Chapter 34

Walking out of Liu Jiande’s office, the Production Department head spat fiercely on the ground—he had always known Liu Jiande was no good, snatching credit for himself and forcing subordinates to take the blame.

But he never expected Liu Jiande to be so utterly clean-handed—this dirty work, entirely entrusted to him, while Liu Jiande didn’t even show his face; when problems arose, Liu Jiande would surely claim ignorance.

Though helpless, pressured by Liu Jiande’s higher rank, the Production Department head had no choice but to grit his teeth and do it.

Yuanqi Factory’s current wages are not low, but for most people, the status of a state-owned enterprise employee still matters greatly; after West City Radio Factory No.1 announced its reopening, over half of its former regular workers returned to work there.

As for temporary workers, they didn’t care at all—they had no regular worker status anyway, so where they worked made little difference.

For Yuanqi Factory, losing those people didn’t matter; countless people were fighting to get in, and with the production process now fixed, one experienced worker could train newcomers, boosting output within days.

The Pingyang municipal government placed great importance on the resumption of West City Radio Factory No.1—it had once been a major taxpayer and provided numerous jobs; if the factory could regain its former glory, it would be excellent news for Pingyang.

Moreover, rumors had spread that the thriving Shangguan Town Yuanqi Factory had been revived by technicians from West City Radio Factory No.1, leaving Mayor Luo Junwu and other Pingyang officials with high expectations.

Seeing the factory grounds adorned with banners celebrating the launch of the color TV production line and welcoming his inspection, Luo Junwu smiled at veteran factory director Xu Yongjin, “Old Xu, we’ve known each other for over a decade—this is your final battle, you can’t mess it up, right?!”

“Don’t worry, Mayor Luo—you’ve known me for all these years, when have I ever failed?!” Xu Yongjin said confidently; yesterday, Liu Jiande had forced Technical Department’s Xu Yiqiao to sign a guarantee: if anything went wrong, Xu Yiqiao would take full responsibility.

“That’s true—it’s been over a decade already, and you’re about to retire!” Luo Junwu sighed.

As they entered the production workshop, reporters from Pingyang Daily and Pingyang TV Station were already waiting, ready to capture the moment the Feiyang color TV rolled off the production line—this moment would be recorded in Pingyang’s annals, telling the people of Pingyang that today marked the city’s first locally produced color TV.

“I’ve long heard of your Technical Department—you didn’t just save Shangguan Town Yuanqi Factory, you saved countless families. On behalf of the Pingyang municipal government, I thank you for your contributions!”

As Luo Junwu finished speaking, a wave of applause erupted; he lowered his hand and smiled, “Who’s your key technical staff? Let’s meet them—let the media see them too!”

This clearly signaled promotion—he’d caught Luo Junwu’s eye, and his future could now soar.

“It’s Liu Shirong—he’s our core technical staff; this color TV production line owes its smooth launch entirely to Shirong!”

Xu Yiqiao suddenly spoke up, pushing Liu Shirong forward; Liu Jiande, standing among the crowd, turned pale, staring fixedly at Xu Yiqiao—he knew better than anyone how worthless Liu Shirong was; Liu Shirong didn’t know a damn thing about technology.

Yesterday, to avoid being implicated today, Liu Jiande had forced Xu Yiqiao to sign a guarantee: if the color TV line failed, Xu Yiqiao alone would bear the blame—nothing to do with him!

Hearing this sudden windfall land on his head, and seeing the envious glances from other technical staff, Liu Shirong puffed out his chest, looking utterly self-assured; he didn’t even notice his father Liu Jiande frantically blinking at him.

Xu Yiqiao’s move surprised Xu Yongjin—he scanned the Technical Department, but couldn’t find Zhou Wenyang anywhere; as for Li Dongling, he was nowhere to be seen—but with so many people present, Xu Yongjin said nothing.

Among the Pingyang municipal leaders behind Luo Junwu, Yao Zhengru watched the scene, wearing a look of both anger and amusement, then sighed helplessly—he wanted to see what kind of grand drama West City Radio Factory No.1 would put on today.

“Truly young and talented!”

Looking at Liu Shirong, dressed to impress, hair slicked back, Luo Junwu pointed at him and said to Xu Yongjin, “Old Xu, you’ve trained him well—West City Radio Factory No.1 clearly has capable successors!”

Checking the time, Luo Junwu said, “Let’s start production—I’ve brought plenty of cash today, just waiting to take home a Feiyang color TV!”

A roar filled the air as the production line began operating; Luo Junwu specifically called Liu Shirong over to explain the process to everyone.

Hearing this, Liu Shirong felt a surge of panic—he’d never touched this line once, barely entered the factory, and hadn’t even recognized all the machines; how could he possibly explain anything?

“Looks like young Liu’s a bit nervous. Technicians are grounded people—they speak through their work, not their mouths. Everyone understands. But next time you give a speech, don’t be like this!”

Seeing Liu Shirong unable to utter a word for minutes, Luo Junwu didn’t scold him—only teased lightly.

Hearing he might give speeches in the future, Liu Shirong grew even more excited—but right now, he couldn’t say a thing.

Just as Liu Shirong struggled, a strange noise came—the newly started color TV line suddenly stopped. Liu Shirong felt a wave of relief.

For the first few minutes, Luo Junwu paid no mind—accidents were inevitable, especially at the start of production; he understood.

But after over ten minutes with no repair, Luo Junwu’s expression darkened; still smiling, he said to Liu Shirong, “Young Liu, it seems your Technical Department truly can’t do without you—why don’t you step in?”

“Me?!”

Liu Shirong froze, his face contorting into the exact expression of Benshao Ba from the classic TV series Journey to the West—when the Nine-Headed Serpent ordered him to kill Tripitaka’s disciples.

With so many watching, Liu Shirong had no choice but to force himself toward the line; meanwhile, Xu Yiqiao recalled all other technicians—including Old Huangniu Song Yajun—leaving Liu Shirong alone on stage.

The atmosphere turned heavy; laughter vanished, leaving only Liu Shirong’s solitary, frantic figure.

After over an hour, with the line restarting multiple times yet failing to produce anything—even suffering a short circuit—Luo Junwu laughed bitterly.

Clapping, Luo Junwu said to Xu Yongjin, “Old Xu, you’ve truly opened my eyes today!”

With a grunt, Luo Junwu turned and left; as Yao Zhengru followed, he glanced back at Xu Yongjin, Liu Jiande, Xu Yiqiao, and Liu Shirong.

Facing Xu Yongjin, trembling with rage, before he could shout, Xu Yiqiao ripped off his West City Radio Factory No.1 uniform, glared at Liu Jiande, and said, “I’m done!”

This production line had been plagued with problems since day one; when Liu Jiande forced Xu Yiqiao to sign the guarantee yesterday, he knew he’d be taking the fall—but Xu Yiqiao wouldn’t leave without dragging someone down. Liu Jiande never expected Xu Yiqiao to have such guts.

On the day West City Radio Factory No.1 launched its TV production line, it produced a colossal failure—the news spread across Pingyang that day. Xu Yongjin was so enraged he was rushed to the hospital; Liu Shirong was immediately fired; Liu Jiande still held his general manager position, but when the TV project would resume was unknown—yet the bank loans and worker fundraising money still had to be repaid…

The news of West City Radio Factory No.1 was vividly recounted to Li Dongling by Yao Luoying, as if she’d been there in person.

“Li Zong, you should’ve seen Liu Shirong’s face then—he turned purple, almost ready to tear the line apart!”

Yao Luoying looked at Li Dongling, “I can’t believe West City Radio Factory No.1 was so blind—they kicked you out for that worthless Liu Shirong!”

“West City Radio Factory No.1 has nothing to do with me anymore!”

Li Dongling shook his head indifferently—after leaving, whether it thrived or collapsed was no longer his concern, even though his first fortune had been aided by that place.

But if West City Radio Factory No.1 collapsed, then it would be time for Li Dongling to settle accounts with Liu Jiande once and for all!

“In half a month, it’s the New Year—organize a year-end banquet for Dongling High-Tech, and arrange the prizes and bonuses too!”

Li Dongling instructed Yao Luoying; since joining Dongling High-Tech, she had handled all its affairs, saving him considerable effort.

Li Dongling was no longer the “Li the Skinflint”—his heart wasn’t that cold. Though he said Chen Tao and other technical staff would work overtime during the New Year, he’d definitely give them time off on New Year’s Eve to be with their families—and the New Year bonuses would definitely be paid out.