Chapter 297: Lazy Mornings and Factory Visits

The next day, Xu Chen slept in until noon, too lazy to get up early.

With Fang Jun and Gu Xinxi keeping an eye on them, Sun Aimi and Gu Xinxi were in good hands and wouldn’t run into any trouble.

Especially with the thoughtful Wu Yue around, she made sure the two young girls had great food and fun.

Early that morning, Old Xu got picked up by Li Rui, and Xu Chen didn’t get a chance to ask where they were going—probably to the park.

Xu Chen took his time getting up, whipped up some food in the kitchen, took a hot shower, then headed out.

…

He first stopped by the Chenxin Nurseries factory grounds in town, and as soon as he walked in, he saw his maternal uncle Zhang Yongqing directing a few workers.

He had to keep in touch with the family on his maternal uncle’s and fourth uncle’s side to maintain those relationships.

Beyond family ties, it also tied into the business back at Chenxin Nurseries.

Of course, Xu Chen was truly grateful that his maternal uncle and fourth uncle were helping and supporting his father Xu Zhiquan.

Spotting Xu Chen, Zhang Yongqing set down his work and stood up with a smile.

“Xu Chen, on break from school?”

Xu Chen greeted his maternal uncle and then asked,

“Are Fourth Uncle and Fourth Aunt not home?”

Zhang Yongqing replied, “They’re at the construction site. They’ve got two projects due soon, so they’re staying there to oversee the rush job.”

Xu Chen said, “I brought some treats from Shanghai for Maternal Uncle, Fourth Uncle, and Fourth Aunt to try!”

“I’ve got extras, so Maternal Uncle, help me carry them.”

Zhang Yongqing gave a shy smile:

“Hold on, I’ll wash my hands first!”

Xu Chen had shipped back two full boxes of treats from Shanghai and left one entire box for his maternal uncle and fourth uncle.

Zhang Yongqing looked a bit embarrassed:

“This is way too much—we won’t finish it all.”

Xu Chen replied, “Maternal Uncle, you live right at the factory, so if you don’t feel like cooking breakfast, you can just grab some.”

Zhang Yongqing smiled warmly:

“Alright, thanks, Xu Chen!” …

After saying goodbye to his maternal uncle, Xu Chen drove straight to downtown.

…

Chenfeng Technology Park.

As soon as Xu Chen parked, he spotted Zhao Feng and Li Rui chatting and smoking near the main building.

Xu Chen got out of the car and waved at them.

Zhao Feng and Li Rui jogged over right away.

“Xu Chen!”

Xu Chen opened the trunk and pulled out those packs of Seven Stars cigarettes:

“Bing Ge got these for you guys from Osaka—pass them around to the team!”

Zhao Feng took them, grinning ear to ear.

They had all watched Xie Bingran’s competition live in Osaka at the grand auditorium with Xu Zhiquan, and the guys were buzzing with excitement…

“Is my dad in the park?”

Li Rui said, “President Xu’s upstairs in a meeting with Director Yang, General Manager Guo, and Teacher Fang.”

“Yue Jie is showing the two girls around the park right now.”

Xu Chen nodded and said:

“You two keep a box each of these treats.”

“Take the rest to the meeting room…”

“I’ll go find Yue Jie and the others first.”

Li Rui replied, “You got it, Xu Chen!”

…

…

The workers were on holiday, but Director Yang’s tech team and a few managers were still working, mostly discussing production plans for the first Chenfeng Ice Power model.

Plus, during dinner last night, Xu Zhiquan had mentioned some factory issues.

The old Bright Factory had around four to five hundred workers, but some of the skilled ones weren’t up to par.

To keep Chenfeng Technology moving fast with small steps, those underperforming workers on the production line would slow everything down.

Xu Zhiquan talked it over with HR and chatted with the employees individually.

They made some adjustments before the National Day holiday.

Some were pulled from technical lines and shifted to admin or logistics, with pay cuts to match.

Others who didn’t want the pay drop were moved to Chenxin Nurseries and reported to Fourth Uncle Xu Zhilin.

Chenxin Nurseries was short on staff, so they could handle the transferred workers’ salaries.

These old state-owned factory workers didn’t have high base pay anyway.

Some basic roles in the old factory paid less than what Xu Zhiquan offered at the nurseries.

Of course, the job intensity varied a lot.

A few workers felt resistant, which was natural.

But they all knew that in Tiancheng, without Chenfeng Technology or Chenxin Nurseries, they’d be stuck with odd jobs, so they chose to stay.

This HR shake-up changed the whole vibe at Chenfeng Technology for the better.

Now the workers were just waiting for President Xu’s go-ahead to dive into production.

…

…

In the north factory area, Xu Chen ran into Wu Yue, Sun Aimi, and Gu Xinxi.

Seeing Xu Chen, they called out:

“Young President Xu!”

“Boss!”

“Teacher Xu Chen!”

They each had their own way of addressing him.

Xu Chen chuckled, “Sorry, I rarely get a break, so I slept in late.”

Wu Yue said, “I’ve been showing them around the factory and introduced everyone to them.”

Xu Chen replied, “Perfect!”

He turned to Gu Xinxi, “Met your master yet?”

Gu Xinxi smiled, “I have—he’s put on some weight since last time.”

Wu Yue added, “That means the park’s cafeteria serves good food!”

Xu Chen laughed, “How’s the factory tour going?”

Sun Aimi said excitedly,

“The factory is huge! And Yue Jie just told us there are hundreds of workers!”

Gu Xinxi added, “We checked out the new production line—it’s so high-tech. I didn’t realize Chenfeng Technology was a real tech company.”

Wu Yue grinned, “Of course it is! Director Yang says our production line is top-notch in the north.”

Sun Aimi looked at Xu Chen seriously and said,

“Thanks, Boss, for taking me on!”

Xu Chen laughed, “That’s because Teacher Aimi is outstanding!”

…

…

The group headed to the main building.

Xu Chen glanced up and saw that Teacher Fang Jun’s bar had gotten a fresh makeover.

Wu Yue explained, “President Xu allocated a budget for Fang Jun to spruce it up.”

Xu Chen nodded, “Teacher Fang Jun has great taste—this bar looks stylish now.”

Sun Aimi chimed in, “Yeah! We were surprised when we passed by—didn’t expect a fun bar in the park.”

“Yue Jie told us Sister Fang Jun runs it.”

…

…

Wu Yue handed the two girls over to Xu Chen and went back to work.

Xu Chen led them straight to the main building.

Stepping into the large meeting room on the second floor, smoke filled the air.

Besides Yang Congxin and a few tech leads, there were Xu Zhiquan, Guo Liang, and Fang Jun.

They were in a meeting, munching on the treats Xu Chen had brought.

Seeing Xu Chen and the girls enter, everyone stood up to greet them.

They were all warm and polite to ‘Young President Xu.’

Beyond being the boss’s son, everyone knew Xu Chen was a key decision-maker at Chenfeng Technology, despite his age.

Fang Jun and Yang Congxin had seen Xu Chen’s skills during the Bright Factory acquisition bid.

The other tech leads and Guo Liang had witnessed his expertise at the August Chenfeng Ice Power meeting.

Xu Chen exchanged pleasantries, grabbed some treats from the table, and shared them with Sun Aimi and Gu Xinxi behind him.

The girls had already visited once that morning and met everyone.

Gu Xinxi spotted her master Guo Liang and beamed with a mix of shyness and joy.

After a short chat, Xu Zhiquan stubbed out his cigarette and stood up with a smile…

He grabbed his son’s arm and said mysteriously,

“Come on! Let’s check out our car!”

…

A few minutes later, the group reached a small warehouse behind the north factory area.

Yang Congxin unclipped a key from his belt and carefully unlocked the door.

Two tech team members pulled open the heavy iron doors with a rattle.

That’s how Xu Chen first laid eyes on the Chenfeng Ice Power prototype.

Xu Zhiquan lit another cigarette and led Xu Chen inside by the arm.

“Son, take a look—this is the Chenfeng Ice Power you helped design.”

Xu Chen circled it twice, barely hiding his excitement.

Back in Beijing, the design institute had come up with four or five directions.

One was based on Xu Chen’s suggestions, and they even had Sun Aimi tweak a quick digital sketch.

Guo Liang took it to market for user feedback, and in the end, this was the model people chose.

Xu Chen bent down for a closer look and said,

“This exceeds my expectations—the quality feels top-notch!”

Yang Congxin stepped over, adjusted his black-rimmed glasses, and said,

“For the final production models, we’ll use slightly cheaper materials to keep costs down.”

“Mainly downgrading some plastic parts, but overall, it’ll look very close to this prototype!”

Xu Chen nodded and waved Sun Aimi over:

“Teacher Aimi, check this out. Use it as the main shot for the October 4th material.”

Sun Aimi nodded and asked timidly,

“Can I take some photos?”

Xu Zhiquan laughed heartily,

“Go ahead, but keep it under wraps!”

Xu Chen added, “Don’t worry. Teacher Aimi’s taking these for the October 4th shoot.”

“She’s signed a confidentiality agreement, so it’s all good.”

Sun Aimi smiled, pulled out her phone from her pocket, and snapped pictures from every angle.

Yang Congxin came closer and explained the details to Xu Chen and Sun Aimi.

He covered things like technical specs and design considerations for aerodynamics.

Some of it went over Xu Chen’s head, so he just nodded and smiled.

Yang Congxin wrapped up with,

“This is just the prototype. The production version has some tweaks and optimizations—we sent feedback to the design institute, and they’re working on it over the holiday.”

Xu Zhiquan finished his cigarette, slung an arm around his son’s shoulders,

“The production line’s ready, and we’ve ordered all the parts…”

“Teacher Fang handled the approvals, and Guo Liang set up the sales channels…”

“After the holiday, we can start production!”

Old Xu spoke calmly, but his excitement was clear.

After all this effort, the first Chenfeng Ice Power was finally heading to the line.

He gave his son’s shoulder a squeeze:

“Too bad you won’t be here for the launch ceremony after the holiday!”

Xu Chen smiled, “Once we have a successful launch, I’ll take leave and come back for the celebration!”

Xu Zhiquan laughed heartily:

“And bring Bing Ran with you!”

…

…

That evening, the sociable Old Xu threw another gathering.

It was to welcome the new East Morning Star Advertising colleagues Sun Aimi and Gu Xinxi, and to celebrate the first Chenfeng Ice Power prototype.

“Chief booze officer” Teacher Fang Jun was thrilled and grabbed two of Yang Congxin’s team members to fetch drinks from the bar downstairs.

The feast was at a big stall in Panhe Night Market—Xu Chen had eaten there a few times before.

The table was loaded with northern barbecue, and Sun Aimi and Gu Xinxi, the southern girls, were wide-eyed with delight.

With “Young President Xu” and “President Xu” there, the girls were a bit reserved.

Luckily, Wu Yue kept things lively, chatting away while pouring drinks and tea.

And with Guo Liang’s smooth style, toasting everyone, the atmosphere heated up fast.

Xu Zhiquan puffed on his cigarette, clearly enjoying himself, and since Guo Liang could hold his liquor, they knocked back a few shots arm in arm.

Spotting the quiet Teacher Fang Jun with her glass, Xu Zhiquan laughed and pulled her into the fun.

Sun Aimi stuck to cola since she didn’t drink.

Gu Xinxi handled a little more, pouring half a glass to toast President Xu and Young President Xu, then the managers.

…

After a few rounds, things slowed down a bit.

Guo Liang led Gu Xinxi over to Xu Chen.

Seeing their glasses ready, Xu Chen picked up his own.

Guo Liang said with a smile,

“Young President Xu, thanks for bringing me into Chenfeng Technology.”

“And for taking on my apprentice at East Morning Star Advertising!”

“She’s told me she’s in, so please look after her, Teacher Xu Chen.”

Gu Xinxi followed shyly with a smile.

Xu Chen nodded with a grin:

“Welcome aboard, Teacher Xinxi!”

Gu Xinxi bowed slightly, clinked glasses with Xu Chen, and downed her half-glass…

Once seated, Sun Aimi linked arms with Gu Xinxi and said with a laugh,

“Welcome to the team!”

Xu Chen took Gu Xinxi to toast Fang Jun and Wu Yue:

“We’ll need you two to handle the onboarding!”

Wu Yue, a bit tipsy, showed her bold side and grabbed Gu Xinxi and Sun Aimi’s arms:

“You two are like sisters—I like you more by the minute!”

…”