PFC Chapter 583 The last chance
Chapter 583 The last chance
That evening, Li Xiangyang and his group returned to the hotel, the atmosphere somewhat somber. Although they were confident in the quality of their product, being maliciously reported was never a good thing.
"Factory manager, how about I go back to the factory tonight?" Feng Mingyuan adjusted his glasses. "I'll bring the test report over myself."
"No need," Li Xiangyang waved his hand. "Driving at night isn't safe. Just have the factory fax it over first thing tomorrow morning."
Ma Qingfu paced back and forth in the room, clearly agitated: "That Liang Zhiqiang, and that Zhao Mingyuan, they're like persistent ghosts!"
"Old Ma, sit down first." Li Xiangyang poured him a cup of tea. "It's precisely in times like these that you need to stay calm."
Just then, the room phone rang. Li Xiangyang answered it; it was the hotel front desk calling.
"Mr. Li, a gentleman wants to see you, saying he has something important to discuss."
"who?"
He said his surname was Chen and he worked for a trading company in Guangzhou.
Li Xiangyang thought for a moment, and realized it was that Mr. Chen who wanted the exclusive agency rights today. Coming to see him so late must mean something urgent.
"Have him wait for me at the coffee shop, I'll be right down."
Li Xiangyang quickly washed his face and went downstairs to the coffee shop. Boss Chen was already waiting there, looking somewhat anxious.
"Mr. Chen, what brings you here so late?" Li Xiangyang asked as he sat down.
Mr. Chen looked around and lowered his voice, saying, "Mr. Li, I just heard some news that might be detrimental to you."
"what news?"
"Someone is spreading rumors that your product quality is problematic, and that tomorrow's test results will definitely fail." Mr. Chen's expression was serious. "I feel this is not a simple matter."
Li Xiangyang's heart sank, but he remained outwardly calm: "Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Chen. However, I have great confidence in my product."
“Of course I trust the quality of your product,” Mr. Chen nodded. “But some people will use any means necessary to achieve their goals.”
The words were spoken cryptically, but Li Xiangyang understood. Boss Chen was implying that someone might tamper with the testing process.
"Does Mr. Chen have any suggestions?"
After thinking for a moment, Mr. Chen said, "I have some friends in the quality inspection department. If you trust me, I can help you find out more."
Li Xiangyang considered it for a moment, thinking it was always good to have another friend: "Then I'll have to trouble you, Mr. Chen."
“You’re welcome. We’re all in business; helping each other is only right.” Mr. Chen stood up. “I’ll contact someone right now and let you know as soon as I have any news.”
After seeing Boss Chen off, Li Xiangyang returned to his room and told Ma Qingfu and the others the news.
"It seems our opponents are moving very quickly," Lin Yuqing said worriedly.
"We'll meet force with force, and water with earth." Li Xiangyang seemed quite calm. "Let's rest first and see how things go tomorrow."
The next morning, Li Xiangyang received a call from the factory. The quality inspection department worked through the night to prepare all the relevant test reports and had already faxed them to the hotel.
"Factory manager, these reports are sufficient proof of the quality of our products," Feng Mingyuan said confidently, holding a thick stack of documents.
At 10:00 a.m., staff from the exhibition organizing committee arrived at their booth.
"Mr. Li, the test results are in." The staff member held up a report, looking somewhat puzzled.
Li Xiangyang's heart was in his throat, but he calmly asked, "What was the result?"
"The product quality is fully qualified, and all indicators meet the standards." The staff member paused, "However, there is one small problem."
"what is the problem?"
"Someone complained that the nutrition facts label on your product packaging is incorrect," the staff member said, pointing to the box of dried blueberries, "saying the protein content is mislabeled."
Li Xiangyang looked closely and indeed found that the label listed the protein content as 3.2g, while it should actually be 2.3g. Although this wasn't a major problem, it was indeed a technical error.
“We will correct this immediately,” Li Xiangyang said sincerely. “Will this affect our eligibility to participate in the exhibition?”
"No, it's just a labeling issue," the staff member shook their head. "But you need to replace the labels with the correct ones by today."
"No problem." Li Xiangyang breathed a sigh of relief.
After the staff left, Feng Mingyuan felt somewhat guilty: "Factory manager, this was my oversight."
“It’s okay, everyone makes mistakes.” Li Xiangyang patted him on the shoulder. “The key is to correct them in time.”
Just as they were discussing how to solve the labeling problem, Mr. Chen rushed over.
“Mr. Li, the situation is a bit complicated.” After looking around to make sure no one was paying attention, Mr. Chen said in a low voice, “Last night, someone did try to tamper with the testing, but their friends in the quality inspection department stopped them.”
"What's the meaning?"
"Someone tried to adulterate your samples with substandard ingredients and then frame you," Mr. Chen said seriously. "Fortunately, my friend discovered it in time."
Li Xiangyang gasped. If that were true, then these people's methods were truly despicable.
"Mr. Chen, I'll remember this favor," Li Xiangyang said sincerely.
“We’re partners, this is only fair,” Mr. Chen waved his hand. “But you still need to be careful, these people might have other plans.”
Sure enough, Mr. Chen's worries soon came true.
Around 2 p.m., Li Xiangyang was discussing cooperation with a buyer from Tianjin when he suddenly heard a commotion coming from the next booth.
"What's going on?" Lin Yuqing asked curiously, peeking out.
Several uniformed staff members were inspecting products at the next booth, while the booth manager, pale-faced, kept explaining something.
"Another person has been reported," Ma Qingfu said in a low voice. "This is the third one today."
Li Xiangyang's heart sank. This was definitely not a coincidence; someone was surely behind it. Moreover, judging from the companies that were reported, they were all strong small and medium-sized enterprises, suggesting that someone might be trying to eliminate competitors.
Just as Li Xiangyang was pondering these unusual circumstances, a familiar figure appeared in his line of sight—it was Liang Zhiqiang. He was sneaking around between the various booths, holding a small notebook in his hand, and stopping from time to time to jot something down.
"This guy really hasn't given up on his evil intentions," Ma Qingfu said through gritted teeth.
Li Xiangyang narrowed his eyes, already having a plan in mind: "Old Ma, you and Yuqing continue to serve clients here. Xiao Feng, come with me."
"Factory manager, what are you doing?" Feng Mingyuan pushed up his glasses, looking somewhat worried.
"Since they like to play dirty tricks, then we'll play along with them." A cold smile appeared on Li Xiangyang's lips.
The two men quietly followed Liang Zhiqiang, keeping a safe distance. Soon, they saw Liang Zhiqiang walk to a relatively secluded corner, where a man wearing a baseball cap was standing.
"How's it going?" the man in the baseball cap asked in a low voice.
"It's not going too smoothly," Liang Zhiqiang said, somewhat frustrated. "That Li Xiangyang is too vigilant, and their product quality is truly excellent; it's impossible to find a suitable fault with them."
"Then what other options do you have?"
Liang Zhiqiang looked around to make sure no one was watching, then pulled a small paper packet from his pocket: "This is your last chance tonight. The exhibition ends tomorrow."