This could be considered their first official merchandise release. If something went wrong with their very first merchandise launch, it wouldn’t leave a good impression on players and consumers.
Yesterday, she received a notice from Dom Garments stating they intended to raise prices by 20%. A 20% increase would exceed the profit margin for this batch of merchandise.
Originally, they had already signed a contract with Dom. Dom’s unilateral decision to raise prices violated the contract terms, meaning they were in breach, and Shen Zuofeng had the right to terminate the agreement.
Shen Zuofeng had considered finding another company to handle the production, but time and objective conditions didn’t allow it. Since they had conducted a pre-sale, they had to deliver the products to customers within one month after the pre-sale ended; otherwise, they would be in violation of the pre-sale agreement, which would result in hefty penalties.
The difficulty now lay in finding a company capable of producing high-quality work in large quantities within a short timeframe. Due to the large order volume, the required materials would also be substantial. Many companies might not have enough inventory on hand, and even if they expedited procurement, time might still be insufficient.
It was precisely because of these multiple factors that Shen Zuofeng had come here in person. Zhao Haisheng and his team were well aware of this and thus felt emboldened to demand a price increase right before production began.
“President Zhao, you’re well aware of the current situation. We certainly won’t stop at just this one game, nor will this be our only clothing pre-sale. After all, this is just the first batch there will be plenty of opportunities for collaboration in the future.” The underlying message was: Don’t burn bridges in one deal.
Zhao Haisheng looked at the beautiful woman with a slightly cold expression, and his desire grew even stronger. From the moment he first laid eyes on her, he had wanted to possess this woman, and this was the perfect opportunity.
He was a beta, but he firmly believed that as long as he had enough wealth and power, whether they were omegas or alphas, he would go to any lengths to get what he wanted.
And Shen Zuofeng, a top-tier alpha, had been on his mind for a long time.
Not only was she a top-tier alpha, but her appearance also appealed to him immensely. If he could see her submit beneath him, the sense of achievement and satisfaction would surely be no less than what anyone else had ever given him.
“President Shen, I’ll be straightforward with you. I’m well aware of your current situation, and my demand is simple.” Zhao Haisheng patted his stomach, smiling with an air of certainty.
“Spend one night with me.”
Originally, he had planned to get her drunk and force himself on her, but those useless fools couldn’t even manage that, they ended up passing out before she did. Since underhanded methods hadn’t worked, he decided to lay his cards on the table.
Zhao Haisheng took a small bottle out of his pocket, poured its contents into the glass of wine in front of him, and pushed it toward Shen Zuofeng. “Drink this, and not only will I not raise the price this time, but all future orders from your company will be given top priority.”
“Your choice is to drink. It’s just one night, I’m not asking you to be my lover from now on. After tonight, we can still meet as acquaintances. If you don’t drink, you know the consequences. I doubt you can find a better company than ours right now, otherwise you wouldn’t be here today. If you fail to deliver the goods, the penalty is three times the prepayment amount that’s no small sum.”
“Over three hundred million in compensation can you afford it?”
Whether she could afford it was one thing, but would she be willing to pay that sum? Just one night in exchange for three hundred million anyone who isn’t a fool would know how to choose.
What a brilliant move, reaping profits without investing anything.
Shen Zuofeng looked at his smug face and chuckled softly, clapping her hands. “So this is what you had in mind, President Zhao? Why didn’t you say so earlier?”
“Oh? Does that mean you agree?”
Among the others present who were still somewhat sober, aside from Ning Wenjing, all looked at Shen Zuofeng with mocking gazes. They wanted to see how her pride would crumble, how she would have to lower her head and fall from her pedestal.
“B-Boss, don’t!” Ning Wenjing swayed as she tried to stand up, but someone beside her pulled her back down into her seat.
Shen Zuofeng didn’t even glance at her. She stared at the glass of wine Zhao Haisheng had pushed toward her, picked it up, and examined it slowly. “What I meant was, you should’ve said so earlier. If you had, I could’ve done this from the start.”
With a faint smile on her lips, she leisurely raised her hand and poured the wine directly over Zhao Haisheng’s head, drenching his hair and letting it drip onto his round belly. The soaked fabric gradually darkened in color.
Everyone else was stunned by Shen Zuofeng’s actions, staring blankly at the woman with the faint smile on her face. In an instant, they sobered up completely.
Zhao Haisheng wiped his face, his expression darkening as he glared at Shen Zuofeng’s calm demeanor. He abruptly stood up and roared, “You bitch!”
As he cursed, he raised his hand to strike her, putting all his strength into the blow. Since he had risen to his current position, no one had dared to treat him like this!
Shen Zuofeng raised her arm to block the strike, the smile completely gone from her face. “Why do you think I’ve worked so hard to climb up? Isn’t it to live well and do as I please? To betray myself for something that exists solely to serve my own desires do you think I’m stupid?”
With that, she kicked him squarely in the stomach. From the moment she had walked in, she had found him utterly repulsive. Did he really think his middle-aged charm was irresistible?
Staggering backward from the kick, Zhao Haisheng gasped for breath, pointing a trembling finger at her. “Fine! Well done! What are you all standing around for? Are you just going to watch me get beaten?!”
“Oh, oh, oh!” The people from Dom Company snapped into action. Two women stepped forward to support Zhao Haisheng, while the remaining four men surrounded Shen Zuofeng, though they hesitated, unsure whether to strike.
Seeing the situation, Ning Wenjing scrambled to her feet, trying to shield Shen Zuofeng, but Shen Zuofeng pushed her aside. “Stay put and don’t get in the way.”
With Ning Wenjing’s frail physique, she probably couldn’t withstand a single punch.
“Hit her! Do you still want to keep your jobs?!” Zhao Haisheng was absolutely furious. Shen Zuofeng’s kick had been so forceful he felt as if his stomach might burst.
Wang Xiao glanced at the others. To be honest, although they were used to flaunting Zhao Haisheng’s authority like a fox borrowing the tiger’s might, actually hitting someone was something they had never done before.
“Hit her!” he shouted, then gritted his teeth and charged forward. Against a woman like this, with several men, subduing her should be a piece of cake, right?
Hah. Shen Zuofeng sneered. In her eyes, these people’s moves were full of openings. Without hesitation, she threw a few punches at them, treating it as nothing more than a warm-up.
Alpha physical prowess was naturally superior. With such a strong physique, wouldn’t it be a waste not to make good use of it? Ever since her differentiation, Shen Zuofeng had specifically trained in various self-defense techniques. Even if she never used them, knowing how to fight was never a bad thing, it was just another form of exercise.
But the people in front of her were far too easy to take down.
“Damn it!” Seeing those useless men so easily beaten to the ground and groaning in pain, Zhao Haisheng shoved the two women aside, grabbed a chair, and swung it at Shen Zuofeng!
Since Ning Wenjing was still standing nearby with an anxious expression, Shen Zuofeng didn’t dodge. She was afraid that if she moved, the chair might accidentally hit Ning Wenjing. Instead, she raised her arm to block it. The heavy chair slammed into Shen Zuofeng, leaving several red marks on her fair skin. The pain made her brows furrow tightly.
The entire private room turned into their battlefield. Plates and bottles flew everywhere before shattering on the floor.
These so-called elite members of society, who usually carried themselves with dignity, had none of that elegance when it came to fighting. And despite all the commotion, not a single person came to check on them. It was clear Zhao Haisheng had given orders beforehand, no matter what happened, no one was to enter.
A shard of glass from a broken bottle grazed Shen Zuofeng’s face, leaving a small cut. Her expression turned completely cold, and she held back no longer, striking directly at their weak spots!
She had her pride, after all!
“Ouch, it hurts, it really hurts!”
“Damn, this woman knows how to fight!”
Shen Zuofeng picked up a chair, her eyes filled with ferocity, and smashed it hard onto Zhao Haisheng’s body. The chair shattered into pieces upon impact.
“Just because someone doesn’t lose their temper doesn’t mean they’re a pushover,” Shen Zuofeng said as she walked over to Zhao Haisheng, who was writhing on the floor, and delivered another fierce kick!
If they thought they could control her with this, they were sorely mistaken. If Shen Zuofeng were someone so easily manipulated, she would never have reached her current position.
“Damn you, I won’t let you get away with this! Do you even know whose turf this is?” Zhao Haisheng glared at her with a venomous expression, as if he wanted to devour her.
Shen Zuofeng stepped forward and pressed her foot against his face, saying coldly, “Before you start making threats, take a good look at your current situation. Whatever you plan to do, I’ll be right here to face it!”
She, Shen Zuofeng, wasn’t one to be afraid.
From behind, Ning Wenjing watched Shen Zuofeng’s back and felt that her boss was absolutely incredible!
One against five and she had completely dominated!
At that moment, her silhouette seemed so towering and majestic. And she knew that Shen Zuofeng hadn’t dodged Zhao Haisheng’s earlier attack because of her. The thought made her even more moved.
As for the other two women, they had long since fled the scene when the fight broke out.
Shen Zuofeng straightened her wrinkled clothes and glanced at Ning Wenjing, who was still standing there dazedly, looking at her with sparkling eyes. Frowning, she said, “Let’s go. Time to head back.”
“Oh, okay.” Ning Wenjing responded repeatedly, trotting obediently behind Shen Zuofeng as they left the private room.
Once outside, Shen Zuofeng spotted a person standing not far away, dressed in what appeared to be the uniform of a hotel manager.
“Your hotel’s service is truly remarkable,” Shen Zuofeng said softly as she approached the person, then paused briefly before striding away without looking back.
The manager left behind stood there looking somewhat awkward, wanting to check the situation inside the private room but not quite daring to enter.
After exiting the hotel, Shen Zuofeng instructed the now completely sobered-up Ning Wenjing to bring the car around while she waited by the entrance.
Her arm, which had been struck by the chair, burned with pain, and even lifting it slightly caused intense discomfort.
“Take me to the hospital,” Shen Zuofeng ordered once they were in the car.
“Alright.”
Ning Wenjing secretly observed Shen Zuofeng through the rearview mirror. The cut on her face from the glass not only failed to diminish her beauty but actually added a touch of wildness, complementing her cold expression with a somewhat yandere aura.
Ning Wenjing felt her heart beating a bit too rapidly.