Chapter 877

On the sixth day of the New Year, Union Sister Lai Jiayi warned Li Ye that the head office leadership wanted to speak with him.

Li Ye didn’t even acknowledge her.

In his past life, Li Ye had seen this kind of thing too many times at work—it was usually nothing, and people like this just made trouble to make you owe them favors.

But when Wen Qingsheng came personally to warn him, and left only the two of them alone in the car, Li Ye’s heart began to pound.

Did Wen Qingsheng need Li Ye to owe him a favor? He was Li Ye’s father-in-law.

To warn someone before the ministry calls them in—that’s real “early warning,” something ordinary people never get.

“Dad, I haven’t done anything wrong! Why would they want to talk to me?”

In his past life, Li Ye had heard that whenever someone in authority wanted to speak with you, there was always evidence—or a purpose; otherwise, why would they waste their time?

Important people are busy.

So after hearing Wen Qingsheng’s words, Li Ye’s mind raced as he carefully reviewed what evidence he might have left in their hands.

【Could it be that I’m the first bird to be shot?】

Although in 1988 the spring breeze of “let some people get rich first” had already blown strongly, before 1992 the situation remained unclear, even with intense clashes between sides.

Li Ye’s personal assets weren’t a concern—he had Ke Laoshi and others vouching for him.

But by turning Division One into an “outlier” within the industry, he’d naturally become a target.

Yet Wen Qingsheng’s next words made Li Ye realize the situation wasn’t as serious as he’d feared.

“I looked into it—apparently, it’s because you’re paying your workers too much, and not just a little too much. There’s suspicion you’re using public funds for personal gain.”

Li Ye blinked, then suddenly understood: “I get it, Dad—it’s about hiring the foreign engineer. Seven thousand dollars a month sounds high, but how could I possibly profit from that?”

“That’s exactly why I came to warn you!”

Wen Qingsheng patted Li Ye’s shoulder: “They have a point asking about this—you didn’t report hiring Ludwig to your family. You acted on your own.”

“So you must take this seriously. Be honest, but make sure they understand this money was worth every cent.”

“Don’t casually say, ‘I’ve got money, I don’t care about seven grand,’ or you’ll be accused of framing an innocent man.”

“You’re only twenty-five, you’ve accomplished a lot, and several uncles and aunts have recognized you—you’ve got the right to be young and bold.”

“But don’t think you’re invincible, and never act like you’re above everyone else. Stay calm in any situation, and avoid actions that break ribs with one kick.”

“.”

Listening to Wen Qingsheng’s lecture, Li Ye felt awkward and speechless—but inside, he felt warm and deeply comforted.

What kind of treatment was this? A man of Wen Qingsheng’s rank risked his own reputation to personally guide Li Ye.

After Li Ye forced Lu Zixue to jump to his death, Ke Laoshi swiftly cleaned up the mess. Now, when the ministry wanted to talk to Li Ye, Wen Qingsheng taught him how to handle it—this was treating him like a real son.

Seeing Li Ye’s somber expression, Wen Qingsheng smiled lightly: “Don’t be too nervous—it’s not the Discipline Committee calling you.”

“You can show a little pride. Let them know you’re not some poor kid they can easily push around.”

“.”

【Father-in-law, you’re making this hard for me.】

Li Ye understood Wen Qingsheng’s meaning, but that kind of second-generation aura—like Wen Guohua or Wen Leyu—couldn’t just be faked.

“.”

In the afternoon, the ministry sent people as promised, summoning Li Ye for questioning.

But as Wen Qingsheng had said, these weren’t disciplinary officers—they were like direct superiors giving a suspect one last chance to confess before handing him over.

“Comrade Li Ye, you paid Engineer Ludwig in foreign currency, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Where did your foreign currency come from? You don’t have export earnings yet, do you?”

“It was a loan. When we imported the technology project, we borrowed some foreign currency to pay for equipment and technology transfer fees.”

“How will you repay this foreign currency? In foreign currency or RMB?”

“.”

The man asked Li Ye many questions. Li Ye answered calmly throughout—not sure if he came off as arrogant, but he was neither submissive nor defiant, and he felt he’d done well.

After two full hours, the man finally said: “Comrade Li Ye, we’re aware of your achievements this past year.”

“But a few days ago, we received over a dozen public complaints accusing you of violating regulations by arbitrarily distributing public funds.”

“After preliminary verification, we confirmed you did adjust worker bonuses without proper procedure.”

“And an engineer’s annual salary of over eighty thousand dollars has caused serious public backlash—you must handle this properly.”

“.”

Li Ye sensed the man’s tone carried the unspoken message: “We actually support you, but don’t underestimate the power of the masses—or you’ll sink.”

So he boldly said: “Comrades, since the masses have complaints against me, could I now hold a meeting with worker representatives, and explain everything in front of you?”

“.”

The man glanced at his watch and smiled: “If we have time, we’re happy to hear the people’s voices.”

Li Ye immediately understood something.

【That Uncle Xue, who calls Wen Qingsheng ‘brother,’ really came through—otherwise, this guy wouldn’t be so accommodating.】

“.”

Half an hour later, not only worker representatives from Division One arrived at the grand auditorium, but many senior officials from the head office came too.

“Did you hear? Li Ye’s going to make a self-criticism—the ministry sent people to question him.”

“If they just make him do a self-criticism after the ministry calls? That’s too easy on him!”

“Shh, haven’t you figured it out yet? Deputy Factory Director Li… isn’t ordinary.”

Below the stage, the crowd murmured, all assuming Li Ye had taken a hit—after all, making a public self-criticism before everyone was a lasting stain.

But when Li Ye spoke, he showed no sign of self-criticism—he acted like he was giving a lecture.

“Hello everyone. Division One has been busy with the project’s introduction, and in the rush, misunderstandings arose. So I’m here to explain.”

“First, Engineer Ludwig’s salary. Some think eighty to one hundred thousand dollars a year is too high—but do you know how much a graduate from UC Berkeley earns in the U.S.?”

Li Ye held up three fingers: “Thirty-two thousand dollars. In the spring of 1986, when I studied at UC Berkeley in San Francisco, a Chinese student named Xia Zhe graduated and didn’t return home—he took a job at Boeing with a starting salary of thirty-two thousand dollars.”

“Let’s not discuss why he chose Boeing over returning to China. I’ll ask you this: if an engineer in the U.S. earns forty-five thousand dollars a year, how much should he earn if he comes to work here?”

“Who can tell me how much he should earn?”

“.”

Li Ye’s final question carried a tone of resentment, leaving no one to answer.

But someone on Division One’s blacklist finally stood up and shouted: “Of course it can’t be forty-five thousand! Our engineers earn how much? Why give him so much?”

Li Ye immediately pointed at the man: “Old Tan, you earn two hundred a month. Would you leave your wife and children to work ten thousand miles away for a hundred?”

“We get travel allowances when we go on business trips. If you don’t earn two or three times more, who’d go alone to a strange land just to survive?”

Old Tan froze—he hadn’t expected Li Ye to know his name. And if he had to go ten thousand miles away for a hundred… wouldn’t that make him a fool?

But in front of so many people, Old Tan couldn’t back down, so he stubbornly retorted: “If you send me to the U.S., I’d take a hundred—it’d be a chance to see the world!”

Li Ye coldly smiled: “If you want to work in the U.S., you need the ability to go. Ludwig has the ability to work here—do you have the ability to go to the U.S.?”