary will last!
How can he explain this to the CEO!
“What did Mr.
Houston say?
What is the problem with this contract?” Jacob Zahn asked.
“I’m not sure about the specifics.
It is our CEO who personally made the decision, and he did not elaborate on the reasons,” the secretary said.
“Mr.
Houston tried his best to negotiate, but in the end, it was our CEO who has the final say on signing.” the secretary said.
“However, this is only temporary, just a slight delay.” The secretary added.
“Do you have any idea when this might be resolved?
Is there a rough estimate?” Jacob Zahn asked again.
The secretary answered patiently: “I don’t know either, we have to wait for our CEO’s decision.
Until the CEO makes a comment, us employees won’t be able to give a definitive answer.”
“Don’t you have a guess?
Although it’s the CEO’s decision, you must have a hunch, right?” Jacob Zahn said.
The secretary was already becoming impatient with Jacob Zahn’s questions.
“Mr.
Zahn, how could I casually say such things?
Furthermore, I have just found out about this and immediately informed you.
I didn’t have time to think about all of this.
And who are we to speculate on the thoughts of our CEO?”
“And, even if my guess is wrong and I tell you something that’s not accurate.
When the situation turns out differently, I can’t bear that responsibility.” the secretary said.
Jacob Zahn could see that he wasn’t going to get anywhere and said, “Is Mr.
Houston in now?”
“Mr.
Houston is currently out discussing business.” The secretary said.
“Okay, when will Mr.
Houston be back?” Jacob Zahn asked again.
“I’m not sure, Mr.
Houston did not disclose his subsequent plans to me.” the secretary said again.
“Thank you.” Jacob Zahn hang up the phone, knowing that the secretary was just brushing him off.
No matter if she really doesn’t know anything.
But as for Mr.
Houston’s schedule, how could the secretary not know?
Jacob Zahn’s expression darkened, he felt an extreme sense of frustration.
After a while, he called Mr.
Houston again.
He has Mr.
Houston’s mobile phone number.
But after a long while, there was still no answer.
Meanwhile, Mr.
Houston set his mobile phone to silent the moment it started ringing.
Chapter 944: I’m Not Satisfied_1 So even after the phone had rung for a long time, on Mr.
Houston’s end, all remained quiet.
Out of options and unable to reach Mr.
Houston, the general manager came looking for him.
He called to ask about the contract situation.
Jacob Zahn, gritting his teeth, had to explain, “Mr.
Webster, over at Majestic Corp., for some reason, their CEO has held off on the contract.”
Mr.
...
Webster’s first reaction was, “Could it be that they plan to sign with someone else?”
Jacob Zahn thought to himself that he had actually forgotten to ask such an important question.
But to admit his forgetfulness would be the same as admitting his incompetence to Mr.
Webster.
The question was so important, and he had forgotten to ask it.
Thus, Jacob Zahn clarified, “I asked, but they didn’t want to tell me anything.
Mr.
Houston’s secretary was the one who got in touch with me, and I’ve been unable to get in touch with him.”
“The secretary said Mr.
Houston went out for a business trip, but she has no idea when he will be back.
When I asked why the contract was being withheld, she couldn’t elaborate and also had no idea what their CEO was thinking.”
“So in summary, for every question asked, there were three unknowns.
One can just wonder if they genuinely don’t know or if they’re pretending.” Jacob Zahn said.
“Mr.
Webster, do you suspect that Majestic Corp.
has found another partner?” Jacob Zahn asked.
“My first reaction was exactly that.” Mr.
Webster said, “But then I thought it was unlikely.
Majestic Corp.
is such a large company, others are clamoring to partner with them.
They wouldn’t be swayed by smaller profits.”
“Which company can offer an opportunity that would prompt the CEO of Majestic Corp.
to halt a contract agreement?” Mr.
Webster contemplated aloud.
“For Majestic, as long as the partner company doesn’t have any issues, it doesn’t matter to them who they collaborate with.” Mr.
Webster added.
“Mr.
Webster, would it be possible!that something has gone wrong on Mr.
Houston’s end?” Jacob Zahn asked.
“What makes you think this way?” Mr.
Webster inquired.
“Well, my relationship with Mr.
Houston has been quite good during this collaboration.
Mr.
Houston has given his approval for this collaboration.
While she is the Deputy General Manager, this kind of collaboration isn’t a big deal in Majestic Corp.’s eyes.”
“Once Mr.
Houston had made a decision, even General Manager Webster would not undermine Mr.
Houston’s authority over a trivial matter.” Jacob Zahn elaborated.
“That’s correct.” General Webster nodded.
He would do the same.
“Therefore, since Mr.
Houston himself approved this, it should have naturally passed by their CEO.” Jacob Zahn stated.
“Unless! unless there’s some fault on Mr.
Houston’s side within the company, or even that some mistake was made, causing all business transactions and decisions that she is involved in to be postponed.” Jacob Zahn speculated.
Regardless of whether he was right or wrong, he had to push the responsibility onto Mr.
Houston right now.
He absolutely could not be the one at fault!
Mulling it over, Mr.
Webster replied, “Leave it to me, I’ll handle it.”
After hanging up, Mr.
Webster set out to find out through his own connections what exactly had gone wrong at Majestic Corp.
However, after making inquiries, there seemed to be no internal issues at Majestic Corp.
Nor had anything seemed wrong with Mr.
Houston.
Now, all they could do was wait.
Jacob Zahn was especially quiet in the afternoon, not mentioning anything regarding the contract.
All his colleagues did not notice anything amiss.
They just thought that it was a critical period and that Jacob Zahn was keeping a low profile to avoid Peggy Lewis’s interference.
***
Meanwhile, the International Culinary Competition organizers had held a meeting to discuss how to deal with Jenny Kirk and finally came to a conclusion.
Lucas Johnson also carried out his promise to Adrian Zhekova.
With the fastest speed, the verdict was revealed on the second day.
However, this result couldn’t satisfy Adrian Zhekova.
The International Culinary Competition organizing committee officially announced their decision on Facebook in Hearth Nation.
Just as Jenny Kirk’s colleagues had previously told her.
They asked Jenny Kirk to apologize, and simultaneously, transferred her to a different position.
They had Clark transferred to a position that wasn’t of much significance and wouldn’t have any impact on the future competitions.
Jenny Kirk also posted a sincere written apology on Facebook.
While the netizens weren’t totally satisfied with the outcome,
due to the prompt response from the International Culinary Competition organizers that yielded the result in the fastest possible time-
it seemed like they had taken the views of the netizens into consideration, showing high regard for their opinions.
Moreover, they had taken actions against Jenny Kirk and had not turned a blind eye towards the incident,
thus although the result wasn’t exactly satisfactory, the anger of the netizens was largely assuaged, reducing their previous relentless pursuit.
As for Jenny Kirk’s apology, the majority of netizens felt that it was insincere, and their dislike for her remained.
There were also many netizens who left heated comments under Jenny Kirk’s post,
saying that Hearth Nation did not welcome her.
However, although the netizens stopped pursuing the issue, Adrian Zhekova was still not satisfied.
After the result was announced, Lucas Johnson called Adrian Zhekova personally.
Because Adrian Zhekova had personally called him previously, which let Lucas know that he was taking this matter very seriously.
So, Lucas showed the same level of seriousness in return.
“Mr.
Zhekova, our organization has already announced the decision about Jenny Kirk on Facebook.” Lucas said.
“I saw it.” Adrian replied.
In fact, he was looking at the decision about Jenny Kirk from the International Culinary Competition organizers and Jenny Kirk’s apology on the computer screen right now.
Adrian continued, “However, I’m not satisfied with this result.”
“What?” Lucas was clearly caught off guard, “Mr.
Zhekova, I believe this outcome has sufficiently reflected our sincerity.”
“Jenny Kirk will no longer hold any significant positions and has already apologized for her actions.
What else are you dissatisfied with?” Lucas asked.
“I would have thought at least you would fire Jenny Kirk and revoke her position within the International Chefs Association.” Adrian said.
“This!” Lucas hesitated with an awkward tone, “Mr.
Zhekova, don’t you think that’s too severe?”
“Severe?
The event she interfered with was our Pingla Culinary Competition.
Ignoring our competition rules and meddling with the fairness and impartiality of our competition.
The competition is over and the results cannot be changed.” Adrian pointed out.
“Do you think that the one whose rights were violated in the competition was only Cindy Clarke?
No, it includes the efforts of our hardworking staff, the image and reputation of our fair competition that the Pingla Competition has been maintaining for years, and those other participants who seriously joined the competition, seeking fairness.”
“But now, everything has been ruined by Jenny Kirk.
She ruined the whole competition.
Now, all she does is vacate her original position, make a cavalier apology, and it’s over?”
Chapter 945: Weird Yinyang _1 “In my opinion, based on the mistake Jenny Kirk committed, being fired is even a mild punishment,” said Adrian Zhekova.
“As a result, you guys just nonchalantly transferred her to a different position.
That’s all?”
Lucas Johnson starts to get irritated by Adrian Zhekova’s remarks.
He is not Zhekova’s subordinate, why should he be rebuked by him?
He is not inferior to Adrian Zhekova!
“Mr.
Zhekova,” Lucas’ voice deepened.
...
“I’ve already shown you ample respect and courtesy to Pingla as well.
On our part, we’ve admitted our mistake and subjected Jenny Kirk to the necessary disciplinary action.”
“We respect you and hope you will reciprocate that respect,” Lucas said.
Essentially, what Lucas is saying is, don’t push your luck!
Adrian Zhekova chuckled, saying, “I understand what you mean.”
“Mr.
Zhekova,” Lucas continued, “I hope our relationship is one of mutual cooperation.
We’ve demonstrated enough sincerity and we hope to establish a good collaborative relationship with Pingla.”
We’ve already shown our sincerity, now it’s your turn.
Naturally, Adrian Zhekova understood Lucas’s meaning.
Adrian Zhekova laughed and said, “I get what you mean.”
Lucas thought, Adrian Zhekova is relenting.
Even though he did not explicitly say so.
But everyone is intelligent and can understand without needing such explicitness.
Lucas expressed satisfaction.
After hanging up the phone, Adrian Zhekova sneered.
“Proceed according to our original plan.
The press release written by the company’s public relations department can also be issued now.”
“Yes,” Sheldon Rowland nodded, immediately contacted the public relations department.
The PR department had already prepared and reviewed the press release several times.
Upon receiving Sheldon Rowland’s notification, they immediately passed the press release to an employee under Pingla’s official media account for its release.
At first, netizens were not aware of the verbal loopholes in Lansford Company’s statement.
But because of the messages posted by the official account of Pingla Group and the Pingla Competition, the emotions of the netizens were suddenly stirred up again.
Actually, the official Pingla account didn’t say much.
They mainly listed a few points:
1.
Jenny Kirk breached the rules of the Pingla Competition which has been adhered to for many years.
She ruined the hard work of countless staff and destroyed the chance for other competitors to compete fairly.
Yet, the organizers of the International Culinary Competition only reassigned Jenny Kirk.
2.
After reassignment, will she return to her original position after some time or remain in her new position?
The organizer of the International Culinary Competition has not clarified this.
3.
Jenny Kirk is an employee of the organizing committee of the International Culinary Competition and was ordered by them to act as a judge for the Pingla Competition.
In addition to Jenny’s own responsibility, the organizer of the International Culinary Competition should also be held accountable for her misconduct.
The Pingla Competition which has worked hard for many years to build its reputation, to earn the trust and recognition from the audience and competitors, was turned into a joke due to Jenny’s interference.
It caused billions in damages to Pingla Competition and the Pingla Group.
The International Culinary Competition did not mention any remorse in its statement.
The direct cause of this incident, Jenny Kirk, ultimately only received a reassignment punishment.
There is no sign of remorse from the organizer of the International Culinary Competition.
Therefore, we reject the unapologetic apology from Lansford Company, the organizer of the International Culinary Competition!
Afterward, they attached a long infographic.
Surprisingly, the Pingla Group openly disclosed the cost of organizing the Pingla Competition, the responsibilities of the various departments involved, and the losses caused to the Pingla Group due to Jenny’s reckless behavior during the final—it was all presented clearly and intuitively to the netizens.
Not long after, the official account of the Pingla Culinary Competition posted another long article.
In a sentimental manner, it told of the efforts of all the staff members in this Pingla Competition.
It provided specific examples, discussing the difficulties and challenges encountered by staff in their assignments.
The episode where they simulated a deserted island was particularly memorable due to the heavy investment by the Pingla Group.
The article mentioned how difficult and costly it was to build such a stage.
The article also pointed out that even without Jenny’s disruption, the Pingla Competition would still be operating at a loss.
This could be clearly seen from the previously released table.
But Pingla has always held the belief that it’s okay to lose money, but they must win reputation.
But due to Jenny’s disruption, the money was lost, and the hard-earned reputation of Pingla was ruined.
What’s truly irreplaceable is the latter.
What Jenny Kirk also destroyed was the hard work of countless staff members.
They burned the midnight oil, stayed up all night to complete their tasks, and stayed on high alert to cope with emergencies.
But now, all the efforts of everyone were wasted.
The competitors too had been diligently preparing for the competition.
They shed sweat and tears, sacrificed a lot of their lives.
They sacrificed the time they could have spent with their families and the time they could have spent resting.
They spent their days accompanied by smoke and flames from cooking.
They also discussed why they had agreed to let Jenny be the sixth judge.
They insinuated the pressure exerted by the International Culinary Competition.
To ensure that contestants from the Hearth Nation face fewer difficulties when participating in the International Culinary Competition in the future.
To acquire more quota for the Hearth Nation and give more contestants an opportunity to participate in the International Culinary Competition.
The Pingla Competition had agreed to this due to these considerations.
Of course, these were all just hinting, they never openly admitted to it.
But it was enough for netizens to understand.
The official account of the Pingla Competition openly mocked the International Culinary Competition.
They presented themselves as those making sacrifices for the culinary sector of the Hearth Nation to stabilize its position internationally and to gain increasing influence.
All this so that people around the world can see hearth nation’s culture and eliminate their prejudices against it.
Pingla has really been patient through all this humiliation.
As for agreeing to let Jenny Kirk be a judge for all the aforementioned reasons, it can actually be regarded as a trade.
And it is a trade that could not be openly discussed.
It wasn’t an honorable trade, but the netizens didn’t blame Pingla, instead, they felt Pingla was bearing a great humiliation.
After this article was published, the netizens reacted.
They finally understood, there is so much more to this.
There are so many twists and turns to this.
“As someone who participates in society, I truly empathize with the helplessness of Pingla.
A massive organization like Pingla represents our Hearth Nation abroad, bearing so much responsibility.
For the sake of acquiring more quota, giving contestants more opportunities, and protecting contestants from being bullied overseas, they had to engage in some deals.
This is entirely normal,” a netizen commented.
Chapter 946: Furious and Frustrated_1 “Internationally, in all lines of business, Western countries still hold quite a bit of discrimination against us.
Moreover, when we truly compete, their tactics are often not aboveboard.
I can already imagine our contestants facing prejudice abroad.”
“I’ve watched the previous International Culinary Competition, and the participants from Hearth Nation do often get mistreated.
It’s not only the contestants from other countries but sometimes even the judges who subtly bully them.
That’s why Pingla agreed to make these concessions, simply to give our contestants as many opportunities as possible.”
“Consider the differences in culture and temperament between the East and the West.
If you watch foreign reality shows, they really say and curse whatever they want, not afraid to offend anyone, ready to conflict at any time.
But us Hearth Nation citizens are still too restrained, advocating harmony over conflict, and we would never behave like them.
...
Plus, there’s the language barrier.
Even if we speak English, if we really start arguing, we wouldn’t be as fluent.”
“Actually, not all Hearth Nation contestants are from Pingla, but Pingla chose to defend all of them.”
“If we reverse the situation, isn’t it the International Culinary Competition taking advantage of their authority to intimidate Pingla?
Otherwise, what right does the International Culinary Association have to interfere in our national cooking competition?
To even influence the results?”
“Exactly, Hearth Nation has been growing rapidly over the years and certainly can’t be bullied casually.
Especially since our cuisine is one of the world’s top three.
Coupled with our huge market, anyone who wants to make a profit, who wants access to our market, must behave appropriately on our turf.
Yet the host of the International Culinary Competition is still so arrogant, invading our territory to bully us.”
“In other words, if they dare to bully us, then what about other countries?”
“The International Culinary Competition has crossed the line!”
“They’ve gone too far!”
“Our contestants shouldn’t even participate in the International Culinary Competition, so we don’t have to please them.”
“Exactly, who gave them the audacity to decide the competition’s winners and losers, to become the authority of the international culinary world?
To judge our cuisine?”
“Yes, we have our dignity, we are going to withdraw!”
“As a country of gourmet, we have countless kinds of cuisines and our chefs are incredibly skilled.
From the flavors, colors, and aroma of the dishes, to knife skills and plating, we excel in every aspect.
In previous cooking competitions, it was not only the chefs’ conflicts that drew attention but also the exquisite dishes themselves.
And among them, the dishes prepared by our contestants were always a major highlight.”
“Without the participation of our contestants, the attractiveness of the International Culinary Competition will be vastly reduced.
To put it bluntly, without one of the top three gourmet countries involved, what right does it have to call itself an International Culinary Competition?”
“It is not a complete competition, what is it flaunting?”
“Agreed, we are going to boycott the International Culinary Competition, we are not participating any more!”
Internet users are divided into several groups.
One group is filled with righteous anger and protest in the comments.
There are others who are more direct, digging up dirt and pulling up any possible controversies about the tech-savvy users.
During the time when some netizens were protesting and boycotting under the official posts of the Pingla Competition, Pingla Group, and even the International Culinary Competition organizer Lansford Company.
Another group of netizens had begun to look into Lansford Company.
They tracked it from Lansford Company to the Mokleys Group and the Mokleys Family.
Afterwards, they made a few discoveries.
“Turns out that the Mokleys Group has been opening and closing restaurants in our country these past few years.
Clearly, they truly want to break into the Hearth Nation market.”
“Hahahaha!
With their little bit of culinary culture, they’re trying to compete for our palates?
Honestly, it’s not always about whether it’s good or not, it’s more about each country’s people being more accustomed to their own cuisine.
Trying foreign cuisine is fine, but if you had to eat it every day, it wouldn’t work.”
“Even Mcdonald’s, KFC, and Pizza Hut had to modify their flavors to be more in line with our tastes, and that’s why they’ve been selling so well for so many years.”
“The Mokleys Group is actually trying to use the popularity of the International Culinary Competition to develop their market in our country.
Think about it, when we watch the competition and become curious about some of the dishes and want to try them, what do we do?
Of course, they would open a restaurant here.”
“Last year, they already opened International Culinary Competition theme restaurants in two countries, probably to test the waters before opening one here.”
“It’s just that Pingla occupies such a large market share in our country that they would find it difficult to compete with Pingla.
It’s like a giant dragon occupying this territory, are you going to compete with the dragon for its turf?”
“With that said, we really need to sabotage this International Culinary Competition.”
“No problem, they came to mess up our cooking competition, so we’ll mess up theirs.”
“Pingla’s attitude this time is quite firm, which likely hints at such an intention.
Otherwise, if they really wanted to get along with the International Culinary Competition’s organizers, after the organizers and Jenny Kirk apologized and announced their action towards Jenny Kirk, logic says they should immediately agree, offer Lansford Company a solution, and make peace.”
A strong protest against this International Culinary Competition emerges online.
Since the International Culinary Competition has official handlers on Facebook, they naturally knew what was happening here.
This was promptly reported.
At the same time, they also relayed Pingla’s stance, as well as the several articles they wrote, to their upper management.
Upon reading these, Lucas Johnson’s face darkened.
He initially thought Adrian Zhekova understood and was in agreement with him.
But he didn’t expect Adrian Zhekova to turn around and accuse him, showing no mercy.
Lucas then called Adrian again.
Adrian calmly answered, “Lucas, what can I do for you?”
“Mr.
Zhekova!” Lucas’s tone was far from friendly, it was extremely stern.
“What’s with the comments you have been posting online?” Lucas said, “I thought we had an understanding.”
“Of course, it’s to express our dissatisfaction with your company’s decision.” Adrian said casually, “You can protect Jenny Kirk, and we can express our displeasure.”
“Lucas, as you said, you and I are equals, I am not your subordinate.
Do you also want to dictate how Pingla expresses itself?” Adrian retorted.
“But right now, netizens from Hearth Nation have begun to backlash against us.” Lucas said.
“Your previous statement didn’t even consider the sentiments of Hearth Nation netizens, why worry now?” Adrian replied nonchalantly.
Chapter 947: Chapter 947: We Can Stir Things Up Now!_1 Since Lucas Johnson just stated that he was not subject to Adrian Zhekova’s decisions.
Now, Lucas should not protest againt Pingla’s actions.
Lucas steadied his face and said, “Mr.
Zhekova, your way of doing things are cutting off our possibilities of cooperation in the future.”
“The people of Hearth Nation always say ‘A harmonious relationship brings wealth’, right?” Lucas said indignantly.
Adrian Zhekova did not expect Lucas Johnson to have some understanding about Hearth Nation, even knowing the phrase ‘A harmonious relationship brings wealth’.
Although Lucas pronounced those words in a twisted way, sounding quite strange, Adrian Zhekova did indeed understand him.
Yet, Lucas knew the phrase ‘A harmonious relationship brings wealth’, but did he not know that the people of Hearth Nation are particularly united when dealing with outsiders?
...
“A harmonious relationship brings wealth, but firstly, there needs to be harmony.
And this harmony has to be achieved through mutual effort.” Adrian said, “I didn’t feel any harmony or sincerity from your side, hence Pingla will refrain from being the sucker.”
Did he think it was before?
Did he think we were begging them for cooperation?
Lucas took a deep breath and said, “What do you want in order to be satisfied?”
“We made Jenny Kirk apologize and reassigned her, and you’re still not satisfied?
What will satisfy you?” Lucas asked.
“One of the questions our company raised on Facebook, which I think you’ve seen,” Adrian said, “was whether or not you’ll reassign Jenny Kirk back to her old role?
Or would you always keep her in the current position?”
Lucas: “…”
Of course, they were thinking of giving Jenny a better position once things calmed down.
After all, they still needed her.
“So, let’s not use these verbal traps, as if we can’t see through them.” Adrian said.
Now, Lucas dared not give any assurances to Adrian.
He couldn’t promise not to reassign Jenny back to any major position.
What if Adrian recorded the conversation?
“Moreover, are you sure you want to make us enemies for the sake of Jenny Kirk?” Adrian said, “Even if we can’t be friends, it would be too excessive to be hostile because of Jenny.”
Lucas thought to himself, this goes both ways!
Does he need to make trouble with us because of Jenny Kirk?
“Even if the relationship is mediocre, having one less enemy is a good thing, right?” Adrian added.
Lucas asked in return, “Mr.
Zhekova, what do you want?
What should we do to satisfy you?”
“That would depend on your sincerity, not what I demand.” Adrian said.
Lucas held back his laughter out of anger.
He said coldly, “In that case, I’ll have to get back to you later.”
“Tomorrow.” Adrian said, “I want a final answer.”
Lucas suppressed his anger and said, “Okay.”
After hanging up the phone, Lucas yelled in his office alone, “So arrogant!
He thinks he’s above everyone!”
“Who does he think he is!
He dares to be so insolent to me!” Lucas said angrily, “He knows it’s all for Jenny Kirk, does he want to offend the entire Mokleys Group!”
After the rant, his anger had not completely subsided.
Lucas then called in the Secretary General.
“Adrian Zhekova is not satisfied with our handling of Jenny Kirk!” Lucas said.
The Secretary General naturally saw what Pingla posted on Facebook.
“What does he want?
Does he think we’re afraid of him?” The Secretary General frowned.
“Lucas, what do you think?” The Secretary General asked again.
“Let’s have a high-level meeting.” Lucas said, “At this point, I can’t be sure if Adrian Zhekova will do something to us because of Jenny Kirk.”
“He can’t be that irrational.” The Secretary General said, “If that’s the case, someone so whimsical could not have developed Pingla to its current scale.
Who would allow a person who acts out because of his personal feelings be a CEO?”
“Right now it’s a gamble on whether he’s bluffing.” Lucas said, “But none of us can be certain.
We can’t make this decision alone.
We need to decide with the higher-ups.”
“If we bet he dares, then we can only let go of Jenny Kirk.
Judging from Adrian’s attitude, he’s not going to let this go.” Lucas said, “If we bet he’s bluffing, then we will continue to protect Jenny Kirk.
But no matter what the decision is, it must be discussed by everyone.”
“Okay.” The Secretary General nodded.
However, the other senior executives in the company apparently had similar thoughts to Lucas and the Secretary General.
They think Adrian Zhekova is bluffing.
“He’s gotten over his head!
We’ve already compromised and he can’t just keep pushing!”
“If we keep retreating, it’s as if we’re afraid of him.
But are we?
No, we’re not!”
“And if outsiders see us constantly retreating to Adrian Zhekova, how would they see us?
They’ll think we’re really inferior to him.”
“We can’t back down on this matter.
If we do, we’ll be the laughing stock.
Moreover, we didn’t do anything wrong in the first place.
We’ve already shown our sincerity and goodwill.
If he doesn’t appreciate it, that’s his problem.
We’re not inferior to him, so we can’t listen to everything Adrian Zhekova says.
He’s not our boss!”
Everyone was staunchly in favour of sticking to the original handling method, and absolutely not showing weakness to Adrian Zhekova.
Lucas nodded and said, “Then we all have the same opinion.
We’ve made our decision.”
Back in his office, Lucas decided not to contact Adrian Zhekova directly anymore.
It made him look like he was reporting to Adrian Zhekova all the time, which was simply degrading.
He’d just let the Secretary General contact Sheldon Rowland.
It should be the subordinates that conduct any necessary communication, not him.
When Sheldon received the call from the Secretary General, and heard the final decision from the Lansford Company, he was not angry at all.
Instead, he was excited.
Now, they had the chance to cause a stir!
“Okay.” Sheldon said to the Secretary General.
Of course, he did not reveal his excitement.
He merely replied politely, “I understand.
I will report the situation truthfully to our CEO.
Thank you for the call.
Goodbye.”
After hanging up, Sheldon knocked excitedly on Adrian Zhekova’s office door.
“Come in.” Adrian Zhekova said without even looking up.
After entering, Sheldon quickly closed the door and walked briskly to Adrian’s desk, “CEO, they are indeed not admitting defeat, we can stir things up now!”
Adrian Zhekova: “…”
“Ahem!” Adrian cleared his throat and glared at Sheldon, “What do you mean by ‘stir things up’?
We are just defending our legitimate rights.”
“Yes!” Sheldon nodded emphatically, agreeing completely with Adrian’s comment.
Chapter 948: Comrades, Take Action!
_1 Adrian Zhekova’s lips twitched slightly.
“Alright, proceed as planned,” Adrian Zhekova said.
“Yes.” Sheldon Rowland sauntered out cheerfully.
Luckily, Adrian Zhekova was foresighted, having anticipated that the Lansford Company would not easily back down.
So, he had issued an order in the company in advance.
...
All departments were fully prepared.
Just waiting for Adrian Zhekova’s order, ready to pounce on Lansford Company unprepared.
Now, they were banking on Lansford Company being completely unprepared.
Lansford Company would never dream that Pingla would act so quickly.
They thought Adrian Zhekova was only bluffing, and wouldn’t do anything to them.
Even if Adrian Zhekova were to take concrete action, they believed it would be a matter of the future, not something that could yield immediate results.
So, Lucas Johnson and his team were not worried.
Little did they know, Adrian Zhekova had long anticipated their thinking and was well prepared.
If Lucas Johnson had truly backed down, the previous preparations would have been in vain, but that did not matter.
If they could secure their own interests without lending any effort, so much the better.
But if Lucas Johnson had not backed down, they could strike back swiftly.
Adrian Zhekova’s approach in handling situations was always rapid, precise, and ruthless—no breathing space allowed for the enemy.
Sheldon Rowland sent a mass email to all departments, from department heads to employees, and everyone was kept in the loop.
Not just the headquarters of Pingla Group, even their subsidiaries, including Majestic under Lyke Zhekova, received the same email.
Sheldon Rowland:
Comrades, take action!
Though it was a rather childish email, it stirred the spirits at Pingla.
Even Gabriel Zhekova’s company did not miss out on this email.
Though Gabriel Zhekova had always been at odds with Adrian Zhekova,
at the end of the day, he still had to follow Adrian Zhekova’s commands.
In the grand scheme of things, no matter how unwilling he was, as long as Adrian Zhekova remained CEO of Pingla, he had to follow his directives, wherever the arrow pointed.
The most he could do was to show a certain degree of passive disobedience.
But if Virtuoso under his responsibility were to lag behind, and upon comparing the performance of the companies, Virtuoso was found at the bottom,
it wouldn’t just make Virtuoso look bad, but Gabriel Zhekova’s competence would also be questioned.
This was the last thing Gabriel Zhekova wanted to see.
So, despite his unwillingness, Gabriel Zhekova had to obey orders obediently.
Adrian Zhekova had even calculated Gabriel Zhekova’s mentality accurately.
Upon receiving Sheldon Rowland’s email, everyone at Pingla hustled and bustled, ready to spring into action.
What?
You’re asking them if Adrian Zhekova abusing his position for private gains?
Bringing personal emotions into work?
Do the people at Pingla have no opinions?
Employee 1: “F*** if the CEO is our boss, this isn’t my own business.
No matter what goes on, the CEO gives me my salary on time.
What complaints could I have?
Besides, I wouldn’t be held responsible if anything goes south.”
Employee 2: “The CEO might be a d*** but he’s reliable when it comes to important matters.
He’s not taking action solely due to personal feelings, we trust him.
Besides, he’s our boss.”
Employee 3: “What the f*** are you talking about?
They came all the way to our turf to bully us, aren’t we supposed to retaliate?
What do you take us for, spineless?
Pingla is not weak!”
Employee 4: “It was clearly them who provoked us first, if we at Pingla don’t take action, others will look down at us.
You don’t respect us?
Is that it?”
Employee 5: “In my opinion, it would be best if the International Culinary Competition was organized by Pingla from now on.
Why should we give the power of speech to Lansford Company?”
Employee 6: “I have watched the previous International Culinary Competitions; there were so many unfair tricks played behind the scenes.
It would be better if it was handed over to us, Pingla.
We could surely do a good job.”
Late into the battle, when a reporter came visiting to interview, these were the replies from the employees.
The reporter: “…”
No, wait.
When did the discussion gravitate towards hosting the International Culinary Competition?
Is Pingla planning on snatching the hosting rights away?
The reporter was completely dumbfounded.
The official social media account of the International Culinary Competition meanwhile maintained discretion against the questions thrown by Pingla, acting as if they saw nothing.
The initial resolution remained the same.
After the Secretary General reached out to Sheldon Rowland, there wasn’t any response from the other end.
The executives of Lansford Company unanimously believed that Adrian Zhekova was just bluffing.
They made the correct decision.
However, on the fourth day after the incident, the Secretary General rushed in again, his expression looking rather displeasing, clearly uncomfortable.
Lucas Johnson frowned, looking at his Secretary General: “What happened?”
Why did it seem like so many things were happening all at once?
The Secretary General said, “We had already managed the sponsorships for the International Culinary Competition.”
Lucas Johnson nodded.
So, what’s the problem?
“But most of the brand sponsors, from the title sponsors to the various embedded advertisers, kitchen appliances, stoves, refrigerators, ovens, and other small household appliances, have withdrawn,” the Secretary General reported.
“Why?” Lucas Johnson was startled, his mind buzzing due to this information, utterly confused.
“Which brands have withdrawn?” Lucas Johnson asked.
The Secretary General handed the organized list to Lucas Johnson: “All are brands from Hearth Nation.”
“We attracted that many brands from Hearth Nation as sponsors?” Lucas Johnson was stunned.
Of course, he had a general understanding, but as the CEO, he couldn’t possibly be aware of everything down to the minutest detail.
Each department would have to complete their tasks and report to him afterwards.
The Secretary General said in frustration, “Companies from Hearth Nation are wealthy, haven’t we always referred to them as ‘stupid rich’?
Besides, they are particularly fond of anything tagged as ‘international>.
“We have branded the International Culinary Competition well, it’s quite famous within the culinary circle.
With them eager to enhance their international reputation and having the necessary funds, they basically secured most of the advertising positions and naming rights.”
Many of these brands have expanded overseas.
Although they might not be very well-known overseas, and their market shares may not be huge,
that doesn’t matter; their home market is very large!
The demand is high, the market is huge, and it can support their overseas expansions.
Moreover, Hearth Nation’s economy has continuously been on the rise, the demand has always been considerable.
Whereas, compared to developed Western countries, their economies have already entered the platform stage.
With their small populations, the markets aren’t very big.
Many of them are shifting towards Hearth Nation, indicating that their markets have saturated, and are even shrinking.
As a result, these brands from Hearth Nation tend to invest a lot more than the actual value in international promotions.
Upon checking, Lucas Johnson found that the title sponsor was from Hearth Nation, the kitchenware sponsor was from Hearth Nation, the refrigerator was of Hearth Nation brand, the oven too, was of Hearth Nation brand.
Chapter 949: They Consider That Small Amount of Money as Nothing_1 These are all kitchenwares with an extremely high usage rate.
Not to mention some of the billboards that made it into the shot, they didn’t sponsor any products, but they did pay for advertising.
Even these, Lucas looked at and found that as many as seventy percent had been withdrawn.
As for the cookware and stoves, they are all foreign brands.
But what’s the use of just these two?
“What is going on with these brands?” Lucas asked in shock, “All withdrawn at the same time?”
This is also news that has just been received, there was absolutely nothing amiss as of yesterday.
The Secretary General said, “Almost at the same time we received notices from them.
...
Just this morning.”
After all, there are simply too many advertisers and sponsors.
Even if they sent messages at the same time, they wouldn’t have time to look at them all at once.
“As for why they withdrew, the personnel in charge are already contacting them to find out.
We’ve just compiled a list, and I’ve brought it to show you right away,” said the Secretary General.
“Go check!” Lucas said.
The Secretary General nodded, “We’re already checking.”
He saw that Lucas was already somewhat flustered.
The Secretary General was silent for a few seconds, then asked, “Do you think it might be Adrian Zhekova…”
“Adrian Zhekova?” Lucas looked up at the Secretary General in surprise.
“He did subtly threaten us before, implying that if we didn’t do things his way, he’d oppose us,” Lucas said.
Lucas then shook his head, “But what does Adrian Zhekova have to do with these brands?”
Lucas paused, then said, “Have you checked whether these brands have any connections with Pingla?”
“No,” said the Secretary General, “Although we’re still investigating why all these brands suddenly pulled out and haven’t found any clues in that regard yet.
But we checked the relationships among these brands first, and found that some of them might belong to the same group, but not all of them.
Most of them are scattered under different group flags, or they are themselves a large group with several sub-brands.”
“There is no common link between these different brands,” the Secretary General said.
“That’s very strange,” Lucas frowned.
“Go and investigate first and find out as quickly as possible,” Lucas said, “If we can retain them, do so, and we can appropriately lower the price.”
“During our initial recruitment, they won the bid at a very high price, so we have a lot of room to lower our price.
We’ll use the price of the runner-up at that time as our bottom line.”
After all, the auction price of the runner-up at that time had already reached its limit, and these brands wouldn’t be able to up their bids even if they switched over to them.
“Also, if it really doesn’t work out, switch to another brand.
Get in touch with the brands that lost out before,” Lucas said.
The Secretary General nodded and went to handle it.
By the afternoon, the Secretary General finally returned with the results of the investigation.
“Lucas, we’ve figured it out,” the Secretary General said solemnly, “I’m afraid it really has something to do with Adrian Zhekova.”
“Don’t these brands have no connections with Pingla?” Lucas’s face changed.
“There’s no connection, but we inquired and found that these brands either belong to families that have particularly good relations with Adrian Zhekova, or they are groups created secretly by those families.
On the surface, they don’t seem to belong to them, but in fact, they’re still their family industries.”
“In Hearth Nation, there are the very famous Big Eight families.
It’s said that their relationship is very good, good enough to support each other unconditionally like they’re doing now, as if the Big Eight families could merge into one big family.”
“The strength of each of their families is very strong, just imagine, it’s like eight Pinglas are fighting against us,” said the Secretary General.
Lucas took a deep breath, practically slumping in his chair.
He felt that a single Pingla could fight against their entire Mokleys Family.
But now eight Pinglas were coming…
Is this real or fake!
It’s got to be a joke!
Lucas looked at the Secretary General in shock.
“It’s no joke,” Lucas said gravely.
“How can you be sure that it’s because of Adrian Zhekova?
Wait a minute, how did you find out that it’s connected to the other seven families?
Didn’t you say that some of the brands weren’t created in the name of their families?” Lucas asked.
“We were originally just investigating the backgrounds of those brands and weren’t considering those families.
But at noon, we received new news,” the Secretary General said.
“What?” Lucas said through gritted teeth.
He really didn’t want to hear any more news right now.
“The live broadcast of our International Culinary Competition in Hearth Nation has been halted,” said the Secretary General.
“Elaborate!” Lucas said gravely.
“Hearth Nation’s TV stations won’t be broadcasting our Culinary Competition.
And because of the language barrier, the common language of the International Culinary Competition is English.
If it’s to be broadcast, it needs to be translated simultaneously.
This is a very strict requirement for live broadcasts.
And Hearth Nation’s TV stations all have their own plans.
Our International Culinary Competition doesn’t have a large enough audience for the TV stations to buy our broadcasting rights and air it on their channels,” said the Secretary General.
“So, the one who bought our broadcasting rights is an online streaming platform in Hearth Nation, and they bought the exclusive broadcasting rights.
And that online streaming platform belongs to Benjamin Hamilton.”
Benjamin Hamilton, Lucas knew all too well.
It’s hard to believe anyone wouldn’t know.
He holds considerable standing in Hollywood, having produced many blockbuster movies in recent years.
“The family to which Benjamin Hamilton belongs has a very good relationship with Adrian Zhekova, being one of the Big Eight families,” said the Secretary General.
“What about the other online streaming platforms?” said Lucas, “They can’t all belong to Benjamin Hamilton!”
“Benjamin Hamilton holds our exclusive broadcasting rights, and the contract is already in effect,” said the Secretary General, “They’ve already paid us.”
“So, they paid and won’t broadcast?” Lucas asked incredulously.
“That’s right,” the Secretary General nodded.
Once Benjamin Hamilton has the exclusive rights, if he doesn’t broadcast, no one else can.
“Are they really willing to lose money, lose that much money, and not broadcast?” Lucas’s voice rose.
“If I remember correctly, Benjamin Hamilton paid a hefty price for our broadcasting rights!” Lucas said
“Yes, we asked immediately.
They said that little bit of money, they can afford to throw it away,” the Secretary General said gravely.
It was simply like they didn’t care about the money at all.
“And the reason why Benjamin Hamilton paid such a high price for our broadcasting rights, they said, was not because they wanted to broadcast our competition so much, but for Hearth Nation’s chefs.
They hoped that Hearth Nation’s netizens would be able to see the wonderful performances of their chefs.”
Chapter 950: Chapter 950: You Know Nothing About Power_1 “At the same time, it could supervise…” The Secretary General was a bit hesitant to continue.
“What exactly do you mean supervise?” Lucas Johnson immediately asked.
“By doing so, netizens can supervise whether our competition is discriminatory, biased, or makes things difficult for Hearth Nation’s competitors,” explained the Secretary General.
What he said was quite mild.
On the other hand, Benjamin Hamilton, who is wealthy, had a pretty sharp tongue.
“But now the sole broadcasting rights are in the hands of Benjamin Hamilton, and Hearth Nation’s TV stations are unwilling to buy our copyright, seeing no profit.
So, the only way for us to broadcast in Hearth Nation, is through Benjamin Hamilton,” the Secretary General explained.
...
“But Hamilton is unwilling to broadcast the competition even after purchasing the exclusive rights; in Hearth Nation, our exposure will be pitifully low,” the Secretary General continued, “According to the analysis by our publicity department, we can only rely on some netizens to manually cut clips.
As for the media…”
The Secretary General added: “I don’t hold out much hope because Hamilton, as the leading figure in Hearth Nation’s film and television industry, controls many self-media and marketing accounts.
It’s unpredictable how many that are not affected by him would be willing to create clips of our competition.”
Pressing his temples with a headache, Lucas said, “So, the situation is that those sponsors and brands that withdrew their investments do actually have ties with Adrian Zhekova?
Because they all belong to the families who are friends with Zhekova?”
He found it hard to believe.
“Could they really have a bond that strong?
This is Adrian Zhekova’s problem.
Why are they going out of their way to get involved in it?
Are they even willing to take losses to help Zhekova?”
They’re not family after all.
Even if they were family, it was rather unlikely for the Big Eight families to have so much kinship amongst them.
To unconditionally help each other out like this.
What was the Secretary General supposed to say?
He was just as perplexed.
Was this truly necessary?
The Secretary General chose not to comment.
Lucas let out a sigh, finding it a mystery hard to solve.
“The media in Hearth Nation, including netizens, will most likely not create any clips from our competition, right?” Lucas said.
“That’s the current prediction.
If netizens personally edit clips, they’d probably face backlash,” said the Secretary General, “People in Hearth Nation seem surprisingly unified in this regard, sometimes even bordering on fanaticism, hurling abuse without even knowing the full story.”
“As for self-media outlets and the like, some are controlled by Hamilton.
Whether the remainder would be too afraid of Hamilton to express an opinion, we can’t tell,” said Lucas, “After all, our show is not impressive enough to raise their KPIs.”
“If not for the issue with Jenny Kirk causing such a stir, our competition would not have been as high profile or popular as it is now,” said the Secretary General.
“Whether some self-media outlets will deliberately create clips about our controversies to draw traffic at that time, we can’t predict,” the Secretary General added.
“This depends on how much KPI they can get from it.
If it’s not tempting enough, they wouldn’t dare to offend Zhekova and his crew.”
The force of the Big Eight families was truly terrifying.
“But,” the Secretary General began hesitantly, “even if there are self-media outlets willing to edit and publish videos then, they would still be a minority.
Without mass distribution of the edited videos, they wouldn’t make much of a difference.”
“So, what’s the situation like with the public opinion among Hearth Nation netizens presently?” Lucas asked further.
“I…
I haven’t had time to check yet,” the Secretary General replied.
“I need to know which way the wind blows over there,” Lucas said.
“Keep an eye on it.”
The Secretary General immediately assigned someone who understood Chinese to collect the opinions of Hearth Nation’s netizens.
When it was time to report to Lucas, the data showed that the feedback was overwhelmingly one-sided.
“Hahaha, that’s awesome!
Let them see the power of our Hearth Nation!”
“The Big Eight families: You know nothing about power.”
“I never expected that most of the original sponsors were Hearth Nation brands.
And yet, you dared to offend your golden geese?
What were you thinking!”
“They took the money from our Hearth Nation golden geese and even came here to bully us, this is utterly shameless!”
“We can’t let this go!”
“Right!
We need to boycott the International Culinary Competition!”
Around this time, the official account of Pingla posted on Facebook at just the right time.
[In the face of our nation and its dignity, any interest, no matter how big, is trivial.]
Though it did not specify what this referred to, everyone knew what Pingla was talking about.
The impassioned netizens posted comments expressing their support.
“Well said!”
“In bravery, Pingla flies, and forever, we follow!”
“Hahaha, I just want to say to Lansford Company, do you think that the only people you’ve upset are from Pingla?
No!
You’ve also upset the other seven families of the Big Eight!
Tremble in fear!”
“It’s terrifying.
I’ve never seen the power of the Big Eight families united like this before.”
Though there have been prior instances of them working together, they were always trivial matters carried out behind the scenes, never so publicly known.
After all, the Big Eight families are not in the limelight like celebrities with each of their moves scrutinized by the public.
Netizens are already overwhelmed just by keeping up with celebrity gossip.
Not many people are constantly watching the affairs of the Big Eight families.
They tend to keep a low profile in their dealings, so even if ordinary netizens were watching, they wouldn’t uncover much.
They do not have paparazzi or fans following them like celebrities do.
Who dares to follow the people of the Big Eight families?
Even if someone did follow and found some news, who would dare to publish it?
Moreover, they are not in the entertainment industry and are not responsible for entertaining the public.
Even if the news was published, not many netizens would be interested in it.
This time, due to the high profile controversy with the organizers of the International Culinary Competition,
The alliance of the Big Eight families was revealed to the netizens.
Only then did netizens realize how terrifying yet breathtaking it is when the Big Eight families unite.
For Lucas, just dealing with the loss of sponsors was already causing him headaches.
The issue of Hamilton acquiring the exclusive broadcasting rights but refusing to air the competition was yet another looming problem.
For now, Lucas could only set it aside.
However, he was still clueless about how to solve the withdrawal of sponsors.
At this point, more bad news arrived.
Seeing the Secretary General walk in, Lucas didn’t even feel like asking what had happened again.
The Secretary General’s flustered expression and gloomy demeanor made it obvious that something was wrong.
Was there even a need to ask?
The Secretary General said, “The venue we had booked was also cancelled.”
“What happened?” Lucas asked, “We booked on our own turf, it can’t be related to that ‘whatever Big Eight families’, can it!”
Did they really have that kind of reach?
The Secretary General said with a troubled face: “I’ve checked.”