Chapter 737: The Garment Factory is Sabotaged

Chen Xueru did not know what kind of stubborn temper she had caught this time; she could not take in a single word of what He Yuzhu said.

She glared and said, "I want to see who it is that won't let these ten thousand-plus employees make a living. I'm going to go meet them right now!"

He Yuzhu smiled and stopped trying to persuade her: "Fine, then I wish you good luck. From today on, I will not invest another cent into your company."

Chen Xueru also flared up: "I don't need your money! I will stand on my own two feet!"

He Yuzhu nodded: "Good, Comrade Chen Xueru has ambition."

At the Municipal Bureau, Tian Dan finished packing her last few things, stood at the office door, and slowly looked around the room.

"Old friend, goodbye," she said softly.

When she walked out of the office, the hallway was already full of people.

Led by Li Xiangxiu, the old colleagues from the Municipal Bureau were all waiting for her.

Tian Dan looked at each familiar face, and her eyes instantly turned red.

Thirty-five years had passed; she had gone from a young woman to an old lady with graying hair.

She fought back the urge to let her tears fall and did not step forward to shake hands; she simply waved at everyone and left directly, clutching her cardboard box.

Just as the Jeep drove out of the main gate, a Mercedes-Benz 500 sedan pulled up steadily in front of it.

Tian Dan looked at the person who got out of the car, smiled after seeing who it was, pushed open her car door, and stepped out.

He Yuzhu walked up to meet her and gave her a big hug: "Dan, I've come to pick you up."

Tian Dan asked: "Did Li Xiangxiu tell you?"

He Yuzhu shook his head: "Dan, you have retired, but your career has only just begun. I invite you to join our Eastern Chip Manufacturing Factory."

Tian Dan frowned: "What? You want me to be your security guard?"

"I invite you to serve as the General Manager of this factory," He Yuzhu said very solemnly.

"I won't do it, and I can't do it," Tian Dan continued to shake her head.

"Dan, go take a look first. If you like it, you do it; if you don't, no one will force you."

Tian Dan thought for a moment and nodded.

She moved her things from the Jeep into He Yuzhu's car and said to the driver, Xiao Li: "You go back; I'm going with him."

"Alright, Director Tian, then I'll be going first, goodbye!" As soon as Xiao Li finished speaking, tears fell, and his feet seemed nailed to the ground, unable to move for a long time.

Tian Dan raised her hand and patted him lightly: "What are you crying for? I'm not dead. Besides, it's not like we won't see each other again."

Only then did Xiao Li wipe his tears and get into the car, lingering for quite a while before starting the engine and leaving.

He Yuzhu brought Tian Dan to Dabeiyao. It was a factory surrounded by high walls, and there wasn't even a sign at the main gate.

Walking inside, the workshops and office buildings were already taking shape, and many people were busy at work.

This was the chip factory He Yuzhu had been preparing; it had previously been managed part-time by Liu Siman. Now that Tian Dan had retired, he wanted to hand this whole operation over to her completely.

Tian Dan walked into a large office of over one hundred square meters, fully equipped with office furniture, equipment, and sofas.

He Yuzhu asked: "Dan, are you satisfied?"

Tian Dan was also stunned; she never expected that He Yuzhu would have prepared such an impressive place for her.

She smiled: "I don't know the first thing about chips. If I come here, aren't you afraid I'll bankrupt you?"

He Yuzhu said: "I don't intend for this place to make money within twenty years. If you come over, you just need to help me keep things in check and guard the gate so no internal moles get in."

Tian Dan smiled: "If it were anything else, I really wouldn't dare to agree, but this, I can certainly do."

He Yuzhu said: "Dan, with your intelligence, you will be able to manage the factory well very soon. Now that Western countries have united to compete with us, they have abundant capital, but we cannot fall behind..."

Tian Dan nodded, a glow reigniting in her eyes: "Zhuzi, I agree to this. I feel like I've returned to my younger days."

On the other side, life was not so easy for Chen Xueru.

After the new factory was halted, she could only cram the newly recruited workers into several branch factories of the old state-run plant.

Those branch factories were already dilapidated, and squeezing in another group of people made it terribly crowded, and efficiency could not be improved at all.

To make matters worse, the batch of orders from Liushi Trading Company was being urged extremely tightly, and the delivery date was approaching day by day. Blisters had formed on Chen Xueru's mouth from anxiety, and she ran back and forth between four or five branch factories every day, unable to sleep for more than a few hours.

Yet at this very juncture, the Tax Bureau came knocking again—they wanted to audit taxes, and they were auditing the accounts for the last two years.

The company's accounts were frozen on the spot, not a cent of the necessary money could be withdrawn, and that batch of orders looked like it would be delayed once again.

Chen Xueru sat in her office, so angry she kept slapping the table.

Xiaomei brought over some tea and said cautiously: "Sister Xueru, I think... is someone intentionally targeting us?"

Chen Xueru gave a bitter laugh: "Do you even need to say that? They've been targeting me for over half a year."

"That order for jeans, I think... I'm afraid it won't be finished. The breach of contract penalty is not a small sum."

Chen Xueru slammed the table, making the teacup jump: "I'm going to find the leadership and report this!"

Xiaomei shook her head and said: "Sister, I've already called the higher-ups. They... hinted to me that we've offended someone."

Chen Xueru's hand froze in mid-air, motionless for a long time: "If this order can't be finished because of the tax audit, I will apply for the factory to close down."

Xiaomei was anxious: "Can't we go borrow some money from Brother-in-law's catering company?"

Chen Xueru smiled, a particularly bitter smile: "I had a falling out with him over this matter; he won't lend a single cent. He told me long ago to close the factory and start a new one."

After hearing this, Xiaomei was shocked: "Brother-in-law really had foresight... Sister, I think our opponent is determined to drive us to our deaths."

Chen Xueru smiled helplessly and drove home.

After returning home, she collapsed onto the bed to sulk.

As soon as He Yuzhu entered the door and saw her like this, he asked: "Comrade Chen Xueru, what exactly happened?"

Chen Xueru said crossly: "It really was just as you predicted. The opponent I've encountered this time is out to drive me to my death. The order is due soon, the tax auditors have come, I can't withdraw money, and I can't buy the necessary production materials..."

After listening, a flash of coldness crossed He Yuzhu's eyes. He was silent for a moment and said: "Xueru, don't do this order; pay the breach of contract penalty. Then apply for bankruptcy."

Chen Xueru sat up abruptly: "He Yuzhu! Tell me, you've never admitted defeat in all these years, why are you admitting defeat on this matter?"

He Yuzhu gave a faint smile: "Because the group of people working against us will fall from power in a few years. Why should I bother butting heads with them now?"

Chen Xueru felt a chill down her spine: "He Yuzhu, are you playing mysterious with me again?"

He Yuzhu laughed instead: "You already know who your opponent is, and you know his background, yet you insist on going against him; what is the point? Besides, even if we don't make a move, there will naturally be others who will deal with him. Perhaps someone is already eyeing you, waiting for you to go bankrupt so they can cheaply acquire those workers... So what you should do is open another garment factory and defeat that potential acquirer."

Chen Xueru glared and said: "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I am not a god; I only just figured it out myself."

"I will listen to you, but I have no money left."

"I already had our father start the factory; you just need to recruit the excellent workers over there," He Yuzhu said.