Chapter 759: You

Wang Wang Jinyu listened to Li Ye's words, fell silent for a long time, then finally asked again, unwilling to give up: "Brother Li, what exactly do you mean by 'merger'?"

But Li Ye's reply left Wang Wang Jinyu utterly disappointed.

"It means your unit becomes a branch factory of ours, subject to comprehensive management and technological reform."

Of course, after the merger, your unit will still be in Zhucheng, and since you don't have many managers, you won't be reassigned in principle.

"Hehe~"

Wang Wang Jinyu chuckled awkwardly: "Brother Li, so if we have too many managers, we'll be turned into frontline workers?"

"No,"

Li Ye shook his head seriously: "If your management layer is too bloated, we won't even consider partnering with you. You know—no one wants to wade into muddy water, no one wants to feed idle masters."

"."

Wang Wang Jinyu was speechless—so Li Ye was picking and choosing when merging his unit!

But Li Ye was speaking the truth.

These days, every state-owned enterprise's management structure was bloated; taking one over recklessly was like stepping into a quagmire—step wrong, and you'd sink and never pull out.

Take Tianjin Comrade Xiao Li, once one of the nation's three small players, which at its final hour even caught Toyota's attention and had a chance at revival.

But after Toyota investigated carefully, they discovered the ratio of frontline workers to managers was nearly 1:5—one worker supporting five managers.

Good heavens! A place crawling with masters—who'd be stupid enough to jump in?

At this point, Wang Wang Jinyu's colleague, who had been standing beside him, could no longer hold back, asking with a hint of resentment: "Vice Director Li, you just promised we'd produce the best similar product in the country—how exactly do you guarantee that?"

Li Ye didn't hesitate: "Study proven overseas four-wheel light trucks, import advanced technology, and build the best agricultural vehicles in the country."

The man was genuinely surprised—daring to speak of importing overseas tech wasn't just bragging; it meant real capability.

But he still muttered: "Advanced tech… isn't it still just making agricultural vehicles?"

Li Ye shook his head slightly: "I don't look down on agricultural vehicles. On the contrary, I believe they have huge potential inland—whomever captures the market earliest will grow strong."

"."

Wang Wang Jinyu stared at Li Ye's calm face and suddenly wondered: if Li Ye had ulterior motives, what could he possibly gain from merging with Zhucheng Vehicle Factory?

It seemed he could gain nothing—hundreds of kilometers away, a pile of outdated equipment and factories—could he carry them off as cash?

So he changed his mind, raised his wine cup again, and said to Li Ye: "Brother Li, I'm just a vice director in charge of technology—I can't make such a big decision. But no matter the outcome, I thank you. I'll drink this."

Li Ye smiled, raised his cup, and drank with Wang Wang Jinyu.

"No rush. Take your time to discuss."

This wasn't a small matter—if not pushed to desperation, no one willingly became a subordinate.

With Zhucheng Motor Vehicle Manufacturing Plant's scale of hundreds, if it didn't seek change, it had no future in the increasingly fierce domestic light truck market.

As Li Ye knew, in the future, every surviving small-to-medium light truck factory had relied on a major enterprise.

And after Wang Wang Jinyu became the top leader of Zhucheng, Shandong, he restructured assets by transferring all enterprise assets free of charge to Beijing Auto-Motor, ultimately creating a legend in China's truck industry.

There wasn't much time left before Wang Wang Jinyu's rise.

Because of Li Ye's shocking words, the drinking session, meant to last until full satisfaction, ended before seven.

Li Ye and Lu Lu Zhizhang escorted Wang Wang Jinyu back to the guesthouse, then stood at the street corner chatting.

"Li Ye, what's your real plan? Their little factory has only four hundred people—what's worth merging?"

I think Wang Wang Jinyu is good—he's young, already thinking ahead, seeking technology and a way forward. A vice director like him, bold and decisive, is worth more than a hundred cadres who only drink tea and read newspapers.

"."

Lu Lu Zhizhang stared at Li Ye, his gaze strange.

【Are you sure you're not talking about yourself? You, as a vice director, are plenty bold and decisive.】

"No, I mean their unit is too small—even if we merge them, we'll need heavy investment; too little investment yields no effect."

"Precisely because it's small, it's possible."

Li Ye smiled meaningfully and whispered to Lu Lu Zhizhang: "If we arrange a marriage alliance with another major enterprise, do you think the headquarters would allow it?"

Lu Lu Zhizhang suddenly realized Li Ye's intention.

The founding and growth of Factory One was the work of Ma Zhao and Li Ye—even Lu Lu Zhizhang believed Li Ye and Ma Zhao intended to use Factory One as a springboard to swallow and seize control of headquarters.

So would headquarters sit idly by, watching Factory One swell without suspicion?

Though every yuan Factory One earned was siphoned off by headquarters, Ma Zhao was certain that once Factory One swelled to a certain size, it would be entangled by countless restraints.

This was ultimately a fierce power struggle—who swallowed whom was still uncertain.

But now Li Ye wanted to play "secretly crossing Chen Cang"—setting up an "outside concubine" in Dongshan, far from headquarters, where the central authority couldn't reach.

In such a situation, whoever controlled the purse strings held real power—administrative measures alone wouldn't suffice.

And Li Ye seemed to have endless money—just days ago, the loan officer from Zhongxin Development Bank had come again to pitch him a loan!

Li Ye had drunk alcohol today, so he didn't drive—he took two bus transfers before returning to Fuyoujie.

Never drive after drinking—it's responsibility toward others, and toward oneself.

But as he walked into the small street near his home, he saw a bicycle propped in the dark, with someone crouched beside it.

Li Ye's eyesight was sharp—he instantly recognized his sister Li Juan: "Yang Xiaojuan, what are you doing crouching there at this hour?"

Li Juan sprang up abruptly, stammering: "I—I was waiting for you, Brother!"

Li Ye frowned: "Waiting for me? Why not wait at home? Don't you know there are bad people at night? What did I tell you? Forgotten?"

"It's fine, Brother—these past two years, there aren't so many bad people."

Li Juan spoke weakly, then suddenly lifted a cloth bag from her bicycle handlebars.

"Brother, this is the ginseng chicken soup I stewed for Sister-in-law—I used the small ginseng you left at Zaojunmiao. I kept it warm in a thermos—it's still hot."

Li Ye looked at Li Juan holding the cloth bag, and for a moment saw again the little girl who, years ago in a heavy snowstorm, brought him a cotton coat.

Six years ago, Li Juan was under 1.5 meters tall, carrying a bundle to find Li Ye at County No. 2 High School—her cotton shoes soaked through, her cotton coat dry.

Back then, Li Juan clearly feared Li Ye—he treated her to a bowl of mutton soup, and the little girl trembled, drinking every last drop.

Now, Li Juan seemed afraid of Li Ye again.

"Yang Xiaojuan, tell me honestly—why won't you come inside?"

"I—I didn't! I meant to bring the soup to your unit, but you left early today, so I rode here. I was just tired, took a quick rest."

Li Juan's lying skills were pitiful—she couldn't compare to her younger sister Li Ying.

She'd definitely seen Li Ye's Santana wasn't back, realized he wasn't home, and didn't want to enter.

When had this home become so cold that only Li Ye felt like family?

Li Juan seemed to sense her lie was flimsy—she shoved the bag into Li Ye's hands, pushed her bicycle, and tried to flee.

"Brother, I have to go back to school for self-study! Exams are in June, I need to—"

"Stop right there!"

Li Ye's sharp command froze Li Juan, still perched on her bicycle.

"Have you eaten?"

"Yes."

"Tell the truth."

"No."

"There's a small eatery over there—I'll treat you."

"."

"Oh, okay~"