In the evening, at the seafood market food street,

Ren Donglai drank his wine, lost in thought.

Today's events made him re-examine himself.

President Mu's way of doing things gave him a feeling of seeing the sun after the clouds had parted.

They operate outside the bounds of principle, with a clear objective but employing appropriate methods.

When Ren Donglai was the factory director, he disdained doing such things.

Hiring a shill to solve the problem? He would immediately rule that out.

When Li Chengbing sat down, he poured himself a drink and took a sip.

The surroundings were noisy, accompanied by the chirping of cicadas.

Aunt Wang's business is still booming. In the summer, she prepares white porridge and side dishes.

Pick any side dishes you like; ordering a stir-fry will solve your dinner problem.

The stir-fried dishes are a good mix of meat and vegetables, and the portions are quite generous.

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, they started chatting, from work to their children at home.

The couple, both working, are already enjoying a fulfilling life in their small family.

Li Chengbing listened attentively for a while, and a warm feeling welled up in his heart.

Ren Donglai snapped out of his thoughts, looked up at him, and asked, "Do you think I used to be too principled in my actions?"

The moment he asked the question, Ren Donglai's eyes flickered.

He was actually vaguely aware of his problem, but he didn't want to admit it.

Humans have a self-protective instinct. Once a certain idea or method deviates from the original way of thinking, they will first blame others in order to balance the anxiety and fear deep in their hearts.

"You finally figured it out?" Li Chengbing shook his head and chuckled.

Ren Donglai, “…”

His eyes darkened, and he looked at Li Chengbing's expression with a moment of relief.

Since that factory went bankrupt, he has never seriously considered the real reason behind it.

After joining Hairun in Fuzhou, he seemed to regain his confidence and became adept at signing contracts and socializing.

Ren Donglai fell into deep thought several times, unable to find the reason for his failure in running the factory.

"I didn't think much about it at first, but this trip to Germany changed some of my perspectives."

"In our traditional mindset, using any means to achieve one's goals has always been a negative and unacceptable concept. But the world is not black and white; gray areas are allowed to exist," Li Chengbing frankly stated.

"Some principles can be broken in a different way."

“You could have taken out a loan and given the factory a grace period, but you didn’t,” Li Chengbing continued.

Ren Donglai frowned deeply. At that time, he felt that borrowing money to do things was a failure, and once he started, he couldn't stop.

When a bank loan officer came to his door, he immediately had his secretary kick him out.

Later, on many other occasions, his friends wanted to give him orders, but he refused for fear of being caught violating the rules.

He could have taken over the mutually beneficial relationship directly, which might have prevented the factory from going bankrupt.

If President Mu hadn't intervened today, what would he have done?

All he does is keep talking about how good the product is, etc.

He was almost always like this when negotiating cooperation with others, rarely resorting to underhanded tactics.

Ren Donglai picked up his wine glass and clinked it with Li Chengbing's, his eyes gradually clearing.

His thinking was too rigid when he was running the factory.

He looked around Aunt Wang's shop; everything was arranged just right.

Sometimes Aunt Wang would give guests a free meal, and if she was in a good mood, she would even offer them wine or have a drink with them.

Other food stalls are reluctant to use large air conditioners, fearing high electricity bills.

Aunt Wang's food stall installed air conditioning first, which kept customers coming back.

When he was running the factory, he was always thinking about innovation and investing in research and development, but he neglected sales.

The factory's target customer group was never clearly defined at the time.

The objective is clear, the means can be flexible, but the law is the bottom line.

The results can justify these methods.

"Chengbing, we still have a lot to learn." Ren Donglai let out a soft breath.

Unbeknownst to him, he was actually bound by the factory's various regulations.

Li Chengbing glanced at him, patted him on the shoulder, and lowered his head to drink.

As night deepened, the food street became increasingly lively.

In the past, when the weather was hot and people didn't have much money, they could only wait for holidays like the Lunar New Year to have a good meal.

Things are different now; it's common to get together for drinks and dinner in the evenings.

Hou Fangguan and Minister Min came to inspect the fishing grounds near the port and were brought to this seafood market by the locals.

He is now a member of the Fisheries Association.

Last time, I had to take leave from work and go home because of family matters, so I missed the city's exchange meeting.

Hou Fangguan glanced at the food street, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

This seafood market was opened by Lin Ziyan, and the food street also belongs to the seafood market.

With things so lively right now, how much can one earn in a day?

He felt extremely excited whenever he thought about it.

Minister Min glanced at him and said, "Fang Guan, eat your food and stop standing there."

Hou Fangguan graduated from Ocean University and was assigned to the aquaculture department. An old friend recommended him to join the aquaculture association.

I brought him along on this trip to inspect the area, at the request of an old friend.

He inquired and found out that Hou Fangguan was dating his old friend's daughter.

"Commissioner Hou, do you know Lin Ziyan? You seem to be alumni of the same university." A village party secretary, after drinking a couple of glasses of wine, started chatting enthusiastically.

"I know him." Hou Fangguan's expression was calm, but his heart was in turmoil.

If he had stayed back then and helped Lin Ziyan support her grandmother and sisters, would he still be drinking with these people now?

The more Hou Fangguan thought about it, the more suffocated he felt.

He only realized after graduation that his major only allowed him to work in Fuzhou, and there was no future for him in Beijing.

He didn't want to stay in the small fishing village doing research every day, so he had to stay in the office writing materials and seize the opportunity to climb the ranks.

He only got into the association by getting involved with the daughter of the head of the breeding department; otherwise, he would have remained an unknown writer.

No matter how well the article is written, it has nothing to do with him; it's all the leader's credit.

“This place is already profitable enough, but it’s nothing compared to Hairun. I heard that they’re exporting overseas now, with orders coming in non-stop, and the factory is so busy that they’re working overtime every day…” the village secretary continued.

Minister Min's eyes flickered as he looked at Hou Fangguan. This man not only knew Lin Ziyan, but they might also have some connection.

He watched Hou Fangguan's reaction without making a sound.

"Hairun Electrical Appliances City?" Hou Fangguan asked, puzzled.

He didn't know much about Hairun, only that Lin Ziyan was doing very well now.

It seems she got married and had twins; her husband is from Beijing.

"You don't know? Hairun not only has an electronics mall, but also factories. I heard they even acquired a foreign electronics brand..." The village secretary's face turned bright red after drinking.

The more Hou Fangguan listened, the more frustrated he became.

Two years after graduation, he had seen enough of other people's snobbishness, and the sense of superiority he had in school had been completely worn away.

He came from Beijing, but his family had no connections whatsoever.

He used to think he had an advantage and that returning to Beijing to develop his career would be very successful.

Later, reality slapped him in the face.

Now he has to keep appeasing women he doesn't like in order to maintain his position in the department.

Hou Fangguan drank several cups, and his brows and eyes revealed his melancholy.