Back to the 1980s: Becoming the Villain's Lucky Wife

Chapter 438: Chapter 468: Clothing Factory Crisis

Qin Jiao was a little speechless, but she didn’t dwell on it. After all, she wasn’t that familiar with Xu Zhengyang to begin with.

’In that book, they were supposed to be soulmates. But because Lin Nian burst onto the scene, everything was thrown into chaos. I didn’t even get to focus on my studies, let alone get into North City University, so how would I have ever met Xu Zhengyang?’

’I met him in this lifetime, but so what?’

Shen Yi was still glaring after Xu Zhengyang, convinced the guy was hiding something. Why else would he have turned and left so abruptly?

Qin Jiao, however, gave his arm a tug. "Come on, the exam is about to start."

"Okay, Jiao Jiao. Wait for me in the cafeteria after the exam."

"Alright."

To be honest, university exams were actually much simpler than the ones in high school. People weren’t wound as tight as they used to be. Back then, it was like an army of millions trying to cross a single-plank bridge—the competition was just too fierce.

There were no class rankings in university. Each course simply had a passing grade and a grade for excellence. Of course, for Qin Jiao, anything worth doing was worth doing to the best of her ability.

The exams were over soon enough.

However, right before winter break, something happened. It wasn’t just anything—the clothing factory was in trouble.

To sell off the excess inventory, Du Liya had previously come up with some new designs, modifying existing pieces. This gradually evolved into a unique style, for which they had also applied for a patent.

Qin Jiao and the others had always known that if this style of clothing sold well, copycats would eventually appear. They just never expected it to happen so quickly.

Most importantly, their competitor’s prices were shockingly low!

Qin Na frowned. "I’ve calculated our production cost. Each garment costs us nine yuan to make, and they’re selling them for nine-eighty!"

"A margin of eighty fen! That doesn’t even cover labor!"

"This is predatory pricing," Qin Jiao said with a frown. "No one would do this under normal circumstances. It’s either someone with a grudge against us, or they’re planning to use a price war to drive us out of business."

This line of thinking, which Qin Jiao voiced, would become commonplace in the business world later on. It was a classic tactic. Shen Yi was already pondering a solution.

The others, however, were stunned to hear her say this.

Chen Sheng asked in astonishment, "Director Qin, where did you learn about these concepts?"

"Oh, I read about them in some books from abroad. It’s all related to capitalism."

"You’re right! But in that case, what should we do?"

The competitor’s low prices were directly undercutting their business. Their existing orders were secure, but retailers were starting to hold off on placing new ones.

Qin Jiao and Shen Yi exchanged a look.

Shen Yi said, "We need a two-pronged approach. First, we have to investigate that other factory’s background. We need to find out who’s behind this and what their end game is. Second, we need to develop new styles."

Chen Sheng said, "He’s right, Director. But about developing new styles... Your mother and the others are still abroad, aren’t they?"

Du Liya had been in charge of all the clothing design, and right now, she was still on her honeymoon abroad with Beidou.

Qin Jiao said, "The winter season is already winding down. If we start designing the spring collection now, we’ll be just in time for the new season launch."

Sun Jianhua, who had been silent until now, spoke up. "But what if they just copy our new styles again?"

"Then we’ll launch a major advertising campaign for Jiuyi Clothing Factory over the New Year holiday! We’ll announce the new collection then! By the time our clothes hit the market, and they’ve managed to copy them and start selling them at a lower price, spring will practically be over by the time the products reach the customers."

Qin Jiao’s eyes lit up. "Besides, we can use this as an opportunity to promote the value of buying authentic products. You have to remember, sometimes when you have a superior product, people are willing to pay a higher price for it!"