One late night in October, Dr. Xu Qingzhou suddenly brought news that X Fiber had gone viral worldwide.
Opening the video's comments section, Gao Yuan was dazzled by the tens of thousands of messages.
"Damn, those Chinese soldiers are way too handsome!"
"I just want to know what kind of black technology their uniforms use. How can they be so resistant to the cold?"
"That's incredible! In frigid high-altitude regions, you only need a single layer of clothing!?"
"Can someone tell me where to buy a high-tech jacket like that? Winter has already arrived in Finland, and it's so, so cold outside."
"Same here, same here. As long as I don't have to bundle up like a polar bear in winter, I don't mind paying a little extra."
"I wonder if they have matching stockings? Even in winter, I want to wear skirts."
Gao Yuan curled his lip. He discovered that men and women really did focus on different things. Men wanted warmth and protection from the cold, while women cared wholeheartedly about looking pretty, so they had far more demands regarding styles and designs.
"X2 thermal stockings... That's not a bad idea." Gao Yuan muttered, stroking his chin.
Though it was somewhat unexpected, the X series fiber had made its name in precisely this surprising fashion.
Within just a few days, it had completely exploded across the globe, becoming the hottest topic on every major ranking list.
Imperial Capital.
"Look at this." Wearing reading glasses, Wu Dongming pointed at a news headline on his phone. "The biggest spokesperson in history: the PLA steps in personally, and Kunlun's X series fiber goes viral worldwide!"
"These self-media outlets nowadays really dare to write any headline that grabs attention."
"And here's another one."
"Sales break records again: domestic clothing companies crush global giants!"
Zhou Kaidi, Wu Dongming's secretary, brought him a cup of tea and said with a smile, "Traffic is money these days. To draw attention, self-media outlets have to make their headlines a little sensational."
"But then again, you need real strength to back it up. Gao Yuan and Kunlun Company weren't hyped up by news coverage and public opinion. Their technology really is that formidable."
"When we went to Jiangnan last time, the battle was still fairly intense. But now, I hear that chemical fiber companies led by Japan are retreating across the board. Even the most optimistic analysts never expected those powerful international giants to be beaten so badly by a small company like Kunlun."
"Kunlun isn't a small company anymore," Wu Dongming said with a smile. He rose, took his coat from the rack, and lovingly ran a hand over it.
"In my view, the full-scale retreat of the international giants is only the beginning," Wu Dongming said.
Zhou Kaidi froze, disbelief in his eyes. "Sir, you mean Gao Yuan and the others can win another victory?"
Wu Dongming did not answer directly. Instead, he spread the coat across his desk and pointed at its fabric. "X2 Fiber is the main material, with brushed knitted fabric, an inner lining filled with X2 Fiber fluff, and X1 Quick-Dry Fiber against the skin."
"A jacket like this can withstand temperatures of minus twenty degrees Celsius, yet it weighs only six hundred and fifty grams. Wearing it feels simply wonderful."
"I used to have a black woolen overcoat that I loved dearly. It was expensive when I bought it, and I would only take it out for important occasions. But now, I don't even think about wearing it anymore."
Zhou Kaidi nodded slightly. He, too, felt as if technology had changed his life. Once he had worn X series fiber, there was no going back.
After a pause, Wu Dongming continued, "More importantly, there's the power of trends. I'm already over fifty. At my age, it should be impossible for me to chase trends."
"However, if that's what you think, you'd be wrong."
"When I attend meetings at the Ministry, everyone from top to bottom is wearing X Fiber. If you show up bundled in a down jacket, you look completely out of place."
"At the last meeting, Old Zhu and Old Yuan were still wearing wool coats. This time, both of them switched to X Fiber, just like everyone else."
"If even the old men at the Ministry are like that, what about young people like you?"
Zhou Kaidi thought back carefully. On the streets of the Imperial Capital, anyone not wearing X Fiber really did stand out as an oddity.
Moreover, because X Fiber was reasonably priced—slightly more expensive than traditional padded cotton clothing, but far cheaper than down jackets and fur products—there was no price barrier, which further accelerated its spread.
"As expected, experience wins out," Zhou Kaidi said with admiration. "You really see things more deeply than we do. PLA endorsement, high-tech support, plus the power of trends."
"X Fiber has claimed every possible advantage!"
Wu Dongming laughed heartily. "I said long ago that Gao Yuan is a restless kid. He's the kind of guy who loves stirring things up!"
"It's only December now. If this trend continues, the retreat of those international giants will merely be the beginning. The only thing I'm unsure about is whether, with Gao Yuan's methods, he can drive them straight into collapse this winter!"
Drive them into collapse!?
Hiss—
Hearing his old leader's astonishing words, Zhou Kaidi could not help drawing a sharp breath.
Gao Yuan had always believed that a person could not have too many opportunities in life. So when an opportunity came, one had to seize it at any cost.
Ever since the PLA incident began, Gao Yuan had entered a state of frenzy. Like a tightly wound spring, he remained tense every day, constantly urging the contract manufacturers to ship goods and pressuring partners to increase their promotional efforts.
No one wanted to receive a call from Gao Yuan at two in the morning, but everyone showed remarkable restraint toward this abnormal habit of his and did their best to meet his demands.
The reason the partners were so obedient was simple: X Fiber was selling incredibly well. The whole world had gone completely mad for it!
Wu Dongming, in the Imperial Capital, saw the situation very clearly. X Fiber's explosive popularity had not been caused by any single factor, but by the combined force of PLA endorsement, high-tech appeal, and global fashion trends.
Any one of those forces would have been enough to influence the entire market, let alone three arrows fired at once.
Thus, X Fiber was no longer merely one winter option for people. It had become their only option for winter!
It had reached the point where students felt too embarrassed even to greet their classmates if they went to school without wearing X Fiber!
X2 thermal fiber had launched relatively late, with official shipments only beginning in mid-September.
Yet after weathering a series of storms, by the time mid-December arrived, it finally erupted with immense power, becoming an unstoppable torrent!
From New York to Los Angeles, from London to Paris, from Tokyo to Seoul, X Fiber products bearing the Kunlun Mountain logo were placed on the counters of every clothing retailer, eagerly discussed and sought after by everyone.
Meanwhile, traditional fiber products, mainly from Japanese manufacturers, suffered a crushing defeat and fell into the embarrassing state of attracting no interest at all.
Even more embarrassed were some Chinese manufacturers. Seeing the major Japanese companies slash prices like crazy, they stockpiled massive quantities of goods, hoping to make a killing once winter arrived.
What happened in the end? Their warehouses full of inventory simply would not sell, and they nearly lost everything!
When those people realized they could no longer hold on, they turned around and tried to buy goods from Gao Yuan again. But Gao Yuan ignored them completely. Fence-sitters—where were they earlier?
China's problem had never been insufficient production capacity, but excess capacity!
This was the perfect chance to wash out a batch of them.
All in all, this winter was an utterly exhilarating, overwhelming victory for China's textile and apparel industry!
By mid-December, the coldest stretch of winter had arrived.
Gao Yuan decided to gather all the partners once more and sound the horn for the final offensive!
After all, the task list had made it very clear: sweep the global market clean!
Here was the situation: this chapter had violated regulations, so it had to be rewritten.
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