Without Qin Tianyi's unreasonable demands, Gu Susu slept soundly. She almost overslept in the morning but thankfully her alarm was set.
She arrived early at the factory of Yimei Company, located in the economic development zone, and went to the factory manager's office.
The manager hadn't arrived yet, so she had to wait in the office's lounge area. A receptionist approached her and asked, "What would you like to drink? Tea or coffee?"
Gu Susu looked up and was surprised to see that it was Guo Mei. She stammered, "Coffee."
"General Manager Gu, please wait a moment." Guo Mei turned to make her a cup of coffee.
Gu Susu remembered that more than two years ago, Guo Mei and her husband Zhang Gaoyuan were both arrested and imprisoned. Seeing her standing before her, looking completely changed, she could hardly believe her eyes.
As Guo Mei handed her the coffee, she couldn't help but ask, "How did you end up here? Are the children alright?"
Guo Mei stood respectfully before her, filled with gratitude, and said, "President Qin found a lawyer for me and helped reduce my sentence. I was released after a year in prison. The children are all doing well; the younger one had a bone marrow transplant and is no longer in critical condition. It's all thanks to you and President Qin for helping me apply for the charity fund and covering the remaining surgery costs. I truly don't know how to thank you both."
"It's good that the child is alright. There's no need for thanks." Gu Susu was surprised that Qin Tianyi, a seemingly cold-blooded person, had done so much for Guo Mei and her children behind the scenes.
Guo Mei wiped away a tear that welled up and said with remorse, "It was all our fault before, mine and Lao Zhang's, for being misled and used. We almost harmed you and President Qin. I am truly sorry, I apologize!"
"I also know that you can't be entirely blamed for what happened back then. Let the past be the past. Don't dwell on it."
Guo Mei held back her tears and said, "I went to Aoxiang Group a couple of times before, hoping to thank President Qin in person, but I never got to see him. President Qin's secretary also relayed a message, telling me not to worry about it and that living a good life from now on is the most important thing."
Gu Susu felt that Qin Tianyi was right; people always have to look forward. She asked with concern, "Is Zhang Gaoyuan still inside? You have to take care of two children and work. Can you manage?"
Guo Mei lowered her head and said, "Lao Zhang still has a few more years before he gets out. He also knows he was wrong and impulsive back then. He can only behave well inside and strive for a reduced sentence. My parents are living with me now and helping me look after the children. I need to work hard to repay President Qin's money. He has already done so much for us, and I can't possibly owe him that much money. I feel uneasy about it."
Gu Susu noticed that Guo Mei was wearing relatively formal attire, no longer resembling the hysterical housewife she was before. She also looked much more energetic.
"Then how did you end up working here?"
"Before I stayed home full-time to take care of the children, I worked in Lao Zhang's garment factory doing cutting. I'm quite familiar with the environment and work processes of a garment factory, so I applied here." Guo Mei's voice became very soft as she spoke, almost whispering in Gu Susu's ear, "When I applied, I concealed the fact that I had been in prison. No one here knows."
Gu Susu understood and said, "I understand. I won't say anything. I'm here on official business today. I reviewed this factory's information before coming. It's a very capable factory. Work hard here, and if you encounter any difficulties, you can always find me. I'm still a designer at Mishang."
"Oh, right, General Manager Gu. When I first got out, I also went to Mishang to look for you, but they said there was no one by your name. Did you go abroad for further studies?" Guo Mei asked, a little puzzled.
Gu Susu nodded, "But I'm back at Mishang now. If there's anything, you can still find me at Mishang."
"Okay."
As they were talking, they saw a plain-looking, slightly overweight middle-aged man stride briskly into the manager's office.
Guo Mei quickly said, "Manager Ma is here. Wait a moment. I'll go and let him know you've arrived."
Gu Susu nodded. She watched as Guo Mei walked to the office door, knocked gently, and heard Manager Ma inside invite her in.
A moment later, Guo Mei came out and told Gu Susu, "General Manager Gu, Manager Ma would like to see you."
As soon as Gu Susu entered the office, before she could speak, Manager Ma said very politely, "You must be Miss Gu, sent by Mishang to monitor our product quality. I didn't expect you to be so young and beautiful."
"Manager Ma, you are too kind. The copyrights for this series of fashion designs belong to us. When they are launched, our trademark will be on them. We want to ensure Mishang's usual quality."
"Understood, I understand." Manager Ma smiled courteously again. "So, Miss Gu, are you here today to inspect our production line or the finished products that have just been produced?"
Gu Susu had already thought of how to monitor their quality issues. She said, "I'd like to see what kind of fabrics you're using, and also details like buttons and zippers, and which manufacturers you source them from."
"And what about the finished products that have already been produced?"
"Temporarily, ask the workers to stop producing finished products. Didn't the contract state that formal production can only begin after Mishang approves the raw materials?" Gu Susu countered.
Manager Ma re-examined Gu Susu. He hadn't expected this beautiful woman to be quite so capable. It seemed that Mishang had sent someone significant this time.
"Alright, I'll notify them immediately." Manager Ma said with a smile, "You must be tired from coming so early. Have you had breakfast? I'll have someone..."
"I've eaten," Gu Susu said, not wanting to waste time. "Manager Ma, if you don't have any other arrangements now, please take me to see the warehouse where you store fabrics and small accessories. You also want to start mass production as soon as possible, right?"
"Yes, alright." Manager Ma felt a cold sweat breaking out on his back. Of course, they wanted to launch as soon as possible. In fact, mass production had already begun, which was also the instruction from above.
If this Miss Gu didn't approve of the raw materials, wouldn't all the fashion items already produced become scrap? Who would bear the responsibility?
But now that Gu Susu was in front of him, he couldn't even report to his boss.
He could only stall for time and quickly found an excuse, saying, "Miss Gu, please wait a moment. I need to contact the warehouse administrator first. We'll go once everything is arranged."
Gu Susu felt that Manager Ma's expression was a little off. Was he afraid of her seeing the fabrics being produced?
Did they at Yimei not produce according to the fabric requirements in the contract?
"Since you already have finished products, the fabrics and small accessories should all be in place. What else needs arranging? We can just go directly." The more he acted like this, the more Gu Susu wanted to go and see immediately.
Manager Ma suddenly thought of another reason and said, "Miss Gu, it's alright, please wait a moment. All departments have just started working this morning. Besides my appointment with you, I also have a video conference this morning. Could you wait until I finish the video conference before we go?"