Chapter 134 Jealousy
The big man flinched and quickly sat up straight, his posture as upright as if he were standing at attention, which made Su Youling want to laugh, but she managed to hold it in. "Alright, Assistant Li, stop scaring him."
Li Tingxi glanced at her and saw that she seemed to be amused, and her tightly furrowed brows relaxed. Only then did he feel the same joy welling up in his heart.
Even he himself didn't realize that, from some point onwards, Su Youling's every move, her joys and sorrows, easily affected his emotions.
With Su Youling's overtures, Da Han relaxed considerably and revealed Yi Tao's production process over the years. For ordinary household ceramic orders, a portion is distributed to the factory, and another portion is outsourced to shoddy contractors, inevitably resulting in inconsistent quality.
As for art ceramics, because the craftsmanship requirements are high, some quality control cannot be faked, so they can only be made by experienced workers in the factory. However, if you want to make bigger profits, you can't go through the company's official accounts, so you have to cut corners on the raw materials and processors to make huge profits.
Yitao originally had its own factory supplying materials, but the materials used were very particular, so the prices were naturally high. If the higher-ups wanted to make a profit quietly and cover it up, they could only find an outside contractor to do so.
This burly man is named Li Cheng. In his younger days, his family was in the ceramic raw material supply business. However, his family later fell on hard times. He had resources and means, but no stage to use them. He could only work as a black contractor, dealing with ruthless people like Zhao Fu, and getting some large outsourced projects.
The bulk of the project funds were divided among the company's senior management, leaving them with very little profit. But it was still a business, and it was better than doing manual labor.
They had been working on this kind of cooperation as contract workers for many years. Zhao Fu had been trustworthy in the past and had paid the full amount due. So Li Cheng had also helped to bring in many other retailers to work with Yi Tao, and he would take a cut of the profits. But this time, things went wrong.
After hearing this, Su Youling was so angry that she almost broke the pen in her hand. "No wonder the reputation of Yitao has been declining year by year. Ceramics is an art form that emphasizes craftsmanship. Materials and craftsmanship are both indispensable. Once the quality declines, the collapse of reputation will be gradual."
Even if you're not a manager of this company, from the perspective of a ceramics practitioner, it's extremely hateful that Zhao Fu and his group have squandered Mr. Ai's hard work.
Li Cheng quickly said, "President Su, I heard from Master Li that you are a true expert in ceramics. You must know the quality of ceramic materials. Although I am a black market contractor, it's because I have no other choice but to do so to make a living. The raw material channels I have are not bad."
Li Tingxi gave him a cold look. "If it's not bad, how come its sales and reputation have been so bad over the years?"
Li Cheng sighed, "That's all thanks to the corrupt officials at Yitao. Everyone at the top is thinking about embezzling and profiting from every link. They even cut back on workers' welfare and keep pushing down the prices of material suppliers. Yitao has changed several suppliers over the years, and the quality has gotten worse with each change."
Su Youling finally understood: Yi Tao was rotten from top to bottom, completely corrupt at its core.
"The factory management is also rife with flattery. Those who are truly capable are marginalized and unable to continue. The workers have lost their motivation, and the craftsmanship is becoming increasingly perfunctory. Only sycophants remain on the front line. What good things can they possibly produce?" Li Cheng glanced at Su Youling. "I originally planned to finish this order and then stop cooperating with Zhao Fu. Because Yitao is now at its last gasp and will go bankrupt sooner or later."
Su Youling "..."
You're quite outspoken.
#Please do not use incognito mode whenever verification is required!
"The project will be resolved within three days!" Su Youling said calmly, looking at Li Cheng's eyes that lit up. "Tell your friends to compile a detailed list of the materials you have on hand, including their sources and quality certificates for each batch. Then, prepare a detailed competitive plan."
"President Su, you mean..."
“If Yitao is to reform, it needs a complete overhaul. Since you say the current material suppliers are no good, let me see how capable you are.” Su Youling stood up and extended her hand to him. “I only care about genuine products and quality. If you can really do a good job, then you will be Yitao’s new supplier.”
“I have confidence!” Li Cheng excitedly reached out and shook hands with her. “President Su, I… I was really blinded by greed before. I thought that you, a woman, must have engaged in unfair competition to get to your position and didn’t have any real skills. Even though Master Li said that you are very good at pottery, I still had my prejudices.”
He suddenly grabbed a chair and lifted it up. Li Tingxi's expression changed, and he quickly pulled Su Youling back and was about to punch him.
Li Cheng bowed deeply and said, "I'm sorry. Why don't you hit me again to vent your anger?"
After saying that, he offered the chair with both hands.
Su Youling "..."
What kind of thought process is this?
“If violence can solve problems, what’s the point of having police?” Su Youling sighed. “If you can convince me, the contract can be renewed every year, and the price can be renegotiated every year based on market feedback and revenue.”
When Li Cheng raised his head again, his eyes were full of tears. It was a real tough guy crying, something even Su Youling couldn't understand.
"Stop crying!" Li Tingxi frowned in disgust.
Li Cheng wiped away his tears, "I'm just too excited! I believe that President Su can give Yi Tao a brand new look. Don't worry, when I get back I'll tell the brothers that we will never cause trouble here again, and we won't talk nonsense to the reporters."
Su Youling grasped the key phrase "reporter?"
"It was...it was the woman who gave me a phone number. She said if Yi Tao used her power to bully people or resorted to violence, I should call her and have a reporter expose it." Li Cheng scratched his head, immediately showing his sincerity and pulling up the call log, but the number was unfamiliar; it should be a new local number.
"That person was very cautious, only saying that he was an insider at Yitao who disliked the new boss... who sold himself to get the position, so he wanted to act on behalf of heaven."
Su Youling frowned. What kind of childish,江湖气 (jianghu qi, a kind of martial arts/middle school syndrome) is this?
The person behind this probably investigated Li Cheng and his group, so they deliberately used this kind of rhetoric to deceive and incite them, with the ultimate goal of targeting them.
"Li Cheng, do me a favor," Su Youling said. "Call that reporter and do what he told you to do, but don't give him any solid evidence. Arrange to meet him."
"Meet?"
“If he were truly cautious, the reporter wouldn’t have met with you. Don’t worry, this call is just a delaying tactic. Tell the reporter you can give him information, but he’ll have to pay you money, otherwise he won’t be able to buy the real stuff.” After saying this, Su Youling prepared to call Wei Ning.
Li Tingxi understood what she was going to do, took the phone directly, and said unhappily, "This is a small matter, no need to ask other men. Let Qin He handle it. By monitoring that reporter's phone in real time, we can find out who is behind it."
Hearing the slightly sour tone in his voice, Su Youling wondered if she had also become obsessed.
I actually think Li Tingxi is jealous!
You must be overthinking it!
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