Shen Huaichuan's tall figure blocked the doorway, and in the dim light, his deep eyes seemed to be able to see into people's hearts.
"Qiqi, is there something you haven't told me yet?"
Zhou Qiqi's eyes darted away instinctively, but she stubbornly insisted,
"No...no, go to sleep, I'm so sleepy."
"Really not?"
Shen Huaichuan took a step forward, lowered his head slightly, locked his gaze on her, and coaxed in his tone, "Be good, hurry up and tell me."
Under his discerning gaze, Zhou Qiqi's little schemes were laid bare.
She could only pout her rosy lips and whisper.
"It's really nothing serious, it's just... I was thinking you mentioned knowing someone in the black market car fleet, right? They have connections and their cars are fast. Could you help me make a trip to that small factory in Province B and urgently bring back a batch of raw wool fabric?"
She paused, then explained.
"Zhang Guoqiang is always stingy with the factory's old truck, he won't let anyone drive it. The parts inside are all rusted, and it's incredibly slow now. I don't want to cause any delays..."
Upon hearing this, Shen Huaichuan's tightly furrowed brows instantly relaxed, and he hurriedly said,
"That's it? No problem! Their transport teams do this kind of thing, they drive day and night, they're super fast! I'll go to the phone booth and make a call right now! Maybe they can even get it back for you tonight! You can use it when you go to the factory tomorrow morning!"
He started to walk out as if he wanted to run out immediately.
"Oh! It's so late!"
Zhou Qiqi grabbed his arm, feeling sorry for the dark circles under his eyes.
"You can go tomorrow morning! It won't make a difference if you go one more night, so you should get some rest!"
Shen Huaichuan, however, grasped her hand in return, his dry, warm palm enveloping her fingertips.
"Okay, I'm just going to make a phone call. It's only a short walk. I'll be right back."
These past few days, seeing her carrying the burden of pressure all by herself, he felt anxious and had been itching to help her.
Zhou Qiqi knew his temper and didn't stop him.
As if he had received an important mission, Shen Huaichuan left the house with light steps.
Shen Huaichuan is known for his decisive and efficient work style, and his reliability is reassuring.
Besides handling this matter, he also felt sorry for Zhou Qiqi, who had to get up early and ride her bicycle for half an hour to the city.
The next morning, instead of going to the military region early, he watched Zhou Qiqi finish breakfast and then personally drove the military jeep allocated to him to take her to the city.
It's a little past seven in the morning, and he hasn't arrived yet.
Zhang Guoqiang and Master Ma arrived at the factory gate first, dragging their tired bodies. They were talking about the lack of suitable materials when they heard a series of urgent truck horns.
A large, dusty truck came to a screeching halt at the factory gate, its cargo bed covered with a thick dustproof cloth.
A well-dressed man, wearing a thick cotton-padded coat, his face red from the cold, and looking very capable, jumped off the vehicle, his voice booming:
"Hey, comrade! This is the First Garment Factory, right? Let me ask, who's in charge here? Where should we unload this truckload of wool fabric?"
Zhang Guoqiang and Master Ma were both stunned. They looked at each other, their eyes filled with confusion.
He thought he had misheard, and quickly stepped forward:
"Comrade, are you sure you're not mistaken? What material? We didn't order any new material!"
His heart skipped a beat, and his first thought was that Qiu Fengxian, that bastard, had failed to use underhanded tactics and had resorted to forced buying and selling.
Do you want to force that batch of unscrupulous Australian wool onto us? And then ask them for money later?
This is outrageous!
Thinking about it this way, his hair stood on end, and he instinctively shouted towards the guardhouse.
"Old Li! Quick! Grab your weapons! Someone's causing trouble!"
Old Li from the factory's security department also had a fiery temper. As soon as he heard the factory manager's shout, he immediately grabbed a broom from the corner and rushed out. Several experienced workers who had arrived earlier also surrounded him, trying to drive the truck driver away.
The black market driver wasn't one to be trifled with; he was a seasoned driver and had seen it all. He immediately rolled up his sleeves, neck stiff with arrogance:
"Hey! What's wrong with your factory? I drove all night to deliver materials, and you want to fight me? I'm not afraid of you!"
Just as tensions were rising between the two sides and a misunderstanding was about to escalate into a conflict, Shen Huaichuan's military green jeep came to a steady stop next to the truck.
Zhou Qiqi deftly pushed open the car door and jumped out, her voice clear and bright: "Don't make a move! It's a misunderstanding!"
She walked quickly to the truck, nodded apologetically to the driver, then turned to Zhang Guoqiang and Master Ma, who looked nervous and bewildered, with a joyful smile on her face:
"Director Zhang, Master Li, put it down quickly! I had someone bring this load of materials back from Province B overnight!"
Zhang Guoqiang's broom froze in mid-air, his eyes wide with surprise and doubt:
"Qiqi? You...you found usable material?!"
He was overjoyed and forgot about the misunderstanding. He threw down the broom and climbed onto the back of the truck, eagerly lifting a corner of the dust cover.
But after just one glance, the joy on his face froze, replaced by a furrowed brow. He jumped out of the car, pulled Zhou Qiqi aside, and whispered:
"Qiqi, are you... confused? This... isn't this all undyed raw fabric? It's all grayish and dull, not the 'glossy' fabric we want... it's not the same thing at all!"
His heart plummeted from the clouds to the bottom of the valley.
Master Ma next to him looked just as worried, his face as bitter as a gourd.
However, Zhou Qiqi showed no sign of worry. A mysterious smile curved her lips, her eyes sparkled, and her voice was clear and bright.
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