Chapter 354 Pretending to be a Returning Businessman in a Historical Novel 27
After doing all this, he finally breathed a long sigh of relief, feeling a huge weight lifted from his heart.
He leaned back in his chair, imagining what new and interesting gadgets Director Zhou would find from somewhere this time.
Time passed, day by day.
One week.
Half a month.
One month.
The expansion project of Huaxin Silk Factory was in full swing, and orders were piling up in Director Wang's office, but the person who should be sitting there making the final decisions was nowhere to be seen.
Factory Director Wang couldn't sit still any longer; he went to Director Li's office eight times a day.
"Director! It's been over a month! Why haven't we heard anything from Factory Director Zhou yet?"
"Did she say how long she'd be gone before she left? There's a mountain of things waiting for her to decide at the factory!"
Director Li reassured him, "Don't worry, Director Zhou has her own procedures. Maybe the place we're going to is far away and the signal is bad."
But he himself began to have doubts.
She used to go out, but never for this long, without even a single phone call.
That inexplicable unease, like vines, quietly wrapped around his heart.
The second month has passed.
The atmosphere in the factory became somewhat subtle.
No one said it, but when they were working, they would always subconsciously glance in the direction of the factory manager's office, which was empty.
Factory Director Wang was so anxious that he developed several blisters on his lips and his voice became hoarse from shouting.
He guarded five telephones, but dared not leave any of them, for fear of missing the voice he most wanted to hear from afar.
The third month, three days later.
Director Li was reviewing documents in his office when his secretary knocked and came in.
"Director, there's a comrade outside looking for you."
“He said his surname was Zhao, that he was a lawyer, and that he had something very important to discuss with you in person.”
lawyer?
Director Li paused, his unease suddenly amplified.
"Let him in."
A middle-aged man wearing a sharp Zhongshan suit, black-rimmed glasses, and carrying a black briefcase walked in.
He had a serious expression and a meticulous air about him.
"Are you Director Li Changqing?"
"I am."
The man took a brown paper envelope from his briefcase and handed it over with both hands.
"This is entrusted to me by Ms. Zhou Jue to be given to you today."
Director Li's heart sank.
He didn't immediately take the letter, but stared intently at the lawyer: "Where's Director Zhou? Did she send you? Where is she?"
"Director Li, Ms. Zhou left this power of attorney more than three months ago." The lawyer pushed up his glasses, his tone flat and emotionless.
"She instructed me that if she did not return or contact you after three months, I should come to you and give some things to you and the relevant person in charge of Huaxin Silk Factory."
Director Li felt a buzzing in his ears.
"Someone! Go and fetch Director Wang from Huaxin Silk Factory! And the director of the old factory too!"
After saying that, he steadied himself, snatched the letter, and with trembling fingers, tore open the seal.
His gaze fell directly on the first line of text.
"When you see this letter, it means I will no longer be here."
boom!
Something seemed to explode in Director Li's mind.
"What do you mean 'no longer here'? What does that mean?!" He stood up abruptly and growled at the lawyer, his eyes bloodshot.
The lawyer didn't answer, but simply looked at him calmly, gesturing for him to continue reading.
Director Li's hands trembled violently, and the light piece of paper felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.
"All the shares of Huaxin Silk Factory under my name will be transferred to the state free of charge after my 'death'."
"After the transfer, 10 percent of the annual income generated from the shares must be used to establish a special public welfare fund to support education and medical care in impoverished areas of China."
"Another 20 percent of the revenue must be used to establish a special research fund to support national research in the fields of basic materials, precision manufacturing, and information technology."
"..."
The document is short, with each point clearly and concisely presented.
Finally, there's one more thing.
"My family is reduced to just me. If I am not here, the family will have perished. There is no need to search for it."
"Bang."
Director Li's hand went limp, and the letter fluttered to the ground.
He seemed to have all his strength drained away, slumped back into his chair, and stared blankly ahead.
Factory Director Wang, the former factory director, and several other senior executives were summoned to Director Li's office at almost the same time.
When they finished reading the letter, the entire office fell into a deathly silence.
"No...it's impossible..." Director Wang's lips trembled. He tried to pick up the letter, but no matter how he reached out, he couldn't reach it.
"Director Zhou...she's so capable...how could she..."
The old factory director stood in the corner, also lost in thought, unaware that tears were silently streaming down his face.
"What does this mean! Where is she! What do you mean she's gone!" Factory Director Wang finally broke down. He rushed to the lawyer and grabbed him by the collar.
"Where did she go! Tell us where she went!"
The lawyer let him hold him, calmly repeating the same sentence: "My job is simply to deliver the documents."
"Director Zhou..." Director Li's hoarse voice suddenly rang out.
He suddenly remembered that heavy black box.
I remembered the excessively calm expression on her face when she handed it to me.
"I'm going on a long trip."
"Same as before."
no the same!
They're completely different!
He finally understood.
That was no ordinary trip.
That was a "mission" with no return!
Those invaluable documents were obtained at the cost of her own life!
"She did it to... to get those things..." Director Li's voice was choked with sobs as he looked at everyone in the office who was heartbroken.
"She knew there was danger all along! She was prepared!"
"What an idiot she is!"
One sentence shattered everyone's last psychological defenses.
Factory Director Wang let go of his hand and collapsed to the ground like a lump of mud.
The only sound in the office was suppressed sobbing.
The crying gradually subsided. Director Wang, with red eyes, got up from the ground and looked at Director Li, his voice hoarse.
"Director... let's hold a funeral for Factory Director Zhou."
"Let's erect a monument for her and let all the workers in the factory come and pay their respects."
Director Li raised his head, wiped his face, his eyes were red, but there was no despair in them.
He shook his head.
"No."
His voice was soft, yet exceptionally firm.
"The letter said that if she didn't come back in three months..."
"But that's just what she said herself."
He slowly stood up, walked to the window, and seemed to see the factory that she had poured countless efforts into and that was now thriving.
"Someone like her won't let this go so easily."
"Perhaps they were delayed on the way, or perhaps they were held up by something."
I don't believe it.
He turned around and looked at the faces still wet with tears.
"We'll wait."
"One year, two years, ten years."
"We've been waiting."
"As long as we remember her, as long as this factory still exists, she has never left."
"We'll wait for her to come back."
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