"A major matter? What major matter?"
Wang Yu held a tin mug in his hand, which surprisingly contained… instant noodles.
That's right, instant noodles existed back then, though it was an unknown brand produced by a small factory in the neighboring county.
It was highly likely to go out of business in the future.
For the earthquake relief efforts, they had donated all their accumulated inventory.
As an active participant in the earthquake relief, Lin Chunfeng had given Wang Yu and his team a box of instant noodles.
As for the taste… it was edible, and one couldn't ask for more.
Earlier, Wu Lingling had said she was hungry, partly to avoid seeing that American brat anymore, and partly because she was genuinely hungry.
So, upon returning, Wang Yu had brewed a packet of noodles for everyone.
"This tin mug is really inconvenient. Perhaps the small appliance plan from before…"
Wang Yu muttered to himself, while Han Jun on the other side was anxious, like a monkey with its backside on fire.
"What's wrong? So in a hurry?"
Wang Yu calmly blew on the noodle soup and asked him.
Han Jun was quite talented, competent in various aspects, and a good person. It was a pity he wasn't calm enough in the face of events; he would need further training to handle important tasks.
"The factory called. Several major issues have arisen!" Han Jun said in a low voice.
"Regarding the substandard supplies from the hardware factory before, Lu Fangquan must have found some connections. Someone has come to inquire and plead on his behalf."
"I thought it was something big! Who cares if someone pleads! No way!" Wang Yu scoffed, curling his lips.
He could disregard other things, even the arrogant brat from Qinglu Group earlier.
But the act of using inferior goods as superior ones by Lu Fangquan and his ilk was absolutely unacceptable! Not to mention he had colluded with the nephew of that scumbag Fang Zhongtian and directly beaten up his own men!
If Wang Yu could tolerate such matters, who would listen to him in the future? How could he command respect?
"However, the other party has swayed quite a few county leaders. After all, the hardware factory is a significant taxpayer…"
Han Jun said with some difficulty, "We were already in a passive position due to the previous debt, and now with this…"
"Enough, no need to say more. Unless I step down, we will absolutely not cooperate with the hardware factory again. Never mind county leaders, even provincial ones pleading won't change my mind!"
Wang Yu waved his hand dismissively, interrupting Han Jun. "Anything else?"
"Yes, the agricultural machinery factory has copied our 'Hope No. 1' agricultural machine and is already soliciting investment and supplying it everywhere. It's said that Liu Wenming is personally in charge of this!
What's more crucial is that they claim their price is 3,000 yuan cheaper than ours!"
Han Jun said worriedly.
Hope No. 1 was their flagship product for a comeback, and now it had been shamelessly plagiarized!
Moreover, an identical product at a lower price was simply a disaster!
In any era and any industry, price wars were a highly effective and quickly impactful strategy!
Hm? Liu Wenming? Wang Yu almost forgot. He was the traitor from the agricultural machinery factory whom he had driven away before. He hadn't expected Zhao Tao to put him in charge.
However, it took them this long to completely plagiarize his technology and ideas. This was rather slow and weak!
As for the price war?
Wang Yu smiled; he didn't take it seriously at all, because a new product would be launched very soon. They could plagiarize it, but they wouldn't be able to keep up with the pace of new product development.
Furthermore, he had left a backdoor in the design drawings. He was rather curious to see the consequences and outcome after the agricultural machinery factory followed suit!
"No need to worry about this. Anything else?"
Wang Yu showed no concern and instead slurped his instant noodles.
"But, little factory director!" Han Jun wanted to say more, but seeing Wang Yu's indifferent demeanor, he could only sigh helplessly. Perhaps the little factory director was still young and didn't grasp the seriousness of the matter. He would discuss it with the old director and others when they returned!
"One more thing. Because of our active performance in the earthquake relief efforts, which was reported by television and newspapers, our car factory has become famous!" Han Jun continued to report to Wang Yu, his face showing undisguised joy.
"Especially those new products. Many people have called our factory in the past few days asking if they can act as agents for our products. Some even claim to know you and Miss Wu!"
Han Jun said excitedly.
"Oh? Finally, some good news!" Wang Yu put down his instant noodles.
This was within his expectations.
When he had decided to go all out for the relief efforts, he had considered that although it would come at a great cost, it was fulfilling social responsibility, a duty he could not shirk.
And on the other hand, it was also an excellent opportunity for publicity.
Didn't one see companies in later generations heavily publicizing their involvement in disaster relief, eager for people to know their brand? Some companies with strong utilitarian motives even exaggerated numbers and resorted to sensationalism for marketing… Cough cough!
Let's not talk about that for now. At least back then, there were no such companies. Moreover, companies like Wang Yu, who were almost overwhelmed themselves yet used almost all their assets for disaster relief, were practically nonexistent!
"Was the person who claimed to know us a fat man?" Wu Lingling interjected.
It was obvious she was referring to Hu Pangzi, whom they had met in Jiangping City before.
"I'm not sure, probably," Han Jun hesitated. "But indeed, many people have contacted our factory these past few days."
"Hmm, then we really need to hurry back." Wang Yu nodded.
The relief work was almost over, and rescue teams from various places had arrived, so it wasn't their place to stay any longer.
While thinking, Wang Yu called for everyone to pack up and prepare to return to Jiangyang County. He then found a public telephone to inform Lin Chunfeng.
Soon, everyone was packed, and Wang Yu and his group were ready to leave.
However, as they were leaving, they encountered a group of people striding forward ostentatiously.
The group was carrying bulky cameras, microphones, and similar equipment. They were neatly dressed and looked like media personnel.
"At the time of utmost urgency, our Metallurgy General Factory naturally needed to serve as a model. We immediately organized an internal task force of employees and rushed to support Jianglin City."
In the crowd, one person at the forefront was very active, speaking volubly and giving a speech.
His tone was passionate, his expression filled with cunning and greed, and a large mole on his cheek gave him a villainous aura.
It was none other than Fang Zhongtian.
Seeing him looking so proud and seasoned now, it was clear he had been appearing in various media outlets frequently these past few days, promoting his great achievements and being among the first to provide earthquake relief.
Wang Yu and his group saw Fang Zhongtian, and Fang Zhongtian also saw them.
Seeing Wang Yu and his group preparing to leave, a sneer appeared on Fang Zhongtian's lips.
"Oh my! Isn't this our county's car factory personnel? You came with just a few people who didn't contribute a single penny, got some undeserved fame, and now you're preparing to leave quietly without a word."
Fang Zhongtian's words, laced with heavy sarcasm, immediately drew everyone's attention.
Instantly, countless long lenses, cameras, and other equipment were all aimed at Wang Yu.