"Shut your mouth, you have no right to speak here,"
As soon as Song Qiao finished speaking, his mother-in-law sharply rebuked him from beside him.
"You're always so hesitant, you have no semblance of someone who can achieve great things."
"Little Zhang, don't listen to him. Auntie believes you. I'll send someone to transfer the money to your account tomorrow."
After scolding Song Qiao twice, the mother-in-law turned to Zhang Chuan with a gentle tone.
She had completely believed everything he had said, and coupled with Zhang Chuan's two instances of helping her daughter, this had fostered great trust in him.
Song Qiao, on the side, was rendered speechless by the reprimand, his gaze towards Zhang Chuan growing increasingly impatient.
The other man clearly understood his intentions but pretended not to. This pretense of ignorance infuriated him.
When his mother-in-law had scolded him, Zhang Chuan had even shown a hint of schadenfreude.
However, his mother-in-law was currently angry and viewed everything he did through a biased lens. No matter how much he explained, it would be futile.
With this thought, Song Qiao shrugged helplessly, no longer attempting to stop his mother-in-law.
...
A week later, the incident with Feng Yuan gradually subsided, and Xia Yuqing's family returned to their normal lives. However, his mother-in-law still harbored considerable resentment towards Song Qiao, often giving him the cold shoulder.
Song Qiao didn't take it too much to heart, attributing it to her age and constantly backing down.
"Boss, bad news! Something's happened in our production workshop!"
As Song Qiao was having breakfast at home, A Wei's call suddenly came through.
"What?"
Song Qiao exclaimed instinctively, immediately putting down his chopsticks.
The workshop's production had always been Song Qiao's top priority. The previous explosion incident had cost him dearly, making him particularly attentive to such matters.
"Boss, it's all Sun Hu's doing. For some reason, he messed up the freezing time for the product and didn't report it promptly. This batch of tofu has already entered the market, and after some customers bought it and ate it, many experienced severe stomach issues."
"Our distributors are already gathered at the factory gates. You need to come here personally."
A Wei, knowing the urgency, reported the situation to Song Qiao without any preamble.
"Alright, I'm on my way. Don't panic, wait for me at the factory entrance."
Song Qiao cursed Sun Hu in his heart, forcing himself to calm down and instructing A Wei.
This problem was exceptionally tricky. Any issue with food safety could be a devastating blow to an entire food brand.
As the leader, Song Qiao had to maintain a clear head to resolve the problem effectively.
Upon arriving at the factory without delay, he saw A Wei waiting for him at the entrance with a grim expression.
"Boss, that Sun Hu fellow ran off secretly when he knew something had happened. We still haven't found him."
"That scoundrel! I knew he was unreliable."
Song Qiao gritted his teeth, wishing he could drag Sun Hu out and beat him right then and there. He had given him explicit instructions, yet something still went wrong.
And to top it off, the man had fled, leaving behind such a mess.
"Call the police immediately and send some of our people out to search for him."
Song Qiao gave the order and proceeded directly to his office.
Several distributors and reporters were already waiting there for him to deal with.
Xiang Piaopiao had been gaining significant traction recently. Upon receiving reports of food safety issues, news reporters swarmed the factory to cover the story.
"Boss Song, you need to give us an explanation. Customers are already demanding compensation from us supermarkets!"
As soon as he entered, several distributors began complaining to him.
"Please, everyone, don't rush. This is indeed our responsibility. Xiang Piaopiao will be responsible for compensation. I will provide a reasonable response regarding the specific details tomorrow at this time."
Song Qiao first tried to appease the distributors and sent them away temporarily before facing the barrage of questions from reporters.
However, despite Song Qiao's earnest explanations, the subsequent reports immediately caused a massive stir throughout the city.
"Little Song, I see you can't even manage your own core business now. I really don't know what else you can do?"
Upon returning home, his mother-in-law had already learned of the situation from the news. Seeing Song Qiao, she was furious and berated him loudly, banging on the table.
"Mom, I didn't expect this to happen either. It's all that scoundrel Sun Hu's fault. He's supposed to be a university student, yet he's so negligent."
Song Qiao was also feeling dejected. Hearing his mother-in-law's scolding, he couldn't help but complain, "It's all Sun Hu's fault."
"Hmph, you're just looking for excuses. Are you blaming me now? Just because Sun Hu was someone I introduced you to."
His mother-in-law frowned, saying to Song Qiao with some displeasure.
"Mom, what are you talking about? When did I ever blame you?"
Song Qiao shook his head, finding the situation both exasperating and humorous. He decided it was pointless to explain further and excused himself to his room after a brief greeting.
The current issue had yet to be resolved, and many matters required his attention. Song Qiao simply didn't have the energy to argue with his mother-in-law.
After pondering for a long time in his bedroom, Song Qiao dialed the phone number of Town Mayor Liu You.
His facility was located within his jurisdiction, making him the best person to seek assistance from when trouble arose.
"Boss Song, calling so late must be about the factory, right?"
Liu You had clearly received news from the media and directly asked Song Qiao as soon as the call connected.
"Bad things travel fast, as they say." Song Qiao muttered inwardly, offering an awkward chuckle. "I sincerely apologize, Town Mayor Liu. It's my mismanagement that has caused you trouble."
After apologizing, he recounted the entire incident to the mayor and earnestly requested Liu You's support on behalf of the government tomorrow to appease public sentiment.
"Boss Song, you're too kind. I can help with this matter, but it would be best if we meet to discuss the specific arrangements for tomorrow."
Liu You readily agreed to Song Qiao's request after understanding the situation.
The presence of Xiang Piaopiao had doubled the economic benefits for his town recently, propelling it to one of the top performers in the city.
Therefore, he genuinely did not want Xiang Piaopiao to suffer a setback because of this incident.
...
Meanwhile, Xia Xueqing was quietly eavesdropping outside Song Qiao's door.
She still hadn't figured out the previous incident and had a lingering sense of inscrutability about her brother-in-law.
Now that Song Qiao was once again facing a difficult problem, she was eager to see how he would resolve it and whether he would enlist the help of that mysterious figure once more...