Chapter 77: Company Crisis (Part 1)
In Haicheng CBD, skyscrapers are lined up one after another, and the glass curtain walls reflect the cool autumn sunshine.
Yu Ling's acquisition of Xinghui Technology was located on the 32nd floor of the Genesis Building (above her former company). Lin Wei, the company's former marketing director, was appointed president at Zhao Chen's recommendation, with Yu Ling as chairman. In the past, the place was filled with the clacking of keyboards, the ringing of phones, and the whispers of project discussions. The air was thick with the scent of caffeine and efficient operation.
Today, however, the atmosphere is completely different.
A heavy, sticky panic, like an invisible fog, enveloped the entire office. Inside the cubicles, the usually busy employees paused their work, staring blankly at their computer screens, or gathered in small groups, whispering in hushed tones, their faces etched with anxiety and unease. A suffocating sense of oppression hung in the air.
"It's over... it's all over now..."
"The stock price hit the lower limit right at the opening! It's still falling!"
"The EPA people are downstairs! I heard they're going to seal off the lab!"
"Will we lose our jobs? Our year-end bonuses will definitely be gone..."
"It's more than just a year-end bonus! I might even end up in jail..."
The whispers of despair, like cold, venomous snakes, snaked into Yu Ling's ears. She sat at her workstation, her fingertips cold as she clutched a freshly printed document, still warm from the printer.
The title of the document burned her eyes like a red-hot iron:
[Preliminary investigation report on the suspected serious heavy metal pollution and false advertising of the environmentally friendly material "Green Source No. 1"] - State Environmental Monitoring Administration.
The report's contents are shocking! Random inspections by an authoritative third-party testing agency revealed that the company's "Green Source No. 1," a new environmentally friendly building material—a product it prides itself on, has invested heavily in developing, and has already launched on a large scale—has a core additive that, under certain temperature and humidity conditions, can release excessive levels of heavy metal ions, causing irreversible pollution to soil and water sources.
What is even more fatal is that the report clearly points out that the company may have discovered relevant hidden dangers during internal testing before the product was launched on the market, but it is suspected of tampering with data and concealing them!
Scandal! A huge scandal!
This is not just a business crisis, it is a criminal offense!
The news had exploded! It was all over the financial pages, the social news pages, even the headlines! Three of the top ten trending searches online were in the news! "Green Source Fraud," "Environmentally Friendly Materials Become Pollution Sources," "Unscrupulous Enterprises"... These glaring headlines were like icicles, piercing Yu Ling's retinas.
The company's stock price unsurprisingly plummeted to the lower limit upon opening, with a mountain of sell orders and a panic sell-off like an avalanche! Partners sent stern letters of inquiry, demanding termination of cooperation and compensation for losses! A joint investigation team from the Environmental Protection Agency arrived and was seizing the laboratory and servers! The legal department's faces were livid, and the office phone rang incessantly, all due to the media's barrage of criticism!
Yu Ling felt her blood run cold. Her hands and feet were icy cold, and her fingertips were trembling slightly from the tight grip she was holding on to the documents.
A crushing fear and a sense of betrayal, like icy vines, clenched around her heart, nearly choking her breath. The anxiety of the deadline for the agreement and the shadow cast by Gu Qianqian paled in the face of the devastating disaster. The company she had just inherited, the foundation of her dreams, was about to sink along with the giant ship of "Green Source"!
"Director Yu..." The young assistant who had just started working at the next workstation came over with tears in her eyes, her face pale. "What should we do? My parents are counting on this job to pay their mortgage..."
Yu Ling looked at the little girl's terrified and helpless eyes, and her throat seemed to be blocked, unable to utter a word. What else could she do?
My phone vibrated wildly in my pocket. It was the company president, Lin Wei, calling. Her voice was hoarse and urgent, "Director Yu, immediately! Right now! Get to Conference Room 1! The investigation team wants you!"
The last glimmer of hope was shattered. Yu Ling stood up suddenly, swaying slightly with dizziness. She gripped the edge of the table, took a deep breath, and forced herself to calm down. She stuffed the heavy report into a folder and frantically sorted through the relevant documents on her computer. Her fingertips were cold and her movements were stiff.
The looks from my colleagues were mixed with sympathy, inquiry, and, more often, bewilderment. The entire office felt like the end of the world.
Dusk is falling.
Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows of Room 1601, the city lights gradually lit up, a dazzling galaxy. Inside, the room felt warm as spring, and the air was filled with the alluring aroma of food—the malty fragrance of baking bread, the richness of stewed soup, and the sweet and sour flavor of fresh tomatoes.
Yu Ling dragged her legs, which felt like they were filled with lead, and pushed open the heavy wooden door.
Her face was as pale as paper, her eyes hollow, and she carried the cold, despair-infused air of the office building. A day of intense pressure, questioning, and the suffocating feeling of facing the investigation team had nearly drained her of all her strength. The priceless "Heart of the Rose" pink diamond around her neck had lost its luster, hanging heavy like a cold stone.
The kitchen is a warmly lit hub.
Zhao Chen stood with his back to the door, his tall figure shrouded in a warm yellow glow. He wore the familiar, faded dark blue cotton apron, his sleeves casually rolled up to his elbows, revealing his sleek arms. He stood at the large counter, his back slightly hunched, intently kneading a ball of snow-white dough.
His powerful hands pressed, folded, and kneaded the dough with skillful and rhythmic movements, and the dough made a subtle, soothing "popping" sound under his hands.
In the nearby cast iron pot, thick tomato and beef brisket soup was bubbling, emitting an alluring sweet and sour aroma. In the oven, golden baguettes exuded a rich wheat aroma.
The hustle and bustle of life, the peaceful years, and the cold, desperate vortex that Yu Ling had just experienced formed the ultimate contrast between heaven and hell.
Hearing the door open, Zhao Chen didn't even turn around, still concentrating on the dough in his hands. His voice was gentle, as if nothing had happened: "Are you back? Wash your hands and get ready for dinner. I tried a new tomato beef brisket recipe today, it should taste good."
His voice was calm and natural, with a strange soothing power, like a warm current flowing across Yu Ling's cold and tense nerves.
Yu Ling stood in the shadow of the entrance, looking at the "ordinary husband" wearing an apron and kneading dough in the warm light in the kitchen, looking at his focused and gentle profile, and then thinking of the gloomy and doomsday scene in the company... huge grievances, fear and an almost absurd sense of separation suddenly rushed into her heart!
My eyes instantly turned red. The strength and composure I had maintained all day crumbled in this warm harbor, in the calm tone of this man!
"Hubby..." Her voice was thick with tears, thin and weak, but full of helpless trembling, "The company... The company is going to be finished..."
She was like a child who had suffered a great injustice outside and finally found her parents. Tears flowed uncontrollably and slid down her cold cheeks.
Zhao Chen paused in kneading the dough.
He slowly turned around. The warm yellow light fell on his handsome face, illuminating his clean, slender fingers, lightly stained with white flour. He looked at his wife, who stood in the entranceway, tears streaming down her face, exuding an air of despair. His amber eyes held no surprise or panic, only a deep, ocean-like calm and gentleness.
He stretched out his long legs and walked in front of Yu Ling in a few steps. His warm palm, which smelled of fresh flour and a faint aroma of tomatoes, gently pinched Yu Ling's cold, pale cheek without any disgust and with a soothing tone.
A little flour from her fingertips landed on her face, like a naughty white spot.
"Silly girl, why are you crying?" His voice was low and steady, with a kind of soothing magic. He looked intently into her tearful eyes, "Isn't it just a little storm?"
He leaned over slightly, closer to her, his warm breath brushing her tear-stained eyelashes, and lowered his voice with unquestionable certainty:
"Trust me."
He used the tip of his thumb, which was dipped in flour, to very gently wipe away a tear from her cheek, leaving a faint white mark, his movements as careful as if he were wiping away a rare treasure.
"When the sun rises tomorrow," he looked directly into her eyes, her crying face reflected in his amber pupils, and every word struck a clear chord in Yu Ling's troubled heart, "everything will be different."
His promise was calm and brief, yet it carried a strange power, as if it could control fate. No flowery words, no exaggerated assurances, just "Trust me," and "Tomorrow will be different."
These simple words, like a beam of warm and solid light, pierced the thick haze of despair in Yu Ling's heart. She looked at his handsome face, so close, filled with confidence and tenderness, and felt the warm touch of his fingertips. Miraculously, the turbulent waves surging in her heart began to subside.
Although her mind told her it was an impossible task—a national investigation, a report with overwhelming evidence, a stock price on the verge of collapse, and a situation surrounded by enemies on all sides—Zhao Chen's eyes, the undeniable calm power in his words, made her want to believe it irresistibly. It was like a drowning man grasping at a single piece of driftwood.
She sniffed hard, tears in her eyes, looking at the traces of flour on Zhao Chen's face, blurred by her tears, like a wronged little cat. She choked up, with a heavy nasal voice, and nodded gently: "...Yeah."
Zhao Chen looked at her pitiful yet adorable appearance, and the smile in his eyes deepened, filled with deep doting. He once again used his flour-covered finger to gently tap the tip of her nose: "That's good. Go wash your hands and try my new dish."
Yu Ling was wheeled to the bathroom. The cool water washed over her fingertips, washing away some of the sticky fear. She looked in the mirror, her eyes red and swollen, her cheeks still caked with flour. Then she glanced at the tall figure in the kitchen, now focused on kneading dough. A mixture of exhaustion, like surviving a catastrophe, and a strange sense of peace washed over her.
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