“Xiao Yang, come here for a moment.”
Director Luo Chengbin called to her from the conference room.
Yang Yuan looked puzzled.
This was usually the time when the department heads held their private meetings.
Why was he calling her?
The moment she stepped inside, every pair of eyes in the room turned toward her.
She greeted Factory Director He and Director Luo before quietly standing in place, waiting for instructions.
“Come, Xiao Yang, have a seat.”
Director Luo beckoned with a smile.
“Report the results of the recent personnel audit to the factory director.”
Yang Yuan blinked.
She had already given Luo Chengbin an extremely detailed report.
So why drag her into the meeting to repeat everything in front of all these department heads?
What’s Director Luo up to?
Is he pushing me into the spotlight?
She quickly summarized everything.
The conference room fell silent.
“After Officer Wei and I discovered these three staffing irregularities, we immediately reported them to Director Luo.”
“As for everything that happened afterward…”
“I don’t really know.”
Director Luo lowered his head, writing earnestly in his notebook as if he hadn’t heard a thing.
Factory Director He’s expression remained completely unreadable.
“Director Luo has high standards.”
“And Officer Xiao Yang has done careful work.”
Factory Director He slowly looked around the room.
“Now…”
“I want Production…”
“Finance…”
“And Logistics…”
“To immediately investigate these three issues.”
His voice suddenly rose.
“Especially the warehouse employee!”
“He doesn’t even come to work…”
“And yet he was named an Outstanding Model Worker?”
“Outstanding where?”
“Outstanding on whose head?”
Bang!
He slammed his hand onto the table so hard that everyone jumped.
“If I find out who approved this…”
“They can get out of my dyeing factory.”
His anger was unmistakable.
Only after Factory Director He finally left with Director Luo did Yang Yuan dare ask,
“Director…”
“Does the factory director really hate any sort of corruption that much?”
The Personnel Office was shared by just the three of them.
Since Wei Junliang wasn’t there…
Luo Chengbin quietly shut the office door before lowering his voice.
“It’s not exactly that.”
“You haven’t heard, have you?”
“Last night…”
“The warehouse almost caught fire.”
Yang Yuan’s eyes widened.
She hadn’t heard even the slightest rumor.
Luo lowered his voice even further.
“Finished goods were delivered to the warehouse last night.”
“They were put in the wrong place.”
“Someone wanted to simply write them off as defective stock and take them away.”
“While he was smoking…”
“A spark landed on the fabric.”
“It caught fire.”
“And…”
“It just so happened…”
“Factory Director Ma from Cotton Mill No. 3 passed by.”
Yang Yuan immediately understood.
Cotton Mill No. 3 was still under construction.
Director Ma had already been chosen to run it.
Rumor had it that…
When the dyeing factory was first being planned…
Director Ma had originally been selected to oversee it.
For some unknown reason…
Factory Director He had suddenly been transferred in instead.
Director Ma had been publicly embarrassed.
Naturally…
He wasn’t happy.
Meanwhile…
Factory Director He was new to the city.
He didn’t understand the complicated local relationships.
He was upright.
Serious.
Blunt.
Before long…
Old grudges and new resentments had piled together.
The two directors had become rivals.
Director Luo raised an eyebrow.
He didn’t explain any further.
His expression clearly said:
Now you get it, don’t you?
“Ohhh…”
Yang Yuan deliberately dragged out the word in sudden realization.
“I understand now.”
Director Luo looked immensely satisfied.
She even casually added,
“Director…”
“You really do see things more clearly than the rest of us.”
Luo waved his hand modestly.
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
“You’ll understand all this yourself after you’ve been around a while.”
Once he started talking…
He couldn’t stop.
“Xiao Yang…”
“I’m only telling you this because I don’t consider you an outsider.”
“The truth is…”
“The moment you discovered those problems…”
“I immediately reported them to the factory director.”
“At the time…”
“He only asked a few questions.”
“He didn’t really react.”
“But now…”
“Director Ma saw everything.”
“So the situation changed.”
“For the sake of his reputation…”
“It doesn’t matter whose connections are involved.”
“The factory director will definitely investigate this thoroughly.”
He continued,
“At today’s meeting…”
“He had me explain the situation first.”
“Then he specifically called you in to give a detailed report.”
“What was he doing?”
“He was showing everyone how angry he was.”
“If you don’t believe me…”
“Go listen around the workshops later.”
“The workers will definitely be saying things like—”
‘The factory director called in several groups of people.’
‘He slammed the table.’
‘He threatened people.’
‘This won’t end lightly.’
“You see?”
He paused dramatically.
“Actually…”
“This isn’t necessarily bad for you.”
Yang Yuan cooperatively looked confused.
She humbly asked,
“How so?”
Director Luo immediately looked even more pleased with himself.
“Although you were pushed into the spotlight…”
“Everyone also knows…”
“You’re just the newcomer.”
“The one brought in to explain everything.”
“So no one will blame you.”
“In fact…”
“They’ll think you’re honest.”
“Hardworking.”
“Careful.”
“And in the factory director’s eyes…”
“You’ve already made an impression.”
“If opportunities come up in the future…”
“Whether they’re big or small…”
“He’ll remember you.”
He finished with a meaningful look.
You know what I mean.
Yang Yuan secretly found it rather amusing.
Outwardly, however…
She looked deeply grateful.
“Thank you, Director Luo.”
“I’ve really learned a lot today…”
She thanked him profusely until he looked thoroughly satisfied.
Who would’ve thought…
Yang Yuan couldn’t help shaking her head.
She had only been at the factory for a few days…
Yet she’d already been dragged into someone else’s political struggle.
The saying was absolutely true.
Where there are people…
There is jianghu.
As for why Luo Chengbin had bothered explaining all this to her…
She thought about it for quite a while.
Still…
She couldn’t figure it out.
Perhaps he wanted to recruit her as one of his trusted subordinates?
But…
She already worked under him.
There hardly seemed any need.
Forget it.
When soldiers come, send generals to deal with them.
When floodwaters come, build a dam.
Her original goal had always been simple.
Find a job.
Collect a paycheck.
Live peacefully.
She had absolutely no ambition for office politics.
If anyone wanted to use her…
They could forget it.
The current era was unstable.
She simply intended to hold on to her secure government job for a few years.
Later…
Once the political climate improved…
She would quietly invest in a few promising people.
Thanks to memories from the future…
A few casual hints here and there would surely earn her generous returns.
Then…
Once private real estate became legal…
She’d buy a couple of small courtyard homes in the city center.
Perhaps a storefront as well.
Rent them out.
Collect passive income.
And when the real estate boom eventually arrived…
One demolition notice would make her wealthy overnight.
Life as a demolition millionaire…
What a wonderful dream!
As for taking the restored college entrance examination…
Or becoming a businesswoman after Reform and Opening Up…
Yang Yuan waved those thoughts away.
Not interested.
The last time she’d taken the college entrance exam…
It had felt like enduring labor pains.
Her entire family had watched over her.
She’d studied until her head nearly exploded.
They’d even hired four experienced teachers from prestigious schools to tutor her day and night.
Only then had she barely made it into a first-tier university.
It had nearly killed her.
No way was she doing that again.
She’d already experienced university once.
That was enough.
Why hog another place?
She should leave the opportunities to the hardworking students of this era.
Look at me…
Burning myself to illuminate others.
How noble.
The more she thought about it…
The more admirable she found herself.
“Xiao Yang!”
“Xiao Yang!”
“Someone’s here looking for you!”
The shout interrupted her glorious self-admiration.
How strange.
Normally I’m practically invisible.
Why is everyone suddenly looking for me today?
She hurried outside.
“…Brother?”
“What are you doing here?”
Standing outside was Yang Wenping.
His forehead was covered in sweat.
He looked extremely anxious.
The moment he saw her, he grabbed her hand.
“Yuanyuan.”
“I’ve got something urgent.”
“I have to go back to school immediately.”
“A classmate helped me buy a train ticket.”
“My train leaves soon.”
“I’m leaving right away.”
“Tell Mom and Dad.”
“I’ll be back in a week.”
He spoke so quickly that Yang Yuan could barely process half of it.
As soon as he’d finished…
He turned to leave.
She immediately grabbed the back of his coat.
The only thing she’d fully understood was:
Yang Wenping was getting on a train and leaving town.
“Wait!”
“Don’t go yet!”
“I need to get something for you!”
“I’ll be right back!”
“But don’t leave!”