Rebirth 70: I am a Koi

Hanchuan put down the phone, his brows furrowed, his face terribly gloomy.

I walked over carefully and asked softly, "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with reporter Wu?"

He shook his head and said in a low voice: "There is someone behind her."

My heart sank. Sure enough, things were more complicated than we had imagined.

Reporter Wu is just a small reporter. How could she have the guts to smear us so unscrupulously?

There must be someone behind her.

"Who is it?" I asked.

Hanchuan shook his head again: "It's not clear yet, the other party is hiding very deeply." He walked to the window, looking at the sky outside that was gradually getting darker, and said with a hint of powerlessness, "I used some connections, but I hit a wall."

Just then, there was a knock on the office door.

Xiao Wang from the planting base came in with an anxious look on his face: "Manager Mu, Manager Bai, it's bad. The workers have heard about the supplier Zhou and are now talking about it. Everyone is in a panic..."

My heart tightened; the thing I was most worried about had happened.

Once the matter of Supplier Zhou spreads, it will inevitably affect the morale of the base. If all the employees leave, the base will be really finished.

"I understand. Go and calm everyone down and tell them that we will definitely solve this problem." I tried to speak in a calm tone, but I was unsure myself.

After Xiao Wang left, I looked at Hanchuan, and his face became even uglier. It's raining cats and dogs, with internal and external troubles, can we really get through this difficult time?

I pulled myself together, walked over to him, and held his hand: "Don't worry, we'll find a solution together."

He held my hand in return, his eyes full of fatigue and helplessness.

At this time, the office door was knocked again, and this time it was Lao Li from the base who came in. He was always smiling, but today he looked serious: "Manager Bai, supplier Zhou came again just now and said that if he doesn't see the money tomorrow, he will..." He paused and didn't continue, but we all understood what he meant.

Hanchuan stood up suddenly, with a cold light flashing in his eyes: “He dares!”

He picked up his coat and strode out. I followed him, feeling anxious.

I pulled his sleeve and whispered, "Hanchuan..."

He stopped and looked back at me with complicated eyes...

Hanchuan's eyes were full of anxiety and anger. I patted the back of his hand gently and said, "I'll try another way." He looked at me deeply, but ultimately did not stop me.

People in the base are in panic now, I must find a breakthrough as soon as possible.

I thought of several old customers I had worked with before, and they have always recognized the product quality of our base.

Perhaps, I can take advantage of this.

I immediately arranged for someone to prepare some of our latest vegetables and fruits, which were of the best quality.

I personally drove to visit these old customers one by one.

The first one, the boss was a little hesitant after hearing about the recent negative news about the base, but he was still impressed when he saw the fresh fruits and vegetables I brought.

He picked up a tomato, looked at it carefully, and then took a bite. A satisfied smile appeared on his face: "This tomato still tastes the same as before. Good! I will continue to cooperate with you."

The second, the third... Although there were not many successful customers, I finally saw a glimmer of hope.

A small spark of hope ignited in my heart. As long as the product quality is excellent, I will be able to regain the trust of my customers.

When I returned to the base, I saw Hanchuan standing at the door with a livid face, a phone in his hand, and a cold tone: "Editor-in-Chief Liu, I hope you understand that if this matter is not handled properly, it will not benefit anyone..." He hung up the phone, took a deep breath, and tried to calm himself down.

I walked over and asked quietly, "What did Editor Liu say?"

Hanchuan shook his head: "He is still hesitating." I know that Editor-in-Chief Liu is a seasoned man, and he will not make a choice easily until the last moment.

He needs to weigh the pros and cons and see which side can bring him greater benefits.

At this moment, a truck stopped at the gate of the base, and Supplier Zhou came down with a few burly men. With an arrogant smile on his face, he shouted at the top of his voice: "Mu Jinli! Bai Hanchuan! Just wait for bankruptcy!"

Hanchuan grabbed my hand, protected me behind him, and stared at Supplier Zhou with cold eyes...

Supplier Zhou’s arrogant smile was like a knife, stabbing my heart.

The several strong men he brought with him, all of them looked ferocious, blocking the door like a wall, separating us from hope.

I saw an old customer who had just reached an agreement on a cooperation agreement stop hesitantly, his eyes full of doubt and anxiety.

"Mu Jinli, don't waste your energy," Supplier Zhou said sarcastically, "Who doesn't know about the problems at your base? Who would dare to cooperate with you? I think you'd better close down as soon as possible!"

He deliberately raised his voice, and every word was like rubbing salt into my wounds.

I took a deep breath and tried to control my emotions. Just as I was about to speak, Bai Hanchuan stopped me.

"Supplier Zhou, what exactly do you want to do?" Bai Hanchuan's voice was cold and filled with suppressed anger.

"What do I want to do? I want to get back the money I deserve!" Supplier Zhou said arrogantly, "With your base in this state now, how can you still pay according to the contract? I tell you, if you don't give me an explanation today, I will smash all these rotten fruits and vegetables of yours!"

As he spoke, he pretended to rush over.

Bai Hanchuan protected me behind him, staring at him sharply, like a lion guarding his territory.

"You dare!" His voice was low but full of power.

Supplier Zhou was frightened by his fierce momentum and paused, but soon became arrogant again: "What should I not be afraid of? You are now like rats crossing the street, everyone is shouting and beating you! I..."

I pulled at the corner of Bai Hanchuan's clothes, signaling him to calm down.

I knew that confronting Zhou's supplier now would only make things worse.

I took a deep breath, took a step forward, looked directly into Supplier Zhou's eyes, and said calmly, "Supplier Zhou, I will settle the accounts between us. But now, please leave here and do not affect the normal operation of our base."

Supplier Zhou wanted to say something, but when he saw my determined look, he finally left in disappointment.

At night, when we got home, Bai Hanchuan and I were both silent. The atmosphere in the room was so depressing that it was hard to breathe.

"Li'er..." Bai Hanchuan finally broke the silence. He held my hand tightly, his eyes full of heartache and self-blame, "I'm sorry, I'm useless..."

I shook my head and held his hand tightly. "Don't say that. Let's face it together."

He held me in his arms, resting his chin on my head, and said in a low and firm voice: "Li'er, I won't give up. No matter what, I will protect you and our base."

I looked up and looked into his eyes, my heart filled with emotion and strength.

Suddenly, a rapid knock on the door broke the silence...

I opened the door and saw the malicious face of reporter Wu.

Behind her followed a photographer, carrying a camera with a flashing red light, like a prying eye.

My heart sank suddenly and an ominous premonition came over me.

Reporter Wu asked aggressively without waiting for me to speak: "Director Mu, what do you think about the current predicament of the base? Will you compensate consumers and partners? I heard that supplier Zhou came to cause trouble again today. How did you solve it?"

I suppressed my anger and answered as calmly as possible: "Reporter Wu, we are actively handling this matter and will definitely give all parties involved a satisfactory response."

"Actively handle it?" Reporter Wu sneered, "I think you are just perfunctorily dealing with it! The current situation of the base is obvious to anyone with a discerning eye. You are powerless to save the situation! I advise you to admit your mistakes as soon as possible, so as not to get deeper and deeper into trouble!"

"Reporter Wu, please watch your words!" Bai Hanchuan's voice came from behind me. He walked to my side, protected me behind him, and stared at reporter Wu with cold eyes. "The situation at our base is not as bad as you think. We are working hard to solve the problem. Please don't make malicious speculations!"

Reporter Wu was not afraid at all, but became even more arrogant: "I am maliciously speculating? The facts are right in front of us, can I still wrongly accuse you? You are now..."

I pulled at the corner of Bai Hanchuan's clothes, signaling him not to bother with reporter Wu anymore.

I know that saying anything now will be futile and will only make things worse.

We saw reporter Wu off, and the room fell into suffocating silence again.

A few days passed, and there was still no news from Editor-in-Chief Liu. Supplier Zhou became even more aggressive, bringing people to the base to cause trouble every day. The workers were in a panic, and some of the cooperation agreements that had been negotiated fell through.

I felt like I was stuck in a quagmire, the more I struggled the deeper I sank.

Bai Hanchuan also looked much more haggard. He kept making phone calls and running around, trying to find a solution to the problem, but to no avail.

In the evening, Bai Hanchuan returned home looking tired, holding a file bag in his hand.

He walked up to me, took a deep breath, and said slowly: "Li'er, there is news from Lawyer Zhao..."