Although Director Gao stammered, his speech was not bad. He mentioned two things: first, 200,000 yuan had been spent but not used for business operations; second, he added that the secretary who secretly embezzled the money had been arrested and the money could not be recovered, but Sanmao Factory had admitted its mistake and promised not to do it again.

Then there's the sales issue. Originally, the Sanmao Factory relied entirely on centralized government procurement and sales allocation to survive.

But now all the downstream garment factories have gone private, the government is no longer purchasing their products, and they can't sell their fabrics. They also need to see if Hong Kong businessmen can help them with sales; they really can't do it on their own.

Factory Director Gao is watching anxiously. Can Boss Nie solve this problem? How will he negotiate?

“Our Nie family also intends to get involved in light industry, but your factory is a bit too small. You can’t handle big orders.” Nie Zhao stared intently at the factory model that Director Gao had hand-drawn himself and was spread out on the table: “We need to expand the production line.”

Now all the factories are undergoing restructuring and becoming private small factories, but Boss Nie actually wants them to expand their factories.

Factory Director Gao was a little scared and worried, his heart pounding: "That would require land, and the city leaders probably wouldn't agree."

Both the No. 1 and No. 2 wool factories wanted to acquire land and seek government support to expand their operations, but the city government refused them all.

Their Sanmao factory was the smallest, and Director Gao knew his position was too insignificant, so he never submitted a report.

But then Secretary An patted him on the shoulder, implying, "Agree to it first."

Factory Director Gao was still confused, but he immediately changed his mind: "Okay, we'll submit the application right away to expand the production line."

He had another question: he wanted to make money through sales. But Nie Zhao didn't let him bring it up. Instead, he said, "I just looked at Ms. Li Xia's work results and talked with her. I think she has a big problem."

Factory Director Gao's heart skipped a beat, and he dared not mention sales again. All he could think about was the 200,000 yuan. He thought to himself, "That's it. Li Xia is going to be blamed by the Hong Kong businessman. What am I going to do?"

Li Xia was sitting with Chen Rou, holding Chen Rou's hand the whole time. But when she heard this, she suddenly let go, and tears were about to fall.

Amidst the expectant yet apprehensive gazes of the crowd, Nie Zhao softly said, "The mulberry silk jacquard fabric she just displayed, although I am not a professional, intuitively suggests that its comfort and the smoothness of the fabric are at an internationally leading level. This shows that her professional level is very high, but I also noticed that she only has a high school education."

so what?

Director Gao's intelligence was insufficient to fathom the big boss's feelings, nor did he know what the big boss was trying to do.

He subconsciously cast a pleading look at Boss An, who, acting as a bridge, said at the opportune moment, "I think since Ms. Li Xia is so outstanding, the wool mill certainly won't overlook such talent. As for tuition and such, President, you see, our Nie's Charitable Foundation has a talent support fund..."

Nie Zhao nodded and shifted his position slightly: "This is a matter for your jurisdiction, you can handle it as you see fit. I'm also handing over the wool mill to you; the prospects are very good, but everyone..."

Secretary An looked at Director Gao again, her eyes seeming to say: Why don't you hurry up and express your opinion?

Director Gao hadn't figured out what was going on yet, nor did he have time to think about it in detail, but he had a very clear idea in his mind: as long as he was willing to listen to General Manager An and send Li Xia to school, they could get on the good side of the Nie family.

He stood up solemnly and declared, "No matter how poor we are, we cannot neglect education. I will send a letter to the Textile University right now to apply for a recommendation opportunity for Ms. Li Xia so that she can study at a university in Shanghai for further education."

Shanghai has the most famous textile university in the country. Of course, you have to take an exam, but textile factories can also recommend students. Once you get in, you will complete both your associate's and bachelor's degrees at the same time. It is currently a three-year program, and you will graduate with a bachelor's degree.

There's only one spot available in the entire Shenzhen market each year, and Director Gao usually can't get one.

But this year, in order to curry favor with the Nie family, he decided to go straight to the municipal party committee and ask the city leaders for a quota.

He turned to look at Li Xia again: "I'll help you get a spot, but you must study hard."

Li Xia grasped Chen Rou's hand again and whispered, "If there are any spots available, I will definitely study hard."

Nie Zhao looked around with a gratified expression, as if these people were so great and capable. Just then, a group of people in jackets were peeking in from outside. Director Gao didn't recognize them at first, until Secretary An turned around and the people outside rushed in. Only then did he remember that the people who came in seemed to be the secretary of the municipal party secretary.

As soon as Secretary An turned around, a group of people rushed in, each looking at Nie Zhao with humility and unease. Secretary An naturally had to introduce them: "President, people from the city have come to pick us up."

Nie Zhao nodded, but then reached out his hand to his wife.

Human nature can be strange sometimes. Boss Nie had a lot of things to do and knew that it was difficult for Chen Rou to travel between the two places. He wanted to spend more time with Li Xia since Chen Rou had come all this way, and he also knew that it was fine for her to stay here.

But he refused. He took his wife's hand, shook hands with the secretaries from the city, and then pulled her out.

Before Chen Rou could speak, he whispered in her ear, "It's not a good idea to let Ms. Li Xia study in mainland China."

Chen Rou became interested upon hearing this: "What do you mean?" She wondered what kind of profound insights he had up his sleeve.

Nie Zhao squeezed his wife's hand, took the purse from Song Yuanchao and handed it to her, saying, "Let's talk again when we get back to the hotel tonight."

Chen Rou had promised Li Xia she would stay the night, but her husband had lured her away again, so she could only say, "Okay."

And so, Boss Nie led his men away, leaving behind Ah Fa and Xiao Ding, and a car for Chen Rou to use.

The city's secretariat mobilized all its staff to pick them up, and they also drove three Santanas. Secretary An brought another one, making a total of six cars that made a grand procession through the city and drove all the way out of the wool mill.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!