Chapter 868

On the third day of the Lunar New Year, Li Ye went to his unit for duty according to the shift schedule.

After arriving at the quiet and deserted Branch Factory No. 1, Li Ye first made a round of the entire factory with Lu Zhizhang, who was on the night shift, which counted as the shift handover. Then he returned to his office, lay down on the recliner, and closed his eyes to rest, ensuring he would have enough energy for the night.

Thieves and saboteurs wouldn't have the guts to appear in broad daylight, so it was enough to let the patrol team keep patrolling. Nighttime was when Li Ye needed to be alert.

Because it was an automotive enterprise, Branch Factory No. 1 stored quite a bit of fuel and lubricating oil. If anything went wrong, his career as a factory director might come to an end.

However, after Li Ye dozed off for a while, he opened his eyes and saw it was only 10:30 in the morning.

"Sigh, I should have brought two books."

In an era without mobile phones, time was really hard to pass. Even though Li Ye had a computer on his desk, there wasn't even a Minesweeper game at the moment! Not to mention playable games like "Half-Life" or "Prince of Persia." Apart from work, it was just a decoration.

But just as Li Ye was bored, he heard footsteps in the hallway outside.

He listened carefully and frowned slightly.

Li Ye's hearing was excellent. As long as it was someone he was familiar with, he could likely identify who it was from their footsteps. Listening to the sound outside now, it sounded very much like Yue Lingshan from the General Factory's Supply Section.

Sure enough, after a knock on the door, Yue Lingshan asked from outside: "Director Li, are you in?"

Li Ye sat in his office chair and said gently: "I am! Come in!"

Yue Lingshan pushed open the door and walked in with a smile: "Happy New Year, Director Li! It really is you on duty today. It just so happens that I'm on duty at the General Factory side, so I came over to wish you a Happy New Year."

"Oh, Happy New Year, Happy New Year. Sit, sit, don't just stand there."

While inviting Yue Lingshan to sit down, Li Ye asked: "How did they arrange for you to be on duty? Isn't it usually management on duty?"

Li Ye didn't mean to look down on Yue Lingshan for not being high-ranking enough; it was mainly because being on duty during the holidays meant taking responsibility. What kind of situation was it to let a low-level soldier take the responsibility? If something happened, he wouldn't be able to handle it either!

Yue Lingshan's face turned bitter: "Director Li, don't even mention it. Ever since you were transferred from the Supply and Marketing Section to Branch Factory No. 1, I've been inexplicably targeted by people.

Just like this Spring Festival shift arrangement, there are so many people in our office building, but after arranging and rearranging, they ended up putting me on duty..."

Li Ye chuckled and didn't empathize with Yue Lingshan.

A fence-sitter can sometimes enjoy all the benefits, but sometimes, they are also despised by everyone.

When Li Ye first arrived, Yue Lingshan followed closely in the footsteps of Deputy Wu Kezhang Wu Qingyi and was very resistant to Li Ye. As a result, after Li Ye was promoted to deputy section chief and his master, Old Ding, filled the position of section chief, Yue Lingshan hurriedly leaned toward Li Ye's side.

Originally, following the powerful was a common phenomenon in the unit, and Li Ye didn't mind too much. But when Li Ye was transferred from the General Factory to Branch Factory No. 1, he asked Yue Lingshan if she was willing to follow him to Branch Factory No. 1, and Yue Lingshan refused.

She might have been thinking that since Deputy Wu Kezhang Li Ye was gone, her opportunity had come again, but she didn't expect that Zheng Jiemin, who had been disciplined by Li Ye, would be promoted to deputy section chief, and she had stepped into thin air again.

Instead, Pan Dachuan, who followed Li Ye to Branch Factory No. 1, went from being a nobody to now being the Supply Wu Kezhang of Branch Factory No. 1.

So, Yue Lingshan coming over to wish Li Ye a Happy New Year now was likely another attempt to "defect" to Li Ye.

But could this kind of defection, which was always a step behind, be effective?

Yue Lingshan suddenly took out two lunch boxes from her bag and placed them on Li Ye's desk with a sheepish smile.

"Director Li, you're on duty today, so lunch must be hard to deal with, right? The cafeteria food isn't good either. I just happened to make too much when I was cooking this morning..."

【Is this real food, or is there something else going on?】

Li Ye hurriedly declined: "No need, no need, you eat it yourself!"

The smile on Yue Lingshan's face stiffened, and she said aggrievedly: "Director Li, I know you don't accept gifts, so I only made two dishes. Please don't look down on them..."

Li Ye's head was starting to ache. Today the unit was on holiday, and there were only a few people in the huge Branch Factory No. 1. If a lone man and woman were here and she started crying, wouldn't it become another topic of conversation for all the factory workers if it spread?

So Li Ye took one lunch box, pushed the other one back, and said bluntly: "I accept your kind intentions. You know what kind of person I am; if you have something to say, just say it directly."

Yue Lingshan didn't dawdle anymore and said directly: "Director Li, I've seen the technical talent introduction standards for Branch Factory No. 1, so please transfer me over! I'm willing to start as a staff member, and I will definitely work hard."

"Technical talent introduction standards?" Li Ye asked in surprise: "Those standards are aimed at university students. Aren't you a secondary vocational school graduate..."

Yue Lingshan nodded and said: "I know! I signed up for night school last year and will graduate next year. I fully meet the requirements of Branch Factory No. 1."

"."

Li Ye smiled helplessly and said: "Then you must not have seen it clearly. We require original academic qualifications..."

The introduction of technical talent at Branch Factory No. 1 wasn't just a job position; it also came with housing. So in the 1980s, when secondary vocational school graduates were also considered high-level intellectuals, Li Ye insisted on setting the standard at junior college and also excluded night school and TV university graduates.

But Yue Lingshan said aggrievedly: "Director Li, there are no absolutes in the world, right? The country recognizes night school qualifications, so why doesn't our factory recognize them? Branch Factory No. 1 is also a state unit..."

"."

Li Ye waved his hand, stopping Yue Lingshan's defense, and then said calmly: "Branch Factory No. 1 will definitely expand its recruitment of employees next year, but the standards for technical talent introduction will not change.

If you want to come, wait patiently for the announcement. But I can tell you that after you come, you might not necessarily sit in an office; you might have to start from a position like workshop statistics."

"Go to the workshop?"

Yue Lingshan's face twisted.

She was already used to the leisurely work in the office. If she had to go to a workshop full of the smell of machine oil and the "clanging" noise, she really couldn't handle the psychological gap.

As for the condition of high wages at Branch Factory No. 1, it didn't have much of an advantage in Yue Lingshan's mind.

Because she was, after all, a cadre in the General Factory's Supply and Marketing Section, holding the lifeblood of several supply units, and she still had some hidden income. If she went to Branch Factory No. 1 and not only didn't get a house but also had to go to the workshop, it didn't seem very cost-effective.

Just at this time, a burst of messy and brisk footsteps sounded in the hallway, and Fu Yiruo, Li Juan, Li Ying, and Zhao Meiwen pushed the door open and walked in, laughing and joking.

"Brother, we're here to bring you food."

After the four younger sisters entered the door, they saw Yue Lingshan and also saw the lunch box on the table.

The fire of gossip immediately ignited in the eyes of the four younger sisters. In this day and age, a woman bringing food to a man—what kind of relationship was this?

Fu Yiruo looked at Yue Lingshan while saying with a smile: "Brother, we aren't delaying your work, are we? It was Sister-in-law who urged us to bring the food; otherwise, we wouldn't have come so early."

Li Ye rolled his eyes at her and said: "It's nothing. My colleague came to wish me a Happy New Year; we weren't talking about work."

"Oh~, then this sister came just in time. Let's eat together!"

Little Li Ying drew out a long tone, then opened the food box in her hand and placed the dishes on the table one by one.

Yue Lingshan looked at the four dishes and one soup with great color, aroma, and taste on the table, and then thought about the dried bamboo shoots and pork in her own lunch box, suddenly feeling that she was very ridiculous.

"No need, no need, I have to go back to be on duty! Hahaha, I won't disturb you anymore."

Li Ye was famously known for not accepting gifts because he wasn't short of money, and others couldn't afford to give him gifts either.

She had finally come up with a unique idea to bring lunch, only to suffer such a comparison.

But Yue Lingshan didn't expect that Li Ye being able to accept one of her lunch boxes actually meant he already had one more bit of old friendship than others.

Unfortunately, people in their comfort zone are always unwilling to suffer again, thus losing better opportunities.

After Yue Lingshan left, the younger sisters chattered and asked Li Ye what was going on.

"Our Branch Factory No. 1 has relatively good efficiency, and she wants to transfer over to work, but there are no suitable positions. I estimate it will end up as nothing again."

"What do you mean by 'again'? Brother, tell us in detail!"

"Tell you what? I'm eating! You guys go play for a while..."

"What's fun here! Eh, this computer is not bad, let's play with it!"

"Eh, eh, eh, let Xiao Juan watch you guys! Don't mess around..."

"Got it, got it..."

The younger sisters let Li Ye go and started chattering around the computer.

But before Li Ye finished his meal, the sound of high heels rang out in the hallway.

The younger sisters immediately said: "Brother, it wouldn't be that woman coming back, would it?"

Li Ye shook his head gently.

The footsteps outside weren't Yue Lingshan's, and they weren't very familiar, so he couldn't tell who it was.

But when the other party walked straight to the door of Li Ye's office and knocked to come in, Li Ye unexpectedly discovered that she wasn't a stranger either.

Li Ying pointed at the other party in surprise: "Eh, you're that Ning Pingping from the Fenghua Clothing advertisement, right?"

Ning Pingping smiled and turned to look at Li Ye: "Student Li, long time no see!"

"Long time no see!"

Li Ye looked at Ning Pingping, whose temperament was clearly different from two years ago, and wondered to himself: What the hell are you here for?