The issue Jiang Bai mentioned was quickly resolved.

Mingde’s products were immediately pulled from the stores that had been bribed.

The partners who had dared to make moves behind the scenes likely underestimated Mingde, thinking the company was new to the industry and didn’t understand the ropes.

They probably thought they could get away with it, assuming that Mingde wouldn’t be able to retaliate as strongly as established companies.

What they didn’t expect was that Mingde would react swiftly and decisively.

The stores that had first acted out, having received bribes from Xinghe, were stunned.

If the product that was pulled was just some insignificant item, it wouldn’t matter, but Mingde’s products were flying off the shelves in Shenzhen.

All the other retail outlets were limiting purchases, and only those stores didn’t have the product.

The negative consequences of this decision were far-reaching.

These stores quickly regretted their actions, realizing they had lost far more than they had gained. They scrambled to make amends and restore their relationship with Mingde.

With these stores being “punished,” many other partners were now playing it safe and refrained from trying any funny business.

Online, Xinghe was once again criticized for this brief but damaging move.

Even though their bundling sales tactic had been short-lived, Mingde’s loyal fans were quick to come to its defense, blasting Xinghe for their shamelessness.

---

In the kitchen, Shen Qiming sat silently, scrolling through his phone and reading the online insults directed at Xinghe.

He quietly made a note of the company’s name before receiving a large refund from the fan club.

Because of his sizable contribution, the fan club treated him with great respect.

The president personally messaged him, “Sorry, Mr. Shen. Because Mingde’s products are now limited in Shenzhen, we can only refund your contribution. Please accept my sincere apologies!”

Shen Qiming, after reading the message, typed back calmly: “It’s fine, I have it here.”

The president, emotional, responded: “Ah, yes! You were part of the first batch of funding, right? You bought so many products! Your love for Chairman Jin is truly unparalleled!”

Shen Qiming smiled at the screen and walked towards the kitchen.

As he passed by… one, two, three, four refrigerator freezers, he opened one to find it filled with Mingde’s frozen foods. If he took a picture and posted it, who knew how many Shenzhen residents would be envious and flock to his door within half an hour.

However, Shen Qiming didn’t look at the products. Instead, he took a black-bone chicken from the corner of the freezer.

Following the recipe step by step, he chopped the chicken and prepared the other ingredients.

This was a task he had repeated many times before, and this time it seemed even better than before.

After placing it in water and simmering it, the oil bubbles began to rise.

He took care of other tasks, then returned to uncover the pot. When he peered into the clear broth, he felt that this time, it was a success.

He took a picture and, with no one to ask, posted a rare update to his social media with a simple caption: “How’s this?”

His assistants, who had recently seen him buying chicken in a supermarket near the office, quickly started liking the post:

“Good! Good soup!”

“Looks like a nice, clear broth! It’s a great old-school soup!”

“The black-bone chicken is cooked perfectly! You can rarely find such good quality chicken soup nowadays!”

Shen Qiming ignored the comments.

Two minutes later, Jiang Sen, who couldn’t stay off his phone for long, responded: “Haha, Old Shen, what’s up with your assistants? Is this the new auntie you hired in Shenzhen? Her cooking skills don’t seem that great—why does she keep cutting the chicken into all sorts of odd sizes?”

The assistants who had been fervently praising Shen Qiming’s post suddenly stopped:

“…”

Shen Qiming glanced at the comments for a moment, then scooped the soup into a bowl and, just like the days before, quietly drank it.

Recently, the old chef from another city had kept asking him to share the new articles they had written, and Jin Yaotiao had also developed the habit of occasionally browsing through social media before bed. To her surprise, she came across Shen Qiming’s rare post, which happened to feature a pot of soup.

It was really rare.

Looking at the small photo, she wondered, was this Auntie Xu’s cooking?

She was about to take a closer look but accidentally refreshed the page.

Hmm?

What happened to the post?

---

Xinghe’s local Shenzhen manager was struck in the face with a report from a visiting higher-up.

Despite Xinghe’s efforts, their market share in Shenzhen had actually declined instead of increasing!

The manager, who had been scolded relentlessly over the past few days, was on the verge of tears as he faced his boss’s bewilderment: “Boss, the consumers here are really strange. They’re not like people in other places. They’re so tough!”

The assistants: “Crowdfund five yuan to get Jiang Sen to stop talking!”

Jiang Sen: “…?”

The citizens of Shenzhen, experiencing the limited purchasing restrictions: “Ahh! Hand over your fridge!”

Xinghe had traditionally focused on markets far from Shenzhen, but in the past couple of years, they gradually began making inroads into this area.

The big boss wasn’t very familiar with Shenzhen, but market research must have been done.

Upon hearing the person in charge use such excuses for their poor performance, the boss found it absurd and immediately said, “What nonsense are you talking? We’ve successfully entered so many big cities. Are the consumers in Shenzhen stronger than the ones in other first-tier cities?”

The person in charge was close to tears, recalling their recent experiences and muttering, “I think they’ve just grown another mouth to insult people.”

Since their initial success with Mingde’s popularity, Xinghe’s network marketing department had been losing people to complaints daily.

It was hard to understand where these Shenzhen netizens found so much energy. Even after a long time had passed, some persisted in attacking Xinghe on their accounts.

The bundling sales strategy that Xinghe employed wasn’t something new; they had used similar tactics elsewhere before, but they had never faced such a swift and intense backlash.

In the past, when customers of other brands faced bundling sales, they would simply refrain from buying what they didn’t want.

But Mingde’s customers were on a rampage, insulting their ancestors and showing such zeal that it seemed like they wanted to shatter the ancestors’ memorial tablets.

The person in charge finally realized and hesitantly spoke, “Boss, I think our company might just not be compatible with Shenzhen. Not only are the consumers tough, but the competitors here are also quite tricky.”

Mingde, despite being a newcomer in this industry, should have been the easiest to handle compared to the big brands they had dealt with before.

But Xinghe had been caught off guard by Mingde’s strength.

Having worked in the industry for so many years, the person in charge thought he understood the market well, but he had never encountered such a tough opponent.

The big boss snorted, determined to conquer the vast Shenzhen market, “Is that so? Then what do you suggest we do?”

The person in charge didn’t know how to respond, hesitating before answering, “…Perhaps we should burn some incense first?”

The big boss and his inept nephew exchanged a long stare. After a moment, the boss threw a file at him, “Get out!”

---

At home, Jin Yaotiao soon received a phone call from Xinghe’s boss, who appeared flexible and acted as though none of their previous aggressive actions against Mingde mattered.

He cheerfully got straight to the point: “Director Jin, are you interested in collaborating with Xinghe?”

Jin Yaotiao calmly asked, “What kind of collaboration are you referring to?”

The boss of Xinghe laughed, “What else could it be? Let’s make money together!”

Upon listening closely, Jin Yaotiao realized that the boss was suggesting they continue with the bundling sales strategy, while also promoting cooperation between their two brands in Shenzhen to bring Xinghe’s brand to the forefront for local consumers.

This cooperation proposal was laughable.

Xinghe was currently being criticized by its own fans for its previous actions, and now they wanted Mingde to help boost their reputation?

Moreover, using the bundling sales method was just exploiting Mingde’s good name to build their own brand.

Jin Yaotiao couldn’t see anything appealing about the proposal and asked, “May I ask, how would this benefit Mingde?”

The boss shrugged, “In business, more friends mean more paths. I’m sure Director Jin understands this principle.”

Jin Yaotiao saw through him—this wasn’t about collaboration; it was just Xinghe trying to use its larger industry scale to bully Mingde.

If they were truly a sincere partner, they could have sat down and talked.

But with their arrogance and intention to take advantage, there was nothing more to discuss.

The boss seemed stunned for a moment after the rejection, then laughed and said, “Director Jin, Mingde is just starting out. Sometimes, decisions are made in the heat of the moment, but it won’t be good for your company.”

The call ended.

Jin Yaotiao’s parents noticed her displeasure and asked, “Who was on the phone? What happened?”

“It’s nothing,” Jin Yaotiao replied, not too worried.

The quality of Mingde’s products was solid, so she wasn’t afraid.

She sent a text to her company’s staff, calling for a meeting to discuss potential responses.

Smiling at her parents, she asked, “How is the taste of the new product?”

On the plate were two yellow fish, cooked in a rich sauce.

The fish had retained its shape well after freezing and looked appetizing with the steaming aroma.

The separately packaged rice cakes had to be added to the pot while heating the fish soup.

Once the fish was heated, the rice cakes absorbed the rich broth.

Her father, initially skeptical, was surprised by the fish’s texture. “The frozen fish is still so tender, it’s incredible. And…” he paused to savor the flavor.

What amazed him wasn’t just the fish’s texture, but how the freezing process seemed to turn the fish’s disadvantage into an advantage. “The fish tastes more thoroughly marinated than freshly cooked.”

The fish had clearly been fried before cooking, and the skin, now softened and enriched with the broth, carried a unique smoky flavor.

The fish itself was delicate and firm, and the flavors seeped deep into the fibers after being frozen with the broth.

Even when the sauce dispersed, the fish remained juicy and flavorful.

Her father nodded in approval, “This taste, you couldn’t even make it fresh.”

Although he wasn’t a professional chef, he was a discerning eater.

When Jin Yaotiao heard his praise, she knew the product would be a hit with consumers.

She added a piece of rice cake soaked in the broth and said, “I’ve realized that if done right, the storage process can become part of the cooking process. So, I’m working on developing more ingredients like this.”

For example, Mingde’s frozen noodles, where the beef inside the frozen dough packets became tender and flavorful after freezing, had quickly become the most popular product.

Even though the other two products were also in high demand, the noodles had managed to slightly outperform the competition.

This boosted Jin Yaotiao’s confidence in pushing Mingde into larger markets.

Mingde’s restaurants, no matter how many they opened, would always face the limitations of the physical industry.

Even most regular chain restaurants find it hard to truly become omnipresent, let alone a traditional model like Mingde that requires high standards.

Labor, space, management, and even the lower consumer levels in smaller cities were challenges that all restaurant owners had to face.

In the future, Mingde would inevitably have to forfeit some territories.

This was why many industry peers, no matter how hard they worked, couldn’t achieve the same influence as the giants in other industries.

But Mingde was different.

Aside from restaurants, Mingde also had more flexible products that were convenient, cost-effective, and could appear anywhere in the world without needing physical space.

One day, wherever there were people, Mingde’s products would be on the table.

The soft, chewy rice cake wrapped in fish broth felt like silk as it melted in the mouth.

It was the kind of flavor that made one instinctively close their eyes to savor it.