Because I Cannot Hurt You

They stared at him in a stunned stupor.

Is this Mr. Han Keung talking? Since when did he understand business so much?

It was then they noticed the bags under his eyes and realized that he was really doing nothing but studying Zhiyuan's new company for the past few days.

"That's why, even if Han Corps' hotels are in prime locations, customers would still choose my cousin's hotels. We need something to counteract this, or this increasing graph will threaten us."

Everybody went silent. He was pressing the space between his brows that indicated he was having a headache.

Mr. Pei, one of the managers who had talked to Zhiyuan before, studied Keung with scrutiny.

'If I talk about his capabilities, then I trust him. He will be a good leader. When that day comes, he will need all the support you can provide.'

He cleared his throat. "We will think about a strategy soon."

The others watched him in shock.

One of his colleagues elbowed him and whispered, "Are you sure about this?"

Mr. Pei replied. "Sir Zhiyuan asked us to trust him. If Mr. Han Keung is taking this seriously, we don't have any reason not to support him. He is taking effort for this and we could see that."

They thought about it and nodded. "If you say so, Mr. Pei."

The others joined in too and said, "We will come up with something."

Keung furrowed his brows. "I have thought about something."

"..."

So you studied your opponent and thought of a plan at the same time?

"What have you thought of? Should we lower our prices too?"

Keung glanced at them.

"No. I don't want to copy cousin Zhiyuan. Aren't you already accusing me of riding on his coattails?" He sneered. "The next thing you will say that I won because I just copied him."

They coughed.

"Then what should we do? Sir Zhiyuan has really come up with a brilliant strategy. There are more middle class people compared to upper middle class and outright wealthy families. If they gain the numbers, we would be at a loss."

"Why do you think he is targeting middle class families?" free𝒘ℯ𝗯𝙣𝗼ν𝑒𝗹.𝒄o𝒎

One of them thoughtfully said, "It's because they have limited investments since their company has just started."

"Yes. Business officials or foreign tourists aren't gonna choose their hotels. That's for sure. Business travelers would always opt for hotels where it's closer to their meetings in the city and no way, foreign tourists would choose a remote location in a new and unknown country even if they might be getting heavy discounts. They are targeting the middle class families. We would target foreign tourists especially now when it's the holiday season. We have to give them more than just providing accommodation. It's time we step up the services we provide."

Mr. Pei commented. "We won't get much income from business travelers though since it's the holiday season."

"We will do what we can for them but yes, we cannot expect a significant income from them. So apart from foreign tourists, we will introduce a new service."

"What is it?"

When they heard Keung say it, their eyes widened in shock.

"What!?"

"S-sir, you cannot be serious about this."

Keung glared at them. "I am damn serious about this."

"This is a very bold move…"

"Because it's time we get bold. We are not gonna go anywhere if we are stuck at the same place."

One of them coughed. "O-our reputation could get ruined…"

Keung smirked. "It won't. I have studied the market, and I know what I am doing. That's why I made this decision. I know many of you won't agree to this. But it's a risk I am willing to take. If it fails, I will bear the consequences."

They stared at him in a stupor.

Bear all the consequences himself?

Was he the same man who was threatening to fire them all this time?

"But we just cannot dive into it. We need to make some preparations," Keung said as he was simultaneously thinking about his next move.

"If that's what you wish Sir…"

Keung sensed their discomfort and clenched his fists.

Nobody trusts me…

'You have to build trust before profits, Keung.'

He recalled Zhiyuan's words.

He gritted his teeth. But then he took a breath and calmly said, "Please trust me on this."

They were dumbfounded.

"We don't have time to lose. I don't want to bring this to a tie at all. I want to win this quarter at any cost. If I win this quarter, only then you will understand that I am absolutely serious about this company."

The employees looked at each other and came to a decision.

Mr. Pei nodded. "Alright, Mr. Han Keung. If that's what you want. We agree with your plan. And you don't have to bear the responsibility alone. If anything happens, we will face it together. We are supporting you in this decision, so we would bear the brunt too if such time comes. That's how a family is."

He stiffened. He didn't know how to react.

He lowered his gaze and nodded. "G-Good. Now that we are on the same page, it would make things easier. Then without any further delay, let's start."

—

A few days later.

It was the fifth month now and Xinyi's belly was slightly showing. As Zhiyuan came out of the shower, he smiled and kissed her forehead. "How are my wife and daughter today?"

"Your wife and daughter are doing great, especially after seeing our hotel's performance. Our strategy is a hit."

Zhiyuan grinned. "We will definitely bag this quarter if Keung doesn't step up."

A ding came from her laptop just as he mentioned him.

She checked it. "Oh. It's news about the Han Corps."

"What is it?" He eagerly asked.

"Hmm…Firstly, it's about foreign tourists. Han Corps not only would provide them accomodation but are also marketing their destinations. Focusing on authentic and local attractions and sponsor excursions that would be budget friendly for the foreign tourists."

Zhiyuan raised his brow and nodded. "That's a good idea he came up with. Foreign tourists would love them a lot.

"En."

Then as she read further, her jaw dropped in shock. "They have also made another huge announcement."

"What is it?"

"It's controversial, and we and the other hotel groups in China were playing safe all this time about this."

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

Xinyi read out loud. "All the hotels under Han Corps have officially opened for the LGBT community."