Zong Qinghou didn't want to hide his two sons, but he had no choice. In 2003, he appeared on the Spring Festival Gala with his first wife Shi Youzhen and daughter Zong Fuli. However, Zong Jichang and Zong Jieli were born in 1996 and 1998 respectively. Given the social environment at the time, he dared not and could not acknowledge them. After 2010, society became more open, but Wahaha was a state-owned enterprise with strict requirements on personal conduct, and there was no urgency since his sons were still young. Later, for unknown reasons, he began to promote an image of having only one wife and one daughter, exclusively favoring Zong Fuli. This effectively boxed him into a corner.

Just one year after the death of the 'Beverage King' Zong Qinghou, his only daughter Zong Fuli is now embroiled in a legal battle with her three half-siblings over a $2.1 billion inheritance dispute, which has reached the Hong Kong High Court. These three plaintiffs are no ordinary figures: the eldest brother Zong Jichang is in investments, the second sister Zong Jieli is in cross-border e-commerce, and the youngest brother Zong Jisheng is in tech startups—all are U.S. citizens. Their mother is none other than Du Jianying, Wahaha's former second-in-command, a Zhejiang University graduate who worked alongside Zong Qinghou in the 1990s and even accompanied Zong Fuli abroad for studies, making her a shadow partner.

They produced a 2003 HSBC trust document, claiming their father had promised each of them $700 million, funded by future Wahaha dividends. Zong Fuli countered with a 2020 will stating that overseas assets belong solely to her, but the two witnesses were company executives with no family members present, raising doubts about its validity. The Hong Kong court has postponed its ruling, while a 20 billion yuan equity case in Hangzhou Intermediate Court remains unscheduled. The two sides are locked in a battle over trust law and inheritance law. Zong Qinghou always preached 'family culture,' yet his legacy is now mired in chaos. Zong Fuli, who just took over the company, must fend off challenges from Nongfu Spring and her suddenly appearing siblings. The 'Beverage Princess' may not hold her throne for long.