Chapter 171: Positions and Resources

Li Peihang was a bit unsure whether Ning Weidong really didn't know or was just pretending not to know.

However, this was not important, so he simply told him everything he knew.

The situation last night was about what Ning Weidong had expected; there were no accidents during the arrest of Deputy Factory Director Liu.

Deputy Factory Director Liu was caught off guard, unaware that he had already been exposed, and was still thinking of taking the opportunity to get some first-hand information from the Fourth Workshop so he could bargain with the Japanese and gain more benefits.

Although he yearned for life abroad, Deputy Factory Director Liu was no fool; no matter how good a place was, one still needed money to live well.

Ning Weidong said, "Brother Li, is my Fourth Brother still at the Manager?"

Li Peihang nodded hurriedly.

Ning Weidong said, "You wait for me here first; let me go ask, and I'll come back and tell you."

This was exactly what Li Peihang wanted; Deputy Factory Director Liu had been arrested suddenly last night, and he still didn't know the inside story.

And this was also the punishment Li Weibing had given him.

Li Peihang knew full well that Chu Chengfu was the person Li Weibing had chosen, yet he had deliberately failed to cooperate, paying lip service to Li Weibing while acting against him behind his back.

Although Li Weibing had not pointed it out, he was well aware of it.

It was just that from Li Weibing's perspective, he had no energy to manage Li Peihang's thoughts.

But this time, when Chu Zhongxin came to find Li Weibing, the fact that Li Weibing did not reveal anything to Li Peihang was an attitude in itself.

A moment later, Ning Weidong found Chu Zhongxin.

"Fourth Brother, what's the situation?" The two stood by the corridor, and Ning Weidong took out a cigarette and handed him one.

Chu Zhongxin was in a good mood; although his hair was still messy and his eyes were still bloodshot, he was in high spirits, snorted, and said, "The spineless thing, we used a little bit of means last night and he spilled everything."

Ning Weidong took a puff of his cigarette, not at all surprised.

People like Deputy Factory Director Liu had no real faith to begin with, and after being caught, few could hold out; besides, his persistence had no meaning anyway.

Ning Weidong knew that Deputy Factory Director Liu's true value did not lie in himself, but in what he could confess.

He hurriedly asked about the situation in this regard.

Chu Zhongxin chuckled and patted Ning Weidong on the shoulder: "Weidong, if I can move up a rank by the end of this year, I might just owe it to you."

Ning Weidong was slightly surprised: "Is the credit that big!"

Chu Zhongxin lowered his voice and said, "According to the information we have now, this matter is very likely to involve important figures from the Eastern History Museum..."

Ning Weidong felt a chill in his heart.

No wonder Chu Zhongxin was so excited; if this matter were truly confirmed, it would be enough to become an important bargaining chip against Japan.

As the most critical figure in this, Chu Zhongxin would inevitably receive extra rewards, and if nothing went wrong, a promotion to Deputy Division Chief should be secure before the end of the year.

Ning Weidong smiled and said, "Really! Then let me congratulate you first, Fourth Brother~ No, Division Chief Chu..."

With no one else around, Ning Weidong was half-joking, and Chu Zhongxin laughed loudly and patted Ning Weidong again.

At this moment, a young man came out of the office temporarily assigned to them and called out, "Boss, phone call from home."

Chu Zhongxin's expression turned stern, and he immediately threw the half-smoked cigarette in his hand to the ground and said, "Weidong, I won't talk to you anymore, the Bureau has sent word."

After saying this, he walked hurriedly into the inner office to answer the phone.

Ning Weidong did not follow him in.

According to what Chu Zhongxin said just now, this matter was quite sensitive, so it was better to be discreet.

Chu Zhongxin had already said that Deputy Factory Director Liu had confessed long ago, and the reason he was still here without being moved was surely because they were waiting for the attitude from above.

Now that this call had come, he probably understood.

Ning Weidong returned to the office unhurriedly, pondering the aftermath of this matter in his heart.

Although it could be said that he was the initiator of Deputy Factory Director Liu's arrest this time, Ning Weidong had not expected it to develop to this point.

Especially since it involved foreign personnel.

He returned to the office.

Li Peihang was waiting eagerly, and the office door was not even closed.

Seeing Ning Weidong return, he hurriedly asked what was going on.

Ning Weidong closed the door behind him and did not hide it, picking out what could be said and sharing some of it.

After hearing this, Li Peihang's face changed repeatedly.

It had to be said that the sudden arrest of Deputy Factory Director Liu was really not a good thing for Li Peihang.

Originally, Wang Guoqiang and Chu Chengfu were fighting fiercely, and he could wait for a better price and profit from it.

Now that this had happened suddenly, it was a warning to both Wang and Chu, and they would inevitably cease their hostilities until they figured out what was going on.

As the weakest third party, once the situation calmed down, his value would diminish accordingly.

Li Peihang's face darkened, and he looked up at Ning Weidong, wanting to say something, but after thinking about it, he ultimately did not speak.

He knew that from the very beginning, Ning Weidong being removed from the situation was not only Chu Chengfu's maneuver but also the intention of the Wang Family and the Zhao Family.

Through Ning Weidong, these two families indicated that they did not want to participate in the internal distribution of benefits at the Red Star Factory.

If he insisted on dragging Ning Weidong into it, it would be equivalent to going against the wishes of those two families, and that was a consequence he could not bear.

Li Peihang took a deep breath and said, "Alright, I know, thanks brother!"

Ning Weidong nodded with a smile: "What's with the thanks between us brothers."

Watching Li Peihang leave, Ning Weidong turned and closed the door.

With his experience, he certainly understood the situation Li Peihang was facing after Deputy Factory Director Liu was arrested.

But this was not something he should consider; from start to finish, Ning Weidong had never intended to be on the same boat as Li Peihang.

At the same time, in Li Weibing's office.

Li Weibing stood by the window smoking silently; hearing someone push the door open and enter, he did not turn his head and asked indifferently, "Has Chu Zhongxin left?"

The person who entered was Li Weibing's Secretary, who reached out to adjust his glasses and said, "Yes, Manager."

Li Weibing gave a grunt: "Understood."

The Secretary said, "Then we..."

Li Weibing waved his hand, interrupting: "Everything remains as usual, it's nothing to worry about."

At the same time, over ten meters away, in another Office.

Wang Guoqiang looked helpless: "It really is true that man proposes, God disposes; to think it would happen at this very moment..."

Jiang Liya advised: "Manager, there is nothing to be done about this; no one could have anticipated this situation."

Wang Guoqiang took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and smiled bitterly: "Little Jiang, to say something superstitious, do you think I've offended the Grand Duke of the Year this year? Otherwise, why am I hitting walls everywhere?"

Jiang Liya didn't know what to say; in the past, Wang Guoqiang had never been this pessimistic.

But thinking about it, it made sense; things had been going smoothly, and he had been firmly suppressing Li Weibing in terms of momentum.

He hadn't expected that at the start of this year, he would first lose a great general like Wang Kaifeng, and subsequently lay low. He had intended to find another way, thinking that abandoning Li Weibing to deal with Chu Chengfu would be a sure thing.

Who would have thought that just when he had the absolute advantage, this would happen, forcing him to stop and give Chu Chengfu a chance to catch his breath.

Although Wang Guoqiang asked, he didn't expect Jiang Liya to answer; he was just venting his emotions.

Soon he pulled himself together and said: "It's just a matter of fighting repeatedly despite repeated setbacks; it's nothing to worry about."

In the afternoon, at Ning Weidong's Office.

Ning Wei stood in front of the desk with two dark circles under his eyes. From yesterday until now, he hadn't closed his eyes, staying up until now.

Ning Weidong scrutinized him; perhaps heartbreak really could make a person mature.

After this incident, the young Ning Wei actually seemed to have gained a sense of world-weariness.

"Third Brother, I've caused you trouble and let you down." Ning Wei lowered his head, his mood low.

Ning Weidong laughed: "What trouble have you caused me? Do you think those people went to such great lengths to find a young woman for you to sleep with just to target you? Don't flatter yourself."

Ning Wei didn't know what to say.

Ning Weidong continued: "Alright, stop looking so dejected, who are you putting on a show for? How big of a deal is it? Isn't it just that that woman took your virginity~"

Ning Wei turned bright red in a flash: "Third Brother..."

Ning Weidong interrupted: "A great man shouldn't worry about the lack of a wife. Take this as a lesson learned; be more cautious when dealing with people in the future, and don't just pour your heart out to everyone you meet."

Ning Wei nodded.

Ning Weidong, composed, didn't mention this matter again, and instead asked: "By the way, Xiao Wei, there is something I want to ask your thoughts on."

Ning Wei looked up, somewhat confused: "Brother, if there is anything, just give the order..."

Ning Weidong said: "I know your feelings, but you are not an outsider; we are brothers."

Upon hearing this, Ning Wei couldn't help but feel his heart race, his blood surge, and his face flush. He felt his nose sting, wanting to say something but unable to, and after a long while, he only called out: "Third Brother~"

Ning Weidong laughed: "Alright, stop acting like a girl."

Ning Wei steadied himself and said even more unhesitatingly: "Third Brother, I will listen to everything you say. Even if it means climbing a mountain of blades or descending into a sea of flames, as long as you say the word, I'll go for it!"

Ning Weidong knew Ning Wei's character; his word was as good as gold.

He stopped while he was ahead, not wanting to be overly sentimental, and instead said: "If you want to listen to me, don't stay at the Red Star Factory. It just so happens that your sister-in-law is in need of people there, and Wang Xuewen and Zhao Chunming are also there; go over there and keep an eye on things for me."

Ning Weidong didn't even think and immediately nodded.

He truly didn't want to stay at the Red Star Factory anymore. Although he had secretly arrested his target under the guise of theft, there would certainly be repercussions later.

Paper cannot wrap up fire; the fact that the two of them were seeing each other was no secret in the factory. Now that the woman had suddenly disappeared, what exactly was going on?

Moreover, having been schemed against this time, Ning Weidong couldn't get over it for a while.

Furthermore, while he was a small leader in the Fourth Workshop's security team at the Red Star Factory, nominally under Lu Zhou, he was only a Temporary Worker in terms of his status, not a proper State-owned employee, so it wouldn't be a pity to leave.

Instead, going to Zhao Ruyi's side meant joining a Big Collective.

As for Ning Weidong's thoughts, they were actually quite simple.

Previously, getting Ning Wei into the Red Star Factory was just an expedient measure; at the time, Ning Weidong had been exiled to the Fourth Workshop and truly had no one on hand.

Now, that problem no longer existed.

What's more, Ning Weidong's future development was not at the Red Star Factory.

It wasn't that the Red Star Factory's temple was too small to hold a big Buddha like him.

It was determined by Ning Weidong's current stance and positioning.

To put it bluntly, what was the biggest label on Ning Weidong right now? It wasn't being the Deputy Section Chief of the Security Division at the Red Star Factory, but being Zhao Ruyi's husband, the son-in-law of the Zhao Family, and the younger brother of the Wang Family's son-in-law, Ning Weiguo.

Therefore, all of Ning Weidong's actions had to align with the interests of the Wang Family and the Zhao Family.

This was the rule; whether it was Ning Weidong or Ning Weiguo, it was the same for both.

Since they had received the benefits, they had to bear the corresponding responsibilities; there was nothing more to say.

And it was very clear that the Wang Family and the Zhao Family had already indicated their attitude through the previous Wang Kaifeng incident: they did not want to invest too much in the Red Star Factory.

Their goal was only to gain influence, not to pursue direct control over the Red Star Factory's means of production.

This meant that for the Wang and Zhao families, the Red Star Factory was a secondary battlefield.

If Ning Weidong were to take root here in the future, he would inevitably become a marginal figure for the Wang and Zhao families.

This had nothing to do with closeness or distance, but was a matter of following the trend and the inevitable direction of the situation.

Not to mention that Ning Weidong was only a son-in-law; even the family's own direct descendants would be of no use.

This was also an important factor in why Ning Weidong had insisted on getting the Approval Document with Zhao Ruyi earlier.

He had to find a way to jump out of the scope of the Red Star Factory.

If he remained trapped in the factory, his future would end up at the position Li Peihang held now.

For a production asset as large as the Red Star Factory, it is difficult for the Wang Family and the Zhao Family to infiltrate it without investing significant effort.

The people behind Li Weibing and Wang Guoqiang are certainly not to be trifled with.

If one cannot seize control, there naturally won't be a corresponding position.

That is why Ning Weidong is so indifferent to the changes occurring at the factory, preferring to hide in the Office to read rather than get involved.

These struggles within the factory are merely superficial; the truly critical aspect remains the maneuvering and exchanges happening behind the scenes.

It just so happens that Li Peihang still hasn't seen through this, continuing to struggle within the factory's small plot of land, never once looking up to see the bigger picture.

Ning Weidong knows that if Li Peihang had that kind of awareness and insight, Li Weibing would not have ultimately chosen Chu Chengfu.

……

After deciding to let Ning Wei go to Dongyi Company, he sent Ning Wei away.

Ning Weidong sat in the Office, his thoughts wandering.

With the arrest of the Deputy Factory Director, the commotion at the Red Star Factory will once again come to a pause.

Because he stayed out of it from the very beginning, it has had no impact on Ning Weidong whatsoever.

Instead, it has made him more certain of his next move.

He certainly cannot stay at the Red Star Factory for long; if he wants to obtain more resources from the Wang Family and the Zhao Family, he must enter the fields they truly care about and secure a key position or key resources.

It is a pity that now is not yet the time.

Ning Weidong still has to wait; he must wait for the Correspondence Education exam results to come out, and only with a Secondary Specialized School Diploma can he shed the label of a worker acting as a Cadre.

By early next year at the latest, the authorities will conduct a large-scale cleanup of the situation where workers act as Cadres.

By then, given Ning Weidong's age and situation, if he cannot resolve the issue in advance, he will be sent back and remain a collective worker.

In this era, the difference between being a Cadre and a worker is quite significant.

As the old saying goes, if the name is not correct, the words will not carry weight.

If Ning Weidong wants to obtain key positions and key resources in the future, he must be a Cadre; this is the prerequisite.

This is also why he let Zhao Ruyi go to Dongyi Company.

If Ning Weidong had gone, he would only have the status of a worker, and if he wanted to transfer to a Cadre position, he would still have to occupy a quota from the Mechanical Bureau.

That is far inferior to staying put at the Red Star Factory for now.

……

Meanwhile, in the backstage area of a theater in Dongcheng.

Shi Xiaonan sat alone, dazed in front of the vanity mirror, motionless for a long time, her mind in a mess.

Just a moment ago, she had finally gone to find Section Chief Zhang, hoping that he could help her mediate and see if there was any room for maneuver to get back that quota to go to Hong Kong.

Section Chief Zhang was quite easy to talk to and agreed to help ask around.

Although he didn't make any firm promises, his words seemed to imply he was quite confident.

This made Shi Xiaonan overjoyed.

However, the request Section Chief Zhang made next left her stunned on the spot.

(End of this chapter)