"It's precisely because there are no clues that I'm so upset!"
Yu Zhou sighed, saying with a touch of helplessness.
This feeling of knowing who the instigator is but being unable to find the perpetrator or any evidence made him very uncomfortable.
Once evidence was found, the situation could completely reverse, and they could directly call the police.
He believed that even without leveraging Qin Siyue's influence, it wouldn't be difficult to resolve this matter entirely. After all, Yu Zhou himself had a certain reputation.
However, if they couldn't find evidence or the perpetrator, then even if everyone clearly knew that someone was counterfeiting their products and immediately seizing the market, they could only watch helplessly.
Directly calling the police and suing them might also cause trouble, but it would be extremely difficult to completely crush the opponent.
It was even possible that due to the long passage of time, their dried fruit factory's reputation would be completely lost, and then, copycat imitators would emerge like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.
By then, no matter how much they wanted to salvage the situation, it would be too late.
"Actually, I found some clues. I don't know if they'll be useful to you!"
Lin Haichao, grabbing a handful of tea leaves, was not polite to his brother-in-law at all. Under Yu Zhou's pained expression, he said slowly.
Hearing this, Yu Zhou's eyes immediately lit up.
In his view, although his brother-in-law had a strong background, his own foundation was in Beijing and the South.
Jiangbei, being a smaller region, shouldn't have much influence.
He hadn't paid much attention when his brother-in-law had previously offered to help find information, but now, it seemed he had actually found something.
How could they have extended their reach all the way to Jiangbei? How terrifying was that?
"What news? Do you already know which employee leaked the recipe?"
Although he thought the possibility was slim, he was still very excited.
As long as he could find the evidence and the perpetrator, all these difficulties would be easily resolved.
This was a very crucial step for the dried fruit factory, and only by overcoming this hurdle could the entire factory develop smoothly.
"How could that be found so quickly? I have information channels in Jiangbei, but these channels aren't spy organizations. It's just that someone told me who was behind the move against you this time."
Lin Haichao was speechless at Yu Zhou's words.
If he had that much power, why would he be babbling? He would have figured everything out and told Yu Zhou directly.
Others might not be able to use their influence to disrupt the visible balance, but as Yu Zhou's brother-in-law, no one could say anything if he made a move.
However, very few people in Jiangbei knew Lin Haichao, and even fewer knew the relationship between Lin Haichao and Yu Zhou.
If Song Qing were to know that the Lin Haichao from Beijing was Yu Zhou's brother-in-law, then Song Qing would likely desperately want to cooperate with Yu Zhou, even if it meant taking a small loss.
Lin Haichao's family was very low-key, but being low-key did not mean they lacked influence.
Among many top families, very few were actually engaged in commerce. Song Qing was one, and although Lin Haichao was in the system, he also counted as one.
In reality, the Song family was far inferior to the Lin family.
At their level, money was no longer their pursuit. What they always pursued were the resources and potential they controlled.
And undoubtedly, Lin Haichao was an individual with top-tier resources and potential within their circle.
"Not the leaker! Just the instigator! Even if you hadn't said it, I'd have a general idea. It's one of the bosses from the Auxiliary Product Alliance, right?"
Yu Zhou's tone was somewhat disappointed, but he was still very touched by his brother-in-law's help.
Regardless, he was genuinely trying to help, and he did so without being asked.
"This time, you're actually wrong. The mastermind behind this is named Su Yungui, the third young master of the Su family in Jiangbei."
"The Su family in Jiangbei, you must have heard of them, right? He was the one who provided the recipe to Zhang Yuan, and at that very moment, Zhang Yuan counterfeited your product."
"I heard that Su Yungui has already spread word in the circles that no matter what, he is determined to get a taste of this 'melon seed' feast."
The tea was ready to drink. Lin Haichao casually took a sip and said.
"The Su family? Su Yungui?"
This time, it was Yu Zhou's turn to be surprised. This outcome had truly startled him.
This meant that the person behind Zhang Yuan had actually stepped forward and personally targeted his factory?
He was indeed very familiar with the Su family, a local power in Jiangbei.
Rumor had it that they had started doing business as early as the state-owned era, and their business had grown very large.
Under the guise of cooperating with villages and towns at various levels, they had pocketed a lot of money in the surrounding areas of Jiangbei.
And the Su family itself was one of the top families in Jiangbei.
Within their family, some were in business, some were in politics. While they might have been somewhat different from the big players in Beijing, such a local overlord was indeed someone Yu Zhou couldn't afford to provoke at the moment.
In fact, if the Su family had approached him at the beginning, Yu Zhou might not have refused to give up some shares to let the Su family profit.
This family was already among the most prominent surnames in Jiangbei, at least on the surface.
"Now that we know the real mastermind, it will be easier to find traces of the leaker."
"However, the Su family shouldn't be so ruthless! Isn't this tarnishing the entire Su family's reputation?"
Yu Zhou pondered carefully, unable to fully grasp the inner workings of this entire affair.
After all, if it were truly the Su family acting directly, they shouldn't be so unreserved.
Even if they were eager to take over his dried fruit factory, such blatant actions would surely incur the displeasure of many, making it almost a loss rather than a gain.
Finding the leaker, having a clue was always better than having none, but if this matter wasn't clarified, it would still be fraught with danger.
To the extent that after Yu Zhou spoke, Lin Haichao began to frown.
He hadn't understood it before either, but he hadn't thought much of it. Now, after Yu Zhou's explanation, he immediately realized.
This was not the way top families in Jiangbei operated. If they all acted so carelessly, these surnames wouldn't have survived to this day.
Did they really think their low-key nature could be easily broken? Once that layer of discretion was gone, they would be attacked by everyone.