Reborn in 72, I hunt to support my family and spoil my younger sister rotten.

After returning to Xiaoliang Village, Li Xiangyang devoted more of his energy to the daily management of the factory. Spring arrived, orders began to pick up, and the factory became busy again.

"Boss, there's news from General Manager Tian." Wang Ergou walked into the office, holding a fax sheet. "Lin Yajing replied, saying she needs to consider it for another two weeks."

"Still need to think about it?" Li Xiangyang took the fax and glanced at it. "It's been a month, and you still haven't made up your mind?"

"It's probably because Hualian put pressure on her," Wang Ergou analyzed. "After all, her original employer would definitely be unhappy if they found out she changed jobs."

Li Xiangyang nodded. That's possible. Lin Yajing holds a high position at Hualian. If she wants to leave, Hualian will definitely try to retain her or put pressure on her.

"Two more weeks it is, I guess." Li Xiangyang put the fax aside. "But Er Gou, do you think Lin Yajing is reliable?"

Wang Ergou thought for a moment: "Judging from her performance, she seems to be a highly professional person. But to be honest, I always feel that President Tian is paying a little too much attention to her."

"You noticed it too?"

“Anyone with eyes can see it,” Wang Ergou chuckled. “President Tian thought he was hiding it well, but it’s actually quite obvious. But boss, do you think this will affect our cooperation?”

Li Xiangyang pondered for a moment: "Not for now. Although Tian Guoqiang has some ulterior motives, he's still a sensible person. Besides, Tianrun is doing well right now; he won't mess it up easily."

"What if Lin Yajing really comes?"

“We’ll talk when she gets here,” Li Xiangyang stood up. “Let’s see what her true abilities are. If she’s really capable, then keep her. If it’s just Tian Guoqiang’s wishful thinking, then we should part ways as soon as possible.”

Just then, a commotion broke out in the factory. Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou quickly went out of the office to check what was going on.

It turned out there was a minor problem in the production workshop. Two packaging machines malfunctioned simultaneously, causing the production line to stop. Technicians were urgently repairing them, while the workers gathered around, discussing the issue.

"What's going on?" Li Xiangyang asked as he approached the technician.

"Boss, these two machines were working fine yesterday, but they broke down as soon as we started operating them today." The technician wiped the sweat from his brow. "Our initial assessment is a circuit problem, but we're still investigating the specific cause."

Li Xiangyang frowned. These packaging machines were newly purchased last year, and shouldn't be breaking down so easily. Moreover, it's unusual for two machines to malfunction at the same time.

"Could it be sabotage?" Wang Ergou whispered in Li Xiangyang's ear.

Li Xiangyang's heart skipped a beat. The factory had been doing very well recently, but with great success comes great scrutiny, and it's inevitable that some people would be envious. They had encountered malicious competition before, and now there was equipment failure, which certainly raised suspicions.

"You continue with the repairs, I'll go check the surveillance footage," Li Xiangyang said to the technician.

Upon arriving at the security room, Li Xiangyang retrieved the surveillance footage from the previous night. The footage showed that no one except the security guard on duty had entered the production workshop. However, when the footage switched to around 3:00 AM, Li Xiangyang noticed something amiss.

A dark figure lingered outside the workshop for a while before disappearing into a blind spot of the surveillance camera. Although the figure's features were unclear, the person's behavior was suspicious.

"Boss, could there be a problem inside our organization?" said Zhang, the security captain. "This guy seems very familiar with the workshop layout and knows where the blind spots in the surveillance system are."

Li Xiangyang's mood grew even heavier. If it really was an inside job, then the problem was serious. Although their factory wasn't large, it had over a hundred employees, so finding the mole wouldn't be easy.

"Don't make a fuss yet," Li Xiangyang said to Lao Zhang. "Keep this a secret for now and continue the investigation. Also, call a meeting with all department heads; I have something important to discuss."

Half an hour later, the department heads gathered in the conference room. Li Xiangyang looked around; these people were all key personnel in the factory, having worked with him for several years, so there shouldn't be any problems.

"The equipment malfunction in the workshop today might not be an accident," Li Xiangyang said bluntly. "I suspect someone deliberately sabotaged it."

The meeting room immediately erupted in discussion.

"Boss, are you saying someone is deliberately sabotaging us?" asked Lao Liu, the production manager.

"It's just suspicion for now, but everyone needs to be vigilant," Li Xiangyang said seriously. "The factory has been doing quite well lately, and it's inevitable that some people will be envious. I hope everyone will pay close attention and report any suspicious activity immediately."

"Should we report this to the police?" asked Xiao Chen, the finance manager.

“Not for now,” Li Xiangyang shook his head. “We don’t have conclusive evidence yet. Besides, if it really is an internal problem, reporting it to the police won’t solve the fundamental issue.”

After the meeting, Li Xiangyang kept Wang Ergou behind alone.

"Ergou, who do you think did it?"

Wang Ergou thought for a moment and said, "I think there are two possibilities. One is that an external competitor sent someone to sabotage us, and the other is that someone inside has been bribed."

“That’s what I was thinking too.” Li Xiangyang nodded. “Keep an eye on things discreetly and see if any employees have been behaving strangely lately.”

“Okay. But boss, I think we still need to be wary of Tian Guoqiang,” Wang Ergou reminded him. “Although we’re in a cooperative relationship now, he still has his own agenda.”

Li Xiangyang remained silent for a moment. Tian Guoqiang was indeed someone to be wary of, but the most important thing right now was to resolve the internal problems first.

That night, Li Xiangyang didn't go home but stayed overnight at the factory. He wanted to keep a close watch on things and see if anything unusual happened.

At midnight, the factory area was completely silent. Li Xiangyang sat in his office, observing the situation outside through the blinds. The moonlight shone on the factory buildings, making them appear exceptionally cold and desolate.

Suddenly, he saw a figure sneaking towards the production workshop from the direction of the dormitory building. Li Xiangyang's heart tightened, and he quickly got up and followed.

The figure was clearly very familiar with the factory area, deliberately navigating blind spots in the surveillance cameras. Li Xiangyang followed cautiously behind, not daring to get too close.

When the figure arrived at the workshop door, Li Xiangyang saw his appearance clearly. It turned out to be Zhang Xiaowei, an ordinary worker in the production department, who had been newly recruited last year.

Zhang Xiaowei pulled out a key and easily opened the workshop door. It seemed he had planned this all along, even preparing the key beforehand.

After Li Xiangyang and others entered the workshop, he immediately called the security captain, Lao Zhang.

"Old Zhang, immediately take men and surround Workshop No. 3. Someone is sabotaging it inside."

"Roger that, boss!"

A few minutes later, Lao Zhang arrived at the scene with three security guards. They quietly surrounded the workshop and waited for Li Xiangyang's instructions.

"I'll count to three, then we'll all rush in," Li Xiangyang said in a low voice. "One, two, three!"