Chapter 40: The Titan Returns Once More

Once again, a hot-selling streak had captured the attention of many. In just about twenty days, the Pink White Black Cosmetics Company had sold over six million boxes of facial masks. And this was all under the constraints of limited production—if output were increased, the numbers would be unimaginable.

Nearly a billion was raked in from the market in less than a month. What would the annual figure look like? One hundred billion was no longer just a dream! Moreover, these were fast-moving consumer goods; once used, customers would need to buy more, ensuring a steady stream of revenue year after year.

Most astonishing of all—this was merely a company selling facial masks! Their product line currently consisted of facial masks alone, yet their sales figures outpaced those of many other cosmetics companies.

Competitors—other facial mask and cosmetics companies—had all turned their gaze toward this meteoric newcomer. As their understanding deepened, so too did the sense of fierce competition, even a hint of dread, especially among the cosmetics companies. With Pink White Black’s two facial masks delivering such remarkable results, how many people would continue to purchase their cosmetics in the future? If bare-faced beauty sufficed, or at most a touch of light makeup, who would continue to slather their faces with unnecessary products? Who would still buy their outrageously expensive skincare lines, which traditionally made up the bulk of their sales?

It was clear that as Pink White Black expanded, the cosmetics market would inevitably shrink, and competition would only intensify. Any company with the means, whether through their own labs or by outsourcing, had begun urgent analysis and research on these two masks, hoping to develop products with similar effects.

Many in the cosmetics industry cried wolf, warning that the market was entering a deep freeze. More companies would face bankruptcy, and many industry professionals would lose their jobs. Indeed, a few well-known commentators went so far as to publish such opinions online. Strangely, these views found a chorus of support, with some even calling for the market regulator to shut down such disruptive companies and ban their products.

Lu Yu, reading the updates forwarded by Deng Qiang, was speechless for a long time. As for those commentators, he couldn’t be bothered with them—they always pandered to foreign interests, claiming everything domestic was inferior, and if anything was good at home, it had to be better abroad. They could be ignored completely.

But what about those who followed along, echoing such nonsense? Had their intelligence been devoured by dogs, or were they all moonlighting as members of the Bureau of Strategic Deception? After all, these days, that bureau’s work had become increasingly difficult. Yet, here was a brigade of commentators leading the charge, loudly proclaiming the downfall of the domestic market, perfectly fulfilling the bureau’s role and making things much easier for their director.

After skimming the news, Lu Yu simply told Deng Qiang: as long as we maintain quality control, avoid internal issues, and keep customers satisfied, none of this gossip is worth a second glance. The key was to forge iron while it’s hot—strength came from within. Focus on product quality, and there was nothing to worry about.

Deng Qiang was of a similar mind. He nodded and proceeded to report on the expansion of the production line. Starting in May, output could be further increased, and a shower gel production line was also in the pipeline—provided, of course, that raw materials remained sufficient. Deng Qiang’s procurement team had already scattered across the country to fulfill acquisition tasks. Any supplier who had worked with them once was now locked into a long-term relationship. The procurement team made it clear: soon, they would purchase every ounce of raw material available.

Suppliers were thus reassured and encouraged to expand production. With the company’s product performance, there was no chance of unsold stock. Many of these suppliers had done their homework on the two facial masks and were all smiles, eager to promise steady, even priority, supply—and rushed home to ramp up production, determined not to become a bottleneck. After all, their crops meant money! With a buyer so voracious, prices would surely rise. With such a promising market, what reason was there to hold back?

Previously, the herbal medicine market was lackluster; apart from hospitals and a few medicine shops, demand was minimal. Now, a cosmetics company was using medicinal herbs to craft facial masks yielding outstanding results and spectacular sales—an unforeseen windfall for the entire industry.

Deng Qiang continued to methodically expand the supply scale and lay plans for the shower gel line, everything progressing in an orderly fashion.

Meanwhile, in the United States, the atmosphere at the Estée Lauder headquarters was heavy. They had obtained samples of the masks from consumers and sent them to their most advanced labs for analysis. The results were less than encouraging. The company’s top brass had convened a meeting.

The lead executive turned to Charlie, head of R&D: “Charlie, tell us what your department has found.”

Charlie replied, “Yes, boss. After thorough testing and analysis, we’ve determined that the masks are primarily composed of herbal, natural plant extracts. We can identify about a third of the plants used, but the rest are beyond our comprehension. The first issue is our lack of understanding of these Chinese medicinal herbs, which creates enormous obstacles in our research—damn it. Sorry. Second, some components are completely unidentifiable. We’ve never seen or heard of them before. I suspect they may have synthesized something entirely new, but I can’t be certain—it might also be a result of their so-called Eastern medical techniques. Damn, in the past they had their legendary martial arts, now their medical arts are even more miraculous! If not for my scientific training and materialist worldview, I would’ve thought their masks were some kind of Eastern sorcery. No—no, more like magic that could make someone ascend to godhood.”

The executive at the head of the table said, “Calm down, Charlie. You’re our best researcher. Trust yourself. All you need is time.” The rest of management looked grim, eyes glued to the investigation report from their China division. None of them had ever imagined that a company selling facial masks could threaten their high-end cosmetics line. The verified results were so shocking, few could believe it.

One manager cursed, “Damn, how did they do this? It’s impossible!” Another added, “But it’s the truth—their product achieves these results, confirmed by countless users.” A board member declared, “We cannot allow their products into the United States—never! It would be catastrophic for us!” Another countered, “They’re still unable to meet domestic demand in China, so they’re not ready to enter foreign markets. We still have time. We must unite with other companies and do everything possible to prevent these products from leaving the East!”

A manager suggested, “Can we acquire them?” Several directors’ eyes lit up, voices rising: “Acquire them! We must acquire them—an outright acquisition! That would make our company greater than ever before!” A more level-headed executive pointed out, “In about a month, their sales have exceeded one hundred million dollars. That’s with a brand-new product and limited production. As their capacity grows, sales will soar. I don’t know their exact costs, but even if they’re double, triple, or quadruple the norm, their profits are as vast as the Pacific. How much would it take to buy them out? We’re not dealing with fools here!”

At that, those clamoring for acquisition fell silent. Indeed, what would it cost to secure such a company? They were just starting out, and already dominated the Eastern market. If they went global, the profits would be staggering—enough to fill the Pacific! There was no choice; they had to acquire the company, by any means necessary. Several directors’ eyes gleamed with fervor and danger.

Once the discussion subsided, the chief executive spoke slowly. “Send a professional team to negotiate the acquisition. We must act quickly—others are surely watching them too. Whoever acquires this company and obtains their formula will seize absolute advantage in the global cosmetics market. We must acquire them, and the sooner the better. If they’re willing to talk price, we have all the resources we need—total support. Charlie, continue your research. The company will allocate special funds for your work; if you need anything, come straight to me.”

Charlie nodded. “Yes, boss. We’ll do our utmost.”

The executive nodded. “Now, let’s decide who will lead the team to the East. This concerns the future of the company—and all of us.” A long debate ensued before the team was finalized: the most capable vice president would lead the group to the distant East to negotiate the acquisition of this cosmetics upstart. He assured the board he would do his best, then set off with the team, crossing the Pacific.

Upon arrival at the company’s China division, they joined local colleagues and headed to Shu City to acquire the little mask manufacturer.

Employees at the Estée Lauder China division had heard the vice president was coming and intended to provide a warm welcome, but when they saw the hurried, tense faces at the airport, they settled for a simple reception.

The vice president, Michael, just over forty and renowned for his abilities at headquarters, had been chosen to lead the delegation. Since there had been a previous acquisition attempt, Michael called in the staff member who had led that effort for a detailed debriefing. Learning that only the general manager had been met and not the owner, his expression grew grimmer, brows knitted in thought. He knew this trip wouldn’t be easy, but hadn’t expected the obstacles to be so daunting.

After further discussion with the team, they decided to proceed to Shu City. The group, along with the local head of the China division, promptly boarded a flight.

After a night’s rest, they all went to River Outer Nebula Company the next day.

Liu Shichang, newly on the job, received a message from the front desk and went to greet the group—puzzled to see such a large foreign-led party. The company had yet to expand into international business, after all. Still, out of courtesy, he escorted them to the conference room. Once everyone was seated and the assistants had served water and departed, Liu Shichang finally asked about the purpose of their visit.