Everyone at the auto repair shop was on edge because of Huang Xian's arrival, worried that they would be criticized by the manager if they didn't do something right. This tension didn't ease until after lunch when Huang Xian left by car.

"Hey, Director Huang doesn't seem that hard to please. Are we being a little too tense?" Li Tong said nonchalantly.

"You're just a young lady, what are you afraid of? We depend on them for our livelihood, we can't afford to be careless," Xu Damao remarked.

"Tch, other people say it looks somewhat similar, but what you said is irrelevant," Li Tong said, dissatisfied.

“You don’t understand. Even if he doesn’t like you, he won’t say anything. But if he doesn’t like me, he can just move me to the sidelines and make me look bad,” Xu Damao said.

Deputy factory directors Zuo Chang'an and Gao Yan shared the same expression. In this day and age, workers have secure jobs; unless they commit a major offense, they're basically guaranteed a lifetime at the factory. But the leadership is different; they can be in good positions or bad positions—that's all within their power.

"Alright, everyone, go home and rest," Xu Damao said.

On the truck back to the steel rolling mill.

"Factory manager, you seem quite satisfied with the auto repair shop?" Huang Xian's secretary, Song Rui, asked.

Song Rui wasn't from the factory either; he was transferred from another unit after Huang Xian took office. It's said that the two are related.

"Hehe, the auto repair shop did a good job, why would I be dissatisfied?"

Huang Xian leaned back in his car seat, closing his eyes to rest. He had a good tolerance for alcohol, and being a high-ranking leader, he shouldn't normally drink too much. But Xu Damao's drinking rhetoric was eloquent, and before he knew it, he had drunk quite a bit as well.

"But I see you have a question about the machine repair shop?" Song Rui asked, voicing his doubts.

"Xiao Song, if you want to gain a foothold on the battlefield, you need to do two things: one is to strike the enemy and make your voice heard; the other is to make more friends so that when you are striking the enemy, no one else will come to attack you."

And remember this: there are no permanent enemies, only permanent interests.

Perhaps he had drunk too much, or perhaps he wanted to mentor Song Rui, but Huang Xian was talking a lot.

To most people, he had taken Li Xuewu's factory director position, and they should have been mortal enemies. However, that was during the competition for the factory director position. Once he became the factory director, he wouldn't be transferred for a while, and Li Xuewu could only wait for him to be promoted or leave the steel rolling mill if he wanted to take the position.

Whether to cooperate or continue the hostility, he had already extended his goodwill; it all depended on Li Xuewu's response. As for why he criticized the machine repair shop, it was because he needed to make his voice heard and let others know his methods.

Furthermore, Huang Xian was also testing Yang Zhenhua to see where the bottom line of the top leader lay. The top two leaders are natural enemies. If Huang Xian wanted more influence, he would inevitably have to undermine Yang Zhenhua's territory. Only by knowing the other party's bottom line could Huang Xian act more effectively.

After inspecting the machine repair shop and the auto repair shop, Huang Xian embarked on a factory-wide inspection tour. He was amiable in some workshops, but ruthless and abusive in others. Regardless of other factors, after this round of inspections, Huang Xian's authority as factory manager was firmly established.

Once Huang Xian had established himself, his second step was to frequently visit grassroots workers, talk to them, and praise outstanding workers on different occasions, saying that he would give important positions to those grassroots workers who were skilled and capable.

Whether the other party was sincere or not, it at least elicited a very good response from the workers, and Huang Xian's reputation among them was widely praised.

"This Huang Xian is indeed worthy of being from the countryside; he's really adept at playing the game. Lately, Huang Xian's prestige has almost surpassed that of Secretary Yang. I went to Secretary Yang's office today to report on my work, and it seems that Old Yang is quite troubled lately."

In Li Xuewu's office, after Xu Damao finished reporting on his recent work, the two talked about the situation in the factory.

Recently, Huang Xian has been making frequent appearances, moving among the workers, which has greatly displeased Yang Zhenhua. It's not that people don't know the value of something, it's that they're afraid of comparisons. Previously, the leadership of the steel rolling mill didn't pay much attention to the grassroots workers and rarely visited them.

Now, Huang Xian has been immersed in grassroots work, making the workers feel valued. Conversely, the workers have developed some resentment towards the previous leadership team, headed by Yang Zhenhua. These resentments may seem minor, but they are gradually accumulating and will eventually affect Yang Zhenhua's future.

Li Xuewu is now somewhat inclined to sit back and watch the show. As the deputy, the third in command, he will be affected, but he's not as anxious as Yang Zhenhua.

"Da Mao, your auto repair shop has been doing very well lately. Leaders from the city and district have praised you many times, and Huang Xian also thinks you're doing a good job. So at this time, don't take sides. Just quietly do your own thing and leave the rest to me," Li Xuewu instructed.

“I understand, sir,” Xu Damao said.

In fact, Xu Damao also felt the pressure from Li Xuewu. Leaving aside the departments in the steel rolling mill, among the branch factories, Branch Factory No. 1 and the auto repair shop can be said to be Li Xuewu's base of operations. The leadership was almost entirely handpicked by him, and his words carried more weight in these two factories than Yang Zhenhua's.

Xu Damao heard from someone that something unusual had happened at the First Branch Factory. Several leaders of the First Branch Factory had reported to Huang Xian's office multiple times, but they had not reported to Li Xuewu in advance.

-------------------------------------

"Uncle, today Director Huang called me in for a talk. He especially praised me for being young and good at learning, and he still wants to recommend me to go out for further training."

On his way home from the steel rolling mill, Sha Zhu excitedly told Yi Zhonghai. Today, Huang Xian had chosen Sha Zhu as his interviewee, and the two chatted for about 20 minutes. Sha Zhu, who had never been particularly fond of his superiors, was somewhat flattered by Huang Xian's sweet talk.

"That's good, it shows the leaders value you. Zhu Zi, you must perform well, maybe you'll catch Director Huang's eye and become the deputy director of the canteen," Yi Zhonghai said.

"I don't really care about being the director or not, since I have the skills here. But Director Huang said he had heard of me before coming to the steel rolling mill, and that my stew is better than the other chefs'."

He said my current skills are considered top-notch among the younger generation in Beijing. Sha Zhu gave a thumbs up.

The reason Huang Xian talked to Sha Zhu was because he learned that Sha Zhu was a troublemaker. Once such a troublemaker can be tamed, he's a master at dealing with outsiders. Moreover, troublemakers usually lack recognition, so if Huang Xian gives them even a little recognition, they'll be incredibly grateful.

Sure enough, as soon as Sha Zhu came out of Huang Xian's office, he went around saying that Director Huang had a keen eye for talent and was a good leader, better than all the previous leaders.