Essentially, Liu Yong frequented the company to review reports and listen to updates from Qiu Yang and Hu Shijun.
On this particular day, Liu Yong arrived at the company and began reading a recently submitted report. Shortly after that, Qiu Yang and Hu Shijun entered the room together.
Liu Yong intended to wait for Qiu Yang to leave before conversing with them.
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Observing that Qiu Yang and Hu Shijun appeared troubled, Liu Yong inquired, "What's the matter?"
Qiu Yang responded, "Mr. Hu, please brief the boss on the specific situation."
Hu Shijun was responsible for overseeing the transportation business and was thus the most informed about the situation.
He nodded and began to report,
"Brother Yong, we have a vessel that is fully loaded with containers and scheduled to depart for RB tomorrow. However, someone reported that our ship was carrying prohibited items. As a result, the customs authority detained our vessel, and we are unable to leave the port until the matter is resolved."
Liu Yong was taken aback and asked, "What? Are there really prohibited items on our ship?"
He needed to confirm this crucial detail.
On several occasions, Liu Yong stressed that the company must conduct its operations legitimately and ethically and could not engage in illicit or underhanded activities, particularly transporting prohibited items.
Hu Shijun reassured Liu Yong, saying, "I promise you, there are absolutely no prohibited items on board."
Qiu Yang confirmed this, saying, "Boss, I can also vouch for this. Our management practices are strict, and our systems are robust. Prohibited items can't be loaded onto our ship."
Hu Shijun added, "Brother Yong, it is apparent that this is a malicious report. Someone is behind this."
Liu Yong contemplated the situation and asked, "Have we recently caused offense to anyone?"
Hu Shijun replied, "I don't think so."
Qiu Yang added, "We have always maintained a principle of mutual benefit and cooperation. We shouldn't have provoked anyone. I am at a loss as to why someone is orchestrating this scheme behind our backs."
Liu Yong lapsed into deep thought.
Despite not offending anyone, someone, possibly one of their colleagues, had orchestrated a malicious report behind the scenes.
Universal's success and smooth development had likely prompted these individuals to resort to such tactics.
Upon realizing this, Liu Yong directed,
"Currently, we should focus on two areas. Firstly, we must cooperate with the customs authority to expedite the investigation and resolve the issue, allowing our vessel to leave the port as soon as possible.Secondly, we must investigate and identify the mastermind behind this act, with particular emphasis on our colleagues."
"Understood," Hu Shijun and Qiu Yang nodded in agreement.
"Brother Yong, rest assured, we will follow your instructions and take appropriate actions," they assured before leaving Liu Yong's office to address the issue from the two aspects he outlined.
With a cup of coffee, Liu Yong sat on his chair, deep in thought.
The fact that their ship had been detained and couldn't leave the port posed a threat to their delivery schedule.
Delayed arrival in RB would harm the company's reputation and could result in financial losses due to liquidated damages.
"If only I could identify the culprit behind this act. They would be in for a rude awakening," Liu Yong seethed angrily.
He was appalled that someone would stoop so low as to resort to such tactics in a well-regulated business.
The subordinate indulged in flattery and remarked,
"Absolutely, without a doubt! How could Universal Shipping ever compete with our very own Proton? Even a single strand of our eldest son's hair could easily crush them to smithereens."
Shi Libing chuckled in triumph once more.
"Well, well, well. We reign supreme in Haihua City. Any other ocean shipping companies seeking to expand must depend on the mercy of our Proton Group."
Following Liu Yong's directives, Qiu Yang and Hu Shijun, commenced their efforts from two angles. Firstly, they actively collaborated with the customs officials' investigation.
On the ship, Hu Shijun and a few of his subordinates cooperated with the customs officials during the inspection.
Everyone from Hu Shijun downward displayed a constructive and positive attitude, with the members of Universal Company exhibiting a great deal of humility.
The customs officials were granted full compliance with all their requests, and the requested documents were provided to them without any delay.
Throughout the entire day, they encountered no issues or complications during the inspection.
Upon concluding the inspection, Section Chief Xu, who headed the customs team, expressed his satisfaction and added,
"Mr. Hu, we do not intend to cause unnecessary complications. It is our duty to investigate any reports we receive thoroughly."
Hu Shijun replied, "There's no problem at all. We comprehend the situation and are wholeheartedly cooperating with the customs inspection."
Their cooperative attitude instilled a sense of comfort.
As the saying goes, "Don't bite the hand that feeds you." Hu Shijun and his team's amiable attitude positively impacted Section Chief Xu, who was initially very stern.
He even went so far as to commend them, stating, "You have a great attitude. This is the first time I've encountered people who are so cooperative with our work. You guys are commendable."
Taking advantage of Section Chief Xu's contentment and good mood, Hu Shijun indirectly remarked,
"We have consistently conducted our business legally and with utmost adherence to regulations, and we are appalled to be reported in such a derogatory manner."
Section Chief Xu smiled and replied, "Only if nothing incriminating is discovered during the inspection can it be termed as a malicious report. Nevertheless, it's still early in the inspection process, and this is merely the beginning."
Hu Shijun probed tentatively, "Mr. Xu, we suspect that most of these malicious reports are from our colleagues."
To which Section Chief Xu replied,
"This sort of behavior is usually carried out by colleagues. Otherwise, who else would bother to make such reports without any involvement?"
Upon hearing this, Hu Shijun was elated and thought, "Brother Yong's intuition is spot on. It was indeed our colleagues who were plotting against us."
Hu Shijun was curious to know which ocean shipping company had reported them.
"Section Chief Xu, can you tell me which company reported us?"
Hu Shijun inquired.
However, Section Chief Xu shook his head and replied, "I cannot disclose the whistleblower's identity as we must maintain confidentiality.
However, if your Universal Company did not possess a certain level of competence, others wouldn't have dared to report you."
This response brought a sense of relief to Hu Shijun. It was sufficient for him to know this much.
Although Section Chief Xu did not explicitly mention the company's name, he had already hinted that it was an ocean shipping company with significant influence.
Hu Shijun's mind quickly jumped to the Proton Group, the most prominent ocean shipping company in Huahai City, as the potential culprit behind the malicious report.
With a high probability of 90%, it seemed likely that Proton Group was the company responsible for reporting them.
Shortly after this revelation, Liu Yong received a WeChat message from Hu Shijun. The news likely contained valuable information about their ongoing investigation.
