Switched Marriage: The Coddled Little Wife

Chapter 312: Chapter 312: Better to Take a Loss Early

Lin Chuxia placed her bag to one side, and Su Wensong tactfully pulled a chair out for her.

"Sorry to have kept Director Liu waiting."

Liu Guoyi poured tea for himself with drooping eyes, his voice lazy, "Mr. Lin is still so busy, no wonder Xiyang Food Factory could stand toe to toe with the Old Food Factory in less than a year." _{𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑝𝘶𝘣.𝑐𝘰𝘮}

"Director Liu, you’re misunderstanding me. We’re all in the business of running factories, how can it be called standing toe to toe? I can understand if individual employees see it that way, but now with the policy getting more relaxed and even strongly supporting private enterprises, Director Liu, being in charge of a factory, must be aware of this news, right?"

Liu Guoyi lifted his eyelids, his gaze coldly shifting to Lin Chuxia.

To say that he had underestimated this woman when asking for the secret recipe, but now that things had come to this pass, with almost no one else to turn to, and yet she could still be so defiant.

Liu Guoyi didn’t think she was so naïve as to be unaware of what was happening.

He set the teapot aside, his voice cool, "No matter when, the policy is there to serve the people. Mr. Lin is still young; it’s understandable that you’re not clear about some things. Bumping into a few snags and facing some losses, with time, you’ll come to understand. To face losses earlier rather than later isn’t necessarily a bad thing."

Lin Chuxia didn’t want to discuss these unproductive matters with him and cut to the chase, "Are the employees from the Old Food Factory still gathered at the entrance of my Xiyang Food Factory? What’s this supposed to mean? Does Director Liu really think such tactics will bring down Xiyang Food Factory, or do you think I truly have no other options?"

"You see, the young comrade is too impatient," Liu Guoyi turned to Li Kai with a smile, and then looked back at Lin Chuxia.

"Didn’t I quickly set up this meeting after hearing the news? Honestly, I had only just been informed, so I had Li Kai send word down the line for people to either go back to work or go home. I didn’t expect, much to my embarrassment, that now no one listens to me anymore. If Mr. Lin has any good ideas, I’m all ears."

Lin Chuxia looked at Liu Guoyi coldly; he was certain they had no options left.

Indeed, after so many days of turmoil, they were practically out of options.

Facing Liu Guoyi’s cocksure demeanor, Lin Chuxia refused to bow her head.

Liu Guoyi also knew - young people are spirited, so he would offer her a way out.

"I stand by what I’ve said: Mr. Lin is young and might not see or think through some things. You have to consider, everyone needs to eat. If one tries to break someone else’s rice bowl, what could come of it is anyone’s guess, right? In my opinion, it might be best if both sides took a step back. That way, it’s good for you, good for me, and good for everyone."

"How do you propose we both take a step back?" Lin Chuxia asked.

Seeing that Lin Chuxia had spoken, Liu Guoyi gave a faint smile, as if everything was under his control.

He poured a cup of water from the teacup and pushed it in front of Lin Chuxia.

"That’s right, that’s the spirit. Doing business is about harmony and prosperity. The Old Food Factory has a history of several decades, and if Mr. Lin wants to get into the food business, that’s not a problem either. Wouldn’t banding together for mutual warmth be nice? Ancheng County is only so big; we can’t be smashing each other’s rice bowls from the outset. In my view, the current situation is easy to solve: as long as Xiyang Food Factory stops the production line of the beef sauce. Of course, we won’t let you suffer any losses either. To set up a production line for a private enterprise like yours isn’t easy, and I know you’ve invested a lot of money. As long as you agree, I’m willing to pay exactly what you invested in the entire production line, and even the workers on your production line can be absorbed into our food factory. You won’t lose a penny."

Lin Chuxia let out a faint smile, "You mean even the beef sauce recipe should be handed over to you?"

Liu Guoyi heard the sarcasm in Lin Chuxia’s words and his smile immediately withdrew, releasing the authoritative pressure of one who had long held power, his voice dropping a few notches.

"I say, Lin, have you ever heard the saying ’a wise man submits to circumstances’? As a woman who has managed to bring Xiyang Food Factory to this point, I respect you as a capable person, but after all, you’re still too young. You must understand that an arm can’t twist a thigh, and I wouldn’t demand the beef sauce recipe for nothing – I’ll pay 3,000 yuan for it."

"What if I don’t sell? Director Liu, you said it yourself, we both take a step back. You want me to take a step back and dismantle the entire production line. To which step does Director Liu wish to retreat?"

Lin Chuxia looked at his somber expression, her mockery unhidden, "Director Liu wouldn’t think just calling your Old Food Factory’s employees back is considered taking a step back, would you? I might be young, but I’m not a three-year-old child. If Director Liu can’t show enough sincerity, then don’t talk terms with me. As for smashing other people’s rice bowls, Xiyang Food Factory has never done such a thing and doesn’t need to wear such a big hat. The market is for equal competition, and I’d like to see if an arm can twist a thigh."

After she said this, Lin Chuxia stood up and walked out without a word of courtesy.

Su Wensong cast a cold glance at Director Liu and Li Kai, protectively following right behind Lin Chuxia.

Liu Guoyi looked at the half-finished cup of water with a grim face.

Li Kai said from the side, "This woman is really tough to deal with, Director Liu. What do we do now? I heard that Xiyang Food Factory still kept some workers to work overtime and produce, and it seems it won’t affect their orders for a while."

"So what? Contact those few clients and leak out the current situation at Xiyang Food Factory. It might not affect them in the short term, but what about over time? I refuse to believe she has that much ability."

I had thought a few days of setbacks would be enough; it seems the young still need to be taught a lesson.

"Keep surrounding them; I don’t believe those people in the factory are made of iron."

Meanwhile, outside the State-Owned Restaurant, Lin Chuxia took a deep breath.

She had expected Liu Guoyi would make some demands, but not so audacious.

His terms were beyond excessive, practically saying to annex Xiyang Food Factory.

Of course, she also knew that Liu Guoyi had the arrogance to do so. After all, even Guo Town had given no response, and it seemed that they had no other choice but to endure the Old Food Factory.

In his eyes, she was just a peasant turned private entrepreneur.

Su Wensong also thought of this and frowned deeply, "Mr. Lin, what should we do next? This morning, I discussed with Qin Wu that we could just open another gate for the factory, to see how many more people they could bring to encircle us. The village chief also said that he would organize villagers to prevent them from entering the village, but this could inevitably lead to a conflict."

Now the other side did not worry about a conflict; they even hoped for it.

Once a conflict occurred, the handle would be in their hands.

"No need for now. Old Su, you go back first; I’m heading to the Market Supervision Bureau."

Liu Guoyi was so certain she was out of options? She would just have to use her arm to twist his thigh.