Ma Qiang's heart stirred upon hearing Zhang Tianxing's words. However, Ma Qiang had only been working for a few years and was still a low-level employee. A counselor was essentially the lowest-ranking staff member in a university.
But then he thought again, that wasn't right. He had no money, so how could he possibly contract anything? He didn't even have startup capital.
"But what you said makes a lot of sense. I'll go ask around and see if anyone's interested." Ma Qiang was tempted. Finding someone to contract it wasn't a bad idea, as his only goal was to keep the school-run factory alive.
He happened to have the connections, and it would only take a couple of phone calls. With this thought, Ma Qiang smiled, filled with confidence.
After speaking, Ma Qiang walked out. Action was better than contemplation. It all depended on whether he could find a benefactor this time.
Ma Qiang first contacted his classmates to see if any of them were interested in the school-run factory.
"Hello, it's me, Ma Qiang. I wanted to ask you something. Our school's factory is losing money due to poor management, so we're looking for elite individuals. Are you interested in becoming the boss here?" Ma Qiang's face was all smiles as he spoke on the phone.
"Brother Ma, I'm not interested in your place. No offense, but what's the point of staying in academia? We're all trendsetters of our time. Diving into the market and getting rich is the only correct path. How about it, are you interested in coming to help me? I'll give you a project manager position. I won't let you down, brother." Old Wang chuckled heartily on the phone.
"Old Wang, you know me. I don't want to leave academia. I just want to research things peacefully. I don't have the skills for the market. Help me out, brother. I've calculated that this school-run factory can be revitalized. It's not much, the startup capital is only around twenty thousand yuan." Good brothers are loyal. Hearing Old Wang's cheerful laughter, Ma Qiang seized the opportunity to state his request.
After Ma Qiang finished speaking, he wondered why Old Wang wasn't saying anything. What was going on?
He looked closely and was stunned. The call had been hung up at some point.
Unwilling to give up, Ma Qiang called again.
The phone rang for a long time before Old Wang answered. Old Wang's voice, sometimes clear, sometimes distant, came through the phone. "Brother Qiang, I have to go for now. The signal is bad here. I'm traveling on business. I'll contact you when my signal is better. Let's meet up another day when we have time and have a good drink!"
At first, the voice fluctuated, but towards the end, the sentence about having a good drink was perfectly clear and the signal was excellent.
Hearing this, Ma Qiang felt a pang of bitterness. When they were in school, Wang Liang wasn't as good as him in any aspect. He could only pass exams by copying Ma Qiang's work.
But now, their status had changed drastically. Wang Liang had gone into business and become a successful entrepreneur.
He owned four factories and had over a thousand employees, making him a rising star in the manufacturing industry.
It was said that he was now worth tens of millions, always surrounded by an entourage, living a happy life where he had secretaries to handle his affairs and a car to drive when he had nothing else to do.
He was arguably the most successful person in their class so far.
Ma Qiang had made this call full of confidence. When they were in school, their relationship was incredibly close.
If nothing else, he and Old Wang had countless stories to tell.
He had initially thought this was a sure thing, but he hadn't expected Old Wang's signal to be so erratic. This truly saddened Ma Qiang.
Never mind. If one door closes, another opens. If Old Wang couldn't help, there was Old Zhang.
Old Zhang was also a successful businessman. Ma Qiang had given him two patents, which allowed Old Zhang to make a fortune.
If all else failed, he could borrow some money from Old Zhang to tide him over.
"Mr. Zhang, it's Ma Qiang. I need your help with something." Ma Qiang got straight to the point after calling.
"No problem, no problem. Teacher Ma's business is my business. Anyone who disrespects Teacher Ma disrespects me. Besides, it was thanks to Teacher Ma's great assistance that our company has reached where it is today. Please tell me what you need, Teacher Ma." Mr. Zhang on the phone was very straightforward, patting his chest assertively.
Ma Qiang smiled. This was what a successful person looked like, full of spirit. Old Wang was just so-so. It was better to count on Old Zhang next door. This was the demeanor of Mr. Zhang.
"It's like this, our school is looking to contract out some work externally. I wonder if Mr. Zhang would be interested?"
"Teacher Ma, let's forget about that. Our factory has no plans for expansion."
"In that case, Mr. Zhang, can you lend me twenty thousand yuan to use in an emergency?"
"Teacher Ma, how about this: I have three hundred yuan here. Give me your account number, and I'll transfer it to you. You can use it for now, and we'll talk if it's not enough. Not every factory can be run easily; one wrong move and you could lose everything. I'm having a tough time lately, Mr. Zhang..." Mr. Zhang's voice came through the phone, full of complaints.
Ma Qiang was stunned. What was going on with Mr. Zhang? At first, he had been so grand about expanding production, but when Ma Qiang mentioned money, he became evasive and finally offered only three hundred yuan, even asking for an account number.
Bah! Ma Qiang would rather starve than accept his three hundred yuan.
Damn it, what was happening in this world? Ma Qiang had misjudged people. These two were supposed to be sure bets, yet they were both so unreliable...
Was it him, Ma Qiang, who was unreliable, or was it society?
Ma Qiang was in a daze. He didn't know if it was his fault or society's fault, but he understood one thing.
That was, this plan to find someone to contract the school factory was probably going to fall through.
He was just a small counselor. No one would help him.
It seemed he had been too naive.
Ma Qiang sat down on the ground, holding his head in his hands and weeping.
He was so useless. But if the school factory couldn't operate, then this batch of students would be at a disadvantage compared to previous batches.
The difference between having internship experience and not having it was significant. It was his own incompetence.
A leader's incompetence could cripple an army...
As Ma Qiang was in despair, Zhang Tianxing saw him crying uncontrollably.
Zhang Tianxing walked over slowly, handed Ma Qiang a tissue, and said, "Brother Qiang, what's wrong? Tell me if something's bothering you!"
It had only been half an hour, and Old Ma was already crying so much. Old comrade Ma, you still have to be a role model in the future; don't lose your dignity like this.
Seeing Zhang Tianxing, Ma Qiang slowly stood up, took the tissue, haphazardly wiped his face, took a deep breath, adjusted his emotions, and restored his expression.
"Tianxing, it's nothing. It was just windy earlier, and sand got into my eyes. This darn weather, it's so troublesome when sand gets into your eyes!" Ma Qiang forced himself to remain calm and explained.