Shiseido and Procter & Gamble's Plan

After meeting with Oulaiya, Wei Kang went on to meet with representatives from Shiseido and Procter & Gamble.

He had always acted swiftly and decisively, arranging meetings with all three interested companies within a single day.

Originally, he had hoped that these three companies might bring him some pleasant surprises.

Unfortunately, the response from the first company, Oulaiya, had left him somewhat perplexed.

If they were called indifferent, their words had been full of enthusiasm.

Yet if they were called enthusiastic, their acquisition offer had been utterly insincere, and their proposed collaboration had lacked any detailed terms, as though it had been hastily put together just to placate him.

It left him feeling somewhat frustrated.

It also made him keenly aware of the enormous difference between sales-driven companies and technology-driven companies.

Sure enough, every trade had its own secrets. Different industries operated on entirely different tracks, and an outsider found it difficult to truly understand the intricacies within.

He had initially thought that, with a Whitening Drug this effective, cosmetics companies would not necessarily be overjoyed and willing to pay a fortune for it, but would at least show strong interest and put forward a sincere partnership proposal.

As it turned out, he had overestimated their investment in technology.

That would make dealings between them quite difficult.

Even if they were willing to cooperate, he doubted whether they would devote substantial effort to developing a new whitening product line.

If the partnership proved ineffective, the new product certainly would not be able to hit the market quickly.

That would not only affect his income, but also greatly affect the system points.

After all, system points only increased as more people used the prescription.

He had worked hard to extract the whitening prescription. If it could not be rapidly popularized, it would be wasted.

Just as he was pondering this, the business representatives from Shiseido and Procter & Gamble arrived as well.

It was not that he had arranged to negotiate with both companies at the same time.

Rather, Procter & Gamble's representative had arrived early.

The other side seemed to attach great importance to the matter, sending a vice president for the China region to lead the negotiations.

This vice president, Denek, had brown hair, a lean face, gold-rimmed glasses, and an extremely stern expression.

Wei Kang had not expected Procter & Gamble's people to arrive ahead of schedule, so he led them to another conference room to wait.

He intended to speak with Shiseido first, according to their agreed time.

Shiseido had sent a brand director named Koizumi Taijiro.

Koizumi Taijiro spoke fluent Chinese, and both he and his assistant were exceedingly polite.

The moment they entered, they greeted him enthusiastically with ninety-degree bows, making Wei Kang rather unaccustomed to it.

After both sides took their seats, they exchanged another round of warm pleasantries. Praise poured continuously from Koizumi's mouth as he lauded Three Purities' anticancer drug as something unmatched in heaven or on earth.

Wei Kang listened with a smile. In the blink of an eye, five minutes passed, yet the other party showed no intention of getting to the point.

He could only say, "Your company is also one of the giants in the fast-moving consumer goods industry. In truth, we've long admired each other."

"Let's skip the small talk. What proposal has your company brought?"

With a beaming smile, Koizumi Taijiro took out a folder and handed it over. "Yes, Mr. Wei, you are absolutely right. We have indeed made thorough preparations. There are two proposals here. Please take a look first—whichever one satisfies you, we can discuss that one."

Wei Kang accepted it, flipping through the pages while listening to Koizumi's enthusiastic introduction.

"First, we are willing to pay a high price to acquire this prescription, then immediately apply it to the company's flagship product line. We will spare no effort in pushing for the product to launch as soon as possible."

"We believe that a new generation of whitening products released under the Shiseido brand will certainly create a sales peak in the second half of the year. I have even prepared a marketing plan in advance for your review."

Wei Kang nodded as he read. The marketing plan for the new whitening product line was highly professional, detailing various figures and projected sales. It even planned to hire a rising young actress currently in the spotlight as its spokesperson. They had truly spared no expense.

Overall, he was satisfied with the proposal, though the acquisition amount was still on the low side. However, when he considered the cosmetics industry's investment in research and development, he sighed inwardly.

It seemed that this was simply the state of the industry. If they could truly buy the prescription, quickly develop a whitening product, and launch it on the market, then in the long run, for the sake of system points, he could only swallow this financial loss.

As Koizumi Taijiro spoke, he secretly watched Wei Kang. There was neither satisfaction nor disappointment on his face, making him impossible to read.

His eyes shifted, and he continued, "If President Wei is still not entirely satisfied, then the second cooperation proposal is behind it."

Wei Kang finally showed a bit of interest. He flipped to the back and began reading carefully.

Seeing that Wei Kang appeared more interested in the second proposal, Koizumi Taijiro hurriedly began explaining it.

"We are also extremely sincere about this cooperation proposal. We can sign a long-term exclusive licensing agreement with Three Purities, paying Three Purities substantial licensing fees every year. We will handle all subsequent product development, launches, and sales. It will save you a great deal of worry and trouble..."

"In short, we are very willing to establish a long-term, mutually beneficial partnership with Three Purities. Of course, it must be an exclusive agreement."

Wei Kang nodded. "I roughly understand your two proposals. May I ask whether you can guarantee that you will devote your full efforts to developing the new whitening product and push it to market as soon as possible?"

Delight appeared on Koizumi Taijiro's face. He patted his chest and loudly gave his assurance.

"Mr. Wei, rest assured. Our company attaches great importance to this whitening drug. We have already formed a professional project development team, and the staff will soon be fully assembled. Once the contract is signed, product development will begin immediately. It should be launched and sold at the fastest possible speed, seizing the whitening market across all of East Asia."

"Oh." Wei Kang was finally somewhat moved. Their execution and sincerity truly were exceptional, especially since they had assembled a project team in advance and intended to sell through their channels across the entire East Asian market.

He knew that, aside from China, women in Korea and Sakura Country were also fanatical in their pursuit of whitening.

It seemed that East Asian cosmetics companies truly understood this better than companies in Europa.

Overall, Shiseido's proposal had satisfied him. If they could truly deliver everything they promised, then a slightly lower price was acceptable.

Wei Kang smiled. "All right, your company's proposal is indeed very comprehensive. You've even worked out the marketing plan and made arrangements for an endorser. This actress, Yan An'an, really is fair-skinned and beautiful—she's very suitable for endorsing this whitening product."

Koizumi Taijiro said with a beaming smile, "Of course. She has the strongest sales-driving power among China's female celebrities. With her endorsement, it will definitely trigger a sales frenzy."

"So, President Wei, when shall we sign the contract? Could we sign a letter of intent today?"

Wei Kang shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I can't make a decision today."

"I'm sure you noticed that representatives from Procter & Gamble Company arrived at the same time as you. I have to meet with them before I can decide which company to work with."

He extended his hand. "Still, thank you very much for your proposal. It was highly professional and left a deep impression on me."

Koizumi Taijiro maintained his smile, bowed once more, then left with his assistant.

Next came the meeting with Procter & Gamble Company.

Denek was equally enthusiastic. The proposal he presented was similar to Shiseido's, though they had not prepared quite as thoroughly.

"Mr. Wei, SKII, Procter & Gamble Company's high-end skincare brand, is in great need of a powerful whitening product like this."

"Therefore, we are also very interested in cooperating. We are willing to offer the same terms as the other companies. In short, we definitely won't disappoint you."

Wei Kang had a general understanding of Procter & Gamble Company. It was also a Fortune Global 500 consumer goods company, but it was not particularly strong in high-end cosmetics. SKII was its only pillar, relying on a flagship skincare essence that sold well worldwide.

However, this brand did not have much of an advantage in whitening. Its main functions lay in skin conditioning and anti-aging.

Overall, it was somewhat lacking in every aspect. If it could be bolstered by a powerful whitening product, it would likely enrich its product line and increase its market share.

The two sides held friendly talks. Wei Kang told Denek that he had currently received proposals from three companies and had to consider them carefully before making a final decision.

Denek expressed his understanding and said he looked forward to the final result in a few days.

At last, the day's business meetings were over.

At that moment, Shiseido's and Procter & Gamble's proposals lay spread across his desk.

Wei Kang hesitated, unable to make a decision for the moment.

In truth, he was still somewhat inclined toward an East Asian brand like Shiseido. After all, it had greater advantages in the East Asian market and had always been famous for its whitening products, with extensive sales experience in that area.

If they cooperated, it would likely be a case of strength added to strength, and the product could surely be brought to market faster.

After pondering for a long time, he finally made his decision and reached for one of the proposals.

Suddenly, his phone rang.

It was a WeChat message from Sheng Changya, Oulaiya's product manager.

Wei Kang frowned. After meeting with Shiseido, he had actually already given up on that company.

Don't tell me she's still trying to persuade me to accept their proposal?

Manager Sheng did seem quite dedicated, still doing her utmost to salvage this cooperation proposal.

But don't they have any self-awareness? Don't they know their proposal lacks sincerity?

Forget it. Let's see what she has to say first.

He opened her WeChat message.

"President Wei, how did your talks with Shiseido go?"