There’s a saying, isn’t there? 

“Extreme joy leads to sorrow, and prosperity leads to decline”? 

In any case, things at work can’t always go smoothly. 

The work on the wine cabinet installation is nearing completion, but around 3 p.m. that day, Lu Nan received a call from Chen Xiao: “Where are you?” 

“Near Feixiang, what’s up?” 

“The last batch of wine cabinets we delivered to the Shangri-La Hotel’s private rooms has some issues. The hotel says two of the cabinets are damaged and can’t be placed in the rooms. Come with me to see what’s going on.” 

Lu Nan replied, “Brother Xiao, you’re at the office, right? I’ll take the taxi over to pick you up, it’s on the way.” 

Unexpectedly, Chen Xiao said, “No need to pick me up, I’m at the wholesale food center, it’s in the opposite direction. Let’s just meet at the hotel.” 

Lu Nan was slightly surprised to hear that Chen Xiao was at the wholesale food center, but she didn’t care much about what he was doing there. She quickly bought a few items at a nearby cigarettes and alcohol shop, then headed straight to take a cab. 

Coincidentally, their taxis arrived at the hotel entrance one right after the other.

After paying for her fare, Lu Nan naturally took the receipt from Chen Xiao, which he had asked the driver for, and then asked, “I noticed Dong Hui hasn’t said anything in the group, so what’s the situation now?” 

“This batch of wine cabinets was loaded at 2 p.m. from the Feixiang warehouse. After arriving at Shangri-La, two cabinets were found to be damaged. The hotel refused to accept defective goods—Dong Hui didn’t know how to handle it, so she called me.” 

Lu Nan asked, “Did she check them carefully when they left the warehouse?” 

“She said she followed the procedures and checked everything,” Chen Xiao paused. “But there’s no point discussing this now. Let’s go see if it can be fixed.” 

Entering the hotel, Lu Nan saw Pei Xuedong was there as well, sitting in the lobby with Dong Hui. 

Chen Xiao glanced back at Lu Nan and silently asked, “Did you notify him?” 

“No, I didn’t,” Lu Nan blinked. 

When Pei Xuedong saw Chen Xiao, he immediately said, “Manager Chen, you know, it took a lot of effort for Mr. Yang to secure the hotel suite display. Now this problem has come up…” 

Chen Xiao smiled apologetically, “Brother Pei, you got here faster than I did. I’m still unclear about the situation. Were the cabinets inspected when they left the warehouse? Was the damage caused during transportation or when they were unloaded? How serious is it?” 

“After I got the call from Old Fang (Feixiang’s driver), I came right over,” Pei Xuedong said, frowning slightly. “As for the items, I saw the cabinets, the damage isn’t serious, just needs to be sent back for repainting. The problem is, Mr. Yang had planned for the cabinets to be installed uniformly in several hotel private rooms. He already informed some clients about it. Now, if we need to repaint them, it’ll take at least a week to air out the smell. Mr. Yang’s reputation with the clients will suffer.” 

Dong Hui is the one responsible for Shangri-La, which Lu Nan already knew. 

What she didn’t expect was how poorly Dong Hui handled the situation. 

It was fine to notify Chen Xiao immediately, but was it that difficult to follow up with a call or message to say Pei Xuedong had already arrived? Was she mute or had her hands been cut off? 

The dealer had arrived faster than the manufacturer’s people, giving Chen Xiao and Lu Nan no time to react. 

Now, they could only deal with it step by step. 

Chen Xiao asked, “Where are the cabinets?” 

Pei Xuedong replied, “At the freight elevator.” 

“Let’s go take a look,” Chen Xiao said. 

The hotel manager, Manager Zhao, who was handling this matter, just stepped away for a bit. He’s now walking over and nodding to a few people. “Sorry, I was attending to something. I’ll take you there now.” 

The five of them turned toward the freight elevator. 

As Pei Xuedong had said, the damage to the two cabinets wasn’t serious. It was hard to notice unless you got close and inspected carefully. However… 

This was Shangri-La, and since the minor flaw had been discovered, they couldn’t allow such cabinets in their private rooms. 

Manager Zhao, looking slightly apologetic, said, “I’m just following company procedures. It’s just the routine inspection, not nitpicking.” 

Lu Nan immediately spotted the issue, “Who wrapped the bubble wrap around the cabinet doors? It’s loose and practically useless.” 

Dong Hui hesitated and said, “It’s always been like this, right?” 

“That’s impossible, Old Fang and the others have been handling warehouse work for so many years. They know the rules for protecting finished products,” Pei Xuedong shook his head. 

Lu Nan noticed that Dong Hui’s expression showed signs of panic. She guessed she might have some responsibility for the situation — it seemed possible that after completing the warehouse inspection, she didn’t supervise the wrapping of bubble wrap. She even wondered if Dong Hui had been the one to remove it. 

As for why? Isn’t it typical for a somewhat inexperienced newcomer to rush to establish their authority? Especially after Lu Nan had managed the unloading workers so well, Dong Hui must have felt uncomfortable about it. 

Lu Nan saw right through Dong Hui’s thoughts. 

However, the problem still needed to be solved. 

Now, this issue involved Yuan Chuan, Feixiang, and the hotel, and the priority was to solve the problem, not distance herself from it just because of minor disagreements with Dong Hui.

Chen Xiao was about to ask Dong Hui for the details of the whole situation, but just as he was about to speak, Lu Nan stepped forward, standing in front of him, and gently waved her left hand behind her waist to stop him. 

Lu Nan turned to Pei Xuedong and said, “Brother Pei, the most important thing right now is not to assign blame, but to solve the problem.” 

Pei Xuedong was not optimistic about solving the problem— the hotel’s inspection was too strict, and Mr. Yang’s timeline was too tight. 

Manager Zhao approached with a polite smile, “The cabinets are damaged, and they definitely can’t go into the private rooms. How about we take them back first, repair them, and deliver them again? Considering the chemical smell from the spray paint, I’d suggest that you both wait until the new cabinet doors have completely aired out before sending them back. Otherwise, I won’t be able to explain things to the company.” His implied meaning was clear: if the paint smell was still present when the cabinets were delivered for inspection, they’d have to be sent back again. 

This is the problem. 

The whole process will take about seven to ten days, and that’s an optimistic estimate. 

Pei Xuedong sighed, “With this situation, if Mr. Yang knows, he will definitely blame me for not being careful.” 

Lu Nan thought to herself: You are Mr. Yang’s brother-in-law; Mr. Yang will just say a few words and let it go; but for us, it’s different. Mr. Yang is very particular about things. I’ve worked hard to gain a good impression from a professional standpoint, I can’t let it all go to waste now. 

How can this matter be resolved smoothly? 

Manager Zhao said, “Since that’s the case, how about I let someone send these two wine cabinets to the parking lot first?” Although the freight elevator isn’t frequently used at this time, blocking the elevator door is still inconvenient. “Anyway, there are only two wine cabinets left, and they are both in the same private room. It’s fine if they come in a few days later.” 

A thought quickly flashed in Lu Nan’s mind, and she immediately grasped the key point: “Manager Zhao, were these two wine cabinets originally supposed to be placed in the same private room? The main VIP room of Xiang Gong?” She remembered that Shangri-La’s private rooms each had one wine cabinet, but the main VIP room was the only one with two wine cabinets. 

“Yes.” Manager Zhao nodded. 

Lu Nan immediately said to Dong Hui, “Give me the wine cabinet list and 3D display layout of Shangri-La.” 

Dong Hui awkwardly said, “I only have the electronic version on my phone.” 

So, she hasn’t even printed the documents!!! Lu Nan told herself, at this moment, we’re on the same level, she’s not my subordinate, and I shouldn’t be the one reprimanding or managing things. Stay calm! 

“Do you have an idea?” Chen Xiao immediately responded. 

“Uh, I need to take a look at the main VIP room first. Manager Zhao, is it convenient now?” Lu Nan didn’t dare to make any guarantees. 

Since it wasn’t mealtime, after Manager Zhao confirmed it was convenient via intercom, he said to Lu Nan, “Then I’ll take you to see the room.” 

Chen Xiao told Dong Hui, who was about to follow, “These two wine cabinets must be returned to the Feixiang warehouse first. Keep an eye on the loading, and wait for us in the garage.” 

Pei Xuedong didn’t know what Lu Nan planned to do, but with a “try-anything” attitude, he followed along. 

Arriving at the main VIP room, Lu Nan carefully observed the decoration style: 

It featured red and imperial gold traditional imitation Song dynasty carvings, with twenty seats and a row of exclusive wine cabinets. The overall style could be summarized as: luxurious and elegant. 

The style doesn’t clash.  

After confirming this, Lu Nan was about to open her phone’s email to check the attached 3D display layout when a tablet was handed to her. 

“Look here.” Chen Xiao said. 

The screen was larger, making it easier on the eyes. 

Lu Nan nodded, zoomed in on the layout, carefully checked the positions, confirmed the locations of the two wine cabinets in the main VIP room, and pointed to two spots, “It’s placed here, right?” 

Manager Zhao nodded, “Yes, here.” 

Lu Nan took out a steel tape measure from her bag, crouched down, and measured the width and depth of the vacant space. Then she stood up and said to Chen Xiao and Pei Xuedong, “There’s actually another way to ensure the wine cabinets can be installed with the other hotels.” 

Chen Xiao quickly realized, “The wine cabinets from the display stores!” 

When Mr. Yang signed the 5 million contract, he also promised to open a display store for Yuan Chuan Classic Wine in the city. The store’s interior and exterior decoration style were all in accordance with Yuan Chuan company standards! In other words, the wine cabinets used in the display store and those entering the hotels are not identical, but the elements are the same, and the styles are similar. 

As soon as Chen Xiao said it, Pei Xuedong also realized this fact, “That’s right!” Those wine cabinets were already finished and aired out early. The current problem is whether the hotel will accept a change in style. 

“Manager Zhao, take a look, this is the wine cabinet of the same style from our company.” Lu Nan quickly found the 3D layout of the Feixiang display store on Chen Xiao’s tablet. “Can this replace the original wine cabinets for entry?” 

Manager Zhao took the tablet and carefully looked at the picture: the difference was minimal, but after all, it wasn’t exactly the same as the previous ones… 

“Since this is the main VIP room, wouldn’t a wine cabinet style that’s different from the other rooms actually make it more special?” Lu Nan casually said, stating the plan she had prepared before coming upstairs. “We can change the bottles in these two wine cabinets, replacing them with 30-year and 50-year aged wines and zodiac wine series. I think this matches the atmosphere of this room better. Brother Xiao, what do you think?” 

Chen Xiao didn’t expect that Lu Nan and he were on the same wavelength. He nodded approvingly, “Show Manager Zhao our collection store’s arrangement.” 

Lu Nan skillfully found the photos from Chen Xiao’s tablet. 

Manager Zhao immediately recognized the decoration style from the corner of the collection store’s exterior: “Oh, it’s Sofitel?” After considering for a moment, he said, “If we go with the suggestion from Manager Chen and…” 

“My name is Lu Nan.” 

Manager Zhao continued, “If we follow Manager Lu’s and Manager Chen’s proposal, it’s not impossible.” 

Lu Nan quickly typed a few words on her phone screen, then glanced at Chen Xiao’s phone, before leaning closer to Manager Zhao and pointing at the picture of the collection store. “30-year, 50-year, and zodiac wines are limited edition products from our Yuan Chuan Luxury line. Even when sent to distributors, they are distributed in limited quantities. Placing them in this room is obviously the perfect match. The wine cabinet is just a display tool; since it matches the style of the room, small variations don’t matter. What’s important is the wine inside. Don’t you agree, Manager Zhao?” 

While Lu Nan was speaking, Chen Xiao took out his phone, which showed the question Lu Nan had just sent: “Can the finished wine be placed in this room?” 

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