Chapter 33 He is not good enough, so he is compatible with her who is also not good enough
Engineering, like life, has a low margin for error and can't afford to be fooled. Li Wenjing, through these day-to-day calculations, has long since developed a cautious personality, which is reflected in her relationship with him. He's not good enough, and she can't move forward cautiously. On the other hand, it's precisely because he's not "good enough" that, in choosing a partner, the upper-middle class often has certain flaws, which makes them willing to be compatible with her, who is also not good enough.
She was poor, older, and not particularly pretty; he had an odd personality and a latent illness that made him a marginalized individual. The world was always so realistic. If he hadn't had a strange illness, she wouldn't have met him at all. The two of them would never have crossed paths in their lives. Perhaps when they passed by the streets of London, he would drink coffee on the street, and she would secretly glance at him, thinking to herself, "I saw a handsome guy today." But he would never look up. They were from different worlds.
As she was thinking about something, she felt a slight pain in her finger and cried out "Ouch!", realizing that she had been cut by a piece of paper and a drop of blood. She ignored the blood and went to find Zhang Zhaochuan with her computer and manuscript.
"Brother Chuan, I've carefully checked the French foundation data. Dr. Chen's newly published paper shows serious problems with their report. The foundation's bearing capacity is insufficient, and the presence of a weak interlayer could easily cause the equipment to sink or tilt. Our unit's construction plan didn't fully account for the possibility of further softening of the foundation. This won't work. I suggest immediately re-measuring the foundation data and reinforcing the weak foundation. If we don't address this promptly, the consequences could be very serious."
After saying this, Zhang Zhaochuan was surprised. "Is this all you talked about during your meal with Dr. Chen?"
"Don't worry, I didn't give him the owner's data. It's all in my own computer."
"No... I'm saying this plan has already been approved and complies with EU standards. We've already done so much construction, and if you say you want to change it now, I can't make a decision. I need to speak to the dean about this."
"It's common to change plans. If you wait until an accident happens before changing them, it will be too late."
"Even if you go to report to the dean, he won't bother to pay attention to you. Why bother with so much trouble and go to the French again? You're just asking for trouble. Just go to him. I don't mind. I'll see if the director doesn't scold you when he gets back."
Zhang Zhaochuan acted as if he was bothered by the hassle, which was as Li Wenjing expected. Reporting to him was just a formality. Reporting to a higher level was a taboo in the workplace, and she didn't want him to lose face.
In front of the dean, Li Wenjing repeated what she had just said. He didn't say no directly. He looked at Li Wenjing's manuscript and the original construction plan, frowned, called Fu Yudie over, and asked her to call the French to communicate about the problem with the plan.
Li Wenjing said to Yu Di, "Tell Pierre that the geology here is unique. The weak foundation in the construction plan is a serious problem. Your standard calculations won't work. I saw a new paper and recalculated it. I suggest that, for safety reasons, we halt construction on the key sections until the new plan reinforces the foundation, while leaving the other supporting parts unchanged."
The other party was very excited and scolded her directly in English: "There is a problem with your construction plan. Our drilling rigs are about to enter the site. Every day of suspension means a day of lost oil production. Can you afford the loss to the group?"
Li Wenjing almost got into an argument with him on the phone. "Your request was problematic to begin with. You kept insisting on doing this. What could I do with you?"
As he said this, the dean held her down and told her not to say anything.
The dean said to Yu Di, "Don't translate what Wen Jing said just now. Just make it clear to the French that this is a problem with the standards, not ours. Keep the recording on so they don't blame us. By the way, speak more politely and explain it to him clearly."
It was the dean and Yu Di's turn to negotiate with Pierre. In the end, the French agreed to verify again and asked Li Wenjing to send the documents over, but the project could not be stopped, and they would discuss it again at the next meeting.
"The next meeting won't be until a week later. No, let's not delay this. I'll talk to Pierre."
"Xiao Li! You stay!"
The dean stopped her. "There's a problem with the project. It's originally our fault. Don't worry. The French themselves aren't that anxious. Now the problem is their responsibility. The recordings are all there. If Gustav asks about it, we'll report it. It's not our fault."
"Director, we can't do this. If something goes wrong and someone gets into an accident, no one will be able to compensate, no matter who is responsible. The death rate on construction sites is already very high. We really can't drag it out like this. We need to talk to the French immediately."
"Could you please speak directly to Gustav?"
"No, that won't work. Even if I ask him about this specific issue, he'll tell me to talk to the engineers down below, and then..."
Li Wenjing shook her head. She had already fallen out with Gustav last time and she didn't want to see him. As soon as she saw him, she would think of Gu Weiyi and those disgusting things.
"Xiao Li, don't be too anxious. Let's wait until tomorrow. Let's discuss your issue and figure out what to do. It's normal for people not to trust you if you're alone, and it would be pointless to go. Dr. Chen is still here, right? We're from a sister company. Send him a letter and ask him to come to a meeting tomorrow to resolve this issue. If we want the French to be convinced, we have to be cautious, right?"
Li Wenjing had no choice but to agree. Firstly, she had no confidence in herself, and asking Dr. Chen to come over would indeed be safer; secondly, the French did not trust her, and it was normal procedure for the unit to hold a meeting to discuss and come up with a formal result, compile it into a document and send it over.
Regardless, the fact that things had progressed this far was already impressive, even better than expected. The dean was willing to support her, and the client had agreed to go to the meeting. This was the best outcome so far—Dr. Chen reassured her. With so much at stake, it was impossible for them to change direction just because of a single word. Of course, the Europeans were even less likely to look down on them. They chose the Chinese for this project primarily because they offered the lowest price and had a proven track record of success in national-level projects. Otherwise, they wouldn't even consider it.
"How long have they been in Africa? How long have we been here? The gap is decades and centuries. No matter what standards, industrial and engineering standards, the EU is ahead. They don't even look at you."
Dr. Chen was speaking the truth. She seemed to have always found it difficult to accept this situation - she lived on a chain of contempt with no end in sight. She was always the inferior, and she had no place in school or work. She entered the threshold that she was not allowed to enter anyway. She knew best how to enter - speak loudly and aggressively - she had to prove her worth.
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