“A collective price increase?”

Lin Yi was very surprised to hear this.

“The news has been officially confirmed,” Liang Ruoxu said.

“I’m on my way to the hospital. Come out in ten minutes and go to that Starbucks nearby. We’ll talk when we meet.”

“Okay.”

After hanging up, Lin Yi changed his clothes and prepared to meet Liang Ruoxu.

“Are you going out, Brother Lin?”

“Yes, I’ll bring you coffee when I get back.”

“Hehe, thank you, Brother Lin.”

When Lin Yi arrived at Starbucks, Liang Ruoxu was already there, in a hidden corner.

Perhaps it was because of her position, but Liang Ruoxu’s appearance had always been very elegant.

The V-shaped lady’s blouse, black pantaloons, and the rose-and-gold crystal wristwatch on her wrist perfectly complimented the aloofness of her white dress and black pants.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Lin Yi leaned over and tucked a stray strand of hair behind Liang Ruoxu’s ear. “If something happens, we’ll have to settle it slowly. Why are you so flustered? Your hair is all messed up.”

“This isn’t the time to focus on hairstyles,” Liang Ruoxu said. “I’ve told you the general situation. What do you think?”

“This whole thing is so out of character. Someone must be behind it.”

“I checked. Three of the companies have shares in Pfizer. The remaining three are also directly or indirectly working with them,” Liang Ruoxo said.

“If you look at it that way, it’s pretty clear what happened.”

“But that’s not our problem,” Liang Ruoxo said.

“These people are very cunning. These 25 imported drugs are very important. Be it to the hospital or the ordinary citizens, everyone is reliant on them. If the price is raised so much, the cost of living for the people will greatly increase.”

“Yeah.” Lin Yi sighed.

“If this aggressive strategy is successful, more pharmaceutical companies might follow suit in the future. Other industries might face the same issue and get in to deep trouble!”

After a long silence, Liang Ruoxu answered with difficulty, “Exactly, do you have any good ideas?”

A long silence followed. “Do you trust me?”

“I do!”

“Do you believe me unconditionally?”

Liang Ruoxu did not hesitate. “Yes!”

She was being honest, but would Liang Ruoxu really trust Lin Yi unconditionally?

The answer might not be so.

This was because this matter was not just about her. It involved the 22 million people in Zhonghai. Even the 1.4 billion people across the country might also be affected.

In front of such a huge and complicated number, Liang Ruoxu would naturally hesitate.

Right now, Lin Yi seemed to be the only one who could solve the problem and become her savior.

“The six major pharmaceutical companies announced a unilateral price increase. Has this policy been implemented yet?”

“Not yet,” Liang Ruoxu said. “But whether it is implemented or not will depend on the outcome of the negotiations tomorrow. This much is certain.”

“Since they’re using the price of medicine to scare us, let’s play big,” Lin Yi said. “Go and give the order to cut off all contact with them. At most, we’ll split their support.”

“That won’t do,” Liang Ruoxu said. “The State Drug Administration is in charge of importing the medicine. The local departments have no right to interfere.”

“But on my side, I can unilaterally announce that Zhonghai will no longer import these drugs. There is no doubt I’ll be called in for a talk in a few days if this were to happen though.”

“Do you know the news from above? What are they prepared to do?”

No matter how powerful and wealthy Zhonghai was, they were still a part of Huaxia.

They still had to be commanded by the big fish up top.

“These are all very important imported drugs, but for now, the attitude of the relevant departments is not clear. Although it’s very infuriating, they might take this loss in silence. The heads simply can’t afford it.”

Lin Yi looked up at Liang Ruoxu and said,

“You can’t control the import and export of drugs, but you can strongarm customs, right?”

“That’s no problem.”

Seeing Lin Yi’s malicious smile, Liang Ruoxu suddenly felt much more at ease.

“What idea have you come up with?”

“If they want to show off in Huaxia, we have to show them the power of our socialism.”

“Give the instruction later to request all the Grade A hospitals increase their import order for these 25 imported drugs. The larger the order, the better. If that doesn’t work, you can approve the loan. In short, the more we ask for, the better.”

“You want to stock up more before he raises the price, then save it for later?”

Liang Ruoxu felt that Lin Yi’s method was indeed the most effective countermeasure now. It also conformed to the traditional logic of the Huaxian people.

However, soon, Liang Ruoxu’s expression became solemn again.

“But at this critical moment, even if you wanted to buy it, they might not sell it. Even if they do, they wouldn’t sell much. It is likely they won’t even act, since they will no doubt be familiar with our typical Huaxian style.”

“Since they are familiar with our usual style, just change it up.” Lin Yi chuckled.

“As long as we have enough tricks up our sleeve, they’ll never be able to predict what our next move is.”

At this moment, Liang Ruoxu suddenly felt that when he was in a desperate situation, talking to Lin Yi would always fill her with a glimmer of hope.

“Go on.”

“Didn’t you just say that they’re prepared to raise the price of all the drugs they export? Although this policy hasn’t been implemented yet, if we want to buy them now, do you think they’ll sell?”

“They’ll probably sell, but at the same time, there’s a good chance the price will go up.”

Lin Yi smiled mysteriously. “It’s not a probability, it’s a certainty!”

“Why are you so sure?”

“Under the influence of capitalism, those people have all become money-minded. And they themselves will have determined that even if the price of the drugs goes up, the Huaxians will buy them at a high price. As you said, they know the Huaxian way, and they knows that the Huaxian people rely heavily on the drugs. Therefore, they will have no doubts about our motives!”

“And? Do you still want to buy it?”

“Of course. And buy as many as you can!”

‘That would play right into their hands.’

“You’re too shortsighted.”

Liang Ruoxu was stunned by Lin Yi’s words. “What do you mean?”

“After the purchase, as soon as their goods arrive at customs, confiscate them all. Don’t let a single box be released!”

Liang Ruoxu seemed to understand what Lin Yi meant.

He felt that this move was a little too much.

“You don’t have the power to sway the relevant authorities, but you do have the power to confiscate these goods. They will both work pretty much the same way. Moreover, you don’t have to take any risks. No one’s going to invite you for ‘tea’ to discuss this matter if you do this.

“Now, think about it. There are lot of hospitals all over the country, and they pay good money for these drugs, too, since they will be struggling as well. There’s no way around this. However, Zhonghai has the largest shipping terminal in the world, and it is a world-class trade area. By doing this, you could effectively cut off their distribution channels across the country at a single point. You could tie up more than eighty percent of their stock here in Zhonghai. Isn’t that exciting?”