However, apart from companies like Xinghe that were only trying to make a quick profit, there were also a number of voices on the internet that weren’t so harmonious.

While fans were actively spreading the word about Mingde’s new product launch in Shenzhen, there were also many who were skeptical about their actions.

Frozen food… how good could it really taste?

Some comments exaggerated to an absurd degree, making claims that were clearly an overstatement, which just made people laugh.

As the promotion heat continued to rise, some started to mock Mingde, but at the same time, the numerous newly opened Mingde stores were packed every day, gaining a great reputation with long lines of customers.

Those who had tasted Mingde’s restaurant dishes, aside from the lucky fans who received gift packages, were very excited about the upcoming product launch.

The negative comments had little impact, which only frustrated those who had made them.

In this atmosphere, Mingde finally released the official announcement of their new products’ launch amidst all the questions.

While fans rushed to spread the news, those who were waiting to criticize jumped at the chance. They had finally found something to attack Mingde for!

On the internet, people began posting the announcement image with critical remarks:

“Isn’t this new product from Mingde priced a bit too high? Do they think consumers are fools? Or are they just trying to collect an ‘IQ tax’ from their fans?”

In the announcement, the price tags for the first three products released by Mingde were glaringly high, significantly more expensive than similar products on the market.

—

Jin Yaotiao, knowing this would happen, wasn’t too bothered by it.

Not only the netizens but even many retailers who had partnered with distributors to promote Mingde were critical of the product prices.

Frozen foods had long been associated with low-cost and convenience, with customers expecting them to be affordable and practical, not something to be highly praised for taste.

However, the cost of Mingde’s products could not be compromised if they were to maintain their quality.

So, the company chose to position themselves as the first high-end frozen food brand in the domestic market, making the inevitable criticism of their high prices understandable.

Jin Yao was fine with the online criticism—once the products hit the market, consumers would see the sincerity behind Mingde’s offerings.

What bothered her more was Xinghe. Likely seeing the chaos in the online discussions as an opportunity, they decided to jump in, announcing a new promotional campaign in Shenzhen with a similar product line to Mingde’s upcoming launch.

They even scheduled their promotion to coincide with Mingde’s product release date, making it clear to anyone paying attention that they were directly competing with Mingde.

As a well-established player in the domestic frozen food industry, Xinghe’s move only added to the confusion.

But regardless, they had successfully entered the public eye in Shenzhen.

—

On the launch day of Mingde’s products at the largest supermarket in Shenzhen, Xinghe indeed launched its own promotion, slashing prices to less than a third of Mingde’s.

Their products were even cheaper than many of the other big brands in the same category.

This was practically a loss-leading sale, and Xinghe clearly hoped to use Mingde’s momentum to take over the Shenzhen market.

The ultra-low prices attracted many curious buyers, and photos comparing the large price difference between Mingde and Xinghe products went viral online, catching everyone’s attention.

Fans of Mingde, who had been angered by Xinghe’s actions, refused to back down.

Local fans in Shenzhen and food lovers who had been eagerly waiting for Mingde’s products rushed to support them.

Some fans from outside the city even asked the Shenzhen fan club to purchase and mail the products to them.

This strong purchasing power was truly impressive.

As a result, despite Xinghe’s lower prices attracting many consumers who weren’t familiar with the rivalry between the two companies, Mingde stood its ground, managing to hold its own in the market.

Online opinions were split into two camps.

One side marveled at how wealthy Mingde’s fans were, with their strong purchasing power surpassing even the most dedicated celebrity fanbases.

The other side mocked them, accusing the fans of being taken advantage of, buying the same product for several times the price, essentially being fleeced by Mingde.

—

Mingde’s fans only had one response: “Heh.”

In fact, many of them were aware that Mingde’s products were priced too high.

But isn’t that what being a fan is all about? They loved Chairman Jin, so of course, they had to support him, even if it meant overpaying. They had the money, and they were happy to spend it!

But when they finally tasted the eagerly awaited new products, all they could do was shed two tears of gratitude:

It turned out that Chairman Jin truly didn’t view them as cash machines.

Mingde’s products were filled with sincerity in every bite, justifying every penny they spent!

—

In Shenzhen, after posting a comment mocking Mingde’s fans, a certain black-hat troll returned home, carrying a shopping bag.

He spread out the items on his desk: two bags of dumplings. One was from Xinghe, and the other from Mingde.

The troll quickly opened a live-streaming app and, grinning, began to show his followers what he had bought.

“Let’s see… Xinghe’s dumplings, 60 pieces in a bag. So many! Enough for two meals. The promotional price is really cheap. As for Mingde’s, the packaging does look nice, much more high-end than Xinghe’s, but there are only 40 dumplings inside. Tsk, tsk. If you calculate the price, each dumpling costs four or five times as much as Xinghe’s. They’re both three-flavor dumplings—how can they charge this much?”

The live chat exploded with comments about how Mingde was exploiting its fans.

The troll agreed, but it wasn’t like he had any personal grudge against Mingde. He wasn’t trying to attack them for no reason—he just couldn’t stand their high prices and how they were exploiting consumers. It was really heartless.

The hater sighed with frustration, recalling the brainless fans who supported Mingde’s products at the live event today. He sighed in exasperation and mocked the behavior of these fans in the comments, referring to them as foolish people with too much money.

“Forget it. In the end, they’ll realize how stupid they are,” the hater shook his head, looking at the two bags on the table. He said, “I was arguing with them online on the way back, exhausted. I bought so many dumplings, so tonight, let’s just eat dumplings. I’m too lazy to go out.”

He said this while opening a live stream, bringing the dumplings into the kitchen. He had planned to cook the bag from Xinghe first, but before putting Mingde’s dumplings into the freezer, he suddenly became interested and asked, “How about I cook both kinds and see what the difference is between Mingde’s dumplings, which are four to five times more expensive than others?”

The fans in the comments found this interesting and began to joke around:

【You’ve lost it. How dare you eat dumplings that expensive? Won’t you regret it after realizing how much you’ve been scammed?】

【The dumplings are four to five times more expensive, maybe they’re filled with Tang Seng’s meat, and eating them will make you live forever.】

【Hahahahahahahahahahahaha】

The hater laughed at the comments, mocking Mingde’s dumplings as he brought them to the stove. He opened the package, and upon seeing the dumplings, he was a little surprised, saying, “Hmm… Mingde’s dumplings do look bigger and rounder. The skin is also different. They do seem better than regular frozen dumplings. They’re quite pretty.”

The comments were filled with laughter, and no one took his words seriously.

The hater thought about it for a moment and decided to take out two pots, bring them to a boil, and cook the dumplings according to the instructions on the package.

In the pot, the white dumplings floated in the water.

The Xinghe dumplings were fine, nothing special, but Mingde’s dumplings immediately stood out. They were all round, plump, and had big bellies.

The hater couldn’t help but develop a bit of affection for Mingde’s dumplings.

The filling in the dumplings seemed to be at least double what was in Xinghe’s. It seemed Mingde wasn’t as heartless as he initially thought.

At least they were generous with the filling.

He shook his head. “Don’t be foolish, this dumpling costs four to five times more. Mingde’s prices are even higher than what I’d pay to buy good ingredients and make dumplings myself. A little more filling doesn’t make it worth it. They’re just trying to scam consumers.”

With this thought, he quickly took both pots of dumplings out of the water. After a moment’s pause, he first decided to try Xinghe’s dumplings.

He nodded at his phone’s fans and said, “It’s fine. The taste is a bit bland compared to XXX’s, but given how cheap it is, the flavor matches the price. Speaking of which, their promotional price today is really cheap.”

The fans in the live stream began chatting about the super-low promotional price of Xinghe’s dumplings, becoming more convinced it was a great deal, and they started criticizing Mingde, urging him to try Mingde’s dumplings so they could continue mocking them.

The hater laughed as he picked up one of Mingde’s round, plump dumplings and took a bite.

The thin, chewy skin broke in his mouth, better than his own homemade dumplings.

The hater was stunned.

The filling in the dumpling, with its burst of juice, flooded his mouth in that brief moment of hesitation, filled with the rich, complex flavors of the three kinds of filling.

He had never tasted a filling like that, even in his own dumplings.

The sweetness of the fish, the freshness of the shrimp, the richness of the meat, the softness of the mushrooms, the refreshing taste of bamboo shoots…

The broth seemed to continuously pour from within, soaking and enveloping the filling, perfectly blended with no excess flavors.

As he chewed, he found himself reaching for more. Fans in the live stream watched as he ate one, then another, then another, as if he’d suddenly turned into an eating show host, and it made viewers hungry.

The fans started spamming the comments:

【??? Where’s the review??? Why are you eating now??? And it looks like you’re enjoying it???】

The hater finished half a bowl before snapping back to reality. He looked at the screen, then paused for a moment.

He turned around and opened the fridge, pulling out the bag of Mingde dumplings he had put in the freezer earlier.

Fans: 【???? Where’s the review??? What’s going on???】

“I’m going to cook the rest and finish it. The review is that it really is filled with Tang Seng’s meat,” the hater said seriously, pushing aside the bowl of Xinghe’s dumplings and starting to cook Mingde’s, “Damn, this is so good. After finishing this bag, I’m going to apologize to Mingde online. After I apologize, I’m going to buy a few more bags tomorrow, and I’ll eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.”

The fans were in shock:

【Sudden betrayal????】

【Wake up!! You didn’t buy Mingde’s dumplings to promote them! We were supposed to roast them together!! They’re so expensive!!!】

The hater: “It is way too expensive. Guys, my salary hasn’t been paid yet. Support me by sending some deep-water bombs and rockets, please.”

Fans: 【…】

---

In the supermarket, the procurement department, remembering yesterday’s chaotic rush for the dumplings, brought in new stock, feeling a little troubled.

Both companies’ products were being stocked, but which one should be placed in the best spot?

The products were practically identical, and even the flavors were almost the same. Anyone could see Xinghe’s intent.

The best position should naturally be given to the product with the highest sales potential. Although it seemed both companies had an equal fight yesterday, Mingde clearly survived due to its fan support.

Although Xinghe’s market share in the deep market wasn’t impressive, it was still a large company. Their product prices were more competitive, and they were aggressively targeting the market. Mingde didn’t seem like it could compete.

The fans might support Mingde for now, but could they continue to do so in the long run?

Xinghe had a devious plan: they could use Mingde’s buzz to stomp it down while using the heat to enter the deep market.

After confirming the prices of both products, the procurement department sighed and pointed to the prime spot, “Put Xinghe’s here.”

As business hours began, the supermarket once again saw a large crowd. The procurement manager observed as many customers walked straight to the freezer section.

They glanced at the prime spot, but instead of picking up Xinghe’s product, they moved to Mingde’s section nearby.

One bag, two bags, three bags—soon, the freezer was emptied by these customers. The ones who arrived late rushed over, asking a staff member, “Are Mingde’s dumplings, noodles, and tangyuan out of stock?”

The procurement manager froze for a moment before nodding repeatedly, “Yes, yes, we have them.”

He quickly called for staff to restock, smiling in surprise at the customers, “Mingde’s fans really have strong purchasing power.”

They were even helping boost sales today.

“Huh?” The customer across from him gave a confused look. “Who’s a fan of theirs?”

The manager was taken aback, “Aren’t you here to help Mingde boost sales?”

The customer looked at him like he was crazy. “I just ate well yesterday, and now I’m stocking up for myself.”

Looking around at the other customers who seemed to be doing the same, the customer added, “I hope they don’t run out. I’m glad I came early today, I need to buy more bags.”

The customer ended up buying five bags of dumplings, five bags of noodles, and three bags of tangyuan, pushing a cart full of expensive products, as if there was a money-printing machine at home.

As they left, the Xinghe promoter had just started working, greeting the customer: “Our upgraded Xinghe dumplings, flagship products, good quality and affordable, would you like to take a look?”

The customer glanced at the price tag and was shocked, staring at the promoter like they were a scammer. “Why is it so expensive now? Wasn’t it really cheap yesterday?”

The promoter replied, “…That was the promotional price. Today it’s back to the original price.”

The customer was serious, shaking their head. “I could accept the promotional price, but at the regular price, I don’t want it. It’s too expensive.”

The promoter looked at the dumplings in the customer’s cart, which were far more expensive than their own product. “…”