Chapter 100: Appointing Zhou Andong as Factory Director

Zhao Jianlong clenched his fists tightly, his gaze like a beast fixated on its prey, ready to pounce and bite at any moment.

Zhou Andong chuckled, leaning forward: “I love how much you hate me but can’t touch me.”

Huo Xing patted Zhao Jianlong’s shoulder and said to Zhou Andong: “Leave a little room for others; you never know when you’ll need to meet again. Leave a path for yourself and your family.”

Zhou Andong narrowed his eyes: “Huo Xing, so you’ve settled your wife and kids already? That’s why you’ve got the guts to talk to me like this.”

Huo Xing gave Zhou Andong a cold look and said to Zhao Jianlong: “Let’s go.”

Zhou Andong adjusted the collar of his cotton overcoat and strode toward the hospital entrance; though the sleeves still bore patches, he walked with the swagger of Xiao Ma Ge.

Huo Xing got into Zhao Jianlong’s car and was about to close the door when he saw Zhou Andong suddenly stop, turn back, and grin with bared teeth.

“How do you like my gift this time?”

Huo Xing’s hand froze on the door handle, his face shifting through a dozen expressions, while Zhao Jianlong’s eyes filled with disbelief.

“Bang!”

After a long moment, Huo Xing finally shut the car door.

“How is this possible!” Zhao Jianlong muttered numbly.

Huo Xing took a deep breath: “There’s something I didn’t get a chance to tell you.”

It wasn’t surprising to Zhao Jianlong that Huo Xing had gotten in his car—there had to be a reason.

Huo Xing continued: “Earlier, I saw Zhou Andong at the arcade. He knew details about my wife and kids—where we live, which daycare they attend.”

Huo Xing glanced toward the hospital entrance, where Zhou Andong was already gone: “He also knows about your wife and two kids. He told me to pass this on: he’ll take any move you throw at him—life and death are fate—but don’t touch his family. Otherwise…”

Huo Xing didn’t finish, but his meaning was clear. Zhao Jianlong’s face twisted into something terrifying.

Huo Xing spoke in a low voice: “This time, we suffered heavy losses. It’s very likely he’s the one who stabbed us in the back.”

“Impossible!” Zhao Jianlong snarled, still refusing to believe it. “I know him too well. How could he possibly know reporters?”

In front of Zhou Andong, he had always been superior—even when Lang Tou and the other two were crippled by Zhou Andong, he’d been angry, furious, but never truly took Zhou Andong seriously.

In his mind, Zhou Andong was nothing but a repulsive cockroach he could crush anytime he wished. How could he believe such a cockroach could make him suffer such a loss? It was an outright joke.

“I didn’t take him seriously before, so I got burned this badly,” Huo Xing said, his eyes blazing with murderous intent. “Zhou Andong is too strange, too dangerous. He can’t be left alive—I wouldn’t sleep at night if he were. But right now we’re entangled in trouble; we must sidestep him first. Once we settle everything and get our families out of the country, we’ll find a chance to make him vanish forever.”

Sun Dahai and the other two were chatting when Zhou Andong entered; they immediately sat up straight.

“Zhao Jianlong already came by.”

“I ran into him,” Zhou Andong asked. “What did you tell him?”

Sun Dahai replied: “I told him exactly what you told me to. But after I said ‘ten thousand,’ Zhao Jianlong didn’t look happy.”

Zhou Andong burst out laughing: “He’d only be happy if his head got kicked by a donkey.”

Sun Dahai hesitated: “Why ask for ten thousand first instead of going straight for two hundred thousand?”

Zhou Andong asked: “Is there a difference between ten thousand and two hundred thousand?”

“There is!” said a man named Liu Zhongyu. “It’s a difference of one hundred and ninety thousand!”

Zhou Andong said: “For you, ten thousand and two hundred thousand differ by one hundred and ninety thousand. But for Zhao Jianlong, whether you ask for ten thousand or two hundred thousand, it’s all the same—insane greed, utterly unacceptable.”

“But by starting with ten thousand, you give them a psychological baseline, room to negotiate. When you finally settle at two hundred thousand, they’ll find it easier to accept.”

When they’d first heard Zhou Andong say they’d get two hundred thousand in compensation, their hearts had trembled—but they’d been anxious and uncertain. Now, hearing his explanation, their minds finally settled a little.

“I came just to check on you. Didn’t expect Zhao Jianlong to show up today,” Zhou Andong said, turning to leave. At the door, he paused: “I think he’ll leave you hanging for a few more days, so don’t rush. Wait for him to come.”

At this moment, Cheng Zhanjun was holding a meeting—his second since taking office. The purpose of this meeting was to push forward enterprise reform.

“Focus on the big, let go of the small. Keeping large enterprises under state control is upholding socialism. Small enterprises don’t control the nation’s lifelines or affect the dominance of public ownership—they can be boldly experimented with; if problems arise, it’s no big deal…”

“Choose and empower reformers who dare to take responsibility. We need to advance reform by law, explore innovation, and above all, need a large group of reformers with vision, courage, passion, resilience, ideas, methods, ability, and accountability…”

Mayor Deng Zhangli smiled: “Secretary, to be honest, before you arrived, we were still figuring out how to feel our way across the river. We never expected you’d already waded across with stones in hand.”

“Do you think all this is my own summary?” Cheng Zhanjun shook his head. “Before I reported for duty, I met a young man. Everything I just said—I pulled it straight out of his mouth. That young man’s talent and ability are unmatched in my life.”

Zuo Peiming’s heart stirred, and he blurted out: “Zhou Andong!”

Cheng Zhanjun paused, then burst into laughter: “So you’re familiar with Comrade Zhou Andong too?”

Zuo Peiming said: “The revival of Jiangzhou Distillery was entirely due to Zhou Andong’s single-handed efforts. Of course, Comrade Gu Bing, the party secretary of the distillery, also played a crucial role.”

At this moment, Dai Hongwei spoke up: “Earlier this year, I personally delivered a bravery award to Comrade Zhou Andong.”

“It seems Comrade Zhou Andong is a rare talent—both cultured and capable,” Cheng Zhanjun chuckled lightly. “Let’s get back on topic. My proposal: make the distillery a pilot for reform—establish a joint-stock company and appoint Zhou Andong as factory director.”

“Like foreign professional managers, give him a high salary and a certain percentage of shares. The government will contribute land as equity, retaining only financial oversight rights and no involvement in management. The remaining shares will be sold to employees, making every worker an owner of the factory, so they grow together with the distillery and truly achieve a well-off life.”