Chapter 081: It's Certain—We've Been Duped

Over the next day and a half, Wang Tiancai and his three companions were kept busy beyond measure, searching for supplies, packing products, confirming booth locations, and storing materials. Meanwhile, Zhang Tianfeng used this time to finalize the details of his subsequent plans.

Once this batch of inventory was depleted, the toy factory would begin its transformation—moving into custom branded toys. The future path would involve purchasing IPs, supporting domestic comics, TV dramas, and even traditional craftsmanship, particularly mortise-and-tenon techniques.

Mortise-and-tenon craftsmanship was especially important to Zhang Tianfeng; he saw it as a crucial stepping stone for entering overseas markets.

On the fourth evening, in their hotel, Zhang Tianfeng and the four others sat together for dinner.

“You’ve all worked hard these past few days. Tomorrow will be a tough battle. Let’s give it our all,” Zhang Tianfeng said.

“Don’t worry, boss,” Wang Tiancai replied with confidence. “After suffering once, I won’t be fooled again! This time, I’ll make them eat their words.”

“Good, let’s eat.”

As they dined upstairs, in the building opposite, a pair of binoculars watched their every move.

After the meal, the observer followed them out, reporting everything by phone to Chen Yuanhua.

“Alright, I got it. Keep watching, stay glued to Zhang Tianfeng, and contact me immediately if anything happens.”

After hanging up, Chen Yuanhua muttered, “What on earth is Zhang Tianfeng up to? Staying holed up in the hotel for a day and a half without going out.”

“Probably realized he can’t beat us and is ready to give up,” Xu Kuangdao, lying on the bed, joked. “Our strength this time is overwhelming, and his foolish employees keep making the same mistakes. How can they win?”

“Don’t get complacent. I still feel it’s not that simple.”

Chen Yuanhua remained cautious; Xu Kuangdao, however, saw it differently.

In his view, Zhang Tianfeng was simply out of tricks. Without the Huo family’s help, he was nothing—just a clown not worth mentioning.

Xu Kuangdao wasn’t afraid of the Huo family either; he still had the phone recording. If the Huo family left him no way out, he wouldn’t bother saving face for them.

...

The night passed without incident, and the next day dawned.

At nine in the morning, Xu Kuangdao, accustomed to the boss’s life, was still sound asleep when a sudden, urgent phone call jolted both men awake.

“What? They changed tactics again? Damn it! Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” Chen Yuanhua, normally composed, swore as he hung up and began dressing quickly.

Xu Kuangdao, bleary-eyed, asked, “What happened?”

“Zhang Tianfeng’s booth has some kind of blind box lottery going on, drawing thousands of onlookers. We haven’t sold a single item.”

“Damn, what kind of trick is that?!”

Cursing as he got up, he skipped breakfast, and the two headed straight to the market.

The streets were crowded, so much so that traffic police had to direct the flow and disperse people.

Even before they got close, they heard booming promotional announcements.

“Buy a blind box for a chance at a 400,000 yuan luxury car!”

“Just ten bucks—take a chance, and your bicycle could turn into a motorcycle!”

“Buy it and you won’t lose, buy and you won’t be fooled. Don’t miss out, everyone!”

The two got out midway, each wearing a large sun hat, mingled in the crowd for a while, and walked away with a blind box each, returning to their car.

In a secluded alley, their vehicle parked in the middle of the road, the sound of ripping packaging echoed in the cabin.

The boxes were opened, revealing three exquisitely packaged items.

Xu Kuangdao’s box contained a tin green frog, a nail clipper, and a peeling knife; Chen Yuanhua’s had a Transformer, a fountain pen, and a brush.

“Damn, why did I get the dud and you got the good stuff?” Xu Kuangdao complained, comparing their loot.

Chen Yuanhua glanced at him and handed over his lottery ticket. “Brother, you’re missing the point—this is the real killer move.”

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Lottery Ticket

Scratch to Win

First Prize...

This product is exclusively sponsored by Blue Square Toy Factory, which holds sole interpretation rights for this event.

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After reading everything, Xu Kuangdao began scratching the ticket. When he saw the first number was a one, his breath quickened.

“Whoa, I won! First prize—one thousand bucks!”

Chen Yuanhua sighed, rubbing his forehead. “What are you doing? We’re not here to win prizes.”

Xu Kuangdao paused, patting his own head. “Sorry, I think my brain short-circuited.”

“It’s not you—it’s their slogan. It’s way too persuasive.”

Ten yuan for a chance at a luxury car worth four hundred thousand. Even if you don’t win, you don’t lose money.

That slogan, repeated endlessly, almost tempted even Chen Yuanhua, who wasn’t much of a gambler—let alone Xu Kuangdao, who lived for it.

Thinking it over, Xu Kuangdao frowned. “But isn’t the winning rate way too high? I bought one and got first prize. Are they just handing out money?”

“Just lucky. Can we stop fixating on the lottery? We need to think of a counter-strategy.”

This sudden blind box tactic had caught Chen Yuanhua off guard. He hadn’t figured out a way to counter it, even after racking his brain the whole way there.

A moment later, Xu Kuangdao’s eyes lit up. “If we can’t beat them, let’s join them. Sell with the same method. They sell for ten, we sell for eight, and wear them down.”

Chen Yuanhua suddenly felt that partnering with Xu Kuangdao was a mistake.

He’d thought the Xu family was full of capable people, but after so many days together, all he’d found were flaws in Xu Kuangdao: not much of a thinker, impulsive, strategic but lacking in execution.

No wonder he couldn’t outmaneuver Zhang Tianfeng. If someone like him managed to do it, it would only be sheer luck.

Grumbling inwardly, Chen Yuanhua said, “Our goal is to block Zhang Tianfeng from opening new sales channels and prevent him from clearing his inventory.”

“You saw for yourself—so many people at the booth. The tens of thousands of toys he brought will be gone in no time.”

“By the time we launch a similar product, it’ll be too late.”

“Brother, you don’t get the inside track!” Xu Kuangdao chuckled. “Every carton factory keeps records of their orders.”

“As long as we find the carton factory he used, we can package everything up in a day.”

“He brought tens of thousands of toys to Harbor City, and took thousands more from us. Even if you give him two days, he can’t sell them all! We have time to adjust.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course. I grew up in carton factories—I know the ropes.”

“Alright, we’ll go with your plan. Let’s find the carton factory supplying him.”

They immediately arranged for someone unknown to bribe Fu Tianfeng and his team.

With Zhang Tianfeng’s prior approval, Fu Tianfeng sold the information for two thousand yuan.

By eleven in the morning, Xu Kuangdao and Chen Yuanhua appeared at Tianhai Carton Factory.

After some inquiries, they entered the manager’s office, where boxes identical to their target’s packaging were stacked by the wall.

“Boss, can you make these cartons?” Xu Kuangdao asked.

“You want to make these?”

“That’s right. Time is tight, no room for new designs—let’s use this model. The other party isn’t a big company; they won’t pursue legal action.”

Fearing refusal, Xu Kuangdao added, “I’ll give you three cents profit on each carton. Minimum order ten thousand for the first phase, more to come. What do you say?”

“Alright, but I—”

“No buts. Let’s sign the contract.”

The carton factory manager had never seen customers negotiate like this. After a moment’s hesitation, he brought out the contract.

Signed, stamped, paid—the agreement was sealed.

Xu Kuangdao finally felt a weight lift off his shoulders.

He exhaled deeply and asked, “Manager, what were you about to say?”

“I wanted to ask if you’re friends with that young man named Zhang.”

Both men’s hearts skipped a beat, a sense of foreboding creeping in.

Chen Yuanhua asked, “Why do you say that, boss?”

“A few days ago, a young man named Zhang came to order cartons. He said he’d recommend two friends later and asked me to give them a discount.”

“I thought he was joking, but now it seems he wasn’t.”

“Please let him know when you see him that I keep my word—have him come back to discuss the discount.”

The room fell silent for a long while. Finally, Chen Yuanhua asked hesitantly, “Did we just get played?”

“Definitely,” Xu Kuangdao said, nodding vigorously.