Chapter 357: The Dust Settles
Everything had settled.
Su Li returned to her regular routine.
After a few days of continuous adjustments, Su Li’s condition had clearly improved.
As long as people didn’t get too close, she wasn’t as sensitive anymore, allowing her to dive back into her studies.
Time flew by. After the recent events caused some delays, she finished her final exams in July, and summer vacation was just around the corner.
As Su Li’s life returned to normal, Pinjun and the bookstore also resumed normal operations.
The red paint incident at the bookstore vanished without a trace after that day.
Su Li didn’t know that Tang Yuanxiao had handled it for her. She only knew that by the time she was supposed to deal with it after the court hearing, everything was already resolved.
After all the trouble, Ge Ba ultimately didn’t escape.
Plus, with Wu Sheng’s powerful support, both the Yang Family and the Ge family completely backed down.
The Yang Family was large and influential, with considerable power, but Wu Sheng of the Wu Family was not someone to be trifled with. Out of apprehension, they finally retreated.
However, the collaboration between the Yang Family and Su Li at the department store, as well as the partnership for that specific shop, was terminated.
Although that partnership ended, other opportunities came one after another.
Pinjun’s clothes, top-notch in both quality and style and reasonably priced, had become a massive hit.
And not just in the Imperial City—its popularity was slowly spreading across all of Huaguo.
This recent event had been a trial by fire. The ordeal, however, had only ignited Yin Cuihua’s fighting spirit.
Through their hard work and development during this period, they had already added ten new franchisees from various provinces and cities across the country.
As sales continued to rise steadily, another batch of workers was hired for the factory.
Of course, the number of collaborating suppliers was also growing.
This incident also prompted a small shake-up among their previous suppliers.
"These fair-weather opportunists... even though I know things are tough for them too, I’ve still decided to cut ties. The Yang Family had barely started making noise—they hadn’t even done anything yet—and these suppliers already cut us off."
"Now that they see everything’s fine, they’re coming back, wanting to work with us again. I’ve rejected every single one of them. If they can go back on their word once, they can do it a second time. I can’t take that risk."
Over the weekend, Su Li went to the factory for work and had a meeting with Yin Cuihua and Li Hongqin. Yin Cuihua vented for a bit, which also served as a heads-up.
If any of those people approached Li Hongqin or Su Li, they shouldn’t give them the time of day.
"Yes, we can’t work with them again. It’s true that business isn’t all about loyalty, but people who switch sides over a few words have no integrity."
Su Li and Li Hongqin strongly agreed with Yin Cuihua.
After exchanging a few more words, they got down to business.
"The spring collection was fine, but now people are already copying our summer clothes. The price and quality vary, and you can find them in boutiques and at market stalls."
Yin Cuihua had barely started before Li Hongqin and Su Li knew what this was about.
"I’ve seen them too. Quite a few," Su Li said, letting out a breath.
Pinjun Clothing had taken off, and countless people were green with envy. Seeing how well it sold, it was only natural that some would jump on the bandwagon.
Even some of Su Li’s classmates were already wearing knockoffs.
You could see a lot of them on the streets.
Some were of such poor quality that you could tell they weren’t authentic at a glance, while others were so well-made they were hard to distinguish from the real thing.
Although Su Li was taken aback by the speed of it, she had long been mentally prepared.
"Our trademark is already registered. Just like any other brand, it’s protected by law. While it’s not too serious yet, let’s start by cracking down on the ones that are complete copies and poorly made."
’We can’t let the brand we worked so hard to build be ruined like this.’
After discussing and agreeing on a plan, the three of them took action. Soon, a campaign to curb and crack down on counterfeit products was launched.
In coordination with the campaign, newspaper and radio ads began to heavily emphasize the Pinjun Clothing trademark, teaching consumers how to distinguish between genuine, counterfeit, and imitation products.
Thanks to this series of actions, the counterfeit and imitation items on the street vanished almost overnight.
Some people who had previously bought knockoffs became too embarrassed to wear them out anymore.
The Pinjun brand once again strengthened its impression and became more deeply ingrained in people’s minds.
The idea of holding your head high while wearing an authentic product caused Pinjun Clothing’s sales to rise again, expanding their customer base.
Pinjun Clothing had officially established a firm foothold and entered a phase of steady development.
At the same time, Su Li’s new development plan was already being drafted.
Clothing, food, housing, and transportation are human necessities; to do business and make money, you can’t stray far from this scope.
Pinjun was positioned in the "clothing" sector. Besides their current apparel line, there were also shoes, bags, jewelry, and more to consider.
But Rome wasn’t built in a day. For now, Su Li had her sights set on lingerie.
This era was a period of female self-liberation and self-acceptance. Feminine beauty was finally being truly embraced, triggering a huge surge in lingerie consumption.
How could they possibly let such a perfect opportunity pass them by?
Su Li, Yin Cuihua, and Li Hongqin joined forces, preparing to open a new Chapter for Pinjun with a new product line.
On another weekend, as Su Li was burying herself in her work, Yin Cuihua, who was beside her, nudged her with an elbow.
"Wu Sheng is here."
Hearing this, Su Li quickly looked down. Wu Sheng had just parked his car and was looking up. The moment he saw her, a smile spread across his face.
"Go on, head home," Yin Cuihua said with a TSK TSK. "So punctual every day."
Su Li lowered her head and sped up, finishing the task at hand before bidding them farewell and heading downstairs.
Wu Sheng opened the car door for Su Li. "I’m so jealous of Sister Hongqin and the others."
Su Li was baffled. "Jealous of what?"
"They get to be with you all day. Look at how much time I get with you each day." Wu Sheng closed the car door and shook his head. "I can’t even bear to count it; it’s pitifully little."
"Don’t we see each other every day?" Su Li couldn’t help but laugh.
After the last incident, Wu Sheng had asked Su Li if she wanted to move.
Su Li thought about it but decided not to. The residential complex was nice in every aspect, and she had gotten used to living there. After giving the place a thorough tidying up, she felt it was acceptable enough to stay.
Because of the incident, the landlord paid a visit. Su Li wasn’t scared, but the landlord certainly was.
The landlord, who originally had no intention of selling, ended up wanting to sell the apartment. Su Li seized the opportunity to buy it at a low price, completely turning the place into her own home.
From then on, the entire complex’s security became much stricter. The old security guard practically turned into a master detective.
While he didn’t know every single person from every household, he got to know all the familiar faces. Strangers were absolutely not allowed in unless a resident came to get them.
For every car that entered or exited, he would carefully check for any hidden people if the driver was a stranger.
Because he was always keeping a watchful eye, he even managed to catch a thief later on.
After catching the thief, the old security guard became even more motivated. Rumor was he even got a raise.
He paid two hundred percent attention to the former victims, Su Li and Little Tang Mo. He remembered what time they left and what time they returned every day. On two occasions when Su Li didn’t leave at her usual time, he even knocked on her door to check if she was safe.
Thanks to the old security guard, Su Li’s sense of security increased significantly.
Of course, besides the old security guard, Little Tang Mo and Wu Sheng were even more attentive to Su Li.
Whenever he had time, no matter where Su Li was going, Wu Sheng would drive her there and back, especially on weekends.
Every time Su Li came to the factory for work, Wu Sheng would be sure to drop her off, and then pick her up again after she finished.