“Where did you go? Did you take that long to go to the restroom?”
Seeing Wang Yu approach, Wu Lingling asked casually.
Wang Yu had been taken away by two men in black suits around a corner, in his blind spot. She hadn't noticed him leave because her back was turned. But she hadn't expected Wang Yu to have already met her father.
“Nothing,” Wang Yu just smiled and shook his head.
Regardless of whether Wu Yuanhang had given him instructions or not, Wang Yu didn't want to reveal that he had met him.
“So mysterious, I knew you’d hide in the restroom! Turns out you were smoking.” Wu Lingling pouted, acutely sensing the cigar smoke on Wang Yu. “Men are all like that. If you smoke, you smoke, why make up so many excuses?”
Wang Yu remained silent. If she thought so, then so be it. However, he still put away the cigar case he was holding to prevent her from discovering it.
As they were talking, the driver from the bus factory had already driven over to pick them up.
Well, compared to Wu Yuanhang’s luxury business car, this old sedan from the bus factory was nothing special. Though it was still quite impressive for that era.
They got into the car and quickly arrived at the bus factory. Qian Guotao had already prepared a large group of people for the signing of the cooperation agreement.
After all, it was a state-owned factory directly managed by the province. The bus factory might not have much else, but it had plenty of management and personnel.
Although Qian Guotao was the boss, for formal occasions like signing contracts, a lot of miscellaneous people naturally had to be present.
Seeing the grand procession and so many miscellaneous people in front.
Wang Yu couldn’t help but sigh, thankfully his own factory had been restructured into a private enterprise. Although the price he paid was almost ending up in jail for it.
But at least he was the one in charge, and didn’t have to worry about a large group of people dictating terms and potentially getting him removed at any moment. It was better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a bull, that was probably the idea.
“Oh? Little Brother Wang, you’re looking quite sharp today in your attire.” Lin Chunfeng came over with a hearty laugh. “Miss Lingling is also beautifully dressed.”
“Yes, since I was in the provincial capital, I bought some new clothes along the way.” Wang Yu said, not intending to explain the origin of his attire.
“But speaking of which, Brother Lin, as a city executive, is it okay for you to be wandering around like this?”
Wang Yu asked, puzzled. Even he, the director of a small factory, was extremely busy every day. Lin Chunfeng, as a city executive, couldn’t possibly be that idle. Moreover, he wasn't the kind of person to delegate everything and be irresponsible.
“I'll answer that question,” Qian Guotao said with a smile. “Old Lin did meritorious service during the earthquake relief efforts, and has been recalled here awaiting promotion.”
Promotion?
Wang Yu and Wu Lingling were both stunned. Wasn’t Lin Chunfeng just appointed as the city executive then? He was promoted so quickly.
“It’s not as easy as you say to get promoted,” Lin Chunfeng replied with a bitter expression. “On the contrary, that whole earthquake incident fell upon me. It was like mud in the crotch, whether it’s shit or not, it’s messy. Fortunately, rescue efforts were timely, and no greater casualties or losses were incurred. Being spared from punishment would be a blessing!”
“I'm going to the provincial capital this time, likely to accept a position reassignment. I don't know where I'll end up yet.”
Lin Chunfeng said, shaking his head helplessly. “If you ask me, it’s better to be the general manager of a state-owned factory like Old Qian. At least you’re at ease and don’t have to deal with all those messy affairs.”
Qian Guotao just shrugged his shoulders and gestured to the large group of people beside him, “You call this being at ease?”
At that moment, the group had gathered around, and several people among them, dressed in what looked like high-ranking attire, were looking at Qian Guotao and Wang Yu with displeasure.
“Director Qian, you made such a major decision to cooperate with someone on your own?”
A tall, gaunt middle-aged man with sinister eyes scrutinized Qian Guotao.
“And to cooperate with such an unknown small factory! I heard reports that the quality of parts provided by this car factory to them previously was very worrying!”
The tall, gaunt man’s tone was aggressive. Lin Chunfeng explained, “This is Qiu Jie, the deputy director of the bus factory. He doesn’t get along with Old Qian. He often obstructs his decisions, and sometimes when this guy stirs up trouble from above, it leads to all sorts of reviews and meetings. He’s quite annoying.”
Hearing this, Wang Yu nodded in understanding. Wasn't this just a matter of factions? It was too normal!
“What do you mean, Deputy Director Qiu?” Qian Guotao’s face turned cold. “Do I need to report my decisions to you?”
Qiu Jie merely sneered, “You have every right to make decisions, but what about the losses incurred because of it? Our factory’s profitability has been declining day by day. As the general manager, shouldn’t you consider reflecting on what solutions there are?”
In response to Qiu Jie’s aggressive questioning, Qian Guotao let out a cold snort. The declining profitability was not due to the bloated bureaucracy and complex personnel? If half the people were laid off, profitability would immediately improve. But he couldn’t say such things in person.
“My solution is today’s cooperation. We will build a super bus and completely dominate the market,” Qian Guotao said indifferently, his gaze falling on Wang Yu. “I believe in Brother Wang’s technology and capabilities.”
“You believe? What good is your belief?” Qiu Jie sneered. “This car factory has a history of poor quality before, and what’s this ‘super bus’ thing, it’s unheard of. And you want to contribute 30% of the profits?
I have reason to believe that you are colluding with this unknown young punk, using this so-called super bus project, to use your power for personal gain and steal public interests!”
“You!” Qian Guotao was furious. He hadn't expected his heartfelt efforts to be so misinterpreted! What made him even more disheartened was that many people around nodded in agreement, likely thinking Qiu Jie made a lot of sense.
Seeing this, Wang Yu had no choice but to step forward.
“Are you Deputy Director Qiu?” Wang Yu looked at Qiu Jie. The latter merely nodded arrogantly.
“Our car factory did have a past cooperation with the other party, but that was within the scope of business of my predecessor and had nothing to do with me personally.” Wang Yu explained again, not caring if the other party believed him.
“Secondly, my designs and technology have passed the review and unanimous approval of all your experts and technical backbones. They are also very confident in this super bus project.”
“Heh, those so-called technical experts are just theorists. Do they understand the real world?” Qiu Jie said disdainfully.
“You, a mere young punk who hasn’t even grown a full beard, come here and spout a bunch of nonsense, and those experts with water in their heads actually believe and agree. But it’s not that easy to get me to agree!”
“Oh? And how exactly can Deputy Director Qiu agree?” Qian Guotao asked with a dark expression.
“Very simple!”
Qiu Jie held up one finger. “For this cooperation project to get my approval, you need to agree to one condition.”