Rebirth 70: I am a Koi

Bai Hanchuan's face also darkened, "Do you also think it's Li's opponent?" I nodded. Apart from him, I couldn't think of anyone else who would be so deliberate in destroying our results.

But we have no evidence, everything is just speculation.

"The most difficult thing now is Expert Zhang's attitude." I rubbed my temples and felt waves of powerlessness coming over me.

"If he determines that there is something wrong with our product, the reputation of the base will be ruined."

Bai Hanchuan put his arm around my shoulders and said, "Don't worry, we'll think of a solution." His comfort did not make me feel at ease. I knew that this time we were really facing an unprecedented crisis.

In the evening, the atmosphere in the base was extremely solemn.

Employee Sun came over with a worried look on his face, "Manager Mu, Expert Zhang doesn't seem optimistic." He stammered, "I heard from Expert Zhang's assistant that they have great doubts about the quality of our products."

My heart sank; it seemed the worst had happened.

At this time, a harsh voice was heard, "Hey, isn't this Manager Mu? Why are you so sad? I heard that there was a problem with your base?" It was Li's opponent's assistant. He had a gloating expression on his face, and behind him were several employees who echoed the laughter.

I suppressed my anger and ignored him.

"Tsk tsk, what a pity, I thought you could turn things around, but I didn't expect..." He said sarcastically, his tone full of sarcasm.

Bai Hanchuan took a step forward and stood in front of me. "Don't worry about our business."

The assistant of Li's opponent did not back down, but became even more arrogant, "Aren't I concerned about you? After all, you are our competitors." He deliberately emphasized the word "competitors", as if showing off their victory.

I took a deep breath and tried hard to control the anger in my heart.

I know now is not the time to break up with them.

Just when I felt like I couldn't hold on any longer, Employee Sun suddenly stood up and said, "Manager Mu..." He was holding a document tightly in his hand.

Employee Sun's face flushed, but his tone was extremely firm: "Manager Mu, this is the product quality inspection report I did privately! I believe there is absolutely no problem with our product!" He handed me the document in his hand, his hands trembling slightly.

I took the document, glanced through it quickly, and was shocked.

The report contains detailed data and thorough analysis, which perfectly proves the high quality of our products, and is even more detailed than the official test report.

I held the report tightly, looked at Expert Zhang, and said in a deep voice: "Expert Zhang, this is our latest test report, please have a look." Expert Zhang took the report, frowned, and looked through it carefully.

The atmosphere around was stagnant, and the smile on the face of Li's opponent's assistant gradually disappeared, replaced by a trace of panic.

A few minutes later, Expert Zhang raised his head and looked at me with a complicated expression. "This report..." He paused, "is indeed very convincing." I finally felt relieved.

Li's assistant's face turned pale, and he stammered as if he wanted to say something, but was forced back by Bai Hanchuan's cold eyes.

He left dejectedly with his people, and before leaving he did not forget to glare at me fiercely.

The crisis seemed to have been resolved, and the atmosphere in the base became much more relaxed. But I knew that things were far from over.

The next day, a newspaper appeared on my desk.

The eye-catching headline hurt my eyes: "Quality of products from the planting base is in doubt, experts' attitudes are inconsistent."

Reporter Zhao, that profit-seeking guy, actually exaggerated yesterday's incident and put the base in the spotlight again.

I clenched the newspaper so hard that my knuckles turned white.

The reputation of the base dropped to freezing point, and calls for order cancellations came in one after another.

I felt like all the blood in my body had frozen, and a deep sense of powerlessness surged into my heart.

Bai Hanchuan walked up to me and patted my shoulder gently, "Don't worry, we will handle it." His tone was as calm as ever, but I saw a hint of fatigue in his eyes.

"Sue him! I want to sue reporter Zhao for his false reporting!" I said this almost with gritted teeth.

Bai Hanchuan remained silent, his brows furrowed, and after a long time he spoke: "Jinli..." His hesitant look made my heart sink.

"Do you think it's appropriate to sue now?" he finally said this.

I raised my head suddenly and looked at him, "Do you think it's inappropriate?" My voice unconsciously rose a few decibels.

Bai Hanchuan held my hand and said, "The situation is already very complicated. If we sue reporter Zhao again, I'm afraid that..." "I'm afraid of what?" I interrupted him, "Are we going to let him smear us and do nothing?"

He avoided my gaze and said, "Jinli, calm down..."

"Calm down?" I shook his hand away, "How can you ask me to calm down!"...

"How can you ask me to stay calm? The base we worked so hard to build is about to be destroyed, and you ask me to stay calm!" My voice was trembling and tears blurred my vision.

“Are we just going to let them throw dirty water on us and destroy everything we have?”

He was silent for a long time before he whispered, "Jinli, I know you are very angry and anxious, but the situation is very complicated now. If we rashly sue, it will only make things worse. There must be someone behind reporter Zhao, and we haven't found out who it is yet. Any rash action will only alert the enemy."

"So you're just going to swallow your anger? Let them smear us?" I almost yelled, anger and grievance surging in my chest, "Bai Hanchuan, when did you become so indecisive! The you I know is not like this!"

He took a deep breath, walked over to me, and gently held me in his arms.

"I'm sorry, Jinli, it's my fault." His voice was low and hoarse, "I'm just... I'm just afraid, afraid of losing you, afraid of losing everything we worked so hard to build together."

His embrace was warm and strong; my tense body gradually relaxed and tears silently flowed down my face.

I understand his concerns, he just wants to protect me and our base.

"I know what you're worried about," I choked, "but we can't just sit there and wait for death. Even if I have to lose, I want to lose standing up, not kneeling and begging for mercy!"

He let me go and looked into my eyes, his eyes full of apology and heartache.

"I know, Jinli, I was wrong. I will think of a way and I will definitely find a solution."

I looked at his sincerity and the anger in my heart gradually subsided. I knew that what we need now is unity to face this crisis together.

Just when we were at a loss, there was a knock on the office door.

Employee Sun walked in with a letter in his hand, his face solemn, "Manager Mu, Manager Bai, this... this letter was just delivered." He handed the letter to me. There was no signature on the envelope, only a bright red seal...

I took the letter, my fingers trembling slightly.

The bright red seal was like a drop of blood, stinging my eyes.

I tore open the envelope and took out the letter inside. Lines of beautiful handwriting came into view, but they were filled with a cold feeling.

The letter said that he knew who was behind it and how to resolve the crisis completely, but he needed us to pay a certain "price".

At the end of the letter was an address and a time: 10 o'clock tonight, at an abandoned factory in the west of the city.

"What did you say?" Bai Hanchuan saw that my face was pale and snatched the letter from me.

He glanced through it quickly, his brows furrowed, his thin lips pressed into a straight line.

The office was dead silent, with only the ticking sound of the old wall clock hitting my nerves.

"What will the price be?" I muttered to myself, with countless possibilities flashing through my mind.

The anonymous letter that suddenly appeared at this critical juncture was like a hand reaching out from the darkness. I don’t know whether it would pull us up or push us into a deeper abyss.

"I don't know." Bai Hanchuan's voice was terribly low. "Maybe it's money, maybe..." He paused and didn't continue, but we all understood that there might be worse situations.

Employee Sun looked at us worriedly, "Manager Mu, Manager Bai, could this be a trap? I think we should be careful."

I took a deep breath and tried to keep myself calm.

"What do we have to lose now? Even if there are mountains of swords and seas of fire, I will go and give it a try!" Instead of waiting to die, it is better to give it a try.

Bai Hanchuan held my hand, and the warmth of his palm gave me a sense of strength.

"I'll go with you." His eyes were firm, as if no difficulties could stop us from moving forward.

As night falls, the abandoned factory in the west of the city is shrouded in eerie darkness.

The cold wind whistled past, blowing up the fallen leaves on the ground, making a rustling sound like the whispers of ghosts.

Bai Hanchuan and I stood at the factory gate and exchanged glances.

"Let's go." I pushed open the rusty iron door... A harsh sound of metal friction broke the silence of the night.