Flash Marriage with Dr. Huo

On Monday morning, Mr. Huo sat in his office. The sunlight streamed in through the French windows, but it couldn't dispel the gloom between his brows. The coffee on the table had long since gone cold, but he was oblivious.

The email he received this morning made Mr. Huo a little panicked.

He picked up the phone, and the other party's voice was filled with anxiety. "Mr. Huo, I just confirmed that Germany has just announced that they will impose high anti-dumping duties on our new electronic products, with a tax rate of up to 75%. This means that our competitiveness in the European market will be greatly reduced. Preliminary estimates show that the losses may exceed 20 billion."

The person who called was Ji Mingyu, the overseas development manager of the Huo Group.

Mr. Huo's brows furrowed as he listened. After a moment, he tried to respond calmly, "I understand."

Then, President Huo informed his secretary: "Notify the Vice President, the Legal Department, and the Marketing Department immediately. A meeting will be held in half an hour."

The atmosphere in the conference room was solemn.

Mr. Huo stood in front of the projection screen, his gaze sweeping over everyone present. After analyzing the current situation, he said, "The German market is extremely important to us. This anti-dumping duty will significantly impact our sales. We must come up with a response plan quickly, otherwise the consequences will be dire."

Vice President Bo pondered for a moment and said, "We can consider filing a complaint through legal channels and negotiate with the relevant German authorities to try to lower the tax rate."

The head of the legal department nodded in agreement. "Yes, we can start with international trade rules to prove that our products aren't being dumped. Alternatively, we could consider adjusting our supply chain and relocating some production to Europe to avoid taxes."

President Huo nodded slightly. "Okay. The Legal Department will immediately prepare the appeal materials, and the Marketing Department will reassess our strategic layout for the European market. Additionally, I will personally lead a team to Germany to conduct urgent consultations with the local government, industry associations, and client companies."

After the meeting, Mr. Huo returned to the office, picked up his phone and called his wife. His voice was very gloomy.

Tang Xiaqing's gentle voice came from the other end of the phone: "What's wrong? You sound very unhappy."

Mr. Huo's tone softened a bit. "There's a serious problem with the project in Germany. I need to fly over there right away to deal with it. I might be away for a while."

Tang Xiaqing was silent for a moment. She had never seen President Huo so worried about work before. She seemed to understand the seriousness of the situation and then said softly, "I understand. Be careful. If you need me to do anything, please let me know."

Mr. Huo responded: "Okay."

After hanging up the phone, Mr. Huo took a deep breath and prepared to rush to the airport with several other executives.

After the plane took off, Mr. Huo leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes to rest. He knew that this trip to Germany would be a tough battle.

With a sum of more than 20 billion yuan, this crisis is as serious as when Huo Chenjun’s grandfather passed away, or even more serious.

More than ten hours later, the plane landed at Frankfurt Airport.

At the negotiation table, President Huo calmly and firmly stated the Huo Group's position, while the legal team supported his views with detailed data and legal provisions.

After several rounds of intense negotiations, Germany finally agreed to reassess the anti-dumping duty rates for these products and promised to give a reply in the short term.

However, there was a hint of coldness and alienation in the other party's tone, and he even said bluntly: "There may not be much hope." This sentence was like a heavy hammer, hitting Mr. Huo's heart hard.

After the meeting, Mr. Huo stood alone in the high-level conference room of the German branch, overlooking the night view of Frankfurt through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

If this loss of over 20 billion yuan could not be avoided, the Huo Group's liquidity would face unprecedented pressure, and it might even lead to a break in the capital chain. He couldn't imagine such consequences.

He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning slightly white from the effort.

He also had to admit that the crisis was much more difficult than he had expected.