Rebirth 93: Break off the engagement at the beginning and marry Bai Fumei

Section Chief Ma has resigned, but the problems remain. Wei Yuan sat in his office, his brow furrowed. He looked at Director Li sitting next to him: "Old Li, you go there yourself."

“That Chen Yang is not easy to deal with. Be nice to him, and no matter what conditions he proposes, try to keep him calm first.”

Director Li's heart sank. He knew this was a difficult matter, but since Wei Yuan had personally given the order, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and proceed.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, under the bright sunshine, Director Li stood at the door of Chen Yang's house, carrying two boxes of beautifully packaged high-end gifts in his hands, but fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

He had been standing there for a full three minutes, not because he didn't want to knock, but because he was afraid.

The image of Section Chief Ma in that morning's disheveled state was still vivid in his mind—collapsed on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably, and he'd heard that he'd even lost a shoe while running out. That scene was like a thorn stuck in his heart.

Chen Yang, that kid, is known as the number one son-in-law in Jiangcheng, and he's famously difficult to deal with.

Director Li sighed inwardly. He had been working in the system for over twenty years, climbing step by step from the grassroots to his current position. What kind of people hadn't he seen? The greedy, the ruthless, the slippery, the stubborn—he could handle them all.

But this Chen Yang...

He recalled what Governor Wei had said that morning: "No matter what conditions he proposes, agree to them first."

He said it so easily, but when he got to the door, he realized that agreeing to the conditions was easy, but whether the other person believed him was another matter entirely.

When Section Chief Ma sealed off the factory, he handled it "officially." Now that the factory is being reopened, why should people trust him?

Director Li took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. He looked down at the gifts in his hand—two boxes of fine tea, one of Wuyi Mountain Da Hong Pao and the other of West Lake Longjing. He had brought them from home on purpose, without using the official accounts, just to express his sincerity.

Is that enough? Absolutely not!

But he knew that if he stood there any longer, it would get dark. Thinking of this, he gritted his teeth, reached out, and rang the doorbell.

"Ding-dong-"

The doorbell rang out clearly in the quiet hallway, and Director Li's heart pounded faster with each ring.

The door opened, and a young face appeared at the entrance of the small villa, wearing that enigmatic smile: "One comes in the morning, another in the afternoon. Tell me, who are you?"

Director Li stood outside the large iron gate, smiling as he introduced his position and name. Chen Yang, upon hearing this, hurriedly came over. "Oh, Director Li, what brings you here in person? Please, come in!"

Chen Yang's voice was as warm as if he were welcoming an old friend he hadn't seen for many years, but his smile carried an indescribable meaning—as if he had expected Chen Yang to come, or as if he was watching a good show.

Director Li's heart tightened, but he quickly put on a smile: "Mr. Chen, I'm so sorry to bother you again."

Chen Yang stepped aside and gestured for him to come in: "Please come in, please come in! Look at Director Li, you've already come, why did you bring anything?"

“The city leaders live behind this building. You’re a provincial cadre. It wouldn’t be good if others saw you giving me a gift!” As he spoke, Chen Yang took the gift from Director Li’s hand and waved it exaggeratedly in his ear.

Director Li quickly waved his hand: "It's just a small token of my appreciation."

Chen Yang casually placed the shoe on the cabinet by the door, not even glancing at it twice: "Director Li, you're too kind. Come, come, have a seat inside."

Director Li followed him into the living room. The living room was not large, and the decoration was simple but exquisite in every detail. There was a landscape painting on the wall, and the signature indicated that it was an authentic work by a contemporary master. There were several pieces of porcelain on the antique shelf. Although he did not know their names, he had heard that Chen Yang was a professional antique collector, so they were not ordinary items.

Chen Yang gestured for him to sit on the sofa, while he himself leaned back on another single sofa, crossed his legs, and looked very relaxed.

"Director Li, what brings you here this time?" Chen Yang asked with a smile.

The tone was as if he were asking a neighbor who was visiting, "The weather is nice today."

Director Li smiled bitterly to himself. This kid clearly knew why I came here, yet he still asked.

But he couldn't say that, so he could only force a smile and say, "Boss Chen, it's still about that matter. We need to resolve the factory issue as soon as possible."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yang's smile faded slightly, replaced by a worried expression. He sighed, a sigh filled with utter helplessness and heartache: "Director Li, it's not that we don't want to solve this!"

"My wife, Fang Ziwei, is still not fully recovered, and she really can't take any more stress right now."

As he spoke, he pointed towards the bedroom on the second floor, lowering his voice as if he were revealing a secret: "She's still lying in bed. She can't eat, can't sleep, and keeps waking up in the middle of the night, oh dear..."

As he spoke, Chen Yang clutched his chest, "Director Li, it breaks my heart to see you like this."

His eyes were even slightly red; his expression perfectly captured that of a loving husband who dotes on his wife.

Director Li looked up at Chen Yang, because Section Chief Ma had said the same thing when he went back. It seemed that Chen Yang was planning to use Fang Ziwei's illness as an excuse to drag things out indefinitely.

Thinking of this, he gritted his teeth, suppressed his doubts, and quickly said, "Mr. Chen, I understand, I understand."

"But this really can't be delayed, the higher-ups are pressing me hard, I..."

Before he could finish speaking, Chen Yang waved his hand, interrupting him. "Director Li, the higher-ups are pressing you; that's your problem."

Chen Yang's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable power: "Ziwei's health is my business."

Director Li was speechless for a moment.

Chen Yang looked at him, his expression turning serious, his eyes filled with scrutiny: "Besides, your Section Chief Ma's 'work mistake' can't be overlooked with just a few words."

"Do you know how much he has hurt us?"

Here it comes! Director Li's heart tightened; he knew the main issue was approaching. He sat up straight, his face full of sincerity: "Mr. Chen, tell us what losses you've suffered, and we'll definitely find a way to make up for them."

Chen Yang looked at him, a slight smile curving his lips, a hint of amusement in his expression.

“Alright, since Director Li says so, then I’ll do the math.” Chen Yang started counting on his fingers, one by one: “First, more than a dozen workers have resigned.”

His voice grew heavy: "Those are all skilled veteran workers who have worked in the factory for two or three years. It's not easy to train even one of them."

“Now that the people have left, even if the factory reopens, it will take time to recruit new people and train them. Moreover, new people are slow to learn, so production cannot keep up and the quality is unstable.”

As he spoke, Chen Yang raised his head and stared into Director Li's eyes: "How do you calculate this loss?"

Director Li quickly said, "Well...we'll figure something out. As for the workers, we can talk to them and get them to come back."

Chen Yang sneered, a laugh that felt like a small knife gently scraping at Director Li's heart.

"Step in and do the work? You think they'll come back just because you step in?" Chen Yang leaned forward, his gaze sharpening. "Director Li, I'm asking you—why should they trust you?"

"When you shut down the factory, did you think about their livelihoods? They have elderly parents and young children to support, and they would starve if they didn't receive their wages for a month."

"Now, if you say one word, they should come back?"

Director Li was left speechless by the question.

Chen Yang leaned back on the sofa and crossed his legs again: "Besides, even if they come back, can they resolve their grudges? Can they still work as diligently as before?"

"People will think, 'This factory might be shut down again someday, what will we do then?'"

Director Li opened his mouth again, but couldn't utter a single word.

However, Chen Yang didn't give him a chance to catch his breath and continued, "Second, the suppliers are pressing for payment."

At this point, Chen Yang's voice turned cold and hard: "We have been cooperating with our suppliers for several years and have always maintained a good reputation. Payments have always been made on time, and there have never been any problems."

"Now that this has happened, people have completely lost their trust in us."

He leaned forward slightly, staring into Director Li's eyes, and said, word by word, "Even if we continue to cooperate in the future, we still need to prepay for the goods."

Who will pay for this?

Cold sweat began to pour from Director Li's forehead.

Chen Yang looked at him and slowly continued, "Third, and most importantly—"

Sunlight streamed in through the window, gilding his silhouette with a golden edge.

“We’ve received so many orders,” Chen Yang’s voice was low and heavy, “If we can’t deliver them now, how are we going to explain it to the customers?”

Chen Yang looked at Director Li with a hint of sadness in his eyes: "The trust people have in us has been built up little by little."

"If we can't close this deal, will they dare to place the next one? Who will dare to cooperate with us in the future?"

Chen Yang looked directly into Director Li's eyes: "Will you cover these losses?"