"Director Wang, you sent for me?"
Liu Wenming said with a chuckle, a vernier caliper (a special ruler commonly used in industry) in his hand, looking like he had been busy with some work.
"Section Chief Liu, you're here!" Wang Yu greeted him with a smile, two handcarts placed before him.
The twelve prototype agricultural vehicles rushed out earlier, and all the leading cadres had taken one each.
The two vehicles in front of them were the ones driven away by Wang Yu and Liu Wenming respectively.
The two cars were identical, but upon closer inspection, significant differences could be found.
The car driven by Wang Yu, although only driven for a few days, already showed many signs of use given the poor road conditions of the era.
Liu Wenming's, however, appeared much newer, with almost no marks.
"I heard Section Chief Liu brought back an order in just three days. You must have worked very hard,"
Wang Yu complimented Liu Wenming, but his smile was a knowing one.
"Haha, Director Wang flatters me. Jianghai City is relatively close, so I just got lucky,"
Liu Wenming chuckled. "I should also thank Director Wang for your excellent product design!"
"Is that so? Then could Section Chief Liu tell me what the user who placed this order looks like? And what is their name?" Wang Yu suddenly asked.
"This... a middle-aged man, um, his name is..."
Perhaps taken aback by Wang Yu's question, Liu Wenming paused for a moment before stammering a reply.
"It couldn't possibly be Zhao Tao, could it?"
Wang Yu's words immediately shocked everyone present.
Zhao Tao?
Zhao Tao from their rival Jiangyang Agricultural Machinery Factory?
"Ah? What? Director Wang, are you joking?" Liu Wenming's face suddenly changed.
"Joking?"
Wang Yu's tone suddenly became very serious. "Section Chief Liu's car is so well-maintained, it's likely it never left Jiangyang County and went directly to Jiangyang Agricultural Machinery Factory, isn't it!"
What???
The surrounding workers were in an uproar.
Had they misheard? Director Wang said Section Chief Liu went to Jiangyang Agricultural Machinery Factory?
"How is that possible?" Liu Wenming's face turned pale, and he immediately shouted,
"I was worried about damaging the car, so I drove very carefully, that's why..."
Before he could finish, Wang Yu interrupted him directly.
"Then, Section Chief Liu, how do you explain the problem of the car being dismantled?"
The car was dismantled? Everyone was stunned.
"How do you know... No, I mean, how can you guess so wildly?"
Liu Wenming blurted out instinctively, but quickly corrected himself. His current demeanor clearly indicated to everyone present that he had something to hide.
"Could it be...?" Li Ming stepped forward and carefully examined the vehicle.
He noticed that on the vehicle driven by Liu Wenming, all the parts had two crooked marks.
"You! The car was indeed dismantled!" Li Ming's face changed drastically.
"Nonsense, Director Li, stop making baseless accusations!" Liu Wenming roared, his face ashen.
"Heh heh, Director Wang specifically instructed our production workshop. To prevent loose screws from causing vehicle safety hazards, we were required to re-inspect and tighten every car before it left the factory, marking them as confirmation.
But now..."
Li Ming pointed to the broken marks and said indignantly,
"Originally, the mark should be a continuous straight line connecting both the bolt and the nut. But now, one line is broken into two! This indicates that it was dismantled and reassembled without proper alignment!"
"If only one or two nuts had this situation, it could be explained as maintenance or worker oversight. But all parts of the car have been dismantled in this manner. Even areas like the driver's cabin, which rarely need to be touched, are the same.
Without a doubt, the car was dismantled! And it was completely taken apart from start to finish!"
At this point, Li Ming became very angry. The surrounding workers also looked enlightened, and they surrounded Li Ming with unfriendly expressions.
It was clear that this car had been taken by Li Ming to Jiangyang Agricultural Machinery Factory to be dismantled!
Taking apart an entire car and then reassembling it without any damage.
In the entire Jiangyang County, besides their own automobile factory, only Jiangyang Agricultural Machinery Factory possessed such technical skill and capability!
As the head of the technical department, Li Ming was well aware of the design drawings for Unit One.
Now, by taking the entire vehicle to them to be dismantled and copied, it was highly likely that Jiangyang Agricultural Machinery Factory had already produced identical vehicles!
The thought of their hard work ultimately benefiting others made everyone feel disheartened.
"I never thought you, Wang Yu, would be so insidious, using 'ensuring safety' as an excuse to leave such a theft-prevention measure. I, old Liu, admit defeat wholeheartedly!"
Seeing that the evidence was conclusive and he could no longer hide it, Liu Wenming simply admitted it outright and then laughed heartily.
"But, what does it matter even if you found out now? The counterfeit products from Jiangyang Agricultural Machinery Factory are probably already rolling off the production line. Director Zhao Tao has poured all his resources into fully producing this new model of agricultural vehicle!"
"They have a complete sales channel and are well-funded. In at most three months, they will completely dominate the provincial market! Unlike our small-scale operations!
We even have to have cadres personally promote and sell them. How ridiculous!" Liu Wenming said, looking askance at Wang Yu as he laughed.
"I admit you're technically skilled, and you're also quite cunning.
But under absolute strength, any scheme is a paper tiger! Once Jiangyang Agricultural Machinery Factory captures the market, they'll merge and reorganize our factory. I, old Liu, will be the new head of the technical department!"
"As for you, Wang Yu, the automobile factory is now yours. If it goes bankrupt, those outstanding debts will land you in prison for a long time!"
"And the rest of you, if you're lucky, you might work as manual laborers in the workshop. If you're unlucky, you might be laid off and sent home."
"Perhaps if you beg me now, I can put in a good word for you with Director Zhao at the agricultural machinery factory. Hahahaha!"
As he spoke, Liu Wenming exuded an arrogant demeanor of a petty person who had achieved success.
Some of the more hot-tempered workers were about to rush forward and beat him.
"Stop! You can't hit anyone! If we resort to violence, we'll lose our moral high ground."
Li Ming stopped the workers, but his ashen face showed that this usually cheerful and good-natured man was truly enraged.
After all the hardship, was the hope of the factory to be extinguished just like this?
"Heh heh, you say Zhao Tao poured all his resources into fully producing our Hope Number One?"
Wang Yu wasn't angry at all. He asked with a smile, his smile somewhat peculiar.
"That's right! Jiangyang Agricultural Machinery Factory now possesses all the core technology and will soon dominate the market!"
Liu Wenming said with a smug smile. "For this, Director Zhao gave me a reward of 5,000 yuan!"
5,000 yuan? No wonder.
People die for wealth, birds die for food. Such a large sum of money, it's normal for Liu Wenming to be tempted.
Besides, he had probably received considerable "returns" for selling information about the factory before.
"Tsk tsk, very good!" Wang Yu smiled and waved his hand.
"Our Jiangyang Automobile Factory is too small to accommodate a deity like you. Therefore, effective immediately, all your duties as Liu Wenming are terminated. Please go to the finance department to settle your salary and leave!"
Liu Wenming just sneered at Wang Yu's words.
"Heh heh, stubborn as a dead duck! When your factory goes bankrupt, let's see if you can still be so tough!
As for the meager salary, I, old Liu, don't care about it. Mountains don't change, rivers don't stop. I'll be waiting for you at Jiangyang Agricultural Machinery Factory!"
After saying this, Liu Wenming turned and left.
However, just as he was about to step out of the automobile factory gate, Wang Yu, who had remained still, suddenly stepped forward and kicked him in the backside.
Bang!
Jin Daxia's ultimate move - "Ass Backward Flying Wild Goose Style"!
Liu Wenming fell face-first like a dog eating excrement, landing awkwardly on the ground, his elegant glasses flung aside.
"Get out!"
Wang Yu shouted at Liu Wenming, and the workers behind him let out bursts of laughter.
The young director finally let off some steam. He had been too polite before!
There was no need for such reasoning with a traitor and an insider.
"You... Wang Yu! We'll see!" Liu Wenming, who had struggled to get up and dust himself off, glared back at Wang Yu with gritted teeth before limping away.
"Director Wang, what about the matter with Jiangyang Agricultural Machinery Factory?"
The workers were all happy, but only Li Ming approached Wang Yu with a worried expression.
"Mastered? I wish they had mastered it!" Wang Yu laughed heartily and turned to leave.
"Hey, Director Wang!"
Wu Lingling, who had been standing nearby, suddenly stopped Wang Yu.
Her tone towards Wang Yu was now very serious. Having witnessed everything from the sidelines, she saw how Wang Yu had, through some unknown means, invited Factory Director Huang He, and easily dealt with Brother Hu, the persistent nuisance that everyone dreaded seeing.
Then, using a subtle trick he had set up earlier, he easily found the traitor hidden within the factory and directly dismissed him.
Especially that final kick; even she, a lady, found it quite satisfying.
Both soft and hard tactics, clean and efficient execution!
This person, who could stir up clouds with a flip of his hand and rain with the other, was probably not just someone with some technical skill whom she could easily manipulate and control, as she had initially thought!
"Aren't you afraid of your technology being leaked at all?" Wu Lingling asked the question on everyone's mind.
"Heh heh, are you scared? In this situation, would you still dare to cooperate with us?"
Wang Yu shrugged noncommittally and asked Wu Lingling with a smile.
"Scared? My dictionary has never contained the word 'scared'!"
Wu Lingling smiled, her smile bright and sunny.
"Of course, I want to cooperate, but not with your factory."
"Ah? Then who am I cooperating with?" Wang Yu asked curiously.
By the way, this girl looked quite pretty when she smiled.
"Naturally, it's with you! Director Wang, are you interested in having a good talk?"
"Interesting! If you don't mind, let's have lunch at the factory canteen today, and we can talk then!"
Wang Yu said to Wu Lingling, and the two of them gradually walked away, leaving Li Ming with a bitter smile.
"Director Li, what should we do about the Jiangyang Agricultural Machinery Factory matter?"
A worker asked him.
"This... Director Wang should have a solution. Everyone should trust him." Li Ming pondered for a moment, then waved his hand at everyone.
"Alright, everyone, don't linger here. Disperse."
Hearing their director's assurance, and recalling the young director's prescience and his ability to turn decay into magic,
The workers were relieved and dispersed, leaving only the bitter-smiling but feigning-calm director.
...
In the reception room,
Wang Yu sat opposite Huang He, the former director of the bicycle factory.
A design drawing lay before them.
"This is a motorized bicycle?"
Huang He took the drawing with trembling hands, a glimmer of hope appearing in his slightly cloudy eyes.