Zhou Qiqi frowned, her fingers tapping unconsciously on the table:
"Director Qiu isn't stupid; he's very shrewd. He shouldn't make the same mistake again..."
She paused, a hint of seriousness in her voice.
"I reckon there's no such thing as a large foreign trade order. This time, he's purely targeting us..."
"ah?"
Zhang Guoqiang was taken aback. "He's coming for us? What does he want?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than the telephone on his desk suddenly rang, its sharp ringing instantly shattering the tense atmosphere in the office.
Zhou Qiqi and Zhang Guoqiang both looked at the incessantly ringing phone, their hearts skipping a beat.
Zhang Guoqiang quickly grabbed the incessantly ringing phone, and his expression changed as soon as he said "hello".
He nodded and bowed repeatedly into the microphone, a fine layer of sweat instantly appearing on his forehead, as he kept saying things like "Don't worry," "We will definitely find a way," and "We will definitely give you an explanation."
He finally hung up the phone, wiping away sweat, his voice still sounding weak:
"It's a big wholesaler from Huacheng. He signed a large order for our new style coats before, but I don't know where he heard that we had problems with our raw materials, so he called to ask! He's really anxious, saying that he's emptied his warehouse and is waiting for our batch of 'Guanghua' coats as the main style. He even turned down other orders for this, and his funds are all tied up with us..."
If we can't deliver the goods on time, he'll suffer huge losses! All those losses will be attributed to us, and we'll have to pay for them!
After hearing this, Zhou Qiqi showed no surprise on her face, only coldly snorting, "As expected, they've come."
She paused, then looked up and asked, "Is it a long-term client we've worked with before?"
"no,"
Zhang Guoqiang shook his head. "We've never worked together before. This is a newly secured major client; they have huge appetites and a massive order volume..."
Before the words were even finished, the phone shrieked again, as if it were a death knell.
Zhang Guoqiang felt a chill run down his spine, but he answered the call again, bracing himself against the tingling sensation.
Sure enough, it was another customer, speaking anxiously and even a little angrily, asking the same question.
Is the supply of raw materials truly cut off? Will the goods still be delivered on time?
From that moment on, the office phone never stopped ringing.
One call after another was answered, and the content was similar: either pressing for answers or applying pressure, with each caller's tone more urgent and aggressive than the last.
Everyone knows there's a problem with the raw materials, so they're all putting immense pressure on us and threatening to demand compensation!
Zhang Guoqiang was so exhausted from dealing with the situation that his mouth was dry, he was covered in sweat, his voice was hoarse, and the back of his shirt was soaked with sweat, clinging tightly to his body.
Zhou Qiqi was annoyed by the constant bombardment, and her stomach felt empty.
She had no desire to stay in the office, so she rode her bike directly to the state-run restaurant, hoping to find a quiet corner to catch her breath and fill her stomach.
Just as they were eating, a figure in military uniform rushed in, looking around. It was Qin Lei, Shen Huaichuan's communications officer.
Qin Lei spotted her at a glance, his eyes lit up, and he quickly walked over, panting, and said:
"Sister-in-law! The commander guessed you'd be here, and he found you!"
Zhou Qiqi got him a bottle of soda: "Don't rush, tell me slowly, what happened in Huaichuan?"
"Not the commander,"
Qin Lei downed the whole bottle in one gulp and quickly waved his hand, saying:
"The commander didn't rest at noon; he personally went to the black market and asked his friends there, and he actually found out something!"
He lowered his voice as he spoke.
"A batch of Australian wool suddenly appeared on the market this morning, and it's exactly the same as the kind your factory uses!"
Qin Lei's face showed indignation.
"However, that price is absolutely outrageous! It's three times the normal purchase price! And they're planning to advertise it everywhere so more people know. The group leader said they're after you, sister-in-law. You'd better watch out, sister-in-law."
After listening, Zhou Qiqi remained silent for a few seconds. She tightened her grip on her chopsticks, finally understanding completely.
Qiu Fengxian is cutting off her resources at the root, and taking advantage of her misfortune by intercepting her raw materials while trying to sell them back to her at an exorbitant price on the black market.
He can make a fortune without doing anything, just by coming and going.
She and the First Garment Factory worked themselves to the bone, but after all that, they didn't make any money at all. They were essentially working for Qiu Fengxian and the Third Garment Factory for free.
He really mastered the Thirty-Six Stratagems.
Her heart sank, but her face remained expressionless as she simply nodded.
"I understand. Thank you for your hard work, Qin Lei."
She paused, looking at Qin Lei's sweaty forehead, "Have you eaten? And your regimental commander, has he eaten?"
Qin Lei shook his head:
"After the regimental commander finished investigating this matter, he didn't even have time to eat a bite of food before rushing back to the military region to continue working on the combat plan, saying that there was an emergency meeting in the afternoon."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Qiqi immediately got up, went to the window, bought more than a dozen hot, large meat buns, wrapped them in two sheets of oil paper, and handed them to Qin Lei.
"Take one pack for the road and bring it back quickly. Make sure your commander eats a few while they're hot. No matter how busy you are, you have to have something to eat so you don't ruin your stomach."
Holding the hot buns, Qin Lei felt a warm glow in his heart and nodded vigorously, "Thank you, sister-in-law! I'll go back now!"
After seeing Qin Lei off, Zhou Qiqi lost her appetite and quickly finished her meal before getting up and heading back.
The mess at the factory still awaits her, and Qiu Fengxian's fire is burning fiercely and viciously.
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