Chapter Twenty-Six

Zuo Xutong began to consider resigning. The newly developed ultra-low Pt membrane electrode had only completed over 300 hours of testing, still a long way from the 2,000-hour target. There were very few companies in Longjin City capable of developing hydrogen fuel cells, and even if she found another company after resigning, there was no guarantee of convenient experimental conditions. She couldn't afford to waste any more time. Therefore, after much deliberation, she finally decided that she would persevere until the testing was completed, no matter what.

A week later, Polar Blue Sky officially announced that Luan Mingfeng had been appointed as the company's new general manager, and his father, Luan Yilin, had been replaced as chairman.

Like a new broom sweeping clean, Luan Mingfeng's first move was to shut down the recycling department, laying off all seven employees. He then replaced the CFO and purchasing director, appointing two outsiders from the Luan Group. Finally, to reduce R&D spending, he canceled several overlapping development projects with Chaoma. Fortunately, the Shengguang project had been halted earlier, preventing Zuo Xutong from attracting attention at this time. In the blink of an eye, she was back to being a clandestine underground worker.

Since Luan Mingfeng took office, Zuo Xutong has never seen him. Given his qualifications and abilities, managing two companies must not be an easy task.

One noon, after getting her lunch, Zuo Xutong casually found a seat. At the next table were two colleagues from the purchasing department. The younger one was in his early twenties and had been with the purchasing department for less than six months. The older one was just over thirty and had been with the company for four or five years.

"I heard that everyone in the recycling department has been laid off," the young man said. "Some of them have been working on battery recycling since they joined the company, without any product development experience. Where are they supposed to find a job?"

"Company-wide optimization? No way! Old Jiang from the recycling department is an expert we rehired."

"That senior engineer in his sixties with a full head of white hair?"

"Yes, that's him. He was one of the earliest hydrogen fuel cell engineers in China. After retiring, he was rehired by General Manager Peng and started in the R&D department. He solved many tricky development problems. However, as he got older, his health declined, and last year he was transferred to the relatively easier recycling department. It is said that now the R&D department will consult him when they encounter technical problems."

"Even such top-notch tech experts have been laid off?"

"There is also a genius boy named Luo Qiang. Because his family was too poor and his father was in a car accident, he dropped out of college in his second year. So he only has a high school diploma. Don't be fooled by his appearance. He looks like a child. He is actually very smart and has strong work ability."

The two got more and more excited as they talked, and finally put down their chopsticks and put their heads together: "Do you know that guy in their department with long hair? He always wears a white jacket from the Republican era, short sleeves in the summer and long sleeves in the spring and autumn. During the hottest days last year, I even saw him coming to work in flip-flops, making a loud clattering sound when he walked, louder than a woman's high heels."

"You mean Dong Jue? Don't underestimate him. He's a renowned talent in our company. His professional skills are undoubtedly top-notch, but besides technical research and development, he's also skilled in painting and sculpture. Maybe artists are all a bit individualistic. He had a bit of a conflict with Director Jiang before and voluntarily requested to be transferred to the recycling department. Apart from General Manager Peng, no one in our company can boss him around. But then again, General Manager Peng is really tolerant. How could a normal company allow such an unconventional existence?"

"Yeah, his hair is almost waist-length. I took a closer look the other day and it even has some natural curls." The two of them couldn't help but laugh as they spoke.

"He and another software engineer named Zheng Xiaohai are both eccentric."

"Zheng Xiaohai? Which one is that?"

"He's the guy who always carries around a big white mug with red lettering that says 'Labor is the most glorious.' He always goes to the tea room to get water and drinks more water than an ox every day. I heard that when he came for the interview, he didn't say a word. Normally, the interviewer would have kicked him out long ago, but General Manager Peng not only didn't kick him out, but also gave him a piece of paper and asked him to write a program code on the spot. He finished it very quickly, and with just a few lines of code, it ran better than the two pages of code that the company's software engineers had racked their brains to come up with."

"The recycling department is truly a place where hidden talents abound." The new employee in the purchasing department shook his head, lowering his voice, "Do you know what? Our new general manager even compared them to the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan. He really knows how to make sarcastic remarks."

Little did Luan Mingfeng know that although the recycling department appeared to be full of old, weak, sick, and disabled people, they were actually like the Seven Heroes of Jiangnan in a martial arts film, each possessing unique skills. He probably never dreamed that the team he personally laid off was the best team in Polar Blue Sky.

"It is said that President Luan is preparing to resign from all his positions at Chaoma New Energy and focus on managing our company."

"The Luan Group has made a fortune in real estate in recent years, and now its business spans multiple fields. It's probably impossible for both father and son to manage everything at once..."

Hearing this, Zuo Xutong's hand trembled, and the chopsticks fell to the ground. She didn't bend down to pick them up. Holding the remaining chopstick in her hand, she sat at the table in a daze. She had only eaten half of the food on the plate, but she had no appetite to eat anymore.

Just then, her phone rang. She opened it and saw that it was a notification sent to the company's WeChat group, announcing that the new general manager would be holding an all-staff meeting at 1:30 pm.

Zuo Xutong knew that meeting Luan Mingfeng was inevitable, but she still thought she could avoid it for as long as possible. She returned to her office, lied that she was not feeling well, asked her team leader for leave, and planned to go downstairs to do experiments while everyone was in a meeting.

But she had only taken a few steps out of the office when she heard someone call out to her from behind: "Zuo Xutong, where are you going?"

Zuo Xutong stopped and looked back. Jiang Zhuo was standing less than five meters away from her, with Luan Mingfeng beside him.

Zuo Xutong steeled herself and walked over, calling out, "Director Jiang."

"Lunch break is over, where are you going with your backpack?" Jiang Zhuo asked.

"The lab is downstairs." Zuo Xutong didn't dare to say that she was feeling unwell and had asked the group for sick leave, because they must have seen her brisk pace just now.

Jiang Zhuo glanced at the time, frowned, and said, "It's 1:20. Didn't you see the notification in the group? Besides, why are you carrying a big bag to the lab? People who know you're going to do experiments will think you're going to steal something."

Zuo Xutong thought to herself, "How could I dare to steal anything? I only bring things in."

At this moment, Luan Mingfeng spoke up: "Let's go, the meeting is about to start."

Zuo Xutong stood there, watching the two figures disappear into the distance, showing no gratitude whatsoever for Luan Mingfeng's intervention.

She hadn't eaten dinner until nine o'clock, and by the time she left the lab, almost everyone on the third floor had left. So far, she has conducted nearly 600 hours of battery testing, and the results are quite good; the battery performance has remained stable, so it seems there's a high chance of success this time.