CHAPTER 56

“Hello, I’m Shen Haiyang.”

“Haiyang, it’s me.”

“Wife,” Shen Haiyang recognized her voice, “if you have anything to say, please speak up.”

Li Xia quickly explained the situation to him: “Is there any way to remove or replace this news? The newspaper will be published soon, and once it is published, there will be another layer of trouble.”

“I’ll try to find a way.”

Shen Haiyang didn’t waste any time; he hung up the phone and went to find his colleague. This colleague’s elder brother seemed to work for the provincial newspaper, and if he hurried, he could remove the news.

Shen Haiyang asked his colleague for help in a hurry. His colleague called his brother without saying anything. His brother is now the editor-in-chief. After talking to Li Xia and confirming that the news was wrong, he became anxious.

“It’s about to be printed; what can we use to replace it now? Xiao Xu is not reliable at all. He actually published such misleading news to consumers.”

Shen Haiyang extracted important information from these words: It’s about to be printed; what should be used to replace the message?

“Well, replace the message with an advertisement for our factory. I’ll pay for the advertising later.”

“What slogan should I use?” Is it too late to write this now? You really know how to give me a difficult question.

“It’s on TV, so just use that.”

“Oh, OK. If the page is large, I’ll include a screenshot of the poster and increase the advertising fee. And our newspaper advertisements are valid for at least one month.”

“Okay, okay, that’s fine.”

The editor-in-chief made a phone call, removed the false news, and replaced it with the advertisement shot by Li Xia. The poster and the slogan were directly copied. The layout was quickly replaced, and the printing began on an expedited basis.

The newspaper’s news was intercepted, and Shen Haiyang called his wife to inform her. Li Xia finally breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this, and after hanging up the phone, she left with Han Jun and the person involved. The young reporters will be dealt with by their leaders, and he has no ethics as a media person, and he will not have a good result.

The young reporter was also very surprised when he heard that the news had really been replaced. This person actually has connections with their newspaper and was able to replace his news urgently. It’s over; this woman has a complicated relationship behind her, and he has fallen into the trap this time.

Li Xia didn’t care what he did. She and Han Jun took the client to the hotel where they were staying. On the way, Han Jun had already reset his dislocated bones and joints, and there was no visible scar on the surface.

“Tell me, what is your plan?”

“I have to sue your factory and distributor for compensation. I will definitely lose the lawsuit. But I really have no choice. This was the condition I agreed to in the first place.”

Han Jun said quickly, “Withdraw the lawsuit, and we will compensate you for your losses.”

The man smiled bitterly: “In fact, this lawsuit is bound to be lost, so you don’t have to spend any more money.”

Li Xia sat in deep thought, not in a hurry to speak. Should she file a lawsuit or spend money to suppress the matter? If she suppressed it, would the other party take the risk and deliberately create an accident? If she didn’t suppress it, how much impact would it have on her factory?

This is a matter of opportunity and danger. The negative impact of the fire has been eliminated. The official news is that the fire started from the socket and wires, and they used them improperly and covered the electric heater with wet clothes, ignoring the four big words “Do not cover” written on the top of the electric heater.

“I think we should just leave the lawsuit as it is.”

Li Xia said so, and Han Jun also reacted. She will be interviewed by a TV station soon, and there will be a lot of operations at that time. As for the lawsuit, the media will no longer pay attention to it. When it is reported again, it will be a trial. If the lawsuit is won, there will be another wave of public opinion. Rainbow is indeed of high quality, and it will win the case.

“I think so.”

“We have responded quickly. The fire has nothing to do with our products. The authorities have released the results of the investigation. The media dare not report it recklessly. The next step is to pay attention to this after the lawsuit is decided.”

Li Xia continued, “During this period, we have to use public opinion to build momentum for ourselves and advertise our brand. This time, the power strip caught fire. I promised on the show that I would give away a high-quality power strip for every high-power appliance I sold. You should contact the power strip manufacturer, and they must be of high quality.”

Han Jun clapped his hands and said, “Your reaction is too quick. This will elevate our factory’s image in the minds of consumers to a higher level.”

After dealing with the negative impact on me, I can go with the flow. The man in the house smiled helplessly, thinking that these two were very capable. Before, they were eager to suppress it, but when things took a turn for the better, they immediately started to build momentum for themselves. This woman is really generous, giving away a power strip for every machine. How much money would that be?

The tree wants to be still, but the wind does not stop. They already know that someone is playing tricks on them. They cannot deal with things too hastily, lest the other party become desperate and artificially create trouble and public opinion. Since it has come to this point, they might as well take advantage of the situation and keep things under control.

As the saying goes, the business world is like a battlefield, changing rapidly and testing people’s abilities.

Han Jun turned his head and glared at him. He trembled with fear. This man was too cruel. He removed his arm without hesitation. And now it has been put back in place, and it is as good as new. Outsiders can’t see it at all, but who knows the pain he is feeling inside?

“Don’t talk nonsense in any news media anymore; otherwise…” Han Jun raised his hand, his joints cracking. The man was so scared that he just nodded and didn’t know what to say. He added, “Be careful not to spend the money you earn without conscience. Your son seems to be less than one year old.”

“Don’t worry, don’t worry. What I promised them was what was in the newspaper before, and then I would sue you. I promise not to say anything else.”

“What if they arrange for the media to interview you?”

“Everything will be judged by the public. Let everyone listen to the official news.”

“Did your old mother put the baby’s wet clothes on the electric heater?”

“I’m not at home, so I don’t know. But the fire brigade went to put out the fire, and they saw it, so maybe they did. After all, my mother is old, so she might be confused.”

Improper use should guide consumers to the correct understanding. Because it is clearly written on the heater that it cannot be covered. When everyone saw this, they immediately thought of the old lady’s improper use due to illiteracy. In addition, the plug board caught fire; these two items have made people no longer doubt the product quality.

The quick response turned things around. The TV first reported the fire and then reported that the fire was caused by improper use, aging circuits, substandard sockets, etc. The negative things did not ferment in the minds of consumers and turned into positive ones.

Li Xia invited all the dealers in the city to dinner, and everyone had a copy of the official report. If anyone had doubts, they could use this. The news media would not pay attention to this matter for a while, so the next step would be word of mouth from consumers. They had seen on TV that it was not a product quality issue, and after seeing the official report with their own eyes, any doubts would disappear.

“Please spread the word. Word of mouth, although it takes a little effort, can also build up a good reputation. At the end of the year, we will give everyone a commission based on sales. We have also hired many technical personnel for after-sales service, and the service will definitely be in place.”

A dealer smiled and said, “No problem; we have been cooperating for many years, and we trust Boss Li.”

Many of them were customers they had accumulated since they sold black-and-white TVs. Because of their interests and friendships, everyone was willing to help. Moreover, they had more orders from Li Xia than this. If something happened to their factory, they would not be in a good situation.

Things have come to a close here. The lawsuit will not be resolved in a short time, and they have already made arrangements, so they are not afraid of the other party doing something bad.

Before leaving, Han Jun found the man again. The man trembled with fear when he saw him. “What else do you have to say?”

“Are you worried that the other party might use violence against you?”

The man nodded, looking regretful and afraid in front of him. He was just a small fry who did things for money, so Han Jun didn’t make things difficult for him.

“Don’t be afraid. If you encounter threats, go to the Public Security Bureau. We have already informed you. This is a recorder. If the other party comes to find you, you can record the evidence and delay them. Then hand this to the Public Security Bureau, and someone will naturally help you.”

The man’s hands were shaking. How did he get involved in this vortex? He didn’t even think about it. It was so much money. Money was so easy to earn. He was being used as a knife for others. How could the other party be happy if the knife didn’t hurt anyone?

“It’s best to get the other party’s background so that it can become public opinion. The bigger the public opinion, the safer your family will be. The other party won’t dare to admit it, let alone hurt you again.”

“Oh, oh, I know what to do.”

Having been in fear for so long, he decided to fight the other party. After the official investigation results were released by Li Xia, he could no longer attack her. If he continued to make false statements regardless of the facts, it would be a rumor, and he would be held criminally liable. It would be better to take the money from them and let them suffer in silence. Anyway, he had done what he promised them.

After explaining this, Li Xia and Han Jun bought gifts and went to the Public Security Bureau chief to express their gratitude. After a conversation, they found out that the other party had known Shen Haiyang for many years. During the meeting this year, the two chatted together. Their relationship was not particularly close, but they definitely had a friendship.

“Don’t worry, I’ll tell them to pay special attention to that area.”

“Thanks.”

After everything was arranged, she, Han Jun, and Fang Long returned to the provincial capital. It was already late when they arrived, so she got off at the door and asked Han Jun to drive her car home.

“Just come pick me up tomorrow morning.”

“Okay, I will go then.”

As soon as she entered the door, Shen Haiyang in the main room and the three children in the east and west wing rooms all came out after hearing the noise. The feeling of being cared for by her family made her tired face bloom with a smile.

“Mom, is it solved?” Yiyi was the first to ask.

“Yeah, it’s okay.”

The family members all looked relieved, and the children went back to their rooms without worrying about going to school tomorrow morning. Without saying much to them, she washed up.

She went back to the main room and told her husband in detail about their final plan.

“Thanks to you. If the official report had not been issued in time and you had not removed the newspaper report, this matter would have become a big deal and it would have been difficult to resolve.”

She was combing her hair, and when she turned around, she looked at him with a smile on her face. The man reached out and took the comb from her hand, his expression still smiling and elegant.

“You’re welcome to talk to me.” Then he remembered something: “But we have to pay for the replacement ads. I signed for them.”

“Yeah, don’t worry, I’ll pay.”

“Many suppliers have been visiting me one after another these days. This matter has been widely spread. I’m afraid some of them will be influenced and ask for money in advance. The villa you bought has been delivered. If you really can’t make it, sell the house. Let’s talk about it after this period has subsided.”

“I’ll meet these people tomorrow and see the details.” She also needs to buy a batch of sockets to give away, which will cost a lot of money. But all this needs to be done; she just needs to figure it out on her own, and she doesn’t need to tell him everything. He has already helped her a lot.

“okay.”

Knowing that she was tired, Shen Haiyang helped her massage to relax her muscles and bones so that she could sleep well. After a good night’s sleep, Han Jun drove Qin Mu over the next day, had breakfast at her house, and then the two drove to work.

Shen Haiyang also drove away. The nanny at home smiled and shook her head, joking with Qin Mu. “Your man is with this woman all day long. Mr. Shen doesn’t mind, and neither do you. You have a really good relationship, which shows how much trust you have.”

Qin Mu sneered: “Li Xia would not like my husband’s rough and straight appearance. Especially compared with Brother Shen, he is not a match. Well, what’s the use of dislike? Half of my life has passed. I’m used to it.”

Auntie didn’t take her self-deprecating words seriously. Han Jun’s temper is not as good as Shen Haiyang’s, but he is definitely a capable man. Of these two men, if Shen Haiyang is the gentle jade, Han Jun is the tall tree. He is a little rough, but absolutely reliable.

When Li Xia arrived at the workplace, Xiao Liu was the first to come over and ask about the situation. Just as she was about to speak, her third brother, Fang Long, and Han Jun also came in. She heard that the other party had sued them and the dealer, and she couldn’t let her mind go.

“What if the dealer returns the product?” Xiao Liu was rather timid. He felt that the matter was not completely resolved and was always uneasy.

“The quality of our products is absolutely up to standard, and it’s not the first day that the dealers are selling them. Moreover, the authorities have already released the results of the investigation, and those people are not that stupid.” Fang Long is very confident in the technology and thinks that you must be very shortsighted to return such a good product.

The third brother said nothing and just listened to everyone’s opinions. He was not very good at production and sales, and he had no idea how to deal with this matter. His sister had made the decision, so he just listened to her.

Seeing that she had made up her mind, Xiao Liu turned to another question. “The suppliers have been to your house these past few days, and I think they’ve been to your house too. I said I’d contact them when you get back. What do you think we should do about this?”

“Are they still in the provincial capital? If they are, let’s meet tonight. Please notify them. I will treat them at Hongyun Restaurant tonight.”

“Okay, got it. Then let’s go tonight, Han Jun, me and you, okay?”

“Yes, the three of us will go. If you get drunk, let my third brother pick us up.”

After talking to Xiao Liu, she turned to arrange Fang Long: “Let’s do it this way for now. The production in the workshop will be adjusted according to the order. Fang Long, you asked someone to keep an eye on this matter. That’s it; adjourn the meeting, and everyone go about their business.”

“Okay.”

Now the technical department and R&D department of the factory have not been separated, and both are managed by Fang Long. He responded and turned away, no longer expressing his opinion on sales. After he left, Han Jun and Xiao Liu also left one after another, leaving only Li Xia and her brother in the office.

The third brother saw that the door was closed, waited for a minute, took out a bag from his pocket, and put it in front of Li Xia. Li Xia stretched out her hand to look at it and asked, “What is this?”

When she opened the bag, she saw two neatly stacked pieces of cash. There were two bundles of 100-yuan bills, one for 10,000 yuan. Li Xia looked up in surprise and asked her third brother where the money came from. They had already bought a house, so how could they still have money?

The third brother smiled naively and raised his hand to touch the back of his head. “I know this money is not much, but it is all our savings. You can use it first, and if it doesn’t work out, we will return the house. Don’t be afraid; there is no fire mountain in the world that cannot be overcome. Difficulties are only temporary, and such a large industry cannot be smooth sailing.”

“Third brother….”

When she left her hometown to come to the provincial capital to find Fang Zhongcheng, he stuffed a lot of  banknotes into her bag. Now that she is having trouble doing business, he has no hesitation in giving her all the cash in his home.

“I will find a way to deal with my problem. And those people just saw it on the news, so I will explain it to them.”

“Okay, okay,” the third brother interrupted her. “I know the money is not much; you can use it first. If it really doesn’t work, we can return the house. If we work together, we can get through the difficulties.”

The third brother turned around and left. Li Xia looked at the money.

Her heart and eyes were burning, and she couldn’t control her tears. “Idiot,”

The third brother knew that she owed a lot of money for goods. These people had come to the factory two or three times in the past two days. Now the factory was sued again. Some people said that if the reputation was affected, the orders might be returned. If the products could not be sold, how could she pay back the money she owed? Although the money he had was probably a drop in the bucket for her, it was better than nothing.

The third brother and his wife both work in the factory. In terms of public affairs, they hope that the factory will be good. In terms of private affairs, they can’t just sit back and watch their sister encounter difficulties. The family has saved for many years, and all the money except for buying a house was taken out.

Li Xia didn’t know the situation of those suppliers, but several of them were not due to pay the final payment yet. Even if those suppliers who agreed to delay the payment changed their minds, she should be able to suppress them with this proposal.

“Knock, knock,” someone knocks on the door.

“Come in.”

After seeing them off, Li Xia led her right-hand men to the restaurant in the evening. A group of suppliers’ managers had been waiting there for a long time. It seemed that this news had a great impact on everyone. When they saw her coming in, they all stood up.

“Director Li, you finally showed up.” Old Liu from Zhongyuan Machinery Factory No. 1 frowned, looking like he was neither crying nor laughing. “Such a big thing happened. Are you okay now?”

“Old Liu, how do you do business with such courage?” His old friend beside him stabbed him. “Boss Li has such a big business, but there are some minor problems. We can solve them. What’s the big deal?”

“Oh my, Old Xu, you are so capable. You are so capable that you have to go to Director Li several times in a hurry.”

“I’m concerned about how things are going.”

A bunch of people know each other and are bickering with each other. Li Xia took the brewed tea from the waiter and prepared to pour it for everyone, but Xiao Liu reached out to intercept it, so she waved her hand to stop her. Today she will pour it herself to give these people enough face.

“Everyone should have seen the news. This is what happened. The fire was caused by aging wiring and cheap sockets. It has nothing to do with the quality of our products. As for the orders, the factory is still stepping up production. As for your payment, I will pay on time. Don’t worry.”

Old Xu said with a smile, “I told you that Director Li had dealt with it a long time ago, but you didn’t believe me. See, I was right. It was just one piece of news, and the rest was suppressed. With the official report, who dares to talk nonsense?”

Everyone was talking about what happened this time, and most of the emotions had been calmed down. When the food and drinks were ready, Li Xia and her right-hand men began to toast everyone in turn. The drinking culture in China is fully reflected. After a hearty drink, no one mentioned money when they left.

The third brother acted as a driver to take care of the drunks, and he and another person from the factory took them home. Li Xia and the other two sat on the steps. They didn’t drink much today; they were mainly socializing and making contacts.

“Squeak,” a car stopped in front of them. Han Jun looked up and reached out to push Li Xia. “Hey, your man is here to pick you up. I say, woman, move, stop pretending.”

Li Xia looked up and saw Shen Haiyang’s face in front of her. She smiled and raised her arm to his shoulder, addressing him in a popular way: “Husband, I knew you would come.”

Having drunk too much again, Shen Haiyang shook his head and laughed without saying much. He picked her up and put her in the car, then stood up and asked, “What about the two of you? Why don’t you get in the car too? I’ll take you home.”

Xiao Liu waved her hand and said, “No. Brother-in-law, just take good care of my sister; we will wait for the third brother Li to come.”

Shen Haiyang didn’t bother to be polite with them and drove away with his wife. Li Xia fell asleep in the car on the way home, and he didn’t wake her up when he carried her into the house. She didn’t get drunk this time, probably because she was too tired recently and fell asleep directly after drinking.

He took off her clothes, put her in pajamas, and fetched water for her to wash her face and feet. When he went out to get water, he met the old man. He put down the basin and helped him. The old man was happily supported by him as he walked to the backyard. The father and son talked as they walked. He sent his father back to the room to rest and changed the water in his thermos before leaving.

The next day, she had dinner and went to work. The next day, she recorded a program on TV. When the host mentioned her charity work over the years, Li Xia smiled modestly. Then she naturally talked about the heater fire incident. It turned out that the fire was caused by the poor quality of the plug board.

“Electrical appliances have developed rapidly in recent years, and high-power appliances have put great pressure on the quality of power strips. Starting next week, all purchases of Rainbow brand heaters will receive a high-quality power strip for free. This will allow everyone to buy with peace of mind and use with confidence.”

“Director Li has been enthusiastic about public welfare for many years, helping students, the elderly, and the poor. Now, she even paid out of her own pocket to send high-quality power strips to consumers because of a fire caused by a power strip of poor quality. Let us applaud Director Li for her spirit of socialist responsibility.”

The host led the applause, and the applause lasted for a long time.

After the lawsuit, the company’s reputation was greatly improved, and this time it reached a new level. Han Jun did not need to look for it, as several manufacturers of power strips came to him to seek cooperation. They competed only to improve their own brands, and the price was not high at all.

Buy a Rainbow-brand heater and get a free power strip. A fire has found a breakthrough in the crisis, and dealers report that sales are rising steadily.

“Don’t worry, Han Jun, you and Director Li; we will definitely support you this time. The TV will broadcast Director Li’s interview program. She is now a celebrity and a conscientious entrepreneur. Rainbow brand electrical appliances are of excellent quality.”

“This opportunity to be on TV comes at the right time. It is just in time. It is more effective than word-of-mouth. Director Li is a good person, and she has been rewarded many times. She has also caught the criminals. This time, we can use this opportunity perfectly.”