Chapter 658

On October 15th, Wednesday, at 10 a. m., deafening firecrackers erupted at the entrance to the final assembly workshop of Beijing Light Auto Company.

Several sky-blue Beijing 136 automobiles, adorned with red banners and decorations, drove out of the workshop and slowly stopped in front of the temporary podium.

Several reporters circled the cars, seeking angles to capture the brand-new model and the smiling faces of the surrounding workers on film forever.

"I declare the Beijing 136 automobile officially launched into production—this marks our renewed journey."

"I believe that in the near future, we will forge a new glory, making all our lives better and our nation more prosperous."

The rarely seen general manager delivered an impassioned speech on the podium, earning thunderous applause from countless worker brothers below.

After one and a half years of new vehicle development, it finally achieved "complete success" today; everyone felt good days were coming.

Li Ye sat in the front row with the vehicle finalization team, clapping gently along with them.

Yet his face held less joy than others'.

Because Li Ye felt today's vehicle rollout ceremony was too hasty—the Beijing 136 automobile was not truly ready for mass production; these few vehicles were merely prototypes, repainted to put on a show.

But why was it so rushed?

Because of pressure from Jin Ling Dong Yuejin; they had to demonstrate to higher-ups as soon as possible—"We're not inferior at all."

So immediately after Li Ye leveraged his connection with Qu Da and expedited the new car's "birth certificate," the factory announced the official launch.

To Li Ye, it felt like the Cold War rivalry between Big Mao and the Lamp—knowing the rocket still had flaws, yet sending precious astronauts into space anyway.

Li Ye did not deny that formalism was a double-edged sword—it could sometimes yield advantages—but he believed a car manufacturer needed rigorous work ethics more.

Yet haste had its benefits: Li Ye's deputy section chief title was officially confirmed the second week after the new car's launch.

"Section Chief Li, congratulations!"

"Don't be so formal—call me Li Ye."

"Hehe, then I'll call you Li Ye—don't you dare give me trouble!"

"How could I? I'm a man of integrity."

The first colleague to congratulate Li Ye was Xia Yue Xia Yue Lingshan, and the only one to do so publicly.

Master Ding had known beforehand, so he merely smiled faintly; quiet Zheng Zheng Jiemin glanced at Li Ye once, stood up, and walked out with a cold expression.

As for the other deputy section chief, Wu Wu Qingyi, he simply took the day off—out of sight, out of mind.

Xia Yue Xia Yue Lingshan watched Zheng Zheng Jiemin leave and teased, "Little Zheng's off to complain to his wife again."

"Complain to his wife?" Li Ye asked, puzzled. "What's he complaining about? Who's mistreating him?"

Xia Yue Xia Yue Lingshan whispered mysteriously, "Zheng Zheng Jiemin's wife is the daughter of the big hospital director—his father-in-law has real influence. Before you came, hehehe, you get it now?"

【I get it—you little flirt are stirring up trouble, diverting my attention toward quiet Zheng Zheng Jiemin, while forgetting you once sided with Wu Wu Qingyi.】

It seemed that since Li Ye's promotion to deputy section chief, Xia Yue Xia Yue Lingshan truly feared he'd give her trouble—she'd already thrown out her only peer.

"Ding ding ding~"

The noon dismissal bell rang; Xia Yue Xia Yue Lingshan proposed a department-wide dinner to celebrate Li Ye's promotion.

Li Ye firmly refused.

He'd been promoted just three months after joining; even people in the neighboring office resented him—he should stay low-key, ignore everyone, and let them ignore him.

So Li Ye picked up his lunch box and headed to the canteen with Master Ding.

But today, a middle-aged man joined them at the table.

Master Ding introduced him: "This is my son, Ding Ding Jiuchang—he used to work at Zhuang Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, and just transferred to our factory's sales department this week."

Ding Ding Jiuchang immediately stood up, bowed slightly, and smiled at Li Ye: "Section Chief Li, hello. I've heard so much about you from my father—this is our first meeting; I look forward to learning from you."

"Sit down, sit down," Li Ye urged. "Don't call me Section Chief Li—call me Li Ye. I'm Master Ding's apprentice, so by seniority, I'm your junior, hehe."

"Ah? So I'll call you Li Ye? That doesn't seem right…"

Ding Ding Jiuchang felt uneasy—he knew Li Ye's situation; addressing him by name made him feel guilty.

"It really isn't right!"

Master Ding sternly said: "Li Ye, I know you're kind-hearted, but kindness in the workplace isn't a virtue. If you're always too kind, people will eventually see you as weak, easy to take advantage of, and not worth respecting."

"For example, just now when Little Xia Yue called you Section Chief Li, you should've accepted it confidently—you're her superior. If you keep letting her call you by your first name, she'll eventually think you're close to her, and then she'll start having improper thoughts."

"."

Li Ye was surprised, yet he had to admit Master Ding was right.

If he were a lazy, aimless fish content to drift through life, blending in with colleagues would be fine—but as a manager, he must now deliberately cultivate a sense of authority.

Existence implies reason—if so many superiors possess presence, then that presence is necessary.

Getting along with colleagues is the way of ordinary workers; Li Ye was destined to rise like a rocket—too many ties to the grassroots would only bring him trouble later.

Li Ye sincerely said: "I understand, Master. Thank you for your guidance."

Master Ding smiled and shook his head: "Bah, these are just small tricks. Your true path, Li Ye—you must walk it yourself."

"."

After lunch, Master Ding found an excuse to step out and meet his son.

"Xiao Chang, what did I tell you before? Mind your boundaries, mind your boundaries—just because he called you brother, you're acting like one?"

"But Dad, he said I was his senior—I couldn't just deny it!"

Ding Ding Jiuchang felt wronged—Li Ye had told him not to call him Section Chief Li; how could he force it?

"Sigh, you're lucky he's this easygoing—if he were a proud, ambitious scion, this one meeting would've ended your chances forever."

Master Ding sighed: "Li Ye is different—he doesn't care about status, but he cares about ability. Only if you have real skill can you leverage his help; if you don't… no matter how hard I pave your way, it'll all be wasted."

Ding Ding Jiuchang clenched his lips: "I understand, Dad. I'll work hard."

Master Ding glanced at his son: "Then tell me—how exactly will you work hard?"

Ding Ding Jiuchang pulled out a newspaper: "Dad, I found the article you mentioned—Section Chief Li wrote that light vehicles have great potential."

Master Ding nodded: "And then?"

"And then?"

Ding Ding Jiuchang blinked, speechless.

Ding Ding Jiuchang snatched the newspaper and jabbed his finger hard at a line.

"It says: 'Pay attention to market demand, solve users' real problems, improve transportation efficiency, increase productivity.' Didn't you see that?"

Ding Ding Jiuchang looked at the paper and frowned: "Dad, what does this even mean?"

Master Ding sighed: "It's not your fault—we used to make what we had, not what people wanted."

"So go down and ask people who want to buy cars—what kind of car do they want? Ask, investigate, then write a proposal and submit it."

"If you want to rise faster than others, you must stand out; if you want to stand out, you must ride the wind and climb the clouds."

Master Ding looked seriously at his son: "Do you know why I spent so many favors to get you into sales?

Li Ye once casually mentioned 'market demand' to me. If you grasp it, it's your fortune for life; if you miss it, don't blame heaven for not giving you a chance."