Qiu Fengxian's office at the Third Garment Factory was indeed much more spacious than that at the First Garment Factory.
The red lacquered floor was polished to a shine, and a dark filing cabinet stood against the wall, with folders neatly stacked inside the glass cabinet doors.
Several banners hung on the wall, bearing the words "Advanced Production Unit" and "Model of Reform and Innovation" in gold lettering, gleaming dazzlingly in the sunlight.
The banner looked impressive, but unfortunately, a new sample garment was hanging under it. The fabric was rough, and the loose threads were hanging there glaringly, even more irritating than the gold lettering.
Qiu Fengxian was holding a purple clay teacup, blowing away the foam, preparing to take a leisurely sip, when he heard his secretary call out anxiously from outside.
"Factory manager, from the First Garment Factory..."
Before she could finish speaking, Zhou Qiqi appeared at the office door with Zhang Guoqiang.
Qiu Fengxian seemed completely unsurprised. He slowly took two sips of his tea before pretending to look up and see the two people at the door.
His face instantly broke into a warm smile, as if he were seeing an old friend he hadn't seen for years.
"Oh my, what a rare guest! What a rare guest!"
He slowly put down his teacup, stood up, and walked around the large desk to greet him.
"Aren't these Master Zhou and Factory Manager Zhang, who are currently very popular in our city's garment industry?"
"What kind of magical wind is blowing outside today, bringing you two distinguished guests to my humble temple? Please, have a seat!"
He pointed to the sofa next to him, "Why don't you come over and try some Longjing tea I just got?"
Zhou Qiqi didn't move towards the sofa; she wasn't here today for tea or pleasantries.
She took two steps forward and stopped in front of Qiu Fengxian's large desk, her eyes blazing with anger as she glared at him.
Zhang Guoqiang stood closely behind her, like a silent guardian.
"Director Qiu, I won't have the tea."
Her voice was shrill, as if squeezed from her throat, making it clear at a glance that she was extremely angry.
"Let's be frank, our factory's new winter 'Guanghua' series coats were supplied with Australian wool, but someone intercepted the supply permit halfway through. Coincidentally, a batch of goods has now appeared on the black market, with the exact same material as what we need, and they're asking for three times the price! This is a brilliant move—first cutting off our livelihood, then taking advantage of our misfortune to raise prices. It's a flawless and skillful maneuver!"
She paused, her anger intensifying.
"Director Qiu, you're always well-informed and have a lot of connections. I wonder if you've heard about this matter?"
The meaning behind her words couldn't be clearer: she suspected that Qiu Fengxian was the one who did it.
Qiu Fengxian's smile froze for a second, but quickly spread into an even bigger smile, even more sincere, mixed with a hint of grievance at being wronged.
He spread his hands and said:
"Master Zhou, what makes you say that? Are you doubting me? I didn't know anything about this. Is there a problem with the raw materials in your factory? How could this happen?"
He shook his head repeatedly, looking completely bewildered.
"What black market? What licenses? I don't quite understand! What's going on? Tell me about it, and I'll see if I can help! We're all brothers in the same factory, we should definitely help each other out!"
He said this, but a hint of smugness and amusement couldn't be suppressed in his shrewd little eyes.
He strolled leisurely back to his large leather swivel chair, plopped down, leaned back comfortably, and sank into the soft backrest. His hands rested on the armrests, and his fingers tapped lightly on the smooth tabletop, producing a soft "tap-tap" sound, exuding a sense of leisure and superiority as if he were in complete control.
"These days,"
Qiu Fengxian drew out his words, his tone earnest and meaningful, his tone carrying a deeper meaning.
"Planned allocations and foreign trade tasks are all grand decisions made by higher-level leaders to coordinate the overall situation! We, the grassroots factory managers, should just obediently follow the arrangements and serve the overall interests! Master Zhou, don't you think... that makes sense?"
He deliberately emphasized the words "superior leaders," "important tasks," and "serving the overall situation."
The subtext couldn't be clearer—
I have powerful backers, and I'm very assertive. What can you do if you find out?
He even leaned forward slightly, adopting a sincere and warm-hearted demeanor, and continued speaking;
"Master Zhou, your factory, especially the production line you contracted, is probably in a bad situation right now, isn't it? So many orders are piling up, and the delivery dates are getting closer every day. This raw material shortage is really a problem!"
His face wore an expression of concern, but his eyes gleamed with mockery.
"How about this, brother, I've been in this business for a long time and I know a few people. I'll help you... try to find some connections on the black market and see if we can get a discount. The prices on the black market are outrageous, but at least it can help you get through this emergency. It's better than nothing, don't you think?"
These words, ostensibly meant to "help," were in reality adding fuel to the fire, and were a blatant provocation and test.
Qiu Fengxian wanted to see what kind of despair or anger Zhou Qiqi, his opponent who had been pushed to the edge of a cliff, would show on her face at this moment.
As expected, Zhou Qiqi was deeply stung by his words.
Her chest rose and fell slightly, her breathing became noticeably more rapid, and anger instantly surged in her clear eyes.
She even stepped forward and slammed her hand heavily on Qiu Fengxian's gleaming mahogany desk, making the lid of the purple clay teapot on the desk jump slightly.
"Qiu Fengxian!"
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com