"Is there a fire?"
Wang Jin, who hadn't drunk too much, shivered when he heard the report from his subordinate, sobering up instantly.
Fang Zhongtian, on the other hand, was thoroughly drunk, snoring loudly beside him. Judging by his state, he wouldn't be sober anytime soon.
"What exactly is going on? Did the electric kettles we sold cause the fire?"
Wang Jin quickly asked. He couldn't imagine how such a thing could happen so suddenly. They had only just started selling them, and an accident had already occurred.
"Yes, Manager."
The subordinate reporting the incident had a crestfallen expression. "One of the people who bought our electric kettle today was from a government department.
He said that after buying the kettle and using it to boil water in the government building, it inexplicably caught fire on its own.
The entire electric kettle went up in flames, burning a trash can in the office!"
As he listened to the subordinate's detailed report, Wang Jin's face grew more distressed.
It had actually been purchased by someone from a government office!
If Wang Jin had known earlier that the electric kettles were sold to people in government offices, he would have been overjoyed.
After all, people in government departments had greater consumption potential for small appliances like these. Previously, Wang Yu had monopolized the government department market with his free gift strategy, making it difficult for latecomers to break in.
But now, it seemed they had managed to break in, only to cause a blunder and start a fire!
"What happened afterwards? Was the fire serious?"
Wang Jin urged for more information. The subordinate continued, "The fire wasn't serious. It only damaged a rather useless trash can and was quickly put out by someone."
"That's fortunate amidst misfortune!"
Wang Jin breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, there were no major losses. With the connections and resources of their state-run department store, they should be able to suppress any negative repercussions at a certain cost!
However, before Wang Jin could fully rejoice, he heard his subordinate continue,
"The incident itself wasn't a big problem, but the key was that Secretary Yang had just returned from the province and appeared to be furious and in a bad mood.
When he saw the burning electric kettle, Secretary Yang flew into a rage on the spot and demanded accountability..."
The subordinate's words made Wang Jin's face darken. Couldn't you have just told me everything at once? This suspense is killing me! How did this incident involve Secretary Yang?
Is this just an unlucky streak?
Wang Jin sighed. Since Secretary Yang was involved, it would likely be much more difficult to suppress this matter!
After some thought, Wang Jin stepped forward and forcefully shook Fang Zhongtian.
The product was produced by your Metallurgy General Plant. If responsibility is to be assigned, your Metallurgy General Plant is probably the primary responsible party, right?
"Old Fang, Old Fang! Director Fang, wake up!"
After a series of shakes from Wang Jin, Fang Zhongtian finally regained some consciousness. He opened his eyes, still somewhat groggy from the alcohol.
"What is it? Do you want to drink more?"
As he spoke, Fang Zhongtian fumbled for his wine glass.
"Stop drinking, there's been a major incident!" Wang Jin quickly told Fang Zhongtian.
"A... major incident? What major incident could there be? With both of us here, any problem can be solved! It's nothing!"
Fang Zhongtian waved his hand grandly, muttering with a slurred tongue.
"No, Old Fang, this is a real major incident. Our electric kettle self-ignited and set the government building on fire!"
Wang Jin shouted into Fang Zhongtian's ear, finally bringing him back to his senses slightly.
"The government building? On fire?"
"That's right, it is..."
Wang Jin, like a bamboo tube pouring out beans, hurriedly explained the situation to Fang Zhongtian.
"So that's what it is? I thought it was something major!"
After listening to Wang Jin's explanation, Fang Zhongtian curled his lips and said in his still somewhat unsteady voice due to drunkenness,
"It's just Secretary Yang, isn't it? It's not a big deal. I'll figure out a way to smooth things over later. As for why it caught fire? It was probably due to the employee's carelessness."
Fang Zhongtian said slowly and casually, with an air of indifference.
"Just rest assured in your position as manager and wait to be transferred back to headquarters! Our Metallurgy General Plant is a key unit directly managed by the province. As long as we haven't committed any fundamental errors, we don't need to worry about any problems.
We don't need to fear Secretary Yang at all. Even if he tries to make a big deal out of it, he can't be unreasonable, can he?"
Having said that, Fang Zhongtian poured himself another glass of wine with an exceedingly smug smile.
Listening to Fang Zhongtian's string of words, Wang Jin finally felt relieved. Come to think of it, it was indeed the case!
He hadn't realized that Fang Zhongtian, despite his usual appearance of being unlearned, possessed such sharp insight, cutting straight to the heart of the matter!
It seemed he was still too young. Although he had risen through flattery, he was still far behind Fang Zhongtian's shameless audacity!
Relieved, Wang Jin also reached for a wine glass beside him, intending to have another drink to calm his nerves.
However, before he could raise his glass, the office door was pushed open again. This time, another subordinate entered.
He also looked anxious and flustered.
"Reporting, Manager! Big trouble! Our electric kettle has self-ignited and caused a fire!"
The new subordinate reported directly, but was met with glares from Wang Jin and Fang Zhongtian.
"Got it, got it. It just burned a trash can in the government building, right?"
Wang Jin waved his hand impatiently. "Don't bother reporting such a trivial matter!
I'll entertain Mr. Fang first, and then we can deal with it tomorrow. This little thing is nothing..."
"It's not, Manager!"
The new subordinate interrupted Wang Jin before he could finish.
"It's not a trash can in the government building; something else has happened!"
"Besides the government building, what else?" Wang Jin said dismissively, imitating Fang Zhongtian's tone from earlier.
"We've sold so many electric kettles. It's normal for one or two people to have an accident due to improper operation. Don't bother me with it!"
"But Manager, this time it's not a trash can in the government building!"
"Oh? Then what is it?"
"Now the entire residential compound of the hardware factory is on fire!"
"What? What did you say?"
In an instant, both Wang Jin and Fang Zhongtian were sobered up by the shock!