Chapter 756 - 775: Can’t Be a Stepping Stone! Can’t Sue! (Qiuqiu’s Flash of Inspiration)
Chapter 756: Chapter 775: Can’t Be a Stepping Stone! Can’t Sue! (Qiuqiu’s Flash of Inspiration)
The Mei Lin of old, upon encountering such a disgusting case of plagiarism and shameless claims of ownership, would have stood up and slapped the person making a scene without a second thought.
But now, she had matured.
First of all, even if she slapped this Wang Nian-or-whatever, the company was already established. They were going to sell their product regardless.
Besides, hitting him would only tip them off. For a matter like this, it was better to go back and tell Qian Xingxing.
He was the one at the company’s helm right now. He was the one who had to decide on the overall strategy. ’He should be the one to come up with a better plan, one that will not only crush this Wang-whoever, but also crush his entire company!’
So, she declared haughtily, "I never invest in small projects."
"Investing in food doesn’t suit my tastes. What kind of company do you think you are, asking *me* for an investment?" Then, holding her head high, she swiftly departed the banquet and sent a message to Little President Qian.
Upon learning of the matter, Little President Qian immediately took it seriously and convened a short meeting with the New Star team.
They looked into who this Wang Nian was, whether his so-called food company had been registered, and if any competing products had appeared on the market. They hadn’t known what to expect, but a quick investigation brought the ugly truth to the surface.
The company, named "Delicious Tasting" and controlled by Wang Quan, had registered a product called Crab Roe Sauce.
According to the company’s public filings, the Crab Roe Sauce was already a finished product. They had even invited some industry food critics and chefs for a tasting. However, because the reviews hadn’t been published and the product hadn’t gone on sale yet, very few people knew about it.
"...They’re so disgusting."
"Isn’t this Qiuqiu’s idea?"
"Who are these people? Are we going to sue them?"
Qian Xingxing kept his eyes fixed on Wang Quan’s name and face. "This is one of the Qian Family."
"The Qian Family?"
"I saw him at our house a few times when I was a kid..." Apparently, this Wang Quan was on pretty good terms with Qian Duoduo.
"So this has something to do with *that* side again?"
"Yeah."
’Then the lawsuit is definitely not going to be easy.’
"We can’t file that lawsuit," Wanxing stated definitively. "I have a feeling this whole thing is very strange. It’s full of traps. Can we add Miss Meilin to a private chat? I have a few questions for her."
The fiery heiress was added to the chat.
[Wanxing]: Miss Meilin, did you try the crab roe sauce at the banquet?
[Mei Lin]: I did. It was pretty good.
[Wanxing]: So it wasn’t bad, right? For someone who has never tried Qiuqiu’s crab roe noodles, how would you rate this sauce?
[Mei Lin]: Delicious.
[Wanxing]: OK.
After exchanging a few words with Mei Lin, Wanxing shook her head at Qian Xingxing and Meimei. "We can’t sue."
"This kind of lawsuit is a public affair. Right now, they’re just an obscure little company..." If they wanted to make their crab roe sauce famous, they’d have to pay for promotions from top food streamers on the Federation network, or buy ads.
"Instead, a bunch of people will hear that Jiang Qiuqiu’s intellectual property was infringed upon *again*, that she’s suing X Company, that X Company plagiarized her crab roe sauce, and so on and so forth."
"A lawsuit would take a long time, and... our chances of winning are slim. If we really sue, we’ll just become their stepping stone."
Everyone will find out about their new crab roe sauce factory.
"Then what do we do? We can’t just let them get away with it—" Meimei frowned.
Wanxing considered it. "How about we tell Qiuqiu first? She’s very sharp when it comes to business strategy. She might have a better idea."
And so, on the afternoon of the 14th, Qian Xingxing sent a message to Jiang Qiuqiu.
After learning the full story, Jiang Qiuqiu thought, ’Opening a factory? Selling sauce!?’
...
’Wait, I’ve suddenly got a great idea!’
After he finished explaining the whole situation, he was surprised to hear a hint of excitement in Qiuqiu’s voice. ’Huh?’
"What’s with your voice?" Qian Xingxing asked. It sounded so cheerful.
"I have a great idea."
"A brilliant business strategy? Already?"
"Are Wanxing and Meimei there? Let’s all hop on a call and discuss my new idea."
So Qiuqiu joined the chat, and the four of them started a group call.
On the group call, Jiang Qiuqiu first explained her schedule for the rest of the month and her potential plan to reduce her number of streams over the next two months.
"Originally, I was planning to start extending my stream times this afternoon, increasing the amount of food available in each session. That way, people could buy more, we could build up our numbers to coast through September and October, and then I’d start teaching new recipes."
"But now, I’ve had a sudden burst of inspiration."
’I don’t have to just make fresh dishes.’
’I can make sauces, too.’
’Aren’t they opening a sauce factory?’
"Are you going to open a crab roe sauce factory to compete with them?" Meimei asked.
"No. Not a crab roe sauce factory," Jiang Qiuqiu said, rejecting the idea. "The timing isn’t right to open a crab roe sauce factory anymore."