"With great power comes great responsibility."
On the way back, this sentence kept echoing in Han Lang's mind, leaving him feeling exceptionally heavy-hearted.
He had intended to rest upon returning home, but the moment he entered, he sensed an abnormal atmosphere.
His father, Han Zhongyi, and his younger brother, Han Kang, wore grim expressions, while Su Su sighed incessantly beside them.
"What's going on? Did Dad and Han Kang have a fight?"
"Hmph!"
Han Kang shot him a glare, turned away, and completely ignored him. Han Zhongyi, however, seemed to have something to say but hesitated.
"What is it? What happened?"
Han Lang was utterly bewildered and finally turned his gaze to Su Su.
"Alas..."
Su Su sighed and then said,
"Qingtian Pharmaceutical Company's drugs have suddenly dropped in price. Many of our long-term clients have stated that if we don't offer lower prices, they'll switch to Qingtian for their next shipment. If that happens, we might face bankruptcy!"
"Bankruptcy?"
Han Lang was shocked.
"Surely not! If they lower prices, we can lower ours too. It'll just mean earning a little less!"
"Hmph, you family parasite, speaking so lightly! Their prices don't even cover their costs, how can we possibly lower ours?"
Although Han Kang was his younger brother, he had been exceptionally capable since childhood. Not only did he take over the family business early on, but he also leveraged his outstanding business acumen to elevate the company to new heights.
Consequently, he had always looked down on Han Lang, his elder brother, who lacked education and ambition.
Han Lang was already accustomed to Han Kang's sarcastic remarks; it wasn't the first or second time he'd been belittled, so he simply pretended not to hear.
However, Han Kang's mention of prices not even covering costs made him realize the gravity of the situation.
"Not even covering costs? Isn't that malicious competition? Did we offend someone?"
"Don't you know who we offended? Qingtian Pharmaceutical Company, listen carefully, Qingtian Pharmaceutical Company!"
Han Kang, agitated, tapped his finger on the coffee table, making a 'dong dong' sound. His emphasis finally made Han Lang realize.
Qingtian Pharmaceutical Company, that's...
The Gou family?
Once he confirmed this, Han Lang felt a sense of relief. Ever since he inherited the legacy of the Heavenly Medicine Venerable, he had offended the Gou family multiple times. It was only natural for them to take action.
However, he hadn't expected them to target his family's business directly, which was quite unexpected.
"I'm sorry!"
Recalling his father's earnest advice at the hospital, Han Lang felt immense guilt.
"Sorry? Is a single 'sorry' enough?"
"It's one thing to be a freeloader, to be idle and contribute nothing to the family. Now, because of you, our entire family faces a crisis of bankruptcy. How dare you utter such a word as 'sorry'? Having a brother like you truly shames me!"
"Kang'er! You've gone too far!"
Han Zhongyi was furious that Han Kang was attributing all the resentment and responsibility to Han Lang.
"Since childhood, I've taught you both that we are a family. When problems arise, we should join hands and overcome them together."
"It's true that this matter originated because of your brother, and he cannot shirk his responsibility! But as things stand, what we need to do now is find a solution together, not simply blame and accuse each other!"
Han Kang, chastened by Han Zhongyi's words, turned away with a wronged expression, and silence fell upon everyone.
Seeing his family's troubled faces, Han Lang felt a pang of distress.
"Han Kang, you're right to scold me! I admit that in the past, I was indeed a parasite in this family. But now, I hope you can set aside your prejudice against me. Let's work together to overcome this crisis first. Afterwards, if you want to scold or punish me, I will not resist."
Hearing this, Han Kang felt a lot better.
He wasn't intent on confronting Han Lang. While he did have significant grievances with Han Lang's past behavior, he valued familial bonds deeply, having been taught by Han Zhongyi. If not for the immense trouble caused this time, he would have shown Han Lang more tolerance and understanding.
"Alright, now is not the time for this. I know a few business leaders who have dealings with the Gou family. I can ask them to help us make contact and perhaps humble ourselves with an apology. Hopefully, the Gou family will still give us a chance."
"No!"
Han Lang immediately refused.
If he hadn't accidentally obtained the Heavenly Physician's inheritance, he and his father would have died long ago. Therefore, how could he possibly bow down to the Gou family?
"No matter what, I will absolutely not beg the Gou family for mercy!"
"Han Lang!"
Han Kang, unaware of the full circumstances, mistook Han Lang's refusal as stubbornness. His recently eased mood shattered instantly.
"Who do you think you are? In our current state of self-preservation, what right do we have to be proud?"
"That still won't do! In any case, it's absolutely impossible for me to go and apologize to the Gou family!"
The atmosphere once again fell into a stalemate.
"Alright, alright!" Su Su quickly intervened to smooth things over.
"You've barely spoken a few words and you're already bickering. But I do want to ask, if the Gou family is squeezing us like this, don't they need to make a profit themselves? Don't they have competitors?"
Su Su's words made Han Lang suddenly realize.
"Right! Such a method that hurts the enemy by a thousand and oneself by eight hundred, how long can they sustain it themselves?"
Han Kang looked utterly speechless.
"My dear elder brother! Your thinking might be too simplistic. Not to mention that the Gou family's business empire is something we can't compare to, even if we were on the same level, we would still be no match for them!"
"Why?"
Han Lang and Su Su asked in unison.
"Because they have their own hospitals, allowing for self-production and self-sale."
Han Zhongyi revealed the crux of the problem, and Han Kang followed up.
"Tell me, in this situation, how do we break through?"
Han Lang pondered for a moment and said solemnly.
"In other words, if we can disrupt their self-production and self-sale chain, the problem will be solved, right?"
"But how can we disrupt it?"
"I have my ways. However, Han Kang, I need you to stabilize our own clients as much as possible and give me some time. I will definitely make the Gou family's scheme collapse on its own. Trust me!"
Looking at Han Lang's determined eyes, Han Kang was deeply moved and reluctantly compromised.
"I'll give you at most one month! If you can't do it, our entire family will be left to fend for ourselves!"
"Okay, thank you!"
Han Lang nodded heavily, then left the hall. He eagerly pulled out his phone and dialed Sun Liansheng.
"Hello, Old Sun. I accept your invitation!"
"Really? That's wonderful!"
Sun Liansheng on the other end of the line sounded noticeably more excited, but before he could celebrate, Han Lang poured cold water on his enthusiasm.
"Don't get too happy too soon. I have conditions!"
"Tell me! As long as it's within my capabilities, I promise to do my utmost!"
"I want to open a clinic. You need to help me obtain all the permits required to operate a Traditional Chinese Medicine clinic, and the sooner the better!"
Upon hearing this, Sun Liansheng on the other end of the line fell silent.
"Young Master, regarding this condition of yours, even as a friend, I will help. You don't need to force yourself."
Han Lang, hearing this, called out his name in exasperation.
"Sun Liansheng!
"I just don't want to owe you any favors. Besides, as we agreed, I won't be working regular hours, and you can't bother me unnecessarily!"
Being reprimanded by Han Lang, Sun Liansheng became more open-minded.
"Understood, understood!"
"Give me two days, and I'll deliver all the permits to you. Just remember to send me your information and the name of your clinic!"
After hanging up, Han Lang sent his personal information as requested by Sun Liansheng. For a moment, his mood was complex.
If the Gou family hadn't suddenly made this move, he wouldn't have even considered taking proactive steps to prevent such situations.
If he had started planning from the day he left Qingtian Hospital, he wouldn't be in such a passive position today.
"Hmph! Gou family, we'll see about this!"