[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-my-restarted-life-1992":3,"chapter-my-restarted-life-1992-my-restarted-life-1992-chapter-120":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","My Restarted Life: 1992",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2279670,4460,"Chapter 120: Hidden Currents","my-restarted-life-1992-chapter-120",120,"\u003Cp>Gao Qingkui lifted his eyelids slightly and said with a cold smile: “I don’t officially retire until the day after tomorrow, not tomorrow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong wandered around the office, glancing here and touching there, as if interested in everything: “The weather forecast says it’ll drop tomorrow—freezing cold. One more day won’t matter. With your old bones and joints, if you slip and fall, it could kill you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Qingkui sipped hot tea from his enamel mug with a loud slurp: “I’m retiring, so I must hold my post until the very end—to give my career a perfect closing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong grinned and nodded: “Since you’re afraid of regrets, I’ll wait one more day.” Then he walked behind Gao Qingkui and patted the back of the chair: “This chair must be comfortable—I’m already impatient to sit in it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Qingkui smiled faintly: “Young man, have patience. If you’re restless and anxious, how can you accomplish anything great?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s true!” Zhou Andong agreed. “Alright then, old factory director, hold your post until the end. I’m leaving.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching Zhou Andong leave the office, Gao Qingkui’s smile vanished. He stood up and stared out the window, murmuring to himself: “I’ve spent my whole life here… I really don’t want to leave.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong glanced back at Gao Qingkui’s office. That old bastard hadn’t done a thing—had he been drinking tea in here all these days?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back in Jian Qiu’s office, he found her still studying the sheet music: “Still not finished?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jian Qiu held up the paper: “The little story written on the back—do you plan to make a music video?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exactly!” Zhou Andong said. “Without a music video, who’ll know we didn’t just sing songs for nothing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jian Qiu pondered: “The story’s touching, but we need a good director to make it work.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong said: “When you go back with An Jing, handle the director and actors yourselves.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jian Qiu nodded and asked: “What’s Gao Qingkui up to?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong replied: “Can you believe it? That old bastard’s just been drinking tea in his office.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jian Qiu frowned: “He’s just been drinking tea?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes!” Zhou Andong still couldn’t figure out what Gao Qingkui was after: “I don’t believe he’s been sitting there drinking tea for days without a motive. There’s definitely something hidden behind it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jian Qiu’s slender fingers tapped rhythmically on the desk: “Do you think he’s doing this to draw our attention?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A flash lit up Zhou Andong’s mind—he blurted out: “The Finance Department!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jian Qiu froze: “The Finance Department?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong narrowed his eyes: “Gao Qingkui’s retiring, Zhang Deyou failed to take over—this was completely unexpected. And what worries them most, what’s most deadly, is the financial situation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jian Qiu said: “If there are problems in the accounts, they couldn’t possibly finish them in just a few days.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong whispered: “If they can’t finish them, something will happen tonight.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jian Qiu’s face changed. She shot to her feet: “They’d really dare?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Work must be handed over tomorrow. When I audit the books, no one can object. If the accounts are clean, nothing will happen tonight. If they’re dirty, they’ll take desperate action.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong paced back and forth twice: “Call a factory-wide meeting—right after the bell rings, after work. The reason? The establishment of the shareholding company and share distribution. Emphasize: no one stays in the office. Everyone must attend.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong stepped toward the door: “You go find Gu Bing and Uncle Qian. I’ll go arrange things with Yao Army.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These past few days, Yan Guohai walked with a spring in his step. Every night he drank a small glass, marveling at the importance of picking the right side, pitying those who chose wrong—but for some reason, the more those people suffered, the more he wanted to laugh. He knew it was wrong—they’d once eaten from the same pot—but he just couldn’t help feeling happy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was Gu Shuji’s man. Factory Director Zhou Andong was practically glued to Gu Shuji’s side. Even if he didn’t rise to the stars, he’d never be stuck as head of the Sales Department.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At noon, the dismissal bell rang. Yan Guohai stepped out of his office to eat, when someone called behind him: “Old Yan!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Guohai turned and saw Zhou Andong. He hurried back, beaming with flattery: “Director, what can I do for you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Walk and talk,” Zhou Andong said, not stopping. “Deputy Director Qian will be transferred to Jinli County Distillery as factory director, overseeing the merger and reorganization. I’m appointing you as deputy director to assist him. Any objections?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Guohai trembled with excitement, puffing out his chest: “Director, rest assured—I’ll cooperate fully with Director Qian.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong laid out the big picture: “Our factory’s about to become a shareholding company. Later, we’ll form a group. Whether you get a seat on the board depends entirely on you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Guohai’s eyes turned red: “Director, just watch my performance—I won’t let you down!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong smiled: “After work tonight, we’re holding a factory-wide meeting on reform and share distribution. This affects everyone’s personal interests. Go tell your people—make sure they all come.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside the factory gate, they parted ways. Zhou Andong went to Workshop Two but couldn’t find Yao Army. He went to the boiler room—and found him there. Squatting on the ground with a lunchbox, he ate while boasting to a few coworkers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Da Jun!” Zhou Andong called.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Director!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Director!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The workers quickly greeted Zhou Andong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong waved and smiled: “Keep eating. I just need to talk to Yao Army.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yao Army shoveled the last few bites, then wiped his mouth with his sleeve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong and Yao Army left the boiler room, didn’t go far, found a sheltered spot, pulled out cigarettes, and lit up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong took a deep drag: “After tomorrow’s handover, the whole factory goes smoke-free.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yao Army laughed: “Aren’t you afraid the chain-smokers will riot? We’ve tried banning smoking before—every time it fizzled out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong snorted: “When they buy shares, the contract will state they must obey company rules—including no smoking in designated areas. If they refuse, they don’t get shares.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re awesome!” Yao Army gave a thumbs-up. “What’s the real plan?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong finally got to the point. Yao Army’s expression turned serious. They whispered for over half an hour before parting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These past few days, every worker in the factory had been talking about the distillery’s reform. Last time, reform targeted products. This time—it was real reform, tied directly to every person’s own interests.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You could say their energy was boundless. Just thinking about shares gave them endless strength. Every evening after work, they gathered in groups to chat, eager for the company to form so they could buy shares.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But beneath this surface of harmony and prosperity, no one knew a hidden current was slowly gathering.\u003C\u002Fp>",1141,"2026-06-20T01:18:49.036Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","3274d5dee3e935fcd371f882db8d15ef6b8573f931fd30fe60d5f88bf2f1f824","my-restarted-life-1992-chapter-121","my-restarted-life-1992-chapter-119",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fmy-restarted-life-1992-cover.jpg"]