Rebirth 70: I am a Koi

Uncle Wang’s face was paler than snow, and he spoke haltingly, “Jinli, something bad has happened… There are so many people outside…”

My heart skipped a beat, and a chill ran from the soles of my feet to the top of my head. My bad premonition became reality. Could it be Boss Zhou?

I walked quickly to the window and opened a corner of the curtain. I saw several unfamiliar jeeps parked at the gate of the planting base. A group of people in uniform were entering one after another, all with serious expressions. My breath stagnated and my heart began to beat wildly. They were people from the Industrial and Commercial Bureau!

Without time to think about it, I immediately turned to Uncle Wang and said, "Uncle Wang, please go and comfort the employees first, tell them not to panic and to continue working as usual."

After saying that, I walked out of the office quickly. Bai Hanchuan came towards me, his face was also unusually solemn, "Jinli, something happened."

I nodded, took a deep breath, and tried to keep myself calm. "It's from the Industry and Commerce Bureau. It seems that Boss Zhou is determined to fight us to the end."

We walked side by side to the gate of the base. The leading staff member showed his ID and said in a serious tone: "We are from the Industrial and Commercial Bureau. We have received a report that there are serious quality problems in your planting base. We are now conducting a surprise inspection. Please cooperate."

I suppressed my anger, but remained calm and said calmly, "Our base has always paid attention to product quality, and there will definitely be no problems. Please feel free to check, and we will fully cooperate."

Bai Hanchuan also said calmly: "We welcome supervision and guidance from higher authorities at any time."

The inspection began. The staff divided into several groups and carefully inspected each area of ​​the base, from the planting area to the processing workshop and then to the warehouse. I followed them closely, my heart hanging in my throat and my palms full of sweat.

On the surface, I tried to stay calm, but my mind was working very fast. What methods did Boss Zhou use? Where would he make a move? I secretly observed the expressions of each staff member, trying to find a clue from them.

Time passed by, and the air was filled with tension. Suddenly, a staff member came out of the warehouse with several packaged product samples in his hand, and said to the team leader with a serious face: "Team leader, come and take a look at this..."

Bai Hanchuan and I looked at each other, and we both saw a hint of uneasiness in each other's eyes. I felt my heartbeat getting faster and faster, and an ominous premonition came to my mind again... Bai Hanchuan walked over quickly, took the sample and looked at it carefully, his face suddenly changed, "This..."

Bai Hanchuan's expression suddenly changed. He held the product samples, his fingertips trembling slightly. "This... the packaging date of this batch of goods is wrong, and..." He paused, his voice low, "The products inside have obviously been tampered with."

My heart sank suddenly, and a chill ran from my feet to my head. Boss Zhou, it was you! He was so despicable that he tampered with our products! I tried hard to suppress my anger and panic, took a deep breath, and forced myself to calm down. Now is not the time to panic, I must find a way to resolve this crisis.

I walked quickly to Bai Hanchuan, took the sample from him and examined it carefully. The date on the package had indeed been altered, and the technique was clumsy, and it was obvious that it was done in a hurry. More importantly, the product inside had also been tampered with. The originally plump fruit became shriveled, the color was dull, and it emitted a pungent odor.

"We didn't produce this batch of goods at all!" I said firmly, "Someone deliberately framed us!"

The staff of the Industry and Commerce Bureau looked at each other in bewilderment, and the atmosphere suddenly became solemn. The leading staff member asked in a deep voice: "Do you have any evidence to prove that this batch of goods was not produced by you?"

"We need time..." I started to speak, but was interrupted by a burst of noise.

There was a commotion outside the gate of the planting base. My heart tightened, and an ominous premonition came to my mind. I walked quickly to the door, and saw a group of people gathered outside, talking.

"I heard that this planting base is going to be closed down because there are problems with the product quality!"

"Is this true? I signed a long-term contract with them!"

"It's over now. My payment for the goods hasn't been paid yet..."

My face turned pale instantly. Boss Zhou, he is spreading rumors outside! He is trying to kill us! I took a deep breath and tried to keep myself calm. Now I have to stabilize the situation and not let the rumors continue to spread.

I walked to the front of the crowd and said loudly: "Everyone, please be quiet! There is no quality problem with our planting base. This is just a misunderstanding! Please trust us, we will definitely give you a satisfactory explanation!"

As soon as I finished speaking, someone in the crowd questioned, "Misunderstanding? People from the Industry and Commerce Bureau came to inspect, how could it be a misunderstanding?"

"That's right! I think you guys are feeling guilty!"

"Stop talking nonsense to them and return the goods immediately!"

The crowd was getting more and more excited, and the situation was almost out of control. I felt my scalp tingling and my palms were full of sweat. At this moment, Bai Hanchuan came to my side, held my hand tightly, and gave me a firm look.

"Everyone," Bai Hanchuan said in a steady and powerful voice, "The products of our planting base have always been known for their quality, and we are confident in our products. This inspection is just a misunderstanding, and we will definitely find out the truth and give everyone an explanation. Please believe us and don't be misled by rumors!"

Although Bai Hanchuan's words were brief, they were full of power, making people want to believe him involuntarily. The crowd gradually quieted down, and their eyes were focused on us.

I took a deep breath and was about to continue explaining when I saw a familiar figure walking out of the crowd.

It's Boss Zhou! With a sinister smile on his face, he slowly walked up to us and said in a mocking tone, "Hey, isn't this Boss Mu and Boss Bai? Why, are you anxious now?"

I stared at Boss Zhou and said word by word: "Boss Zhou, you..."

"What?" Boss Zhou interrupted me with a smug smile on his face. "I'm just kindly reminding you to be cautious when cooperating with this planting base! After all, who knows if they will have any problems next time?"

Boss Zhou's words were like a bomb, which once again set off the emotions of the crowd. People began to blame us and demanded a refund.

I felt that my breathing became difficult and my vision was blurry. Bai Hanchuan held my hand tightly and whispered: "Jinli, don't panic, we still have a chance..."

"But..." I shook my head weakly, "Evidence... We don't have any evidence now..."

Bai Hanchuan's expression also became solemn. He said in a deep voice: "I will find evidence, don't worry..."

Before he finished speaking, a car horn suddenly sounded in the distance...

My heart felt like it was being tightly grasped by an invisible hand, and I could hardly breathe. Boss Zhou's move was extremely vicious! I tried to suppress the rage in my heart, turned to the staff of the Industrial and Commercial Bureau, and spoke quickly but clearly: "Comrade, please believe us, this is definitely a malicious frame-up! Our products have always been of excellent quality, and this matter is very strange. Give us some time, and we will definitely find evidence to prove our innocence!"

The staff member looked embarrassed: "Comrade Mu, we understand your feelings, but we are also following the rules. The situation is urgent now, and rumors are spreading outside. We must deal with it as soon as possible."

I clenched my teeth, beads of sweat oozing from my forehead. "We need time, even just one day! Please!"

Bai Hanchuan walked over to me, patted my shoulder gently, and asked me to calm down. He turned to the staff and said calmly: "Comrade, we understand your difficulties. So, we will fully cooperate with your investigation. At the same time, we will also investigate the matter ourselves and find out the mastermind behind it. Please give us some time, and we will definitely give you a satisfactory answer."

The staff exchanged glances and finally nodded: "Okay, we will temporarily seal this batch of goods and give you three days. After three days, if you still cannot provide effective evidence, we can only investigate and deal with it according to the law."

After seeing off the people from the Industry and Commerce Bureau, I felt like all the strength in my body had been drained away. I leaned weakly against Bai Hanchuan, tears silently falling. "What should we do? What should we do?"

Bai Hanchuan hugged me tightly and whispered to me, "Don't be afraid, Jinli, we will definitely get through this difficult time." He let me go, his eyes firm, "I will go and calm the employees first, and then start investigating. I suspect that Boss Zhou bribed someone inside our company."

I nodded, wiped my tears, and forced myself to cheer up. "I'll go check where this batch of problematic products came from."

For the next three days, we kept spinning like a top. Bai Hanchuan stabilized the employees' emotions and began to secretly investigate the internal personnel. He carefully questioned every employee who handled this batch of products and checked the surveillance video of the warehouse. He found that a warehouse manager who was usually inconspicuous had behaved abnormally recently, often making phone calls secretly and looking panicked.

I carefully checked the products with problems and found that although the packaging of these products was the same as ours, the fruits inside were obviously replaced with inferior fruits, and the processing method was rough, which showed that they were completed in a hurry. I told Bai Hanchuan about these findings, and his face became more solemn.

As time went by, we got some clues, but we were unable to form a complete chain of evidence. The suspicious warehouse manager also denied that he had done anything illegal and said that he had been making frequent calls recently because his family was sick.

On the evening of the third day, the sun was setting and the sky was burning with a fiery red sunset glow. Bai Hanchuan and I sat in the office, facing each other in silence. The table was piled with information, but we could not find any breakthrough.

"Are... we really going to fail?" I murmured to myself, my voice filled with despair.

Bai Hanchuan held my hand tightly. His palm was cold, but it gave me a little strength. "No, Jinli, we must not give up until the last moment!" He paused, a trace of determination flashed in his eyes, "I have contacted Lawyer Zhang..."