Chapter 58: Hanging Banners

"Pay back the money!"

"You bunch of swindlers, pay back my money!"

When he struggled to enter the factory gate under the escort of the security department, Liu Jiande was surrounded by all kinds of curses, and there were rotten vegetable leaves and rotten eggs thrown at him. Looking at the indignant crowd, Liu Jiande actually felt a bit guilty.

Previously, Xicheng Wireless Factory No. 1, in order to buy the television production line, had promised to pay high interest to employees once the television production started and money was earned. Up to now, let alone interest, even the principal was gone.

"A bunch of ignorant, unruly people. You don't understand the painstaking efforts of the factory leaders at all. If the factory is gone, where will you go to eat? You have no sense of the big picture at all!"

After entering the factory, behind the security department personnel, Liu Jiande criticized the people blocking the entrance asking for debt in a righteous manner, but he didn't dare to stay long and hurried toward the office building.

When he arrived at the conference room, Liu Jiande saw that the old factory director Xu Yongjin was already sitting there, but his face was very bad. Liu Jiande felt that the rumor about Xu Yongjin fainting in the hospital was probably not groundless.

It was just that Liu Jiande didn't know how long this old man Xu Yongjin could hold on. If he didn't retire, Liu Jiande wouldn't be able to sit in the position of factory director.

"Factory Director Xu, how is your health? During this period, everyone has been missing you. A few days ago, I went to the hospital to visit you, but the nurse said you weren't seeing guests." As soon as Liu Jiande sat down, he began to ask about Xu Yongjin's well-being.

But Xu Yongjin coldly glanced at Liu Jiande. Thinking of Liu Shirong's performance on the day the color TV production started, it made him feel even more uncomfortable than shitting his pants. He, Xu Yongjin, was somewhat of a figure in Pingyang before, but after that day, his old face was completely lost, and he didn't have the face to see anyone during the New Year.

Xu Yongjin felt that Liu Jiande was just poking at his sore spot and said unhappily, "What's the use of missing an old man like me? I can't die for now. If you have that time, think more about what to do with the factory!"

Having been rebuffed, Liu Jiande was also a bit embarrassed, not knowing why Xu Yongjin, who had just come out of the hospital, had such a big temper.

"Everyone is almost here. Factory Director Xu, shall we start the meeting now?" Liu Jiande changed the subject.

Looking at the time, Xu Yongjin shook his head. "Wait a bit longer!"

Yesterday, Pingyang municipal leaders like Luo Junwu and Yao Zhengru had a deep talk with Xu Yongjin, which was called a discussion but was actually a notification of the handling result for Xicheng Wireless Factory No. 1, regardless of whether Xu Yongjin was willing to accept it.

After helping Xicheng Wireless Factory No. 1 deal with the trouble of employee-raised funds, Xicheng Wireless Factory No. 1 would be left for Xu Yongjin to handle in the future. Even if it went bankrupt, the city wouldn't care anymore. When Xu Yongjin learned of this result, he was unwilling but helpless. Such a big mess, being able to make up for a part of it was already not easy. Wanting the Pingyang municipal government to fully cover it was simply impossible.

At the very end yesterday, Luo Junwu told him that today he would summon the supervisors of Xicheng Wireless Factory No. 1 to have a meeting, and someone would come over. Xu Yongjin didn't know who would come.

Just as Xu Yongjin was guessing, the conference room door was suddenly pushed open, and then a group of people in dark uniforms entered.

"Who is Liu Jiande? We are from the Municipal Economic Investigation Brigade. We are now arresting you for misappropriation of public funds, corruption, and abuse of power!"

When the arrest warrant was placed in front of Liu Jiande, his mind was blank, and his whole person was in a state of dizziness. He wanted to say that he wasn't the only one who did these things, but how did they find him?

Wanting to refute, Liu Jiande couldn't speak, his body was soft, and he was dragged out directly. The entire conference room looked at this scene in a daze, and Xu Yongjin was so angry that his chest hurt.

The people blocking the factory gate asking for debt, seeing Liu Jiande being dragged out like a dead dog, were stunned at first, and then there were bursts of cheers. If it weren't for the Municipal Investigation Brigade personnel blocking in front of Liu Jiande, he would probably have been beaten to death on the spot.

Liu Shirong washed up, put on a suit, and applied the hair wax he hadn't used for a long time, preparing to go out to find Zhao Wanrong, whom he was thinking about.

At this time, a huge knocking sound rang out, and then a group of people rushed in and dragged Liu Shirong out, telling him that this apartment had been taken back by the factory, and the things inside, after screening and confirmation, would be returned to the Liu family.

The sudden change made Liu Shirong stand there like a wooden chicken. In his suit, looking at the unit apartment he had lived in for so many years being taken away, he couldn't react for a while. Liu Shirong wanted to rush in, but was stopped by someone, beaten up, and thrown downstairs. In the past, he was the son of the general manager and no one dared to provoke him, but now, what kind of onion was he!

Liu Jiande was imprisoned, and the Liu family, which had been in Xicheng Wireless Factory No. 1 for so many years, suddenly collapsed. The *Pingyang Daily* reported the news of a certain manager of Xicheng Wireless Factory No. 1 being arrested for corruption that day, which seemed to pay the bill for the news that Xicheng Wireless Factory No. 1 might go bankrupt, making people feel that it was Liu Jiande who caused Wireless Factory No. 1 to go bankrupt.

This matter caused sighs in Pingyang, another old-brand factory was about to go bankrupt, but the vibration caused among the employees of Xicheng Wireless Factory No. 1 was even greater. Liu Jiande had accumulated prestige in Wireless Factory No. 1 for many years, and his sudden collapse let many people vent their anger.

Subsequently, Xu Yongjin announced the sale of the Flying Swallow brand and the radio production line. The money sold was used to return the principal of the previous employee-raised funds, which allowed this storm to begin to subside.

Only afterwards, the bank was unwilling to lend it money again, and other state-owned factories were unwilling to save it. Xicheng Wireless Factory No. 1 completely stopped production, which was basically equivalent to bankruptcy.

And just as Xicheng Wireless Factory No. 1 fell into bankruptcy, a sign for Dongling High-Tech Electronic Industrial Park was hung up. Various engineering teams and mechanical equipment began to enter, starting to build factory buildings day and night.

Dongling High-Tech Electronic Industrial Park first established a simple factory building. After production started, they began to build office buildings, dormitory buildings, and other facilities for the entire industrial park.

Walking out of the factory gate, looking at the lifeless, dead-like Wireless Factory No. 1 behind him, and then looking not far away at the bustling Dongling High-Tech Electronic Industrial Park, which hadn't started production yet but had already begun recruiting employees, many employees who felt that Wireless Factory No. 1 had no hope at all went to sign up at the Dongling High-Tech Electronic Industrial Park after handling retirement or resigning directly, to see if they could be hired. Xu Yongjin sighed deeply.

Xu Yongjin knew that the era belonging to Xicheng Wireless Factory No. 1 had passed. He had reached the time to truly retire. Decades of past smoke and clouds, when he retired, it seemed like everything was gone.

While sighing, Xu Yongjin thought of Liu Jiande and was gnashing his teeth with hatred. Once, there was an opportunity to turn the tables in front of Wireless Factory No. 1. Li Dongling had worked at Wireless Factory No. 1 before.

As a result, he was driven away by Liu Jiande. Thinking of this, Xu Yongjin felt dizzy again. But enduring it, Xu Yongjin prepared to pull some strings—not to reduce Liu Jiande's sentence, but to give him a few more years, not to mention a death sentence, but to make him unable to take care of himself when he came out, so that he could vent his hatred!

Han Qianyi, Dean of the Radio Technology College of Hanxi Jiaotong University, walked with his hands behind his back to the residence of Professor Liu Youguo of the same college.

Today, Liu Youguo suddenly invited Han Qianyi to his home as a guest, saying there was an important matter to discuss with him. Han Qianyi then came over.

As soon as he entered the door, seeing a large table of food on the table, including several hard dishes of chicken, duck, goose, and fish, Han Qianyi couldn't help but twitch his nose.

However, he quickly sobered up and then said to Liu Youguo with a vigilant face, "Old Liu, what exactly is the matter? Give me the bottom line first. If I can help, I will definitely help. If I can't help, I won't dare to sit at this table for this meal!"

Hanxi Jiaotong University's current funding was also very insufficient. Even the professors' salaries were not high, and they were all very frugal. Liu Youguo was even more famous in the college for being "stingy." Someone who couldn't bear to eat out once suddenly set up such a big battle, how could it not make Han Qianyi worry?

Looking at Han Qianyi, who was in a defensive posture, Liu Youguo, who took out a bottle of Moutai, said dissatisfiedly, "What do you take me for, Old Liu? Can't I even treat you to a meal?!"

"Really nothing?"

"What could I have for you to do!"

Han Qianyi sat down suspiciously, and then heard Liu Youguo say another sentence, "Even if there is something, it's a good thing. I have a student coming over today who wants to meet you."

Hearing this, Han Qianyi finally felt a little relieved, and then asked, "Who is the person who wants to see me?!"

"Li Dongling, the founder of Dongling High-Tech!"

Han Qianyi, who had just sat down and drank a sip of water, choked and coughed. "Is it that company that developed the Silver Mink mouse?!"

A moment later, Liu Youguo, who was pulled downstairs by Han Qianyi, said helplessly, "My Dean Han, do you have to be so excited?!"

"Is it necessary?" Han Qianyi glared. "Remove that 'is it necessary' word. If there wasn't enough time, I would have pulled a few banners on our college teaching building!

Let me tell you, people like Li Dongling will be famous and outstanding alumni of Hanxi Jiaotong University in the future. Have you heard of those famous alumni of foreign schools who donate a large sum of money to their alma mater every year? If our college can also get a donation, how many new experimental equipment can we buy? If the faculty and staff salaries are paid in full, and your salary increases by three or five hundred a month, is that still a matter?!"

Even as the dean of the Radio Technology College, the funding in Han Qianyi's hands was very tight. There were simply too many places he needed to spend money on: ensuring R&D funding for laboratories, paying salaries to faculty and staff, and issuing scholarships and subsidies to excellent and needy students. Han Qianyi wished he could split a cent into two to spend. ===== CHAPTER 59 =====