Liu Yutong had just finalized the lease agreement for the office space in Shunchang Building with the property management when her phone rang. It was a call from Yang Xin.
On the other end of the line, Yang Xin delivered bad news.
Wanjia, the retail giant, had made a comeback. Not only that, but well-known supermarket chains like Darunfa had also entered Bright Pearl City, reigniting the fierce competition in the local retail market.
Wanjia’s return clearly carried a vengeful tone. Previously outmaneuvered by Wanlong Supermarket, they had been forced to surrender their acquisition of Mingcheng Supermarket. Now, Wanjia was taking matters into its own hands, determined to reclaim its market share in Bright Pearl City.
The Mingcheng Supermarket near the university district, once on the brink of collapse, had been revived and rebranded as Wanjia Supermarket. They had also seized the opportunity to acquire and renovate eight additional stores, signaling their aggressive intent to stir up a retail storm in Bright Pearl City.
"Miss Liu, my biggest concern isn’t direct competition with us. What worries me more is that they might resort to unconventional tactics, like opening community supermarkets or convenience stores around our locations. This 'wolf pack' strategy could be the most lethal blow to us."
"During my recent inspections of our other branches, I noticed some storefronts nearby undergoing renovations—clearly adopting the convenience store model, and they’re definitely targeting us."
Many might wonder why anyone would open small convenience stores or community supermarkets near large retail chains. Isn’t that like throwing an egg against a stone, inviting failure?
After all, small convenience stores and community supermarkets can’t compete with large supermarkets in terms of product variety or selection.
But one critical factor must not be overlooked: human laziness.
If a shopper’s needs aren’t highly specific or urgent, and the prices are comparable, many would rather buy from a nearby convenience store or community supermarket to save time and effort. There’s no need to make a special trip to a large supermarket. And if these small stores occasionally offer discounts or promotions, the impact on the revenue of big supermarkets could be significant.
Most importantly, the investment cost for these small convenience stores and community shops is relatively low. Even short-term losses are manageable—as long as they disrupt your business, siphon off your customers, and make it hard for you to operate, their goal is achieved.
In short, the "wolf pack" strategy uses low-cost convenience stores and community shops to intercept the scattered customers of large supermarkets, like piranhas swarming around a whale, nibbling away bit by bit.
Liu Yutong hadn’t expected that so soon after meeting Wanjia Group’s CEO at the university, she would now be facing him head-on in business.
She wondered if Song Lin still remembered her—the student who had once hosted them.
But even if he hadn’t before, this time, she would make sure he remembered Liu Yutong and Wanlong Hui!
No matter who you are, no matter how big or powerful you are elsewhere, in Bright Pearl City, you play by Wanlong’s rules. This is Wanlong’s territory!
"How likely do you think it is that they’ll encircle our supermarkets?" Liu Yutong asked calmly.
Yang Xin replied without hesitation, "About 90%. A Wanjia vice president already reached out to me, trying to acquire our stores. I turned them down."
"Miss Liu, I suspect Wanjia might blame us for Mingcheng Supermarket’s previous failure."
Of course, Wanlong Hui had indeed been pulling the strings behind the scenes, but Yang Xin didn’t explicitly say so over the phone.
"90%? Then it’s practically confirmed—they’ll definitely do it." A determined glint flashed in Liu Yutong’s eyes. "How’s the logistics integration going? Once it’s ready, we move immediately. Let’s show them that these encirclement tactics won’t work on us."
She had acquired the logistics company precisely to prepare for this day.
Business wars could be even bloodier and more brutal than actual combat. One misstep, and everything could be lost, with no chance of recovery.
Especially for a company like Wanlong Hui, already valued at over a billion, every decision had to be made with extreme caution.
If Wanjia excelled at encircling and crushing competitors, then she would counter with even more advanced and ruthless methods, ensuring their carefully laid-out community shops and convenience stores would fail and shut down.
The reason community shops and convenience stores could siphon off supermarket revenue was simply by exploiting human laziness, wasn’t it?
Then what if she arranged for door-to-door deliveries, bringing products right to customers’ doorsteps? Those who didn’t want to leave home could still purchase everything they needed without stepping outside.
How would Wanjia encircle them then?
Of course, marketing and promotion would be crucial.
But for Wanlong Hui, that wasn’t a problem.
Wanlong Hui had no shortage of people, especially around the university district, where labor costs were low.
Many were desperate to join Wanlong Hui—especially students from the three colleges. Some were even willing to work for free, just for the chance to be part of it.
Soon.
While Wanjia Supermarket was still busy preparing for its campaign, Wanlong Supermarket took the lead by launching an overwhelming promotional blitz.
Numerous peripheral members of the Wanlong Association fanned out across the neighborhoods surrounding the supermarket, distributing flyers to advertise Wanlong’s new services.
At the same time, bold slogans were hung at the entrance of Wanlong Supermarket, proclaiming: "Order online, delivered to your doorstep in one hour."
Staff members stood by the entrance, patiently explaining to every customer that in addition to phone orders—where payment could be made upon delivery using the receipt—they also offered assistance for in-store shoppers. If customers bought too much to carry home, someone would help deliver their purchases.
Given that smartphones were not yet widespread, website development was still underway, and many older residents had no experience with online shopping, Wanlong had to rely on the most traditional and accessible method for now: phone orders.
To handle this, they assembled a dedicated customer service team, mostly staffed by part-time students.
When customers needed to place an order, they simply called Wanlong’s hotline. The service representatives would meticulously record the order details on a computer and then forward them to designated delivery groups.
For example, orders from the university district were sent to the corresponding group, where any available member could claim the task.
To avoid duplicate assignments, the person taking the order had to reply with "Order accepted" in the group chat.
Though the process was somewhat cumbersome, there was no better alternative in this era.
Yet, the results far exceeded expectations.
At a time when even the courier industry was still underdeveloped, Wanlong’s one-hour delivery service was nothing short of revolutionary.
Sales across all branches soared, especially among elderly customers with limited mobility, who praised the convenience.
They could now shop for daily necessities without leaving home, enjoy free doorstep delivery, and pay only after receiving their goods—eliminating any concerns about scams.
Of course, no service is flawless, and this one had its loopholes.
Some customers intentionally refused to pay, canceled orders last minute claiming they had made a mistake, or even placed fake orders for fun.
But Wanlong quickly devised a countermeasure.
The next time someone tried such tricks, they wouldn’t face a single delivery person—but a group of intimidating figures in black suits arriving at their door.
The tactic worked, and such incidents dwindled significantly.
Beyond this, executives like Liu Yutong and Yang Xin repeatedly emphasized the importance of impeccable service.
With limited functionality and no big data to optimize delivery times, the only way to win customers was through sincerity and dedication.
After all, this battle was crucial for Wanlong’s standing in Bright Pearl City.
Defeating Mingcheng Supermarket had been a minor victory, but taking on the industry giant Wanjia was an entirely different challenge—one with far greater strategic significance.
To motivate the team, Liu Yutong offered tangible incentives.
In addition to base pay, a batch of core membership slots was introduced.
The delivery staff and phone operators, upon hearing the news, were electrified.
For them, earning money mattered, but the real prize was the chance to wear the black uniform symbolizing Wanlong’s inner circle.
With that uniform, they could command respect—especially in the university district, where even local troublemakers would greet them with a deferential "Bro" or "Sis."
Driven by this reward system, many went above and beyond.
Deliveries weren’t just about dropping off groceries; staff helped take out the trash, downloaded files for customers, mediated family disputes—whatever was asked, they found a way.
Once, an elderly man casually complained to a delivery worker about the stubborn, eyesore stickers plastered on his door and walls—advertisements for locksmiths that were impossible to peel off cleanly.
The worker took note, then called every locksmith listed on those ads, pretending to need their services.
When the locksmiths arrived, they found themselves under the watchful gaze of a group of stern-looking men in black.
Tearfully, they scrubbed every last sticker off the walls and even repainted the area, leaving it spotless before they were allowed to leave.
Whether these advertisements were posted by them or not, as the beneficiaries, they are inevitably associated with it.
In just one week, the reputation of Wanlong Supermarket grew better and better through word-of-mouth among the elderly.
It’s worth noting that this age group—seniors—is notoriously hard to please, yet they were gradually won over by Wanlong Supermarket. Another advantage of this group is that when they genuinely like something, they’ll praise it to everyone they meet, accelerating the spread of Wanlong Supermarket’s positive reputation.
By the time the Wan Group was fully prepared to wage war against Wanlong Supermarket, they suddenly realized that the retail battlefield in Bright Pearl City had completely shifted.
