At night, Qin Jingru sat on the back of the bicycle, holding Wang Shouren tightly, her face pressed against his back, trying to hear his heartbeat.
"Brother Shouren," Qin Jingru called out.
"Um?"
"Brother Shouren," she called out again.
"Um."
"Brother Shouren."
"Why……"
"Hehe, Brother Shouren, I like you so much."
Wang Shouren paused for a moment, then smiled and replied with a simple "Hmm."
The repeated "hmm"s, though lacking any real meaning, dispelled the fear brought by the darkness, just like the bright moonlight.
————
A major event recently occurred at the steel rolling mill.
That was Zhao Wuliang; Chief Engineer Zhao had left.
With the chief engineer gone, someone else naturally stepped in to fill the gap.
The person who stepped up was no surprise to everyone; it was his mentor, Shen Yuanliang. Because of this incident, his rank was raised by one level, making him a level seven engineer.
The process wasn't complicated; the main issue was that the position of chief engineer had certain requirements, and even if someone was eyeing it, you still had to meet the criteria.
In the factory, only Shen Yuanliang met the requirements; everyone else had to step aside.
Unless they are transferred from outside.
However, on the other hand, anyone who reaches this level is a key figure, no matter where they are, and their original unit is unlikely to let them go. Furthermore, in terms of connections, Director Yang's network is far less extensive than Deputy Director Li's; if transferred here, he's very likely to become one of Deputy Director Li's men. Although Shen Yuanliang didn't explicitly state his opinion, to prevent any unforeseen complications, he made the decision immediately.
The chief engineer holds considerable power. While he can't decide on all personnel matters in the factory, he is responsible for overseeing projects, explaining their implementation, optimization, and overall coordination to the factory manager. Both Factory Manager Yang and Deputy Factory Manager Li need a reliable person in the chief engineer position.
If the chief engineer really wanted to seize power, the factory director really wouldn't have much of a way to stop him.
After all, the factory manager only had a superficial understanding of the technology.
Fortunately, Shen Yuanliang had a good reputation and didn't like to show off; he preferred to keep to himself and do his own thing. So, the position of chief engineer ended up in his hands.
Shen Yuanliang wasn't idle either; after all, he was now the chief engineer, and the pressure suddenly increased.
This is the overall coordination of the entire factory.
Of course, he planned to give the vacant position of leader of the first technical team to Wang Shouren.
The office was still filled with smoke.
I don't know where Shen Yuanliang learned this bad habit from, but he likes to smoke his own secondhand smoke.
"I said, Master, for your health, you can smoke if you want, but please open the window. I'm really afraid you'll suffocate here one day." Wang Shouren opened the window helplessly.
Shen Yuanliang lit another cigarette, seemed to see something, coughed twice, put down the document in his hand, and sighed: "You have no idea how complicated this is after I took over as chief engineer. Before, I would leave all those things to Engineer Zhao for approval, but now, the tables have turned and it's my turn."
Actually, for someone who wants to immerse themselves in the work, sometimes the position of chief engineer is more of a burden. Shen Yuanliang prefers to research new things. But now, he estimates that he won't have that opportunity for the next few years.
"By the way, you can take on the role of group leader for now."
"What the hell?" Wang Shouren pointed to himself: "Don't joke around, Master, I can't sit here. I'm already the office director, becoming the group leader will only bring more trouble."
His position as office director was specially approved by Factory Director Yang, mainly because he was already a section chief in the department, and it wouldn't do for him to still be a technician in the factory. So, they created the title of "Assembly Line Management Office" and put him in that position. It had a good reputation, but it was actually a sinecure; he usually stayed in the engineering department.
"Sigh, do you think I wanted this? Ever since I took this position as chief engineer, there's been a rumor that whoever becomes the leader of Group One will be the next chief engineer. You know, outsiders might just laugh it off, but those people in Groups Two and Three actually believed it. Don't they know how to become chief engineer? They're all technicians; having technical skills is the key."
“Goodness, suddenly there are more than a dozen competitors for the position of group leader, which is not usually popular. I originally wanted to give it to Lao Tang, but now I really can't give it to him. You keep this matter quiet, and I'll give the group leader position to him later. That way, I'll at least give him an explanation.”
Old Tang from Group One is almost fifty years old and is one of the factory's veteran technicians.
However, he's always been a level 10 technician, hasn't participated in any major projects, and doesn't have any impressive academic qualifications. So, he can't be promoted to engineer. In the past, the team leader position would have been filled by whoever was in charge. But things are different now. Shen Yuanliang can't control things; too many people want to take the position. He's not Zhao Wuliang, whose word is law. He doesn't have that kind of authority.
“I think it’s unlikely,” Wang Shouren shook his head, indicating his disagreement.
"Why is it uncertain?" Shen Yuanliang asked, somewhat surprised. "Your status is sufficient."
“I have the right qualifications, but to the steel rolling mill, I’m an outsider. Now, the position of group leader is related to the chief engineer…”
"No, you and I both know that the chief engineer has nothing to do with this."
Wang Shouren laughed and took a puff of his cigarette: "Whether it matters or not, it doesn't really matter much. The key is what people believe. Right now, everyone outside is saying that this has become a microcosm of a struggle for power, a battle for who can get this position. Later on, it's only natural to promote the person in this position to chief engineer. This is a power struggle. You want me to go? Master, can we not be so naive?"
"No, what about me?" Shen Yuanliang was speechless. According to Wang Shouren, he, as the chief engineer, was someone who could be kicked out at any time.
"In the world of martial arts, without absolute strength, there is no absolute status. If you don't believe it, go and mention it to Director Yang and see what the final result is." Wang Shouren smiled.
When everyone thinks something is right, those who are clear-headed are considered guilty; this is the prevailing view in any era.
After leaving Shen Yuanliang's office, he returned to his own office and continued reading.
Now that there are no tasks from the department, he reads books to enrich himself. There are still ten years to go, he'll just have to wait it out.
When it was time to leave work, I saw a man in military uniform leaning against a tree as soon as I stepped out of the factory. He seemed to be waiting for someone.
Wang Shouren wasn't surprised; after all, everyone works at a steel mill and has relatives there. But just as he was about to pass by, the man called out to him.
"stop!"
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