The success of the new product was like a boulder thrown into a lake, its ripples extending far beyond the machining workshop and the project team. It not only brought much-needed cash flow to the Hongxing Factory and stabilized its precarious wage payments, but also eloquently demonstrated to the entire factory and even its superiors that a viable path for survival and development was to rely on its own strength and face the market.

At a factory-wide workers' representative meeting shortly afterward, the atmosphere was completely different from the oppressive and despairing atmosphere of months earlier. On stage, the factory director delivered his work report with a loud voice and straight back. He devoted a considerable amount of time to elaborating on the entire process of new product development, from research and development to cost optimization and market success, and highlighted the individuals and teams that made decisive contributions in this process.

"...Facts have proven that as long as we emancipate our minds, dare to innovate, and find the right direction, our Red Star Factory, this 'old tiger,' can still roar with thunderous force!" The factory director's words were powerful and resounding, and the audience erupted in applause.

Subsequently, the Party Secretary read out the personnel appointment decision jointly submitted by the factory's Party Committee and the factory administration, which had been approved by the higher-level authorities.

"...In view of Comrade Liu Li's outstanding strategic vision, extraordinary technological innovation capabilities, unwavering willpower, and excellent organizational and coordination skills demonstrated in leading the entire factory to cope with the crisis and promote product transformation, it has been decided, after research and with the approval of higher authorities, to promote Comrade Liu Li to the position of Deputy Director of Hongxing Machinery Factory, in charge of the factory's production and technological innovation work!"

"Whoosh—!"

There was a moment of silence, followed by even more enthusiastic and prolonged applause! This applause contained admiration, conviction, and, above all, a fervent hope for the future. The workers, in their most sincere way, expressed their recognition and support for the young leader who had led them out of their predicament.

Sitting on the stage, listening to the thunderous applause and looking at the familiar and enthusiastic faces below, Liu Li was filled with emotion. She stood up and bowed deeply to the audience.

At this moment, she was no longer a technician or deputy workshop director who needed to constantly prove herself, but had become one of the core leaders of this long-established state-owned factory with thousands of employees. From an apprentice who desperately took the exam to enter the factory to avoid being sent to the countryside, to today's deputy factory director, she has walked this path for nearly ten years, a path filled with thorns, but also with brilliance.

However, the joy and sense of accomplishment were soon replaced by a heavier sense of responsibility.

The deputy factory director's office was more spacious than the previous offices of the technical department and the deputy workshop director, and offered a wider view, overlooking most of the factory area. But sitting behind this large desk, Liu Li didn't feel the comfort of power, but rather a heavy burden pressing down on her like a mountain.

On the desk in front of her, there were no longer just product drawings or workshop reports, but a vast amount of information covering every corner of the entire factory:

• The production department sends a summary of the plant's monthly and quarterly production plans, covering the overall planning and balancing of all aspects, including casting, forging, machining, heat treatment, and assembly.

• The technical department submitted a lengthy list and a huge budget request for the upgrading and renovation of old equipment;

• The sales department's report included an early warning analysis regarding the continued shrinking market for traditional industrial products, as well as the difficulties in developing new markets and new customers;

• A report from the finance department on the overall financial situation of the plant, which, although slightly improved due to new products, remains tight;

There are also various issues raised by workshops and departments, such as personnel allocation, labor protection and welfare, and even employee housing difficulties...

What she needed to consider was no longer how to make a good product or manage a workshop, but how to revitalize the entire Hongxing Factory as a whole. How to expand the success of a new product from a single point into a vibrant whole across the entire factory? How to steadily promote the effective management reforms of the machining workshop to the entire factory, stimulating the vitality of every cell? How to cope with the still fierce external market competition and plan the long-term development strategy of Hongxing Factory?

The burden on her shoulders was heavier than ever before. She knew that the position of deputy factory director meant that she would be thrust into the limelight, needing to coordinate more complex interests, confront the more stubborn inertia of the old system, and make major decisions that would affect the fate of thousands of people.

She opened the window, and a slightly chilly early spring breeze blew in, carrying the distinctive metallic and oily smells of the factory. In the distance, the workshops still roared, and the chimneys still stood tall. This land where she had struggled, grown, and deeply loved now needed her, in a new role, to shoulder greater responsibility and lead it towards a more challenging yet more hopeful future.

Promotion is an honor, but even more so, a mission. Liu Li took a deep breath, her gaze becoming firm and profound. A new journey has begun.