Chapter 969: Jinghua Crisis

“Sit down!” the old man chuckled, patting the sofa beside him.

Zhou Andong and Jian Qiu sat down; the old man didn’t ask about Xiangjiang, but pointed at the TV.

“I’ve been following Darenfa. That girl is the manager, right?”

Jian Qiu nodded: “Yes, she’s from Xiangjiang. Originally Secretary to General Manager Qiudongfang. Though young, she’s very capable.”

At that moment, Tang Bei said: “Customers are our greatest authority. Customers are the masters of the mall. Customers determine our survival and development. Customers are our lifeline.”

“Anyone who walks into our sales area and leaves, whether they buy anything or not, is our customer, and we must provide them with satisfactory service.”

“With sincerity as our foundation and honesty in every interaction, the essence of our work is serving customers.”

Miss Yang smiled: “Mr. Qu isn’t a Darenfa customer. The radio was bought at another mall. An imported radio costing over a hundred yuan developed problems in less than half a month.”

“When Mr. Qu took the defective product to that mall for resolution, the mall’s attitude was terrible—from denying the item was sold there, to demanding exorbitant repair fees, leaving Mr. Qu furious.”

“Later, Mr. Qu’s daughter appealed to Darenfa. From what I understand, the first repair had no spare parts; the second time, Darenfa’s after-sales team contacted the manufacturer, purchased the parts, and replaced and repaired Mr. Qu’s radio for free…”

“Host!” Tang Bei raised her hand apologetically: “Sorry to interrupt. Our after-sales team contacted the manufacturer, who, upon learning the situation, personally sent the parts to us—no charge at all.”

“I didn’t know about this,” Miss Yang said. “The manufacturer is also very responsible.”

“Exactly!” Tang Bei said. “No matter how good a product is, it’s impossible for it to be 100% problem-free. Problems aren’t scary—what’s scary is ignoring them.”

“Consumers trust us and come to buy from us. But if we fail to fix problems—or worse, act like a big store bullying customers—it doesn’t just hurt consumers’ hearts; it damages the very root of our reputation.”

“Indeed, the radio incident caused a huge uproar, and many citizens questioned the mall’s credibility.”

Miss Yang nodded: “But I must ask—why did you repair Mr. Qu’s radio if he didn’t buy it from Darenfa? You had no obligation. You had no spare parts. You had to contact the manufacturer through multiple channels just to get the parts and repair it for free.”

Tang Bei smiled slightly: “When citizens seek help, whether or not they’re Darenfa customers, whether or not they’ve ever shopped here, their plea is an act of trust and expectation…”

Applause erupted instantly; even Miss Yang clapped.

“You’ve done a great job with Darenfa,” the old man praised. “Putting customers’ interests first is how any business thrives.”

Zhou Andong watched the TV, having already pieced together the full story from the interview.

“Has the radio incident really gotten this big? Even Miss Yang showed up for the interview.”

The old man chuckled: “It’s made quite a splash. Every media outlet, big and small, covered it.”

Zhou Andong’s first thought was that Darenfa had struck gold. With this reputation, future business would be unstoppable.

“Which mall is this ‘certain mall’?”

“Jinghua!” the old man snorted. “Messing around. Pure nonsense. A good mall like that will be ruined by them.”

“Jinghua!” the old master snorted: “Messing around—absolute nonsense. A good mall like this will be ruined by them sooner or later.”

Zhou Andong couldn’t help laughing. In Beijing right now, Jinghua was Darenfa’s only rival.

After seven or eight years of operation, it had its own loyal customer base. Winning those customers over wouldn’t be easy.

But he never imagined Jinghua would be so reckless—breaking its own leg.

“What are you thinking?”

Seeing Zhou Andong grin like a fox, Jian Qiu knew he was up to no good.

“I’m thinking about Jinghua,” Zhou Andong said, his smile widening. “If Jinghua doesn’t launch a crisis PR campaign after this radio incident, it won’t last two years.”

The old man frowned: “Because of one radio? That serious?”

“Yes,” Zhou Andong’s smile vanished. “Once reputation collapses, rebuilding it isn’t easy.”

The old man spoke casually: “What’s crisis PR? What should Darenfa do if it faces this?”

Zhou Andong opened his mouth, then swallowed his words and chuckled: “Grandpa, you’re not much of a spy.”

The old man burst out laughing, pointing at Zhou Andong: “You little fox.”

Jian Qiu protested: “Who ever heard of a grandfather calling his son-in-law a little fox?”

The old man paused, then laughed again: “Look, look—people say girls turn against their families after marriage. It’s true. Once married, your elbow turns outward.”

“Without Darenfa, this radio incident wouldn’t even be a blip—it wouldn’t threaten Jinghua.”

Zhou Andong’s eyes darted around, didn’t spot the old man’s cigarette, so he pulled out his own and lit one for him.

“But with Darenfa as a competitor, this radio incident becomes Jinghua’s greatest crisis. As they say: no comparison, no harm.”

“Besides, Darenfa won’t let Jinghua off the hook. Even when nothing’s happening, just bring it up for promotion—Jinghua will never recover.”

The old man opened his mouth to speak, but said nothing, only sighed softly.

Zhou Andong knew what the old man was thinking. When Jinghua was being planned and opened, many powerful figures had taken notice.

Especially since reform and opening-up had just begun, still in the planned economy era. Jinghua’s opening carried special significance.

The old man wanted him to spare Jinghua—he could understand that. But understanding didn’t mean he’d spare it a single kick.

The old man didn’t press the matter: “How’s things in Xiangjiang? Going smoothly?”

“Very smoothly!” Zhou Andong gave a detailed report: “Even if Guo Tangwang’s people failed negotiations with Brazil, buying raw sugar at high prices won’t cause us losses.”

“Little Miss Su, slow down!” Gu Minglan’s voice called from outside.

Jian Qiu and Zhou Andong leapt to their feet and rushed out the door together.

There they saw Su Su, her two little pigtails swinging, her short legs pumping as she ran toward them.

Gu Minglan chased behind, while Jian Zhengxue pushed the baby carriage in pursuit.

Gu Minglan chased after them from behind, while Jian Zhengxue also pushed the stroller and ran behind.

Su Su spotted the two people crouched by the door, suddenly stopped, her big eyes darting between them.

Susu saw the two people crouching by the door, suddenly stopped in her tracks, her big eyes darting back and forth between them.