"It's okay. Actually, I was thinking today that if it really doesn't work out, we can find someone else."

Lin Jiafu gritted his teeth, but ultimately did not persist in this matter.

"The finance department wasn't my original position, and it wouldn't be appropriate if people started gossiping about it. Director Zhao was very thoughtful; I almost made things difficult for him."

The more Lin Jiafu said this, the more guilty Zhao Nianmeng felt.

"I'm so sorry," Zhao Nianmeng forced a smile, "I'll treat you to dinner another day, please don't be angry."

After all, Zhao Nianmeng genuinely considered Lin Jiafu a friend, and even harbored a subtle affection for him that she was reluctant to admit.

If it were a question of whether she should continue to spend time with this person, she wouldn't be entirely opposed to it, but she felt a vague sense of awkwardness that she couldn't quite explain.

She stopped thinking about where this awkward feeling came from, but because Lin Jiafu didn't insist, Zhao Nianmeng couldn't help but breathe a slight sigh of relief.

"Director Zhao, you don't need to be so polite with me. Putting aside the hierarchical relationship in our factory, I consider Director Zhao to be my friend."

Lin Jiafu smiled slightly, his face showing a warm expression: "Then Director Zhao, you can go ahead and get busy. I also need to hurry over to the workshop to urge everyone to get to work."

"Okay, thank you for your hard work, Team Leader Lin."

Zhao Nianmeng smiled faintly at Lin Jiafu, and only after watching him leave did she turn her gaze away and unconsciously let out a sigh of relief.

For some reason, she felt that things would have been tricky if Lin Jiafu hadn't agreed to her proposal.

Fortunately, she did what Jiang Sheng said about the finances. Otherwise, if the rumors had really spread in the factory, not only would her position as factory manager have been in jeopardy, but Lin Jiafu's position as team leader probably wouldn't have lasted much longer either.

At that moment, after Lin Jiafu turned and left, the smile on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a ferocious and angry expression.

He really didn't expect that everything was going so well, and it seemed like he was about to have control of the finance department.

But after just one night, everything that should have changed and shouldn't have changed was completely gone!

Moreover, Zhao Nianmeng's attitude towards him seems to be somewhat more subtle than before.

It was as if there was a hint of politeness, unlike the casual and familiar banter they used to share.

He originally thought it was because Zhao Nianmeng was afraid of getting too close to him, which would affect the factory and the discussions between the two of them.

But now that I think about it seriously, someone must have been up to something. Otherwise, even if I couldn't get close to the finance department, Zhao Nianmeng's attitude wouldn't have changed so much.

Gritting his teeth, Lin Jiafu instantly pictured a figure in his mind.

That's Jiang Sheng.

He remembered that he had a deep-seated grudge against this kid!

A few days ago, he was caught red-handed because the other party had something on him, so he had to transport all the money he had hidden at home back to the factory's safe deposit box!

He originally thought that if he went back to the finance department, he could smuggle some more money.

But who knew that the moment this thought surfaced in his mind, before he could even put it into practice in front of Zhao Nianmeng, it was nipped in the bud once again!

If it weren't for Jiang Sheng, he really couldn't think of a second candidate!

Lin Jiafu gritted his teeth, but there was nothing he could do.

"The best course of action now is not to push that woman Zhao Nianmeng too far. We've finally gained her trust, and it wouldn't be good if she started to suspect me..."

Lin Jiafu muttered to himself, and another idea instantly popped into his mind.

That's right, that's what we'll do!

...

Not long after Zhao Nianmeng returned to her office, she convened a meeting of the factory's senior management.

Lin Jiafu was just a small group leader, and now that he had been removed from the finance department, he was naturally not qualified to attend this meeting.

At the meeting, Zhao Nianmeng finally took out the proposal for the reform of the state-owned enterprise that her younger brother had given her.

She has been studying this proposal for some time now, and making detailed improvements to its contents.

Now, she has almost perfected it based on the actual situation of the factory.

Now that she's here at this meeting, it would be a lie to say Zhao Nianmeng isn't excited.

She looked at the crowd in front of her and smiled slightly.

"I've called you all here today to share some thoughts on the reform of state-owned enterprises."

Upon hearing this, the high-ranking officials present were all somewhat surprised.

After looking around, some of the higher-ups started discussing it privately.

"This reform of the state-owned system has directly harmed the interests of many people. I think it's inherently flawed. Why is the factory director still thinking about this?"

"Exactly! Although the government's policy is imperative, if we really do it, the factories will definitely be thrown into chaos. I don't agree with that!"

"The workers are already having some tension with us because of their wages. Bringing up this issue at this critical juncture is just making things worse."

"..."

Although the whispers were kept to a minimum, some snippets still reached Zhao Nianmeng's ears.

She didn't ask anyone to quiet down, but stood there quietly, patiently waiting for everyone to calm down.

After a moment, someone finally frowned and couldn't help but speak up.

"Director Zhao, due to the reform of state-owned enterprises, everyone is feeling uneasy about the possibility of being laid off."

"You've suddenly brought this up again. If everyone finds out, won't that upset the workers and lower their morale?"

When someone spoke up, others couldn't help but nod in agreement.

"Yes, that makes sense. We can't let down the veteran employees. Director Zhao, please reconsider!"

"Yes, I'll think about it!"

Despite everyone's attempts to persuade her, Zhao Nianmeng had already anticipated that this would happen.

She simply cleared her throat and said earnestly, "Everyone, don't worry. My reform plan this time will not require any employees to resign. On the contrary, if this plan can be successfully implemented, it can actually save our factory and make our factory better and better."

Seeing Zhao Nianmeng speak to them with such a serious expression, the senior employees looked at each other in surprise and disbelief.