Moreover, Haoxiang Fitness was different from companies like Shengrun Express and Zhujia Group.

These large companies were well-established with high market shares, making them difficult to seriously damage.

But Haoxiang Fitness was different. As a gym, its capital chain wasn’t very healthy to begin with, its market share wasn’t particularly high, and even its public image wasn’t especially good.

Once subjected to concentrated attacks, it could quickly collapse.

Would other companies in the Anti-Tenda Alliance, including investment firms and various large capital entities, stand by and do nothing?

That was hard to say.

Because this alliance wasn’t completely unified; each had their own interests at stake.

If Tuoguan Fitness encountered problems, then all of Tenda’s departments would definitely help at all costs.

But if Haoxiang Fitness encountered problems, would Zhujia Group and Shengrun Express help at all costs? That was questionable.

Once Haoxiang Fitness found itself unable to sustain operations, it would only have two choices: either stubbornly persist and collapse on the spot, or withdraw from the alliance and survive a while longer.

If they withdrew, even if they were destined to fail, it would happen only after Tenda had dealt with the leading big companies.

But regardless of their choice, the outcome would be the same: as more and more companies withdrew, the Anti-Tenda Alliance would be filled with mutual suspicion, leading back to fragmentation and collapse.

Finally, there was the public opinion war.

Pei Qian discovered that the official Tenda Group account on the AiLiDao website had actually launched a new section called “Department Heads Speak”!

The content of this section was very simple—the heads of various Tenda departments would take turns breaking down the models and tactics of opposing companies, then comparing them with Tenda’s own business models.

For example, the first episode featured Guo Licheng analyzing the fundamental differences between the Tuoguan Fitness model and Haoxiang Fitness’s newly launched “Burn the Boats Card” model.

There was one segment that could be described as utterly devastating:

“The success of Tuoguan Fitness comes from diligently helping all members plan their diets, develop fitness habits, while ensuring the gym’s capacity allows each member to achieve optimal fitness results when they come to work out.”

“In contrast, the ‘Burn the Boats Card’ has only learned the superficial aspects.”

“Tuoguan Fitness offers complementary fitness meals, strictly plans workout times, ensures the number of people in the gym doesn’t exceed its capacity, and has many trainers providing free guidance.”

“Does the ‘Burn the Boats Card’ have these features?”

“Haoxiang Fitness’s model simultaneously supports conventional membership cards and the ‘Burn the Boats Card’ with its pay-per-visit system. But the problem is that this makes it impossible to determine the number of people based on the gym’s capacity. Even if you’ve purchased a ‘Burn the Boats Card,’ how can you ensure effective workouts when you arrive to find the gym overcrowded?”

“Moreover, without good control of calorie intake and essential nutrient supplementation in the diet, and with the annoyance of personal trainers trying to sell courses, most people cannot stick with this ‘Burn the Boats Card’.”

“Simply put, this ‘Burn the Boats Card’ forcibly borrows from the Tuoguan Fitness model without any supporting measures. It merely exploits consumers’ desire for bargains by claiming the card offers the same effects as Tuoguan Fitness, thereby extracting more income without guaranteeing training results.”

“Furthermore, there are problems with the rules of the ‘Burn the Boats Card.’ Sessions are refunded after completing tasks, which seems beneficial on the surface, but when members want to leave, there will inevitably be disputes over the number of sessions…”

“In short, this follows the consistent pattern of many companies’ promotions: on the surface it seems like you’re winning, but in reality, you can never win.”

“Of course, companies exist to make profits, and Tuoguan Fitness is also profitable—there’s nothing wrong with making some money. But the key is how exactly that money is made, and whether customers are provided with good enough service.”

“I urge everyone to keep their eyes open when making choices. Things that are cheaper don’t necessarily offer better value for money. When considering value, you can’t just look at the low price; you must also pay attention to factors like ‘actual experience’ and ‘value.’ Don’t be fooled by these little tricks!”

Guo Licheng was already a professional fitness trainer with a standard muscular physique. With a little styling, he looked handsome and attractive in the video, particularly appealing to those of the same sex.

Many of his statements naturally carried strong persuasiveness.

Moreover, Guo Licheng wasn’t lying. Everything he said was the plain, unvarnished truth, leaving Haoxiang Fitness with no grounds for rebuttal!

The video generated tremendous buzz.

Some people had indeed been considering signing up for the “Burn the Boats Card,” but after hearing Guo Licheng’s analysis, they immediately abandoned the idea.

Forget it, better to wait patiently for a spot at Tuoguan Fitness!

With this combination of attacks, just as Haoxiang Fitness was about to strike, they were firmly pushed back. Tuoguan Fitness showed no signs of backing down, continuing to hammer them mercilessly!

The “Department Heads Speak” section sparked widespread discussion among viewers.

“This section is so interesting! Tenda department heads taking turns exposing a different business trick every day?”

“Tenda’s department heads are all as brave as Lü Mingliang. I’m loving this!”

“This Guo Licheng is clearly a professional. Those muscles, that build—not something an ordinary person can achieve. Definitely professional!”

“In terms of image, Tenda has already won! The bosses of other companies all look devious, full of empty words and clichés, sanctimonious—completely untrustworthy. But what about Tenda’s department heads? They’re all professionals speaking plain truth, without any airs. Totally hands-on!”

“It’s all thanks to Mr. Pei’s good eye for talent! Tenda as a company has nothing in common with other companies from top to bottom. So unique!”

“Wonder which department head will speak next? Can’t wait!”

…

This combination of attacks left Pei Qian dumbfounded.

This wasn’t right—it was completely different from the script he had envisioned!

Pei Qian hadn’t allocated much funding to these departments, mainly because he wanted to wait.

Wait until he finished his thesis and the Anti-Tenda Alliance had tasted some success and grabbed some market share, then happily burn money to his heart’s content.

But now, what should have been a period of strategic defense had directly become a period of strategic counterattack?

These department heads weren’t giving an inch; they immediately slapped back.

If they could neutralize the Anti-Tenda Alliance’s offensive without burning money, then… how would he burn money?

Pei Qian never imagined that these department heads would be so full of fighting spirit. He hadn’t even allocated war funds yet, and they were already eagerly striking back.

Moreover, after Lü Mingliang set a bad precedent in his livestream by slapping Nie Yunsheng’s face, other department heads followed suit, personally entering the fray and dominating the public opinion war!

They wouldn’t be content as mere department heads; they all wanted to become public figures and idols. This was absurd!

Couldn’t they learn from Mr. Pei and be a bit more low-key?

Regarding Lü Mingliang’s situation, Pei Qian was actually quite supportive, but this time was different.

Because Lü Mingliang’s action was actually attracting hatred, which helped Pei Qian lose money; but now these department heads were beating a downed opponent, which didn’t seem right.

“This won’t do! Could it be that by the time I finish my thesis and come out of seclusion, the Anti-Tenda Alliance will no longer exist?”

“Damn! That won’t work! You must hang on until the day I can burn money with you!”

Pei Qian was getting anxious.

This Anti-Tenda Alliance seemed a bit weak. After just a few days, public opinion was showing signs of completely reversing. How could he feel at ease?

“I’ll have to give you a hand.”

“Department heads, please don’t blame me. I really can’t resist the temptation of fifteen million…”

Pei Qian decided to help the other side a bit—at least not let the Anti-Tenda Alliance companies lose so quickly.

The root of the problem seemed to lie with these department heads.

They were simply too excellent!

Not a single one was just going through the motions; each possessed exceptional skills. This was absurd!

What to do?

The first thing Pei Qian thought of was the suffering travel.

If he could send all these people on suffering travels, the problem would be immediately solved.

But the issue was that the suffering travel had already begun, and it wasn’t possible to forcibly add people. Moreover, most of these department heads had already been on suffering travels, and there wasn’t a reasonable excuse to arrange another one in the short term.

Even though Bao Xu had considerable authority, he needed a plausible reason to take people; he couldn’t just forcibly grab them.

“Forget it, I can’t rely entirely on Bao Xu.”

“If only Chen Kangtuo’s haunted house project was already built, then I could send all these department heads through it, but unfortunately that won’t work in the short term.”

“Since these two approaches won’t work, I’ll have to think of another solution…”

Pei Qian sighed deeply. Had Tenda developed to the point where Mr. Pei couldn’t casually go into seclusion?

No choice but to endure a bit longer. As long as he could claim the wool at the end of this cycle, he would be free afterward!

Pei Qian quickly thought of a solution and sent an email to Assistant Xin.

Have these department heads switch departments and experience frontline work for three months!

For example, Xiao Peng, the head of Slackin’ Internet Café, would be sent to Headwind Logistics to work as a delivery person for three months. Other department heads would face similar situations—not only experiencing frontline work but also switching departments.

Because if they didn’t switch departments, even if department heads went to the frontlines, they would still have the final say and there wouldn’t be any fundamental change.

Of course, during these three months, who would be responsible for the department’s work?

If department heads were allowed to promote their own successors, they would prioritize key employees from their departments, and there might not be much difference.

After some consideration, Pei Qian added another rule: department heads were encouraged to find temporary replacements from outside the company!

If they found temporary replacements from within their own department, they would have to spend the full three months in another department; but if they found temporary replacements from outside the company, their “sentence” could be reduced to two months!

For many department heads, this should be quite an attractive condition, right?