CSGM - Chapter 88
Chapter 88: Subtle Criticism
However, the main point of criticism that numerous netizens were hammering Chu Xi for was the incident of "instigating the crew to pour out the drinks."
Waste is the most shameful thing!
An immoral celebrity! They flamed and flamed and flamed!
Half an hour later, inside the Futai District production factory of Honghua Special Drinks, the facts were laid out before them—
Not only were the marks of mouse teeth indeed discovered on the dozens of cans Chu Xi had picked out,
but while waiting for the results, Chu Xi also spotted a few mouse droppings on the floor and had a janitor sweep them up.
Chu Xi pointed to the small black pellets in the dustpan.
"Take a look. You can tell the difference between mouse droppings and duck droppings, can't you?"
Don't even try to tell her some duck made them; they were so obviously mouse droppings.
The general manager's expression changed slightly, but this time, it was no longer because of the Three Kingdoms crew.
There were actually mice in their factory!
And the mice had crawled over so many drinks!
One had to know that these filthy sewer creatures carried nothing but viruses!
What was most infuriating was that the factory manager was negligent, the safety supervisors were negligent, and the inspection team was negligent. With so many leaders and staff members responsible for food safety, how could not a single one of them have discovered that mice had gotten into the factory?!
The general manager's accusatory gaze instantly made the group of factory managers behind him feel like they were sitting on pins and needles, silencing them completely.
This... this... how is that possible?
There were safety inspections every day. How could there possibly be mice that went undiscovered!
For a beverage company as large as Honghua, food safety and the environmental hygiene of the production factory were absolutely matters of vital importance.
After all, the beverage industry had previously experienced a public relations crisis with extremely drastic effects and severe consequences—
A certain beverage brand's cans were contaminated by germs from cockroaches while in storage. When customers drank directly from the cans, they were infected by a virus and ended up in the intensive care unit.
That major incident caused the beverage company's stock price to plummet instantly, and it took them half a year to recover from the losses!
If Honghua Special Drinks were to follow in those disastrous footsteps, the consequences would be unimaginable!
The general manager was furious, but he was even more anxious.
There was no time to hold this bunch of incompetents accountable!
Handling this crisis was the top priority. They couldn't let the impact spread and develop into negative public opinion!
The members of the factory's management team were still behind him, shirking responsibility with clever words.
"Director Chen, you arranged this month's sanitation team duty roster. What happened? Did you even look at the inspection records?"
"Old Yu, Old Song, I remember you two were the ones who inspected and signed off on the shipment that went out last week. You didn't find any problems with the cans then?"
"Last week, I was busy with the new hires' probationary reviews, including three from your department. I was run off my feet helping you..."
Everyone was terrified that the responsibility for the mouse incident would fall on them.
Although they didn't say it outright, the implication was clear—in any case, they couldn't be held solely responsible.
The general manager grew annoyed just listening to them!
These were all tactics he had used to death in the past. He knew exactly what they were up to—these incompetents were only looking out for themselves.
"That's enough!" he said sternly. "Get your priorities straight and solve this problem immediately! Also, find those mice!"
With such a major incident, it wasn't just the factory's minor managers; even he—the head of the Capital region—could easily be held accountable by his boss!
Even at this urgent moment, the general manager didn't forget to turn to Chu Xi with a pleasant and apologetic expression.
"Teacher Chu, this is indeed our fault. Since I've already bought the video from your crew, please tell the director not to publicize this matter. We will handle it on our end."
He hadn't been online, and neither had Chu Xi. She nodded at him.
"Alright, no problem."
The general manager immediately made the quickest arrangements—
First, temporarily halt all external shipments from this factory; orders would be fulfilled by the other three factories. Second, immediately conduct a comprehensive inspection of all beverages in the factory's warehouse. Third, launch an all-out search for the source of the mouse infestation and eliminate it. Fourth, urgently contact the public relations department!
It would be best if the matter wasn't exposed, but they also had to prepare a PR plan in advance, just in case!
Who would have known that one second the general manager was still thinking about how to quietly patch up this hole,
and the next, he was notified that the Three Kingdoms crew's video had been posted online after all!
"What?!" His expression changed dramatically, his features twisting as he looked at Chu Xi.
Chu Xi shrugged. "I didn't post it."
The person who brought the news glanced at her, thinking to himself, Of course it wasn't her. She's the one getting flamed the worst.
Right now on social media, flaming Chu Xi was the mainstream trend, but a portion of netizens were focusing on the heart of the matter: why did her crew pour out the drinks?
The pressure from public opinion came crashing down.
Personally, Chu Xi was calm and unconcerned.
But for the large corporation Honghua, which was already at fault, the pressure instantly mounted.
The general manager said hurriedly, "Teacher Chu, please don't say anything for now."
Although Chu Xi was unconcerned, she looked at him with amusement and retorted, "Then why should we take the blame for you?"
She didn't need to look to know that a horde of netizens must be cursing her and the crew right now.
They were probably mainly cursing her.
Tsk, brainless.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Teacher Chu. Please communicate with the director first. We will give you an answer on this matter as soon as possible!"
In the face of protecting the company's image, the general manager instantly became thirty years younger—acting as meek as a grandson.
Now that he knew it was indeed his factory's fault, he was terrified the Three Kingdoms crew would suddenly issue a clarification and throw Honghua under the bus.
Misfortunes never come singly. Just then, the general manager received a second piece of urgent news—
a customer who had bought another type of Honghua Special Drink from a retailer discovered strange bite marks on the can and was now causing a scene, demanding accountability!
The retailer, seeing marks that looked suspiciously like mouse teeth, couldn't do anything and had to report the situation back to the shipping factory.
After all, the retailer had just received this new batch of drinks yesterday. Even if it was mice, they couldn't have been from their own store!
With questions online and customers showing up in person, the general manager broke out in a cold sweat.
He forced himself to calm down and deal with the most pressing matter. "Compensate them first! Get Sister Du to placate the customer. We absolutely must keep a lid on this!"
But could they really keep a lid on it?
This was just one case. So many drinks had been shipped from the Futai District factory—how many more problematic cans were out there? Would more people discover them and expose the issue?
The general manager's mind was in turmoil. Chu Xi watched him, seeing his lips had gone dry from fear.
So, she decided to be magnanimous and not press the issue further.
"Alright, I'll talk to the director. I'll help you find the mice and solve the problem here first."
In fact, when she had seen the mouse droppings earlier, she had already vaguely guessed where the mice might be nesting.
With the anxious general manager and a group of followers trailing her every step, Chu Xi rooted out three mouse nests in the factory within an hour.
Some people stared at her in awe, as if they wished they could present her with a silk banner that read "Nemesis of Mice" right then and there.
She was more effective than a cat! Her eyes were sharper than a cat's! She even spotted the mouse paw prints in the corner!
"Mice are creatures of habit. Is it that hard?"
Chu Xi glanced at their expressions, puzzled.
It was just a small effort. Why were they looking at her like that?
She said to the general manager, who had let out a partial sigh of relief:
"The director asked me to tell you that our crew has a reputation to maintain. We can't take the fall for you for too long, so please handle the PR as soon as possible. Don't put us in a difficult position."
"Yes, yes, yes, of course. Thank you for your hard work, Teacher Chu. We've caused you trouble this time."
The general manager also felt a trace of guilt and worry.
He had also taken a moment to read some of the comments online, and the condemnations were truly ferocious.
【Uh, what kind of income do you have to be so self-righteous about pouring out drinks? Oh, right, it's 2.08 mil. My bad. /[Husky]】
【If you don't want to drink it, you can donate it! You can give it to passersby! What right do you have to just pour it out? A person like that deserves to be a star? Is she teaching her fans to be wasteful?? /[Puzzled]】
【Chu Xi, that mouth of yours really can't say anything good!】
【Oh, her name is Chu Xi, right? From now on, I won't watch any show she's in, won't follow any variety shows, and I'll give a one-star rating for free. /[Smile]】
【I can't believe she's this kind of person. Heh, being a star has really gone to her head. Good thing I never became her fan. /[Smile]】
Online, people were denouncing the immoral celebrity, boycotting Chu Xi, and condemning the shameful waste.
The crew didn't escape the criticism either. Some people were even fired up, saying they would find out what the crew was filming and resolutely boycott it upon release.
How terrifying!
The general manager was also worried that if Chu Xi and the crew saw these comments, they would get too angry to sit still and issue an explanation, which would spell doom for Honghua's beverage factory.
He promised Chu Xi and the director that within twenty-four hours, Honghua would handle the PR and proactively clarify the matter for the crew.
He thanked Chu Xi profusely and pleaded with her to give them another twenty-four hours.
The PR image of being forced to explain after an error is exposed is worlds apart from seizing the initiative to admit the mistake and make amends.
The general manager might not have been smart about everything, but when it came to business, he was a shrewd man who understood the stakes.
Seeing his terrified and obsequious demeanor, even having his driver personally take her back to the set for fear of the slightest neglect, Chu Xi gave a disdainful smile.
His attitude when inviting her over and when sending her home was truly worlds apart.
The director, knowing the matter was being handled, agreed to the general manager's request.
Granting a favor for twenty-four hours was still a net gain for the crew.
It's just that...
He was puzzled by one thing. While he was reading the online comments just now, he had also come across some negative rumors about Chu Xi on set.
They were all about her supposedly acting like a diva, which left him completely baffled.
How come he didn't know Chu Xi had done these things?
During a meeting, Chu Xi didn't even lift her head...?
On second thought, wasn't that when he had asked Chu Xi to demonstrate how to act "too ashamed to even lift her head"?
And Chu Xi demanded the screenwriter not rest and revise the script overnight...?
That arrogant?
That wasn't right. Although Chu Xi was arrogant, she hated working overtime more than anyone!
How could she possibly force the screenwriter to do something she herself despised?
The moment the director saw this workaholic-related rumor, he felt it wasn't in Chu Xi's character and quickly went to the screenwriter to confirm.
When the screenwriter saw this rumor, her jaw dropped, and she twitched the corner of her mouth in disbelief.
She recalled what Chu Xi had actually said to her at the time—
"If you need to sleep at night, then don't revise the script. You can't rest and work at the same time."
But the rumor summarized it as—
Chu Xi wouldn't let the screenwriter sleep, saying it would affect the script revision.
The screenwriter: "?!"
Who was this wordsmith whose subtle criticism was even more masterful than her own?!
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