After a wealthy woman went bankrupt, her live-in husband became her sugar daddy.

Chapter 256 Check the Suppliers

I nodded. "Indeed, it's almost impossible to tell them apart just by looking at them."

Xu Sisi asked anxiously, "Then what should we do?"

"Send it for testing." I decided decisively. "Only professional testing can reveal its true nature."

A few days later, the test results came out.

Xu Sisi and I sat in the office, staring at the report, our hearts heavy.

"The ingredients are very different from the genuine product, and it also contains substances that are harmful to the skin..." I read the report in a low voice, my brows furrowed.

Xu Sisi slammed her fist on the table in anger, “These people are absolutely heartless! They don’t even care about consumers’ health just to make money!”

"We can't sit idly by; we must expose it!" Little Sweetie shouted, slamming her hand on the table.

I frowned, picked up a magnifying glass to examine the packaging closely, and muttered, "At first glance, the packaging really doesn't look any different."

Little Sweetie leaned closer, her eyes wide open: "I think the logo color looks a little different, what do you think?"

Xu Sisi chimed in, "Yes, yes, I was just about to say that the color is a bit too pale."

I nodded and handed the magnifying glass to them both: "Take a closer look. I think there's something wrong with the font too."

Xu Sisi examined it for a long time with a magnifying glass, and said excitedly, "It's true! The spacing between the characters is different; the genuine product is more uniform."

Little Sweetie was flipping through the instruction manual when she suddenly exclaimed, "Oh dear, the paper in this instruction manual is so cheap, it can't compare to the genuine product!"

I sighed: "It seems there are quite a few problems, but these alone are not enough. We need to find out where this thing came from."

Just then, my phone rang. It was Jiang Yichen calling. I answered the phone, and his voice came through the receiver: "I heard you're investigating that batch of problematic skincare products. I think you could start by looking into the suppliers; maybe you can find something there."

My eyes lit up, and I quickly said, "That's right! How come I didn't think of that? I'll go check it out right now. Thanks!"

After hanging up the phone, I told Xiaotian and Xu Sisi about Jiang Yichen's suggestion. Xu Sisi slapped her forehead: "That's right, check the suppliers, maybe we can find the source."

Little Sweetie was also full of energy: "Let's go!"

I stared intently at the lines of information about the product suppliers on the computer screen, my brows furrowed so deeply they looked like knots. Just then, my phone screen lit up; the caller ID showed Jiang Yichen. Without hesitation, I answered the video call. On the screen, his usually composed face now held a hint of seriousness.

“I just thoroughly investigated the situation of these unknown small suppliers. How could such a reputable brand in the beauty industry have counterfeit products?” I frowned, my tone full of incomprehension and indignation.

There must be some hidden secret here, but where exactly did things go wrong?

Jiang Yichen crossed his arms over his chest, and after a moment, he slowly spoke: "In my opinion, there are only two possibilities. First, perhaps there are serious loopholes in the brand's internal management system, which allowed unscrupulous people to take advantage of the situation, thus enabling these small suppliers to infiltrate. Second, perhaps someone deliberately did this to disrupt the situation and seek personal gain."

Little Sweetie and Xu Sisi also rushed to the phone screen. Little Sweetie was so angry that her eyebrows stood on end and her almond eyes widened: "Someone must be sabotaging us behind the scenes! Otherwise, given the scale and influence of this brand, even if there are some oversights in management, they wouldn't choose such an unreliable supplier."

Xu Sisi nodded in agreement, her expression serious: "That's right, I also think someone did it on purpose. But just knowing that isn't enough. How can we find the mastermind and get solid evidence?"

I rested my chin on my hand, lost in deep thought. Jiang Yichen watched me as I pondered, then continued, "It's an undeniable fact that the product has quality issues and the supplier is unreliable. Perhaps we should try a different approach, starting with the product's distribution process, specifically logistics. If we can obtain detailed logistics information for this batch of problematic products, we might be able to follow the trail and discover some crucial clues, such as the shipping location and transportation route. Maybe the truth is hidden within."

Upon hearing Jiang Yichen's words, a glint of light flashed in my eyes, and my excitement was palpable: "That's right! Let's start by checking the logistics. If the shipping address is completely different from the warehouse address claimed by the brand, wouldn't that further confirm our suspicions? There must be something fishy going on!"

Little Sweetie clapped her hands excitedly, her face full of anticipation: "Great! We can try contacting the brand first to see if they are willing to provide the relevant logistics information. If they refuse, we'll think of another way."

As she spoke, Xu Sisi quickly pulled out her phone and started looking up the brand's customer service number. I, on the other hand, continued my video call with Jiang Yichen: "Have you made any other new discoveries on your end?"

Jiang Yichen shook his head slightly, his tone tinged with helplessness: "There's no substantial progress yet, but I've asked some reliable friends to inquire around. If you find any logistics information, be sure to notify me immediately. Don't do anything dangerous."

After hanging up the phone, we quickly contacted the brand's customer service. However, they refused our request for logistics information without hesitation, citing the need to protect trade secrets.

"What should we do? The trail has gone cold." Anxiety appeared on Xu Sisi's face.

"It's alright, there's always a way. Let's think of other ways. I refuse to believe that we can't find this information with our efforts."

Meanwhile, Jiang Yichen and the experts sat together, with a pile of information about small, unknown suppliers related to the brand spread out in front of them.

With a serious expression, he lightly tapped his fingers on the table: "Gentlemen, look at these suppliers. Their qualifications are mediocre, yet they've managed to connect with such big brands. It's really suspicious. I suspect there's some powerful force behind this."

One of the experts, with slightly graying hair, scanned the documents with sharp eyes and said in a deep voice, "This is indeed unusual. These suppliers have very similar business scopes and operating models, and at some key points, they all seem to have received some kind of unified instruction."

Another younger expert nodded in agreement, pointing to a document and saying, "I checked their cash flow. On the surface, it looks chaotic, but upon closer analysis, we can find some funds from unknown sources, and the timing of these funds' flow coincides closely with the timing of some business changes."