Reborn in 2005, starting with repairing mobile phones

He paused, then looked at the two men: "Li Guohui, from today onwards, will be the factory's chief technical consultant, responsible for the formulation and supervision of all production processes and quality standards."

Zhao Dezhu's smile faltered: "President Lin, this... I've always been in charge of this factory, and I'm familiar with the processes and standards..."

"Familiar?" Lin Dong interrupted him, his tone indifferent. "That's perfect. I just took over and I want to see the factory's current level and its potential for future growth."

He walked to an old workbench piled with miscellaneous items and picked up a palm-sized piece of aluminum alloy mobile phone frame blank that was not yet fully processed. This was a batch of goods that the factory was making for a certain counterfeit mobile phone brand.

"Use this one."

Lin Dong placed the blank on the table. "Same blank, same equipment. You two, each according to your own understanding and standards, process it to the level you consider 'acceptable'. Time: Two hours."

His gaze swept over Zhao Dezhu's instantly pale face and Li Guohui's suddenly bright eyes, and he continued...

"Whoever produces a finished product that excels in dimensional accuracy, surface finish, and structural strength will continue to be responsible for setting the factory's core production standards. The loser..."

Lin Dong's gaze fell on Zhao Dezhu, his tone remaining calm and even: "As this is considered as an inability to meet the company's requirements for technological upgrades, in accordance with the agreement, he is hereby dismissed from his relevant position."

The workshop became much quieter instantly, and several nearby machines stopped at some point. Many workers secretly glanced in this direction.

Zhao Dezhu's face flushed red and then turned pale, his heart filled with shock and anger.

Is this a public power grab?

Are we really going to drive him away this way?!

He suppressed his anger, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace: "President Lin, this...this isn't necessary, is it? I may not have made any great contributions to the factory, but I've certainly worked hard. Isn't this competition...a bit unfair to me?"

"Oh?"

Lin Dong looked at him. "Does Director Zhao feel it's unfair to use the materials and equipment he's most familiar with for the competition?"

Zhao Dezhu was speechless.

Or perhaps,

Lin Dong's tone was slightly somber, "Director Zhao lacks confidence in his own skills?"

"I...of course I'm confident!"

Zhao Dezhu was provoked and retorted with a stiff neck.

He glanced at the blank, then looked at the old CNC machine next to him that he could operate with his eyes closed, and quickly made a mental calculation.

He had handled countless pieces of this material and knew exactly how to process it with the highest efficiency and least waste.

No matter how skilled Li Guohui is, it's his first time using this machine. Two hours... he might not lose!

"Let's compete!" Zhao Dezhu said through gritted teeth, a ruthless glint in his eyes.

He can't afford to lose; if he loses, he'll truly lose everything.

Li Guohui paid no attention to Zhao Dezhu's reaction, nor did he think about whether it was fair or not.

His attention was completely drawn to the blank and the equipment next to it.

Upon hearing that there would be a competition, and that it would be about making things, a pure light instantly shone in his somewhat cloudy eyes.

"No problem, Mr. Lin." Li Guohui's reply was brief and forceful, even carrying a hint of impatience.

He rolled up his sleeves, revealing his muscular forearms, and began to examine the model and condition of the CNC machine, his mind racing through the processing technology.

Lin Dong took in their reactions and understood what was going on.

He stepped back a few paces, making room for Li Guohui, his gaze falling on Li Guohui's profile as he quickly got into the zone and completely absorbed in his work.

Come on, Li Guohui.

Let me see what kind of product you can produce with your standards that countless bosses complain about as "too expensive" and "too slow".

This left Director Zhao completely convinced of his defeat.

"Let's begin," Lin Dong announced.

Zhao Dezhu took a deep breath and immediately walked towards the CNC machine he was most familiar with. At the same time, he subtly winked at a familiar master craftsman in the crowd and his lips moved slightly.

The experienced worker understood, nodded quietly, and slowly moved to the vicinity of the material storage area.

Li Guohui, however, did not rush to start the machine.

He walked up to the CNC machine, bent down, and carefully checked the cleanliness of the guide rails and the precision of the spindle. He also reached out and touched the worktable, and even lay down to listen to the sound of the lead screw running.

Then he went to the tool cabinet and began selecting knives and clamps, looking as focused as if he were choosing a scalpel for himself.

Lin Dong stood quietly to the side. He saw Zhao Dezhu's subtle glances and the old master's small movements clearly, but he did not say anything to stop him.

The muddier the water, the clearer the fish are.

What he wanted to see was not just Li Guohui's technique, but also his reaction and problem-solving ability in the face of such "small tricks".

The atmosphere in the workshop suddenly became tense.

Time passed second by second.

Zhao Dezhu did not choose the most complex processing path that best showcased his skills, but instead chose the process that he was most familiar with, the safest, and the fastest.

He glanced at Li Guohui, who was bending over and carefully inspecting another machine, and sneered inwardly. So what if he's good at technology? Sometimes it's not just about technology!

Li Guohui's approach, however, was entirely different. He operated like a surgeon performing operations on a patient, unhurried and methodical. Preheating, scalpel alignment, programming… every step was executed meticulously.

On Zhao Dezhu's side, the progress bar was visibly advancing rapidly.

One hour and twenty minutes.

"Finish!"

Zhao Dezhu slammed the emergency stop button, raised his hand, his face showing undisguised smugness and a barely perceptible flush.

He carefully removed the finished part, a mobile phone frame, which had already undergone rough machining and some finishing. The surface still had the sheen of cutting fluid, but the basic outline and main features were already visible.

Lin Dong nodded: "Ah Hao."

Zheng Hao immediately stepped forward, carefully wrapped the part in a piece of prepared black velvet cloth, and delivered it to the temporary worktable next to Lin Dong.

"You've worked hard, Director Zhao. Take a rest first," Lin Dong said calmly.

"It's no trouble at all, it's my duty!" Zhao Dezhu wiped away sweat that wasn't actually there, straightened his back, and secretly glanced at the old master in the crowd. The old master nodded almost imperceptibly.

Steady!

The last bit of unease in Zhao Dezhu's heart completely dissipated, replaced by an almost inflated sense of pride.

Just now, while Li Guohui was focused on checking the equipment and everyone else was distracted by Lin Dong, he gave his trusted master craftsman a wink.

The experienced craftsman understood immediately. He pretended to tidy up his tools and quietly moved behind the machine that Li Guohui was using. On the old spindle drive parameter adjustment board, he turned an inconspicuous potentiometer counterclockwise by almost a quarter turn.

This operation was extremely covert.

It won't cause the machine to alarm or stop, but it will reduce the spindle's power output by about 15% and slow down the response speed during high-torque precision machining.

In terms of processing, this means that the surface finish will be compromised, the edges of fine features may not be sharp enough, and more importantly, the processing time will be extended.