Zheng Dong's Obsession

The monthly board meeting is held in the strategic conference room on the 20th floor of the headquarters building. This is Dongbei's highest-standard meeting venue. The long walnut wood conference table can seat 20 people, and the walls are covered with the awards and certificates the company has received over the years, from "Consumer Trusted Unit" to "Provincial Catering Demonstration Enterprise", all arranged neatly.

At 10 a. m., everyone gradually arrived. In addition to the seven directors, several vice presidents in charge were also present. Zheng Dong sat in the main seat, with a printed monthly operating report spread out in front of him, but he didn't look at it. His gaze was fixed on a vague point on the table.

The meeting proceeded according to schedule. First, the CFO reported on the previous month's revenue data. The charts on the slides were flashing, and the red downward arrows were particularly glaring.

"Overall, February revenue decreased by 3.2% month-on-month, but remained basically flat year-on-year, affected by the Spring Festival holiday and recent public opinion. The average transaction value increased slightly, but customer traffic declined significantly, especially in shopping district stores and transportation hub stores, where the decline exceeded 5%."

The CFO's voice was calm, but the atmosphere in the meeting room noticeably somber.

"What are the specific figures for the impact of public opinion?" asked a director surnamed Wang. He was in his sixties and was one of Dongbei's earliest investors. He rarely spoke, but whenever he did, he went straight to the point.

"According to the marketing department's monitoring," Zhao Bin, the brand's public relations director, continued, "In the past week, negative discussions involving keywords such as 'pre-made food' and 'freshness' have increased by 180% compared to the previous week. The negative review rate on Dianping Meituan has risen from the usual 2.3% to 4.1%. Although the blogger has apologized and the videos have been mostly taken down,... the aftershocks are still ongoing."

"Aftermath?" Chairman Wang looked at Zheng Dong. "Chairman Zheng, how's this matter going? I heard that those two people in the video haven't been found yet?"

All eyes were on Zheng Dong.

Zheng Dong raised his eyes, looked around, and said in a low but clear voice, "We're looking for them. We'll have results soon."

"How fast is 'soon'?" Chairman Wang pressed. "Right now, there's a lot of talk online saying that Dongbei bullies the weak and fears the strong, only daring to pressure bloggers but not to confront the real people involved. This is more damaging to our brand image than the video itself."

"I know," Zheng Dong said. "That's why we must find them and make them apologize publicly. Only in this way can we completely quell public opinion and salvage our image."

"Chairman Zheng," another female director surnamed Li spoke up. She came from a consumer goods marketing background and spoke more tactfully, "I'm not questioning your judgment. But this matter... isn't the reaction a bit excessive? Ultimately, it was just two customers exchanging a few words in the service area, which a blogger filmed and posted online. We deleted the video, and the blogger apologized. Shouldn't that be the end of it? Continuing to dwell on it will only easily trigger a bigger backlash."

"Is this the end?" Zheng Dong leaned forward slightly, tapping the report on the table with his finger. "Chairwoman Li, look at these figures. Revenue is down 3.2%, and customer traffic is down 5%. This is just the beginning. If we stop here, what will the outside world think? They'll think we're guilty, that we're admitting to their accusations. Anyone can jump out and say, ' Dongbei's dishes are pre-made,' and we won't pursue it; at most, we'll just delete the posts."

He paused, his voice turning serious. "In the restaurant business, reputation is built up little by little, but it can be destroyed in an instant. Today someone says we make pre-prepared meals, and we ignore it; tomorrow someone says we use gutter oil; the day after tomorrow someone says we use pork from diseased pigs. By then, it will be too late to clarify."

"But Chairman Zheng," Operations Director Old Chen couldn't help but interject, "Have we been focusing too much energy on this one thing? The most urgent task now is to regain customer confidence, for example, by increasing promotional efforts, or organizing a few open kitchen events so customers can see our ingredients and production processes firsthand..."

"And then?" Zheng Dong interrupted him, "And then the customers see boxes and boxes of frozen meal kits piled up in our kitchen? They see chefs taking sealed bags out of the freezer, cutting them open, and pouring the contents into pots to heat?"

The meeting room fell silent instantly.

Old Zhang's expression changed. "Chairman Zheng, what you're saying..."

"Did I say something wrong?" Zheng Dong looked at him sharply. "Old Chen, you're in charge of operations. Tell me, out of our two hundred-plus stores, how many dishes are pre-prepared in the central kitchen? How many are made fresh at the stores?"

Old Chen opened his mouth, but no words came out.

"Let me tell you," Zheng Dong's voice echoed in the quiet conference room, "At service area stores, high-speed rail station stores, and airport stores, 80% of the dishes are frozen and reheated due to logistics and space limitations. The percentage is lower at shopping district stores and community stores, but still 40% to 50%. Only a few flagship stores can truly achieve 'freshly cooked' service."

He looked at everyone present. "This is reality. Everyone in the industry does it this way to control costs, ensure fast service, and maintain a consistent taste. But what do we advertise to the outside world? 'Fresh ingredients, cooked to order.' We've been saying this for twenty years, and customers have believed it for twenty years. Now someone has exposed the truth. What do we do? Admit it? Tell customers, 'Sorry, we did use pre-prepared food, but this is the norm in the industry.'"

No one answered.

"We can't admit it." Zheng Dong himself provided the answer. "Once we admit it, the brand image that Dongbei has built up over twenty years will collapse. Customers won't understand what 'industry norms' mean; they'll just feel cheated. They'll be angry, disappointed, and they'll vote with their feet—just like now, with a 5% drop in customer traffic."

He leaned back in his chair, his tone softening somewhat, but his eyes remained resolute.

"Therefore, this matter cannot end here. We must be firm, we must fight back, and we must make those two parties apologize. We want to send a message to everyone: Dongbei's commitment to 'freshly made' has not changed and will not change. We will pursue any doubts and slander to the end."

Chairman Wang sighed, "Chairman Zheng, I understand your good intentions. But have you considered what would happen if those two people refused to apologize, or even turned around and attacked us? Public opinion isn't entirely in our favor right now."

"Then let's sue them," Zheng Dong said, "Until they apologize."

"Litigation takes time, money, and energy," Chairman Chairwoman Li frowned. "And the outcome may not be what we want. What if the court rules that the other party's comments were just ordinary and did not constitute infringement? That would be even more difficult to resolve."

"Then let the lawsuit drag on," Zheng Dong said. "Drag it out until they can't take it anymore, until public opinion forgets about it. Drag it out until everyone thinks that Dongbei is upholding its principles, and that they are the ones making trouble."

Silence fell over the meeting room again. The directors exchanged glances, but no one spoke.

Finally, Chairman Wang slowly said, "Chairman Zheng, you are the chairman and the founder. Dongbei is like your child. We understand your concern. But as the company grows, we can't act solely on emotions. We need to consider the interests of our shareholders and our long-term development. This matter... should be left at that."

"Enough is enough?" Zheng Dong repeated those four words, then suddenly laughed, but there was no warmth in that laugh. "Chairman Wang, Chairwoman Li, everyone, let me ask you a question: If we take a step back today, others will take ten steps forward tomorrow. You all know how fierce the competition is in the catering industry. So many eyes are watching us, waiting for us to make mistakes, waiting for us to reveal our weaknesses. Today we can stop at saying 'it's normal for the quality to be a little lower,' but what about tomorrow? What about the day after tomorrow?"

He stood up, placed his hands on the table, leaned slightly forward, and scanned everyone with his eyes.

"Dongbei has come this far not through compromise, but through relentless struggle. It's been about relentlessly competing with ingredient suppliers, with the culinary team, with store management, and with every single detail. Now that someone wants to tear down our signboard, can we compromise?"

No one answered.

"No." Zheng Dong gave his answer firmly, "There's no stopping this. It's either win or lose."

He sat back down, tidied the report in front of him, and said calmly, "Let's move on to the next topic."

The following meeting was unusually somber. The marketing department reported on the promotional plan for the next quarter, the operations department discussed new store location selection, the supply chain talked about cost control... Everyone spoke in a routine manner, but it was clear that no one's mind was on these topics.

Zheng Dong nodded occasionally and asked questions occasionally, but his eyes always seemed somewhat unfocused.

The meeting ended at noon. Everyone left the meeting room one after another, but Zheng Dong remained seated. His secretary came in to pack his things and asked quietly, "Chairman Zheng, should lunch be delivered to your office or to the cafeteria?"

"I'm not eating anymore." Zheng Dong waved his hand. "Make me a cup of tea."

The secretary acknowledged and withdrew. Soon, a freshly brewed cup of Longjing tea was brought out, steaming hot.

Zheng Dong didn't drink. He picked up his phone and dialed Lao Xing's number.

"Mr. Zheng, have you figured it out?" Lao Xing's voice was still hoarse, and the background noise was much quieter, so they must be indoors.

"Continue," Zheng Dong said. "Upgrade as you said."

How would you like to be promoted?

"Check his address, check his social circle, check his work situation," Zheng Dong said, emphasizing each word. "I need to know everything about him. But remember, it has to be legal—or at least appear legal."

"Understood. Address and social circle are easy to handle, but work-related issues... require more effort and are prone to crossing the line."

"Add more money," Zheng Dong said. "The cost will double. But I need to see results as soon as possible."

The sound of a lighter lighting a cigarette came from the other end of the phone, followed by the sound of Lao Xing taking a deep drag and slowly exhaling.

"Okay. I'll give you a preliminary report in three days."

"Also," Zheng Dong added, "Have someone handle those online comments. Boost positive comments and suppress negative ones. Focus on attacking those two people—say they're professional negative reviewers, or that they were paid by competitors."

"An online army, huh? I'm an expert at that." Lao Xing laughed. "I'll make sure you get everything arranged perfectly."

The call ended.

Zheng Dong picked up his teacup and took a sip. The tea was already a bit cold and had a strong astringent taste.

He put down his cup and walked to the window. From the twentieth floor, he could overlook a large part of the city. In the distance were densely packed residential buildings, and further away, the winding river and the faint silhouettes of mountains.

In those buildings, on those streets, how many people are eating at Dongbei restaurants? Do they eat their fish while scrolling through their phones, seeing those comments questioning Dongbei?

Did they ever wonder: Is the fish at Dongbei really frozen?

Zheng Dong clenched his fist.

The truth is not important. What matters is the attitude.

As long as he takes a tough stance and retaliates fiercely enough, demonstrating to everyone Dongbei's determination to "never tolerate slander," then over time, those doubts will naturally dissipate. People will forget the saying "it's normal for the quality to be a little inferior," and will only remember that Dongbei no effort to protect its brand.

As for those two people involved... they had better be sensible and apologize as soon as possible. Otherwise, he wouldn't mind letting them know what happens when you offend a company with two hundred stores and tens of thousands of employees.

My phone vibrated; it was a text message from Lao Xing: "I've arranged for an online troll company to start operating tonight. Focus on the license plate number and the 'legal assistant' identity."

Zheng Dong replied, "Okay."

He put down his phone and sat back down at the conference table. The glass of cold Longjing tea was still emitting a barely visible wisp of steam.

Sunlight streamed through the window, falling on the table and making the report that read "Revenue down 3.2% quarter-on-quarter" shine.

Zheng Dong stared at that number for a long time.

Then he picked up the report, turned to the last page, and in the "Next Phase Action Plan" section, added a line with his pen:

"We are determined to defend the brand's reputation and have zero tolerance for any false statements."

The pen tip scratched the paper, making a soft, rustling sound.