Chapter 26

After finishing the procedures, Qin Fang nervously arrived at the door of the Technical Consultant’s office, hesitated for a long time, then finally knocked.

Hearing Li Dongling tell her to come in, Qin Fang stepped inside and saw a simple office—nothing but documents, some books, and no other items; Li Dongling had bought little here.

“Sit down!”

Li Dongling, who had been bent over his desk writing, looked up and spoke to Qin Fang.

“Would you like something to drink? Water, tea, or coffee?”

The coffee and other items were brought back for Li Dongling by Zhang Ao, Fan Xugang, and the other sales staff; these men had been idle connections at West City Wireless Plant One, but once put to use, they were absolutely capable—especially in handling affairs, they were smooth and adept at building connections.

“Water—just water!”

Qin Fang kept her head down, clutching the hem of her dress tightly; seeing her demeanor, Li Dongling poured her a cup of hot water.

“Thank you very much for this.”

Looking at the cup Li Dongling pushed toward her, Qin Fang gripped it with both hands and thanked him.

Li Dongling shook his head. “Whether you can stay in the General Affairs Department depends on you. This department must coordinate relations between Sales and Production, and also communicate with Supply and Transportation.”

“This afternoon, computers will arrive. From now on, General Affairs will use computers for work—you must learn too.”

Anything involving talking people into doing things is hard, especially in a state-owned enterprise; General Affairs isn’t superior to Sales, Supply, or Transportation—it’s not easy to coordinate these departments.

Computerized office work is now appearing in domestic companies; even the nationwide “pager stations” serving pagers, due to soaring demand, have been forced to adopt computers, requiring operators to type at least eighty characters per minute to be hired.

Pager operators, like flight attendants, have become popular careers among young girls, with dozens or even hundreds competing for a dozen or so positions.

“I understand.”

Qin Fang’s voice was soft, but her reply was firm.

Li Dongling looked at Qin Fang before him; though pale, her features were delicate. Her eyes, enlarged by recent thinness and exhaustion, often flickered with vulnerability—any man with Machiavellian tendencies would instantly feel pity for her.

After a few glances, Li Dongling turned his gaze away. The office fell silent. Qin Fang cautiously lifted her head and saw Li Dongling’s brows slightly furrowed, as if deep in thought.

“That day… I’m sorry.”

Though her voice was low, Li Dongling heard it.

Li Dongling gave no response. Qin Fang’s heart tightened. After a long pause, he finally spoke: “I hope that day, you didn’t act intentionally.”

Qin Fang’s relief was short-lived—his next words stunned her. “But who told you to do it?”

“I only want to know who’s targeting me. If you tell me, I won’t blame you—you can still keep your job here.”

Li Dongling could tell that, given Qin Fang’s nature, she wouldn’t have done such a thing unless someone had pressured or bribed her; otherwise, she wouldn’t have suddenly changed her mind at the last moment.

Qin Fang stared at Li Dongling in shock, her heartbeat accelerating, her face turning even paler. “It was Liu Jiande—he wanted his son Liu Shirong into Technical Department. He said if you left West City Wireless Plant One, I could take over Wei Qiang’s regular worker slot.”

Li Dongling had brought Qin Fang into Yuanqi Factory precisely to uncover this matter. Though he’d suspected before, hearing her confess everything finally lifted the long-standing mystery.

“I understand.”

After speaking, Qin Fang exhaled deeply—this burden had weighed on her heart for too long, making her restless; today, she’d finally let it out.

Hearing Li Dongling say only that one cold sentence with no further comment, Qin Fang opened her mouth but lowered her head and walked out.

“Aunty Qin!”

Outside, Wei Hongying, bored from waiting, waved at Qin Fang as she emerged. “Aunty Qin, what did you talk about with Brother Li? Why did it take so long?!”

“Nothing important—just work instructions.”

“Really?” Wei Hongying eyed Qin Fang skeptically, taking in her old clothes that couldn’t hide her full figure; as a woman herself, she felt a pang of envy.

Following Wei Hongying’s gaze, Qin Fang looked down and blushed instantly. She tapped Wei Hongying’s head. “You little brat, what are you thinking? You should get your family to find you a husband!”

“Besides, he’s a college graduate who invented the satellite dish—what am I? A widow with endless troubles—how could I ever be worthy of him?”

Hearing Qin Fang’s voice grow quieter, her eyes reddening, Wei Hongying hugged her. “What are you thinking, Aunty Qin? I know the young guys at West City Wireless Plant One talk about you the most—if you just waved, they’d all crawl into your skirt…”

“What are you saying, you little devil? How dare you talk like that!” Qin Fang turned bright red, reaching to grab Wei Hongying.

Inside the office, Li Dongling tapped his desk lightly. “To not return a favor is impolite.” Since Liu Jiande had tried to sabotage him for a regular slot in Technical Department, Li Dongling couldn’t let it go unanswered—it would be disrespectful to Manager Liu and his son.

But with his current strength, a direct punch might not hurt Liu Jiande much; this was only Qin Fang’s verbal testimony, with no physical evidence, and Liu Jiande could easily deny everything.

After thinking for a while, Li Dongling decided to wait. West City Wireless Plant One wasn’t going anywhere—it couldn’t run off. Liu Jiande wouldn’t abandon his position as general manager. Given the factory’s current state, its collapse was imminent. Li Dongling had plenty of chances to settle the score with Liu Jiande.

That afternoon, two 486-configured computers, along with printers and other office equipment, were delivered to Yuanqi Factory. In China, these were still considered high-tech; the two computers, printer, software, and other gear, including shipping, cost over fifty thousand yuan.

But by next year, domestic computer prices were expected to drop. Media had already hinted that starting next year, China would reduce import tariffs on computers from 200% to 26%, meaning the entire domestic computer industry—from software to hardware—would face a major shake-up.

Zhang Xiao, Zhou Wenyang, Wei Hongying, Zhang Ao, and many others rushed to General Affairs to gawk at the two new computers.

“I read in the paper that this thing can connect with America and Britain—write a letter on the computer and they receive it instantly, much faster than mail…” Zhang Ao said, watching the powered-on computer.

“Email.”

Li Dongling was the only one at Yuanqi Factory who had ever used a computer; teaching others fell to him.

“Yes, yes—that’s email! It really works?” Zhang Ao asked eagerly.

Li Dongling nodded. “But we need a network cable. This computer isn’t connected yet—it can’t communicate with the outside world.”

Qin Fang and another General Affairs girl watched Li Dongling operate the computer closely. The girl had been transferred to Yuanqi Factory; her family had connections in Pingyang’s municipal government. When they heard General Affairs was formed, they immediately shoved her in.

These two computers would mainly be used by Qin Fang and the girl, so Li Dongling focused his teaching on them.

Li Dongling turned on the computer. The available software was scarce. To expect profit from developing software now was pure fantasy—domestic software companies copied each other, and overseas ones did too. With Microsoft looming as a giant, any company that invested heavily to launch a new program would see it copied within months, stripped bare, then flooded with pirated versions.

Holding the mouse, Li Dongling found it awkward. The mouse wasn’t a scroll wheel model; Microsoft had just released ergonomic mice this year, but they weren’t widespread. He tried the built-in mouse—it felt clumsy. Looking at it, he suddenly wondered: what if he launched a scroll wheel mouse?

The thought flashed through his mind. He continued teaching Qin Fang and the other girl, walking them through the steps—how to open software, how to use the printer. Seeing Qin Fang hesitate to touch the keyboard, he didn’t overthink it—he simply took her hand and placed it on the keys.

When Li Dongling took her hand, Qin Fang stiffened, her ears turning bright red. She didn’t dare look back at him. Recalling his instructions, she slowly began typing.

Right now, Qin Fang and the other girl were clumsy with the computer—but once they became familiar, the difference would become clear.

After teaching them for a while, Li Dongling received a call from Gao Peng and left.

Arriving at the entrance of Dongling High-Tech Building, Li Dongling saw the exterior had been cleaned up—the building looked brand new.

“Brother Li!”

Seeing Li Dongling arrive, Gao Peng, who had been waiting at the door, immediately stepped forward.